90-81 of SLJ's Top Chapter Book Poll

No books in today's 10 that I haven't heard of. I am happy to say I have heard of every single one of them. Even if I haven't read them all. Again I have linked to Betsy Bird's descriptions of each book posted at Fuse 8. You should really click through and read them if you haven't yet. She does a fantastic job discussing each book.

90. The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
This is one I haven't read because I don't typically go in for these type of books. Since it has made the list twice now I suppose I need to go ahead and read it. Sigh.

89. The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
Not my favorite Cleary book but who can resist that cute little mouse on his motorcycle. I actually think this book works best as a read aloud for the 4-6 year old range because it hits right at their level of development.

88. The BFG by Roald Dahl
This is actually tied with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as my favorite Dahl book. In fact I can do without all the others.

87. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
What a delightful surprise! This book is super current. So current I have a review for it. (It's here.) It is the funniest book I've read in recent memory. It also has a delightful sequel in Darth Paper Strikes Back, and I can not wait to read the to be released in August third installment The Secret of the Fortune Wookie.

86. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
I'm not a big fan of Victorian fantasy. Peter Pan is an exception to that. It is one I can tolerate. The book. Not the animated Disney movie. The book. If you haven't read the book you are missing out on the true experience. (Though I actually like the 2003 live action movie better than the book. Hides head in shame. Jason Isaacs is made of awesome.)

85. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
One of my favorite books of all time. I taught it every year I taught fifth grade. I taught it to my 4-6 literature class at our homeschool co-op this year. It is the standard by which I judge all other fairy tale retellings. I have a review of this one too that Bit and I did when I read it to her. (It's here.)

84. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Oh-kay. This always bored the socks off me. I think I only made it through the whole thing once-the first time I read the series at age seven. While I reread all the other books several times I never made it through this one a second time.

83. Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Again: ?????? Of course, this coming from a person who would rather have her eyebrows plucked than read The Wizard of Oz again. I'm certainly not going to read its sequels or prequels or whatever. I don't care how many of them make the list.

82. The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
This another one I was unimpressed with as a child and just as unimpressed with as an adult. Then again, it is an animal story and I think I've made my views on animal stories clear in the couple years I've had this blog.

81. The Witches by Roald Dahl
Eh. See #88.

Comments

Betsy said…

Oh, come on, friend. The Children of Green Knowe and Ozma should now be at the top of your list! I, on the other hand, must finally read The BFG and The Witches, eh?

I should get The Mouse and the Motorcycle for our next car ride.... hm....

May 17, 2012 at 3:40 PM

April said…

I will do an interpretative pantomime of The Children of Green Knowe for you. It will be much more entertaining than reading it. :-)

May 17, 2012 at 4:23 PM

Brandy said…

My sister's review of The Children of Green Knowe effectively convinced me I didn't want to read it. Here it is.

And no to Ozma Just no. I wasn't kidding about the eyebrow plucking. One at a time rather than reread The Wizard of Oz.

Too many books out there I want to read.

You should totally read The BFG.

May 18, 2012 at 9:49 AM

Brandy said…

Just a couple weeks until you're here. Start practicing.

May 18, 2012 at 9:49 AM

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein

Shorter Musings MG Fantasy

Here are some shorter musings on recent MG fantasy reads. Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack This book is fun. It is a book full of adventure, an obvious bad guy, some more complicated morally gray area characters, and a strong, brave heroine. It is also a book about friendships, community, and fighting for what is right. All things that usually work for me really well. While I enjoyed this, I did feel it was a little overlong and there were certain plot points at the end I didn't love. However, there were things I thought were done really well, such as Anya's Jewish faith and the idea that power needs to be challenged. In the end it was a middle of the road read for me, but it is one I will certainly be recommending to dragon and fantasy adventure lovers I know! R is for Rebel by J. Anderson Coats This is tough because I usually really like Coats's books. I had such a hard time with this one though on so many levels. It's difficult to get into because t

Favorite Kissing Scenes

When thinking of a favorite things post I could do for February I decided it would have to be kissing. I've already done couples and I was feeling in the mood to do something fluffy and Valentine's related. So kisses it is. I read more MG than YA, and the YA I read tends to not focus on romance so this was actually harder than I expected it to be though a few jumped into my head right away. (And one of my choices does actually come from a MG book. One is adult. Gasp!) The actual scene from the book is quoted followed by my thoughts. The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day . - The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Turner doesn't write the

Shadowshaper

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older is everywhere. Best of lists. Award buzz. Blogs everywhere. It's one of those books everyone is reading and talking about. I had it on my TBR but decided I definitely needed to read it before the year was out just so I could weigh in on one of the most talked about books of 2015 if asked. It is deserving of every good thing said about it. Every. One. Sierra was looking forward to a relaxing summer break. Her plans involved hanging out with her friends and painting. They did not involve being chased by zombie like creatures and threatened by a magical power connected to her family's heritage she has never heard of. When murals begin fading all over her Brooklyn neighborhood, Sierra is perplexed. When her grandfather, who had a stroke, begins to apologize and starts repeating strange phases and insisting Sierra get the help of a boy she barely knows to help her finish her mural, Sierra is concerned but mostly about her grandfather. Then at a

The Field Guide to the North American Teeanager

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe is a book I picked up on a whim at the bookstore when it first came out. I liked the cover. I thought it had an engaging premise. I went into it with a healthy does of trepidation because the execution could have gone so terribly wrong. Fortunately, Philippe is an excellent character writer, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent reading about Norris's adventures in Texas and high school. High school junior Norris Kaplan's life is ruined by his mother when she takes a job that requires them to leave the only home he has ever known in Montreal, Quebec. Moving is always hard, but Norris knows for him it will be harder than it's ever been for anyone else. Norris is moving to Texas. He will be a Canadian living in Texas. Not just a Canadian. A French Canadian who speaks fluent French. And not just your average run-of-the-mill French Canadian. A black son of Haitian immigrant parents French Canadian. If Norris has

Random Musings of a Bibliophile

Search This Blog