My Favorite Children’s Novels

Part of being a children’s writer is reading lots of middle-grade novels for research (and enjoyment). Here are two lists of my “recent” and “classic” favorites.

RECENT FAVORITES

1. Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling) 1997
2. The Tale of Despereaux (Kate DiCamillo) 2003
3. The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman) 2008
4. Wonder (R.J. Palacio) 2012
5. The Royal Rabbits of London (Santa & Simon Montefiore) 2016
6. The Track series (Jason Reynolds) 2016
7. The Stars Beneath Our Feet (David Barclay Moore) 2017
8. A Long Way from Chicago (Richard Peck) 1998
9. A Year Down Yonder (Richard Peck) 2000
10. Flora & Ulysses (Kate DiCamillo) 2013
11. Maniac Magee (Jerry Spinelli) 1990
12. The One and Only Ivan (Katherine Applegate) 2012
13. Okay for Now (Gary Schmidt) 2011
14. Louisiana’s Way Home (Kate DiCamillo) 2018
15. The Bag Beginning (Lemony Snickett) 1999
16. Dream Within a Dream (Patricia MacLachlan) 2019
17. The End of the Wild (Nicole Helget) 2017

CLASSIC FAVORITES

1. The Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame) 1908
2. The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien) 1937
3. Danny the Champion of the World (Roald Dahl) 1975
4. The Witches (Roald Dahl) 1983
5. The Magician’s Nephew (C.S. Lewis) 1955
6. Matilda (Roald Dahl) 1988
7. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) 1943
8. Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson) 1883
9. Winnie-the-Pooh series (A.A. Milne) 1926
10. The Borrowers (Mary Norton) 1952
11. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) 1908
12. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis) 1950
13. The BFG (Roald Dahl) 1982
14. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Judy Blume) 1972
15. Kidnapped (Robert Louis Stevenson) 1886
16. The Twits (Roald Dahl) 1980
17. The Trumpet of the Swan (E.B. White) 1970
18. The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me (Roald Dahl) 1985
19. Julie of the Wolves (Jean Craighead George) 1972
20. The Magic Finger (Roald Dahl) 1964
21. The Whipping Boy (Sid Fleischman) 1986
22. The House with a Clock in Its Walls (John Bellairs) 1973
23. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Roald Dahl) 1964
24. The Horse and His Boy (C.S. Lewis) 1954
25. A Rat’s Tale series (Tor Seidler) 1986