Fabulous First Page: Special Edition!

Fab First Pages from Classic Children's Novels

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Fabulous First Page

I have an eight-year-old who likes to read, but I try not to push my book recommendations on her. Usually, the more I try to get her to read something, the more she resists, so I’ve learned to play it cool. Let her make her own reading choices.

But the passed two nights, somewhat miraculously, I’ve found myself reading to her from one of my favorite childhood books. This was unusual for many reasons, the first being that these days my daughter prefers to read on her own (generally Dav Pilkey graphic novels or the Ever After High series), rather than be read to.

So, it’s been pretty special, and I’m soaking it up. Also, I noticed something about the classic children’s novel I’m reading to her: it has a great first page.

This doesn’t always happen with older novels (this one was published in 1952). People had more patience and less entertainment options back in the day, and they would put up with things modern readers won’t stand for in opening pages: authorly throat-clearing or pontificating, dense paragraphs of setting description, stories that take a while to get going.

I’m sorry, writers, but we can’t do that stuff anymore. Not if we want readers.

And here’s the place where I remind you of what every good first page of a novel should try to have:

A first page should:

• Hook the reader right away and invite them into the story.

• Set the scene and the overall tone of the novel.

• Introduce a main character (and/or introduce a main setting or theme).

• Hint at a conflict, situation, mystery/secret, or question.

• Set reader expectations.

The classic children’s novel I’m reading to my eight-year-old does all of those things! So I scrounged around and found a few other classic children’s novels with good first pages.

But first, let’s reveal the novel I’m reading to my daughter: