# 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:** 16\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/121 "2001-09-18T18:32:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sjc \* > 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. Oops, my apologies, I hadn’t re-read the op since I first posted to the thread over two weeks ago. I remembered it as a request for books for the very young and school age, but sure enough it says “young adult” and \*\*A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" certainly fits young adult. ---
**Author:** ![schemo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@schemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schemo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2001, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/122 "2001-09-19T15:54:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Legomancer \* > \*\*One of my all-time favorite books is ‘Monster at the End of this Book’ by lovable furry old Grover. \*\* I LOVE THAT BOOK!!! I read it to my class when I worked with kidergarteners. It was the first book i remember being really excited about, because the main character actually talks to you while you’re reading. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2001, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/123 "2001-09-19T21:34:20Z")
For Seattlites (such as myself (during the school year)) **The Weedle on the Needle** is a good book. Has anyone mentioned **Winnie the Pooh**? What a classic. My dad read me **Tom Sawyer** and later **Huckleberry Finn** when I was a kid. Did anyone else feel like Tom Sawyer was a wuss after reading Huckleberry Finn? I mean, I thought Tom was cool but then when I heard Huck’s story I realized that he was just a wannabe. I liked the fence painting scene though. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2001, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/124 "2001-09-19T21:58:50Z")
My love affair with non-fiction began at a young age. I loved a book called **Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George?** which was about the American Revolution, only told from George III’s point of view, with information on him his family, etc. The book is appropriate for 3-4th graders who are interested, IMO, but I was a early reader, so YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2001, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/125 "2001-09-19T22:18:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sjc \* > \*\*For Seattlites (such as myself (during the school year)) **The Weedle on the Needle** is a good book. \*\* “There’s a Wheedle on the Needle and I know just what you’re thinking but if you look up at night you can see his red nose blinking.” (I have totally forgotten the plot of the book, but will remember that forever.) Actually, the whole series of books by Stephen Cosgrove is pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/126 "2001-09-21T02:58:40Z")
**Ping the Duck** , about a duckling who lives on the Yangtze river on a houseboat. He gets lost and a mean boy catches him. Eventually he finds his houseboat. For little kids really. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/127 "2001-09-21T03:45:44Z")
Where the heck was this thread hiding all this time? My all-time favorites: Anything by Shel Silverstein, Beverly Cleary or Dr. Seuss _The Giver_, by Lois Lowery (an AMAZING book for young adults) The “Junie B. Jones” books by Barbara Parks _Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret_ and _Then Again, Maybe I Won’t_, by Judy Blume Authors unremembered: _William’s Ninth Life_ (cry? I thought I was going to DROWN in tears!), _The Ghost Next Door_ and \* Love, Anna\* Anyone ever read any of Fred (Herman Munster) Gwynne’s wonderful children’s books? ---
**Author:** ![deepbluesea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba9def/32.png) [@deepbluesea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deepbluesea)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/128 "2001-09-21T22:09:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amarinth \* > \*\*The only older children’s book that hasn’t been mentioned already is _Go to the Room of the Eyes_. I live just next to the neighborhood where it takes place and I still drive around trying to figure out where the house is _exactly_ (Already have identified all the major landmarks). But even without that kind of connection, it’s a wonderful story. \*\* THANK YOU, Amarinth, for posting this. I checked out all the books in this thread that I hadn’t already read - last night I started Go to the Room of the Eyes. Wasn’t far into it before I started to think ‘hmm - read this before?’ Turns out this is a book I read when I was about 7 and really liked. I forgot the title and the author, so I couldn’t find it again; I’ve been trying to figure out what the book was ever since. Mystery solved, at long last! ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_The\_Bold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dale\_The\_Bold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_The_Bold)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/129 "2001-09-22T05:46:16Z")
_Everybody Poops_ I mean, wow, think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Quincyj68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/35a633/32.png) [@Quincyj68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quincyj68)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/130 "2001-09-22T15:37:02Z")
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe was a favourite of mine which I haven’t seen mentioned… I also agree with Charlotte’s Web, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, oh, most of them actually! 🙂 There are a few I jotted down and will introduce to my 8 year old son. I’m sure he’ll like something called The Big Orange Splot! ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/131 "2001-09-22T18:34:59Z")
Lloyd Alexander’s **The Book of Three** and the other books in that series ( **YA** ). I believe this has been mentioned before, but I think they deserve another mention. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2002, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/132 "2002-10-29T19:51:23Z")
I am resurrecting this thread for a couple of reasons. 1. I want to thank \*\*Finagle \*\* for recommending \*Sinbad & Me \* by Kin Platt. I liked it so much that I actually thought of committing an _unspeakable crime_ of stealing it from the library. Which I would never do now that I have integrity…dammit. 2. Which leads me to tell \*\*Deepbluesea \*\* that I am now the proud owner of this book by all means legal. 3. For the whopping price of \*\*Three Dollars \*\* which also included shipping and handling. There have been a couple other books recommended that based on the mentioning here, my jotting it down to take a look at it, I have added a considerable chunk to my kids (ok, mine) personal library: \*\*Lord of the Nutcracker Men \*\* Ian Lawrence. A little boy in WW1 thinks he can control the outcome of the battles with the tin soldiers that his father made. His father is fighting for the brits. \*\*Dear Napolean, I know your are dead \*\* Elvira Woodruff. A young boys assignment to write to a famous person goes awry when he choses to write to dead famous people and gets replies. What is going on at Gramps’ nursing home anyways? (Fun read.) \*\*Harry Potter Series \*\* I’m re-reading them right now. I can’t say enough about this series and am absolutely chomping at the bit for #5 and the next movie. \*\*Never Miss a sunset \*\*J by Jean Gilge. Turn of the century Upper Midwest farm girl is stuck taking care of the house and mama and the other kids when mama is pregnant again. She resents missing school and hates the soon to be baby. I \*loved \* this story when I was a kid and it wasn’t until I went to replace my copy of it and couldn’t find it anywhere that I discovered it was a christian themed book and part of a set. I have a stack of others that I haven’t read through yet, but details as they warrant. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bomzaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Bomzaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bomzaway)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2002, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/133 "2002-10-29T20:59:21Z")
I cannot believe that this thread has grown to three pages long without a single mention of the great Bloom County Christmas story **A Wish For Wings That Work**. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2002, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/134 "2002-10-29T23:02:42Z")
A couple of my family’s favorites. #1, and this is with a bullet. [Weslandia](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0763600067//102-4903630-8054526?v=glance) by Paul Fleischman, Kevin Hawkes (Illustrator) The following quote is a review of the book posted on the Barnes and Noble site but the link above goes to Amazon so you can see the pages. > [@](#): > > Wesley is a nonconformist suffering rejection from classmates who torment him for his weird views (such as thinking professional football stupid and disliking pizza) until he puts his school lessons to use and founds his own civilization-Weslandia. Beginning with the discovery of a new staple crop that Wesley christens “swist,” the idea works superbly, its flowering caught equally well in text and illustrations that seamlessly flow together from beginning to end. Double-page spreads explode with color barely contained within the book. Vegetation, insects, and wild creatures abound as Wesley utilizes flower, fruit, rind, tuber, and leaf to create and maintain his new home. A language and counting system evolve to support his innovations; it’s all here and it all fits. Combining the allure of fantasy and science fiction with the dismissal of socially acceptable norms creates a true paradise for today’s pre-teen and terrific fodder for social studies classes. At another level, the story works for younger children, who will be drawn to the art and appreciate Wesley’s inventiveness, indomitable spirit, and ultimate triumph. You can see some of the pages at Amazon, it’s just brilliant. We also like [Phoebe’s Revolt](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0374359075/qid=1035931731/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/102-4903630-8054526?v=glance) and [The Froggy Series](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/series/-/459/paperback/ref=ref=pd_sim_series/102-4903630-8054526) as books which have characters who represent childhood archetypes the kids can usually relate to. We like pretty much any book really. We let the kids get five books a week on our trips to the library. They pick them at random from the shelves, it’s a great way to discover new books/authors. Harder to do with older children/adult books because those books get too long to bother reading if they suck wind. But with the kids books that average about twenty pages or so, even if you get a stinker it’s no real big deal. Not like you wasted an entire day reading about Rand al’Thor and his harem with nothing being resolved at any point.(not that I’m bitter) Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2002, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/135 "2002-10-29T23:03:56Z")
Every time this topic comes up, I mention the greatest picture book of all time: [The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle and Who Was In It](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0156954877/qid=1035931747/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_4/104-7873911-1025506?v=glance&n=507846) by Carl Sandburg A few others that have not been mentioned yet (or if they were, I missed it): [The Twenty One Balloons](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0140320970/qid=1035931805/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/104-7873911-1025506?v=glance&n=507846) by William Pene du Bois (along with many other of his books) [The Secret Garden](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0397321651/qid=1035931880/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/104-7873911-1025506) by Francis Hodgson Burnett [Coraline](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0380977788/qid=1035931944/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/104-7873911-1025506?v=glance) by Neil Gaiman [Dragonsong](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553258524/qid=1035931990/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/104-7873911-1025506) by Anne McCaffrey Also, my nomination for top Dr Suess book is the frequently overlooked [The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0394944844/qid=1035932059/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/104-7873911-1025506?v=glance&n=507846) ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368/136 "2002-10-30T07:01:55Z")
Wow, so many of those already mentioned that I love - I couldn’t possibly list all the favorites I’d add a second vote to. Instead, I’ll just add one that, astonishingly, was skipped. The McGurk mysteries by E.W.Hildick. My favorites are the Snowbound Spy, the Slingshot Sniper and the Bashful Bank Robber. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-kids-books-kick-ass/79368.md?page=6)