Comments on: Top 100 Children’s Novels (#16)

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 14:19:32 +0000

[...] Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling#15 Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo#16 Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh#17 Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli#18 Matilda by Roald Dahl#19 Charlie and the [...]

By: Elizabeth Bird

Elizabeth Bird — Sun, 30 May 2010 22:08:53 +0000

That shouldn’t be a problem. Link away!

By: Darleen Stehr

Darleen Stehr — Sun, 30 May 2010 03:10:12 +0000

Hi there may I use some of the information here in this blog if I provide a link back to your site?

By: Scrumptious

Scrumptious — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:20:12 +0000

I always feel a little cheated when I read about certain of these books. As I’m reading all the testimonials and comments I’m thinking to myself, “Wow, this book sounds fantastic! I can’t wait to read it” and then I must come back down to Earth and to the knowledge that I have already read it and it barely made a passing impression. I’ll never experience the “Harriet the Spy” that has you all in raptures, either because I read it at the wrong time (too early? too late?) or it just wasn’t for me. Jealous!

By: Carl in Charlotte

Carl in Charlotte — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:21:28 +0000

Wow! What a great discussion. Geneveive, I totally agree with your statement that this list is our top FAVORITES. When I sent my top 10 to Betsy, I told her that she asked for the 100 Favorite books, not The 100 Children’s Books With Most Enduring Literary Merit.

By: Genevieve

Genevieve — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:47:10 +0000

Thanks, Mr. Grumpy, and sorry I ranted.

I need to read #15! It won the Mark Twain Award, “an award given annually to a book for children in grades four through six by the Missouri Association of School Librarians.” Which I guess Tom Sawyer would’ve won, but not Huck Finn.

By: Mr. Grumpy

Mr. Grumpy — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:08:46 +0000

Yes Huck Finn is a very much a slog. The slang is fairly dense, almost as bad as Shakespere (OK maybe that’s a gross overstatement).

Sorry Genevieve…yes, by bad. Way too much pot stirring on my part. And sorry to any others I have offended.

Now, on to #15.

By: Fuse #8

Fuse #8 — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:38:40 +0000

I did. But Huck Finn is not a children’s book. Never was, never will be. Tom Sawyer is, sure. Treasure Island is, absolutely. The Hobbit, you bet. But I don’t think we’ll ever see a 5th grade class learning Huck. Ain’t gonna happen.

By: My Boaz's Ruth

My Boaz's Ruth — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:12:12 +0000

Except that BEtsy explicitly said that classics were to be considered okay for this poll no matter what their original audience.

By: Genevieve

Genevieve — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:41:42 +0000

Also:
- I strongly considered voting for Huck Finn, and at some point (but I think after I submitted my ten) checked with Betsy and was told it was not a children’s book.

- I’m very glad to see more men posting, and voting, and commenting. My mention of the Hardy Boys coming low in the votes because there were fewer men wasn’t an approval of there being fewer men. (I have a son, who loves to read and is following the poll with bated breath, and he was so excited to see Hatchet – even though that’s not a book that I’ve been interested in reading, because survival stories don’t appeal to me much, I love that he’s excited about it).

- “Heavens to me!” made me crack up. As does the idea of a classroom full of kids quoting Snagglepuss.