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?

Diana Wynne Jones is fabulous.

I enjoyed ds's 3 Bartimeus books by Jonathan Stroud and then I read the 3 Book of Time books by Guillaume Prevost after ds had finished with them.

The Bartimeus ones were great becaus ethey're so long and I read too fast so love thick long books!

My problem now, ds is looking on my bookshelf for stuff to read but alot of it is unsuitable for a 12 year old. I gave him The Alchemist and he read it in 2 nights, he's on The Book Thief at the moment.

Agree about Diana Wynne-Jones (I checked out her website the other day and sadly it seems that she's in the late stages of terminal cancer ).

All the Neil Gaiman children's books are fabulous - Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Odd and the Frost Giants.

Un Lun Dun by China Mieville.

Does anyone remember an american writer called Edward Eager? I used to get Half Magic out of the library about twice a month and re-read it when I was a little girl.

I read the Garth Nix Abhorsen trilogy a few years ago and thought that was pretty good.

Recently
Noughts and Crosses - Malorie Blackman
The Tulip Touch - Anne Fine
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

admylin - I've read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, I'm going to pass it on, glad to hear your ds enjoyed it.

Nicholas Tucker and Julia Eccleshare have published
'The rough guide to books for teenagers' on amaozon I've found it very useful.

I am off to investigate some of these on Amazon now. I am still reading to DS1, who is 10, at bedtime, even though he is an excellent reader so it is good to hear suggestions that both of us will love.

There is a website called Lovereading4kids.co.uk which I subscribe to which has loads of tempting books on it - certainly worth a look. You can even download extracts to get a taster - almost like being able to browse in a RL bookshop. (Apologies if you all already know about it and I am preaching to the converted).

has anyone read 'Three Girls and a Baby' by Renee Guillot.

I read it aged about 11 yrs-is set in Paris in the 50s and is about one of the girls secretly squatting in an derelict apartement to look after an abandoned baby helped by her friends!

Across the Nightingale Floor
Revolver
Fever Crumb

All brilliant

DD is only 2, so I can't really claim I'm getting the books for her sake. But yes, I love many of the books mentioned above. Enthralled (and terrified) by the Spook books by Joseph Delaney. Also love Terry Prattchett and the Artemis Fowl and Skulduggery Pleasant books. Also Angie Sage. Must give the Percy Jackson books a go based on recommendations here.

Childhood books I would still happily read - the Borrowers, Susan Cooper. Never got into Alan Garner - maybe I should try as an adult. Even though I didn't like him, the book Red Shift seems lodged in my brain somehow.

I can echo and definitely recommend The Hunger Games - have just finished the 3rd one and it's bloody fantastic
(as they all are - completely hooked, i tell you)

Also,
Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman
Possessing Rayne by Kate Cann
Robert Cormier - After the First Death is still amazing
as is The Chocolate WAr
Under a War-Torn Sky by LM Elliott.
The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotsen (actually, any of hers)
Smith by Leon Garfield - that's fantastic

i haven't borrowed any from children - i "have" to read these for work! - i hardly ever read adults' books now, they're too boring!

Also, SE Hinton, and seconding Robert Cormier, esp. The Chocolate War.

NicknameTaken, Red Shift would stick in anyone's brain and is terrifyingly good; not for the under 15's really. Elidor is very spooky.

I love the Mr Gum books that dd (7) is reading.
They are hilarious!

meg rosoff has another book too - Justin case, got that fomr the pund shop when n holiday this summer and really enjoyed it!

Okay, Dandy, you've encouraged me to get Red Shift from the library again!

I also endorse the Dark is Rising.
Anything by Nancy Breary if you can get it.
Hilary McKay's Casson books
The 'Susan' books - dated but funny.

Lots of these, plus (don't think any one has mentioned it yet) Kevin Crossley Holland's Arthurian quartet starting with The Seeing Stone.

spiritmum - I loved the Little White Horse, so much. I re-read it endlessly as a child and read it again a few weeks ago - still cried at the end!

Yes, yes to all the Philip Pullman fans. Fanastic books.

Also, another favourite, that I re-read recently, is T H White's 'The Sword in the Stone'

Many have already been mentioned, but these are definite favourites:
Oscar and the lady in pink by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt and Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo.
Also anything by Astrid Lindgren (Pippi Longstocking, The brothers Lionheart and Ronia, the robber's daughter etc.)

My children are too young really... but have to say GOODNIGHT MISTER TOM is one of my all time faves. And yes I cry every single time.

All the standard GCSE ones mentioned, particularly To Kill a MOckingbird I read regularly.

The Book Thief is also great and so sad.

Another vote for His Dark Materials. I wanted to call DD Lyra but DH wasn't having it!

NicknameTaken, if you re-read Red Shift and feel "Whaaaaaa???" don't worry either, as it totally boggles me (as well as fascinating me). But I have a couple of links to very good explanatory articles on it (plus the translation of the encoded letter at the end is google-able), if you want to contact me at any point.

Ta, DD!

I love the Cherub series too. Makes me want to be an orphan so I can become a spy!

Also good:
The Day My Bum Went Psycho (had to get off the train I was laughing so hard)
Alex Rider Series
Young Bond series
Any Enid Blyton
Any Laura Ingalls Wilder
Goodnight Mr Tom