Top 100 children's books

I am an avid reader of children and YA fiction, both as a child and as an adult.  This page is devoted to the Top 100 children's/YA books ever written - my personal opinion of course!

The list will probably change with time, as new books are written or I discover existing jewels.

Good quality children's books are enjoyed by children of all ages - up to 99 years.  Unlike adult fiction, children's fiction is not constrained to a particular genre, and has more "room" for imaginative stories.  Certain books are actually marketed as cross-over fiction, but even those without this tag can be great reads for adults as well as children.

Any adult interested in cross-over fiction will find plenty to enjoy on my list.

I decided against trying to rank my selection in order of merit. Many factors must combine together to make a great book: characterisation, plot, pace, page-turning quality, climax, reader resonance and an ending that just works.

My list consists of books aimed at readers aged 10 or more.  Some are more suitable for older children or  teens.  All are suitable for adults who like cross-over fiction.

And , yes, I know there are also wonderful picture books and novels for younger readers, but it is my list so I make the rules.

As you will see from the list, I appreciate new and older books, but my interest is firmly rooted in 20th and 21st century books.

If you have suggestions of books that should be included in this list, do put your recommendation in a comment. I will look at all recommendations.  Any that look promising will be considered for inclusion.  But my list can only include those that I believe are really outstanding in terms of plot, characters and writing.

Here they are:

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer
The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
The Leap by Jonathon Stroud
Frozen in Time by Ali Sparkes
Prince Caspian by C S Lewis
Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C S Lewis
The Horse and His Boy by C S Lewis
Out of the Silent Planet* by C S Lewis
That Hideous Strength* by C S Lewis
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Auslander by Paul Dowswell
Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Ghost Abbey by Robert Westhall
Can You Hear Me? by Penny Kendal
Keeping Quiet by Penny Kendal
Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
Archers Goon by Diana Wynne Jones
The Homeward Bounders by Diana Wynne Jones
Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones
Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones
Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones
Dark Matter* by Michelle Paver
Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr
The If Game by Catherine Storr
The Devil Walks by Anne Fine
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Ocean at the end of the Lane by Neil Gaimon
Holes by Louis Sachar
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J K Rowling
The Hunting Ground by Cliff McNish
Breathe: A Ghost Story by Cliff McNish
River Boy by Tim Bowler
Bloodchild by Tim Bowler
Brat Farrar* by Josephine Tey
Miss Pym Disposes* by Josephone Tey
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant
Silent Saturday by Helen Grant
Three men in a boat by Jerome K Jerome
Elidor by Alan Garner
Greenwitch by Susan Cooper
Milo's Wolves by Jenny Nimmo
The Rinaldi Ring by Jenny Nimmo
The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren
Skallagrigg by William Horwood
Demon Headmaster Gillian Cross
Tamar by Mal Peet
Muncle Trogg by Janet Foxley
Flip by Martyn Bedford
Moondial by Helen Cresswell
The Messengers by Edward Hogan
Uma & Imp by Larisa Villar Hauser

More to follow......


*Not classed by the publisher as childrens/YA fiction, but in my opinion  suitable for readers 12/13 and upwards