-
Lucinda Everett Lists the Ten Worst Children’s Book Villains Ever
The White Witch in The Lion, The Witch and The WardrobeExtraordinarily beautiful with incredible physical might and an army of fearsome creatures under her command, Jadis, self-proclaimed Queen of Narnia, is a royal to be reckoned with. When the arrival of the Pevensie children threatens the eternal winter she has inflicted on Narnia, she sets out to find and kill them, turning to stone anyone who stands in her way.
Lord Voldemort in Harry PotterRepeatedly topping polls of literature and film’s best villains, “the most evil wizard for hundreds and hundreds of years” is so feared within the wizarding world that no one dares utter his name, preferring “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named”.
Miss Trunchbull in MatildaLocking children in a spike-lined cupboard called “the Chokey”, swinging little girls around by their pigtails and forcing one gluttonous pupil to eat an enormous cake in front of the whole school, Miss Trunchbull’s tyranny knows no bounds and goes frustratingly unchecked by disbelieving parents.
Shere Khan in The Jungle BookA crippled but fiercely proud tiger, Shere Khan becomes an instant villain when he preys on baby Mowgli, who has wandered into the jungle. Losing Mowgli to the wolves who protect, then adopt him, Shere Khan vows that the cub will one day be his and launches a 10-year scheme to overthrow the wolf pack and kill Mowgli.
Cruella de Vil in 101 DalmatiansPampered London heiress turned fur-loving terror, Cruella de Vil more than lives up to her hellish name, terrorising her henpecked husband, drowning kittens and kidnapping 97 puppies to make a Dalmatian fur coat. Said to be partly based on notorious bon vivant Tallulah Bankhead, Cruella was ranked the No 1 villain in Disney history following the film company’s 1961 adaptation of Dodie Smith’s novel.
The Grinch in The Dr Suess BooksThis baddy-turned-good guy first appeared in the 1957 story How the Grinch Stole Christmas! A feline Scrooge with a heart “two sizes too small”, he becomes intent on ruining Christmas for the good people of Whoville by stealing their presents and decorations.
The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wonderful Wizard of OzThe tyrannical leader of the Winkie Country is furious when her sister is killed by Dorothy’s falling house and vows to seek revenge on her (and her little dog, too) by snatching the magical silver slippers protecting Dorothy.
Captain Hook in Peter and Wendy (Peter Pan)Described by his creator JM Barrie as the “only man Long John Silver ever feared”, the ex-Etonian lord of Neverland’s pirate harbour is obsessed with two things: “good form” and making Peter Pan and his Lost Boys walk the plank. With a menacing hook replacing the hand that Peter Pan cut off and fed to a crocodile, the Jolly Roger’s captain terrorises the people of Neverland.
The Grand High Witch (of all the world) in The WitchesArguably Roald Dahl’s most terrifying baddy, “the most evil woman in creation” is on a quest to rid the world of children, using horrifying techniques such as trapping them in paintings and turning them into mice with poisoned chocolate. As ugly as she is wicked, the witch’s bald head, claws and “worm-eaten” face will remain etched in children’s imaginations for many years (and sleepless nights) to come.
Boggies, Bunce and Bean in Fantastic Mr FoxThis formidable trio of mean, wealthy farmers become the nemeses of Mr Fox when he steals one too many times from their overflowing farms. Shooting off his beloved tail, destroying his home with bulldozers and trying to starve him out of his hole are just a few of the tricks the villains employ to capture the Robin Hood of the fox world, before he outwits them.
Book details
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
EAN: 9780060234812
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- Harry Potter: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
EAN: 9780545139700
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- Matilda by Roald Dahl
EAN: 9780142410370
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- The Jungle Book by Rupyard Kipling
EAN: 9781405878470
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- 101 Dalmations by Justine Korman
EAN: 9780736424202
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
EAN: 9780394800790
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
EAN: 9780199540648
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
EAN: 9780805072457
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- The Witches by Roald Dahl
EAN: 9780374384579
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl
EAN: 9780142414545
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- Events Calendar
August 2011 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 
JulSep 
- PUKU Chat Latest
March 23, 2011, 10:28 am
Nonikiwe - Editor is reading Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
March 12, 2011, 10:28 pm
lamoesther on Nigerians Shocked at NECO Examination's 2% Pass RateI will rather look at the bigger picture of the [...]
March 3, 2011, 1:19 pm
Chelsea is reading Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
February 8, 2011, 8:00 am
Chelsea is reading An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
December 29, 2010, 2:30 pm
paulineblah on Bontle is reading Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman CapoteHii ( paulineblah@yahoo.in ) I saw your profile today and became [...]
December 29, 2010, 2:29 pm
paulineblah on Nonikiwe - Editor is reading The Seed Children by Bontekanye BotumileHii ( paulineblah@yahoo.in ) I saw your profile today and became [...]
October 27, 2010, 11:46 am
Nonikiwe - Editor is reading The Seed Children by Bontekanye Botumile
September 8, 2010, 11:29 am
Bontle is reading Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
August 27, 2010, 3:31 pm
Coin is reading 1984 by George Orwell
August 27, 2010, 3:21 pm
Coin on Bontle is reading A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee WilliamsHow did you find it?
