Imagine you have a big room, and you want to fill it with your favorite things. You have a big list of things you love, but you can only pick 100 to put in your room. It's a big decision! This is kind of like what Le Monde, a French newspaper, did when they made a list of the 100 best books of the 20th century.
Now, these books aren't just any books. They are special books that people all around the world have loved and talked about a lot. They are books that maybe even your parents or grandparents have read when they were young.
The books on this list come from all over the world, and they might be written in different languages. But the cool thing is, they all got translated into French! That means they were turned from one language into another so that French people could read them too.
Some of the books on the list are about kids and their adventures, while others are about grown-ups and their struggles. Some are love stories, and some are spooky tales. There are books that are funny, and books that are sad. But they all have one thing in common: they are really, really good stories.
So if you ever want some ideas for books to read, you can check out Le Monde's list of the 100 best books of the century. Maybe one of them will become your new favorite book, and you will want to put it in your special room too!