[HPFGU-OTChatter] Book list

[Sarah Gipp]

Some of my suggestions, although I'm sure many have been suggested before:

Around the World in Eighty Days, Jules Verne
Treasure Island, Robert Lewis Stevenson
Kidnapped, Robert Lewis Stevenson
The Pushcart War, Jean Merrill
Wizard's Hall, Jane Yolen (I believe JKR has been accused of plagiarizing 
this. I like the magical theory.)
The Pit Dragon trilogy, Jane Yolen (starts with Dragon's Blood, I think.)
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Patricia C. Wrede
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Diana Wynne Jones (Witch Week is my 
favorite.)
My Side of the Mountain, Jean Craighead George
The Wayside School series, Louis Sachar
Holes, Louis Sachar
One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Dodie Smith (at the very least you can have 
fun with book/movie comparisons)
The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
Four Children and It (and sequels), E. Nesbitt
Watership Down, Richard Adams (Okay, yes, talking rabbits, but it's more 
adult than you'd think if you haven't read it. Lovethisbook.)
Nearly anything by Bruce Coville (BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO SCIENCE FICTION ON 
YOUR LIST!), though I would particularly recommend the My Teacher Is An 
Alien series, which I read in third grade and is set in sixth-eighth grade 
for the characters. My absolute favorite by him, however, has to be Jeremy 
Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher. I also like his "The Ghost..." series (The Ghost 
Wore Gray, the Ghost in the Big Brass Bed, etc...) Bruce Coville has also 
edited treasuries of fantasy/science fiction/horror stories for kids which I 
would highly recommend, although the majority of the stories aren't his 
work.
For less nerdy, more *normal* children you might try Beverly Cleary's books.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some series or book that I will go LSKDHGH HOW COULD 
I NOT INCLUDE THAT? Also, I'm not really sure as to age groups for a lot of 
these - they're basically what I loved and reread a lot as a kid that I 
still like now. (I also read Babysitters Club, Goosebumps, and Animorphs. 
Note their conspicuous absence.) Most of this is not suited to very young 
children, and I really wouldn't suggest, say, Bruce Coville's Book of 
Nightmares for any child who can't deal with, um, nightmares. I will say 
that most of these books aren't unnecessarily violent or gory, and a good 
chunk of them are my comfort books.

Look into the Whole Story series if you're going to include some of the 
classics - when I was younger I read their version of Around the World in 
Eighty Days and loved it - it's not abridged or anything, there are just 
little side notes explaining some of the background history and very nice 
illustrations.

A note on A Series of Unfortunate Events - I think they're better-written 
than Artemis Fowl, although I've only read the first of that series. They're 
not Great Literature, but I like them because they've got an evil sense of 
humor. But that's just me.

A friend has also suggested:
Circle of Magic, Tamora Pierce (I like Tamora Pierce, generally.)
In the Forests of the Night, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
The Mindwarp series, Chris Archer
The Indian in the Cupboard series, Lynne Reid Banks
The Everworld series, K.A. Applegate (she recommends Animorphs as well)
Hatchet, Gary Paulsen
The Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell (I also liked this one; it has 
a sequel called Zia which I've never read)
The Black Pearl, Scott O'Dell
The Outspoken Princess and The Gentle Night: A Treasury of Modern Fairy 
Tales.
She seconds recs of books by Lloyd Alexander

I haven't read most of these so I can't vouch for them, but she likes my 
fanfiction, so let us hope she has good taste.


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