100 Books to Read
The National Association for the Teaching of English ran a survey to find teachers' top 100 fiction books all children should read before leaving primary school. Here are the results:
1 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
2 Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian
3 Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
4 Matilda by Roald Dahl
5 The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
6 The Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis
7 The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
8 We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
9 Dogger by Shirley Hughes
10 Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
11 Stig of the Dump by Clive King
12= Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
12= The Iron Man by Ted Hughes
14 Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
15 Winnie the Pooh by A A Milne
16 Funnybones by Allan and Janet Ahlberg
17 Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson
17= The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien
19 Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss
20 War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
21= Grimm’s Fairy Tales by The Brothers Grimm
21= The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr
23 Peace at Last by Jill Murphy
24 Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer
25 Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy by Lynley Dodd
26 Not Now Bernard by David Mckee
27 Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
28 The Twits by Roald Dahl
29 I am David by Anne Holm
30 The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes
31 The Paddington series by Michael Bond
32 Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman and Caroline Binch
33 Esio Trot by Roald Dahl
34 Five Children and It by E Nesbit
35 Clockwork by Phillip Pullman
36 The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
37 The Magic Far Away Tree by Enid Blyton
38 Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury
39 Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
40 The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier
41 The Worst Witch series by Jill Murphy
42 The Alfie and Annie Rose series by Shirley Hughes
43 Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield
44 Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
45 Six Dinner Sid by Inga Moore
46 Sad Book by Michael Rosen
47 The Borrowers by Mary Norton
48= A Dark, Dark Tale by Ruth Brown
48= The Jolly Postman by Allan Ahlberg
50 Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
51 Coraline by Neil Gaiman
52 Zoo by Anthony Browne
53 Treasure Island by R L Stevenson
54 Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne
55 Cinderella by Charles Perrault, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti
56 Pig Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman
57 The Railway Children by E Nesbit
58 Cloud Busting by Malorie Blackman
59= Kidnapped by R L Stevenson
59= The Sheep Pig by Dick King-Smith
61= Beegu by Alexis Deacon
61= The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham
63= Eragon by Christopher Paolini
63= The Mr Men and Little Miss series by Roger Hargreaves
65= Gentle Giant by Michael Morpurgo
65= Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
67 The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
68 Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti
69 Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff
70 Theseus and the Minotaur by David Orme and Wendy Body
71= The Just William series by Richmal Crompton
71= On the Way Home by Jill Murphy
71= Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper
71= Street Child by Berlie Doherty
71= The Happy Prince and Other Stories by Oscar Wilde
76= Angelo by Quentin Blake
76= The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Draywalt and Oliver Jeffers
76= The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
79 My Mum by Anthony Browne
80= The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
80= The Tunnel by Anthony Browne
82= Face by Benjamin Zephaniah
82= The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tyler by Gene Kemp
84 The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
85= Click Clack Moo: cows that type by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
85= The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
85= The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
88= I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child
88= The Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy
88= The Early Years at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton
88= Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver
92= Birds Beasts and Relatives by Gerald Durrell
92= The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner
94 The Mrs Pepperpot series by Alf Proysen
95= The Asterix Series by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
95= The Fib and Other Stories by George Layton
97 The Giant's Necklace by Michael Morpurgo
98 The Kipper series by Mick Inkpen
99= The Milly-Molly-Mandy series by Joyce Lankester Brisley
99= The Suitcase Kid by Jacqueline Wilson
Mary Sebag-Montefiore's Top 10 Classics to Read Before You're 10
1. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
A quick-witted little mouse journeying through dark woodland encounters all sorts of creatures, including the infamous Gruffalo. Despite the Gruffalo’s scary reputation, the mouse soon finds that he isn’t such a monster after all! The tale encourages us to face our fears and realise that even the most petrifying of creatures might not be as terrible as first we thought. Now translated into over fifty languages and made into both a film and a play, the Gruffalo is surely a modern classic!
2. A Bear called Paddington by Michael Bond
Michael Bond’s A Bear called Paddington may seem a little old to be in this list, but given that the story of Paddington was made into a film last Christmas, it seems fair to include Paddington as a modern(ish) classic. Bond’s marmalade-loving, welly boot wearing Paddington Bear is always positive, polite and quietly confident. A classic role model for us all!
3. Charlotte’s Webb by E.B White
Charlotte’s Webb is a tale of an unlikely friendship between a kindly pig, Wilbur and a resourceful spider, Charlotte. When Wilbur’s life is threatened the pair come up with an ingenious plan to save him! Charlotte’s Webb, full of emotional twists and turns, will leave even the most robust of readers a little tearful! Voted the greatest childrens’ book of all time in the BBC’s culture poll earlier this year, we think Charlotte’s Webb must get a look in as one of the top 10 modern classics to be read before you’re 10!
4. Matilda by Roald Dahl
It was a difficult job deciding which of Roald Dahl’s classics to include in this list. We finally arrived at Matilda because of the character Matilda herself! Unwilling to be brought down by her cruel headmistress and boring parents Matilda, using a little bit of magic and a lot of imagination, defies expectations by excelling in school and outwitting her enemies! She is the perfect classic heroine!
5. Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling
A list of modern classics would surely be incomplete without touching upon J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series! Having engaged generations of young readers in her all-consuming fantastical world of wizardry J.K. Rowling’s sheer success secures Harry Potter’s place in the top 10 modern classics. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone seems the best start for the under 10's exciting induction into Rowling’s epic series. But beware, once you start reading you won’t be able to stop!
6. Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
Orphaned Maia sets off to join her distant family in the Amazon, hopeful that her new life will be filled with exciting adventures. But when she arrives she is utterly disappointed by her cruel cousins and their spoilt children! Never one to be defeated, she befriends a fellow orphan with whom she explores the exotic world around her. Ibbotson’s story is beautifully descriptive and has a classic positive message : adversity need not stand in the way of happiness!
7. Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson
So far our list has been packed with magic and adventure! Tracy’s situation is a bit more down to earth. Unable to vanquish her problems with spells or retreat to the other side of the world Tracy turns to her imagination to escape her problems, writing in her diary about the adventures she and her friends and family embark upon. Tracy is feisty, rebellious and hilarious - a fantastically modern heroine!
8. Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo
This thrilling adventure tale follows 11-year-old Michael who, having been thrown from his parents’ boat, drifts ashore accompanied only by his dog Stella. In the midst of despair Michael discovers he is not alone on the island and the story explores the touching relationship that develops between Michael and Kensuke. Loads of Morpurgo’s novels could be on this list but we think there’s something extra-special about the magical Kensuke’s Kingdom.
9. Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian
Evacuee Willie Beech escapes the horrors of wartime London to find himself in the care of widower Mister Tom. Gradually he begins to enjoy his new country life under the care of Mister Tom. With its heart-wrenching twist it’s definitely not for younger readers but is a timeless novel about the woes of war.
10. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
This is a book about the power of books! It tells the tale of Meggie and her father Mo who, by reading aloud, is magically able to transport characters from his favourite books into the real world! But Mo’s talent seems to have devastating side effects! Read it if you dare!
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