We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)
(1) Sea Level
Kipling wrote "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" for children back in 1894, but it's plenty accessible for young 'uns and adults here in the far-flung future of the twenty-first century. The sentences flow, the language is concise, and the word choice is user-friendly.
Oh, sure, there may be a dated word or foreign name to throw you a bit, such as cantonment (1) or Brahm (24). But most editions of the story will come with handy footnotes to help you along. Even if the footnotes are lacking, the difficult words are few and far between. And Shmoop is here to help.