Revealed:  Top 10 Greatest Heroes, Most Evil Villains and Future Classics in Children's Books To celebrate World Book Day, we asked booklovers across the UK and Ireland to vote for the greatest heroes and most evil villains in children's literature, plus the books predicted to become future children's classics. Thousands of votes were cast – and here are the results! GREATEST HEROES AND MOST EVIL VILLAINS Hooray – and boo! – as female heroes and villains vastly outnumber their male counterparts. While Harry Potter was voted the nation's favourite children’s book hero, and Harry Potter characters took 38% of the top ten vote for most evil villain, heroines also stormed the poll. Six out of the top ten heroes are female (with a further two being bears, albeit male!), like bookish Matilda Wormwood and fiesty Jo March. Harry Potter’s nemesis Lord Voldemort was voted most evil villain, but classic characters such as Cruella de Vil and Miss Trunchbull were also popular. Bill Sikes – who appeared nearly 180 years ago in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, the oldest character in the list – should take some evil pride in receiving nearly 5% of the vote to be named second most evil male villain. Top 10 Greatest Heroes 1. Harry Potter (Harry Potter series) 10.32% 2. Matilda Wormwood (Matilda) 8.62% 3. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter series) 7.92% 4. Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit) 5.86% 5. Lyra Belacqua (His Dark Materials series) 5.85% 6. Jo March (Little Women) 4.95% 7. Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games series) 4.78% 8. Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh) 4.05% 9. Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables) 3.93% 10. Paddington Bear (A Bear Called Paddington) 3.56% Top 10 Most Evil Villains 1. Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter series) 20.30% 2. Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter series) 12.64% 3. Cruella de Vil (The Hundred and One Dalmatians) 8.44% 4. The White Witch (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe) 7.40% 5. Miss Trunchbull (Matilda) 6.60% 6. Bellatrix Lestrange (Harry Potter series) 5.06% 7. Bill Sikes (Oliver Twist) 4.93% 8. The Grand High Witch (The Witches) 3.79% 9. Count Olaf (A Series of Unfortunate Events) 3.66% 10. Mrs Coulter (His Dark Materials series) 2.62%   FUTURE CHILDREN’S CLASSIC We can also reveal the 21st Century children’s book most likely to be considered a classic by future readers. While three books from the Harry Potter series shared just over 19% of the top ten vote, John Boyne’s acclaimed The Boy in the Striped Pyjamastopped the polls with over 15%. It was followed by Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. Top 10 Future Classics 1. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne (2006) 15.24% 2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (2003) 11.78% 3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (2007) 9.06% 4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (2003) 6.07% 5. The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler (2004) 5.95% 6. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (2000) 5.87% 7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (2005) 3.99% 8. Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo (2003) 3.84% 9. Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman (2001) 3.79% 10. How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (2003) 3.18%