Elboz is one of the best writers around at the moment, crafting his stories with amazing depth and using words with wit and brilliance. It was Duffy's versions of the tales that were used by the Young Vic for its outstanding Grimm Tales. Children’s writers have introduced topics such as violence, death, divorce, and abandonment into their stories. Essential for reading out loud as a family, TS Eliot's felines are a wonderfully mysterious capricious and amusing group of must-have moggies. Are you looking for a great book to share with your child, grandchild, class, or library group? Abridged - and all the better for it - version of the classic Victorian tale of chimney sweeps featuring Mrs Do As You Would Be Done By and other morality figures. 1,161,596 ratings — Gwyn's granny gives him five strange birthday gifts including a twisted metal brooch. Eight upward, but younger brothers and sisters are liable to get in on the act earlier, particularly if you read it to them. There is also a really good unabridged audiocassette version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Cover to Cover, £19.99) read by Stephen Fry. Cleverly structured and wittily told series of stories that combine to make one satisfying whole as they tell of Ailsa, who sees the truth behind the yarns spun by the mysterious man who helps out in her mum's antique shop. It is an extraordinarily profound book, no matter what the age of the reader," was the verdict of the Whitbread judges who gave this the Children's Book of the Year Award. A very modern "Alice" for the modern child that dusts off the Victorian fustiness of the book. Thomas writes from a child's point of view about what it feels like not to have a special friend and never to be picked when teams are being sorted. You can't disagree. 1,440,190 ratings — You will both miss the closeness, and you will also miss some really good stories. All rights reserved. 1,678,753 ratings — Published: Apr 2017 Downloads: 705 Pages: 329. Richard Adams's modern classic is not fluffy or cute at all. 662,649 ratings — Only Sparrowhawk can destroy it, but the journey is long and difficult and takes him to the farthest corner of Earthsea. It all seems slightly quaint now, but Streatfield's characterisations are wonderfully vivid, the writing straightforward and honest and the narrative a page-turner. Francois Place is an artist, an author, a dreamer and the inventor of strange, fantastical countries and legends that he realises through fly-away prose and exquisite pen pictures. Of course this isn't actually the first in the series - The Magician's Nephew is - but this is where you should begin. 3. published 1967, avg rating 3.83 — This book is such fun that children want to gobble it down in one sitting and are absolutely amazed when you tell them it was written almost a century ago. It is like being taken on an amazing off-beat adventure by a 19th century explorer. At night Cassie dreams of wolves. For years the girls have persuaded themselves that life with mum is a gas (except when she goes weird) but now they are growing up and looking at the world and mum with new eyes. A crackling read, full of Hoban's sly humour and his belief in the importance of having a place of your own and being happy. Natalie is attracted to the difficult, disturbed Tulip, perhaps because she seems so dangerous. A touch of romance and a shiver of fear are to be found in this 1946 Carnegie Medal-winning fantasy, set in the beautiful valley of Moonacre where the moon princess once ruled. 830,505 ratings — Victor was the oddest boy Andrew had ever met. Available for everyone, funded by readers. But really it is magic, provided you take care not to force it down your children's throats too early. Think Star Wars. published 1886, avg rating 4.38 — I still can't pass a grandfather clock without thinking of this book, so strong an impression did this haunting story make on me as a child. published 1811, avg rating 4.01 — It tells the story of a family of little people who live beneath the floorboards and borrow from "human beans" who don't even know they exist - until the young Arietty makes friends with "the boy upstairs". Many classic works, including those commonly taught in schools such as William Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and Charles Dickens, and a great many others, can be found around the web as free and legal downloads. published 1879, avg rating 3.80 — This is a wonderful, very readable book in which our responsibilities to each other are explored through an entertaining story. 745,984 ratings — published 1891, avg rating 3.83 — published 1850, avg rating 3.82 — But she is not alone; the castle grounds are full of other mysterious presences including a ghostly boy, a sinister green lady, a screeching peacock and chains of desperate "stonestruck" children, engaged in a deadly game of tag with Jessica as the quarry. Really enjoyable story from a fine writer whose other books include the excellent Carrie's War (Puffin, £4.99), about wartime evacuees, and Granny the Pag (Puffin, £4.99), an enjoyable read about an unconventional Gran and her strong-minded granddaughter. But then he finds a ghost in his bedroom who has her own grief to deal with. The unlikely friendship between Julia and Nathan is drawn with a delicacy that never ignores its difficulties and the final triumphant realisation that love is worth having is exhilarating. The Roald Dahl must-read for this age-group; they'll find it impossible to resist even if they are hooked on the Danny Devito film version. published 1815, avg rating 3.85 — Kitty Killin is not only a good storyteller but also the World's Greatest Expert when it comes to mums having new and unwanted boyfriends, particularly when there is a danger they may turn into new and unwanted stepfathers. This story of ten-year-old identical twins Ruby and Garnet, who lose their mother and have to come to terms not only with their dad's new love but also with growing up and growing apart, is a model of Wilson's exuberant and confessional storytelling style, in which Ruby and Garnet take it in turns to tell the story. Little does our heroine know that it contains the Djinn star whose evil magic threatens to take her over. 238,080 ratings — This is the moment when your childhood reading and that of your own children's meet and meld as you introduce them to E. Nesbit and Phillipa Pearce and they take you on flights of the imagination with Philip Ridley and JK Rowling. published 1866, avg rating 4.00 — Even children who are addicts of the excellent but bastardised film version and the superb BBC serial version will gobble this up on the printed page. The writing sizzles, foams, spits and bubbles over. This site will examine a selection of classic children's novels as distinguished works of art. published 1961, avg rating 4.06 — First published on Fri 24 Mar 2000 14.47 GMT. Eliot is finding it hard to come to terms with his mother's death. Quite delightful and infinitely more real than all those titles currently being churned out for ballet-mad little girls. This site was created for anyone who loves children’s literature, and especially for educators, parents, librarians, students, and grandparents. published 1868, avg rating 3.81 — 809,580 ratings — Around now most children will be reading fluently on their own and will start to develop their own distinct taste in books, although, like aliens, yo-yos and skipping, particular writers go in and out of fashion in the playground. There are some wonderfully witty picture asides, but is the narrative that really winds you up: a creepy tale in which a lazy apprentice clockmaker gets his comeuppance and a story being told on a dark winter's night suddenly takes on a sinister life of its own. It can be read alone at 10 upward, but both are very satisfying for adults to read to the 8-upward age range. Welcome back. Mahy's attractively simple storytelling style will attract even the most reluctant readers and creates a convincing portrait of a family tipped out of kilter by the keeping of secrets. Although each novel is discussed under a specific genre, children’s stories can cross boundaries. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. The difficulty is of thinking of really good wishes and not getting things that they really don't want at all, and even the simplest of wishes seem to get them into great difficulties. Research has shown a demonstrated relationship between reading, cognitive development, verbal skills, and academic achievement. Highly entertaining book about Eric, a perfectly ordinary boy, who feels his nose becoming cold and wet and his ears becoming floppy as he is transformed into a dog. Joseph Conrad wrote that every word in a good novel should contribute to the work’s overall purpose.3 A great novel for either children or adults is like a symphony; it has many separate elements but they all work together to create a unified effect. published 1937, avg rating 3.95 — Garfield's magnificent book was written in the 1960s, but has a Dickensian richness as it follows the adventures of Smith, a 12-year-old pickpocket living in the slums around St Paul's, who witnesses a murder and escapes with a document belonging to the victim. A brilliant, empowering book that shows children that they don't have to be helpless even in the face of the most bullying of adults. The Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame This children's classic was inspired by bedtime stories for Grahame's son. published 1818, avg rating 4.22 — This one is about a boggart that is accidentally transported from his remote Scottish island to the bright lights of Toronto, and doesn't like it one bit. published 1605, avg rating 4.30 — Stig's puzzlement at the modern way of life makes the reader look at the world from a slightly different perspective. Books are not medicine to be forced down; they should be fun, exciting doorways into other worlds and different feelings and points of view. Alice in Wonderland (1865) is usually considered the first successful children’s novel. Either read it to them or wait a couple of years. Click on a genre for an examination of its main features, a discussion of representative novels, and a list of recommended books. 273,506 ratings — published 1818, avg rating 4.25 — published 1936, avg rating 3.78 — Liable to engender plenty of hilarious discussion about whether angels have belly buttons. The Prince and the Pauper. To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence.