Classic family books for teens

If you are looking for some great classic books for your teen that they can enjoy any day of the week, take a look at these curated by the Viewtale review team.

1. The Giver - In a dystopian world, Jonah discovers that the world isn’t what it seems to be as he learns about the colorful past. As he learns about the harsh reality of his world, he decides it is better to run.

2. A Wrinkle in Time - Planets and time travel, oh my! You won’t want to put down this thrilling fantasy adventure of Meg Murry as she tries to find her father.

3. Ender’s Game - Are aliens and military tactics more your jam? Fall into the world of Ender Wiggin and his fight to eradicate the Formics.

4. Brave New World - You’d think that a pain-free world would be great. But as you see in the dystopian novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, life loses its luster and becomes meaningless.

5. Frankenstein - Dive into Mary Shelley’s mind as she has Dr. Frankenstein create a monster in this romantic classic. But it will leave you questioning, who is the real monster?

6. Matilda - Being born special isn’t all it’s cracked up to be for Matilda in this light fantasy classic. That is until she discovers the power of telekinesis.

7. Tuck Everlasting - Romance blooms in this classic romance of Winnie Foster and Jesse Tuck. However, when she learns his secret, it could change her life forever.

8. The Time Machine - H.G. Wells is a master at his craft. Standing the test of time, you’ll find this 1800s science fiction about a Victorian man traveling to the year 802,701 an instant page-turner.

9. Dracula - Many depictions of Dracula have evolved over the years, but you should dive into Bram Stoker's Dracula. This gothic novel might not be exactly what teens expect.

10. The War of the Worlds - Interested to see how someone can make it out of an alien invasion? The classic The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells is the basis of many current invasion books and movies.

11. The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials Series) - A modern fantasy classic published in the mid-nineties, The Golden Compass offers a fantasy universe, familiars, and adventure that allows you to escape reality.

12. The Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter Series) - Enter a world of magic like nothing that you’ve ever seen before by following Harry Potter on his journey to Hogwarts.

For more great classic reads for the entire family, check out Viewtale.

Classic Books That Are Surprisingly Short

Reading the classics doesn't have to be a daunting task, in fact many of the classics are so short that you could even read them in one sitting. If you’re looking to be well read but worried about the commitment, consider one of these three classics that are surprisingly short and definitely worth the read.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (180 pages) Often referred to as “The Great American Novel,” The Great Gatsby is one of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpieces, and at a mere 180 pages it’s a much smaller investment than most people think it to be. A cautionary tale of obsessive love and the demise it leads to, and so so much more.

The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (96 pages) By all accounts The Sorrows of Young Werther is a depressing tale that shouldn’t be read if you’re looking to be uplifted, but it’s a timeless classic that’s well were the mere 96 pages it’s printed on. When Werther becomes friends with a young girl he’s fallen in love with and her fiance, things get messy rather quickly.

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (160 pages) The classic tale of alien invasion that sparked panic on more than one occasion when broadcast on the radio. Want to know what all the fuss was about? It’ll only take you 160 pages to find out.

Looking to catch up with the classics? Visit our online library at www.viewtale.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, and available on all your favorite devices.

Inspiring Lessons from the Pages of Classic Novels

Sure, the classics were written to entertain, but more often than not they were also written to teach, and within the pages of each classic novel lies lessons to be taken to heart. Here are three inspiring lessons from classic novels, and the quotes which brought them to light.

From The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas:

"It's never too late to turn your life in a completely new direction, and there is huge importance in just one day."

What beauty there is to be found in the idea of impermanence! You can change, your circumstances can change, life itself can change, and it’s never too late to turn things around.

From The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde:

"Let go of your past, but don't pretend that it never happened."

Keeping with the theme of change, becoming someone new doesn’t mean forgetting who you were. Your past is in the past, but it’s important to know your history.

From the A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket:

"Being lonely is OK, and not everyone has to like you. You can't always rely on people."

It’s a tough lesson to learn, but at one point or another everyone needs to learn self reliance, as there’s no guarantee to always find someone else who can help. This doesn’t mean we can’t rely on other people on occasion, it just means we all need to be able to take care of ourselves as well.

Looking to catch up on the classics? Visit our online library at www.viewtale.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from your favorite devices.

Who tops the list of all-time authors?

Who is the most popular author of all time? How do you measure popularity in literature? Is it the number of people who have read a particular book or the number of books a certain author has sold?

Book earnings could be a good measure, but that wouldn’t give an accurate comparison be writers from today and centuries ago.

Then you must consider that many popular authors have maybe only written a handful of books as opposed to those you have churned out hundreds over the years.

But when it comes down to the bare facts of copies of their work sold, the names at the top of the best-selling list are not surprising.

While it’s hard to get a definitive number of units by each author which had been purchased, the list of best-selling authors gives a good overview of their popularity.

William Shakespeare tops the list, with between 2 and 4 billion copies of his works believed to have been bought. Between plays and collections of poetry, the Bard is believed to have had 42 published works.

In second place is another British writer, but one more instantly identified with a particular genre – Agatha Christie. She is also estimated to have sold between 2 and 4 billion copies of the 80 works she has had published.

The next two names on the list are surprising in one way, and not I another. Barbara Cartland and Danielle Steele are undisputed queens of the romance and are thought to have sold the best part of two billion copies of their books. Cartland is one of the most prolific authors having written over 700 books in her lifetime.

To read classic books from some of history’s most popular authors go to www.viewtale.com.