MORE 'BEST-BOOKS' POSTS
#68 The Three Pigs by David Wiesner (2001) 28 points So meta. It blew my mind the first time I read it, and continues to do so. – Kyle Wheeler I love Weisner’s books, but out of them all, this is my favorite. I love the meta-ness of it, and I never get tired of […]
#69 Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton (1995) 28 points I found a copy of this book in the library book sale, and bought it for my young son. When I showed the other librarians, every single mother among them started reciting it from memory – some of them with children in college […]
#70 Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas (2009) 27 points Another favorite read aloud. You get to do funny voices for Ed, Ned, Ted and especially the prone to (not unwarranted) hysteria, Bob. It’s also a great call and response book that lets kids answer the question of “What rhymes with…?” When I was a […]
#61 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (1964) 34 points An underdog named Charlie set loose in a magical chocolate factory with a bunch of selfish, spoiled kids just asking for some cosmic justice: now that’s my kind of story. Dahl is the master of the absurd detail, such as the fact that […]
#62 Clementine by Sara Pennypacker (2006) 33 points For my eight-year old self, and every other child, whose name is followed by, “pay-attention.” We all know that what is happening outside the window is much more worth “paying-attention” to, than what the teacher is saying. – DaNae Leu The Ramona for this generation, Clementine is […]
#63 The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson (1978) 32 points The first book that I ever bought for myself. It blew my mind. – Stacy Dillon Many people count Bridge to Terabithia as their favorite Paterson novel; while it’s definitely a book that I admire, The Great Gilly Hopkins is one that I’ve returned […]
#64 The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois (1947) 32 points A great adventure story, with a different kind of hero. Professor Sherman is a misanthrope (could he be one of the first anti-heroes?), and just wants to get away from it all (and I love him for it). Also unique in that the […]
#65 Wonder by R.J. Palacio (2012) 31 points I was going to go with a classic, but couldn’t pick from so many possibilities (and I know others will surely choose them) so I decided to go the other route and pick a brand new title from this year. Palacio does the unbelievable in creating a […]
#66 The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (2009) 30 points (I will be in a purple froth if this book does not make the top 100!) – Dana Chidiac Purple froth avoided! This Newbery Honor winner makes its debut on our list this time around. Ignored on the 2010 poll I’m pleased to […]
#67 A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck (1998) 29 points If we were to have a memorable characters contest (and we should) I’d take Grandma Dowdel, the central figure in Richard Peck’s 1998 “novel in stories” against any challenger. Bring ’em on. Dowdel’s voluminous personality carries A Long Way from Chicago (and two […]