# 3 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

As I have mentioned before, six out of the seven Harry Potter books have found their place on the Top 100 Children’s Books list.  The only one left off is book number six, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  In speaking with some friends, there are a few ideas that we came up with as to why, but that’s not what I want to discuss today.  To be honest, I was surprised to find the first book in the series ranked highest on the list.  Not that I expected my favorite, Goblet of Fire, to rank highest, but I was just surprised.  Thank goodness that I had the chance to speak with my supervisor about this exact topic.

One day at work, I was reading HP and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the break room.  Enter Heather, my supervisor.  She sees that I’m reading it and her face lights up.  We get into a conversation about the series and what her midnight releases looked like.  She admits that she is a HP nerd and obviously not just an emotional fanatic, but a thoughtful, critically-minded fan.  She takes great care in explaining her love for this series and it’s characters, so I ask her why she thinks the first book made the highest ranking on the list.  She admits that, in re-reading, the first book is not her favorite at all, but she understands that this book would greatly appeal to younger children, around the age that this list is trying to target.  Think about it.  Harry has just turned eleven when this book begins and J.K. Rowling took great care to write it with eleven-year-olds in mind. The teasing and playfulness of the students reflect pre-adolescence.  The true evil nature of the characters has not even begun to be revealed.  As the series moves on, Rowling uses the books to pinpoint the age group that Harry falls in.  Brilliant, I say.  Brilliant.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

by J.K. Rowling

Originally published in 1997

 

# 4 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, in my opinion, is beyond words and description.  Its merit in linking spirituality and fiction are above measure.  Any believer in Christ and his death and resurrection can place themselves in Edmund’s shoes, having committed a crime beyond redemption, forcing your protector and confidante to take your place.  I will admit that I might not understand all the theology behind this literary work of C.S. Lewis, but I can most definitely appreciate the story and how it affects my view of God.

“He is not safe, but he is good.”

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

by C.S. Lewis

Originally published in 1950

 

#5 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

One of the most important aspects of children’s literature, something that makes a book a great book is the idea of children accomplishing something.  If the protagonist in the story finds themselves in a predicament which requires adults to get them out, it becomes a bad children’s story.  Of course there are exceptions but, for the most part, this is true.  We all know that children cannot do everything they set their minds to, but we can certainly write stories for them involving children that do great things on their own.  From the Mixed-Up Files is a great example of this.

Claudia is tired of living in her house, tired of being the older sister and not being appreciated by her siblings and parents.  She sets her mind to running away and invites her little brother along for the company and his good use with money.  Quite a bit of planning is involved in this endeavor and they find themselves living in the Metropolitan Museum of Art when a statue, rumored to have been the creation of Michelangelo, arrives and is put on display. The children find themselves more than curious about this statue.

Admittedly, the story does end with some help from Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, but that help being attributed to the findings and escapades of Claudia and Jamie.  Much admiration is to be bestowed upon the siblings for their successful “running away.”  Children need more stories like this, in which they are empowered to do more than their minds can imagine.  Maybe we shouldn’t encourage them to run away from home, though. . .

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

by E.L. Konigsburg

Originally published in 1967

 

#6 Holes

The first time I read Holes, I came away thinking that it was a great story.  The second time I read it, I started to understand the complexity of the novel.  Now, I am finally beginning to understand how intricately woven it is.

From first glance, it is a novel about juvenile delinquents, one wrongly accused and sentenced to an odd camp to serve out his punishment.  Interspersed with tidbits from the past, the reader begins to understand just how the camp, Stanley Yelnats, and his campmates are closely connected.  This novel has it all.  To start off, it is has history.  Stanley’s family history is slowly revealed and we begin to understand him even more.  It has geography, as the layout of the camp is described and the full effects of the terrifically-long drought are emphasized.  It addresses racism and general discrimination, even if in subtle ways.  And it has Stanley as the main character, the most likable protagonist you might ever meet.

Holes

by Louis Sachar

Originally published in 1998

 

#7 The Giver

Raised in a dystopian society, Jonas, on his twelfth birthday, is chosen to be the new Receiver of Memories, the sole member of the society that knows and understands about Elsewhere and what the world used to be or currently is outside of the society.  He learns about color and war and love.  Jonas has an incredible maturity and begins to understand just how twisted their society is and wants to do something about it.

The Giver is a book that, once read, hardly needs any introduction.  A revolutionary novel in children’s literature, it introduces the idea of alternate societies and how they can become destructive beyond measure.  Author Lois Lowry took bold steps, in my opinion, writing this novel and introducing these ideas to the children’s lit world.  I have to say, though, that the precision she uses in her world-building is impeccable.  The explanation of Jonas’ world does not bog down the reader, but provides enough information to truly understand the life that he lives.  While not injecting too much emotion in the first quarter to half of the book, the reader is left with enough to begin comprehending the terrible nature of this society.

A classic in dystopian literature, The Giver will hopefully be cherished for decades to come and used by educators and parents alike in teaching their children to think critically about the world around them.

The Giver

by Lois Lowry

Originally published in 1993

 

My Summer Plans

I apologize for the lack of posts lately, but I started my “summer schedule” and I have been a little overwhelmed with life the last few weeks.  This summer, I will be continuing to work evenings and weekends at my public library, as well as do some babysitting.  When C and P were born (they’re twins), I had the privilege of taking care of them a few times a week up until they were about 2.  Now, they are 5 1/2 and they have an 18-month-old sister A and are in need of a summer nanny.  I am really pumped to be taking care of them almost full-time (4 days a week for 9-10 hours a day).  Their mother is not a huge fan of TV and movies, so they have a closet packed full of awesome toys, an overflowing drawer of arts and crafts supplies and hyper-creative minds due to the lack of “screens” in their lives.

However, I know that there are a lot of classic and contemporary children’s “chapter books” that have movies that accompany them and we are hopefully going to have time to read through some of these books together and watch the movie as a reward for finishing it.  P already made the connection that we can pay close attention to the movie and see if it is different or similar to the book.

We started this week with The Tale of Despereaux, one of my favorites.  At first, I could tell that they struggled to pay attention without lots of pictures (there is probably 1 picture to every 15 pages in this novel), but they kept asking me to read more.  I cannot describe how excited I was the next day when they asked, “Amber, please can we read the mouse story this morning?”

Since my Top 100 challenge is soon coming to a close, I am more than happy to continue passing on my love for great children’s novels to important little people in my life.

 

#8 The Secret Garden

A little over a year ago, I sat down and read The Secret Garden.  I had checked out a large illustrated version from my library and devoured it in one day.  Surprisingly, I enjoyed it tremendously.  Reading this novel was part of what inspired me to attempt this challenge, to read through the top 100 childrens books and blog about my experience.  Being reminded of the wonder of great childrens literature, I knew that reading the 100 novels on my list would not be a waste of time.  And now, as I am coming to the finish line of said challenge, I am reminded again by a re-read of The Secret Garden.

Why will this book remain relevant for many years and decades to come?  First, because children are spoiled and bratty.  Very few children even remotely resemble Burnett’s Sara Crewe in A Little Princess.  I would venture to say that most children likely resemble Mary Lennox.  Please don’t take offense, parents, it has little to do with you.  Children are innately selfish and do not understand the structure of the world.  To read of the transformation that occurs within Mary during her time of discovering the garden, might be a source of encouragement and inspiration to parents and, dare I say, children everywhere.  It is possible to reach outside of oneself and become better than you even considered you could.

Secondly, people grieve and separate from others.  We might be quick to point fingers to Mary’s absent mother, as well as Colin’s absent father, but the fact of the matter is that we don’t know and may never understand exactly what the people around us go through and why they separate themselves from us and other friends in their lives.  Thank goodness that Mary could be reunited with her only family and that Colin’s father found his son as delightful as he was and chose to move forward in that relationship.  The themes of this novel are real and a part of human nature.  I hope this book never begins collecting dust in my collection.

The Secret Garden

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Originally published in 1911

 

#9 Anne of Green Gables

When I look over the top 100 children’s books list that I have been reading through, I find that a fair amount of the books are character-driven.  We enjoy Little Women because of the March sisters.  We enjoy Roald Dahl’s writing because the characters he infuses into his quirky plots and worlds are lovable.  We re-read Beverly Cleary because Ramona, her sister and her neighbors are downright real.  But Anne Shirley, she just takes the cake.  From the moment she steps off the train and meets Matthew Cuthbert, we are enthralled by her boldness, the amount of time she spends talking, and her tremendous joy in life.

Anne’s past and her status as an orphan really hit home for me, for reasons of which I will be announcing in a few weeks.  Even though I was frustrated with Matthew and Marilla in the beginning, being so insensitive to her emotional state, I loved how their love for her grew more and more each day, and how they changed each other to be an even better person than they were before.  For those of you that have an appreciation for the Anne series, why do you love Anne Shirley?

Anne of Green Gables

by L.M. Montgomery

Originally published in 1908

 

#10 The Phantom Tollbooth

Here is it, folks.  The beginning of the end.  We have reached the top 10 books on our list of the top 100 children’s books.  And let me tell you, it is all uphill from here.  For those of you who are ambitious and want to be reminded that great literature exists in the form of children’s novels, I encourage you to read along as I finish out my challenge.  Just click on the link above labeled Top 100 Challenge Archive to find the list of the top 10 books and start reading.  I will be finishing out this challenge during the month of May, just so you know the timeframe you are working with.  Feel free to comment if you are joining me in reading these last ten.

Today, however, I am highlighting an eclectic novel.  Could it be described as eclectic?  Or maybe it’s just different.  Or maybe it’s just pure amazingness (definitely not a word).  The Phantom Tollbooth incorporates imagination, boredom, geography, math and the complicated nature of the English language.  Like many great children’s books, it involves following the young main character on a journey of discovery and sometimes confusion.  The creatures he meets along the way sometimes help or hinder him.  He learns that there is a world outside his school and his home, a lesson every child should learn, whether through truth or imagination.  With wit, the use of puns, and very strange characters, the author brings to life this world that Milo is discovering, making it real enough through words that we can experience it, too.

The Phantom Tollbooth

by Norton Juster

Originally published in 1961

 

#11 The Westing Game

The Westing Game is what I would consider to be the mother of all children’s mysteries.  Maybe the mother of all mysteries.  With 20+ characters stuck in a snowbound apartment building overlooking a mansion, we slowly find out more and more about each one, as they go about solving the mystery of the death of the mansion owner.  Sixteen of the characters are invited to the reading of the will and are asked to take part in the solving of the murder, with a very generous inheritance in store for the winner.

My husband, who studied this book during his Children’s Literature class a few summers ago, warned me that I would need lots of paper for note-taking and character organization.  So this is what my coffee table looked like:

In the end, I did feel like I found a lot of clues within the text, but I ultimately did not solve the crime.  I would definitely recommend this novel to independent children that are adventurous and like to think outside the box.  I can tell that we are getting to the top of the Top 100 list because the books just keep getting better and better.

The Westing Game

by Ellen Raskin

Originally published in 1978