Skip to main content

30-21 of SLJ's 100 Children's Novels

I'm getting behind!!! It is because VBS started at our church yesterday and for some reason 4 hours doing that exhausts me more than teaching all day. Anyway, here are the next 10. We are getting down to the end now and I'm interested to see what is in the top 20. In the meantime we have these. As always they are linked to the original Fuse 8 posts.

30. Matilda by Roald Dahl
I don't love this book. I don't have major issues with it like I do some of Dahl's books. I can take it or leave it.

29. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
Oh yes. This is a wonderful book about family and friendship and childhood wrapped up in purely awesome storytelling. I have read it at least 5 times. One of those times was aloud to my daughter who also loved it. One of those times was while teaching it to a group of 4th-6th graders, most of whom also loved it. Yes, even the boys.

28. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman 
I haven't read this one yet. I keep meaning to really. I just haven't worked myself up to it. There are elements of it that just don't appeal to me as a reader.

27. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
I have warm nostalgic feelings about this book. It was the first novel I checked out from my elementary school library at age 7, the book that made me realize I could read ANYTHING. When I reread it as an adult I wasn't as taken with it, so I completely understood and was okay with it when my daughter read the first two books in the series and wasn't interested.

26. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
This was the very first chapter book read aloud I did with Bit. way back 5 years ago when she was 3.  I will be starting it with The Boy in a couple months. (He is 4 already but has not his sister's attention span.) I do think this works best as a first chapter book read aloud. The preschool mindset is perfect for the characters. Often by the time the modern child can read this book independently it seems babyish. Bit loved it at age 3, when she read it herself this year she was amused because she said the characters reminded her of her brother.

25. The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
This book is excellent historical fiction because it isn't about an event, it's about a family. The people in the story are what is important. Also it's hilarious.

24. Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
I didn't read the Ramona books much as a child. Only a couple. My little sister was so much like her I didn't feel the need to experience her in my reading as well. (My little sister was and is awesome, but one of her in my life was enough.)  I did thoroughly enjoy reading this one to Bit when she was in Kindergarten. Bit takes after her Auntie and identified with the story quite a bit.

23. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
This book was never in my classroom library for more than a couple of hours in any given year. It was always in the hands of one of the students. There is something about planes crashing and survival in the wilderness that attracts 10 year olds I guess. I must say that of all the survival in the woods book I have read this is probably my favorite.

22. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
So I just finally got around to reading this entire series this past weekend. (Review is coming!) This was right up there with The Grey King as my favorite. It is action packed and so perfectly described. I felt sucked into the book. I like Will too. I haven't seen the movie and have no intention of doing so. I rewatched the trailer after reading the book. I understand the fan rage at the time of release now.

21. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
I've never read it. Let me explain. Growing up this book was always described to me as science-fiction and nothing made me run further in the opposite direction than that. So I need to read it now that I am all grown up and beyond that. Really I am. 






Comments

April said…
What do you mean one of me was enough? Don't pretend you didn't LOVE my plays starring Heidi, the family dog or the time I knocked over my entire shelf of porcelain crap or when I pretended to be a mouse who lived in your room.

I consider it an honor to be compared to Ramona-I love her. Though, I never was quite as eccentric.

And yes, because I know you're wondering, I DO have an awesome family Halloween costume idea planned for this year. :-) It perplexed mom. She said something along the lines of, "Why can't you dress Claire up like a ladybug or something?" ha ha (It's really not bad-it's adorable. Perhaps I didn't explain my creative vision well enough)
Brandy said…
No there is absolutely nothing eccentric about pretending to be a mouse and living in your older sister's room. Crazy girl. :)
Betsy said…
Yea for finally reading the Susan Cooper books!!!! Can't wait to discuss. (it's been a few years for me, though, ... like 10+)
tatterjil said…
I don't know who those crazy people were who described the Phantom Tollbooth as sci-fi. While I happen to love both the book and the genre, they have absolutely nothing in common other than not being slice-of-life.
Brandy said…
Those crazy people would be my Elementary School librarians. I am putting it on hold at the library when we get back from vacation.
Beth said…
I am looking forward to your Dark is Rising review! That's one of my favorite fantasy series of all time, right up there with the Prydain Chronicles.

And what do you mean, you've never read The Phantom Tollbooth?!
Brandy said…
I know I know. I'm on it.

Popular posts from this blog

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

TTT: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly themed blog hop created by  The Broke and the Bookish  and now hosted at  That Artsy Reader Girl . This Week's Topic: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List From Most Recent to Least: What books have recently caught your eye?

This Side of Home

What attracted me to This Side of Home by Renee Watson was the cover. The story hooked my interest. The characters made me fall in love. Maya has lived her entire life in the same neighborhood in Portland hanging out with the same group of friends: her twin sister Nikki, their best friend Essence, and Ronnie, Malachi, and Devin-three boys her father mentors. They have plans for the future that involve each other: prom, college, life. But things in their neighborhood are changing. People are moving in and starting new businesses. Property values are going up as a result. In addition to change, this is also causing trouble. Essence has to move out of her  house when the owner decides he can make more money selling it than renting it. The racial demographics of the school, which has been mostly African American, is shifting. This presents new challenges and choices for Maya and her friends. It brings new people into their lives at the same time. Maya has to figure out how-and if-she wa

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