10 Great Novels That Can Help You to Improve Your English

There are many great novels that can really help to improve your English. Here are some excellent classic novels written in simple English that are ideal to get started. Fall in love with reading!

Reading English books is one of the best ways to improve your English. There are many famous but easy English books that can be very helpful to improve your English. It may feel like a slow method, but it’s really effective. While reading, you don’t have to understand all the words. No need to find the meaning of all the words that you don’t understand. Just keep reading and you will understand soon you are enjoying the book. You can use a dictionary just in case of any cool words that you’d like to learn.

How should we choose books to improve English? There are many great and easy English novels that can really help to improve your English. Many of us love to read famous novels, but afraid of reading a full-on novel in English. There are some excellent classic novels written in English that are ideal to get started. The novels are famous but not too difficult to understand. Once you begin reading these books, you won’t be able to keep them without reading.

• 1. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
• 2. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway
• 3. The Giver by Lois Lowry
• 4. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
• 5. Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl
• 6. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
• 7. Animal Farm by George Orwell
• 8. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• 9. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
• 10. The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

How is reading English novels effective?

English is much more regional than any other languages. There are many areas in the world where English is spoken as a first language. While listening and watching movies, in most cases, you won’t be able to understand the variation of regional accents of English speakers. That’s why English movies often use subtitles (usually displayed at the bottom of the screen) in same language. On the other hand, learning English with reading novels is more easy and simple than listening to podcasts and radio or watching movies. You can read it slowly or quickly that will totally depend on you. Simply look at the line again if you didn’t understand it. Reading English novels will not only help expand your vocabulary and general understanding, it also helps you to learn about different countries, their history, cultures and life style.

Choosing books to improve English

While choosing your first English books wisely, you should consider your reading level. Choosing books that go above your reading level might make you frustrated. To get started, it is wise to select simple novels that are easy to read like fairy tales and children’s stories. If possible, choose the books that you have already read in your mother language.

Here are ten well-known novels, in no particular order, to help improve your English. These novels won’t be too difficult to understand if you’ve got a basic level of understanding.

This listing does not attempt to show you the best novels, but attempts to show the best novels that you can read to improve your English. However, all the novels in this listing are the great literary works by the great authors of the world.

1. Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White

Charlotte’s Web is a lovely novel by American author E. B. White, well known for his clean and simple writing style. White was so careful about to write clearly that he even wrote an entire instruction manual about how to write clearly! Charlotte’s Web is considered a classic of children’s novel that all age groups can understand. This famous tale is enjoyable to children as well as adults. There are many schools around the world where this book is part of the national curriculum. In 2000, this book is listed as the best-selling children’s paperback of all time.

Plot Summary

A little pig that was born a runt was very small, sensitive and vulnerable. The pig is considered to be useless and saved from an untimely death by Fern Arable, an eight year old girl. Her father Mr. Arable decides to kill the pig! Fern begs him to let the helpless pig live. Then Mr. Arable decides to let Fern keep him as a pet. Fern names the pig Wilbur and starts to look after him like a baby.

Fern gets sad when at five weeks old Wilbur is sold and goes to live in a farm owned by her uncle Mr. Zuckerman. Fern has a big heart to the animals. When Wilbur is sent to live with her uncle, she still visits him. When Wilbur starts to live in the new place, initially struggles because he misses Fern so much and all the other farm animals snub him.

Wilbur gets some new friends soon, the best of whom is Charlotte, a lady grey spider. Charlotte comes to know that the farmers are planning to kill Wilbur for Christmas dinner. Charlotte promises Wilbur that she won’t let him be killed. Charlotte takes very interesting steps to save Wilbur’s life.

Charlotte saves Wilbur’s life. Wilbur gets sad when Charlotte dies. But soon Wilbur gets a great company of Charlotte’s children Joy, Nellie, and Aranea. Year after year new generations of spiders are born but no one ever replaces Charlotte in Wilbur’s heart.

2. The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemmingway

This is a famous classic novel by American novelist Ernest Hemingway. He earned the Nobel Prize in 1954 for this great literary work. Ernest Hemingway is renowned for his clear and simple writing styles. He used short and straightforward sentence structure in his writings, which is perfect for English language learners. Almost all native English speakers have read this book in school. This intensely human, emotional tale is about a courageous battle between an old Cuban fisherman and a giant fish. At some points beginners may find a little bit of difficult vocabulary, however, Hemingway’s clear writing style will help you to finish it without too much trouble.

Plot Summary

Santiago, an old fisherman, who has returned to the village without catching any fish for 84 days. All other people think him as “Salao”, the worst form of unluckiness. He has a friend, his young apprentice, Manolin. Since the old man was unlucky, Manolin’s parents ordered their son to join another boat and fish with successful fishermen. Despite this, the young boy continues to help the old man at night.

On the eighty-fifth day, Santiago takes his skiff further away into the Gulf Stream that changes his luck. He sets his fishing lines and, by noon, a large fish that was a marlin takes the bait. A long battle starts between an old fisherman and the best fish he ever caught. Santiago tries to pull the fish up, but the fish is very large and strong and he is instead pulled by the great fish. The marlin begins to pull the boat too. But the old man continues to fight and, two days and nights pass with him holding onto the line.

On the third day, the marlin gets tired and begins to circle the skiff. Using all his remaining strength Santiago pull the fish onto its side and kill it stabbing with a harpoon. He begins to sail back to the shore, but sharks are attracted to the blood of the fish and they attacked the skiff. Santiago kills most of the sharks and a great Mako shark. But the sharks keep attacking, and by nightfall they have eaten the meat of the marlin’s entire carcass, leaving only a skeleton. He returns back his home and falls into a deep sleep.

All the people of the village gather the next day around the boat to see the fish’s skeleton. They amazed at the size of the skeleton. Manolin, worried about Santiago, cries upon finding him safe asleep. He brings newspaper and coffee for the old man and they promise to fish together once again.

3. The Giver – Lois Lowry

The Giver is a young-adult novel by Lois Lowry published in 1993. This famous book sold more than 10 million copies worldwide to 2014. In Australia, Canada, and the United States, there are many middle schools where this book is on their reading lists. A 2012 survey based in the U.S. designated this book as the fourth-best children’s novel of all time.

Lowry uses short sentences and simple easy-to-understand grammar in his writing. Most of the grammar, used in this book, is just past simple and past perfect. You will find all of the sentences are clear in this book. This is a very interesting novel. If you start once you won’t be able to keep it without reading.

Plot Summary

Jonas is an eleven-year-old boy. He lives in a society with a lot of order and rules that everyone follows. Everyone, in this society, is unfailingly polite. It is strictly prohibited for all not to say anything different that will make another person uncomfortable.

The people of the society don’t have any freedom to make a decision. Everything is planned and controlled by the Society. The society has also eliminated choice – they control who will marry whom and where children are placed. Each couple, in this society, is assigned for exactly two children, one boy and one girl.

One of the rules is that, at age twelve everybody is assigned a job based on their abilities and interests. At the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas and the rest of his group get their new jobs. Since Jonas is a well-behaved citizen and a good student, he is given a highly honored job – Receiver of Memory. The Receiver of Memory is the sole keeper of the memories in the past. He must keep these memories secret. This is a really hard job; he knows things that others do not. Jonas receives the memories from the current Receiver – a wise old man. The old man tells Jonas to call him the Giver.

At the beginning, Jonas was really excited about his highly honored job. But soon he comes to understand that this is not a life, this is unfair. He plans to allow people to have their own choices. But it’s not an easy task, to do that he needs to change things in the community forever. He decides to move the community to elsewhere, where people will get back their own choices.

4. The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows is a young adult novel by Scottish author Kenneth Grahame, published in 1908. This classic tale centers around a river in the English countryside and follows the adventures of the animals that live by the river. Grahame’s simple and clear writing style has made this novel enjoyable for both adults and children. You will find this novel with simple language and easy-to-read story that is really engaging and fun. This story is originally based on the bedtime stories that Grahame told his son Alistair. And soon this book grew into a beloved children’s novel.

Plot Summary

Mole is at home and doing spring cleaning. He is quite bored and emerges out into the beautiful spring weather. He discovers a small river. Here he meets Rat, and they form a good friendship. They spend many more spring days boating.

In summer, Rat takes Mole to meet Toad in grand Toad Hall. Toad lives the life of a rich playboy and obsessed with current fads. He persuades Rat and Mole to join him on his current craze which is travel around in a horse-drawn caravan.

Later travel day, a passing fast-moving motorcar scares the horse and overturns the caravan into a ditch. Toad becomes immediately obsessed with the motorcar and its speed. He decides he must have a motorcar of his own.

Rat and Mole visit Badger. Badger learns from his visitors about Toad’s adventures, which now includes Toad has crashed seven cars, has been hospitalized three times, and has spent a mountain of fines. The three decide to talk to protect Toad from his driving habit.

In summer, the three talk to Toad to give up his driving habit. But Toad won’t listen. So they place Toad under house arrest. But Toad escapes by fooling Rat. He then steals a car and drives it recklessly. He caught by police and sentenced to twenty years in jail.

Toad convinces the jailer’s daughter to dress him as a washerwoman, and he escapes. He has no money but he convinces the train driver to take him. Police follow the train and Toad jumps off. By tricking, Toad gets a job as washerwoman on the barge. The barge-woman soon discovers Toad is not a real washerwoman, so she throws him into the canal. In revenge, he steals her horse and sells it.

Toad then flags down a car, which is ironically the same one he stole earlier. The passengers don’t recognize Toad in his disguise. He convinces the driver to let him drive. When he starts to drive furiously, the passengers recognize him and try to seize him. Then he drives the motorcar into a pond. Police are on his trail again and he jumps into a river. The river takes him to the house of Rat.

Toad comes to know from Rat that Toad Hall has been taken over by weasels. Under Badger’s leadership, the four enter the Toad Hall via a secret tunnel and pounce upon the weasels. They start planning for a party. Toad changes his personality, behaves both quietly and humbly in the party.

They enjoy the party and live out their lives happily ever after.

5. Fantastic Mr Fox – Roald Dahl

This is a children’s novel written by British author Roald Dahl. This book was published in 1970. Roald Dahl is one of the greatest children’s authors of all time. Beginning with a children’s novel is an effective way to begin reading English novels, as they are often interesting, exciting and fun. So Children’s books are great for adult English learners too. Fantastic Mr Fox is a story about three farmers and a sly fox who steals their food from right under their noses, and feeds his family and friends.

Plot Summary

The story is about a tricky and clever fox named Mr Fox. He lives underground beside a tree with his wife and four little children. In order to feed his family, he steals chickens, ducks and available food from the farms owned by three rich, cruel and dim-witted farmers named Boggis, Bunce and Bean.

The farmers are frustrated of being constantly outwitted by Mr Fox, they try everything to capture and kill him. They make a plan to ambush him as he leaves his underground home. The farmers fire at Mr Fox, but only succeed in blowing off his tail.

The farmers then dig up the Fox’s underground home using spades and shovels. But the foxes escape by digging a tunnel deeper into the ground. Then the farmers start using bulldozers in order to dig deeper, but to no avail. They decide to wait outside Mr Fox’s hole until he is hungry enough to come out. They start to play a waiting game, with shotguns aiming to the hole. Also their men patrol the area so that the foxes don’t escape.

Unable to leave home, the foxes begin to starve. Suddenly Mr Fox make a plan, then he and his children tunnel through the ground and end up into Boggis’ chicken house. There they steal chickens, and his eldest son takes the chickens to Mrs Fox at home. Then Mr Fox and his friend Badger raid the storehouses of Bunce and Bean, and steal their food. Meanwhile, Mrs Fox has prepared a great celebratory banquet; Mr Fox invites all other starving animals. At the table, Mr Fox announces they will make a secured underground town, and everyone joyfully cheers for this great idea.

The book ends with the indication that Mr Fox and his friends will be stealing the farmer’s food right under their noses, and the farmers will be waiting outside forever to catch the foxes.

6. Peter Pan – J.M. Barrie

Peter Pan is a famous children’s novel by Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie, one of the great geniuses of English literature. This book is based on one of his famous plays. Peter Pan is a whimsical and magical story that will take you to an imaginary world. This book is for children, but continues to be enjoyed by adult people around the world too. Peter Pan is a perfect distillation of childhood fantasies and adult nostalgia. Though some of the attitudes and language in this book are now dated, but you will find this book enjoyable for it’s easy to read texts. Beginning with this famous children’s novel can be an effective way to improve your English.

Plot Summary

Peter Pan is a magical story where children can fly, dog can be a nurse or nanny and parents can read their children’s mind when they are asleep. The main character Peter Pan is a magical young boy who refuses to grow up and lives in a magical island called Neverland.

The story begins in the nursery of Darling’s home. While Mrs. Darling reads her children’s minds, she is surprised to find that all the children have been thinking about a mysterious boy named Peter Pan. When she asks her children, Wendy, her daughter, explains that the boy is Peter and he sometimes visits them when they’re asleep.

One night, Mrs Darling wakes up by a slight draft from the window, startled, she sees a strange boy in the room. When Peter sees an adult in the room, he jumps out the window and narrowly escapes through it. But Nana, the children’s canine nanny, traps Peter’s shadow inside the room. Rolling up the shadow, Mrs Darling puts it in a drawer, thinking that the boy must come back to get return it.

A few nights later, when Mr and Mrs Darling leave for a party, Peter flies into the nursery. After searching in all the drawers, he finds his shadow. He tries to attach the shadow on him but he finds that he can’t, he makes enough noise that wakes Wendy. Wendy quickly sews the shadow on for him. Peter invites Wendy to come with him to Neverland where he lives. Wendy hesitates, but she agrees finally. Peter teaches the Darling children to fly, and they set off to Neverland. There, Wendy takes up the role of loving mother to Peter and his companions, the lost boys.

Wendy tells the boys their favorite bedtime story that describes: three children flew away to Neverland, and they returned many years later, to find their parents waiting for them. But Peter doesn’t like the story. It makes Wendy very upset. She decides to take her two brothers John and Michael home immediately. She also invites all the boys, but Peter declines.

The Darling children return back home to their parents at London, the Darling parents are overjoyed. Wendy grows up and marries. Now Wendy has a daughter named Jane. One day, Peter comes and wants to take Wendy, but she is now too big to fly. So Peter takes Jane instead. When Jane grows up, he comes often for Jane’s daughter, and so on forever.

7. Animal Farm – George Orwell

Animal Farm is a brilliant satirical novel by British novelist George Orwell, published in 1945. This book is a good read for kids of almost any age, but best for who are 11+. Animal Farm is not a kid’s bedtime story just about animals on a farm; it’s much more than that. One of the reasons is that this book is about Russian Revolution and satire of totalitarianism; so younger kids might not understand it. But this book is also considered as a book for all ages. Reading this book, younger kids will understand it’s a fairy tale about animals whereas, adult who already knows the basics of its themes, will understand the true message.

There are many middle schools where this book is on their reading lists. This book is very interesting, and educational too, if you understand the things this book is trying to say. The story and language are very simple. You will find simple English in this book, as the animals speak in short and clear sentences.

Animal Farm is satirical and political, but at the same time it is a great story. After publication, this book has been popular and highly acclaimed. In 2005, Time magazine selects this book as one of the 100 best English-language novels. Also this book ranks at 31 on the Modern Library List of Best 20th Century Novels.

Plot Summary

The animals of the Manor Farm have always been oppressed by their farmer Mr. Jones. One day, Old Major, an oldest pig, calls all animals to a secret meeting. He tells them about a dream that he has had last night, in which all animals live together with no human beings. He tells them everyone must work to build this paradise, and work for a revolution. Everyone greets his vision and was very excited, but three nights later, the Old Major died.

Then three young pigs—Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer, started to lead the revolution and they named it ‘Animalism’. About three months later, the animals revolted against Mr. Jones and defeat him in the battle and they took over the farm. They renamed of the farm to ‘Animal Farm’ and write the principles of Animalism—’All animals are equal’.

The things were fine. But gradually, the pigs treat themselves specially. They remain supervisors, doing no physical labor and take extra special food for themselves. As time passes, Napoleon and Snowball started to fight for leadership, and it culminates when Snowball announced his plans to build a windmill. Napoleon solidly opposes the plan and unleashes nine cruel dogs. Napoleon asserts that from now he is the real dictator of the farm and if any animal don’t agree with him he will be eaten up by the dogs.

Now Napoleon and the pigs are the new masters. They take advantage of the foolishness of common animals. Although the common animals’ working-time goes up and don’t have enough food but the pigs grow fatter and fatter. Napoleon and the pigs erased almost all principles of Animalism and replaced with only one— ‘All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others’. The book ends when the animals, watching from outside, cannot tell the difference between the pigs and the men.

8. Lord of the Flies – William Golding

Lord of the Flies is a modern classic by Nobel Prize-winning British author William Golding. This book is a popular study text for many middle schools all over the world. Lord of the Flies was Golding’s first novel, first published in 1954. The texts of the book are mix of shorter and longer sentences with dramatic and descriptive language. The story is eventful and you will feel as though you’re in the scenes yourself. Whether you have already read it in your mother language or not, this book can be a good one to try in English.

Plot Summary

During a war, a British plane carrying a group of schoolboys crashes on an isolated island of the Pacific. There is no any adult person among the survivors, all are schoolboys. The first two boys Ralph and Piggy find a conch shell and use it as a horn to call the other survivors. One by one, several older boys emerge from the jungle. Of them, Jack is an aggressive boy and leader of the choir.

Once the boys find a pig, Jack takes out a knife to kill it, he hesitates and the pig escapes. Ralph calls a meeting and proposes to make a fire as a signal to attract ships to rescue them. The boys start to build the fire, but the younger boys lose their interests when they see the task is too difficult. Piggy criticizes others for not building the shelter. He also worries that one of them is already missing and they still don’t know how many boys there are.

While Ralph builds the shelters, Jack tries to hunt pigs. But the boys whose duty is to search food, spends the time swimming. Simon, who has consistently helped Ralph, sits a secret place and contemplates the beauty of the jungle. The smallest boys don’t help at all.

A ship passes by the island, but perhaps the fire burned out, so the ship continues by without stopping. Piggy blames Jack for letting the fire die and Jack punches Piggy, breaking one lens of his glasses. The boys clash on the matter.

Ralph criticizes the boys in an assembly for not assisting to making fire or building shelters. He tells that currently fire is the most important thing for rescue and they should make the fire on the top of mountain. Jack then shouts at the boys for not assisting him for hunting and tells that there is no any beast here, as some of the boys believe. But one of the youngest boys says that he saw something moving among the trees and they conceive it as ghost.

9. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon

This is a mystery novel by British author Mark Haddon, published in 2003. The novel is about the adventure of a 15-year-old boy, Christopher John, who suffers from autism. But don’t you think that it’s written for 15-year-old children. When you will start to read this book you will soon realize that it’s a powerful novel for a more matured audience. The story is narrated by Christopher in the first-person perspective. Since the story is told from Christopher’s point of view, so the explanations are clear and simple. The language of the novel is easy to understand that will take you to an adventurous journey. This is a good book to read and to try in English.

Plot Summary

Christopher, a fifteen-year-old boy who suffers from Autism, lives only with his father. His father says him that his mother, Judy, died two years ago. One evening he discovers the dead body of his neighbour’s dog, Wellington, on the neighbor’s front lawn. Mrs Shears, owner of the dog, calls the police. The police suspect him and take him into custody, he then released with a police caution.

Christopher decides to investigate the dog’s death. Despite his father’s warning, Christopher investigates and records the information in a notebook. While investigating, Christopher discovers that his father and Mrs Shears had a romantic affair. He also learns that their affair, in reaction, begins to another affair between his mother and Mr. Shears.

Christopher’ father discover the notebook and confiscates it. While searching the notebook, Christopher discovers a series of letters which his mother wrote to him. The letters reads that his mother is alive and living with Mr. Shears in London, in every letter she requests Christopher to respond. He is so shocked by his father hiding the letters and lying about his mom’s death that he becomes sick.

His father comes and realizes that what has happened. He then breaks down in tears and confesses that he lied about Judy’s death and it is he who killed Wellington. He explains that it was a mistake resulting from his anger after an argument with Mrs. Shears, his lover.

Christopher lost all the trusts on his father and is afraid that his father might try to kill him as he has already killed the dog. He then runs away from the house and travels to London guided by his mother’s address from the letters. Christopher embarks on an adventurous travel to London, where his mother lives with Mr Shears.

10. The House On Mango Street – Sandra Cisneros

The House on Mango Street is an interesting novel by Mexican-American writer Sandra Cisneros, published in 1984. This is a coming-of-age (a girl who is growing up or entering into adulthood) story of Esperanza Cordero. After publication, this book has been highly acclaimed by critics and beloved by readers of almost all ages. This book has also become a New York Times Bestseller and translated all over the world. The great thing about this novel is that it’s sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes deeply joyous. This novel is made up of vignettes that are not quite poems and not quite full stories. These vignettes are narrated in first-person present tense focusing on Esperanza’s day-to-day activities and observations. The sentences of this novel are short, simple and easy to understand. This is a really good book to read and to try in English.

Plot Summary

The novel follows the life of Esperanza, a Mexican girl. When the novel begins, she is about twelve years old. The novel takes place over the period of one year of her life. Esperanza moves with her family into a house on Mango Street. The house is much better than their old one, and it is the first house her parents actually own. All their previous houses were rented. Esperanza is not very happy because their new house is old and small. The house is located in a crowded Latino area of Chicago. In the new home Esperanza feels like she doesn’t have any time to be alone. She promises that she will someday leave Mango Street and have her own home.

During the year Esperanza grows up significantly, both sexually and emotionally. The novel follows her life as she makes friend, her body changes and develops her first crush. She begins to write as a way of expressing herself, and also a way to escape the neighborhood. The novel also covers many of Esperanza’s neighbors, focusing on the neighborhood and many influences surrounding her. Esperanza watches the older women in the community and how they are stuck. Through watching them, she hopes never to be like them and knows that she wants to leave. Esperanza quickly befriends Rachel and Lucy, two Texan girls who live across the street. Rachel, Lucy, Esperanza and her little sister, Nenny, have many adventures in their small world of the neighborhood.

Esperanza slips into puberty and likes it when boys watch her dance at a party; she then enjoys dreaming about them. Esperanza’s newfound sexual maturity brings her closer to the world of adults. Esperanza then befriends Sally, a girl her age. Sally is sexually matured, wears short skirts and high heels, and uses boys as an escape from her abusive father. Esperanza is not very comfortable with Sally’s sexuality. Their friendship is compromised when Sally leaves Esperanza alone at a carnival for a boy. As a result, a group of boys sexually assaults Esperanza at the carnival.

Esperanza’s traumatic experiences and detailed observations of the older women in her neighborhood strengthen her desire to escape Mango Street and to have her own house. Esperanza discovers that she will never fully be able to leave Mango Street behind. She vows that after she leaves she will have to return to help the women she has left. Esperanza is not able to leave Mango Street at the end of the year, but she strongly desires to leave. She has matured extensively and understands that writing can help her to keep distance between herself and her situation. Though today writing helps her to escape mentally, but in future it may help her to escape physically as well.

Final Thoughts

This listing will not just only improve your English, will also introduce you with the famous books of the world. If you love to read famous books, this way is right for you. Because most of the famous books in the world written or translated in English. There are many famous books in the world. It is unfortunate for us that in our life-time we will never been able to read all of them. But we can read some them.