Classic Literature Retold
Modern books that take their inspiration from the classics
The Fall
by Bethany Griffin (2014, Greenwillow)
An alternative take on Poe’s “The Fall of the
House of Usher” told from the point of view
of Madeline Usher. A creepy tale of a
haunted house and its inhabitants.
Railsea
by China Miéville (2012, Del Rey)
A reimagination of Moby Dick that takes
place in a world covered by an intricate
network of railways. Will Captain Naphi
capture the giant mole-like creature that’s
become her obsession?
Great
by Sara Benincasa (2014, HarperTeen)
A reimagined, gender-bending version of
The Great Gatsby. When Naomi Rye goes to
spend the summer in East Hampton with
her mother, she is intrigued by her new,
mysterious neighbor Jacinta.
Juliet Immortal
by Stacey Jay (2011, Delacorte)
A strong reversal of Romeo and Juliet set in
contemporary California. Romeo has
sacrificed Juliet to obtain eternal life, and
for 700 years the former lovers return in
new bodies to fight one another.
Splintered
by A. G. Howard (2013, Amulet)
A darker, modern update of Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa, a
descendant of Alice Liddell, Carroll’s
inspiration for Alice, struggles to break her
family’s curse.
Tempestuous
by Lesley Livingston (2011, HarperTeen)
Shakespeare’s The Tempest set in
contemporary New York, Tempestuous is
the breathtaking conclusion to the
Wondrous Strange trilogy.
Fly on the Wall
by E. Lockhart (2006, Delacorte)
With a wink and a nod to Franz Kafka’s
Metamorphosis, this book tells the story of
outsider Gretchen Yee and her week as a fly
on the wall in the boys’ locker room at her
Manhattan high school.
For Darkness Shows the Stars
by Diana Peterfreund (2012, Balzer + Bray)
Inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Elliot
tries to save her family’s failing estate. Her
first love returns to rent her shipyard, but
he’s not the boy she remembers.
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & the
Olympians, #1)
by Rick Riordan (2006, Hyperion)
Incorporating many Greek myths, this book
begins the story of Percy Jackson who
discovers he’s a demigod, the son of
Poseidon and a mortal woman.
Beowulf
by Gareth Hinds (2007, Candlewick)
The epic tale of Beowulf is reinvented in this
graphic novel in which the warrior-hero
fights Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the
dragon.
The Heights
by Brian James (2009, Feiwel and Friends)
A modern retelling of Wuthering Heights set
in San Francisco. Catherine and her adopted
step-brother Henry struggle with their
attraction to one another and the tragedies
that keep them apart.
Jane
by April Lindner (2010, Little, Brown)
Based on Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Jane
Moore is forced to drop out of college and
takes a nanny job at the estate of Nico
Rathburn, famous rock star on the verge of
comeback. But Nico has an agonizing secret.