Tag: booklists

“Books to look for” page

- Stacy

I’m working on building a page of books that I recommend and that I’ve edited (which of course I also recommend!). So far, the page only has books that I’ve edited. I really love Indiebound‘s easy linking system–you look up the book, enter your affiliate number on the book’s page, and voila! A link (with cover art) is generated for you. Occasionally there’s no cover art on their site; I’ve had to do a little tweaking for the first book of Hallowmere and a random Dragon Codex, but it’s pretty easy to edit the html for that.

I need to do a little research, though, because I’d love a widget for my sidebars that generated a random recommended book (i.e., a book from a list of predetermined books) every time a page was loaded. Wouldn’t work on LJ, I suppose (though the html link is quite nice for that), but it would be great for my new site. Last I heard, they haven’t gotten widgets yet, but hopefully they will soon.

I will also have a real page today covering all the basics of my community classes with links and directions. Remember, you need to register prior to the class.

Now, for historical fiction and nonfiction

- Stacy

I’m not done with the science fiction list yet–I’m afraid I’ve been sidetracked by actual work, which is a good thing!–but Quimby over at Feminist Mormon Housewives has a particular question which I thought we could help out with. She asks:

I have this kind of wonky idea that I’d like to introduce my children to some of the more difficult historical themes (racism, slavery, indigenous issues) through good children’s literature. But since I don’t really know what constitutes good children’s literature (my children are, after all, still in the board book stage) I thought I’d ask you for some suggestions.

In addition to books with historical themes, I’m also interested in books with themes that address indigenous religions or mythology. (Hey, all you Aussie lurkers, this is for you: Do any of you know a good children’s book about Dreamtime?%
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Note that Quimby is an American (USian) living in Australia, so books about pretty much all over the world work for her, but I imagine books involving Australian history and American history would be of most pertinence.

My list is completely incomplete, but I love historical fiction and there’s a lot of great historical nonfiction out there for kids and young adults, too. Let’s break up the list, so as not to completely overwhelm, but feel free to mention any books of a proven quality that fit her need.

Here’s my own very partial list. I’ll have to add to it later when I have time to sit down and look at the excellent nonfiction sitting on my shelf. I wish I had the time to do an annotated bibliography, but for that, you’ll have to look to your local librarian, the many great children’s book lists out there, and others.

Here’s the list I started over there:

One book that I love is by Jacqueline Woodson, a picture book call The Other Side. It’s about a girl who sees another girl on the other side of the fence who is of a different race, and it’s a very quiet picture book about how these two girls become friends. She’s got a lot of really great books, illustrated by award-winning illustrators like Jon J. Muth (who illustrated several GREAT picture books like Zen Shorts and Stone Soup and Come on Rain!).

Then there’s Remember by Toni Morrison, which has some GREAT historical pictures about school segregation and the process of desegregation

Allen Say, Grandfather’s Journey–Japanese man immigrates to the U.S.

Walter Dean Myers, Blues Journey–Caldecott Honor about the history of the blues. Amazing illustrations

In fact there are a lot of great picture books out there on race, but you have to be choosy. There are some really bad picture books out there on Rosa Parks, for example, that perpetuate the myth that she was tired instead of actively working as a part of the bus strikes, etc.

Oh, and there’s Remembering Manzanar, which might be a little controversial because it’s a memoir.

Then there are books for much older readers which Quimby should read just because they’re really good books, and will still be classics when her kids are old enough to read them:

When My Name Was Keoko, Linda Sue Park—a Korean sister and brother are forced to change their names, when the Japanese forced the country to give up their Korean identities (WWII)

A Single Shard, Linda Sue Park—Newbery Medal—Tree-ear is an orphan boy in a 12th-century Korean potters’ village

Blue Willow, Doris Gates. An itinerant farm worker family struggle to adapt to the Great Depression.

A Long Way from Chicago, Richard Peck—Newbery Honor—a brother and sister travel from their home in Chicago to stay with their eccentric grandmother for a Depression summer. And just dang funny.
A Year Down Yonder, Richard Peck—Newbery Medal—sequel to A Long Way from Chicago

My Brother Sam Is Dead, James Lincoln Collier & Christopher Collier—Newbery Honor.
Revolutionary War about a young boy whose family gets involved in the war.

The Devil’s Arithmetic, Jane Yolen. Part time travel, part historical fiction–modern girl gets sucked back into the Holocaust. Mature subject, obviously, but handled in a way that is sensitive to a middle-grade reader.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Elizabeth George Speare. Witchcraft in pilgrim-era Massachusetts. Don’t think it’s actually Salem, but it’s been a few years.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor. In Depression-era Mississippi, Cassie and her family struggle as a land-holding black family.

Those books above are ones I regularly recommend, so it was nice to have them explained already in a handout I already had put together!

Some authors to look for–pretty much anything by them will be good. Most are nonfiction for children and young adults:

  • Susan Campbell Bartoletti (books include Black Potatoes–great book on the Irish potato famine that sticks with me today; Kids on Strike! about child workers; Growing Up in Coal Country)
  • Jim Murphy (An American Plague, Across America on an Emigrant Train, A Young Patriot (Rev. War), Pick and Shovel Poet, The Boys’ War (Civil War))
  • Russell Freedman (great books include Newbery Award-winning Lincoln: A Photobiography)
  • Elizabeth Partridge (wonderful biography of Woody Guthrie called This Land Is Your Land: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie)
  • James Cross Giblin (Sibert award-winning Life and Death of Adolf Hitler)
  • Candace Fleming (Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt’s Remarkable Life)
  • Joyce Hansen and Gary McGowan (Freedom Roads: Searching for the Underground Railroad)

Well, that’s all I got for tonight. Good night! Feel free to add to this haphazard list.

More on the SF list

- Stacy

In answer to my question regarding middle grade science fiction on the Child_Lit listserv, Farah Mendlesohn replied with the address of her blog and her book list, dedicated to mostly children’s science fiction. Hooray! This will be a great resource, as will the book she wrote, which is coming out sometime this year.

Now, the book list says "YA SF," but I’m seeing everything from Captain Underpants (how could I forget him?) to Scott Westerfeld, so it encompasses more than just YA. I’ll skim and see what I can glean for the particular list we’re making here, and if you all happen to see any on there that would count as middle grade, let me know.

On to science fiction!

- Stacy

Okay, now that we’ve got the middle grade fantasy list, what about science fiction specifically for middle graders? I’m going to be really lenient in our definitions of science fiction, so we can include dystopian books for kids like City of Ember which are more based on science, but in which the science is kind of iffy. That takes second seat to how much fun the book is for the reader.

Remember, we’re talking specifically about books published for middle grade readers, kids age 8-12. The lines can be blurry, but I want to keep books published for young adults and adults off the list even if kids those age are reading them, simply for clarity’s sake.

Also, let’s leave off anything published prior to . . . oh, let’s give it a wide swath but say 1990. Science fiction published before those years was definitely science fiction, and there are kids who still find that interesting, but like I’ve said before, it’s a forward-looking genre, and really, books published before the kids were born will probably not be regarded as forward anything. But I gave i
t a little bigger swath than what should be probably 1997-2001, because there are a lot of good books like The Giver which are still popular in schools and aren’t set at any time that the reader couldn’t imagine to be their future.

Let’s also do a subgenre breakdown in the list, so we know why we’re calling it science fiction rather than fantasy (especially time travel novels: for the sake of clarity, few of the time travel novels have plausible science in them. I mean, do *you* know anyone who has traveled in time? but for ease of listing, I’m just plunking it in science fiction). If you have a subgenre classification I haven’t used here that applies to your book, let me know.

Dystopic

* City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau
* The Giver, Lois Lowry
* Among the Hidden, Margaret Peterson Haddix
Running Out of Time, Margaret Peterson Haddix

Cyberpunk

Are there any cyberpunk books for middle graders? Would we even WANT there to be any? (Most of the cyberpunk I’ve read is pretty mature.)

Steampunk

Steampunk is one of those genres that crosses the line between SF and fantasy, too. The one that stands out most is Larklight by Philip Reeve. Others?

Space/spaceships/space travel

* A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle (this makes *both* fantasy and science fiction lists because it has elements of both. Please be careful when suggesting books like this, but if it it fits, it goes on the list)

Time travel

* Many Waters, Madeleine L’Engle (also a double, fuzzy, slippage kind of book)

Other planets

* Dragonsong, Anne McCaffrey (this goes on this list as much as or more than it does on fantasy, given that the dragons are actually just native to the new planet) new info says this book is definitely YA–sex in later books in the series
* Dragon and Thief (Dragonback), Timothy Zahn 

So far the length of this list sucks. I *know* there are more books out there, but my fantasy collection here at home is far more vast than my science fiction collection. Every SF book I think of tends to be more YA than MG.  I know that Rebecca Moesta and Kevin J. Anderson have spoken out about how little SF there is for kids, but I don’t know that I’d classify Crystal Doors as more SF than fantasy, and most places I’ve seen it sold in the YA section anyway.

So, what’s out there, people?

The final middle grade fantasy list

- Stacy

ETA 7/24/13: I’ve added a few titles to the list below (and deleted a few that I realized were more YA than MG), but if you want a really up-to-date version, follow me on Pinterest, where I keep a number of book lists, including this one, up to date as new titles become available.

 

Next week I’ll move on to science fiction, which, if we don’t count stuff published in the 1950s and 60s (I love Bova and Heinlein, but SF is by its very nature forward-looking, not back, and the kids of today need SF that takes them even farther than the SF world they’re already living in), will feel like a very short list. But hey, look at this huge list we just created! Maybe it won’t be so short after all.
So, behind the cut you’ll find the list you all helped me make. It may not contain every suggestion because sometimes I just didn’t know the books well enough to judge whether they would be right for the list, and sometimes I felt like they didn’t fit either “middle grade” or “fantasy” enough for my personal whims. And it’s exactly that, my own whims.

Feel free to copy for your own use and amend as necessary–this isn’t a comprehensive list (though it feels darn close), but hopefully it’s a great resource for any of us wanting to expand our reading. I know it will be for me!

Thanks for all your help!

Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, Brandon Sanderson
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
Babe: The Gallant Pig, Dick King-Smith
Beauty, Robin McKinley
Bedknob and Broomstick, Mary Norton
Billy Bones, Christopher Lincoln
Boggart, Susan Cooper
The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, Lloyd Alexander
The Borrowers, Mary Norton
The Chaos King, Laura Ruby
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Roald Dahl
Charlie Bone, Jenny Nimmo
Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White
Children of Green Knowe, L.M. Boston
Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure, P.B. Kerr
The Chrestomanci Chronicles, Diana Wynne Jones
Coraline, Neil Gaiman
Darkside, Tom Becker
The Deep Freeze of Bartholomew Tullock, Alex Williams
Dragon Castle, Joseph Bruchac
Dragon Keeper, Carole Wilkinson
Dragonlance: The New Adventures, various authors, including Tim Waggoner, Ree Soesbee, Dan Willis, Jeff Sampson, Christina Woods, Stephen D. Sullivan, and Stan Brown
Dragon’s Milk, Susan Fletcher
Dreamhunter/Dreamquake, Elizabeth Knox
Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine
Eva Ibbotson’s books (I’ve meant to read her stuff for years but haven’t ever gotten around to it)
Fablehaven, Brandon Mull
The False Prince, Jennifer A. Nielsen
Five Children and It, E. Nesbit (and pretty much anything by E. Nesbit)
The Folk Keeper, Franny Billingsley
The Gammage Cup, Carol Kendall
A Gift of Magic, Lois Duncan
Half Magic, Edward Eager
Hall Family Chronicles, Jane Langton
Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling
The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, Daniel Pinkwater
Hugo Pepper, Paul Stewart & Chris Riddel
Inkheart, Cornelia Funke
Into the Wild, Sarah Beth Durst
James & the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl (man, I loved this one in about 3rd or 4th grade)
The Key to Rondo, Emily Rodda
The Last Dragon, Silvana de Mari
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
The Light Princess, George MacDonald
The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Narnia), C.S. Lewis
Little Sister, Kara Dalkey
The Mad Scientists’ Club, Bertrand R. Brinley
The Magic Thief, Sarah Prineas
Many Waters, Madeleine L’Engle (part of the Wrinkle in Time series, technically, but far enough forward that I kind of count it separately)
Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers
Matilda, Roald Dahl
May Bird and the Ever After, Jodi Lynn Anderson
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Robert C. O’Brien
Mister Monday (Keys to the Kingdom), Garth Nix
The Monster in the Mudball, S.P. Gates
The Mouse and His Child, Russell Hoban
My Rotten Life: Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie, David Lubar (ARC, to be published this August)
The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart
The Name of This Book Is Secret, Pseudonymous Bosch
The Neverending Story, Michael Ende
Nightmare Academy, Dean Lorey
Of Mice and Magic, David Farland
Over Sea, Under Stone, Susan Cooper
Pendragon, D.J. MacHale
Peter Pan & Wendy, J.M. Barrie
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
The Power of Three, Diana Wynne Jones
Princess Academy, Shannon Hale
The Princess and the Goblin/The Princess and Curdie, George MacDonald
The Princess Tales (Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, etc.), Gail Carson Levine
First Test, Page, Squire, and Lady Knight, Tamora Pierce
Ranger’s Apprentice
Red Dragon Codex, R.D. Henham
Redwall, Brian Jacques
Savvy, Ingrid Law
Sea of Trolls, Nancy Farmer
The Seeing Stone, Kevin Crossley-Holland
The Shadow Thieves, Anne Ursu
Skulduggery Pleasant, Derek Landy
Snow Spider (Magician trilogy)
Standard Hero Behavior, John David Anderson
The Fairy Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm), Michael Buckley (I LOVE this series)
The Spiderwick Chronicles, Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
The Stink Files, Holm & Hamel
Stoneflight, Georgess McHargue
The Story of the Treasure Seekers, E. Nesbit
Stuart Little, E.B. White
Swan Sister, Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow
The Tale of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo
The 13th Reality, James Dashner
39 Clues, Rick Riordan et al.
Tom’s Midnight Garden, Phillippa Pearce
The Trumpet of the Swan, E.B. White
Un Lun Dun, China Mieville
Vampirates, Justin Somper
The Wall and the Wing, Laura Ruby
Warriors, Erin Hunter
Watership Down, Richard Adams
Well Wished, Franny Billingsley
What the Witch Left, The Wednesday Witch, The Secret Tree House, Ruth Chew
The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
The Witches, Roald Dahl
Whales on Stilts, M.T. Anderson
A Wolf at the Door, Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow (also in The Dark of the Woods)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum

MG fantasy or not?

- Stacy

No one can read every book out there, especially people who are extremely busy. One can try, though–hence my trying to make a list of great middle grade fantasy. I haven’t read every book on that list, but they all come recommended from someone if I haven’t read them and loved them myself, so now I get the chance to start checking them off the list and seeing if I agree!

I just found another stack of books in my extremely large TBR pile, though, and I haven’t read most of them myself, and some of them I’m not even sure if they’re YA or MG. I’m wondering if any of you have read them, and if so, if you’d add them to the list.

  • The Key to Rondo, Emily Rodda (who is the author of the extremely popular Deltora Quest books)
  • The Shadow Thieves, Anne Ursu
  • The Chaos King, Laura Ruby (the ARC I have says 10 and up)
  • The Faerie Wars, Herbie Brennan (I read about half of this a few years ago but a project took my attention away, and I never came back. Would you consider this one MG or YA? Perhaps it fits in the 10 and up category that crosses over?)
  • Book of a Thousand Days, Shannon Hale (the only one on the list I’ve read all the way through. LOVE this book. I wouldn’t count it as strictly middle-grade, especially with a 15-year-old protagonist, but it does make me wonder if it’s a 10 and up kind of book. Though it’s really about the love story, so perhaps I just need to start making a YA list! But right now, concentrate! Middle grade!)
  • The Dreadful Revenge of Ernest Gallen, James Lincoln Collier (this is the author of My Brother Sam Is Dead, which I loved. Does the ghostly voice whispering to the main character constitute fantasy? I’m not sure, given that I haven’t read it myself. Anyone who has read it, please let me know.)
  • The Tygrine Cat, Inbali Iserles
  • The Deep Freeze of Bartholomew Tullock, Alex Williams

And please keep adding to the ever-growing list!

Booklist update

- Stacy

Let’s take a look at what we have so far for our middle-grade fantasy book list. I’ve actually put it in alphabetical order at this point, so we should be able to see anything left out more easily. Forgive any mistakes in alphabetization–this was done very quickly and had to take "the"s into account and I’m not sure it was completely accurate! But at least it’s better than it was.

* A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle
A Ring of Endless Light, Madeleine L’Engle
* Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, Brandon Sanderson
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
* Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
Babe: The Gallant Pig, Dick King-Smith
* Babymouse, Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm (strictly speaking, this is a graphic novel, which opens up a can of worms, but it’s so fun!)
, Robin McKinley
Bedknob and Broomstick, Mary Norton
* The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, Lloyd Alexander
* The Borrowers, Mary Norton
* Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White
Chasing Vermeer, Blue Balliet
* Children of Green Knowe, L.M. Boston
Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure, P.B. Kerr
* The Chrestomanci Chronicles, Diana Wynne Jones
Coraline, Neil Gaiman
* The Dalemark Quintet, Diana Wynne Jones
* Dragon Keeper, Carole Wilkinson
* Dragon’s Milk, Susan Fletcher
* Dragonsong, Anne McCaffrey (?)
Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine
* Fablehaven, Brandon Mull
* Five Children and It, E. Nesbit (and pretty much anything by E. Nesbit)
The Folk Keeper, Franny Billingsley
Half Magic, Edward Eager
* Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, Daniel Pinkwater
* Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones (well… more YA, really, but House of Many Ways is more middle grade, so…)
* Hugo Pepper, Paul Stewart & Chris Riddel
The Indian in the Cupboard, Lynne Reid Banks (though perhaps should be phased off any recommendation lists, due to cultural inaccuracies, but it is a title that grabs kids)
* Inkheart, Cornelia Funke
* Into the Wild, Sarah Beth Durst
James & the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl (man, I loved this one in about 3rd or 4th grade)
* Larklight, Philip Reeve
* The Last Apprentice, Joseph Delaney
The Last Dragon, Silvana de Mari
The Light Princess, George MacDonald
* The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan
* The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Narnia), C.S. Lewis
* Little Sister, Kara Dalkey
The Magic Thief, Sarah Prineas
Many Waters, Madeleine L’Engle (part of the Wrinkle in Time series, technically, but far enough forward that I kind of count it separately)
* Mary Poppins,
P.L. Travers
May Bird and the Ever After, Jodi Lynn Anderson
* Mister Monday (Keys to the Kingdom), Garth Nix
The Mouse and His Child, Russell Hoban
My Rotten Life: Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie, David Lubar (ARC, to be published this August)
* The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart
Of Mice and Magic, David Farland
* Over Sea, Under Stone, Susan Cooper
Penderwicks (is this fantasy? I haven’t read it)
* Pendragon, D.J. MacHale
The Perilous Gard, Elizabeth Pope (not technically fantasy, and perhaps YA? But oh so good!) (?)
Peter Pan & Wendy, J.M. Barrie
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
The Power of Three, Diana Wynne Jones
Princess Academy, Shannon Hale
The Princess and the Goblin/The Princess and Curdie, George MacDonald
The Princess Bride (kinda sorta–perhaps more YA?)
* The Princess Tales (Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, etc.), Gail Carson Levine
* Protector of the Small, Tamora Pierce
* Red Dragon Codex, R.D. Henham
* Redwall, Brian Jacques
* The Seeing Stone, Kevin Crossley-Holland
* Skulduggery Pleasant, Derek Landy
Standard Hero Behavior, John David Anderson
* The Fairy Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm), Michael Buckley (I LOVE this series)
* The Spiderwick Chronicles, Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi (that’s one that’s on the young end, but still enjoyed by 9-10 year olds)
* The Stink Files, Holm & Hamel
* The Story of the Treasure Seekers, E. Nesbit
Stuart Little, E.B. White
The Tale of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo
* The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner (would this be YA or middle grade, really? I’m about to read it so will have a better feeling after, of course)
* The 13th Reality, James Dashner
Tom’s Midnight Garden, Phillippa Pearce
The Trumpet of the Swan, E.B. White
* Vampirates, Justin Somper
* Warriors, Erin Hunter
* The Wee Free Men, Terry Pratchett
Well WishedThe Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
The Witches, Roald Dahl
* Whales on Stilts, M.T. Anderson
* The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum

In the middle of the middle–and a question

- Stacy

First the question: Can anyone point me to where to find the middle grade children’s literature listserv, equivalent to Child_Lit but for older books? I can’t seem to either remember the name or to figure out where to sign up. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve re-subscribed to Child_Lit since I left Wizards–I had it go to a particular folder and only checked in on it from time to time, and nowadays I’m missing it. Off to subscribe!
Onward with the actual post, however. I’m in the middle of trying to make a list of great middle-grade fantasy books, and find that I’m often looking at my shelf thinking, "What a great book! I’ll include it on the list!" only to realize that no, I’m limiting myself to middle-grade, and that chapter book or YA fantasy just won’t do. Just for the purposes of the list I’m making, mind you!
So. A little help, please? I’m looking for classics, contemporaries, obvious and not-so-obvious books. I’m only listing series by series rather than all the books, to simplify matters. So far, I’ve borrowed from Editorial Anonymous‘s list that we talked about the other day, and also from my grad school syllabi, and from my own personal bookshelves, and previous recommendation lists (which so need to be updated, hence the whole thing today!), but surely even with all of those, I’m forgetting something!
I am including crossover titles. In other words, if it’s a book that has teen characters but is commonly read by middle-graders–Madeleine L’Engle comes to mind–even though it’s often shelved in YA I’m including it. Or if it’s a short chapter book that 7-year-olds might read, but that 9-year-olds enjoy just as much, it’s probably borderline, but I’m going to include it on the list at least at first.
Also, my criteria for "great" is dual-fold (tri-fold?): either great literary, Newbery-worthy writing, or popular with kids/bestselling, or both. Or really, who needs such high expectations? Just really great books for middle-grade kids that have magic, adventure, and a story that hooks kids from the beginning. I don’t want to leave out a good book simply because it’s deemed non-literary or because its sales weren’t high enough or something.
So, here’s my list so far. Feel free to comment on anything I’ve missed, because I fully admit that it’s highly likely I’ve forgotten something obvious! Also note that it’s in no particular order at this point, not even alphabetical.
Series are marked with an asterisk.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
* The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, Lloyd Alexander
Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White
The Trumpet of the Swan, E.B. White
Stuart Little, E.B. White
Coraline, Neil Gaiman
* Redwall, Brian Jacques
The Witches, Roald Dahl
* Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling
* The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
* Over Sea, Under Stone, Susan Cooper
Penderwicks (is this fantasy? I haven’t read it)
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
The Tale of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo
* The Wee Free Men, Terry Pratchett
James & the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl (man, I loved this one in about 3rd or 4th grade)
* Whales on Stilts, M.T. Anderson
* Children of Green Knowe, L.M. Boston
Peter Pan & Wendy, J.M. Barrie
Of Mice and Magic, David Farland
*The Last Apprentice, Joseph Delaney
* Dragon’s Milk, Susan Fletcher
Half Magic, Edward Eager
* Red Dragon Codex, R.D. Henham
* Protector of the Small, Tamora Pierce
The Last Dragon, Silvana de Mari
May
Bird and the Ever After
The Magic Thief, Sarah Prineas
* Larklight, Philip Reeve
* The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart
* Skulduggery Pleasant, Derek Landy
My Rotten Life: Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie, David Lubar (ARC, to be published this August)
* The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan
* Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, Brandon Sanderson
* The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner (would this be YA or middle grade, really? I’m about to read it so will have a better feeling after, of course)
* The 13th Reality, James Dashner
Standard Hero Behavior, John David Anderson
* The Stink Files, Holm & Hamel
The Power of Three, Diana Wynne Jones
* The Chrestomanci Chronicles, Diana Wynne Jones
* Inkheart, Cornelia Funke
A Ring of Endless Light, Madeleine L’Engle
* A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle
* The Sisters Grimm, Michael Buckley (I LOVE this series)
Chasing Vermeer, Blue Balliet
* The Seeing Stone, Kevin Crossley-Holland
* Pendragon, D.J. MacHale
* Warriors, Erin Hunter
* Babymouse, Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm
* Dragon Keeper, Carole Wilkinson
* Hugo Pepper, Paul Stewart & Chris Riddel
* Fablehaven, Brandon Mull
* Into the Wild, Sarah Beth Durst
* Vampirates, Justin Somper
Princess Academy, Shannon Hale
Tom’s Midnight Garden, Phillippa Pearce
Many Waters, Madeleine L’Engle (part of the Wrinkle in Time series, technically, but far enough forward that I kind of count it separately)
Bedknob and Broomstick, Mary Norton
Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine
Beauty, Robin McKinley
* The Princess Tales (Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, etc.), Gail Carson Levine
* Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
* Little Sister, Kara Dalkey
The Princess Bride (kinda sorta–perhaps more YA?)
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, Daniel Pinkwater
The Indian in the Cupboard, Lynne Reid Banks (though perhaps should be phased off any recommendation lists, due to cultural inaccuracies, but it is a title that grabs kids)
The Mouse and His Child, Russell Hoban
* The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum
The Perilous Gard, Elizabeth Pope (not technically fantasy, and perhaps YA? But oh so good!)
* Mister Monday/Keys to the Kingdom, Garth Nix
The Folk Keeper, Franny Billingsley
The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
Babe: The Gallant Pig, Dick King-Smith
* Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers
* The Borrowers, Mary Norton
* Five Children and It, E. Nesbit (and pretty much anything by E. Nesbit)
The Princess and the Goblin/The Princes
s and Curdie, George MacDonald
The Light Princess, George MacDonald
Well Wished, Franny Billingsley
* Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones (well… more YA, really, but House of Many Ways is more middle grade, so…)
* Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
* The Spiderwick Chronicles, Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi (that’s one that’s on the young end, but still enjoyed by 9-10 year olds)
* The Story of the Treasure Seekers, E. Nesbit
* The Dalemark Quintet, Diana Wynne Jones
* Dragonsong, Anne McCaffrey
Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure, P.B. Kerr
Recommendations from comments
I’ve got some reading to do!
Stoneflight, Georgess McHargue
* The Mad Scientists’ Club, Bertrand R. Brinley
* Danny Dunn books (?)
* Ranger’s Apprentice
The Name of This Book Is Secret, Pseudonymous Bosch
* Hall Family Chronicles, Jane Langton
Matilda, Roald Dahl
Darkside, Tom Becker
Savvy, Ingrid Law
Eva Ibbotson’s books (I’ve meant to read her stuff for years but haven’t ever gotten around to it)
The True Meaning of Smekday, Adam Rex
The Neverending Story, Michael Ende
A Gift of Magic, Lois Duncan
* What the Witch Left, The Wednesday Witch, The Secret Tree House, Ruth Chew
* Charlie Bone
Nightmare Acad
emy, Dean Lorey (I’ve got this ARC around here somewhere. This is the problem with not having my office finished–I’m not quite sure *where* it is. And not having read it yet, I’d thought it was YA, but hadn’t looked at it hard yet.)
Billy Bones, Christopher Lincoln
* The 39th Clue, Rick Riordan et al.
A Wolf at the Door, Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow (also in The Dark of the Woods)
Swan Sister, Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow
Dreamhunter/Dreamquake, Elizabeth Knox
The Last Unicorn
* The Gammage Cup

Are there handbaskets in children’s literature?

- Stacy

Today Editorial Anonymous both opened a can of worms and used a tag I only remember seeing on Read Roger, “I’m so going to hell,” which i think is appropriate for the topic of trying to make a list of quintessential children’s books due to the possibility, as she explains, that she’s likely to forget something essential and obvious.

I often feel like this myself. I’ve been meaning to do a booklist too, but lack of time for it gets in the way. EdAnon’s booklist will be a joint effort with readers, though, so here’s your opportunity (and mine) to get a good list without having to scour your own personal library and hope that you can remember all the good books you don’t own!