Books Like “Roots

If you enjoyed Roots by Alex Haley, you likely appreciate Blacks, History, African American families. These similar reads match the tone, themes, and audience of the original.

BlacksHistoryAfrican American familiesAfrican AmericansAfro-AmericansAlex HaleyBiographyFamily
Cover of Five Little Peppers and How They Grew

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew

Margaret Sidney

1880

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew: Large print by Margaret Sidney (Harriett Mulford Stone Lothrop) "I don't care," said Polly, giving a flounce in her chair, which snapped another thread; "oh dear me! I didn't mean to, mammy; well, I wouldn't care how much money it cost, we'd have as much light as we wanted, for once; so!" We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience

Cover of The House of Seven Gables Readalong

The House of Seven Gables Readalong

Nathaniel Hawthorne

1851

FThis enduring novel of crime and retribution vividly reflects the social and moral values of New England in the 1840s. Nathaniel Hawthorne's gripping psychological drama concerns the Pyncheon family, a dynasty founded on pious theft, who live for generations under a dead man's curse until their house is finally exorcised by love. Hawthorne, by birth and education, was instilled with the Puritan belief in America's limitless promise. Yet - in part because of blemishes on his own family history - he also saw the darker side of the young nation. Like his twentieth-century heirs William Faulkner and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hawthorne peered behind propriety's façade and exposed the true human condition.

Cover of The Black Dwarf

The Black Dwarf

Sir Walter Scott

1849

The Black Dwarf, is set in the Liddesdale hills, an area which Scott knew intimately from the time he had spent hunting ballads for his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. The plot itself draws on a number of Border Ballads. The adventures of Hobbie Elliot, the pillage of Heughfott, appeal to the Black Dwarf for help, gathering of forces, and the 'siege' of Westburnflat parallel events in the ballads 'Jamie Telfer of the Fair Dodhead' and 'The Fray of Support'.

Cover of The Railway Children

The Railway Children

Edith Nesbit

1900

Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this charming edition of The Railway Children. When Father is taken away unexpectedly, Roberta, Peter, Phyllis and their mother have to leave their comfortable life in London to go and live in a small cottage in the country. The children seek solace in the nearby railway station, and make friends with Perks the Porter and the Station Master himself. Each day, Roberta, Peter and Phyllis run down the field to the railway track and wave at the passing London train, sending their love to Father. Little do they know that the kindly old gentleman passenger who waves back holds the key to their father's disappearance. One of the best-loved classics of all time, with a wonderful introduction by Jacqueline Wilson.

Cover of Pollyanna

Pollyanna

Eleanor Hodgman Porter, Porter, Neil Reed, Lee Giles

1912

The whole town is playing the game, and the whole town is wonderfully happier-and all because of one little girl who taught the people a new game, and how to play it. Suddenly orphaned, Pollyanna is sent across the country to a small town in Vermont, where she will live with her strict Aunt Polly. But Pollyanna doesn't seem to notice how stern and unfeeling her aunt really is. When feeling unhappy, she simply plays her "glad" game-finding a silver lining in every cloud. Eventually, Pollyanna brightens the lives of everyone in town with her infectious game, and finds a home for every stray cat, dog, and child she encounters. But then a terrible accident happens and Pollyanna can't find anything to feel glad about anymore. All her new friends turn out to support her, but will that be enough to restore Pollyanna's cheerful outlook on life?

Cover of Novels (Emma / Mansfield Park / Northanger Abbey / Persuasion / Pride and Prejudice / Sense and Sensibility)

Novels (Emma / Mansfield Park / Northanger Abbey / Persuasion / Pride and Prejudice / Sense and Sensibility)

Jane Austen

1818

This collection from Everyman's Library provides the complete works of one of the most popular authors in English literature. Each of Jane Austen's masterpieces is enchantingly funny, touchingly and wittily told, and filled with a dazzling gallery of characters. These beautiful, clothbound classics are essentials for any home library. Titles included: Emma, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abby, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, Sandition and Other Stories, Sense and Sensibility

Cover of Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

1813

Austen’s most celebrated novel tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet, a bright, lively young woman with four sisters, and a mother determined to marry them to wealthy men. At a party near the Bennets’ home in the English countryside, Elizabeth meets the wealthy, proud Fitzwilliam Darcy. Elizabeth initially finds Darcy haughty and intolerable, but circumstances continue to unite the pair. Mr. Darcy finds himself captivated by Elizabeth’s wit and candor, while her reservations about his character slowly vanish. The story is as much a social critique as it is a love story, and the prose crackles with Austen’s wry wit.

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