"There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis
"'Where's Papa going with that axe?' said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast."
Charlotte’s Web, E.B White
"It's a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful." Matilda, Roald Dahl
“Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin." Winnie-the-Pooh, A.A. Milne
"When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen." The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
“All children, except one, grow up.”
Peter Pan, JM Barrie
“Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."
1984, George Orwell
"No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy, would have supposed her born to be a heroine."
Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen
“When Mr Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton.” The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkein
"Marley was dead, to begin with."
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen
Wendy, this is such a great post!
ReplyDeleteMatilda aside (we've read other books by Dahl), we, the kids and I, have read everything up to a Tale of Two Cities.
I am starting to re-read books, now that Simeon is age-ready. 2nd time through Charlotte, we are 20 pages from the end.
I must say, one of my favorite things about having children, beyond all of the uber-important metaphysical answers, is the pleasure of reading to them. I love everyone being in a hurry to get ready for bed so the reading can commence.
Aaron -
DeleteYes! And what C.S. Lewis said is so true: "A children's story which is only enjoyed by children is a bad children's story." Thank goodness for these wonderful authors who bring as much joy to the parents as to their children! Shared fun! I love GOOD books! :)
"All happy families are alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Anna Karenina
ReplyDelete"In a hole in the ground lived a hobbit." The Hobbit