Classic English Literature For Teens

The St. Charles Players present a new and unique telling of this children's classic performed in exciting Radio Theatre style.

An action-packed allegory that captures spiritual growth from nonbeliever to mature Christian. Carved from the Blood Mountains, a perpetual reminder of God's great purchase of mankind, the Bloodstone opens a gateway into another dimension. As they visit fantastic worlds, three children discover the depths of God's love, the principles of his kingdom, and the reality of spiritual conflict in their journey toward Christian maturity. Dramatized with multiple voices; narrated by Bill Myers.

Trix Woodcutter is the long prophesied boy who talks to animals. He's also a foundling prankster scamp who places his family under a sleeping spell so that he can run away from home. Compelled by a vision of his dead birth mother, Trix departs on the eve of a great catastrophe, only to find himself caught in the maelstrom.

When Zet's father left home to fight the Hyksos, his only option was to leave siblings Zet and Kat in charge. It turns out keeping food on the table is easier said than done. They need a solution and they need it now. One day, Zet spots a thief running through their market square. When the thief gets away, the medjay announce a reward for the man's capture. Zet jumps at the chance. The medjay, however, laugh at him. Zet cares little what they think. The siblings soon set off on a dangerous investigation.

This once-celebrated sequel of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn picks up right where Tom, Huck, and Jim's travels along the Mississippi ended. Tom enjoys his status as "Tom Sawyer the Traveler" and hopes to further his reputation. Little does he know how far his desire to stay ahead of his biggest rival will take them this time - overseas in an eccentric inventor's balloon!

Third-grader Jamie sees his baby sister being tossed across the room by his stepfather. His mother miraculously catches the baby, and what follows are the effects of the incident on Jamie.

The story is a double play: is it the story of a woman going mad, or a woman possessed by something evil? We begin to suspect that the narrator’s apparently caring husband John may not be as caring as she thinks. Is he trying to control her? We know that Charlotte was much concerned with the emancipation of women and them achieving financial independence, so is the character of John an echo of this?

"I'm youth, I'm joy...I'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg." The story of the little boy who refused to grow up has captured the imagination of generations of children (and the adults they grew into) since its publication in 1904. Peter Pan flies in through the bedroom window one night and teaches Wendy, John, and Michael to fly. He takes them away to endless adventures in the magical Neverland, where they meet the wicked Captain Hook and a host of other characters...

Watch as the curtains open and the opera begins. The seven operatic stories in this beautiful collection are each proceeded by an introduction about the origins of the story. There are also extensive notes about opera houses, behind-the-scenes terminology, famous opera houses and composers, and more.

Anne of Green Gables is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Written for all ages, it has been considered a children's novel since the mid-twentieth century. It recounts the adventures of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan girl who is mistakenly sent to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a middle-aged brother and sister who had intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in Prince Edward Island. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town.

After the frightful events of last autumn, 17-year-old Louisa Ditton has settled into her role as a maid at Coldthistle House, but she has not settled into what that means for her humanity. As Louisa struggles to figure out whether she is worthy of redemption, the devilish Mr. Morningside plans a fete - one that will bring new guests to Coldthistle House. From wicked humans to Upworlders, angelic beings who look down on Mr. Morningside’s monstrous staff, all are armed with their own brand of self-righteous justice.

When Marshal of the Nobility Pozdnyshev suspects his wife of having an affair with her music partner, his jealousy consumes him and drives him to murder. Controversial upon publication in 1890, The Kreutzer Sonata illuminates Tolstoy's then-feverish Christian ideals, his conflicts with lust and the hypocrisies of nineteenth-century marriage, and his thinking on the role of art and music in society.

This fictionalized portrait of Joyce's youth is one of the most vivid accounts of the growth from childhood to adulthood. Dublin at the turn of the century provides the backdrop as Stephen Dedalus moves from town and society, towards the irrevocable decision to leave. It was the decision made by Joyce himself which resulted in the mature novels of Ulysses and Finnegans Wake.

Lad: A Dog is a novelized version of twelve short stories about a fantastic collie named Lad. Lad is a noble creature, risking life and limb in defense of the vulnerable. Many people believe Lad: A Dog was the basis for the highly popular "Lassie" series which gripped the imagination of children and adults alike, as has this book for generations past.

Here is the multi award-winning SmartPass study guide with and without commentary options. This is a full-cast, unabridged performance, with comprehensive commentary and analysis, enabling students to fully understand and appreciate the play. Judge for yourself whether Lear is "a man more sinned against than sinning" in this moral tale that pits wisdom and age against ambition and youth. Experience and examine the power of Shakespeare's most cruel and violent tragedy.

The gothic tale of Frankenstein and his construction of a human being who runs amok has, with the help of numerous films, become one of the most vivid horror stories. But Mary Shelley's original novel, written in 1816, dealt more sympathetically with "the daemon," showing how an initially beneficent creature is hammered into a daemon by the way he is treated. Her ideas, and her dramatic but poignant story, is brought to life in this sound dramatization.

Perhaps the greatest story of piracy and the search for a fabulous buried treasure ever penned. Meet this cast of extraordinary characters brought vividly to life by the voice and interpretive skill of Benjamin Luxon: once one of Britain's leading international singers, now turning his considerable talents to the spoken word.

Clever and pithy children's classics turned upside-down, WINK is a true delight. Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of Damsel. Fifteen young adult contemporary fantasy and science fiction tales that wink at classic works of children's literature.

Alice is back in her room, stroking her cats - but not for long. Slipping through the Looking-Glass, she meets another wild collection of fantasy characters including the Red and White Kings and Queens, Tweedledum and Tweedledee and is entertained by the poems "Jabberwocky" and "The Walrus and the Carpenter."

Prince Owen of Thornwood and Prince Ethan of Comorra might one day unite their kingdoms in peace and harmony through marriage. If they can stand to be around each other, that is. Young love blooms, but an evil sorcerer has other ideas. After mistaking Owen for his mother, Raric kidnaps the prince and curses him to be a swan by day and human only by night until Owen agrees to wed him and hand over his throne.