Charlotte's Web
E. B. White, 1952
★ 4.21 from 2.1m ratings on Goodreads
A pig, a spider, and a barnyard full of voices: a children's book about friendship, words, and the saving grace of ordinary attention. Reading this book feels lyrical and tender, carrying a gentle pace that evokes a sense of quiet wonder and profound friendship.
Feels like tenderness, grief and wonder. About friendship, morality and death.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you appreciate beautifully written stories about unlikely friendships. Be prepared for a narrative that is deeply moving and often tear-jerking.
Why read it
This story offers a warm look at the simple joys of a barnyard life and the profound meaning found in ordinary attention.
A page from the book
What contentment looks like when it includes the rats and the manure.
It was the best place to be, thought Wilbur, this warm delicious cellar, with the garrulous geese, the changing seasons, the heat of the sun, the passage of swallows, the nearness of rats, the sameness of sheep, the love of spiders, the smell of manure, and the glory of everything. What readers say
Readers found the story profoundly moving and often tear-jerking, praising its beautiful prose and powerful emotional impact. The narrative is celebrated for its timeless lessons on friendship, sacrifice, and the cycle of life.
E. B. White.E. B. White wrote the book on a Maine saltwater farm, where a real barn and its animals supplied the sounds and smells he gave Wilbur.
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Where to get it
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Questions readers ask
- Is Charlotte's Web for me?
- You may like it if you appreciate beautifully written stories about unlikely friendships. Be prepared for a narrative that is deeply moving and often tear-jerking.
- What is Charlotte's Web like?
- Reading this book feels lyrical and tender, carrying a gentle pace that evokes a sense of quiet wonder and profound friendship. Feels like tenderness, grief and wonder. About friendship, morality and death.
- What should I read after Charlotte's Web?
- If you liked Charlotte's Web, try Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (J. K. Rowling), The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) and The Outsiders (S. E. Hinton).
A taste of the feed
The moment a magic lesson becomes a contest of who says it right.
‘And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?’ ‘Throw it away and punch him on the nose,’ Ron suggested. Wingardium Leviosa!’ he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill. ‘You’re saying it wrong,’ Harry heard Hermione snap. ‘It’s Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the “gar” nice and long.’ ‘You do it, then, if you’re so clever’ Ron snarled. Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand and said, Wingardium Leviosa!’ Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone · J. K. Rowling
Grief has a shape, and your tongue keeps finding it.
Thinking about her was the same as the hole you keep on feeling with your tongue after you lose a tooth. Time after time, my mind kept going to that empty spot, the spot where I felt like she should be.
Because of Winn-Dixie · Kate DiCamillo
A letter found years later
First of all, let me get something straight: This is a JOURNAL, not a diary. I know what it says on the cover, but when Mom went out to buy this thing I SPECIFICALLY told her to get one that didn’t say “diary” on it. Great. All I need is for some jerk to catch me carrying this book around and get the wrong idea.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid · Jeff Kinney
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