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Some of The Best Opening Lines From Children's Literature
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol
Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, "and what is the use of a book," thought Alice "without pictures or conversation?"
Wardens of The Weir by Nicholas Stuart Gray
My father came into the room briskly and asked if I had murdered the Tonkins children. I said no, but I'd often thought of it. The perfect chance had not yet presented itself.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
"There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
There was a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself – not just sometimes, but always.
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
"Where's Papa going with that axe?' said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
It was a dark and stormy night.
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the pop-holes.
The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett
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 Dragon's Quest by Rosemary Manning
This chapter is a very short one. It should really have been called 'Preface' or 'Introduction', but I knew that you would never read it if I called it by such a boring name, so I have called it Chapter One.
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.
Children's BooksOpening Lines from Books
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A former chef and bookseller, Olga Hughes has a BFA from the Victorian College of the Arts, a BA in History and English Literature, and First Class Honours in History from Deakin University. Her research interests centre on historiography, medieval and early modern history and literature, folklore and fairy tales. She completed her Honours thesis on Shakespeare's 'Tragedy of Richard III' and is continuing her research on the play and its impact on Richard III's historiography.
Great Mice of Children's Literature
Jamie Adair says:
What an adorable article! I especially liked how you ended with The Hobbit. When I was a child, I loved the name Eustace because of the opening of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It is a very effective and catchy beginning. "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."
Yes I've got that one in the list. But I really love the Magician's nephew opening paragraphs as well –
"This is a story about something that happened long ago when your grandfather was a child. It is a very important story because it shows how all the comings and goings between our own world and the land of Narnia first began.
In those days Mr Sherlock Holmes was still living in Baker Street and the Bastables were looking for treasure in the Lewisham Road. In those days, if you were a boy you had to wear a stiff Eton collar every day, and schools were usually nastier than now. But meals were nicer; and as for sweets, I won't tell you how cheap and good they were, because it would only make your mouth water in vain."