For parents & teachers

Jane Austen for Kids: Where to Start

Who Jane Austen was, what she wrote, and the best way to introduce her stories to young readers.

By Sean Lee · October 21, 2026

Who was Jane Austen?

Jane Austen was an English writer who lived from 1775 to 1817. She grew up in Steventon, a village in Hampshire, England, as one of eight children of a country clergyman. Her family loved books, and as a girl she wrote funny stories to make them laugh.

She wrote about the world she knew: families, neighbors, dances, letters and long country walks. Her books were first published without her name on them. Today they are some of the most loved novels in the world.

Her six novels

• Sense and Sensibility (1811): two very different sisters, Elinor and Marianne.
• Pride and Prejudice (1813): Elizabeth Bennet and the proud Mr. Darcy.
• Mansfield Park (1814): shy Fanny Price grows up with her rich cousins.
• Emma (1815): a matchmaker who is sure she knows best.
• Northanger Abbey and Persuasion (published together after her death, in 1817).

Which story should children read first?

Pride and Prejudice is the best start for most children. It has a big family, a funny mother, a brave heroine, a ball, a muddy walk, and a happy ending, and children instantly understand the idea of deciding you dislike someone and then finding out you were wrong.

After that, Sense and Sensibility is a natural second book, especially for children with a brother or sister: it’s about two sisters who are opposites and learn from each other. Emma is great fun for children who like a character who gets things wrong in a big way.

Why read Austen with young children?

• The stories are about feelings children know: being left out, being teased, sticking up for a sister, saying sorry.
• The heroines are clever and kind, and they speak their minds politely.
• Nothing is frightening; every story ends with warmth.
• Children who meet the characters early are delighted to meet them again in the original novels later.

Tips for making Austen fun

• Talk about life 200 years ago: letters instead of phones, carriages instead of cars, candles instead of lights.
• Learn a few old words together, like stile, petticoat and parlor. Our free vocabulary sheets explain them.
• Host an “Austen tea” with a chapter, a cup of tea and a dance in the living room.
• Draw the Bennet family tree, or act out the ball with stuffed animals.