Which books have you borrowed from your DCs and then really enjoyed?

Oh, forgot to add Howl to the top list (but not its sequel).

I tend to put Archer's Goon a bit lower in my list of faves; right next to Dogsbody, Eight Days of Luke, and Cart & Cwidder (the best of the Dalemarks), and The Ogre Downstairs which is hysterical.

I loved the concept behind Conrad's Fate, and Christopher's behaviour learning the ropes of ironing. It didn't feel as crowded a story as The Pinhoe Egg - you know how she piles in tons of characters towards the end, or endless relatives. Her books tend to interest me more when they are more focused on a few characters.

I thought that the Pinhoe Egg was actually quite good (better than Conrads Fate anyway). On the whole the issue with the later books is that they are just a bit pedestrian, but that might be just my high expectations.

I tend to read in the order books are written, but I think the order given by DD is fine.

I'd add Howl's Moving Castle to that top three, also DogsBody, Power of Three and Archers Goon are also great, and as a child my favourite (and the hardest to find when they went out of print) was Cart and Cwidder. Oh and Time of the Ghost is a good mystery and the Ogre Downstairs is good on the challenges of step families (plus a cool concept).

DH loves all the Roald Dahl books, and likes sitting on the bed listening whilst I read to DS. He was never read to as a child. :(

Mr Gum elicits much snorting, from me, think DS still a bit young.

DS only 6 so am making notes of some of the books mentioned for when he's a bit older....

little house on the prairie read by dh and me...

Spook's apprentice, Roald dahl...

How can I have forgotten Frank Cottrell Boyce? The man is brilliant.

The order we read the Chrestomanci books was -

Charmed Life
The Lives of Christopher Chant
Witch Week
The Magicians of Caprona
Stealer of Souls (short stories)
Conrad's Fate

I know there's also The Pinhoe Egg but I think like the other poster earlier, DWJ's books have lost their magic in the last few - that one, and The Game, and The House of Many Ways. I understand Enchanted Glass is better but I haven't read it yet.

The Chrestomanci books are great, but The Homeward Bounders is just as good, and the very best is Fire & Hemlock.

Which order did you all read the Chrestomanci Dianna Wynne Jones books in (we've just acquired a few of these too)? Looked on wiki and they have the chronological order and then the order DWJ suggests you read them in.

Any particular recommendations?

nooka, we only discovered the Septimus Heap books in this house this summer due to the fact that dd was given the third one (in French) as a school prize (Belgian school - don't think they realised it was a series and she didn't get to choose) so I bought the first two in English. Have read a few reviews now and it would seem that the fourth one isn't brilliant. Is that the one you were disappointed with?

I thought HOW I LIVE NOW was stunning. My 11-year-old daughter enjoyed it too.

The Biggest Kiss by Joanne Walsh. I love it!

I probably read/buy more children's books than adult books, as they are often more original and interesting, and deal with growing up, which I think we all do all our lives.

My all time favourite is Diana Wynne Jones, although her more recent books haven't really got quite the same magic as the ones she wrote in the 70s/80s. It's sad to hear that she is dying, but she must be quite old (or started writing very young).

I love, own and have read more than a few times a lot of the authors mentioned here (Joan Aitkin, Susan Cooper, Angie Sage, Philip Pullman, Garth Nix, Michell Paver, Cynthia Voight, Robert Cormier (although scary stuff), Anne Fine (both her childrens books and adult novels), Michael Morpurgo, Eoin Colfer, David Almond, Malorie Blackman) although there are a few I've not heard of and will be checking out.

Other authors I've enjoyed which haven't been mentioned are:
Sarah Prineas
Charlotte Hapte
Jenny Nimmo

My only problem now is getting my children to read them as they are quite suspicious of books I recommend, even though I have several times got it right - ds is addicted to Artemis and is racing through the Mr Monday series, whilst dd and I fought over the latest Septimus book (although it was a bit disappointing)

We don't do it the other way around so much, they both love the Warriors series, and I don't like anthropomorphism very much so I've not touched that really. But dd recently read all the Twilights, and I'll read those just to make sure we have the right sort of conversations (although dd at just 10 is at that horribly mature pre-teen stage and tells me that Bella is a poor role model who made bad choices, so I'm not too concerned!)

just noticed that holes is already mentioned. It's a cracking book, honestly.

Books aimed at teenagers can be very good - here are three I really liked.

Postcards from no mans land by Aidan Chambers. Read about it here

The boy in the striped pyjamas by John Boyne, here.

Holes by Louis Sachar here

Frank Cottrell Boyce-" Millions" and "Framed"(and Cosmic -not read this one but 13year old loved it.) (He's looking forward to his next one cos the hero has the same name and he met him at Manchester children's book festival and he was very kind and funny)

Phillip Reeves-" Mortal engines" and Phillip Pullman "his dark materials" read when youngest was tiny and still breast feeding he was like my Daemon.

David Almond "Skellig"

The Abhorsen series by Garth Nix but couldn't get into his weekdays ones!

The Spooks books by Joseph Delaney (nothing to do with the TV prog)

I also still love The Gruffalo (blush)

Charlotte Sometimes is one of my childhood faves too.

(There is a body of fans who seem to fervently adore everything that Meg Rosoff does but I'm pleased to find there are others here that have the same impression as I got of her work.)

BG - the David Almond one is The Fire-Eaters. It got so I was holding my breath reading about the night of the possible terrifying event of that book, even though I knew everything would be all right.

I like some Kevin Brooks but not all. Really enjoyed his latest - iBoy - and also Lucas; but not keen on The Road of the Dead. I find him hit and miss, but definitely for older teens.

Anne Fine - The Road of Bones: very much for older teens, very political and dark.

Also love,
My Side of the Mountain - Jean George;
The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler - EL Konigsburg.
Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson

Some Jacqueline Wilson books, especially the Illustrated Mum.

For a while I really wondered if I just wasn't getting Meg R, as critics seemed to rave about her. How I Live Now was okay but the others are terrible.

Yes to Marianne Dreams.

One of my favourite ever children's stories is Charlotte Sometimes - has anybody mentioned that yet?

ds (11) is very emphatic about how very really good Louis Sachar is - Holes and Small Steps thereafter ("it's got the same people in it")

I am really surprised not to have seen Catherine Storr on this thread. She's my idea of a genius - Clever Polly and Marianne Dreams and The Mirror-Image Ghost.

Another vote for Skellig, beautifully done and clever.

(No votes for Meg Rosoff, sorry, not impressed.)

'Holes' is superb - the film is excellent too.

Kevin brooks is good - better than Marcus Sedgewick, though do read him too.

I've read several of Garth Nix's books and thought they were all awful tbh. Just don't think he's a very good writer and it's all a bit cliched and laboured.

David Almond - Skellig, Heaven Eyes and the one called soemthing to do with fire are works of genius imho - the others less good. Skellig and Heaven Eyes in particular are heart-rendingly beautiful and make me weep. :)

Holes by Louis Sacher - I read it to Year 6 children, and every time I read it I make another link. It's such a clever book - please read it!

Agree with Dastardly - Sharon Creech's Love That Dog is fab, fab, fab. She's written some other really good books too - very whimsical.

I love the sort of teenage books which aren't just chicklit sex/relationships type ones.

My favourites:

Geraldine McCaughrean - my absolute favourite
Garth Nix - don't like Abhorsen, but Mister Monday etc are good
Patrick Cave - Sharp North
Alan Gibbons
Rachel Anderson
Melvyn Burgess
Philip Reeve - Mortal Engines series
Eoin Colfer - Artemis Fowl
Alex Shearer
Marcus Sedgewick
David Almond
Malorie Blackman
Alan Garner
Rosemary Sutcliffe
Anthony Horowitz - Alex Rider ones
Kevin Brooks (not for younger teens IMO)
Philip Pulman

...I just don't know where to stop.

I can often be found in the teenage section of our library. Unfortunately DS is only 8 months old so I don't have much of an excuse!

I cry every time at Goodnight Mr. Tom too!

"He called me Dad...he called me Dad."

Bruffin - Stargirl is wonderful isn't it?

I really didn't like the Wind Singer books but absolutely love Garth Nix's Abhorsen series (Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen). If you like Pullman you'll love these.

Adore Love that Dog

Also a great kids book is Jennifer Donnelly's A Gathering Light.

really enjoyed Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper (young adult category)

Another vote for The Dark is Rising series - just in the middle of sharing Harry Potter with DS1 where we read a few pages each to each other and having thought it was all just hype I am more obsessed than he is.

I've bought the Susan Cooper books for after.

And I can't remember who it was earlier on the thread who owns a complete set of Chalet School books, but I am very - in the days before Amazon etc I struggled to find many of these, and now I only have boys who are unlikely to be as interested!

I love the Toilet of Doom and the other jiggy McCue books by Michael Lawrence. They are very funny but I did get many strange looks when reading them on the train.

I have also read lots of her Enid Blyton books as they are a nice quick read.