I think you can introduce them to classics early. My daughter is 10 and I’m reading the original Frankenstein to her. This way I can explain some of the archaic words and phrases. We then talk about what happened, how characters are feeling, what may happen next, etc.

start reading some of the so called classics of literature. It is dependent on their ability in English. As a school girl myself many years ago, we read Shakespeare’s Macbeth when I was 15 but I can’t honestly say that at that age, young people understand all the different layers and themes that often are found in such classics. I have re-read most of these books as an adult and found much more understanding of the characters and themes.