Comments on: Top 100 Children’s Novels (#14)

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 — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:46:38 +0000

[...] by Ellen Raskin#12 The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien#13 Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson#14 Harry 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 [...]

By: Genevieve

Genevieve — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:59:52 +0000

Now is ze time on Shprockets when ve manage mischief!

By: angelina41

angelina41 — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:40:36 +0000

I like how the Harry Potter on the front of the German cover looks like he belongs in a Sprockets SNL skit.

By: Fuse #8

Fuse #8 — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:46:20 +0000

I’ve a soft spot in my heart for the Finns too.

By: Genevieve

Genevieve — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 09:48:48 +0000

I love that second Swedish cover too! It looks like a place in England (and another in France) where there’s a little castle on an island – can’t remember the names. Anyway, the cover is very atmospheric and just the right amount of foreboding.

By: RM1(SS) (ret)

RM1(SS) (ret) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 09:15:21 +0000

Oh – love that second Swedish cover (the grey one)!! And the Finnish covers are starting to grow on me….

By: RM1(SS) (ret)

RM1(SS) (ret) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 08:48:04 +0000

My favourite HP at last!

Sondy: I like the chocolate-chip idea. 8)

By: Aaron Mead

Aaron Mead — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:11:24 +0000

Azkaban is second for me, behind Deathly Hallows (I can’t resist a good wrap-up!), though I love it dearly. The first two felt very formulaic to me, like the mystery was somehow set out in advance (like an obstacle course) for the kids to solve–which was perhaps appropriate for 10- and 11-year-olds, but not as interesting for me. But in this third book the deep plot seemed suddenly to extend out into the distance. With Wormtail’s ominous escape, Rowling stirred in me anxiety that outstripped the plot of Azkaban. For me, this is where real, difficult-to-manage evil finally showed its head, and made the series gripping.

By: DaNae

DaNae — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:29:26 +0000

My favorite along with the 5th. Like Harry I coveted those awful last minutes with his parents when he could again hear thier voice.

Also the whole time-travel ballet at the end was so complex, yet so clearly written.

By: Sondy

Sondy — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:19:05 +0000

This one’s my favorite, too. (I should have voted for it, but used the first one as a stand-in for the series.) One of the things I loved was that Harry finally got a father-figure in his life.

We went on vacation in England the week it came out there and bought a copy in Cambridge. We read the whole book aloud, with lots of it done on country roads in England. That was also the book where we started the tradition of everyone having a chocolate chip whenever the word “Dementor” was read. If the book said “Dementors,” then we each got two chocolate chips! It was a great tradition for a family read-aloud.