favorite children's novel
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It's my favourite children's book and my favourite book in general. I've read it so much I'm on my third copy, as the first two literally fell apart.Flatfrog said:
Interesting - I wouldn't naturally class those as children's books - not that a child wouldn't appreciate them but they seem fairly clearly aimed at a readership of adults. I mean - dragons, yes, but thematically they're more akin to Hornblower or other historical dramas - and the civil rights theme is also quite advanced for most kids.MeChaNiZ3D said:
It's a bit like including Douglas Adams or the Discworld books - sure, many kids love them but they're not kids' books specifically (apart from the Tiffany Aching ones and The Amazing Maurice)
"Sir Nobonk and the Terrible Dreadful Awful Naughty Nasty Dragon" by Spike Milligan.
A 1982 medieval comedy about an old knight turned Dragon Catcher, set in the "Kingdom of Rotten Custard". Looking back, this book is probably why I like Monty Python so much.
If you ever find this book, I implore you to take 30 minutes to read it, it's brilliant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Nobonk_and_the_Terrible_Dreadful_Awful_Naughty_Nasty_Dragon
A 1982 medieval comedy about an old knight turned Dragon Catcher, set in the "Kingdom of Rotten Custard". Looking back, this book is probably why I like Monty Python so much.
If you ever find this book, I implore you to take 30 minutes to read it, it's brilliant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Nobonk_and_the_Terrible_Dreadful_Awful_Naughty_Nasty_Dragon
I haven't read this one (although I've read quite a bit of Milligan). But it did indirectly remind me of some other favourites - the Professor Branestawm books by Norman Hunter, featuring an absent-minded genius inventor and his out-of-control inventions. I always loved the illustrations of his Rube-Goldberg contraptions.InfernalPaladin said:
And another couple of classics - the Green Smoke series about a girl who meets a dragon on the beach who tells her stories from Arthurian legend and other folk tales; and on a green theme, the Green Knowe books about an old house full of the ghosts of its past - especially the Chimneys of Green Knowe, a remarkable story about a friendship between a blind girl and a black servant-boy in Victorian England.
I actually liked the series, Magicians Nephew was a really unique book. A Wrinkle in Time was similar, although I think I may have actually liked it even more the Narnia.Little Woodsman said:
My favorite kids book is probably The Hobbit. I actually think it's much better written than The Lord of the Rings, but not quite as well written as The Silmarillion.
Yes, I love that story too. And to be honest, I think it's idiotic for some non-Christians (seems particularly atheists) to insist it's a terrible story because the allegory is so obvious. How many books and shows do we watch with shoe horned yin-yang messages and we still put up with them? I've always thought that was a silly philosophy, but even when I see it promoted in a story clearly about destroying evil, and therefore the opposite of yin-yang, I usually just shrug and judge the story on whether I enjoyed it. Even if you're not a christian, Narnia is pretty good writing and many of the messages are still good for the children of non-believers.Little Woodsman said:
Among my favourites are The chronicles of Narnia series, The Hobbit, The two Alice in wonderland novels, Goodnight Mister Tom and the Gormenghast books. I also liked the Roald Dahl novels because I enjoyed the quite dark humour that was prevalent in his writing. I still read a good many of these books to this day.
The lines get a bit blurred to be honest. I saw His Dark Materials mentioned and figured we weren't sticking too closely to the classification.Flatfrog said:
This. Very much this.KOMega said:
There was a prequel to the Silverwing series called "Darkwing", which took place in prehistoric times, with the main character being one of the first to evolve into the bats we know today. It was pretty badass.
OT: It took me 5 years to finish the entire Alex Rider series, since I started in the middle of the series, and my god was it worth it.
Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events also remains memorable to me today.
I used to love reading the works of Robin Jarvis, in particular the stories of the Deptford Mice. I remember a good few moments that were dark and genuinely frightening, which I couldn't find in a lot of other children's literature at the time. If there was one work of his that really stood out, it was probably The Oaken Throne, a story about the war between the bats and the squirrels. It was an astonishingly good work of dark fantasy, well-spun and engaging. To this day, I still I remember many of its moments of sadness and horror with marked clarity.
Depends how low we're going, if we're talking like first and second grade I'm definitely going to have to say the Magic Tree House series. Those books were fucking amazing and jump started my love of history.
If we're talking late elementary school and middle school I'd say the Giver and the Harry Party series. Loved Harry Potter more as a book, but it took me a bit longer to appreciate the giver.
If we're talking late elementary school and middle school I'd say the Giver and the Harry Party series. Loved Harry Potter more as a book, but it took me a bit longer to appreciate the giver.
I wouldn't quite call that a children's novel myself. I love the books, but a little bit above that level.MeChaNiZ3D said:
I read a ton of the Warriors books, those were fun. I also read the Narnia series when I was like 9 and His Dark Materials when I was 12, so while they might not be strictly children's book, I'll list them anyway since I was young(er). Of course I couldn't understand a lot of the themes, but that's inevitable.
Same here. I read the entire trilogy back in Middle School and thoroughly enjoyed them.KOMega said:
There was a prequel?? Damn, I never knew that!The said:
The House of the Scorpion was incredible. Not sure if it was really a kid's book, though (its main character was the clone of a drug lord operating in a No-Man's-Land between Mexico and the USA). I read it as a kid in the young adults section of the library, so it still counts.
I loved Ender's Game as a kid. Still do. Card might have some unfortunate social views, but none really leak through into the book today. I think it still holds up, and it was an interesting look into the mind of a genius.
I was also really into Redwall. It was basically medieval fantasy written with rodents and woodland creatures as the different fantasy races. There was a snake in there called Asmodeus, and it scared the daylights out of me as a kid.
Harry Potter. I don't think I need to say much about this. It was awesome.
There are others, but that's all I can remember right now.
I loved Ender's Game as a kid. Still do. Card might have some unfortunate social views, but none really leak through into the book today. I think it still holds up, and it was an interesting look into the mind of a genius.
I was also really into Redwall. It was basically medieval fantasy written with rodents and woodland creatures as the different fantasy races. There was a snake in there called Asmodeus, and it scared the daylights out of me as a kid.
Harry Potter. I don't think I need to say much about this. It was awesome.
There are others, but that's all I can remember right now.
Mrs brisby and the rats of nimh? i remember loving as a child. read it several times, remember being super excited when a animated movie of it was being made.
After that would have been the hobbit, tried getting into lotr but it did not click at this age.
Came back to lotr in high school loved it, cept the two towers seemed to drag a bit.
And the typical assortment of batman and spider man comics.
After that would have been the hobbit, tried getting into lotr but it did not click at this age.
Came back to lotr in high school loved it, cept the two towers seemed to drag a bit.
And the typical assortment of batman and spider man comics.
My favorite will always be Enterprising Engines.
And before you ask, YES, this WAS before Thomas the Tank Engine's TV Show came out. 20 years, in fact.
And before you ask, YES, this WAS before Thomas the Tank Engine's TV Show came out. 20 years, in fact.