Good kid/adult books

What are some good children’s books that are equally if not more meaningful for adults?

I would nominate The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.

The Island by Gary Paulsen. Nice coming of age introduction to self-reliance and meditation.

His Dark Materials.

Charlotte’s Web is one that springs to mind as a book I read both as a kid and as an adult, and I got things out of it when I read it as an adult that I didn’t notice when I was a kid: how well it’s written, and the sadness of its emphasis on mortality.

Really, though, just about any really good children’s book has at least the potential to speak to adults.

Too late to edit last post, sorry.

To elaborate on why I think it’s (His Dark Materials) good for adults and children, I first read book one when Harry Potter book 4 had just been released, so I’d have been 9. First time around, book 1 was just a charming fantasy adventure, and compared to the following books it really is light on the symbolism and philosophy. So that was a great time to read it. Similarly for the next two books, at the time I didn’t get everything they were about, but enjoyed them as a fantasy story.

As I re-read the series multiple times growing up (at least once a year), I was constantly finding new understanding, recognising more of the symbolism, philosophy and real-world significance. I’m still finding new meaning in them all the time - until I had turned 20 and actually been in love for the first time, I didn’t completely get the romance subplot with Will and Lyra.

These books had a massive influence on who I am today, while first time around they were nothing but an engrossing fantasy tale with no deeper meaning. A lot of people would say they’re inappropriate for younger children, but I think they can be enjoyed at any age, and giving them to a younger kid will give them the chance to re-read and enjoy them on different levels over the years until adulthood.

I would say Watership Down. I thought it was going to be about a boat. I read it at seven. I read it about once a year, since then.
Every time I find something new

Reminded by the books you read in 2012 thread: Peter Pan. Reads like a (brilliant) fairy tale to younger children, and is hilarious for adult readers too.

The first book that springs to my mind is a Wrinkle in Time.

The Chronicles of Narnia. It’s for kids, but you probably need to be an educated adult to get all the points of Christian apologetics C.S. Lewis is making – like the passage in The Horse and His Boy where Bree is disputing whether Aslan is “really” a lion; even a kid can make the Aslan-Jesus connection, it ain’t subtle, but you can’t expect kids to know about all the historical disputes over Christology and whether Jesus had a human as well as a divine nature, whether Jesus even had a physical body, etc., etc.

Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching books.

I’m going to repost what I said in the “Top Ten Books of the Year” thread.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian This book was part of my assigned reading for my Children’s Lit class. I wasn’t going to read it but my internet was down one night and I got bored. I’m so very glad I did, as I found it amazing and finished it that night. I’m applying to graduate school, as are a lot of my friends, and they, top students at a world class university, are still feeling a lot of the issues that the protagonist in the book feel. Are they betraying their family and friends by potentially moving across the country? Are they betraying themselves? Their parents work hard to give them opportunities and yet don’t want their children to take them if it means leaving the area.

How old is the child? I found An Episode of Sparrows when I was 10. I still reread it

The Giver by Lois Lowry is an interesting dystopian novel of the same variety as Aldous Huxley.

In his essay “On Three Ways of Writing for Children”, C. S. Lewis says:

> I am almost inclined to set it up as a canon that a children’s story which is
> enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story.

I agree, so I think that the real answer to the OP is to list all the major children’s books. Since somebody is going to complain that I’m avoiding the question, let me give one good example. You should try the Green Knowe series by L. M. Boston.

In one respect I’m inclined to say that any good children’s book can be enjoyed by adults. On the other hand, that’s one of the best examples of No True Scotsman I can think of. There are plenty of books that kids love that leave adults cold–e.g., Captain Underpants. Who am I, as an adult, to say that a book beloved by kids isn’t a good children’s book?

All the same, there are loads of wonderful children’s books out there. It’s great to hear that some 9-year-olds can enjoy His Dark Materials. I might start recommending that to some of my more advanced readers, since I personally think it’s so excellent.

I also highly recommend The Tale of Despereaux. If you ever get a chance to read it to a kid, it’s delightful. Holes is another wonderful children’s novel.

I don’t have any kids (I decided to eliminate the middle man…), but I’m fond of Daniel M. Pinkwater:

“The Ship that Flew” is a really charming story that has a Lion, Witch and Wardrobe vibe to it. A bunch of kids find Skidbladner (which works like a TARDIS in this story) and have adventures in history. It’s a story about growing up, we see the kids one by one losing interest in magic and adventures, and going off to start families instead. Reading it as a kid I thought, fuck that shit. Reading it as an adult, it doesn’t seem so bad.

The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin. Multi-layered mystery with colorful, fun characters.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. As a kid it’s a cool story of a kid using his intelligence and determination to survive against all odds. As an adult it’s the story of a boy overcoming countless hardship and becoming a man. And it’s an inspiring tale of that man’s sheer determination and will to survive.

Adrian Mole series.