Are There Any Books That You Think Should/Shouldn't Be on the Top 100 List?

[Hufsa]

I have found that the Top 100 Children's Books list has such a range of reading levels from Winnie the Pooh to The Diary of Anne Frank. Yes, all the books on this list may be very good, but some I believe shouldn't be classified as a "children's book". One such book is The Diary of Anne Frank. I haven't read the book yet, but only because many people have told me it is a bit inappropriate for young readers. I do plan on reading it sometime in the near future.

[[deleted user]]

From the books that I have read from the list I think that The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank), The Hobbit and Little Women should be classed as YA/Teen. I don't think the content is suitable for children.

[Jason]

I was kind of surprised that Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was on the list. I remember it from when I was kid, but my daughter and I read it this weekend and it wasn't really that great. Also I agree with Julie, some of the books seem to be for older kids. I read the Hobbit when I was in high school. I've been trying this year to read it with my daughter (8 yrs old) and we haven't made it through it because she gets bored with it, although I love the Hobbit.

[Jennifer]

My list would add, read as a child:
Betsy- Tacy
The Great Brain
Cricket in Times Square
The Mommy Market
James and the Giant Peach

And my all time favorite-
Tuck Everlasting

[Jason]

Amazon has a top 100 children's book list that I was going through yesterday and Betsy-tacy was on there. I had never heard of it before

[Jennifer]

It's actually the first book in a series.

[[deleted user]]

I've heard of Betsy-Tacy recently from a couple of booktubers who highly recommended it. Before that I had never heard of it either.

[Hufsa]

I have never read Betsy-Tacy. I've heard that it is good though. I am going to put in on my to-read list.

[Hufsa]

Now I know why I am have heard about the Betsy-Tacy series so much! I was kind of wondering why I knew about the Betsy-Tacy series when a lot of you haven't, so I looked it up. The author is Maud Hart Lovelace who is a Minnesota native (I live in Minnesota). Lovelace is well known throughout MN :)

[slauderdale]

As a kid I read up through (possibly) "Betsy Goes Downtown" but somehow never got past that point. Last year I finally completed my goal of reading the entire series in order of publication, including the tie-in books:

• Betsy-Tacy (1940)
• Betsy-Tacy and Tib (1941)
• Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill (1942)
• Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown (1943)
• Heaven to Betsy (1945)
• Betsy in Spite of Herself (1946)
• Betsy Was a Junior (1947)
• Betsy and Joe (1948)
• Carney's House Party (1949)
• Emily of Deep Valley (1950)
• Betsy and the Great World (1952)
• Winona's Pony Cart (1953)
• Betsy's Wedding (1955)

I think my favorite is still "Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill," though. That's the one I really liked as a kid.

[Hufsa]

Congrats on finishing!! I don't think I would ever be able to finish the series, even if I tried, because there are SO many.

[Jason]

I tried to get Betsy-Tacy from my library yesterday and they didn't have it.

[slauderdale]

For a book that I think deserves a spot on the list:

"The Mouse and His Child" by Russell Hoban. I read it when I was ten and loved it, and have often reread it. It involves a clockwork mouse father and son, attached at the hands, and the vengeful rat who wants to destroy them. Parents may want to know that, while the characters seem innocuous – animals and toys – the story is rife with instances of violence and sudden death. However, it also often funny, always weird, and beautifully written.

My copy had the original illustrations by Hoban's wife Lillian, but there is also a beautifully illustrated edition by David Small.

[Hufsa]

I will have to check it out - it seems pretty interesting.

[slauderdale]

I Love to Read! wrote: "Congrats on finishing!! I don't think I would ever be able to finish the series, even if I tried, because there are SO many."

Thanks! At some point I hope to do the same with Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, because I only got up to the fourth book, "On the Banks of Plum Creek," with those. Those are also the only books I remember my father reading to me as a kid, along with the first Oz book.

[Jennifer]

I think Betsy and Laura got too old! They both out-aged the reader. The same little girt who loved Betsy, Tacy and Tib or Laura playing with paper dolls , isn't going to be interested in them getting married. I guess you have to go back to the series when you are older. My son had the same problem with the Harry Potter series. He devoured the first ones in 2nd and 3rd grade but lost interest for a couple of years- then finished the series as a middle schooler.

[Hufsa]

I love the Laura Ingalls Wilder series...Except I haven't read all of them ;)

[Terris]

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin, 4****s
This is just an adorable book about a sweet, outgoing, intelligent girl with a wonderful optimistic view of life and how she touches the lives of those she comes in contact with. Yes, it's very similar to Anne of Green Gables, Pollyanna, and Heidi. But if you love those girls, you'll also love Rebecca!
I think it should be on the Top 100 Children's Books list! :)

[Hufsa]

Is it really that good? How does it compare to Anne ;)

[Terris]

I Love to Read! wrote: "Is it really that good? How does it compare to Anne ;)"

Yes, it's really that good -- but... it is very comparable to Anne.
Rebecca starts as about a 10-yr-old girl and the book takes her up through high school. So it is about equivalent of the first three books of Anne's. Sooo, since I know you like Anne so much, I don't want you to compare too much. And remember Rebecca was written 5 years before Anne. It's almost like Lucy Montgomery liked the Rebecca story, so she decided to expand on it. I'm just making that up, of course, but it feels a little like that. But I liked the writing enough that I would recommend it to you -- and, maybe you want to wait and read it later after you've finished all the Anne books.
I think you should read Pollyanna too! Oh, and have you read Heidi?! I just love all those sweet books :)

[Hufsa]

Yes, I will definitely finish all the Anne books before moving on to any of the other ones you recommended above! I have read Heidi, but it was for a book club a long time ago - The plotline sound familiar, but that's about it for that one! I'll have to read all of those sometime. Hopefully it will be soon!

[Terris]

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, 4****s
A wonderful story about a thirteen-year-old Mexican girl, Esperanza, from a well-to-do family who, after the death of her father, is forced to move with her mother and family servants to southern California. They must become migrant workers picking fruits and vegetables and living in a migrant camp. Through the eyes of this privileged child, the reader learns how it feels to "come down" in life, and also how it feels to be "looked down on" by others because of one's ethnicity and social standing, or lack thereof.

Esperanza also does a lot of growing up because of missing her grandmother who doesn't get to come along with them when they leave Mexico, and because of her mother's illness. She has to do a lot of growing up fast.

This story is based on the author's own grandmother's story, and it gives some of the history of migrant workers in the 1930's. It really is a story that includes several different issues that could be taught to younger children and middle-aged children. And even I, as an adult, was interested in learning of this era! Now I understand why it is on Amazon's Top 100 Children's Books List!

[Hufsa]

Sounds very interesting! Thanks for your review :)

[[deleted user]]

Terris wrote: "Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, 4****s
A wonderful story about a thirteen-year-old Mexican girl, Esperanza, from a well-to-do family who, after t..."

I was confused about why I hadn't noticed this book on the Goodreads Top 100 Children's Books list so I checked the list again and saw that this book is on the Amazon Top 100 Children's Book list. It sounds good though and like it should also be on the Goodreads list too.

[Hufsa]

I had always thought Esperanza Rising was on Goodreads' Top 100 List! I am really surprised that it isn't.

[Terris]

Sorry you guys! It is on the Amazon list but not the Goodreads Top 100 -- that's Echo by the same author. Sorry for the mix up, but it really is a good book. I think I'll edit my review to say "Amazon Top 100" so no one's confused (only me!!) ;)
Thanks for your input :)

[Hufsa]

I just finished The War that Saved My Life, and I honestly think it should be on the Top 100 list! It was really good, and I recommend it to all!

I am not sure how many of you have read this one, but it was a sweet kids book set in England during WWII. Ada (the main character) is physically disabled with what the book calls "clubfoot", and because of this her mother hates her (cruel, I know). Ada's mom decides to send Jamie, Ada's younger brother, to the countryside to stay safe from bombs that could fall in the city of London. She decides not to send Ada (she thinks Ada is useless), but Ada sneaks out with Jamie anyway. And the story continues from there.... :)

This was such a sweet story about family and love and one courageous girl!

[Hufsa]

As I mentioned in the "Which Book are You Currently Reading From the Top 100 List?" thread, I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives is a book I would personally add to the Top 100 list, and I would definitely recommend it to all of you! Here's my review if you are interested in seeing more of my thoughts on the book :)

[Terris]

I loved that book!

[[deleted user]]

It's on my TBR so I'll hopefully read it one day.

[Hufsa]

Julie NZ wrote: "It's on my TBR so I'll hopefully read it one day."
Yes you should! I'm sure you will really enjoy it knowing the type of books you like :)

[Terris]

So ---- I heard Nancy Pearl on NPR talk about reading Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson as a child and loving it, but I had never heard of it. Of course, I had to look it up right away and read it. It is adorable!!! I think it should be one of the Top 100 Children's Books!

The story is told from the perspective of the animals. They hear that new (human) neighbors are moving into a nearby house. Some animals are excited, some are distressed. There's excitement, drama, a little mystery. All-in-all, it is just fun! I definitely recommend it!

[Terris]

I don't even know if anyone is reading this anymore, but this is a good book!!


Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright by Ron Koertge, 4****s

I really enjoyed this YA novel of a young teenage boy, Jesse, trying to protect his grandfather who is in the beginning stages of dementia. Jesse's mother wants to put "Pappy" in an assisted living facility, because she thinks he is a danger to their family and to himself -- only because he keeps wandering away from the house and he caught the house on fire!

But Jesse loves Pappy so much that he keeps covering for him. So when Pappy, during a camping trip into the desert near their home, says that he has seen a "tiger track" around their camp, Jesse thinks that Pappy has really gone off the deep end. He is afraid that this will be the final straw if his mom finds out.

And then.... well, I'm not going to tell you the rest because it's really good!! And the book is so well-written that you won't want to stop reading this short book until the final page is done!

Well... get to reading!! This is a good one ;)