Comments on: Top 100 Children’s Novels (#40-36)

By: Top 100: 2010 Picks for Best Children’s Novels (grades 3-8) : PragmaticMom

Top 100: 2010 Picks for Best Children’s Novels (grades 3-8) : PragmaticMom — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 13:57:51 +0000

[...] to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis#35 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire JK Rowling#36 Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume#37 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor#38 Harry Potter and the Order of [...]

By: Andrea

Andrea — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:36:33 +0000

I’ve been enjoying this list. I’m surprised at how many of the books I read as a child. I may have to pick up the one that one the Newbery Award recently since it sounds intriguing. I also strongly disliked “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry” when I was a kid. It was boring and seemed pretty heavy-handed. And, while I read “Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret?” I remember finding it and Blume’s other books a little too explicit and her religious questioning shocking. It probably had a lot to do with the difference in background between my rural, church-going upbringing and the fairly secular Margaret who dared to question whether Jesus Christ existed or its importance. New Jersey was literally another universe to me at that age.

By: My Boaz''s Ruth

My Boaz''s Ruth — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:57:17 +0000

I hope to see Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NiMH still!

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:20:40 +0000

re: animal books…i think that Because of Winn-Dixie has a slightly better shot than the “animal books” mentioned above. Expanding out to anthropomorphized animals and i’d bet Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is a top 25 title and both Stuart Little and Despereaux have a chance, maybe even Mouse and Motorcycle though I wouldn’t expect Ralph to finish better than Ramona so this one is less likely.

As much as it pains me to even think it, it now appears that neither Abel’s Island nor Dominic will have enough votes to make it this far down the list. Once again the criminal neglect of Steig’s brilliance is difficult for me to understand.

By: Hazel

Hazel — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:21:08 +0000

That’s very true about the animal books –Misty of Chincoteague was a favourite for years, though I wouldn’t have voted for it in a top ten list now. I wonder if the books with staying power for adults to re-read them are more likely to make the list than those without.
For instance, I still enjoy Watership Down…

By: Susan

Susan — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:49:34 +0000

RM1, re Jim Kjelgaard, animal books on the whole don’t seem to have received a lot of love in this poll. Also among the missing (at least so far) are Eric Knight’s Lassie, Jack London’s White Fang, Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague and King of the Wind, Phyllis Reynold Naylor’s Shiloh….really, you could go on and on.

I wonder if we’re just in an “off” period for animal books….right now fantasy is the in thing. Hopefully the case, as it would be sad to see them vanish altogether from children’s literature.

By: Maggi

Maggi — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:52:58 +0000

I admit, I’ve been avidly refreshing the list like the fangirl I am, hoping for more Novels posts. *blush*

Good lord, I completely forgot about Oz when I wrote my 10. Really fun worldbuilding. I loved the whole series.

I love Judy Blume even more since reading Everything I Needed To Know About Being A Girl I Learned From Judy Blume – hilarious essays by lots of YA authors.

By: Carl in Charlotte

Carl in Charlotte — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:35:30 +0000

Betsy, I’m so glad you’re back with your list! I’m also glad you said that boys will indeed read books with girl characters. I know because I got a very favorable review from a boy on Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and once saw a boy curled up in our library with a Nancy Drew graphic novel! Boys like any book with a strong story line. And to RM1(SS)–I bet those authors will appear in this poll yet!

By: Genevieve

Genevieve — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:51:19 +0000

Just saw these amazing Wizard of Oz pictures at the blog Curious Pages:

curiouspages.blogspot.com/2009/10/wizard-of-oz.html

By: Genevieve

Genevieve — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:45:50 +0000

Betsy, I forgot to thank you for the Will Arnett video – I had never heard of it and lord, it was fun.