The Best Children's Book Series
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19.7K votes
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8 reranks
Voting Rules
Vote on the best book series of three or more books for children to read.
- 1J. K. RowlingHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series and J. K. Rowling's debut novel. The plot follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage as he makes close friends and a few enemies in his first year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. With the help of his friends, Harry faces an attempted comeback by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents, but failed to kill Harry when he was just a year old. The book, which was Rowling's debut novel, was published on 26 June 1997 by Bloomsbury in London. In 1998, Scholastic Corporation published an edition for the United States market under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The novel won most of the British book awards that were judged by children, and other awards in the US. The book reached the top of the New York Times list of best-selling fiction in August 1999, and stayed near the top of that list for much of 1999 and 2000. It has been translated into several other languages and has been made into a feature-length film of the same name.
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- 2C.S. Lewis
- 3Rick RiordanPercy Jackson and the Olympians 5-book Boxed Set is a collection of books written by Rick Riordan. The set includes the best-selling The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters,The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympians.
- 4Jeff KinneyDiary of a Wimpy Kid is a series of fiction books written by the American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. All nine books are the journals of the main character, Greg Heffley. Befitting a child's diary, the books are filled with hand-written notes and simple drawings of Greg's daily adventures. Since the release of the online version in 2004, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim, and commercial success worldwide. For example, Diary of a Wimpy Kid was well-received from the Princeton Review, Gold Card Association, The Dallas News, The TRR Editors, The NW Press, and The JJ Printing Company. As of February 2008, it has been purchased one million times. The books are being made into a film series by 20th Century Fox, with three films released in theaters as of 2012. Poptropica has released two video games in the theme of Diary of a Wimpy Kid called Wimpy Wonderland and Wimpy Boardwalk, both of which credit Kinney in an ambiguous contributor's role.
- 5J. R. R. TolkienThe Hobbit, or There and Back Again is a fantasy novel and children's book by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction. The book remains popular and is recognized as a classic in children's literature. Set in a time "Between the Dawn of Færie and the Dominion of Men", The Hobbit follows the quest of home-loving hobbit Bilbo Baggins to win a share of the treasure guarded by the dragon, Smaug. Bilbo's journey takes him from light-hearted, rural surroundings into more sinister territory. The story is told in the form of an episodic quest, and most chapters introduce a specific creature, or type of creature, of Tolkien's Wilderland. By accepting the disreputable, romantic, fey and adventurous sides of his nature and applying his wits and common sense, Bilbo gains a new level of maturity, competence and wisdom. The story reaches its climax in the Battle of the Five Armies, where many of the characters and creatures from earlier chapters re-emerge to engage in conflict.More The Hobbit
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- 6Mary Pope OsborneThe Magic Tree House is a series of children's books written by American author Mary Pope Osborne. The series consists of two groups. The first group consists of books 1-28, in which Morgan Le Fay sends Jack and Annie, two normal children from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, on numerous adventures and missions with a magical tree house in order to help free Morgan from a spell, solve four ancient riddles to become Master Librarians, and save four ancient stories from being lost forever. The second group, referred to as the Magic Tree House "Merlin Missions," begins with book 29, Christmas in Camelot. In the Merlin Missions, Jack and Annie have quests from the ancient wizard Merlin the Magician. These books are longer than the previous 28, and some take place in fantasy realms like Camelot. Kathleen and Teddy are two apprentices who befriend Jack and Annie during their adventures, with one of these adventures being to free Teddy from a spell. The two occasionally join Jack and Annie, and when they don't, provide them support instead. The 52nd book in the fiction series, Soccer on Sunday, was published in May 2014, along with the 29th nonfiction companion book, Soccer.
- 8Beatrix PotterThe Tale of Peter Rabbit is a British children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter that follows mischievous and disobedient young Peter Rabbit as he is chased about the garden of Mr. McGregor. He escapes and returns home to his mother who puts him to bed after dosing him with camomile tea. The tale was written for five-year-old Noel Moore, son of Potter's former governess Annie Carter Moore, in 1893. It was revised and privately printed by Potter in 1901 after several publishers' rejections but was printed in a trade edition by Frederick Warne & Co. in 1902. The book was a success, and multiple reprints were issued in the years immediately following its debut. It has been translated into 36 languages and with 45 million copies sold it is one of the best-selling books of all time. The book has generated considerable merchandise over the decades since its release for both children and adults with toys, dishes, foods, clothing, videos and other products made available. Potter was one of the first to be responsible for such merchandise when she patented a Peter Rabbit doll in 1903 and followed it almost immediately with a Peter Rabbit board game.
- 9Suzanne CollinsThe Hunger Games is a 2008 science fiction novel by the American writer Suzanne Collins. It is written in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the dystopian, post-apocalyptic nation of Panem in North America. The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, exercises political control over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games is an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12–18 from each of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle to the death. The book received mostly positive feedback from major reviewers and authors. It was praised for its storyline and character development, though some reviewers have noted similarities between Collins' book and Koushun Takami's Battle Royale. In writing The Hunger Games, Collins drew upon Greek mythology, Roman gladiatorial games, and contemporary reality television for thematic content. The novel won many awards, including the California Young Reader Medal, and was named one of Publishers Weekly 's "Best Books of the Year" in 2008.More The Hunger Games
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- 10Joanna ColeThe Magic School Bus is a series of children's books about science, written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen. They feature the antics of Ms. Valerie Frizzle and her class, who board an anthropomorphic Type A school bus which takes them on field trips to impossible locations, such as the solar system, clouds, the past, and the human body. The books are written in the first person from the point of view of an unnamed student in "the Friz's" class. The class pet Liz, a lizard, accompanies the class on their field trips. Since the Magic School Bus books present scientific facts in the form of stories in which fantastic things happen, each book has a page at the end detailing in a humorous manner which parts of the book represented scientific fact and which were fanciful storytelling.
- 11Stan and Jan Berenstain
- 12Norman Bridwell
- 13Laura Ingalls WilderLittle House on the Prairie is a media franchise that started with a series of children's books by Laura Ingalls Wilder that were originally published between 1932 and 1943, and grew to include television and stage adaptations.
- 14Sonja Morris, Terry Munson
- 15Louis SacharHoles is a 1997 young adult novel written by Louis Sachar and first published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. It won the 1998 U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the 1999 Newbery Medal for the year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". Originally, the book was to be called Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Wrong Kid. It was adapted into a film by Walt Disney Pictures, released in 2003.
- 16Gertrude Chandler WarnerThe Boxcar Children is a classic children's literary franchise originally created in 1924 by Gertrude Chandler Warner. It tells the story of four orphaned children, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny, who create a home for themselves in an abandoned boxcar in the forest, solve mysteries, and go on adventures with their wealthy grandfather. Written for readers in grades 2-6, the series includes well over 150 titles.
- 17Lucy Maud MontgomeryAnne of Green Gables is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Written for all ages, it has been considered a children's novel since the mid-twentieth century. It recounts the adventures of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan girl who is mistakenly sent to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a middle-aged brother and sister who had intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in Prince Edward Island. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town. Since publication, Anne of Green Gables has sold more than 50 million copies and has been translated into 20 languages. Numerous sequels were written by Montgomery, and since her death another sequel has been published, as well as an authorized prequel. The original book is taught to students around the world. It has been adapted as film, made-for-television movies, and animated and live-action television series. Anne Shirley was played by Megan Follows in the 1985 Canadian produced movie. Plays and musicals have also been created, with productions annually in Canada since 1964 of the first musical production, which has toured in Canada, the United States, Europe and Japan.More Anne of Green Gables
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- 18Garrett Christopher
- 19Louisa May AlcottLittle Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott, which was originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. Alcott wrote the books rapidly over several months at the request of her publisher. The novel follows the lives of four sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March—detailing their passage from childhood to womanhood, and is loosely based on the author and her three sisters. Little Women was an immediate commercial and critical success, and readers demanded to know more about the characters. Alcott quickly completed a second volume. It was also successful. The two volumes were issued in 1880 in a single work entitled Little Women. Alcott also wrote two sequels to her popular work, both of which also featured the March sisters: Little Men and Jo's Boys. Although Little Women was a novel for girls, it differed notably from the current writings for children, especially girls. The novel addressed three major themes: "domesticity, work, and true love, all of them interdependent and each necessary to the achievement of its heroine's individual identity."
- 20Shel SilversteinWhere the Sidewalk Ends is a collection of children's poetry written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein and published by Harper and Row Publishers. The book's poems address many common childhood concerns and also presents purely fanciful stories. Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association named the book one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." A 30th Anniversary Edition of the book appeared in 2004, and two audio editions are also available.
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- 21Ludwig BemelmansMadeline is a media franchise that originated as a series of children's books written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans, an Austrian author. The books have been adapted into numerous formats, spawning telefilms, television series and a live action feature film. The adaptations are famous for the closing line, first uttered by actress Ethel Barrymore in a play, "That's all there is; there isn't any more." The stories take place in a Catholic boarding school in Paris. Much of the media start with the line "In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines ..." The stories often are written entirely in rhyme, and include simple themes of daily life which appeal to children.
- 22R. L. Stine
- 23Various
- 24Ann M. MartinThe Baby-Sitters Club is a series of novels written by Ann M. Martin and published by Scholastic between 1986 and 2000, that sold 170 million copies. Many of the novels were ghostwritten, including 43 by Peter Lerangis. However, Ann M. Martin wrote the first 35 novels. It is also one of the best-selling book series in history, having sold over 172 million copies. The series is about a group of middle school students living in the fictional town of Stoneybrook, Connecticut. They run a business called "The Baby-Sitters Club" that helps parents find babysitters from the club who are available for jobs by calling during their club meetings. The club starts out with four members: Kristy Thomas, Mary Anne Spier, Claudia Kishi, and Stacey McGill; it eventually expands to ten. Most of the main characters are thirteen years old. When the club was founded, the four members were in the seventh grade, but ten novels later, they are promoted to the eighth grade. From there, they are frozen in time until the very end of the series, in which they graduate from middle school.
25Angie Peterson Kaelberer- 26Barabara Park
- 27Astrid Lindgren
- 28Beverly ClearyRamona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary is the sixth book of the popular Ramona series. Ramona Quimby is in the third grade, now at a new school, and making some new friends. With Beezus in Jr. High and Mr. Quimby going back to college, Ramona feels the pressure with everyone counting on her to manage at school by herself and get along with Willa Jean after school every day. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 was named a Newbery Honor book in 1982.
- 29The Walt Disney Company
- 30Donald J. Sobol
