November
26
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POLL: What are your most memorable scenes in books?
For as long as I have been a reader, there have been scenes that I can recall at the mention of a word or a title, scenes that make my reader’s heart beat a little faster.
We at Nerdy Book Club are curious about those scenes, the ones that stick with you, the ones you can recall so vividly long after the last page.
Share your favorites (but be careful about the spoilers!) in the comments below.
Nerdy Book Club 
After a night of terror, Scout’s casual encounter with mysterious neighbor Boo Radley. “Hey, Boo.”
we used “Hey, Boo.” as a greeting forever, still do!
Yes!
Absollutely, and Scout standing on Boo’s front porch and understanding about walking in someone else’s shoes. Or was that at the tree? Love that book!
This is my scene! I get shivers just thinking of it.
“Hey Boo!” is another
The moment in Knife of Never Letting Go when we all realized just how far Patrick Ness was willing to go.
Manchee!
OH MY GOSH :O THAT MOMENT!
The last scene of the Ocotillo Ball in Spinelli’s Stargirl. Stayed with me for days, and whenever anyone mentions the book, my mind goes right to that spot.
That is such a beautiful/powerful scene! I love how visual it is. I taught Stargirl to my seventh graders for several years and every year I was glad that it had not yet been made into a movie. I think that scene (and so many others) exists best on the page and in our heads.
Unwind by Neil Schusterman; When Roland is actually being “unwound” Scariest scene ever!!!!!
When Maddie has to shoot Julie in Elizabeth Wein’s Code Name Verity. Weeping weeping weeping!
The moment Mr Rochester recognises Jane after he’s gone blind…goosebumps!
BOOK BAG POCKET SHOE!!!! One of my favorite scenes in all of children’s literature was when Miranda received the first note in WHEN YOU REACH ME. “I’m coming to save your friend’s live, and my own.” The thought of that scene still gives me anxious butterflies.
Oh, a favorite, though it’s the end that really gets me. “I’m an old man, and she’s gone now. So don’t worry, OK?” I have to accept that my most of my students just can’t understand the depth of that statement.
The opening scene of Charlotte’s Web. A perfect beginning for a perfect book.
I am glad to see this one on the list. Charlotte’s Web is the first book that made me cry.
The parade to Dachau in THE BOOK THIEF. And when Rudy gets his kiss.
The ending of A PERFECT DAY FOR BANANAFISH.
Another Zusak moment. In I AM THE MESSENGER when Audrey says, “You’re my best friend, Ed.” You can kill a man with those words. No gun. No bullets. Just words and a girl.
When Rudy gets his kiss in THE BOOK THIEF is the first thing that came to my mind. The final sentence in that book will stay with me forever.
The scene in Because of Winn Dixie when Winn Dixie gets her name and a long, fast, life-changing friendship begins.
That moment in Harry Potter when Dobby dies. The glassy eyes of Dobby as the stab takes him slowly to eternity stay with the reader long after.
The parade to Dachau in THE BOOK THIEF. And when Rudy gets his kiss.
Also the ending of A PERFECT DAY FOR BANANAFISH.
And another Zusak moment, from I AM THE MESSENGER. When Audrey tells Ed, “You’re my best friend, Ed.” You can kill a man with those words. No gun. No bullets. Just words and a girl.
I love that Markus Zusak wrote two entirely different books with Thief and Messenger, but still moved me and touched my heart in both. Amazing young man.
The Maze Runner: The last part of the book when they’re already in the paradise, no more trials.
Have you guys read it already?
And in the last book when Newt begs Thomas to shoot him. “Please, Tommy, please.” Aaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! I cried for ages!!!
Yeah, same here. It’s just all the feels. You can feel the real and true friendship between them. You can feel Thomas that he did’t want to kill Newt coz he just can’t do it. But he did, for the sake of friendship. Ah, I cried also.
The finish line of the race in the book Stone Fox.
100% agree. I was so surprised when Stone Fox stopped! I remember my students loving this, too. Gasps all around.
Ughhhh! I have to coach myself through the last page of this book every time or I have a complete cry-fest.
The unwinding scene in Unwind, discovery of the dead pilot in Hatchet, the ending of Borges’s “End of the Duel” (if you haven’t read it, you might want to keep it that way), the opening paragraph of The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint,.
Yes! The unwinding scene was traumatic!
When Atticus thanks Boo for saving his children.
“Thank you for my children, Arthur.”
Makes me tear up every time.
The scene in Wednesday Wars when Holling meets Mickey Mantle. Mantle is a jerk and Holling says, “When gods die, they die hard. It’s not like they fade away, or grow old, or fall asleep. They die in fire and pain, and when they come out of you, they leave your guts burned. It hurts more than anything you can talk about. And maybe worst of all is, you’re not sure if there will ever be another god to fill their place. Or if you’d ever want another god to fill their place. You don’t want the fire to go out inside you twice.”
Gosh Gary Schmidt is good. Thanks for reminding me of this gem.
Aw, Wednesdays Wars…so many beautiful moments. I had almost forgotten.
From LITTLE WOMEN: “As Beth had hoped, the `tide went out easily’, and in the dark hour before dawn, on the bosom where she had drawn her first breath, she quietly drew her last.” Gulp.
This scene is exactly what came to my mind when I read this question.
My tear ducts leak every time Edward and Abilene are reunited. I never get tired of it.
Me too!! and this was my 4th read through, I was very ‘verklempt!’
When Anne Shirley hits Gilbert Blythe over the head with her slate. An inauspicious start to a great love story!
A most memorable scene is in one of Gary Paulsen’s books-Brian’s Hunt (I think!)-where the deer jumps in the canoe with Brian! I gasped out loud and my class just stared….we were silent reading!! 😀
The ending of IF I STAY. I swear I heard that cello.
I can’t forget the scene in IF I STAY with the grandfather at her bedside.
When Ivan, with Ruby watching, steps inside the box. Katherine Applegate knocks us over with how being a hero is facing all of your own fears in The One and Only Ivan.
Yes!
Definitely!
When Ivan and Stella part ways….
Jane Eyre in the red room: my skin prickled, not knowing then why. The wordless center of it all. Even at 13, I knew there was something female about the whole scene, that a boy would not feel. (sorry not young adult-there were not many young adult books for girls when I was 13-the best I could get was Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames). Thank heavens for Jane Eyre!
George and Lenny in the field “looking at the rabbits.”
Oh yeah. Always gets me.
THE GRAVEYARD BOOK – The Lady on the Grey riding up and… “In a voice like the chiming of a hundred tiny silver bells she said only, “The dead should have charity.” And she smiled.”
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD – Jem’s reactions when Heck hands Atticus the rifle and after his plain, boring, uncool dad shoots the rabid dog dead.
JOHN HENRY beating the steam drill. Man beats machine.
Wonder: In his Halloween costume, Auggie overhears Jack saying that he would kill himself if he had Auggie’s face. Okay for Now: The revelation of Doug’s “birthday present” from his father. Both scenes are gut-wrenching; both will stay with me forever.
Good Earth…so hungry that they eat dirt.
Memoirs of a Geisha…her hands being so cold.
To Kill a Mockingbird…the treasure in the hole in the tree.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn…the bathrooms in the school.
Book Thief & The One and Only Ivan…when I think of these two books, there are SO many scenes that made me gasp and sob uncontrollably. Unforgettable.
Picture books that I see almost in their entirety when I close my eyes:
I WANT MY HAT BACK & THIS IS NOT MY HAT
THE THREE ROBBERS
SPARKY
EXTRA YARN
CHICKEN SUNDAY
SPOON & CHOPSTICKS
The scene in Ender’s Game where he visits his sister. “I was afraid I would still love you.” “I hoped you would.” “Your fear. My wish. Both granted.” (…ish) It is just such a quiet scene in a book full of action. He had changed so much but they still have that connection. ..so he has to go fight.
The scene in WHALE TALK by Chris Crutcher when the little bi-racial girl, Heidi, tries scrubbing the black off her skin so her step-dad will love her. That is indelibly imprinted in my mind.
I don’t think I still ever forget that one either.
The ending of “Charles,” the short story by Shirley Jackson. Still gives me shivers, and my students are certifiably obsessed.
The scene in Linda Urban’s HOUND DOG TRUE when the girl who is stealing from backpacks mispronounces the word “ogre.”
The internal guilt scenes, talking, admitting to his father in On My Honor (Bauer) and the lost scenes in Ribsy (cleary)– the ache.
Even now tears spring to my eyes when I recall the final scene in Sharon Creech’s The Boy on the Porch of the old beagle howling at the closed door. This title is in my top five favorites of her books.
I love that book, too!
I want to say every moment of The One and Only Ivan, as it’s just that special of a book to me. Yet, I’ll get specific and say the scene where Ivan sees Ruby safe and happy at the zoo.
SO many memorable novel moments, but in honor of children’s literature I’ll mention that I always tell students how I had an out loud, surprised intake of breath when the tail of the plane popped up in the water in HATCHET by Gary Paulsen. Great question!
The field trip scene from Wonder. Auggie losing his hearing aids in the dark.
In The Giver…when Jonas stops the war game, or when he rides the sled down the hill with Gabe…that book just sticks to my soul.
Gary Paulsen’s Harris and Me where Harris agrees to pee on the electric fence. Best read aloud to reluctant boys I’ve ever done.
The scene where Lee Scoresby and his daemon Hester die together. (Golden Compass? Or Book 2? I can’t recall.) I was reading in the college dining hall (I’m a professor BTW) and sobbed my heart out. In public.
The scene in The Watsons Go to Birmingham where the older brother is sent out to scrape the windshield of the car and begins preening in the side mirror, then kisses his reflected image and his lips stick to the mirror. I laugh every time I recall it.
These are so fun to read! The first one that popped into my head was first reading Pooh at age 6 and being so worried about Piglet, stranded by the rain, rain, rain…
Ohhh! Roman Fever by Edith Wharton. If you’ve read it, you know the part!
The part in Summer of the Monkeys where Jay Berry finally finds the monkeys after the big storm and Jimbo was so happy to be found that he jumped into Jay Berry’s arms and put his head on Jay Berry’s shoulders. I have read that book to my 5th graders every year for 18 years and it gets me every time!
The scene in The Incident at Hawk’s Hill where the boy is sobbing over the body of his badger friend… I just re-read this as an adult and cried all over again.
Also, many scenes from Freak the Mighty.
All of the James Herriot books – too many to count that made me either laugh or cry.
Someone mentioned Chris Crutcher – there are many scenes in this book as well – all of the secret revealing scenes were incredible especially when you know they were based on someone’s reality.
The last chapter of Stone Fox. Powerful.
Love Stone Fox…..you are right. It is memorable.
The ending of The Count of Monte Cristo by far. Dante was the definition of magical and it was nice that a classic had a happy ending
Just reading all these comments has moved me to me create a whole new list of books I’ve never read that have made a profound impact on the life of somebody else. Thanks!
The Footsteps chapter in The Night Gardener and also when you realize the “hills” are not hills….
The opening scene in The Graveyard Book. One of the best!
The Whack a Duck scene in Bink and Gollie: Two For One- Hilarious! Also the Remote Control scene in Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover! So funny!!
The most memorable scene in a book for me is when Lucy first walks through the Wardrobe into Narnia. Love that book!
There are so many, there’s a traffic jam that gets created at trying to pick one, but the first one that came to mind is the one I’ll mention:
The entire Chapt. 34 in “Deathly Hallows” when Harry walks into the forest, contemplating his death (I don’t want to spoil this for anyone), turns the Resurrection Stone three times and, like the memory of the young Riddle, appeared James, Sirius, Lupin and Lily (all dead), they talk and tell Harry they will stay with him to the end; he asks his mother to stay close to him. I sobbed through the entire chapter (and others).
The scene in Hatchet where Brian returns to the plane. The end of The High King when Taran has to make a difficult choice. The Christmas caroling in The Dark is Rising. Riddles in the Dark in the Hobbit. Strider’s introduction with Bilbo’s letter in Fellowship of the Ring. The scene in False Prince near the river. Meg & Calvin arguing against IT in Wrinkle in Time. Eustace being undraggoned in Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Last scene of A River Between Us by Richard Peck caused me to gasp. The Great Brain by John Fitzgerald was a great read aloud to my 5th graders after noon recess. 6th grade would line up by our door after their drinks and remember the parts from last year. My favorite–when the freight agent delivers the brand new toilet to the Fitzgerald house and opens it to “check for damage” while the rest of the town stands in awe of why anyone would want a smelly “back house” inside of their house. Guaranteed laughs.
When Jimmy is blinded by the firecracker on the baseball field in James Garfield’s “Follow My Leader.”
In Heroes of Olympus when Percy is trying to scare the pirates and He says “Tremble before DIET COKE!!” and then Frank turns into a crazy dolphin!
In RULES, when Catherine helps Jason experience what running feels like…laughed until I cried. Also the scene prior to the running scene where she tells Jason’s mom where she is taking him.
Dally crumpling under the street light in The Outsiders. I read that book aloud to my seventh graders for thirteen years and never tired of discussing that powerful moment in the novel.
Without question, the climax of Watership Down. Woundwort asks why Bigwig is fighting him, and Bigwig replies “my captain told me to.” Since Woundwort assumes that leadership comes by intimidation, he is terrified. Hazel’s leadership by wisdom and compassion has colored my perspective ever since.
In HP and the Deathly Hallows’ epilogue, Harry kneeling down with his son at King’s Cross Station and revealing his full name – Albus Severus – evokes many emotions. Definitely Roland’s unwinding in Unwind – so creepy! The sweetness of Day and June “meeting” at the end of Champion. And the balance of humor and poignancy of the “Armistice Day” chapter in Richard Peck’s A Year Down Yonder.
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, when the Lord of the Nazguls says, “No living man may hinder me” when he’s trying to kill Theoden, and then Eowyn takes off her helmet and says “But no living man am I! You look upon a woman..” as she defends him.
I laugh every time I remember the scene in Dead End in Norvelt where his mother drags him off the baseball field.
I cry (and still can’t stop after 15 years) each time I think about the ending to Pink and Say.
I love Pink and Say, too. The story and honor of Pinkus Aylee live.
The end of When You Reach Me – when you realize what the Laughing Man has been doing all along.
The most memorable scenes for me would have to be the really deep and raw and incredibly romantic scenes. Those scenes stick with me for the longest time because they are just so pure and I haven’t read many books that can make me feel that way but I would have to say Elenour and Park definitely did it the best for me.
The fight that resulted in Old Dan’s death in Where the Red Fern Grows