• 5 intersections • 6 readers • new trail with this book • find this book »

As a literary work this might be the weakest entry on the list, but once you're past the first chapter there is so much sheer joy in the punning and storytelling that all else is forgiven.

• 4 intersections • 4 readers • 1 review • new trail with this book • find this book »

Full of charm, this little novel also has some literary devices (parallel structures, etc.) with training wheels on; perfect if you still want to grow up to become an English professor.

• 2 readers • new trail with this book • find this book »

Vikram Seth has a character claim that Tintin is far superior, but I've always been an Asterix fan. I've picked the particular entry in the series I actually own to display here, but I love almost all of them. Ah, for the days when there was no problem that couldn't be sorted out by ingenuity or a good thumping!

• 4 intersections • 4 readers • 1 review • new trail with this book • find this book »

Rushdie is famous for writing novels for adults. This one is for kids, but it still features an allegorical level of meaning, social commentary, and multilingual wordplay -- because it's Rushdie, after all.

• 5 readers • new trail with this book • find this book »

A classic for a good reason, but it is (I have to say) slightly disrespectful to Alice. Follow it up with its sequel, Through the Looking Glass, to wash away that taste of bitterness.

• 4 intersections • 13 readers • new trail with this book • find this book »

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is a badly written trilogy for adults, but The Hobbit is a wonderfully written book for children. Why Tolkien didn't stick to writing for kids I couldn't say, but I'd love to have another book this good set in Middle Earth.

• 3 intersections • 6 readers • new trail with this book • find this book »

Pink Floyd named their first albumn after a chapter title from this book, and what better seal of approval could one want?

• 2 intersections • 4 readers • new trail with this book • find this book »

Set in Terry Pratchett's Discworld, you might complain that Wee Free Men is just a gateway drug to get kids hooked on Pratchett while they're young. But (a) it's better than crystal meth, and (b) the book has a great protagonist in young Tiffany Aching -- perhaps not perfectly three dimensional, but the first role model I'd give to a young girl. And the story is pretty fun, with some nice twists.