# Which Kid's Books Kick Ass? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 2, 2001, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368 "2001-09-02T02:27:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/1 "2001-09-02T02:27:40Z")
Which children’s books do you still enjoy? (Or really liked as a kid.) This is pretty free-form, I am thinking of young kids books, but you are free to talk about ‘young adult’ or whatever. I still love most of Dr. Seuss. Also **Make Way For Ducklings** and **Blueberries For Sal** , the list goes on and on… One of my favorites **Harold and the Purple Crayon** by Crockett Johnson. It is so cool. ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/2 "2001-09-02T02:30:28Z")
Anything written by Louis Sachar is bound to be a winner. (Heh, get it? Bound? Books?) [sup]Don’t be afraid to hit that drum. A little enthusiasm never hurt anybody.[/sup] ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/3 "2001-09-02T02:37:54Z")
I wish I could express how funny I thought that really bad pun was on the message boards. ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/4 "2001-09-02T02:39:43Z")
**"A Wrinkle in Time"** Madeline L’Engle **"Bridge to Terabithia"** (sad) Katherine Paterson **The “Ramona” books** Beverly Cleary **"How to Eat Fried Worms"** Thomas Rockwell **"Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing"** Judy Blume **The “Encyclopedia Brown” series** Donald Sobol ---
**Author:** ![Tedster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@Tedster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tedster)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/5 "2001-09-02T02:55:52Z")
Don’t forget: **The Runaway Robot** by Lester Del Ray and anything by **Richard Halliburton** ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/6 "2001-09-02T02:56:09Z")
**Half-Magic** by Edward Eager(?). I remember reading this as a child and thinking “Wow, books are so cool.” My daughter absolutely loved the **Junie B Jones and The Stupid Smelly Bus**. This is part of a series and they were the _only_ books I could get her to read. That was until she discovered Beverly Cleary. Now my son was reading well beyond his grade level when, in the sixth or seventh grade he discovered **Captain Underpants**. These had to be the most juvenile juvie books ever. The whole family can still remember our new names. Tra la la! ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/7 "2001-09-02T03:48:29Z")
Daniel Pinkwater’s Yobgorgle: Mystery Monster of Lake Ontario has been one of my favorites for years. ---
**Author:** ![Lionors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c37758/32.png) [@Lionors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionors)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/8 "2001-09-02T04:00:48Z")
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (I just like Roald Dahl, period.) Charlotte’s Web. The Wizard of Oz. For slightly older children/young adults Anything by Katherine Paterson – the Great Gilly Hopkins being my personal fave. Anything by Paula Danziger. Same for Madeleine L’Engle. (In fact, I just re-read A Swiftly Tilting Planet) ---
**Author:** ![Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chance_the_Gardener)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/9 "2001-09-02T04:06:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Drastic \* > \*\*Daniel Pinkwater’s Yobgorgle: Mystery Monster of Lake Ontario has been one of my favorites for years. \*\* Daniel Pinkwater is God. I read _The Big Orange Splot_ when I was seven and it changed my life. I’ve read lots of Pinkwater since then. I didn’t read _Yobgorgle_ until I was 27, but I still enjoyed it. That was the one that had the guy whose car was perfectly aligned with Vedic principles, right? Anything by Daniel Pinkwater. Seriously, no matter how old you are, whether they’re his children’s books or his adult books. This man is incredible. ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/10 "2001-09-02T04:09:30Z")
I’ve read Alice in Wonderland quite a few times, and I really enjoyed it. I read my mother’s copy of the annotated version, and I enjoyed that one even more. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli is a good one. Of course, Shel Silverstein is wonderful. John Bellairs wrote a series of terrific mystery/horror books for kids. I check them out of the library all of the time. They still give me nightmares! Edward Gorey’s illustrations…:shudder:! ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/11 "2001-09-02T04:20:05Z")
So many great ones have already been named. I forget how many times I read **Charlotte’s Web** as a kid. **The Neverending Story** by Michael Ende (natch) I second the poster who mentioned Roald Dahl. I read his books constantly when I was little. While **Charlie and the Chocolate Factory** was good, my personal favorites were **Fantastic Mr. Fox** and **Danny, the Champion of the World**. I also remember enjoying **The Great Brain** series by John D. Fitzgerald. I’m almost ashamed to admit that **Where the Red Fern Grows** by Wilson Rawls was the first and only book that ever made me produce tears. Beverley Cleary wrote a lot of great children’s books. I especially remember **The Mouse and the Motorcycle** and **Runaway Ralph**. ---
**Author:** ![Kaje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f04885/32.png) [@Kaje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaje)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/12 "2001-09-02T04:32:53Z")
i can’t believe nobody mentioned hardy boys or tom swift… I had some really old copies of my dad’s when i was real young and grew up reading (or having read to me) them… There were some great short stories… I seem to remember one about a bunch of chinese brothers that could do strange things (such as swallowing entire oceans). Personally I’m an advocate of whatever books get kids thinking way out of the box, so all things odd are great. ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/13 "2001-09-02T04:39:52Z")
Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Joffe Numeroff Alexander and the terrible horrible no good very bad Day, by Judith Viorst Owly, by Mike Thaler Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, by Judi Barrett Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett Little Women, Louisa May Alcott Walk Two Moons and A Taste of Blackberries, by Sharon Creech The Cay, by Theodore Taylor I’m sure I’ll think of something I’ll wish I had not left off as soon as I hit submit. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/14 "2001-09-02T04:45:44Z")
[ul] [li]Anything by Asmiov. I’m serious. Asmiov is a very easy-to-comprehend author, has a wide variety of work available (he wrote science fiction, fantasy, poetry (some of it even clean :D), nonfiction, and who knows what else), and is intelligent enough to hold the interest of the bright kids. He also avoids the Major Sin in Dealing With People: He isn’t patronizing. I _always_ hated being talked down to. Still do, in fact.[/li][li] **Lizard Music** (This one is a ‘favorite from left field’, so to speak. Pinkwater has created a very funny, very good, very odd world in this novel. It’s worth a read even if you have children (or grandchildren) of your own.)[/li][li] **Fudge** , **Superfudge** , etc. (I forget the rest of the series.) (About a rather insane little kid, told from his older brother’s perspective. Reminded me of home. :))[/li][li] **Bumper Tubbs** (Definitely a great book for early elementary school kids. Simple without being patronizing, funny without being too absurd, and it has some very good illustrations.)[/li][li] **The Pigman** (Zindel is great for the middle school crowd.)[/li][/ul] Many of the books I was going to list already have been listed. Kudos to the well-read Dopers! ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/15 "2001-09-02T04:47:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Daniel Pinkwater is God. I read The Big Orange Splot when I was seven and it changed my life. I’ve read lots of Pinkwater since then. I didn’t read Yobgorgle until I was 27, but I still enjoyed it. That was the one that had the guy whose car was perfectly aligned with Vedic principles, right? The very same; the terms of sale mandated that a chicken suit be worn while driving it. It also featured a character who hunted cars, and the Flying Dutchman’s tragic quest for a good corned beef hash sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![beegirl13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@beegirl13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beegirl13)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/16 "2001-09-02T04:57:43Z")
I loved most of the books that have already been mentioned as a child. But the best new children’s book is _ **The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales** _ by Jon Scieszka. It is a hilarious collection of warped fairy tales. I bought a copy before I came to college so I could enjoy it whenever I want. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/17 "2001-09-02T05:31:39Z")
Let’s see… What hasn’t been mentioned yet? The _Chronicles of Narnia_, by C. S. Lewis, the _Chronicles of Prydain_ (starts with _The Book of Three_), by Lloyd Alexander, _The Hobbit_ (how did that get left off of everyone’s lists?), and the Harry Potter books. Can you tell I’m a big fantasy fan? In other genres: _The Rats of NIMH_, The Danny Dunn books (can’t remember the author, alas), the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the Magic Schoolbus books (who wrote those?), _Pickles, the Fire Cat_, _The Hungry, Hungry Catapillar_, the _Sweet Pickles_ books, the _Serendipity_ books, and various Sesame Street books, most notably _Big Bird’s Busy Book_ and _The Monster at the End of This Book_. ---
**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/18 "2001-09-02T05:37:04Z")
Beverly Cleary and Willow Davis Roberts were my favorite authors as a kid. The Bunnicula series, the Fudge series, and Encyclopedia Brown were also great. Uncle Robert’s Secret and some other books by Wylly Folk St. John. Killing Mr Griffin by Louis Duncan. Anyone else remember Willow Davis Robets? I read almost all of her books when I was 10-12 years old. Some of the titles I remember: The Girl with Silver Eyes, Megan’s Island, The Minden Curse, More Minden Curses, What Could Go Wrong?, and Babysitting is a Dangerous Job. The only kid’s books I have read as a non-kid are the Harry Potter books. I liked them a lot and I am looking forward to the next one and hoping the movies don’t suck. ---
**Author:** ![DynoSaur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DynoSaur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DynoSaur)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/19 "2001-09-02T05:38:28Z")
hmm…the only one I can think of off the top of my head that I don’t see above is _The Phantom Tollbooth_ by…umm…someone. ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/20 "2001-09-02T05:40:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DynoSaur \* > \*\*_The Phantom Tollbooth_ by…umm…someone. \*\* Norton Juster. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368.md?page=2)