Great Middle Grade Reads discussion

Just for fun, what are some of the best opening lines of your favorite middle grade books? You know, those lines that drag you by the nose into a story.

I always loved Madeline L'Engel for using "It was a dark and stormy night . . ." for her A Wrinkle in Time (which of course won the Newbery and became a classic). It was such an obvious cliche that I can just see her winking at her readers as she wrote it, but I doubt anyone else could have gotten by with it.

What are your favorite openers?

"There was a boy called Clarence Eustace Scrubb, and he almost deserved it." The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis.

"There is no lake at Camp Green Lake." Holes by Louis Sachar.

Love that one from C.S. Lewis!

Oh, I love both of those. I haven't read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, but it sounds great with that first line.

Up through college I read the whole Narnia series annually. Sometimes more. I can't believe I'd forgotten that line.

I'm going to have to go with Lemony Snicket's "If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book."
By the end of the series, this style was certainly played out, but when that first book came out, it was so fresh and hilarious!

That is a good one!

M.G. wrote: ""There was a boy called Clarence Eustace Scrubb, and he almost deserved it." The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis.

"There is no lake at Camp Green Lake." Holes by Louis Sachar."

Thanks for the memory of that book! HOLES is so great. What a great first line!

"I know people who can say they can read any kind of book except an "I" book, and sometimes I think I agree with them."
THE WELL WISHERS by Edward Eager.

J. Lee wrote: ""I know people who can say they can read any kind of book except an "I" book, and sometimes I think I agree with them."
THE WELL WISHERS by Edward Eager."

Edward Eager wrote some of the best sentences ever written in the English language.

I've read some by Eager, but this doesn't ring a bell - I'll have to try to find it. The Well-Wishers

"There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife."

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

"Riley Baker knew Grandma was dead because she was smiling." Bending Willow

Jacci wrote: ""Riley Baker knew Grandma was dead because she was smiling." Bending Willow"

Oh, my! I'm not familiar with this one, but it's a corker for sure!

Please excuse all the exclamation points. That opening line is just so surprising.

M.G. wrote: "J. Lee wrote: ""I know people who can say they can read any kind of book except an "I" book, and sometimes I think I agree with them."
THE WELL WISHERS by Edward Eager."

Edward Eager wrote some o..."

So true. I can re-read them again now and still feel the freshness of his prose.

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "I've read some by Eager, but this doesn't ring a bell - I'll have to try to find it. The Well-Wishers"


It's not essential, but I find if I read his books 'in order', they help me understand how he constructed the entire arc of his work.

Tx for the tip, J. Lee.

Writers are always trying to get that perfect first line so this thread is very interesting. To add my two cents to the mix. I like the line:

The good thing about Friday is - it's not Thursday.

If the witness lied by Caroline B. Cooney.

I can think of a million reasons why Friday is good, but that wasn't one of them, which leaves me wondering why Friday is better than Thursday.