SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Fusenews
  • Reviews
  • Librarian Previews
  • Best Books
    • Top 100
    • Best Books of 2022
    • Best Books of 2021
    • Best Books of 2020
    • Best Books of 2019
    • Best Books of 2018
    • Best Books of 2017
    • Best Books of 2016
    • Best Books of 2015
    • Best Books of 2014
    • Best Books of 2013
  • Fuse 8 n’ Kate
  • Videos
  • Press Release Fun

May 17, 2012 by Betsy Bird

Top 100 Children’s Novels #90: The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston

May 17, 2012 by Betsy Bird   6 comments

#90 The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
22 points

It was magical when I read it, and it still is. And the house is real – you can visit it. – Marianne Minnich

This is an old fashioned mystery, with magical overtones. The language is lyrical and the story is almost dreamlike in parts with reality and fantasy (or two realities) overlapping in an intriguing way. As I understand it, the author moved to an old house in England and this inspired her series of Greene Knowe children’s books (this was the first). The characters of Tolly, Linnet and Alexander have stayed with me all these years. This is a classic fantasy deserving of wider readership. – Christine Kelly

Looks like somebody is moving up in the world! Last time I conducted this poll Green Knowe was rock bottom at #97. Now it has climbed a couple places and gazes serenely out at the world. Fascinating!

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

As Publishers Weekly describes the plot: “Young Toseland (Tolly for short) isn’t sure what to expect when he is sent to spend a holiday with his Great-grandmother Oldknow in her huge castle of a house in England. He arrives in the middle of a flood, and feels as if he is climbing aboard Noah’s Ark, which sets the stage for this unusual adventure. Soon Granny is telling Tolly about Toby and the other children (and animals) who sometimes come to the house, ‘when they want to.’ Listeners and Tolly learn that Toby and his full-of-energy siblings Linnet and Alexander are ghosts; they died during the Great Plague. Magic, mystery and fun will bring listeners along for an entertaining ride, even if they may not always be sure where the ghosts begin and real-life leaves off.”

The story behind the book is also of note.  According to Janet Crane Barley in Children’s Literature, “Lucy Boston bought, Hemingford Grey, a venerable, time worn manor house near Cambridge, England in 1935. She lovingly restored the house, now thought to be the oldest, continuously inhabited home in England, for her home, and used it as the evocative setting for her books in the ‘Green Knowe Chronicles.’ After 20 years of living there, she began writing her first book, the now classic Children of Green Knowe, set very firmly in and around her wonderful old home.”

Should one wish to visit the Manor where Ms. Boston wrote the books, it is possible.  Writing for The Human Flower Project, one John Levett says, “It was at the Manor that Lucy Boston wrote her first novel The Children of Green Knowe and found a publisher for it in 1954 when she was in her 60s; five other books set in Green Knowe followed. She died in 1990 at the age of ninety-eight. The Manor is the place to be for a child of any age.”  He goes on to explain how to get there (it’s in England so good luck, Yanks) and what you will find in the gardens.  The website for The Manor is here.  And to be precise about it, Ms. Boston was 62 when she wrote this book.  This places the author in sharp contrast to book #91 on this list.

In 2009 the book was adapted into a movie called From Time to Time and starred folks like Maggie Smith, Dominic West (could he have gotten any further from his role on The Wire?), and Timothy Spall (not playing a villain, for once).  Looks like they took more than one book in the series, though I’m not sure.

  • You can read some of the book here if you’re curious.
  • Dr. Who fans may be interested in this connection to the book.

Covers for this book have included:

n13171

Jacket

But the best, I think, is probably the latest.  No offense to Brett Helquist, of course.

8825_jpg_280x450_q85

It was turned into a television series around 1986 by the BBC.  Here’s a bit from the first episode.

And here’s the trailer for the newer film From Time to Time.  Interesting.

Filed under: Best Books, Top 100 Children's Novels (2012)

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
L.M. BostonThe Children of Green Knowe

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

August 2012

The Top 100 Lists Are Nigh. Nigh, I Say! Nigh!

by Betsy Bird

August 2012

Fusenews: Look for the Girl with the Caterpillar Tattoo and She's Gone

by Betsy Bird

July 2012

Top 100 Chapter Book Poll Results

by Betsy Bird

July 2012

Top 100 Children's Novels #1: Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

by Betsy Bird

June 2012

Top 100 Children's Novels #2: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

by Betsy Bird

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

One Star Review, Guess Who? (#184)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day – Trees: Haiku from Roots to Leaves by Sally M. Walker, ill. Angela McKay

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Review: Nat the Cat Takes a Nap

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Here Be Monsters: On Horror, Catharsis, and Uneasy Truces with Yourself, a guest post by author Rebecca Mahoney

by Karen Jensen, MLS

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Newbery Medalist Amina Luqman-Dawson visits The Yarn

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

22 Noteworthy Audiobook Adaptations of Young Readers Editions

Top 10 Music of 2022

Top 10 Audiobooks of 2020

11 Family Music Albums, Including Concept Albums on Mental Health, Community, and More

Kidcasts: Podcast Trendsetters in 2021

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Louise says

    May 17, 2012 at 1:17 pm

    I fully expected to love this book – it’s everything I enjoy in children’s lit – and yet, I couldn’t get into it. I’m still not sure why. I’m almost wondering if it was just the wrong period of my life to be reading it? I’ll have to give it another try this summer.

  2. DaNae says

    May 17, 2012 at 3:33 pm

    Louise, you are not alone. I think it may be buy its sell-by date. I don’t see much for today’s readers either. It may be nostalgia alone put it on this list twice.

  3. David B says

    May 17, 2012 at 4:49 pm

    I remember reading it as a fifth- or sixth-grader. It was hard to get into, and it took a couple of tries for me. But after the early chapters, it really got going and I rather enjoyed it. On the other hand, I have had no urge to go back and reread it since.

  4. April says

    May 17, 2012 at 5:50 pm

    I’m glad I’m not the only one-I just don’t like this book. I found it boring. I am surprised it moved up in the poll!

  5. Jess says

    May 17, 2012 at 9:33 pm

    I have fond memories of reading this series as a kid, and I reread this first one as an adult and still enjoyed it. I do think they’re slower-going than is currently popular, but I think there’s still a place for books like this with today’s kids. I just looked up our copies and noticed that several are checked out to a family I know, all voracious readers.

  6. Joanne Greene says

    December 6, 2012 at 7:35 pm

    This is one book that I loved. It still resonates with me.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • External Links

    • A Fuse #8 Production Reviews
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023