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Original poster

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

180 replies

5Foot5 · 15/09/2010 16:57

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?

OP posts:
DandyDan · 17/09/2010 11:03

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.

thirdname · 17/09/2010 12:15

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

Spook's apprentice, Roald dahl...

taffetacat · 17/09/2010 14:22

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....

nooka · 17/09/2010 16:06

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).

DandyDan · 17/09/2010 16:39

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.

trice · 17/09/2010 17:44

I always want to write the sequel to Diana Wynne Jones books as I am desperate to know what happens next.

I love the Skulduggary Pleasant series by derek landy. Quite artemis fowlish but with a great heroine.

basildonbond · 17/09/2010 20:15

my secret slightly guilty pleasure of a few months back was charging through all the Alex Rider books - grabbed them as soon as ds had finished them ....

msyikes · 17/09/2010 21:12

Framed and Millions by Franbk Cottrell Boyce. Cosmic was OK too but Framed especially I thought was really sweet and really clever.

The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban is a beautiful book.

BelligerentGhoul · 17/09/2010 21:14

Yes, 'Framed' deffo the best - VERY funny too!

msyikes · 17/09/2010 21:19

OOh also not a big fan of Meg Rossoff, though find the ideas clever, something doesn't connect with me... What I Was was quite good, clever, but I don't get the v high praise.

taffetacat Mr Gum makes me laugh too, and ds absolutely cracked up at something in the first one, a simile about a pizza or something, can't remember, but we both ended up rofling. Every now and then I'll read a sentence of it and ds will say 'what?!! read me that bit again?!' in disbelief that he has really heard what he thinks he has. Brilliant books.

Most, not all, David Almond. Gets a bit samey but I love Skellig and Counting Stars.

msyikes · 17/09/2010 21:23

pmsl BelligerentGhoul the ludicrous hut one by Meg Rossoff was What I Was I think!

msyikes · 17/09/2010 21:27

Agree with all who said the Lian Hearn books, they are FAB!

The funniest/ most outrageous book for teenagers I ever read was called 'Lady' by Melvin Burgess, about a girl who turns into a dog. It was absolutely SHOCKING, but so so funny, and a great ending.

MsInterpret · 17/09/2010 21:56

Oh I LOVED Charlotte Sometimes when I was little.

Michael Morpurgo - Kensuke's Kingdom
Once - Morris Gleitzmann
Read these to my class and thoroughly enjoyerd them.

Also love picture books, though less of a 'read' can be so moving - anyone heard of Simon James? Leon & Bob and Dear Greenpeace my faves of his but they're all great!

GroupieGirl · 17/09/2010 22:56

bruffin I loveloveloved Stargirl...thank you for reminding me. I shall have to hunt down a copy methinks.

Also the Cynthia Voight books are great for young teenagers.

Lion Boy, by Zizou Corder was a good read.

My absolute facourite picture book is Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister. The illustrations are beautiful.

bruffin · 18/09/2010 10:14

It's DD's 13th birthday today Groupiegirl and I bought her a set from amazon of Stargirl, Love Stargirl, and a stargirl diary.
She had it from the library before, but it's on her reading list for year 8 and she wanted to read it again.

VoldemortsNipple · 18/09/2010 10:34

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.

DD came home with it in Y7. It was before the film came out. The original book had a blurb that told you nothing about the book as the author wanted you to discover the story as it unfolded. The cover gave nothing away either.

I made everybody read it afterwards without telling them what the story was.

I read Once after that and enjoyed it just as much.

fsmail · 18/09/2010 10:41

The John Wyndham books, especially the Chrysalids is a great read for kids and adults. I introduced it to my DS after remembering it from my childhood and he loved it.

huffythethreadslayer · 18/09/2010 11:04

I loved Wyndham from when I was a kid, and I hated adult books (not that sort...cheeky) when I grew up, but have since become slightly more sophisticated in my taste (only took me til I was 40) but I still love kids books most.

I pre-ordered the last Artemis Fowl book, having read the first one a year ago and getting the rest on the DS Flip a couple of months ago. I love Eoin Coiffer .

I have read recenlty:-

Eragon
Inkheart trilogy (love Cornelia Funke)
Dragon Rider (Cornelia again)
Dark Materials trilogy and add on (Pullman)
Assorted Dianne Wynne Jones Crestomanci books
Amazing Maurice (Pratchett), Johhny and the Bomb, Diggers, Truckers and Wings.
Twilight (thought it was average, but o.k.)
Coraline and Stardust - Neil Gaiman
Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen - Garth Nix

Couldn't get into the windsinger trilogy.

Am off to google books for kids so I can see what I fancy next :)

gibbberish · 18/09/2010 11:11

James Patterson's 'Maximum Ride' series - absolutely brilliant.

Lemony Snicket.

Vernon Coleman's 'Alice' books.

Oh and have just read an Ali Sparkes book which was very good.

TheFirstLady · 18/09/2010 17:11

I just read another good one last night, pressed on me by DD1 whose library book it is. Witch Hunt - a non-fiction book about the Salem witches. What is especially good is the author wrote a final chapter about the McCarthy anti-communist witch hunts of the 1950s and how they inspired (if that's the right word) The Crucible, which I thought was an excellent way of contextualising it for teenagers.

bandgeek · 18/09/2010 17:24

My DC are 4 and 5 so still a bit young for a lot of these books mentioned, but it hasn't stopped me reading them :)

I am currently rereading all the Little House on The Prairie series and having rosy daydreams about a travelling lifestyle and singing to a fiddle every night with a well behaved family living in harmony Grin

With the DC I'm reading Roald Dahl - we are currently doing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and have done the Twits. We all love them!

bandgeek · 18/09/2010 17:25

My DC are 4 and 5 so still a bit young for a lot of these books mentioned, but it hasn't stopped me reading them :)

I am currently rereading all the Little House on The Prairie series and having rosy daydreams about a travelling lifestyle and singing to a fiddle every night with a well behaved family living in harmony Grin

With the DC I'm reading Roald Dahl - we are currently doing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and have done the Twits. We all love them!

AngelDog · 18/09/2010 20:55

I forgot to add Tim Bowler to my list - he writes some of the best books out there for older teenagers IMO. Some are kind of odd, but seriously good.

And Catherine/Cathy MacPhail and Catherine Forde are usually good too.

BelligerentGhoul · 18/09/2010 22:08

Yes to Tim Bowler, though I can't remember any titles off-hand.

I really like the Pratchett ones about the little carpet people too.

DandyDan · 18/09/2010 22:14

msyikes mentioned the book 'Lady' by Melvin Burgess. It is just about the only book I would not let my kids read until they are out of their teens. That's hard for me to write since I have never censored any other book for my kids, including Burgess's other contentious books - Junk and Doing It. But I would recommend if anyone gets it from a shop or the library, they actually read it before their kids do, and make up their own mind.