05 April 2010

Top 100 Children's Novels: 7-6

Number 7:
The Giver,
by Lois Lowry.


If you look at the comments on Betsy's post, you'll see that the main factor in how much people liked this book seems to have been whether or not it was the first dystopian story they'd read. If it was, then they mostly loved it; if not, then maybe (probably) not so much.

In my case, I'm sure that if this book had been available when I was 13 I would have loved it. As it was, though, I was almost 40 when it came out, and then I didn't get to it until I started reading the Newbery Medal winners three years ago. (It was the 1994 winner.) If I recall correctly, the first dystopia I read was 1984, back when I was in high school, and I've been a big S M Stirling fan for years. So while I did like it - especially the basic concept - it came nowhere near getting a place in my Top Ten prediction.




Number 6:
Holes,
by Louis Sachar.


Another book I hadn't read until I started reading the Newberys (it won in 1999), though I had seen part of the movie when my girls were watching it on telly. And I find it very hard to believe it's in the Top Ten.... (Obviously, therefore, it wasn't in my Top Ten prediction either.)


Just for the record, the #7 and #6 spots in my Top Ten prediction were The Phantom Tollbooth (actually #10) and Diary of a Wimpy Kid (probably won't place).

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