Fiske School Library

Favorite First Lines

Ever notice how some books start out with a sentence that makes you want to read more? And how sometimes you can read a first line and immediately identify the book? Test yourself on these examples and see if you can name the book they're from. The answers are at the bottom of the page, but remember, no peeking!

1. "These two very old people are the father and mother of Mr. Bucket."
2. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."
3. "Matthias cut a comical little figure as he wobbled his way along the cloisters, with his large sandals flip-flopping and his tail peeping from beneath the baggy folds of an oversized novice's habit."
4. "Claudia knew that she could never pull off the old-fashioned kind of running away."
5. "'Where's Papa going with that ax?' said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast."
6. "Once upon a time, sixty years ago, a little girl lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, in a little gray house made of logs."

OK, now YOU think of some! Bring your favorite first lines down to the library and we'll post them on this page. Stump and amaze your friends!

Are you ready for the answers?

Here they are:

1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl.
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by J.K. Rowling.
3. Redwall, by Brian Jacques.
4. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigsburg.
5. Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White.
6. Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

So, how did you do? See if your friends, family and even your teacher can identify these lines and bring some of your own favorites down to the library. Let's see how many we can collect!

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