What Kiwi Kids Read: The Top 100

I do love coming across a new list, and this one is particularly fun as it's generated by kids themselves.

Nearly 1600 children (10 to 13 years old)-participants in the 2013 Kids Lit Quiz in NZ, were surveyed to find their favourite authors, favourite books, and what they've been reading.

Their top 100 books, or series of books:

1. Harry Potter series -J.K. Rowling (read 1/7)

2. Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins (read 2/3) (see my reviews #1, #2)

3. Percy Jackson series - Rick Riordan

4. Cherub series - Robert Muchamore

5. The Hobbit - J.R.R Tolkien (see my review)

6. Roald Dahl (all books) (see my reviews James and the Giant Peach, Magic Finger, Enormous Crocodile, and various other musings)

7. Lord of the Rings - J.R.R Tolkien

8. Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan

9. Alex Rider series - Anthony Horowitz (see my review Stormbreaker)

10. Skulduggery Pleasant  series - Derek Landy

11. Inheritance cycle - Christopher Paolini

12. Twilight series - Stephenie Meyer

13. Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney (read 1or 2)

14. A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket (read 1/13)

15. Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer (read 1/8) (see my review)

16. Narnia Chronicles - C.S. Lewis (read 2/7)

17. Gone - Michael Grant

18. Tomorrow series - John Marsden (read 1/7)

19. Warriors series - Erin Hunter

20. Holes - Louis Sachar (see my review)

21. Mortal Instruments - Cassandra Clare

22. Rangers Apprentice - John Flanagan

23. Geronimo Stilton series - Geronimo Stilton (Elisabetta Dami) (read 1)

24. Divergent - Veronica Roth

25. Inkheart - Cornelia Funke

26. 39 Clues - various authors

27. Maximum Ride - James Patterson

28. Henderson's Boys - Robert Muchamore

29. Once - Morris Gleitzman

30. Deltora Quest - Emily Rodda 

31. Famous Five - Enid Blyton (read 21/21)

32. Wonder - R.J Palacio (see my review)

33. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

34. Discworld - Terry Pratchett

35. Lorien Legacies - Pittacus Lore

36. Pony Club Secrets - Stacy Gregg

37. Goosebumps - R.L Stine

38. Hetty Feather - Jacqueline Wilson

39. Running Wild - Michael Morpurgo

40. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

41. Hatchet - Gary Paulsen (see my review)

42. Little Women - Louise May Alcott

43. My Story series - various authors (see my reviews Marie Antoinette, Titanic)

44. The Magic Faraway Tree - Enid Blyton

45. Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene

46. War Horse - Michael Morpurgo (see my review)

47. How to Train Your Dragon - Cressida Cowell

48. Judy Moody - Megan McDonald

49. Tintin - Herge (see my reviews Land of Soviets, Blue Lotus)

50. Jacqueline Wilson (all books) (see my review- The Illustrated Mum)

51. Horrible Histories - Terry Deary (see my reviews- Gorgeous Georgians, London, France)

52. The Host - Stephenie Meyer

53.  My Sister Jodie - Jacqueline Wilson

54. Black Beauty - Anna Sewell

55. Cookie - Jacqueline Wilson

56. The Fault in Our Stars - John Green (see my review)

57. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

58. Mortal Engines - Philip Reeve

59. Virals - Kathy Reichs

60. Chaos Walking - Patrick Ness

61. Dork Diaries - Rachel Renée Russell

62. Infernal Devices - Cassandra Clare

63. Alice in Wonderland - C.S Lewis

64. Brotherband Chronicles - John Flanagan

65. The Spook's Apprentice - Joseph Delaney

66. Avalon - Rachel Roberts

67. Avonlea Chronicles - L.M Montgomery

68. The Floods - Colin Thompson

69. Kane Chronicles - Rick Riordan

70. Nanny Piggins - R.A Spratt

71. Noughts and Crosses - Malorie Blackman

72. Power of Five - Anthony Horowitz

73. Ruby Redfort - Lauren Child

74. The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - Michael Scott (read 5/6, see my reviews #1, #2)

75. Septimus Heap - Angie Sage

76. Shadow - Michael Morpurgo

77. Going Solo - Roald Dahl

78. Guardians of Ga'hoole - Kathryn Lasky

79. The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick (see my review)

80. Lola Rose - Jacqueline Wilson

81. Captain Underpants - Dav Pilkey

82. Rondo - Emily Rodda

84. Secret Seven - Enid Blyton

85. Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (see my review)

86. Winnie the Pooh - A.A Milne

87. Deparment 19 series - Will Hill

88. An Elephant in the Garden - Michael Morpurgo

89. Just - Andy Griffiths

90. Lily Alone - Jacqueline Wilson

91. Matched Trilogy - Ally Condie

92. Redwall - Brian Jacques (see my review)

93. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (see my review)

94. Wonderstruck - Brian Selznick

95. Asterix - René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo

96. The Billionaire series - Richard Newsome

97. Conspiracy 365 - Gabrielle Lord

98. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

99. Hardy Boys - Franklin W. Dixon (see my review)

100. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte


34/100, including incomplete series.

Holes- it's on every list! And always up near the top. I have to read it.

You can see the raw data of this list here.

What is really interesting, and rather sad, is the all but absence of New Zealand books from this list. I think the only two authors who are partly Kiwi are Richard Newsome and Stacy Gregg.

I can't find the list of favourite authors from this survey, but the stuff article pointed out that when the kids were asked to list their favourite authors- the top 5 were international- J.K Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Roald Dahl, Rick Riordan and Jacqueline Wilson- all big, big names and hardly surprising I suppose. Margaret Mahy was the top scoring NZ author, at 17th, with Des Hunt, Joy Cowley, Fleur Beale and Stacey Gregg further down the list.

September 2014 37/100

May 2016 40/100