Unless your level of English is advanced, you shouldn't try to read original versions of novels. You will find them too difficult, and just become frustrated and discouraged. All the good publishers of English language materials have a range of what is called 'Graded Readers'. These are simplified versions of famous books, rewritten specially for learners of different levels. Check out the websites for Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press or Longman, for example, and choose a book that you like at a level that is suitable for you. Happy reading!

Try the Deltora Quest series by Emily Rodda, starting with The Forests of Silence.

I think the Harry Potter series was aimed at a younger audience, but I've never read them.

Any book by E.B. White (Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, The Trumpet of the Swan); Animal Farm by George Orwell; The Swiss Family Robinson by Johan David Weiss; Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. These are easy-to-read classics that can be enjoyed by readers of any age. Links to more suggestions: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/36278.Books_for_ESL_Readers_in_Middle_School http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/75400.Great_Books_for_Cambridge_ESL_Students Don't worry about the age categories. I'm a middle-aged adult with excellent reading skills, yet many of my favorite books were written for teens. Happy reading!

My first book was "Little women" by Louisa May Alcott. I loved that book and read it twice.