10 Great Novels in Beautifully Simple English You Can Enjoy

There are many great and easy English novels that can be really enjoyable for you. Many of us love to read famous novels but are afraid of reading a full-on novel in English. Fortunately, there are some excellent classic novels written in English that are ideal for getting started. These novels are famous but not too difficult to understand. Once you begin reading them, you won’t be able to put them down.

While reading, you don’t have to understand every single word. There is no need to look up every unfamiliar word in the dictionary. Just keep reading, and you will soon find yourself enjoying the book. You can use a dictionary only when you come across cool words that you’d like to learn.

Here are ten famous novels to start your reading. They are in no particular order. If you know basic English, you can easily understand them. This is a list of great books that are also perfect for language learners. Best of all, all the books on this list are masterpieces written by world-famous authors.

1. Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White

Charlotte’s Web is a lovely novel by American author E. B. White, who is well known for his clean and simple writing style. White was so careful about writing clearly that he even co-authored an entire instruction manual on the subject! Considered a classic of children’s literature, this famous tale is deeply enjoyable for both children and adults. Today, the book is part of the curriculum in many schools around the world and is listed as the best-selling children’s paperback of all time.

Plot Summary

A little pig that is born a runt is very small, sensitive, and vulnerable. The pig is considered to be useless but is 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 on a farm owned by her uncle, Mr. Zuckerman. Fern has a big heart for animals. Even after Wilbur is sent to live with her uncle, she still visits him. When Wilbur starts to live in the new place, he 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 style. 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 somewhat difficult vocabulary, however, Hemingway’s clear writing style will help you to finish it without too much trouble.

Plot Summary

Santiago, an old fisherman, has returned to the village without catching any fish for 84 days. All other people think of 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 pulls the fish onto its side and kills it by stabbing it with a harpoon. He begins to sail back to shore, but sharks are attracted to the blood of the fish and attack the skiff. Santiago kills most of the sharks, including a great Mako. 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 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 are amazed at the size of the skeleton. Manolin, worried about Santiago, cries upon finding him safe asleep. He brings newspapers 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 had sold more than 10 million copies worldwide by 2014. In Australia, Canada, and the United States, there are many middle schools where this book is on the 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 the past simple and past perfect tense. You will find that all of the sentences are clear. This is a very interesting novel. If you start reading it, you won’t be able to put it down.

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 to say anything different that will make another person uncomfortable.

The people of the society don’t have any freedom to make decisions. 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 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 memories of the past. He must keep these memories secret. This is a really hard job because 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 is really excited about his highly honored job. However, he soon comes to understand that this is not a real life and that the system is unfair. He plans to allow people to make their own choices. But this is not an easy task; to do that, he needs to change things in the community forever. He decides to escape the community to go elsewhere, where people will get back their freedom of choice.

4. The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows is a children’s 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 nearby. Grahame’s simple and clear writing style makes this novel enjoyable for both adults and children. Readers will find that the simple language and easy-to-read story are highly engaging and fun. This book was originally based on the bedtime stories that Grahame told his son, Alastair, and it soon grew into a beloved classic.

Plot Summary

Mole is at home doing spring cleaning. Quite bored, he emerges into the beautiful spring weather and discovers a small river. There he meets Rat, and they form a close friendship, spending many more spring days boating together.

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

Later on their journey, a passing, fast-moving motorcar scares the horse and overturns the caravan into a ditch. Toad immediately becomes obsessed with the motorcar and its speed, deciding he must have one of his own.

Rat and Mole visit Badger, who learns from his visitors about Toad’s dangerous antics. These adventures now include crashing seven cars, being hospitalized three times, and paying a mountain of fines. The three friends decide to intervene to protect Toad from his reckless driving habits.

That summer, they try to convince Toad to give up driving, but he refuses to listen. Consequently, they place him under house arrest. Toad soon escapes by fooling Rat, immediately steals another car, and drives it recklessly. He is caught by the police and sentenced to twenty years in prison.

Toad later convinces the jailer’s daughter to dress him up as a washerwoman, allowing him to escape. Although he has no money, he persuades a train driver to give him a ride. When the police pursue the train, Toad jumps off. Through further trickery, he lands a job as a washerwoman on a barge. However, the barge-woman soon discovers his true identity and throws him into the canal. In revenge, Toad 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. With the police on his trail again, he jumps into a river, which carries him to Rat’s house.

There, 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 through 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 other food from the farms owned by three rich, cruel, and dim-witted farmers named Boggis, Bunce, and Bean.

The farmers are frustrated by 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 aimed at 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 makes a plan. Then he and his children tunnel through the ground and end up inside 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 the other starving animals. At the table, Mr. Fox announces they will make a secure underground town, and everyone joyfully cheers for this great idea.

The book ends with the implication that Mr. Fox and his friends will be stealing the farmers’ 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 adults 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, you will find this book enjoyable for its easy-to-read text. 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, dogs can be nurses or nannies, and parents can read their children’s minds when they are asleep. The main character, Peter Pan, is a magical young boy who refuses to grow up and lives on a magical island called Neverland.

The story begins in the nursery of the Darlings’ 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 is awoken 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 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 to himself but he finds that he can’t. He makes enough noise to wake 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 finally agrees. Peter teaches the Darling children to fly, and they set off for Neverland. There, Wendy takes up the role of a loving mother to Peter and his companions, the Lost Boys.

Wendy tells the boys their favorite bedtime story, which describes how three children flew away to Neverland and 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 home to their parents in 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 back 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 is best for those who are 11+. Animal Farm is not a kids’ bedtime story just about animals on a farm; it’s much more than that. One of the reasons is that this book is about the Russian Revolution and is a satire of totalitarianism, so younger kids might not understand it. But this book is also considered a book for all ages. Reading this book, younger kids will understand that it’s a fairy tale about animals, whereas adults, who already know the basics of its themes, will understand the true message.

There are many middle schools where this book is on the reading list. 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. Since its publication, this book has been popular and highly acclaimed. In 2005, Time magazine selected this book as one of the 100 best English-language novels. Also, this book ranks number 31 on the Modern Library list of best 20th-century novels.

Plot Summary

The animals of Manor Farm have always been oppressed by their farmer, Mr. Jones. One day, Old Major, the oldest pig, calls all the animals to a secret meeting. He tells them about a dream that he had the previous 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 with excitement, but three nights later, Old Major dies.

Then three young pigs—Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer start to lead the revolution and they name it ‘Animalism’. About three months later, the animals revolt against Mr. Jones and defeat him in battle, taking over the farm. They rename the farm ‘Animal Farm’ and write down the principles of Animalism—’All animals are equal’.

Things go well at first. 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 start to fight for leadership, and it culminates when Snowball announces his plans to build a windmill. Napoleon solidly opposes the plan and unleashes nine cruel dogs. Napoleon asserts that from now on he is the real dictator of the farm and if any animal doesn’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 the common animals. Although the common animals’ working hours go up and they don’t have enough food, the pigs grow fatter and fatter. Napoleon and the pigs erase almost all the principles of Animalism and replace them 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 text of the book is a 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 native 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 in the Pacific. There is no adult among the survivors; they are all 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 the 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 interest when they see the task is too difficult. Piggy criticizes the others for not building shelters. 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 for food, spend their time swimming. Simon, who has consistently helped Ralph, sits in 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 because the fire has gone out, the ship continues on without stopping. Piggy blames Jack for letting the fire die, and Jack punches Piggy, breaking one lens of his glasses. The boys clash over the matter.

Ralph criticizes the boys in an assembly for not assisting in making the fire or building shelters. He says that currently the fire is the most important thing for their rescue and they should make the fire on the top of the mountain. Jack then shouts at the boys for not assisting him with hunting and says that there is no 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 perceive it to be a 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 has autism. But don’t think that it’s written only for 15-year-old children. When you start to read this book, you will soon realize that it’s a powerful novel for a more mature audience. The story is narrated by Christopher in the first-person perspective. Since the story is told from Christopher’s point of view, the explanations are clear and simple. The language of the novel is easy to understand and will take you on an adventurous journey. This is a good book to read and to try in English.

Plot Summary

Christopher, a fifteen-year-old boy who has Autism, lives only with his father. His father tells him that his mother, Judy, died two years ago. One evening, he discovers the dead body of his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, on the neighbor’s front lawn. Mrs. Shears, the owner of the dog, calls the police. The police suspect him and take him into custody; he is 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, led to another affair between his mother and Mr. Shears.

Christopher’s father discovers the notebook and confiscates it. While searching for the notebook, Christopher discovers a series of letters which his mother wrote to him. These letters reveal that his mother is alive and living with Mr. Shears in London. In every letter, she requests that Christopher 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 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 loses all trust in 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 journey 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 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 has been 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 the 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 her 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 friends, experiences body changes, and develops her first crush. She begins to write as a way of expressing herself, and also as a way to escape the neighborhood. The novel also covers many of Esperanza’s neighbors, focusing on the neighborhood and the many influences surrounding her. Esperanza watches the older women in the community and sees 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 mature, 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 assault 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 return to help the women she leaves behind. She vows that after she leaves she will return to help the women she leaves behind. 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, in the future it may help her to escape physically as well.

This listing will not only improve your English but also introduce you to world-famous books. If you love to read, this is the perfect approach for you, as many global masterpieces are either written in or translated into English. While there are countless incredible books out there—and unfortunately, we cannot read all of them in one lifetime—we can certainly make time to enjoy the best of them.