Family Classics For Teens

Am Ufer des Mississippi liegt das beschauliche Städtchen, in dem Huck leben muss - alles ist ihm langweilig und zu ordentlich. Kaum zu glauben: Sein Vater versucht ihm zu verbieten, in die Schule zu gehen! Und so dauert es nicht lange, bis er unter abenteuerlichen Umständen fliehen muss. Er - als weißer Außenseiter - und Jim, ein schwarzer Sklave, tun sich zusammen, in einer Zeit, in der Rassismus und Sklaverei fest verwurzelt waren.

Vielfältige Charaktere sind in diesem Klassiker in einem Spiel auf Leben und Tod verbunden. Nie geht die Spannung verloren, die Reise mit dem Schiff ist für Jim Hawkins eine Möglichkeit, hinaus in die Welt zu gehen und sich zu bewähren. Er ordnet sich nicht unter und geht immer wieder eigene Wege. Es wird auch gezeigt, wie die Gier nach Gold und Geld manche Menschen zu Übeltätern und Bestien macht. Es wird auch klar, wie manche Menschen am Alkohol scheitern - selbst der Lange John Silver, der Anführer der Piraten, warnt seine Kumpane vergeblich davor

Chris Brabson hates the Union troops. Yankee riders in the Tennessee mountains have stolen his family's newly harvested crops and their only horse. In spite of this, Chris' brother joins the Union army, and his parents refuse to take either side. But Chris has no doubts, he would fight for the Confederacy. The Perilous Road, a Newbery Honor book, powerfully illustrates the senseless waste of war and the true meaning of courage and tolerance.

On a dark and stormy night, three strangers seek shelter at a young girl's christening party. Thomas Hardy was an English poet, novelist, and short story writer. He is famous for his depictions of Wessex, an imaginary county. Many of his stories also reflected his sense of the tragedy in human life.

A wonderful holiday excerpt from the classic Little Women features all of your favorite characters as they prepare to celebrate Christmas in their enthusiastic, optimistic, take-no-prisoners fashion.

A timeless story of breathtaking enchantment and fairy-tale romance. To save her beloved father, a beautiful young girl agrees to become the companion of a brutish and very unhappy beast. But as time passes, love works a miraculous change on both their lives.Beautifully narrated by Mia Farrow, and accompanied by an original classical score with 12-piece orchestra.

Although best known for such long novels as Our Mutual Friend and The Old Curiosity Shop, Charles Dickens also wrote many wonderful short stories with both a supernatural and a humorous twist. This is one of his best.

"Local color" author Frances Gilchrist Wood wrote this powerful tale of a young wife who proves better able to succeed on the homestead frontier than does her husband.

Willa Cather is considered to be one of the best chroniclers of pioneer life in the 20th century. She had a long and distinguished career writing essays, poems, short stories, and novels. This story is a powerful example of a frequent theme: the haunting, sometimes painful, contrast between city and country life.

Here is one of London's famous stories of the Klondike, where men had to battle the elements, and often each other, to survive.

One of the most popular pieces in the author's Main Travelled Roads collection was "The Return of a Private", a story that certainly rings true today. A soldier returns home only to find that his experiences have changed things forever.

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is considered one of the greatest Russian writers. His works have had a profound and lasting effect on 20th-century literature. His psychological penetration into the human soul had, in novels like Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, a profound influence on the 20th century novel. He also wrote a number of brilliant short stories along these same lines. "The Wedding" is one of his best.

Alice Lethbury, a young wife stuck in a dull, passionless marriage, decides to adopt a baby, Jane, with the consent of her reluctant husband. As Jane grows up, it becomes clear that she has entered the Lethburys' lives for a reason.

Here is a tale that concerns the incredible power of friendship. The movie Tennessee's Partner (1955), starring John Payne and Ronald Reagan, was based on this story.

A sentry falls asleep at his post, leading to dire consequences. This is a classic tale about the terrible cost of the Civil War, which divided entire families.

The heroes and heroines of myth and folklore always have to overcome extraordinary challenges: and more often than not, these challenges involve a giant, a ghost, or a goblin. Jerry Nelson, the voice behind some of the most famous characters in children's television, including Sesame Street's Count von Count, narrates this action-packed collection. His inventive repertoire of growling giants and squeaky goblins will delight young listeners as the drama of the stories sets their imaginations on fire.

The End of the Young Family Feud: A week before Christmas, Aunt Jean wrote to Elizabeth, inviting her and Alberta and me to eat our Christmas dinner at Monkshead. We accepted with delight. Aunt Jean and Uncle Norman were delightful people, and we knew we should have a jolly time at their house.

Everybody's met a Judy. Somehow, as crass and rusty on the outside as they always are, you always like them. Deep down inside they have a soft heart, which you can see in their eyes if you look long enough. Why? Because often they have a story - of pain, and they just like to hide it under the gruff face. Meet Judy, raised by her grandparents because of her dysfunctional home; has a baby out of wedlock in her teens and is dying of cancer.