Taken from this post I made about non-classic, non-traditional books, and then I fattened up the list and added more and that's the list I have on this page. If you have any books you want to add to the list, please leave a comment on the post, since you can't leave any on this page (not like anyone reads this but just in case, bc I love finding new books to read).
This is a non-traditional list of books that are my all-time favorites, books I'm buying for myself when I move out.
From A to Z.
Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great, The, Gerald Morris
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day, Judith Viorst
And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie
Auggie & Me, R.J. Palacio
Holes, Louis Sachar
Hondo & Fabian, Peter McCartny
Hot Zone, The, Richard Preston
Invention of Hugo Cabret, The, Brian Selznick
Johnny Tremain, Esther Forbes
Long Way From Chicago, A, Richard Peck (technically part of a series, but could be a standalone)
Man in the Brown Suit, The, Agatha Christie
Mara, Daughter of the Nile, Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The, Kate DiCamillo
Ollie Forgot, Tedd Arnold
Piper to the Clan, Mary Stetson Clarke
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor
Runaway Jury, The, John Grisham
Seven Daughters and Seven Sons, Barbara Cohen
Sherwood Ring, The, Elizabeth Marie Pope
Tattooed Potato, The, Ellen Raskin
The Great and Terrible Quest, Margaret Lovett
The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner (first of The Queen's Thief, but definitely one of the best, and could be read as standalone. Plus, if you're not willing to invest in a series, you shouldn't deprive yourself of the first book at very least.)
Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt
Uncle Fred in the Springtime, P.G. Wodehouse
Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech
Westing Game, The, Ellen Raskin
When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead
Wonder, R.J. Palacio
Year Down Yonder, A, Richard Peck (technically part of a series, but could be a standalone)
booky book
Series:
All The Wrong Questions, Lemony Snicket (full series)
Bone, Jeff Smith (books 1-9)
Long Way From Chicago, A, Richard Peck (books 1-2)
Nate the Great, Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Penderwicks, The, Jeanne Birdsall (books 1-3)
Queen's Thief, The, Megan Whalen Turner (full series)
Scarlet Pimpernel, The, Baroness Orczy (full series)
Tripods, The, John Christopher (full series)
Wayside School, Louis Sachar (books 1-3)
Where The Mountain Meets The Moon, Grace Lin (full series)
I also want to add a list, still non-traditional, maybe some a bit more classic, that you should buy if you've already bought all of the above but have money burning a hole in your pocket. Or maybe you're just on a spending spree and need more books. All valid reasons for checking out any one of these books, and possibly buying sight-unseen (very smart - I have great taste):
Stand-Alones:
A.B.C. Murders, The, Agatha Christie
Angel On The Square, Gloria Whelan
At Bertram's Hotel, Agatha Christie
Bronze Bow, The, Elizabeth George Speare
Caribbean Mystery, A, Agatha Christie
Cat Among The Pigeons, Agatha Christie
Cross And The Switchblade, The, David Wilkerson (not theologically-sound, but good story)
Fair Weather, Richard Peck
George's Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl
God King, Joanne Williamson
History of Medicine, The, John Hudson Tiner
Hittite Warrior, Joanne Williamson
Hokey Pokey, Jerry Spinelli
How To Eat Fried Worms, Thomas Rockwell
I Am The Cheese, Robert Cormier
In Search of Honor, Donna Lynn Hess
Iron Peacock, The, Mary Stetson Clarke
Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell
Jerry Jr., Jean Webster
Just Do Something, Kevin DeYoung
Lantern Bearers, The, Rosemary Sutcliffe
Mary, Bloody Mary, Carolyn Meyer
Moving Finger, The, Agatha Christie
Murder For Her Majesty, A, Beth Hilgartner
Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The, Agatha Christie
N or M?, Agatha Christie
Nothing To Fear, Jackie French Koller
Number The Stars, Lois Lowry
Pale Horse, The, Agatha Christie
Pelican Brief, The, John Grisham
Penny From Heaven, Jennifer L. Holm
Phantom Tollbooth, The, Norton Juster
Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
Secret Adversary, The, Agatha Christie
Shadow Spinner, Susan Fletcher
Shakespeare Stealer, Gary L. Blackwood
Skipping Christmas, John Grisham
The Big Four, Agatha Christie
Three Blind Mice, Agatha Christie
Understood Betsy, Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Viking Adventure, Clyde Robert Bulla
Series:
Barbara Buncle, D.E. Stevenson (books 1-4, tho really 1-2, 3-4 are just pleasant surprises)
Kiki Strike, Kirsten Miller (books 1-2)
Mysterious Benedict Society, The, Trenton Lee Stewart (books 0-3)
Peter and the Starcatchers, Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson (full series)
Roman Empire sequence, Mary Ray (books 1-2: Ides of April & Beyond The Desert Gate)
Stuart Horton, Lissa Evans (full series)
Tales of Magic, Edward Eager (full series)
Classics that people expect you to have/read:
1984, George Orwell
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell
Great Gatsby, The, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
Meet Me in St. Louis, Sally Benson
Metamorphosis, The, Franz Kafka
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie
Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie
Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austin
Separate Peace, A, John Knowles
The Giver, Lois Lowry
The Jungle, Upton Sinclair
The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee
