Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is an adventure story about a boy growing up on the Mississippi River. He has all kinds of adventures, such as witnessing a murder, running away to be a pirate, attending his own funeral, finding buried treasure, getting lost in a cave, and his constant run-ins with his aunt and his teacher. Most exciting of all is his conflict with the novel’s legendary villain, the frightening Injun Joe!

(This book is included by default.)

Up from Slavery
by Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington’s autobiography begins with his childhood memories of living on a slave plantation in Virginia. After the American Civil War, in the dawn of the Emancipation Proclamation, Booker T. Washington has his first experience with freedom. He records the struggles of beginning with nothing, to earning the respect and admiration of the world. Read Up From Slavery to better understand the fragile racial relationships of post-Civil War America.

Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott

Set in the late 1800’s, Alcott’s Little Women is the story primarily of Jo March and also her three sisters, each with a different personality, growing up with strong affection for each other, their parents, and the family itself. Jo has adventures and mishaps and learns lessons about living a virtuous life. Financial difficulties, being a good sister, temper, and dreams versus realism are all issues which Jo, the main character, deals with as she grows up. Her life is brightened by a close-knit family, her friend Theodore Laurence, and her gift for writing. *Make sure that you read a copy of the book that contains both Part I and Part II. Part I ends with the chapter called “Aunt March Settles the Question,” and Part II begins with the chapter called “Gossip.”

(This book is included by default.)

The Robe
by Lloyd C. Douglas

The classic story of a Roman soldier, Marcellus, who wins Christ’s robe as a gambling prize and then sets forth to find the truth about the Nazarene’s robe-a quest that reaches to the very roots and heart of Christianity and is set against the vividly limned background of ancient Rome. Here is a timeless story of adventure, faith, and romance, a tale of spiritual longing and ultimate redemption.

The Virginian
by Owen Wister

Owen Wister’s, The Virginian, is a fascinating story of a Wyoming cowboy known only as the Virginian. In his adventurous life, the Virginian finds that friendship, duty, romance, and honor force him to make difficult moral choices. The captivating story also contains the classic elements of a western: exciting chases, humorous pranks, and a suspenseful gunfight.

(This book is included by default.)

Ramona
by Helen Hunt Jackson

Ramona, by Helen Hunt Jackson, explores the issue of prejudice against Native Americans through the story of Ramona, a Catholic girl living in southern California in the early 1800’s. Not only is Ramona the daughter of a Scottish father and a Native American mother, but she also becomes engaged to Native American Alessandro against the wishes of her guardian. Ramona’s deep and living faith sustains her on the difficult path she has chosen.

Death Comes for the Archbishop
by Willa Cather

Willa Cather’s Death Comes for the Archbishop tells the adventures of Fr. Latour who travels all the way from his home in France on a civilizing mission for the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope sends him and his friend and assistant, Fr. Vaillant, to New Mexico, which was not a state at the time. Through bouts of homesickness, heartache, and physical weakness and disease, they are greeted by miracles of faith, love, and trust within the souls of their Mexican and Native American peoples. Eventually, Fathers Latour is himself “converted” to loving America and founds a stronghold of Catholic identity that still remains in the Southwest.

(This book is included by default.)

Rose in Bloom
by Louisa May Alcott

Set in 19th century America, Alcott’s Rose in Bloom is the story of Rose Campbell, a young woman who has recently come of age and has important life decisions to make. She wants to be an independent woman who does good for others by charitable work, and she also has high standards in regard to the man she will marry. However, society, and even some of Rose’s own family, is not always supportive of her ideals. Rose continues to learn and grow as she faces the successes, failures, joys, and tragedies of adulthood.