Some examples would be the hobbit and a wrinkle in time
The Old Kingdom books (the Sabriel series) by Garth Nix. Some of my favorite books of all time, and should be right up your alley if you liked the Hobbit and a Wrinkle in Time.
In the same vein is the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman starting with the Golden Compass (Northern Lights in the UK I believe), another of my favorite books ever.
Brian Jacques’ Redwall’s also a timeless classic, though it’s aimed a bit younger than the books you listed I think. Richard Adams’ Watership Down is also excellent.
I’ll add more if I think of any.
The Chronicles of Narnia are excellent, and hilarious, though they do get a bit religious.
Ender’s Game is fantastic, though you may want to check this one out from a library instead of buying it to avoid supporting the author.
I really think A Series of Unfortunate Events is so worth a read as an adult. It’s fun, meta, plays with its presentation of words on a page. And towards the end the story dovetails into allegory and metaphor, which is a lot more than I bargained for in a children’s book.
Oo yes, I love that series! I read the whole thing as a kid. It might be time I pull back out my collection.
Also, finding all the little literary references as an adult is fun! I definitely didn’t pick up on, like, anything when I was a kid, but there are quite a few.
I loved those books as a kid. I’ll need to go out and find a set to read with my own kid someday.
I read the His Dark Materials trilogy for the first time when I was an adult and really enjoyed it. Lots of interesting ideas and the characters have stuck with me! Pullman has also released two out of the three books of a sequel-ish trilogy and when that series is complete I plan to read that one as well!
I really liked it as well. Check out the prequel series, A Book of Dust. It’s really good as well.
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. I used the first book as a palate cleanser after finishing Blood Meridian. It’s very whimsical and playful in many aspects but also builds out a beautiful world that you can definitely lose yourself in.
I just started the first book and its very charming
This is a wonderful series.
The Moomin series, perhaps? Went over the head of my children, but I thoroughly enjoy them myself. Especially the later ones, which are rather melancholic
I enjoyed rereading ‘Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM.’ And also ‘Bunnicula’ for a bit of silliness.
Bunnicula is one of the best silly books ever written.
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Harry Potter seems like a given!
Guess that might be a bit more YA though but if we can coun’t those as well then I’d add The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau as well (the movie is pretty nice as well!)
I like to listen to books like these to fall asleep and just started The Thief Lord. I fell asleep before the end of the first chapter, but so far I’m enjoying it as much as I did as a kid
The Percy Jackson series probably, especially with the new streaming series being made. The later books bring some solid representation.
I think some children’s books hold up in the sense of being modern fairy tales / mythology. This is very subjective, but I don’t get that from YA books.
- Pippi Longstocking
- The Oz series
- Moomins
- Alice in Wonderland
- Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (and other Roald Dahl)
Matilda is still a joy to read as an adult!
A little late, but I’d give Coraline a shot if you haven’t yet. It’s a great book that any age would appreciate.
In addition to some of the ones on here like His Dark Materials, I’ve recently really gotten into the Lockwood & Co. series. I watched season 1 on Netflix (canceled, by the way, though I thought it was well done) and it got me into the series. It’s fun, and while not spooky—to me, but my wife disagrees—it’s suspenseful!
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen was quite the page Turner for young me.
I never read this one as a kid, but finally read it last year. Pretty enjoyable- it felt plausible enough that you could believe he was surviving out there.
The Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett. The later books mature and are solidly YA, but they start more Juv.
I will always, always, always recommend anything by Diana Wynne Jones. I re-read Howl’s Moving Castle at least once a year and it’s always a delight; it’s whimsical, it’s hilarious, it’s got an adorable romance, it’s got it all. If you’ve seen the Ghibli movie adaptation, it’s definitely its own take; I would recommend reading the book for a very different, but still lovely experience. I also love Fire and Hemlock by her, although it might be harder to find.
The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld is on the cusp of childrens’ and teen lit - I read the books when I was in middle school (so ages 11-14) and reread them pretty often as well. They deal with heavier stuff and I always find something new in my rereads; while the books were written with a critique of plastic surgery in mind, they’re even more relevant in today’s social media landscape. The writing style is fairly simple but the ideas are extremely rich, and the relationships between the characters are just fantastic.
An all-ages one that many people don’t realize is a book: The Princess Bride! Actually read it for the first time towards the end of college, and it’s really good fun. If you’ve seen the movie, you know exactly what to expect, but it doesn’t take away from the experience at all.
