Recommendations based on Swallows and Amazonsby Arthur Ransome

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Railway Children

    by E. Nesbit
    A family's adventure of courage and resilience in the face of difficult times.

    In this much-loved children's classic first published in 1906, the comfortable lives of three well-mannered siblings are greatly altered when, one evening, two men arrive at the house and take their ... (Goodreads)

  2. The Wind in the Willows

    by Kenneth Grahame
    Animal characters embark on a series of adventures, learning important lessons along the way.

    With the arrival of spring and fine weather outside, the good-natured Mole loses patience with spring cleaning. He has fled his underground home, emerging to take in the air and ends up at the river, ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Over Sea, Under Stone

    by Susan Cooper
    A brother and sister uncover the secrets of an ancient magical kingdom.

    Over Sea, Under Stone features the Drew children, Simon, Jane and Barney, on holiday with their parents and Merriman Lyon, an old family friend, usually referred to by the children as their ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Finn Family Moomintroll

    by Tove Jansson
    A magical adventure in Moominvalley, full of whimsical characters and fantastical creatures.

    Moomintroll , Sniff and Snufkin discover the Hobgoblin's top hat on a mountain-top, unaware of its strange powers. An egg shell discarded into the hat becomes five clouds the children ride and play ... (Wikipedia)

  5. A Wizard of Earthsea

    by Ursula K. Le Guin
    A young wizard embarks on a quest to master his own magical powers and battle a mysterious force of evil.

    Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth. Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon ... (Goodreads)

  6. Treasure Island

    by Robert Louis Stevenson
    A thrilling adventure of a young boy and a crew of rogues in search of buried treasure.

    An old sailor named Billy Bones comes to lodge in the rural Admiral Benbow Inn on the Bristol Channel , in England. He tells the innkeeper's son, Jim Hawkins , to keep a lookout for "a one-legged ... (Wikipedia)

  7. A Town Like Alice

    by Nevil Shute
    A young woman's courageous journey from a Japanese war camp to a new life in Australia.

    The story falls broadly into three parts. In post-World War II London, Jean Paget, a secretary in a leather goods factory, is informed by solicitor Noel Strachan that she has inherited a considerable ... (Wikipedia)

  8. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

    by C.S. Lewis
    An epic fantasy adventure across the seas, encountering magical creatures and lands.

    The two youngest Pevensie children, Lucy and Edmund , are staying with their odious cousin Eustace Scrubb while their older brother, Peter , is studying for an exam with Professor Kirke , and their ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

    by Robert M. Pirsig
    A philosophical exploration of the meaning of life, seen through the lens of a cross-country motorcycle journey.

    Robert M. Pirsig's Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is an examination of how we live, a meditation on how to live better set around the narration of a summer motorcycle trip across America's ... (Goodreads)

  10. The House at Pooh Corner

    by A.A. Milne
    Winnie the Pooh and his friends enjoy adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood.

    The title comes from a story in which Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet build a house for Eeyore . In another story the game of Poohsticks is invented. As with the first book, the chapters are mostly in ... (Wikipedia)

  11. The Day of the Triffids

    by John Wyndham
    A post-apocalyptic world overrun by carnivorous plants, exploring themes of survival and morality.

    In 1951 John Wyndham published his novel The Day of the Triffids to moderate acclaim. Fifty-two years later, this horrifying story is a science fiction classic, touted by The Times (London) as having ... (Goodreads)

  12. Beowulf

    by Unknown
    Epic poem recounting the heroic deeds of a legendary Scandinavian warrior.

    Beowulf is a major epic of Anglo-Saxon literature, probably composed between the first half of the seventh century and the end of the first millennium. The poem was inspired by Germanic and ... (Goodreads)

  13. The Faraway Tree Stories

    by Enid Blyton
    A magical journey of fantastical adventures and discoveries with the mysterious inhabitants of a tree in an enchanted forest.
  14. Middlemarch

    by George Eliot
    A grand narrative of life in a small English town, exploring the lives of its inhabitants.

    Middlemarch centres on the lives of residents of Middlemarch, a fictitious Midlands town, from 1829 onwards – the years up to the 1832 Reform Act . The narrative is variably considered to consist of ... (Wikipedia)

  15. The War of the Worlds

    by H.G. Wells
    A Martian invasion of Earth, exploring the limits of human resilience.

    The narrative opens by stating that as humans on Earth busied themselves with their own endeavours during the mid-1890s, aliens on Mars began plotting an invasion of Earth because their own resources ... (Wikipedia)

  16. A Room with a View

    by E.M. Forster
    A young woman's exploration of love, morality, and societal norms in Edwardian England.

    The novel is set in the early 1900s as upper-middle-class English women are beginning to lead more independent, adventurous lives. In the first part, Miss Lucy Honeychurch is touring Italy with her ... (Wikipedia)

  17. I Capture the Castle

    by Dodie Smith
    An unconventional family living in a crumbling castle navigate life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.

    The novel takes place between April and October in a single year in the 1930s. The Mortmain family is genteel, poor, and eccentric. Cassandra's father is a writer suffering from writer's block who ... (Wikipedia)

  18. Broken Homes

    by Ben Aaronovitch
    Detective investigates a supernatural murder in London, uncovering dark secrets along the way.

    Constable Peter Grant and Detective Chief Inspector Nightingale are called to investigate a road traffic accident involving Robert Weil. The investigating officers found human blood from a body in ... (Wikipedia)

  19. The Shell Seekers

    by Rosamunde Pilcher
    A family explores their past, present, and future while examining the importance of treasured objects.

    Shifting in time, the novel tells the story of Penelope Keeling, the daughter of unconventional parents (an artist father and his much-younger French wife), examining her past and her relationships ... (Wikipedia)

  20. The Enchanted Wood

    by Enid Blyton
    A young boy and girl discover a magical world, encountering mysterious creatures and thrilling adventures.

    In the first novel in the series, Jo, Bessie and Fanny (updated in later editions to Joe, Beth and Frannie) , move to the countryside, near a large wood. One day, they go for a walk in the wood and ... (Wikipedia)

  21. The Sword in the Stone

    by T.H. White
    A magical retelling of the Arthurian legend, exploring the power of leadership.

    "Learn. That is the only thing that never fails."–Merlyn the Wizard Before there was a famous king named Arthur, there was a curious boy named Wart and a kind old wizard named Merlyn. Transformed by ... (Goodreads)

  22. Winnie-the-Pooh

    by A.A. Milne
    A whimsical tale of a bear and his friends, exploring the Hundred Acre Wood.

    The adventures of Christopher Robin and his friends in which Pooh Bear uses a balloon to get honey, Piglet meets a Heffalump, and Eeyore has a birthday. ... (Goodreads)

  23. Make Way for Ducklings

    by Robert McCloskey
    A family of ducks navigates the city of Boston, finding a safe home.

    This classic tale of the famous Mallard ducks of Boston is available for the first time in a full-sized paperback edition. Awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1942, Make Way for Ducklings has been ... (Goodreads)

  24. Anne of Avonlea

    by L.M. Montgomery
    A young girl's coming-of-age in rural Prince Edward Island, full of adventures and misadventures.

    Anne is about to start her first term teaching at the Avonlea school, although she will still continue her studies at home with Gilbert, who is teaching at the nearby White Sands School. The book ... (Wikipedia)

  25. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

    by Eric Carle
    A caterpillar's journey of growth and transformation to becoming a butterfly.

    THE all-time classic story, from generation to generation, sold somewhere in the world every 30 seconds! Have you shared it with a child or grandchild in your life? One sunny Sunday, the caterpillar ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Color of Magic

    by Terry Pratchett
    A comedic fantasy adventure full of humor, absurdities, and unexpected turns.

    The story takes place on the Discworld, a planet-sized flat disc carried through space on the backs of four gargantuan elephants – Berilia, Tubul, Great T'Phon and Jerakeen – who themselves stand on ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Howl’s Moving Castle

    by Diana Wynne Jones
    A young woman embarks on an adventure to break a curse and reclaim her identity in a magical world.

    18-year-old Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three sisters living in Market Chipping, a town in the magical kingdom of Ingary, where fairytale tropes are accepted ways of life, including that the ... (Wikipedia)

  28. 2001: A Space Odyssey

    by Arthur C. Clarke
    An interstellar journey of exploration, confronting humanity's place in the universe.

    A mysterious alien civilization uses a tool with the appearance of a large crystalline monolith to investigate worlds across the galaxy and, if possible, to encourage the development of intelligent ... (Wikipedia)

  29. What Katy Did

    by Susan Coolidge
    A young girl learns to overcome her impulsive behavior and become a responsible and caring person after a life-changing accident.

    12-year-old Katy Carr lives with her widowed father and her two brothers and three sisters in Burnet, a small Midwestern American town. Her father is a very busy doctor who works long hours; the ... (Wikipedia)

  30. The Cricket in Times Square

    by George Selden
    A friendship between a mouse, a cricket, and a cat in New York City.

    The story is about a cricket from Connecticut named Chester who gets caught on a train for New York. After stumbling on the subway, Chester ends up in Times Square. Mario Bellini, who helps his ... (Wikipedia)