I didn’t really start reading until I was around 12 years old. I also didn’t really get along well with my peers which is why I escaped to books in the first place. However, I found that the books I picked up (albeit all classical) had life lessons and themes that I cherished and still cherish to this day.

These are the summaries of the five classic books that really changed my view of the world and I think everyone, adult and child alike, should give them a chance.

1. "The Three Musketeers" by Alexander Dumas

This is one of those stories that really can entertain anyone. It’s got love, sword-fighting, and adventure. It’s about a young Parisian named D’Artagnan who wants to join the king’s musketeers. He meets and befriends three of them (the Three Musketeers: Athos, Porthos, and Aramis) and goes on many exciting adventures with them.

2. "Robin Hood" by Howard Pile

This story is another entertaining one like the aforementioned tale. It tells the tale of how a young English man (Robert) goes to join the king’s foresters (think of today’s park rangers but with bows and arrows and authority to kill) but accidentally kills one of the king’s stags, which in turn leads to his arrest and is sentenced to hang (since killing a king’s deer is illegal). However, Robert escapes to Sherwood Forest and takes on a new alias, Robin Hood. While in the forest he gathers a group of men and together they steal from the rich to give back to the poor, all the while making a fool of the local town’s sheriff.

3. "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

This story entertains its readers in a rather dark but gripping fashion. A young lawyer is invited to Transylvania to draw up a housing contract. While with his host, he notices some strange things. His host does not eat, sneaks out at night, and does not have a reflection in a mirror. When his strange host comes to London and mysteriously, horrific things start to happen, the lawyer enlists the help of famous vampire hunter Dr. Van-Helsing to put an end to the monster ravishing London at night.

4. "Pollyanna" by Eleanor H. Porter

The main character of this tale (Pollyanna) personifies positivity. Even when she gets injured in a terrible accident, that doesn’t stop her from looking at things on the bright side. A truly inspiring tale for anyone who’s trying to think more positively themselves. Pollyanna finds joy in all things important or seemingly insignificant, and that is a lesson everyone should keep in mind.

5. "The Phantom of the Opera"by Gaston Leroux

This tale is by far my favorite and the reason why I decided to become an English major. This book was the first classic story I read when I was 12. It’s a story of a deformed musical genius who lives beneath Paris’ opera house. The ‘Phantom’ haunts the opera house and is in love with one of the singers, Christine Daaé. When Christine gets engaged to her childhood sweetheart, the Vicomte De Chagny, the Phantom decides he’ll do anything to win her favor. This story is a good lesson on why physical appearance really doesn’t matter that much, and that even someone society deems as a ‘monster’ wants someone to love them as they are. This tale is dark, haunting, and beautiful, and I promise it will stick with you once you finish reading.

So if you ever find yourself in a local bookstore or library sometime soon, pick up one of (or all) of these books and give them a try!