Audra's Favorite Children's Books
Alice's
Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
This is one of the best, most imaginative children's stories ever written. I
also own The
Annotated Alice, which I have read and will continue to reread many times.
It has a very interesting page-by-page analysis and explains some out of date
jokes and references that may go under a modern reader's radar. I get more out
of it with every read.
The
Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
For some reason I never got into the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia, but this
first book of the series really made a big impact on me as child. Siblings Peter,
Edmund, Lucy and Susan discover a portal to the magical world of Narnia through
the back of a wardrobe. I always really wanted to try Turkish Delight.
Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Matilda
by Roald Dahl
Magic
Elizabeth by Norma Kassirer, 1966
I absolutely *loved* this book when I was about 9. The poor book's binding is
broken and it is just falling apart from the amount of times I've read it. A
little girl named Sally is staying at her great aunt's house, and finds a old
painting of another little girl that looks like her holding a doll. When she
asks about it, her aunt tells her that the doll in the painting has been lost
for a long time. Sally starts reliving parts of the girl in the painting's life
at the turn of the century and discovers clues that help her in her search for
the doll. It's very magical and dreamy.
The
Worst Witch by Jill Murphy, 1974
The
Worst Witch Strikes Again by Jill Murphy
Step aside, Harry Potter. Mildred Hubble was here first. "The Worst Witch"
is just a great, magical, imaginative book, and very girl-positive. See
my page about "The Worst Witch" for more information.
The
Forgotten Door by Alexander Key, 1976
This is the first real science fiction-y book I remember reading. I read it
around the same time as "Magic Elizabeth," around fourth grade. A
boy named Jon comes through a forgotten door from a parallel universe into our
world. He doesn't understand things in our world like hate, greed, and dishonesty.
It sounds really simple, and it is, but for a 8 or 9 year old, when you're just
starting to think abstractly about morality and things, it's some really thought-provoking
material.
A
Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle, 1973
A
Wind In the Door by Madeleine L'Engle, 1974
A
Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle, 1981
Many
Waters by Madeleine L'Engle, 1986
This series is so wonderful.and unique I still read it, even to this day. It's
a science fiction/fantasy series (noticing a pattern yet?) revolving around
the Murray family--Drs. Murray, who are both scientists, their smart, popular,
and athletic twin sons, Sandy and Dennys, shy awkward daughter, Meg, and extremely
intelligent and sensitive youngest son, Charles Wallace. The series take the
characters on exciting and imaginative adventures through space and time emphasizing
the cosmic struggle between good and evil of which we are all a part.
The
Girl With the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts, 1980
Katie Welker has silver eyes and telekinetic powers, which set her apart from
everyone else. In the story, she figures out why she so special, and discovers
other children who share her powers to whom she can relate.
Mail
Order Wings by Beatrice Gormley, 1981
The
Ghastly Glasses by Beatrice Gormley, 1985
Both these books revolve around the same character, Andrea Reve, innocently
encountering some strange, powerful object which ends up being more than she
bargained for. In "Mail Order Wings," Andrea orders a pair of colorful
wings from the back of a comic book. Once she puts them on, they actually enable
her to fly, then won't come off and as time goes by, Andrea actually starts
to turn into a bird. As one person points out in their review of the book on
Amazon, this story is based on Kafka's "Metamorphosis." In the book's
sequel, Andrea accidentally aquires an experimental model of eyeglasses that
allow the wearer to focus their mental powers in a way that makes changes in
people's personalities, only the changes tend to have unexpected consequences.
Charlotte
Sometimes by Penelope Farmer, 1986
I got my copy at my school's book fair when I was in 5th grade, and I fell in
love with it right away. Charlotte Makepeace and Clare Moby are two girls who
attend the same boarding school, live in the same room, and sleep in the same
bed, only in different periods of time. There is something about the girls and
their bed that make them switch places in time every other night. Charlotte
goes back to 1919 and Clare is transported into Charlotte's place in the future,
and no one around them seems to realize the switch. A problem arises when one
day while they are switched Charlotte-as-Clare is forced to move out of school
due to WWI, and without the bed, she is stuck in the past, while Clare is stuck
in the furture.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling