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BEST BOOKS OF THE CENTURY PROJECT |
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In October, 1999, students at Edwardsville
Middle School participated in the Best Books of the Century Project. Students
were recommended by their reading teacher to serve on a committee. The Book
Committee then worked with the media specialist to develop a list of quality
books for middle school students. Students considered award winning books,
classic books, and popular books. The Committee created a list of approximately
180 books for EMS students to consider. The list contained books of various
genres and reading and interest levels. The ballots were distributed to reading
teachers. The ballot also included 5 blanks for any students who chose to write
in titles. Students voted for their favorite books during reading class on Oct.
20 or Oct. 21. Each student could vote for no more than 20 books. (The Book
Committee will be counting all the votes!)
The Book Committee met
beginning on Oct. 25 to begin the process of counting the votes. This process
took several weeks but we were able to complete the task before parent
conferences. Reporters from the Edwardsville Intelligencer and the Alton
Telegraph came to interview the students and take pictures.
This has been a fun project
for all. Students from grades 6, 7, and 8 gave input and shared opinions about
their favorite books. Some students created signs using WordArt and displayed
them throughout the building to generate interest in our project. Several
teachers commented on the interesting discussions that occurred in reading
class as a result of this project.
Listed below are the top 100
books as voted on by EMS students:
|
Rank |
Votes Rec. |
Author |
Title |
|
1 |
491 |
Dahl, Roald |
Charlie and the chocolate factory |
|
2 |
472 |
Canfield, Jack |
Chicken soup for the teenage soul |
|
3 |
435 |
Naylor, Phyllis |
Shiloh |
|
4 |
432 |
White, E. B. |
Charlotte's web |
|
5 |
357 |
Duncan, Lois |
I know what you did last summer |
|
6 |
355 |
Paulsen, Gary |
Hatchet |
|
7 |
352 |
Dahl, Roald |
Matilda |
|
8 |
334 |
Gipson, Fred |
Old Yeller |
|
9 |
317 |
Dahl, Roald |
BFG |
|
10 |
317 |
Crichton, Michael |
Jurassic park |
|
11 |
309 |
Lowry, Lois |
Giver |
|
12 |
300 |
Lewis, C. S. |
Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe |
|
13 |
298 |
Cleary, Beverly |
Mouse and the motorcycle |
|
14 |
293 |
Rawls, Wilson |
Where the red fern grows |
|
15 |
281 |
Dahl, Roald |
James and the giant peach |
|
16 |
280 |
Silverstein, Shel |
Light in the attic |
|
17 |
277 |
Paterson, Katherine |
Bridge to Terabithia |
|
18 |
276 |
Spinelli, Jerry |
Maniac Magee |
|
19 |
274 |
Hinton, S. E. |
Outsiders |
|
20 |
268 |
Baum, L. Frank |
Wizard of Oz |
|
21 |
267 |
Rowling, J. K. |
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone |
|
22 |
260 |
Silverstein, Shel |
Where the sidewalk ends |
|
23 |
258 |
Lowry, Lois |
Number the stars |
|
24 |
247 |
Rowling, J. K. |
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets |
|
25 |
246 |
Silverstein, Shel |
Falling up |
|
26 |
222 |
Rowling, J. K. |
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azbakhan |
|
27 |
216 |
Norton, Mary |
Borrowers |
|
28 |
210 |
Canfield, Jack |
Chicken soup for the kid's soul |
|
29 |
198 |
Frank, Anne |
Diary of Anne Frank |
|
30 |
197 |
Cooney, Caroline |
Face on the milk carton |
|
31 |
197 |
Burnett, Frances |
Secret garden |
|
32 |
193 |
Canfield, Jack |
Chicken soup for the pet lover's soul |
|
33 |
187 |
Sachar, Louis |
Holes |
|
34 |
185 |
London, Jack |
White fang |
|
35 |
169 |
Crichton, Michael |
Lost world |
|
36 |
168 |
Paulsen, Gary |
Woodsong |
|
37 |
163 |
Spinelli, Jerry |
Crash |
|
38 |
161 |
Taylor, Theodore |
Cay |
|
39 |
158 |
Dahl, Roald |
Charlie and the great glass elevator |
|
40 |
157 |
London, Jack |
Call of the wild |
|
41 |
157 |
Milne, A. A. |
Winnie the Pooh |
|
42 |
157 |
L'Engle, Madeleine |
Wrinkle in time |
|
43 |
156 |
Banks, Lynne Reid |
Indian in the cupboard |
|
44 |
155 |
Sewell, Anna |
Black beauty |
|
45 |
153 |
Crichton, Michael |
Congo |
|
46 |
152 |
Duncan, Lois |
Killing Mr. Griffin |
|
47 |
149 |
O'Dell, Scott |
Island of the blue dolphins |
|
48 |
148 |
White, Ellen |
Dear America - Voyage on the Great Titanic |
|
49 |
146 |
Wilder, Laura Ingalls |
Little house on the prairie |
|
50 |
145 |
Fleischman, Sid |
Whipping boy |
|
51 |
132 |
Cleary, Beverly |
Ralph S. Mouse |
|
52 |
130 |
Selden, George |
Cricket in Times Square |
|
53 |
126 |
MacLachlan, Patricia |
Sarah, plain and tall |
|
54 |
124 |
White, E. B. |
Stuart Little |
|
55 |
123 |
Avi |
True confessions of Charlotte Doyle |
|
56 |
122 |
Taylor, Mildred |
Roll of thunder, hear my cry |
|
57 |
120 |
Orwell, George |
Animal farm |
|
58 |
120 |
Paulsen, Gary |
Brian's winter |
|
59 |
119 |
Dahl, Roald |
Witches |
|
60 |
114 |
Burnett, Frances |
A little princess |
|
61 |
113 |
Bloor, Edward |
Tangerine |
|
62 |
111 |
Tolkien, J. R. R. |
Hobbitt |
|
63 |
109 |
Matas, Carol |
Daniel's story |
|
64 |
108 |
Wright, Betty Ren |
Dollhouse murders |
|
65 |
108 |
Crichton, Michael |
Sphere |
|
66 |
106 |
Rawls, Wilson |
Summer of the monkeys |
|
67 |
106 |
Spinelli, Jerry |
Wringer |
|
68 |
104 |
Taylor, Theodore |
Timothy of the cay |
|
69 |
96 |
Philbrick, Rodman |
Freak the mighty |
|
70 |
95 |
Yolen, Jane |
Devil's arithmetic |
|
71 |
95 |
DeAngeli, Marguerite |
Door in the wall |
|
72 |
94 |
Mitchell, Margaret |
Gone with the wind |
|
73 |
93 |
Collier, James |
My brother Sam is dead |
|
74 |
90 |
Montgomery, L. M. |
Anne of Green Gables |
|
75 |
87 |
Sperry, Armstrong |
Call it courage |
|
76 |
86 |
Speare, Elizabeth |
Sign of the beaver |
|
77 |
86 |
Gardiner, John |
Stone fox |
|
78 |
85 |
Konigsburg, E. L. |
From the mixed up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler |
|
79 |
84 |
Sparks, Nicholas |
Message in a bottle |
|
80 |
79 |
Christie, Agatha |
And then there were none (Ten little Indians) |
|
81 |
79 |
Farley, Walter |
Black stallion |
|
82 |
79 |
Christopher, Matt |
Kid who only hit homers |
|
83 |
78 |
George, Jean |
My side of the mountain |
|
84 |
75 |
Bitton-Jackson, Lillian |
I have lived a thousand years |
|
85 |
74 |
Cleary, Beverly |
Dear Mr. Henshaw |
|
86 |
72 |
McDaniel, Lurlene |
Angels watching over me |
|
87 |
71 |
O'Brien, Robert C. |
Mrs. Frisby and the rats of NIMH |
|
88 |
70 |
Paterson, Katherine |
Jacob have I loved |
|
89 |
70 |
Myers, Walter Dean |
Scorpions |
|
90 |
68 |
McDaniel, Lurlene |
Till death do us part |
|
91 |
67 |
Christopher, Matt |
Football fugitive |
|
92 |
66 |
Nixon, Joan Lowery |
Weekend was murder |
|
93 |
66 |
Speare, Elizabeth |
Witch of Blackbird Pond |
|
94 |
65 |
Clarke, Arthur C. |
2001, a space odyssey |
|
95 |
64 |
North, Sterling |
Rascal |
|
96 |
64 |
Paulsen, Gary |
River |
|
97 |
62 |
Denenberg, Barry |
Dear America - When will this cruel war be over? |
|
98 |
62 |
Philbrick, Rodman |
Max the mighty |
|
99 |
62 |
McDaniel, Lurlene |
Until angels close my eyes |
|
100 |
62 |
Creech, Sharon |
Walk two moons |
