The Wonderful Adventures of Nils
#3484.03 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1906 Reading commitment Low Selma Lagerlöf Last reviewed 2026-09-27
Overview
Selma Lagerlöf's Swedish classic of 1906-1907, written at the request of the national teachers' association as a geography reader for schoolchildren and grown into one of the best-loved children's books in the world. Nils Holgersson, a farm boy shrunk to thumb size for tormenting a household spirit, is carried off on the back of the farm gander with a flock of wild geese and flies the length of Sweden, province by province, learning its landscapes, animals and legends as he goes. Registered as one work in two volumes; the author was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Portal fantasy · For All ages
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (1906) core · 4.03 (12,615 ratings); Published in two volumes (1906, 1907) as one work; the English translation appeared as The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (1907) and The Further Adventures of Nils (1911). Written as a geography reader for Swedish schools at the request of the National Teachers' Association.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Wonderful Adventures of Nils? The Wonderful Adventures of Nils's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Wonderful Adventures of Nils finished? Complete (1906).
- How much reading does The Wonderful Adventures of Nils take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Wonderful Adventures of Nils ranked? #348 in this site's official ranking, based on 12,615 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #348?
Ranked #348 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.03 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (12,615 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #347, Goth Girl (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Complete · 13k ratings · Ranks #348 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment portal fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No award could be confirmed for the book itself; the author's Nobel Prize is a career honour.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.03 across 12,615 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon extension: The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (Selma Lagerlöf) accepted 2026-09-27
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
- University of Pennsylvania Digital Library Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-09-27
Rule: Core Canon = The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (1906-1907, one work in two volumes), standalone.