TALES of a fantasy land behind a wardrobe, a heartbreaking war-time story and a child with phenomenal powers have topped a children's reading list.

The 10 books have been selected by the National Association for the Teaching of English and the TES magazine as a definitive guide to what youngsters should have covered before they leave primary school.

At the top of the chart is Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a timeless classic about a penniless boy who wins a competition to visit Willy Wonka's imaginative workplace where his spectacular treats are made.

In second place is Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian - a war time story about an evacuee from London - followed by Lewis Carroll's surreal Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

The majority of the list has been given the seal of approval by York's independent booksellers, but there was also surprise that some novels had failed to make the countdown.

Georgina Hallgate, of Lucius Books in Fossgate, said: "It's an excellent list, though I am surprised to see Narnia and Alice in Wonderland ahead of more modern favourites such as Harry Potter, though it's obviously a list of books children 'should' read, and not a list of books they are most likely actually to read.

"I am sure Paddington must have come close, too.

"I'm very pleased to see Roald Dahl so well represented but would have struggled to choose just two and would have had to include The BFG and Danny The Champion of the World."

The 1975 book tells the story of a father and son's battle against a businessman who wants to buy their land, and was also a favourite of Susie Lockie-Bloore and Hannah West, at Ken Spelman books, in Micklegate.

The pair picked novels with characters who challenge authority, including Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, but also the inspirational diary of Anne Frank, who documented her family's attempts to escape the clutches of Nazi soldiers during the Second World War.

Mrs Lockie-Bloore added: "We also chose The Hobbit because it helps children to connect with nature and be adventurous."

The full list: 1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl 2. Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian 3. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 4.Matilda by Roald Dahl 5. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson 6.The Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis 7.The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle 8.We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen 9.Dogger by Shirley Hughes 10.Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak