Comments on: Top 100 Children’s Novels (#19)

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 13:56:05 +0000

[...] Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh#17 Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli#18 Matilda by Roald Dahl#19 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl#20 Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt#21 Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The [...]

By: Maggi

Maggi — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 15:02:31 +0000

I loved Glass Elevator and recommend it all the time, with the caveat that it is scary. I was indeed deliciously traumatized by the Vermicious K’nids.

By: Scrumptious

Scrumptious — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:52:48 +0000

That “How It Should Have Ended” clip is hilarious and completely spot-on! Thanks for compiling all these great materials to accompany each book. I am learning so much even about well-loved favorites!

By: Anna

Anna — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:02:13 +0000

I loved Glass Elevator, just because it meant the adventure wasn’t over yet! Though I do not remember the aliens at all… selective memory and all that.

I think my favorite Dahl is “The Twits”, because nothing is so funny to a vindictive child as all the tricks the husband and wife pulled on each other. Inspired me to lead a few school pranks, too, usually involving incremental changes over the course of a day. I’ll be on the lookout for “Matilda” higher up in the list.

By: Genevieve

Genevieve — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:16:09 +0000

Yay, Betsy, I’m so glad you’re going to do a list of runners-up!

By: Emily

Emily — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:14:20 +0000

Betsy, I had a book of Dahl’s short stories that included ‘The Landlady.’ I bought it on a family trip to the UK when I was twelve, and read it cover to to cover at least twice in the three weeks we were there. So creepy!

I too had given up hope for Matilda (DaNae, Anne, RockinLibrarian–my Dahl vote too!) so I’m happy to see it up next this morning and can’t wait to read about it!

By: My Boaz's Ruth

My Boaz's Ruth — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:59:54 +0000

I think you are right about Chocolate Factory being the highest Dahl on the list. It’s the only one (other than Glass elevator) I even KNEW about until I was an adult. And normally, once I devoured one book I loved, I went out and found all the other books in the series, by the author, EVERYTHING.

And as an adult, I’m not appreciating these other books either I’m afraid

By: rockinlibrarian

rockinlibrarian — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:46:23 +0000

Wow, DaNae, Anna– I’d also long given up hope on my personal Dahl vote, Matilda, but maybe if THAT many of us are talking about it, maybe we’re wrong to give up after all? … no, I’ve still given up. Too many other Obvious List Makers left to make the list.

I think it’s interesting the differences in what shocks people, when THEIR favorites don’t get as high as expected or when the books they think are OTHER people’s favorites don’t get as high. Charlie is not at all my favorite Dahl, or my second favorite, and probably not my third or fourth favorite either, but I all along predicted that it WOULD be the highest Dahl on this list. Of course I was also expecting it, if not to crack the top ten, to be a little closer to it….

By: RM1(SS) (ret)

RM1(SS) (ret) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:06:39 +0000

This one’s the only Dahl I’ve read, and it’s nowhere near my top ten. 8)

The final ten are going to be very interesting indeed. I’m starting to think it’s going to be loaded with newer books, though….

By: Anna

Anna — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:33:11 +0000

DaNae, I’ve given up hope for poor Matilda. We’ll see!