100 great books to get your kinds reading; Sponsored by Drayton Manor THEME PARK Sunday WonderKids Sponsored by Legal & General heart 100.7.Help with SATs read from a young age can lead to improved exam results later on in school life. So with the SATs fast approaching, LORNE JACKSON takes a closer look at the wacky, weird and wonderful world of kids' literature TO make a plant grow you need sunshine and water. Sunshine and water are also rather handy for the nurturing of a child. That's not all they require, of course. Never discount fresh air, physical exercise, art, music, friends, affection... and reading. Reading is important, too. Literature turns little ones into learned ones. A rattling good yarn educates, entertains and -most important of all-allows youngsters to dream. The best children's books are timeless, classic tales that whisper in a coaxing tongue to youthful minds across the centuries. Puffin Books have published many classy classics over the years. Now they're re-packaging a selection of their original list, complete with natty new covers and passionate introductions from modern writers. " Our aim is to reach children and encourage them to read the classics," says Helen Levene, the editor of the new Puffin Classics series. "We want to make them 'cool' and not just a 'granny' purchase." A spectacular roster of cutting-edge kids' authors have already agreed to write introductions for the series, including Melvyn Burgess, Anthony Horowitz, Sophie Dahl, Darren Shan and Meg Rosoff. However, even with the spiffy spiffy - /spi'fee/ 1. Said of programs having a pretty, clever, or exceptionally well-designed interface. "Have you seen the spiffy X version of empire yet?" This was common mainstream slang during the 1940s. 2. new covers and in-yer-face intros, Puffin Classics will still have to compete with the rival passions of the modern child. But Helen says: "We are getting increasingly savvy about marketing. Storytellers "We've relaunched our Puffin website with author podcasts, blogs, games and fun. "We've also launched spinebreakers.com, a site specifically for teenagers, which has 35,000 hits each month. "We think it's important to promote the book as universally as film and computer games." Clearly this is a bright and brisk time for young readers, thanks to the popularity of writers such as JK Rowling and Philip Pullman. Now major authors, who were once only interested in writing adult fiction, are diving, quill first, into the youth market. Authors like Nick Hornby and Jeanette Winterstone. On the other side, storytellers like Rowling and Pullman are currently enjoying huge crossover appeal with adults. Meg Rossofs best-selling, How I Live Now, was a hit for both the Long Trouser Crew and Short Trouser Bunch. "I found myself writing for teens without entirely choosing to," she admits. "Having said that, I'm particularly interested in teen protagonists, because adolescence is such an intense, extreme time of life - confused and optimistic and dark - so full of possibilities." Meg also believes books you read as a child are often the most important your life. "I always have a cion ci·on n. Variant of scion. that books affect readers in their teens strongly than they do in life, when everyone's read more, experienced and is starting to more jaded." So here, we list 100 great books to put on to their shelves... CHILDREN in the Midlands spend twice as much time watching TV as they do reading a book. New research says today's youngsters would rather switch on the box or play computer games then get to grips with a novel. But it is a great pity as the children literally don't r what they are missing. Whether it's classics such as The Railway Children and The Secret Garden, or modern novels like Harry and Tracy Beaker, youngsters can let their laginations run wild with books that transport them to different places and times. Kiera Grecan, from Bartley Green, Birmingham, loves books and has already completed children's versions of Wuthering Heights and Little Women. "I really enjoy reading," said the 10 year-old, "and we're now working on a Shakespeare play at school." Sadly, not all children relish the idea of tucking into a good book. Research carried out for Booktime 2007 found that Midland primary school children spend the majority of their leisure hours watching TV or playing outside with their friends. The study found they spent more time doing these activities than with their families. When reading does happen, mums in the Midlands take the lead with 76 per cent being the chief reader compared to just 15 per cent of dads. How are you helping your child prepare for their SATs? What are his or her favourite books? Write to SundayMercury@mrn.co.uk THE SUNDAY MERCURY'S 100 ESSENTIAL BOOKS FOR YOUR CHILD: THE TOP 21 BABY & TODDLER BOOKS 1.Who's In The Loo? by Jeanne Willis and Adrian Reynolds (Andersen Press) Toilet humour is always popular when you're toilet training. This is a fun picture book about going through the motions. 2. Noddy noddy, tropical tern including five species in the genus Anous. The name noddy is said to derive from their easy familiarity with man. Noddies are web-footed seabirds with long wings (though shorter than those of most terns) and pointed, tapering bills. - A Classic Treasury by Enid Blyton (Harper Collins) Old School fun with bells on. These original stories have lost none of their charm or mischief. Just like Noddy himself. 3. Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell (Campbell Books) Interactive fun for your little one, who gets to pull the flap and see a host of colourful animals. Definitely worth getting in a flap about. 4. Peepo! by Janet & Allan Ahlberg (Puffin) The Ulysses of picture books! Allan's detailed rhymes about his Black Country childhood dovetail perfectly with his late wife's warm and colourful sketches. 5. Oh, The Things You Will Do! by Dr Seuss (Harper Collins) If Peepo is Ulysses for youngsters, this is The Catcher In The Rye. The good times are here. The hard times are here. Pictures are here. Perfect. 6. Mummy? by Maurice Sendak (Scholastic) Sendak wowed the world with his Roussou-inspired, Where The Wild Things Are. Here is the New York artist's first pop-up book. Eye-poppingly brill. 7. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler (Puffin) Rhyming fun about a brave little mouse's precarious journey through the woods, where he confronts many dangers, including a fox and snake. But none are quite so scary as the mysterious Gruffalo. But even a Gruffalo can be frightened. Can you guess what terrifies him? BOOKS FOR 4-12 YEAR-OLDS 8. Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle (Walker Books) Toby is just one-and-a-half millimetres tall and in great danger from those who are out to get him. He'd better make sure that no one starts searching for him with a magnifying glass, right? 9. The Miraculous Journey Of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick can·dle·wick n. 1. The wick of a candle. 2. a. A soft heavy cotton thread similar to that used to make wicks for candles. b. Embroidery made of tufts of this thread. Press) A china rabbit called Edward Tulane tries to find his way back to his home and the young girl who adores him. 10. The Giggler Treatment by Roddy Doyle (Scholastic) Best-selling adult author turns kid cult-favourite with his story of the Giggleirs, mischievous creatures who look after youngsters. 11. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (Chicken House) A story withim a story, this stirring adventure tale beautifully conveys the joy of reading. 12. The Fire Eaters by David Almond (Hodder) If David Almond had written 100 books for children, I'd strongly consider putting all of them in this Top 100. He really is that good. The Fire Eaters is a heart-breaking tale about a time of change in a young boy's life. 13. Hazel's Phantasmagoria phan·tas·ma·go·ri·a or phan·tas·ma·go·ry n. pl. phan·tas·ma·go·ri·as or phan·tas·ma·go·ries A fantastic sequence of haphazardly associative imagery, as seen in dreams or fever. by Leander Deeny (Quercus) My cast iron rule is that if a book has the word Phantasmagoria in the title, it has to be good. This fast-paced tale about gorillas crossed with leopards and a dog with a wooden head is no exception. 14. The Battle For Gullywith by Susan Hill (Bloomsbury) This Midland-based author is one of the spookiest ghost story authors around. Her first book for kids is a spellbinding spell·bind tr.v. spell·bound , spell·bind·ing, spell·binds To hold under or as if under a spell; enchant or fascinate. [Back-formation from spellbound. story of magic, myth and midnight adventure. TEENAGERS' PAGE-TURNERS 15. The Catcher In The Rye by JD Salinger (Penguin Books) The first, and still the best, of the teen-angst novels. Salinger actually invented the teenager, with his Hamlet-like protagonist, Holden Caulfield, who arrived before James Dean and Elvis. 16. The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis (Penguin Books) A cocky, young geezer confronts his own sexual urges and cynicism before heading off to uni. 17. The Sword In The Stone by T.H. White (Harper) King Arthur as a boy makes this a joy. 18. The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole, Aged 133/4 by Sue Townsend (Puffin) If Salinger's American hero was mixed-up, Adrian - his British counterpart - is merely bemused. Marching through the 80s Thatcherite swamp, Master Mole remains triumphantly foolish. 19. The Diary Of Anne Frank (Penguin) True story of a young Jewish girl hiding from the Nazis. A tragic ending, but still a triumph of hope. 20. His Dark Materials His Dark Materials is a trilogy of novels by the fantasy fiction author Philip Pullman, comprising Northern Lights (released as The Golden Compass in North America and published in 1995), The Subtle Knife (1997) and The Amber Spyglass Trilogy by Philip Pullman (Scholastic) Narnia for atheists. Complex, courageous and quirky, half the reading public would probably say Pullman is the finest living children's author. The other half would say he's the best living author of any sort. 21. The Dark Is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper (Puffin) Another classic English fantasy for wide-eyed wonder-seekers to immerse themselves in. ARE YOU SITTINGCOMFORTABLY..? Here is the rest... 22. A Wizard Of Earth sea by Ursula LeGuinn 23. The Bumblebee bumblebee: see bee. bumblebee Any member of two genera constituting the insect tribe Bombini (family Apidae, order Hymenoptera), found almost worldwide but most common in temperate climates. Bumblebees are robust and hairy, average about 0. Flies Anyway by Robert Cormier 24. Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain 25. Huckleberry huckleberry, any plant of the genus Gaylussacia, shrubs of the family Ericaceae (heath family), native to North and South America. The box huckleberry (G. brachycera) of E North America is evergreen and is often cultivated. The common huckleberry (G. Finn by Mark Twain 26. The Hobbit A microprocessor from AT&T that was used in a variety of portable devices. It is no longer made. 1. Hobbit - A Scheme to C compiler by Tanel Tammet <tammet@cs.chalmers.se>. by JRR JRR John Ronald Reuel (Tolkien) JRR John Ross Robertson (Toronto, Ontario school) JRR Japanese Research Reactor Tolkien 27. Lord Of The Rings by JRR Tolkien 28. Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak 29. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson 30. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson 31. Doctor Jekyll & Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson 32. The War Of The Worlds by HG Wells 33. The Invisible Man by HG Wells 34. Narnia Books by C.S. Lewis 35. Doctor Dolittle Books by Hugh Lofting 36. Moomin Books by Tove Jansson 37. Winnie The Pooh Books by AA Milne 38. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell 39. Around The World In 80 Days by Jules Verne 40. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton 41. 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill 42. Harry Potter Novels by JK Rowling 43. The Day Of The Triffids by John Wyndham 44. The Midnight Folk by John Masefield 45. Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffmann 46. A Study In Scarlet "A Study in Scarlet" is a detective mystery novel written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and published in 1887. It is significant as the first story to feature the character of Sherlock Holmes, who would later go on to become one of the most famous and iconic literary detective by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 47. Charlotte's Web by EB White 48. The Borrowers by Mary Norton 49. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl 50. Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl 51. James And The Giant Peach by Roald Dahl 52. The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley 53. The Silver Sword by Ian Serrallier 54. Swallows And Amazons by Arthur Ransom 55. The Phantom Tolbooth by Norton Juster 56. I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith 57. The Wolves Of Wil lough by Chase by Joan Aiken 58. To Kill A Mockingbird mockingbird: see mimic thrush. mockingbird Any of several New World birds of a family (Mimidae) known for their mimicry of birdsong. The common, or northern, mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) can imitate the songs of 20 or more species within 10 by Harper Lee 59. Junk by Melvin Burgess 60. My Family And Other Animals My Family and Other Animals is an autobiographical work by naturalist Gerald Durrell, telling of his childhood spent on the Greek island of Corfu between 1935 and 1939. by Gerald Durrell 61. Holes by Louis Sachar 62. Watership Down by Richard Adams 63. The Owl Service by Alan Garner 64. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket Snicket can refer to:
65. Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 66. Through The Looking Glass And What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll 67. The Tiger Who Came To Tea by Judith Kerr 68. Fungus The Bogeyman Fungus the Bogeyman (1977) is a critically acclaimed children's graphic novel by British artist Raymond Briggs. It follows one day in the life of the titular character, a working class Bogeyman with the mundane job of scaring human beings. by Raymond Briggs 69. Burglar Bill by Janet and Allan Ahlberg 70. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle 71. Stig Of The Dump Stig of the Dump is a children's novel by Clive King written in 1963. It was adapted for television, firstly by Thames Television for ITV in 1981 and later by the BBC in 2002. by Clive King 72. Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild 73. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling 74. Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling 75. The Owl And The Pussycat by Edward Lear 76. When The Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs 77. Watchman WATCHMAN. An officer in many cities and towns, whose duty it is to watch during the night and take care of the property of the inhabitants. 2. He possesses generally the common law authority of a constable (q.v. by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons 78. Underwater Adventure by Willard Price 9. The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton 80. Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce 81. Bambert's Book Of Missing Stories by Reinhardt Jung 82. The Happy Prince And Other Stories by Oscar Wilde 83. Coraline by Neil Gaiman 84. Just William by Richmal Crompton 85. Devil In The Fog by Leon Garfield 86. Smith by Leon Garfield 87. The Sound Of Coaches by Leon Garfield 88. Clockwork by Philip Pullman 89. A Child's Garden Of Verse by Robert Louis Stevenson 90. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler 91. Shane by Jack Shafer 92. The House On The Borderland bor·der·land n. 1. a. Land located on or near a frontier. b. The fringe: a shadowy figure who lived on the borderland of the drug scene. 2. by William Hope Hodgeson 93. Anne Of Green Gables by LM Montgomery 94. Cider With Rosie by Laurie Lee 95. The Princess Bride by William Goldman 96. Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterston 97. Desbarolda The Waltzing Mouse by Noel Langley 98. Something Wicked This Way Comes Something Wicked This Way Comes may refer to:
99. The Game by Diana Wynne Jones Diana Wynne Jones (born London August 16, 1934) is a British writer, principally of fantasy novels for children and adults, as well as a small amount of non-fiction. Some of her better-known works include the Chrestomanci series and the novels Howl's Moving Castle and 100. Blood Red, Snow White by Marcus S edgwick WHAT'S your child's favourite book? Do children read enough? Write to Sunday Mercury Books, Weaman Street, Birmingham B4 6AY or emailSundayMercury@mrn.co.uk CAPTION(S): INQUIRING MINDS: Kiera Grecan, from Kitwell Primary School, Bartley Green, gets to grrips with Wuthering Heights |
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