15 Fantastic Adult Novels Reminiscent of Childhood Classics

Often when we read a story as an adult, it can remind us of another adult book we’ve read. When I read 3 books in 2 months that reminded me of novels I adored as a child, I knew I needed to make a post of adult novels reminiscent of childhood classics!

15 Fantastic Adult Novels Reminiscent of Childhood Classics

After reading the third in a row – The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, I immediately called Jackie to discuss the trend in my reading. We had a quick discussion and realized that actually, there were quite a few books that reminded us of old favorites. If you are looking for Adult Retellings of Disney Classics, I have a list of that as well!

Maybe it’s because I’m getting into childhood fiction again with my kids or maybe it’s because some childhood favorites just always have a place in our hearts but now that I’ve looked for similarities, I can’t stop finding adult novels reminiscent of childhood classics.

I thought it would be fun to compile a list of adult books that I would recommend based on kids’ fiction. Enjoy the lists below and let us know if you agree with our recommendations!

Adult Novels Reminiscent of Childhood Classics

ellen Raskin

The publishers of Nova Jacobs noticed the similarities between Isaac Severy and The Westing Game. Both mysteries are solved with clues that aren’t quite what they appear – clues that can only be deciphered by one specific person.

Isaac Severy
a wrinkle in time

I read these books back to back coincidentally. I wanted to read a Wrinkle in Time before the movie debut and my library hold on Dark Matter came through around the same time. Imagine my surprise when they both referenced tesseracts -a term I had never heard of before- and used them as a means for time-travel.

Dark Matter
my side of the mountain

I adored Jean Craighead George’s tale of a young boy who decides to abandon his large family and their small home to live off the land like his ancestors. Similarly, the family in The Great Alone leaves civilization to homestead in Alaska. They live off the land too, but the problems they face in Alaska are definitely not kid-friendly.

great alone
anne of Green gables

These two books are two very different views children moving through foster homes and orphanages.  Anne is an uplifting story about a girl we all wish could be our best friend.  Orphan Train is a more realistic view of this period of time.  Both are books about friendship, love, and resilience.

orphan train
Secret Garden

If there were ever two books that go together, these would be them. Locked gardens and revealed family secrets are abundant in these two books. In the Forgotten Garden, Morton includes F. Hodgson Burnett as a character who comes to a garden party at the Walker household.  The Walkers tell a story about a walled garden built for a sick cousin Rose.  The implication is that this garden inspired the book The Secret Garden.   A lovely connection between two favorites.

Forgotten Garden
Daulaires book of greek myth

D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths introduced so many kids to Greek Mythology.  Circe centers around the character of Circe, child of God Helios. Finally, Greek mythology for adults.

Circe
Charlottes Web

I loved Charlotte’s Web as a child and couldn’t stop thinking about it while I was reading Beasts.  Charlotte’s Web is the first magical realism book I ever read and it set the stage for my love of this genre. Weylyn Grey is mysterious and misunderstood, loved and feared. These are all similar themes to E.B White’s classic tale.

beasts of
harry Potter

While J.K Rowling invented a magical world of witches and wizards. Morgenstern created a different world where magic can be learned with hard work and study.  Both worlds are beyond my wildest dreams filled with beauty and at the heart of everything, love.

night circus
Swiss family Robinson

Both books are stories of survival while castaway on an island.  While Swiss family is perfect for kids, Castle of Water is the adult version with a far more accurate depiction of what life would be like while stranded and alone.

Castle of Water
little house in the big woods

Both stories are about the early pioneers and their interaction with Native Americans. Little House depicts Indians from the perspective of a little girl (a controversial perspective at that) while One Thousand White Women is from the perspective of a woman who has been sent to marry into the native cultures.

1000 White Women
matilda
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If you loved Matilda  by Roald Dahl then you will love Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Matilda is a little girl who learns magic to focus her brilliant mind and escape her horrible parents.  Practical Magic is another story perfect for every child who wished they could grow up to do magic. The Darker undertone in both is similar.  I loved both of these books.

holes
Orange is the new black

If you loved Holes by Louis Sachar then you will love Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

Both books take place in a prison- One is for delinquent boys and the other is a woman’s prison.  If you loved Holes, Orange is the New Black is definitely your speed.  Who would have thought a book about a prison for boys would be appropriate for kids?  It’s actually a favorite in our house!

Still Life by Louise Penny
Encyclopedia Brown

If you loved Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol then you will love Still Life by Louise Penny

Two brilliant detectives who solve cases with observation and attention to detail.  If you loved Encyclopedia growing up, then Chief Inspector Gamache is the perfect hero in Louise Penny’s books.

The Penderwicks
little women

If you loved The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by  Jeanne Birdsall then you will love Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

These are two stories about the love between sisters.  The Penderwicks is a classic children’s tale while LIttle Women looks at more adult issues. These books are both able to capture the special bond between sisters. Both are classics and both are books that you will read over and over.

how to train your dragon
game of thrones

If you loved How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell then you will love Game of Thrones (a Song if Ice and Fire book #1) by George R. R. Martin

Both of these books are filled with action, adventure and of course, Dragons.  Martin’s books have a little more death and gore but both have been made for the screen.  For anyone who ever wanted to ride a Dragon, these books will inspire you.  For the record, having the title “Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First of Her Name, the Unburnt, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons” is pretty much the coolest title ever.

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2 Comments

  1. I love this! I often see/feel the DNA of my favorite children’s books in my current adult reading. I thought A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles was reminiscent primarily of A LITTLE PRINCESS by the incomparable Frances Hodgson Burnett. With a little SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON or ROBINSON CRUSOE thrown in for good measure.

    1. I never thought of A Gentleman in Moscow as having those qualities, but now you’ve got me thinking about it and it does! I love the feeling of finding modern stories that remind me of the books I loved when I was younger.