Top ten heroes and villains of children's literature
Female characters dominate lists as literary lovers mark World Book Day
Bitter rivals Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort have been voted the greatest hero and most evil villain of children's literature in a new survey to mark World Book Day.
Six of the top ten heroes were female, including Katniss Everdeen of The Hunger Games and Roald Dahl's Matilda, despite concerns over the under-representation of women and girls in children's literature.
The poll also showed that some characters remain memorable more than a century after their first appearance, with Little Women's Jo March and Anne of Green Gables' Anne Shirley both ranking highly, while Oliver Twist's Bill Sikes made the top ten villains.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Kirsten Grant, director of World Book Day, told the BBC the results "show that classic characters and stories stay with us, no matter how long ago we read them".
Women also dominated the list of ultimate baddies in children's literature, although the number one spot went to Harry Potter's nemesis. All in all, author JK Rowling seems to have quite the flair for crafting unforgettable villains, with two other characters from the series – sadistic teacher Dolores Umbridge and ruthless Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange – in the top ten.
When broken down by gender, the polls look slightly different. Harry Potter was the female readers' choice for best hero and won out overall, although among male respondents, he came second to The Hobbit's Bilbo Baggins.
While women tended to slightly favour female characters and men leaned towards males, their top tens suggest reading habits are no longer sharply divided along gender lines.
"Readers are refreshingly open to reading about characters of the opposite sex - though is it worrying so many of the greatest fictional villains are female?" Grant said.
See the top ten heroes and villains below:
Favourite heroes:
1. Harry Potter (Harry Potter, JK Rowling)
2. Matilda Wormwood (Matilda, Roald Dahl)
3. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)
4. Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien)
5. Lyra Belacqua (His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman)
6. Jo March (Little Women, Louisa May Alcott)
7. Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins)
8. Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh, AA Milne)
9. Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery)
10. Paddington Bear (A Bear Called Paddington, Michael Bond)
Most evil:
1. Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter)
2. Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter)
3. Cruella de Vil (The Hundred and One Dalmatians, Dodie Smith)
4. The White Witch (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, CS Lewis)
5. Miss Trunchbull (Matilda)
6. Bellatrix Lestrange (Harry Potter)
7. Bill Sikes (Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens)
8. The Grand High Witch (The Witches, Roald Dahl)
9. Count Olaf (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket)
10. Mrs Coulter (His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman)
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The hidden cost of lead exposure on American mental health
Under The Radar Millions of mental health diagnoses have been linked to childhood lead exposure in new study
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
What exactly are tariffs and how do they work?
The explainer Refresh your understanding ahead of Donald Trump's promise to levy heavy tariffs once he's back in office
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Sudoku medium: December 11, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why is recasting so difficult?
In The Spotlight Switching much-loved characters can cause confusion – and spark a backlash
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
J.K. Rowling's transphobic comments: a timeline
In Depth A collection of the "Harry Potter" author's anti-trans remarks
By Brendan Morrow Last updated
-
8 touring theater productions to mark on your calendar this fall
The Week Recommends A pop icon, Shakespeare reconsidered and a sublime musical about mortality are all on the boards
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
The UK's best film and TV studio tours
The Week Recommends From King's Landing to Diagon Alley, these are some of the country's most impressive sets
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Hogwarts Legacy and other boycott backlashes
Under the Radar Controversial Harry Potter video game is topping sales charts despite the J.K. Rowling controversy
By Sorcha Bradley Published
-
Hogwarts Legacy: to buy or to boycott?
Talking Point A new Harry Potter video game is facing a backlash from trans activists over J.K. Rowling’s views
By Asya Likhtman Published
-
Sport on TV guide: Christmas 2022 and New Year listings
Speed Read Enjoy a feast of sporting action with football, darts, rugby union, racing, NFL and NBA
By Mike Starling Published
-
House of the Dragon: what to expect from the Game of Thrones prequel
Speed Read Ten-part series, set 200 years before GoT, will show the incestuous decline of Targaryen
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published