A novel is a long fictional story, often around 200 pages or more, that follows characters through meaningful experiences that change them. Unlike short stories that capture a single moment or event, novels have room to develop complex plots, show how characters grow, and explore big themes like courage, friendship, or justice.

Novels can transport you to different worlds: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe takes you to Narnia, while Hatchet drops you in the Canadian wilderness with Brian Robeson. Some novels, like Little Women, feel like spending time with a family you come to know deeply. Others, like Holes, weave together multiple storylines that eventually connect in surprising ways.

The word novel also works as an adjective meaning new, original, or unusually different. A novel approach to solving a math problem is a fresh method nobody's tried before. A novel idea for a science fair project is one that feels inventive and original. When scientists make a novel discovery, they've found something genuinely new in the world.