Every book has an opening hook, you know those words which stir-up a desire to read on, turning the first page, closing the cover and walking away from the bookshelves with the hope that you will be spending some time engaged within this newest reading adventure.
There are some book hooks that a reader never forgets, or that any reader who has ventured into the book will know which book is being discussed just by those opening words….
Enjoy some of these famous one liners, but be cautioned… some of these might cause a desire to check the book out and read more…. read on if you dare! MrsK
“It was a dark and stormy night…”
Books with Awesome First Lines
Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
“A group of friends decided they wanted to kill their English teacher . . . and they did .”
39 Clues: Maze of Bones
“$1,000,000 or one clue that could make you the most powerful person in the world. “Which would you choose?”
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor
“The day I decided to steal a dog was the same day my best friend, Luanne Godfrey, found out I lived in a car.”
The Uglies by Scott Westerfield
“In this book everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?”
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
“On the afternoon of his seventh birthday, I set Bobby Clarke on fire.”
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
“The funny thing about facing imminent death is that it really snaps everything else into perspective.”
The True Confessions of Charolette Doyle by Avi
“Not every thirteen-year-old girl was accused of murder, put on trial, and proven guilty. But I was
just such a girl.”
Full Tilt by Neil Shusterman
“It began the night we died on the Kamikaze.”
Dust by Arthur Slade
“Matthew Steelgate had five cents in his pocket and a yearning for chewing gum and licorice.”
Boomtown by Nowen N. Particluar
“I almost died today.”
Born to Rock by Gordon Korman
“The thing about a cavity search is this: it has nothing to do with the dentist.”
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
“When the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it’s never good news.”
Companions of the Night by Vivian VandeVelde
“When Ian came into Kerry’s room to ask a favor, it never occurred to her that her
four-year-old brother could ask her to do something that might get her
killed.”
Home, and Other Big Fat Lies by Jill Wolfson
“Let’s say you’re a kid who’s small for her age and some other kids who are way overgrown decide it would be the most hilarious thing in the world to shove the new kid
in the house into the clothes dryer and slam it closed.”
The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey
“I never thought I would save the world – or die saving it.”
Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
“The worst night of my life? My first and last date with Angela O’Bannon…”
The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck
“If your teacher has to die, August isn’t a bad time of year for it.”
The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan
“The Friday before winter break, my mom packed me an overnight bag and a few deadly weapons, and took me to a new boarding school.”
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
“What I know on the afternoon of his seventh birthday, I set Bobby Clarke on fire. I
was nine. It was all about Bobby’s birthday present, a baseball glove.”
What Jamie Saw by Carolyn Coman
“When Jamie saw him throw the baby, saw Van throw the little baby, saw Van throw his little sister Nin, when Jamie saw Van throw his baby sister Nin, then they moved.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaimon
“There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.”
So B. It by Sarah Weeks
“If truth was a crayon and it was up to me to put a wrapper around it and name
it’s color, I know just what I would call it– dinosaur skin.”
The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod : Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
“A tree branch slapped John Craig across the face, scraping his skin, but he kept on running and ignored the stabbing of pine needles on his bare feet.”
A House Called Awful End : The Eddie Dickens Trilogy by Philip Ardagh
“When Eddie Dickens was eleven years old, both his parents caught some awful disease that made them turn yellow, go a bit crinkly around the edges, and smell of old hot-water bottles.”
Dovey Coe by Frances O’Roark Dowell
“My name is Dovey Coe, and I reckon it don’t matter if you like me or not.”
Tale of Two Cities by Dickens
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
Feed by M.T. Anderson
“We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.”
Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway
“The day I broke up with my boyfriend was the day he wrote the song.”
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
“Once upon a time there was a pair of pants.”
Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan
“Henry got up early on the day that changed his life.”
Masquerade by Melissa De La Cruz
“The pigeons had taken over Saint Mark’s Square.”
Wrecked by E.R. Frank
“The day I killed my brother’s girlfriend started with me handpicking leaves off our front lawn.”
Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters by Gail Giles
“Things had been getting a little better until I got a letter from my dead sister.”
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
“The morning after noted child prodigy Colin Singleton graduated from high school and got dumped the nineteenth time by a girl named Katherine, he took a bath.”
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
“When the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it’s never good news.”
Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl
“The king killed my canary today.”
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
“It was a dumb thing to do but not that dumb.”
Shade’s Children by Garth Nix
“A razor blade gave me freedom from the Dorms.”
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
“The funny thing about facing imminent death is that it really snaps everything else into perspective.”
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.”
Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman
“It began the night we died on the Kamikaze.”
Light Years by Tamar Stein
“He went to school to learn how to kill me.”
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
“The early summer sky was the color of cat vomit.”
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
“Someone was looking at me, a disturbing sensation if you’re dead.”
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
“The end came quickly, and there wasn’t any pain.”
Oh… and if you just happened to find a hook that worked for you…. head on over and see if it is on IL’s bookshop shelf or why not get it from the public library shelves…..
Help me stay updated… when you find an amazing opening hook that should be on this list… bring it IL’s bookshop and I’ll add it to our list…..
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