Caroline Starr Rose

picture book and middle-grade author

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Top 100 Children’s Books

13 Comments

Betsy at Fuse #8 Productions has finished her list of the Top 100 Children’s Books.  What do you think?

I’ve highlighted the books I’ve read (thanks to Jennie at Biblio File for the idea).

100. The Egypt Game – Snyder (1967)

99. The Indian in the Cupboard – Banks (1980)

98. Children of Green Knowe – Boston (1954)

97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane – DiCamillo (2006)

96. The Witches – Dahl (1983)

95. Pippi Longstocking – Lindgren (1950)

94. Swallows and Amazons – Ransome (1930)

93. Caddie Woodlawn – Brink (1935)

92. Ella Enchanted – Levine (1997)

91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School – Sachar (1978)

90. Sarah, Plain and Tall – MacLachlan (1985)

89. Ramona and Her Father – Cleary (1977)

88. The High King – Alexander (1968)

87. The View from Saturday – Konigsburg (1996)

86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Rowling (1999)

85. On the Banks of Plum Creek – Wilder (1937)

84. The Little White Horse – Goudge (1946)

83. The Thief – Turner (1997)

82. The Book of Three – Alexander (1964)

81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Lin (2009)

80. The Graveyard Book – Gaiman (2008)

79. All-of-a-Kind-Family – Taylor (1951)

78. Johnny Tremain – Forbes (1943)

77. The City of Ember – DuPrau (2003)

76. Out of the Dust – Hesse (1997)

75. Love That Dog – Creech (2001)

74. The Borrowers – Norton (1953)

73. My Side of the Mountain – George (1959)

72. My Father’s Dragon – Gannett (1948)

71. The Bad Beginning – Snicket (1999)

70. Betsy-Tacy – Lovelae (1940)

69. The Mysterious Benedict Society – Stewart (2007)

68. Walk Two Moons – Creech (1994)

67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher – Coville (1991)

66. Henry Huggins – Cleary (1950)

65. Ballet Shoes – Stratfeild (1936)

64. A Long Way from Chicago – Peck (1998)

63. Gone-Away Lake – Enright (1957)

62. The Secret of the Old Clock – Keene (1959)

61. Stargirl – Spinelli (2000)

60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle – Avi (1990)

59. Inkheart – Funke (2003)

58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase – Aiken (1962)

57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 – Cleary (1981)

56. Number the Stars – Lowry (1989)

55. The Great Gilly Hopkins – Paterson (1978)

54. The BFG – Dahl (1982)

53. Wind in the Willows – Grahame (1908)

52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)

51. The Saturdays – Enright (1941)     …maybe??

50. Island of the Blue Dolphins – O’Dell (1960)

49. Frindle – Clements (1996)

48. The Penderwicks – Birdsall (2005)    …never finished this one

47. Bud, Not Buddy – Curtis (1999)

46. Where the Red Fern Grows – Rawls (1961)

45. The Golden Compass – Pullman (1995)

44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing – Blume (1972)

43. Ramona the Pest – Cleary (1968)

42. Little House on the Prairie – Wilder (1935)

41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond – Speare (1958)

40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Baum (1900)

39. When You Reach Me – Stead (2009)

38. HP and the Order of the Phoenix – Rowling (2003)

37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry – Taylor (1976)

36. Are You there, God? It’s Me, Margaret – Blume (1970)

35. HP and the Goblet of Fire – Rowling (2000)

34. The Watson’s Go to Birmingham – Curtis (1995)

33. James and the Giant Peach – Dahl (1961)

32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH – O’Brian (1971)

31. Half Magic – Eager (1954)

30. Winnie-the-Pooh – Milne (1926)

29. The Dark Is Rising – Cooper (1973)

28. A Little Princess – Burnett (1905)

27. Alice I and II – Carroll (1865/72)

26. Hatchet – Paulsen (1989)

25. Little Women – Alcott (1868/9)

24. HP and the Deathly Hallows – Rowling (2007)

23. Little House in the Big Woods – Wilder (1932)

22. The Tale of Despereaux – DiCamillo (2003)

21. The Lightening Thief – Riordan (2005)

20. Tuck Everlasting – Babbitt (1975)

19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Dahl (1964)

18. Matilda – Dahl (1988)

17. Maniac Magee – Spinelli (1990)

16. Harriet the Spy – Fitzhugh (1964)

15. Because of Winn-Dixie – DiCamillo (2000)

14. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Rowling (1999)

13. Bridge to Terabithia – Paterson (1977)

12. The Hobbit – Tolkien (1938)

11. The Westing Game – Raskin (1978)

10. The Phantom Tollbooth – Juster (1961)    

9. Anne of Green Gables – Montgomery (1908)

8. The Secret Garden – Burnett (1911)

7. The Giver -Lowry (1993)

6. Holes – Sachar (1998)

5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – Koningsburg (1967)

4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – Lewis (1950)

3. Harry Potter #1 – Rowling (1997)

2. A Wrinkle in Time – L’Engle (1962)     Am I the only person who didn’t connect with this book?

1. Charlotte’s Web – White (1952)

Anything you wish made the list?

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Filed Under: books and reading

Comments

  1. laurapauling says

    April 16, 2010 at 3:01 pm

    That’s a pretty good list. I’m pretty sure those books will be around for a while!

    Reply
  2. Shannon O'Donnell says

    April 16, 2010 at 3:49 pm

    Wow, Caroline. There’s A LOT of highlighting on that list. And a lot of wonderful books! 🙂

    Reply
  3. Elana Johnson says

    April 16, 2010 at 7:43 pm

    What a great list of books! I’m so happy to see some titles that I’ve actually read. Yay!

    Reply
  4. Kristin says

    April 16, 2010 at 9:23 pm

    What a great list. So glad to see I’ve read many of them! (Whew.)

    Reply
  5. Natalie Aguirre says

    April 16, 2010 at 11:28 pm

    Wow. Great list of books. It’s hard to say what’s best. I’m glad I’ve read some & see some I’d like to read.

    Reply
  6. Lisa and Laura says

    April 17, 2010 at 12:11 am

    I’ve read and taught a bunch of these. TUCK EVERLASTING is one of my favorites! And I LOVE reading aloud ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY. What a great list!

    Reply
  7. Heidi Willis says

    April 17, 2010 at 1:05 am

    That’s a HUGE list!! I’ve read a lot of them, but there’s a ton I haven’t! Some of them I only know because my kids brought them home from school.

    I did love Wrinkle in Time, but probably not when I was a kid. She had another series called the Austin Family Series that I connected with because it was realistic. But later I really loved Wrinkle and the following books. I even quoted it in my book. It is a bit weird though. 🙂

    Reply
  8. GhostFolk.com says

    April 18, 2010 at 9:59 am

    Uh, no TOM SAWYER? Ok, that would be my first add. Or Huck Funn.

    And, lordy, no S.E. Hinton? THE OUTSIDERS would be in my top five.

    But I don’t understand if the Top 100 is the top 100 someone liked best or the top 100 that most people liked best or were influenced by.

    I might not be in love with CATCHER IN THE RYE, but it certainly belongs in a top 100 list.

    While I enjoyed (okay, LOVE) everything Bevelry Cleary writes, I would have to slip away one of her titles and put in a NANCY DREW.

    THE JUNGLE BOOK, WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (or THE GIVING TREE)…

    BLACK BEAUTY, FURY, or MY FRIEND FLICKA

    Did I miss GREEN EGGS AND HAM? or CAT IN THE HAT or ONE FISH, TWO FISH or… HORTON HEARS A WHO…

    GO DOG GO! FERDINAND. STINKY CHEESE MAN.

    HEIDI. NARNIA. MR POPPER’S PENGUINS.

    TREASURE ISLAND

    CARRIE

    THREE MUSKETEERS, ZORO, a TARZAN

    Reply
  9. Caroline Starr Rose says

    April 18, 2010 at 2:35 pm

    Hi Randy,
    I believe the list is meant to be all mid-grade, so no OUTSIDERS, FERDINAND, etc.

    I was surprised HEIDI didn’t make it as well as THE BOXCAR CHILDREN.
    THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE is there for Narnia lovers (including me).

    I don’t know what to say about TOM and HUCK. Wonderful books, but for an older crowd, I suppose.

    And the first Nancy Drew did make the list (though I would have picked another).

    Though it wasn’t my favorite, I’m surprised MISTY didn’t make the list.

    Reply
  10. Sadie says

    April 18, 2010 at 6:52 pm

    Great list! I’m currently in love with both TENNYSON and CORNELIA AND THE AUDACIOUS ESCAPADES OF THE SOMMERSET SISTERS (both by Lesley M.M. Blume) — would have been great see either on the list.

    A CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE, STUART LITTLE and THE MOUSE AND THE MOTORCYCLE … great stories with merit as well.

    Reply
  11. Julia says

    April 18, 2010 at 8:07 pm

    Perfect timing, as the kids and I need another book to read together.

    Reply
  12. TerryLynnJohnson says

    April 21, 2010 at 12:38 pm

    Charlie and the Chocolate Factory began my love affair with reading.
    Way to go with all the highlighting! Wow.

    Reply
  13. Sona says

    September 3, 2018 at 9:55 pm

    Charlie and the Chocolate Factory began my love affair with reading.
    Way to go with all the highlighting! Wow.

    Reply

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