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

[5Foot5]

About 4 years ago while on holiday I had got fed up with exahusted my own holiday reading so borrowed one of DDs (she was 10 at the time) It was one of the Robert Muchamore "Cherub" books and I found it fun, escapist stuff and have read several others since then.

While on holiday this year she was in stitches over a book called "Spud" by a South African writer called John van de Ruit. I borrowed it at the weekend and have just finished it. Marvellously funny book!

However, she still has not managed to interest me in the Twilight saga.

Which books have your DCs introduced you to?

Holes by Louis Sacher. I just loved it's neatness.
Ariesgirl - DS2 has just been reading the William Nicholson trilogy. I couldn't get a word out of him while he was reading them. They were library books though so taken back now. Might have a borrow if they're that good.

My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick.

The Disappearance of Katerina Lind

The Mortal Engines series

Those William Nicholson books mentioned further upthread: The Windsinger etc

Michael Morpurgo's books; especially Private Peaceful and Warhorse.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

This is more books I read as I child that I would still happily read as an adult...Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian, The Railway Children by E Nesbitt, and most Roald Dahl. In addition, Children's books I have read happily as an adult - latterly on recommendation from DD, formerly because of working with children - I'd add Skelling and Kit's Wilderness by David Almond, and books by Eva Ibbotson and Sally Gardner.

I got hooked on Harry Potter!

battery I liked the Judi Canavan series too! Will eventually get around to the Eragon ones

Triskelion - will peterson. Was reading it to ds and ended up wanting to know what happened next...

Goodnight Mr Tom (I sobbed so hard I woke up DH. NOTHING wakes up DH normally...)

the Lemony Snicketts series.

I read my first pratchett which was a book of dd1's Amazing Maurice and his Educated rodents. It was a romp. Quite fun.

Inkheart Trilogy and Harry Potter, although I read those before DS

Really silly ones that I have read with DS1 at bed time include all the Hiccup books and also Urgum the Axeman which I think are really funny. And Muddle Earth too.

pointydog I read the Amazing Maurice to DD when she was younger. It's a blast!

Since then she has got in to Pratchett quite a lot mainly because DH has them all.

Diana wynne-jones! And those who also love her have you read Sarah Rees Brennan's The demon's Lexicon- fab!

I reread Alan Garner's The Owl Service as an adult, with my book group. We were all still absolutely terrified by it.

I'm getting quite excited at the idea of reading some of these.

I love childrens' literature anyway - made up a large part of my degree.

Now I'm longing to read some Alan Garner again.

I came to Pratchett through reviewing 'Jonny and the Bomb' for the university mag. I think I've read everything he's published.

Any Roald Dahl book, dcs are just getting into these im glad to say.

Harry potter, years before dcs read them lol.

Jacqualine Wilson.

For real escapisum it has to be the garfeld cartoon books still leave me with tears rolling down my face lol.

I love Artemis Fowl!!!! Only 2 left to go...

I wonder if Percy Jackson is similar / any good!?!

Mr Gumm has me laughing so hard I can't breathe when DH reads it to the kids.

I started reading the first Alex Ryder to the boys one holiday and sat up all night by torchlight because I couldn't put it down. If you like thrillers, they are fantastic.

Classics: The Phantom Tollbooth, Just William, The Silver Sword.

Not read it but everyone I know says the teen novel The Knife of Never Letting Go is brilliant - my kids are too young so might get it for me first...

It has already been mentioned but have to re-iterate THE HUNGER GAMES and it's two sequels. All completely brilliant reads.

Alan Garner's Elidor is brilliant - really chilling. Also love Arthur Ransome (not all of them, but Swallows & Amazons and We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea), Louise Fitzhugh (Harriet the Spy), Noel Streatfeild (Ballet Shoes, White Boots, Curtain Up) and of course Harry Potter.

Can definitely recommend Percy Jackson - it's very funny and taught me all sorts of Greek myths.

Watership Down -superb! Rabbits!

Also Harry Potter, Jacqueline Wilson (although it ALWAYS makes me cry - especially Tracey Beaker and Vicky Angel )

Ones I've tried to interest my kids in from my own well-loved store: Noel Streatfeild, Ruby Ferguson, K M Peyton (Flambards etc)
...and did I mention I own a complete set of Chalet School books?

I liked lots of the ones already mentioned, but I have to put in a plug for Hilary McKay's Casson family books. I love those, and they still all make me cry at some point. (Tears of joy :) )

Love the Anne of Green Gables books, and a book called Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher.

Like Nymphadora, I do a lot of reading of children's and YA novels, and also reading about up-coming novels, and I recommend them to my kids; we have at least 2000 books in the house for ages 10-17. But the ones I'd particularly recommend are the Mortal Engines series by Philip Reeve (and the Larklight series as well), Bloodsong/Bloodtide by Melvin Burgess, all of Diana Wynne Jones, all of Jan Mark, David Almond, Hilary McKay and Aidan Chambers; How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff is good but I think her books have gone downhill since that first one. And then books by Sonya Hartnett (major award-winning Australian author). I'm not keen on Hunger Games or Chaos Walking but I'll likely read the last in those trilogies just to finish them off.

Also recommend any amount of Alan Garner, as mentioned above.

I wouldn't be happy if I wasn't able to read and enjoy all the books my kids read, and be able to chat about them and suggest others they might like. Even when they're all adults, I'll still read YA books.

The Boy in the striped pyjamas.

fab thread. i read lots of older crossover fic, but for kids stuff i would say...

cynthia voight - fab american author.

second the ever-fab diane wynne-jones.

the pullman sally lockhart books are just ace. as obvs are the northern lights ones, but there's a time to be clever and a time to just read.

trashy but page-turny - the garth nix sabriel trilogy books.

i love melvin burgess's bloodtide and it's sequel. kids fic at it's best.

i just read an ace book - [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Radleys-Matt-Haig/dp/1847678602 the radleys] a smarter, very british take on current vampire stuff.

oh and lian hearn's otori trilogy. my fave books for a long time, though more of a teenage read that the ones people are listing.

I could quite easily get lost in Enid Blyton's Far Away Tree and Enchanted Wood.
So much so that I have just bought 2 reeeealy old versions of on Ebay and DD (and me of course!) are loving them

Brings back memories .....

x-posts dandydan re melvin burgess's blootide/song. i can take or leave other burgess but those two are just ace. agree with you re chaos walking - central premise never quite rings true for me. though i'll also be reading the third in series once it's in paperback.

Tyaca

I have Cynthia Voight's 'Home Coming' on my book shelf behind me, it is as fabulous now as it was when I was 10