5 shorter versions of classic novels

Get to know some of the greatest novels with these “abridged” (shortened) editions.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.

Abridged by Patrice Lawrence (Walker Books)

Orphan Jane Eyre leads a miserable life with her unkind aunt and cousins and then at a harsh boarding school. She leaves to become a governess at Thornfield Hall, and soon forms a bond with her young pupil – as well as with the mysterious Mr Rochester.

Comic Classics: Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles by Jack Noel (Farshore)

Solve a spooky mystery with the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. This comic strip version of a classic novel is packed with doodles and drawings. This book is great for younger readers. Look out for other books in Jack Noel’s Comic Classics series, including Treasure Island.

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women: A Retelling by Laura Wood (Barrington Stoke)

Meet the four very different March sisters. There is responsible older sister Meg, gentle Beth, artistic youngest sister Amy and rebellious Jo, who dreams of becoming a writer. Follow the lives of the girls as they grow up in America in the1860s.

Awesomely Austen: Northanger Abbey by Steven Butler.

Illustrated by Eglantine Ceulemans (Hachette Children’s )

Catherine Morland loves nothing more than reading romantic stories. She goes to Bath for the winter, where she meets lots of new people but finds out that real life isn’t much like the books she loves. This is part of the Awesomely Austen series.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (Puffin Books)

As a small boy growing up in the marshes of Kent, Pip meets two people who will change his life – an escaped criminal called Magwitch and the wealthy and strange Miss Havisham. This famous novel by Charles Dickens has been only slightly changed for young people, making it ideal for readers who are looking for a challenge.