Michelle Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 What books have you read that were written for children, but you've enjoyed as an adult? Obviously Harry Potter falls in to this, but what else have you come across? I picked up The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud a while back, and that was pretty good. Good enough, in fact, that I'm considering getting the next two in the trilogy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 Quite a few recently, including Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz & The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgwick. I also love Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series. Several of Pratchett's books have been aimed at younger folks, such as The Amazing Morris & His Educated Rodents, Hat Full of Sky & Wee Free Men, not to mention The Brommeliad (the Nome Triligy of Truckers, Diggers & Wings) - they all count as firm favourites of mine. As do the Chronicals of Narnia in their entirity. I also read both Witch Child & Sorceress by Celia Rees, then went & looked for another of her books & came away with The Vanished - all three were very good. The Devil's Footsteps by E E Richardson was another one aimed at kids. Not to mention the wonderful Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark haddon which has been given critical acclaim. All these are without taking into account the Harry Potter series. I'm proud to say I often peruse the children's fiction section both in bookshops & the library (where Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca was nestled discretely on the shelf under "Teen Fiction"!). I'll gladly put my hand up & say "I love children's books!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopeanha Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I love children and teen books!!! As I read a lot of crime/thriller, I really enjoy to read a kids or teen book between. That lightens everything up a bit, you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 The Wind in the Willows Anne of Green Gables series The Secret Garden Most of the Harry Potter series The Railway Children A Traveller in Time Chinese Cinderella and that's just the ones I can think of off-hand. I'm with you Kell, I don't care who know's I love children's books. I had quite an argument once on another forum where one of the senior members stated that "children's books are for children." I feel it's a sign of immaturity and probably insecurity to take such a high-brow attitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Anastasia-series by Lois Lowry anything by Astrid Lindgren Story Girl -series by L. M. Montgomery The Little Vampire -series by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 The Chronicles of Narnia Watership Down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelofboox Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I love children's books. I'm still a teenager though (just about!) Young adult fiction is, by no means, restricted to young adults and children. Just as adult fiction can be read by young children! It would be a shame that adults who thought children's books were beneath them missed out on some awesome books because of it. My mother reads children's books for a living! Some books that are classed as "children's" are almost definitely for adults too! Take His Dark Materials, Tolkien, etc. Some of my favourites can be enjoyed by almost any age. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Phantom Tollbooth, the Wind on Fire trilogy, Wi-...okay, I'll stop, the list is endless. They can all be enjoyed by adults (if that's to their taste) who don't mind reading books written for young'uns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie2008 Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 I love children's books. One of my favourite authors is Roald Dahl and one my favourite books is The Twits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 I adored Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials Trilogy, and have read them all a number of times. Another favourite has been the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage - they are fab! And Terry Pratchett? He gets a thumbs up everytime from me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewell Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Roald Dahl - charlie and the chocolate factory Tolkein - The Hobbit I've read some of The Chronicles of Narnia since being a adult as well. I'm sure I would still love a lot of the books I read as a child. In fact, I think I now have a new book to add to my TBR list: Roald Dahl - George's marvelous medicine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iagegu Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 I would have to put all the Harry Potter books, The Northern Lights Trilogy by Philip Pullman, The Narnia Books by CS Lewis and the books by Arthur Ransome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Not to mention the wonderful Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark haddon which has been given critical acclaim. Is that really a childrens book ?? Goes to show the limit can be quite thin *laughs* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Los Ping Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 There are the obvious favorites like the Harry Potter and Inheritance series but my favorites are any book by Dahl and The Thief of Always by Clive Barker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Someone mentioned His Dark Materials... I don't care who says what about them being kids books, they're the kind of adults books that young'uns might enjoy. Give those same kids the books in 10-15 years time and they'll enjoy a whole other side of them. I love the Inkheart Trilogy - totally written for kids but absolutely superb. Can't wait to see the movie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewell Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 I had quite an argument once on another forum where one of the senior members stated that "children's books are for children." I feel it's a sign of immaturity and probably insecurity to take such a high-brow attitude. I agree with that statement. I think it's a shame to have an attitude like that. At the end of the day it's adults, with a childlike imagination, that wrote the books in the first place. And whatever books we enjoyed as children, if we disregard them now, we lose that part of ourselves. Whan i look back at a book i enjoyed when i was younger, it's like looking back at my childhood, which is an important part of anyone's life and development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mia Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Well said Jewell. I totally agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kay_loves_purple Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 I'm currently in the middle of the A Series of Unfortunate Events series and so far I am quite enjoying them. Another author of children books that I have really liked reading as an adult are E.Nesbit's books (especially Five Children and It) And of course Terry Pratchett. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Child.of.God.1989 Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Most younger people's books I read in building a relationship with a younger person like my nephew or a junior high girl in my church's youth group. No one has to tell me, though, to pick up a children's classic like George Macdonald's Sir Gibbie or C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia! Those older books are usually stimulating and adventurous without all the kinds of tension adult books have, like romance or betrayal. (Not that young adults can't handle reading about those situations.) Maybe I could see, though, where that high-brow senior is coming from. S/he may have seen too many people go for fast-paced, easy little reads rather than something that would change their life and make them think. That person shouldn't think they know what everyone else needs to spend their time in :-P , but maybe we can help others ease into really deep, rich things as well as fluffy favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewell Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I do see what you mean. Some may feel a little nervous being thrown into a deep book, so they stick to the fun stuff. But there are a lot of childrens books that can ease people into becoming more of a serious reader and a lot of childrens books are designed to teach us, not just how to read, but also values or priciples that will help in life. For example: choosing good friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anika Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I read an article about Brian Jacques in the newspaper and was impressed by his story. He used to go to hospitals and tell stories to children which he later turned into books: "The Redwall" stories. I found 'Mossflower' on a remainder table for just a few dollars so I bought it, even though it's a children's book, and it's pretty good actually! All the character's are animals and they have adventures similar to the fantasy books I've read. The dialogue is quite funny and the stories move at a quick pace. Overall very enjoyable!! If you haven't read any of these stories, I suggest you try one. Jacques is a prolific writer so there's many books to choose from. He's also written a couple of tales similar to R. L. Stevenson's "Treasure Island"--the first is called, "The Castaways of the Flying Dutchman" in which the characters are people. I will definitely read those next. Here's his website if you want to read more: http://www.redwall.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarvellousMedicine Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Children's books that I continue to enjoy as an adult are: Anything that's really well-constructed. I love good writing for its own sake, so even if I've outgrown the kind of story I can appreciate the craftsmanship. In children's books, I like very concise writing that manages to evoke a lot of mental image/ atmosphere with a few well-chosen words. Stuff that's beautiful and simple at the same time. Anything with a deeper message that strikes a chord, even if the events of the story when taken at face value are pure fantasy (I suppose the supreme example of this is The Little Prince, but also to a lesser extent stuff like Jonathan Livingston Seagull). And lastly, anything that appeals to the inner child in me to such an extent that I can actually enjoy it as much (and in exactly the same way) as I would have twenty years ago. That includes stuff like Harry Potter, Mortal Engines, Hermux Tantamoq (sp?), and so on. There's nothing clever going on when I read these, and I'm certainly not seeing any "deeper layers" that a kid wouldn't see. I'm just regressing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funrun Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 the BFG by Ronald Dahl the tommorrow series by John Marsden and most of his books charalote web Before I die are just some of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomwilson001 Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 I have read many books but the nost i liked out of them is The railway children..this book i suggest everyone should read it...there are many things which you can learn in your life through these books.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katrina1968 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 C.S. Lewis said it best when he said that most adults tend to underestimate the childs mind and their capacity to understand. He LOVES childrens books. He always said that he wrote books that he wanted to read and so he wrote the Narnia series. There was a man who practiced what he preached! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I still enjoy children books, and thank God I do, considering I am reading them all the time! Having a toddler, first, and fourth grader in the house I read a wide variety of children books. My favorite youngster books are any of the SkippyJon Jones variety, any of the Junie B. books, and the "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" series, those are all fun to read. I also recently read for my own enjoyment "The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas", which was quite thought provoking. I also revisited "The Diary of Anne Frank" which I appreciated much more as an adult. "The Devils Arithmetic" was decent as well. Also "Fever 1793" was a decent read. I am adding "My Side of the Mountain" to my library list as well. I LOVED this book as a child and my son just read it in school so I would like to read it so we can discuss the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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