# Children's books to be read by adults.....



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

There are some children's books that can still be enjoyed by adults. I can think of quite a few, but I'm going to mention just one here:

The Twenty One Balloons, by William Pene Dubos

http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-One-Balloons-William-Pene-Bois/dp/0140320970/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258956679&sr=1-1

The book is set in the 1880s, and as you would guess, balloons play a prominent part. The book begins at the end of the adventures of Professor William Waterman Sherman. A steamship picks him up in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean floating on a big wrecked wooden platform that holds twenty large balloons. Unusual, but not shocking unless you consider that he had last been reported two months earlier heading out over the PACIFIC Ocean from San Francisco, on a SINGLE balloon with a small gondola underneath. The book explains how he got from one situation to the other, and involves volcanoes, diamonds, and of course many different lighter-than-air vehicles. I read it in the fourth grade, and liked it a lot. Just reread it a month ago (about the same time I got my Kindle) for the first time since childhood, and I still enjoyed it! Not available on the Kindle, alas. Don't just take my word for it that this is good; the book won the Newberry Medal the year it was published. The Newberry Medal is a very prestigious award for children's books. In addition to the text (Takes perhaps 90 minutes to two hours to read) it has excellent illustrations by the author.

Below is one of the author's illustrations, not the one I'd have chosen, but it seems to be the only one on the internet:










What are kid's books that you recommend for adults? Preferably available on Kindle, but if not we will just have to make do!


----------



## 1131 (Dec 18, 2008)

I enjoy the Lemony Snicket books











This is the link to book 1

I am on a mission to read all the Curious George Books but some people don't consider those interesting for adults. Don't really know why


----------



## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Neil Gaiman's Coraline.  I decided to read this after I saw the film on dvd.


----------



## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

My DH always refers to the Harry Potter books as children's books, but I disagree. I think they're just great books that have children as the main characters.


----------



## RavenclawPrefect (May 4, 2009)

4Katie said:


> My DH always refers to the Harry Potter books as children's books, but I disagree. I think they're just great books that have children as the main characters.


The author has said numerous times she did not write them as children's books, they were marketed that way.

I would recommend the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. They were writtern for a younger audience but they grow with the audience like the main character grows. Even adults would enjoy reading these.

Where the Red Fern Grows and Summer of the Monkeys but Wilson Rawls are also very good.


----------



## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

The Dark is Rising series is excellent. It is a good read for kids and adults.


----------



## Carol Hanrahan (Mar 31, 2009)

As always, dear in my heart, Black Beauty!


----------



## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

ravenclawprefect said:


> The author has said numerous times she did not write them as children's books, they were marketed that way.


I didn't know that!


----------



## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

I have read enjoyed

Savvy  by Ingred Law


I agree with all the privious posts. 

I failed at making a link to it, it is available on amazon kindle
sylvia


----------



## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

ravenclawprefect said:


> I would recommend the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. They were writtern for a younger audience but they grow with the audience like the main character grows. Even adults would enjoy reading these.


Totally agree with you about the Laura Ingalls Wilder series. My parents got them for me when I was a kid, and I only read the first two or so and didn't think they were that great. Just found them again and am going through them...enjoying them very much this time around.

N


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Tokien's _The Hobbit_ should be on this list, of course. 

Terry Pratchett has written a number of "young adult" books I quite liked, which may or may not be considered "childrens' books" depending on how you define "children", I guess. I especially enjoyed the "Tiffany Aching" trilogy and _The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents_, all of which take place in his "Discworld" milieu; and then there are also _Nation_, the "Bromeliad" triology, and the "Johnny Maxwell" series (of which I found _Only You Can Save Mankind_ to be surprisingly moving).


----------



## lmoroney (Nov 23, 2009)

Shameless self-plug I know, but my book "The Fourth World" was originally aimed at teens and tweens, but I have more adult readers! http://bit.ly/6zmLvm


----------



## lmoroney (Nov 23, 2009)

OOps, sorry -- Kindle link is here:

http://www.amazon.com/Fourth-World-Legend-Locust-ebook/dp/B002X793OC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259013035&sr=1-2


----------



## Maxx (Feb 24, 2009)

I love Charlotte's Web


----------



## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

_Mara, Daughter of the Nile_, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. Read it numerous times between ages 9 and 13, came across it again at age 35ish and still liked it then. Come to think of it, that means I haven't read it in almost 15 years -- must be time to go dig it out again. Not available on Kindle, but I just clicked for it to be!


----------



## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

Z for Zachariah (not on Kindle, sadly)
http://www.amazon.com/Z-Zachariah-Robert-C-OBrien/dp/1416939210/

I also really enjoyed City of Ember (Kindle edition)
http://www.amazon.com/City-Ember-First-Book-ebook/dp/B000FBFNME/


----------



## Flechette (Nov 6, 2009)

House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast  tween vampire books that I find much better than Twilight
MC is 16 year old girl and is marked to become a vampire, turns out she going to be a very powerful one - Authors intermingle vampires and Native American Indian lore for a really different style world

  (sorry Twilight fans, I simply couldn't get into the series - I gave up half way thru the second book cause I really really wanted to slap Bella or have her die horribly)


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Flechette said:


> (sorry Twilight fans, I simply couldn't get into the series - I gave up half way thru the second book cause I really really wanted to slap Bella or have her die horribly)


I felt that way after reading the sample. . . . . .  But isn't it great that there are so many choices! It's o.k. that we don't all like the same thing. . . . .


----------



## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

I love children's books and read them all the time. (although I do have the excuse of being a Reading teacher ) Recently, I've enjoyed the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, and am just getting ready to read the last one.


----------



## Carol Hanrahan (Mar 31, 2009)

I just finished The Hunger Games, which is aimed at YA, so maybe not Children, per se.  It was just ok, IMO.  I know alot of people on these boards loved it, though.


----------



## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I have found that I have enjoyed reading Robert Cormier's work as an adult. He is the author of I am the Cheese and The Bumblebee Flies ANyway but has written a ton of other good books


----------



## MarthaT (Mar 3, 2009)

Thanks for all the suggestions


----------



## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

I'm making my way through D.J. MacHale's Pendragon series and enjoying the new world-building that occurs in almost every book.  Another series I probably wouldn't have tried if not for the book 1 freebie a while back.

N


----------



## hrm294ever (Nov 28, 2009)

Hi everyone!
I'm new here, just joined today. My kindle DX is on it's way to me, should show up tomorrow. I'm itching for it and have a wish list a mile long of books I want to download. Anyway, three well written kids books that I would recommend for adults are The Book Thief and I am the Messenger by Markus Zusack and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. I completely recommend these. They may have been written for kids, but they definitely have more adult themes and I think adults can definitely appreciate them on a whole different level than the kids. The links are below.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Thief-ebook/dp/B000XUBFE2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1259379843&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/I-Am-the-Messenger-ebook/dp/B001BZRUR4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1259380074&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Striped-Pajamas-ebook/dp/B001O1O71C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1259379943&sr=1-1

I can't wait to get my fat little fingers on my DX so can hit the books! :-D


----------



## BoomerSoonerOKU (Nov 22, 2009)

I'd like to recommend the Xanth novels by Piers Anthony. I remember reading these as a kid and being enthralled. Similar to many of the "kids" movies nowadays, children enjoy these books but there is also quite a bit of adult humor. I haven't read all of them, but I know at least the first 3 to 5 still entertain me today.


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

The kids and I just finished The BFG by Roald Dahl and it was laugh out loud funny. 

The Abhorsen series by Garth Nix and the Faire Folk series by Gillian Summers are both very good. 

I now spend 3-4 hours each day reading with the kids (which is why you haven't seen much of me lately), so I'm always looking for books that I'll enjoy as much as they do.


----------



## Emma (Aug 1, 2009)

Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy (Northern Lights, Subtle Knife, Amber Spyglass).  Also his Sally Lockhart series.  Highly recommended.


----------



## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

luvmy4brats said:


> The kids and I just finished The BFG by Roald Dahl and it was laugh out loud funny.


My kids loved all of his books. Expecially my oldest, but then he has a very twisted sense of humor himself.


----------



## kellyabell (Sep 4, 2009)

I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder as well.  I also liked the Chronicles of Narnia series.  There are so many good young adult books that I enjoy.  I like Harry Potter, I like James Patterson's Maximum Ride series.  I wasn't as crazy about his Danilel X series but if you like stories about Aliens you might enjoy them.  

I'd like to recommend Haunted Destiny as well.  It's written for Young Adults but getting good reviews from adults as well.  

Finally I liked all the books by Jack London.  I was an animal story fan as a kid and still love them.  Olde Yeller is another good one.  I second the comment made about Black Beauty, that's a classic.  

Happy Reading


----------



## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

luvmy4brats said:


> The kids and I just finished The BFG by Roald Dahl and it was laugh out loud funny.


I read this one to my class every year and can hardly get through the


Spoiler



frobscottle and whizzpoppers


 without laughing until I cry.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

I'd like to recommend the Chrestomanci books by Diana Wynne Jones


----------



## Eclectic Reader (Oct 28, 2008)

Aravis60 said:


> I read this one to my class every year and can hardly get through the
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


Aravis60, I'm a Youth Services Librarian in a public library, and I agree--this is a book that makes a great read aloud--in the classroom or in the family. And that particular chapter is my favorite! ;-)


----------



## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Loved the Percy Jackson books here as well.

Also enjoyed this year (current releases):

The Alchemyst, Book 1, Nicolas Flamel Series








Magyk, Book 1, Septimus Heap series








Shadowmagic









Old favorites that are still in my DTB library & get reread at least once a year:

The Anne of Green Gables & Emily of New Moon series (both by L.M. Montgomery)
Island of the Blue Dolphins (Scott O'Dell)
Watership Down (Richard Adams)--technically not children's/YA, but I read it at age 9, so I tend to think of it that way!
The Chronicles of Prydain (Lloyd Alexander)


----------

