More "contemporary" classics?

I have yet to have my dc mention that the books we read are old and ask for more modern authors/content, but I will be keeping this thread in mind in case they do.  Actually, my oldest ds has read enough “old” books to get a feel for how life might have been and how chidren behaved, or were expected to behave, back in the day.  He says we need to go back to that!  Obviously, he’s not speaking about himself but about his brothers and any other disruptive child in earshot.  He loves the straightforwardness of times past (or what he believes it may have been like, but no “time” was perfect), like, hard work, silent children, minimal belongings, etc.  He’s clearly born in wrong century, but he’s my “keep it simple, Mom!” kind of kid so I appreciate him dealing with us in this century.