Comments on: Top 100 Children’s Novels (#11)

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 13:55:04 +0000

[...] Burnett#9 Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery#10 The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster#11 The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin#12 The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien#13 Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson#14 [...]

By: Anna

Anna — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:17:47 +0000

Wow, I’ve never even heard of this book.

By: Old Gene

Old Gene — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:49:28 +0000

Not in my top ten but I have fond memories of reading Jim Kjelgaard’s books.

By: RM1(SS) (ret)

RM1(SS) (ret) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:07:15 +0000

I somehow missed this book completely (Leon/Noel I was at least aware of, though I still haven’t read it) until I started reading the Newbery winners three years ago. It’s definitely one of my favourite Newberys!

SusanB: As I’ve mentioned before, I’m surprised that nothing by Jim Kjelgaard made the list. (It’s a real shame that so few of his books are currently in print!) And, of course, all of the horse books: Misty, Black Stallion, Black Beauty, King of the Wind, &c, &c, &c….

By: jacques

jacques — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:00:16 +0000

I’m about to start kicking some shins myself. I was almost positive that this would be in the top 5. So disappointed to see it at #11.

By: DaNae

DaNae — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:17:39 +0000

Thanks for that google tip. Three and a half million dosen’t seem like too many fake e-mails to make up. All I had to do tonight was fight back the Spring that is taking over my yard.

And I echo Greg: Thanks Elizabeth and Matt, because it can never be said enough.

If you want an unordered list of books thus far, I’ve been putting them on a GoodReads shelf: //www.goodreads.com/review/list/1002421-danae?shelf=100-top-middle-grade-fiction

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:42:09 +0000

DaNae,
If you know are 100% sure of the ten books, there are 3,628,800 possible top tens!
If you can pin down the #1 book but have no clue after that, then there are only 362,880 possibilities. Now if you can somehow lock down the positions of 3 titles (say you know 1, 2 and 10 for instance) then there are a way more manageable 5,040 combinations. And who doesn’t have 5000 phony email addresses you could use?
To find the number of possible permutations just google the number of unknowns followed by an exclamation point. For example googling 5! returns: “5! = 120″ because(5x4x3x2x1=120).

Please note: I haven’t taken a math class since high school so this could be incorrect.

By: Greg Holch

Greg Holch — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:16:15 +0000

This has become a surprising and really wonderful list of children’s books. Which makes sense because we all helped create it. I am now looking at a list of 15 books that I am positive will be in the final top 10. Plus an additional 15 that should be there, too. And two that were recent movies that are also knocking on the door. Thank you Elizabeth (and Matt). This has been a lot of fun.

By: DaNae

DaNae — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:58:40 +0000

I reread this last summer and found it was leaps and bound better than I remembered it. For some reason I was thinking it was all about the mystery, with little character development. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The ending also made me ridiculously happy. I so appreciate when a book will give us snapshots on the futures of its characters.

I’m pretty sure I have the top 10 (famous last words before going down in flames). I would now like the statistic maven, Eric, to chime in and give the odds of getting all 10 in the proper order, supposing that the guesser has the correct top ten. Just to make us all feel despondent.

By: Brenda

Brenda — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:52:08 +0000

Oh, I was hoping The Westing Game was in the top 10. I read and reread this book like crazy as a kid and still love it as an adult. When kids come in asking for mysteries this is the first book I go to. Long live Turtle Wexler! I also enjoyed The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel). Raskin was great at writing these twisty, topsy turvy books.

I am waiting patiently for The Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler to place in the top 5.