The writers behind the classics
Behind every great book is a great AUTHOR, and this word search gathers some of the most famous. You'll be finding the giants of English literature — Charles DICKENS, Jane AUSTEN, the BRONTE sisters, George ORWELL and Thomas HARDY — names every reader knows.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the shelf changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode library tour once the diagonals and backwards words appear.
Storytellers from around the world
Great writing comes from everywhere, and the NOVELIST list spans the globe. There's American TWAIN, HEMINGWAY and STEINBECK, the poets POE, DICKINSON and ANGELOU, mystery queen Agatha CHRISTIE, wit Oscar WILDE, and fantasy master TOLKIEN. We've hidden adventure writers Jules VERNE and Rudyard KIPLING, Lewis CARROLL of Wonderland, modern voices Margaret ATWOOD and MURAKAMI, and J.K. ROWLING, who got a generation reading.
The stories behind the storytellers
These surnames hide some remarkable lives. Charles DICKENS published most of his novels as monthly cliffhanger instalments and gave wildly popular live readings, an early literary celebrity. The three BRONTE sisters first printed their books under men's names — Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell — because women novelists weren't taken seriously in the 1840s. Agatha CHRISTIE became the best-selling NOVELIST of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare, and Maya ANGELOU turned a hard childhood into some of the most quoted writing in America.
The list reaches well beyond English, too: Haruki MURAKAMI writes in Japanese, Jules VERNE imagined submarines and Moon rockets in French long before they existed, and Margaret ATWOOD is still publishing prize-winning books today. Recognising AUSTEN, ORWELL or TOLKIEN in the grid is a friendly reminder that every classic on the shelf was once a real person at a desk — and a nudge to go and read one.
Great for a literature or library topic
It's a fun way to put faces — well, names — to the books on the reading list, ideal for an English lesson or a library display. Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words. Play online, print a PDF pack, or use our Make Your Own tool to build a grid from your class's favourite authors.
Frequently asked questions
Which authors are in the word search?
Literary greats — Dickens, Austen, the Brontes, Twain, Hemingway and Tolkien, plus Christie, Wilde, Angelou and Atwood. Each puzzle uses a fresh mix.
Are the words first names or surnames?
Surnames — DICKENS, AUSTEN, TOLKIEN, ROWLING and more — which keeps them short enough for Easy mode.
Is it good for a literature or library topic?
Great fit — a fun way to recognise the writers behind the classics. Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words.