# I'm looking for some good children's books. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 27, 2002, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776 "2002-08-27T14:11:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/1 "2002-08-27T14:11:35Z")
Two years ago, I began reading my kids books in the morning before school while they eat their breakfast. We’ve read some Judy Blume books, some of the classics, _Magic Tree House_ books and _Goosebumps_. We started Harry Potter books, but the kids didn’t like them. We also read _Malcom in the Middle_ and _Mary Kate and Ashley_. They especially liked the _Captian Underpants_ series. So, now I’m out of ideas. The kids are almost 10 and 8 years old, a boy and girl. They like scary stories and funny stories. School is starting next week and we have planned a trip to the bookstore. Can you recommend any good books ? ---
**Author:** ![Calliope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Calliope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calliope)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/2 "2002-08-27T14:17:47Z")
My gilrs, ages 8 and 11 really enjoyed Understood Betsy, any of the Thornton Burgess Animal stories, and the Little House books. With a boy, you might find he enjoys Farmer Boy better than tha Laura Ingalls stories. Current faves for read alouds are 5 Children and It by Edith Nesbit and The Hobbit. ---
**Author:** ![Calliope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Calliope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calliope)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/3 "2002-08-27T14:19:57Z")
Oh, I forgot to suggest Watership Down. My daughter thought it was quite exciting. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Maximino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@Mighty\_Maximino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Maximino)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/4 "2002-08-27T14:33:59Z")
I think that’s the appropriate age for A Series of Unfortunate Events\*\*. Eventually, it should be a 13-book set, and I think the 9th book is coming out in September. They are both funny and scary (lots of humor, but a terrifying villain who wants to kill the protagonists and take their fortune, plus the occasional threat of being burned at the stake.) ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/5 "2002-08-27T14:38:45Z")
For scary and funny children’s stories Roald Dahl’s books and stories come readily to mind. ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/6 "2002-08-27T14:44:26Z")
DC Comics publishes some good kiddie comics, including Looney Tunes, Powerpuff Girls, etc. Of course, if your kids are older, now might be the time to get them started on your essentials: Superman, Batman, Justice League, yadda yadda. …hey, I learned to read from comics. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/7 "2002-08-27T15:40:44Z")
Anything by Daniel Pinkwater (also known as D. Manus Pinkwater), _Lizard Music_ is a perpetual favorite of mine, although critics always seem to think that _Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars_ is his best book. But really, anything. Good for both boys and girls, very funny, and a little quirky. For scary, try John Bellairs’s _House with a Clock In It’s Walls_ (which is also funny). It’s the first in a series, and the books in the series alternate between a boy main character and a girl main character. More for girls, there’s always _Betsy-Tacy_, by Maud Hart Lovelace. The ages of the girls go up as the series goes along, so for an 8 year old girl, I would probably jump in with _Betsy and Tacy Go Over The Big Hill_, because the first two might seem too “baby-ish” for your kids. _Love, From Your Friend Hannah_ is a new-ish book about a girl who starts writing letters to President Roosevelt (the second one), it’s a hoot. The author is Mindy Sholsky. Check out Elizabeth Enright, both _The Saturdays_ and its sequels and _Gone Away Lake_ and sequel. These seem funnier each time I read them. _The Indian in the Cupboard_ series is pretty good, not exactly scary, but suspensful and has some creepy moments. Author is Lynne Reid Banks. The first two books are the best, the quality declines a bit as the series goes on. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/8 "2002-08-27T15:47:00Z")
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster is a wonderful book. I would also second the Little House books selections. I read Little House in the Big Woods to my kids and we are now about 2/3 of the way through Little House on the Prarie. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/9 "2002-08-27T15:49:03Z")
Edward Eager’s magic books and John Fitzgerald’s “Great Brain” series. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/10 "2002-08-27T16:40:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amarinth \* > \*\*Edward Eager’s magic books \*\* JUST beat me to it. The first four of these…HALF MAGIC, KNIGHT’S CASTLE, MAGIC BY THE LAKE, THE TIME GARDEN…are great, and the protagonists are roughly your kids’ age. Just finished reading them to my six-year old, who didn’t mind the age discrepancy, but 8-10 year olds would probably enjoy them even more. Madeleine l’Engle’s A WRINKLE IN TIME, too. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/11 "2002-08-27T16:48:38Z")
I’ll gladly second the [A Series of Unfortunate Events](http://www.lemonysnicket.com) books. Don’t read the Unauthorized Biography of Lemony Snicket till after the eighth book. The books feature a sibling combo of a 13 year old girl who likes to make inventions, a 12 year old boy who loves to read and do research and an infant who likes to bite things. Also the illustrations are great. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/12 "2002-08-27T17:30:06Z")
_ **The Adventures of Ulysses** _ by Bernard Evslin. I first read that book when I was about that age and its stayed with me ever since ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/13 "2002-08-28T06:17:02Z")
Two children’s books that I own (and actually bought for myself) are _The Children of Green Knowe_ by L.M. Boston (and if they like that, there’s a whole series) and _The Westing Game_ by Ellen Raskin. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Improved\_Scott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f17d59/32.png) [@New\_Improved\_Scott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Improved_Scott)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/14 "2002-08-28T06:37:44Z")
This author killed me as a kid, and as he got older, his books grew up a little too. Gordon Korman wrote his first book, “This Can’t be Happening at McDonald Hall” in his mid teens, and it is really funny. His best book in my opinion is called “I Want To Go Home”, and if you can find it, it’ll kill you. My families set of kids (me, my sisters, our cousins) all got it passed to them one year. we were between the ages of 8 and 15, and we all loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Linus\_Van\_Pelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Linus\_Van\_Pelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linus_Van_Pelt)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/15 "2002-08-28T07:08:02Z")
I want to second Fitzgerald’s _The Great Brain_ series. One of my childhood favorites. I also get to be the first to mention Beverly Cleary’s _The Mouse and the Motorcycle_, _Henry Huggins_, and _Ramona_ series. Let’s see, a few more… Am I the only one who read the _Danny Dunn_ books as a kid? I never see them mentioned in these threads. They are by Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin. Any opinions from anyone about whether they’d be too outdated for today’s kids? The best way to describe them would probably be science fiction for children. Oh, and the two best mystery series ever written for kids: _The Three Investigators_ (according to Amazon, written by Robert Arthur - there may have been other writers) and _Encyclopedia Brown_ by Donald J. Sobol. That’s probably enough for now. I’ll leave some for the others to name. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/16 "2002-08-28T07:20:53Z")
The **Asterix** books are great fun, although being in cartoon (plus words) format, perhaps they don’t really fit the “reading aloud” requirement. Terrific stuff though! [http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~janl/ts/asterix.html](http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~janl/ts/asterix.html) ---
**Author:** ![lauramarlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a5b964/32.png) [@lauramarlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lauramarlane)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/17 "2002-08-28T13:16:16Z")
Along the lines of spooky/funny books, I’d suggest the Blossom Culp books by Richard Peck. **Ghosts I Have Been** , and **The Ghost Belonged to Me** are the best of the four IMO–I can’t even remember the other two titles but I’m sure you can find them at your library. And, since no one has mentioned it yet, **Artemis Fowl** is pretty cool–and the second book in that series is sitting on my coffee table waiting for my son and I to finish reading Lois Lowry’s **The Giver** (another really good book, by the way.) ---
**Author:** ![Jorel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f19dbf/32.png) [@Jorel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jorel)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/18 "2002-08-28T16:33:48Z")
Oh my! I loved ‘Lizard Music’ (good call delphica!) I also like the Great Brain series and the Paddington Bear books. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/19 "2002-08-28T17:45:58Z")
The Hobbit. I asked Mom and Dad to read me that so many times, that several copies literally fell apart. Some of Roger Zelazny’s books are well suited for kids. A Dark Travelling is the story of a boy whose family is part of a cross-dimensional spy organisation(they’re the good guys). Archer’s Goon-Dianna Wynne Jones From Author’s Note This book will prove the following ten facts: 1 A Goon is a being who melts into the foreground and sticks there. 2 Pigs have wings, making them hard to catch. 3 All power corrupts, but we need electricity. 4 When an irresistible force meets an immovable object, the result is a family fight. DeLaurie’s Book Of Greek Myths. Also their book of Norse Myths. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776/20 "2002-08-28T17:47:08Z")
I’ve got to second the votes for the _Ramona_ series and _Great Brain_ books. I remember really enjoying _Harriett the Spy_ when I was a kid, too. Some others I **loved** when I was a kid (my family was big on read-alouds), and my young cousins and nieces & nephews are loving today: 1. The [Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0064401529/qid=1030554014/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_4/103-4622290-8471055?v=glance&s=books) series, by Betty MacDonald. Each book features Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, a kindly, kooky, stern old lady who fashions creative “cures” for childhood ills or misbehaviors. Each chapter is a different story about a different child, and later chapters often include kids who have been cured and are now friends with Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and share her adventures. Ones I remember particularly liking were cures for crybabies and a girl who never cleaned her ears. They’re hilarious. 2. [Coraline](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0380977788/qid=1030554457/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-4622290-8471055), by Neil Gaiman. There’s a thread about this book somewhere in Cafe Society-- see what other Dopers said about it, too. 3. [Owls in the Family](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0440413613/qid=1030554544/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-4622290-8471055), by Farley Mowat. 4. [Cheaper by the Dozen](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553272500/qid=1030554679/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-4622290-8471055), by Frank Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. True story that had us in stitches when my siblings and I were young. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-good-childrens-books/125776.md?page=2)