Recommend me: Quirky Books for Young Kids.

MissO﹠A
MissO﹠A Posts: 906 Member
edited November 11 in Chit-Chat
Just going through a Roald Dahl reading spree with my kiddo. We've finished The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and are reading excerpts from his other works. (James and the Giant Peach is next on the list.)

Have any quirky / black humour children's books you can recommend that both you and your kids enjoyed reading together?

Please and thank you. :drinker:
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Replies

  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    One of the books that I loved so much as a kid was "The ants who took away time" by William Kotzwinkle. I just loved the story and the illustrations. It seems to be out of print now, but it can probably be found used. I actually bought a used copy a few years back just so I could have it in my life, and perhaps some day I will have kids of my own who can read it.
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
    http://www.lemonysnicket.com/

    A Series of Unfortunate Events. I bought these for my niece, and read them with her. I loved them.
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    The BFG and Matilda are my favorite Roald Dahl books, but they are all fabulous.

    Find and read Which Witch by Eva Ibbotson. It is AWESOME, and very Roald Dahl-esque.

    Also, I love Louis Sachar books (Wayside Stories, Holes).
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    Also, this is for girls mostly, but the "Once Upon A Time" series (there are several authors) is great. They retell classic fairy tales.
    Golden, which is a retelling of Rapunzel, is AMAZING! Seriously, the main character is bald - not a hair on her body - but the story works. It's fabulous.
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    They might enjoy Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. I read it in 8th grade and again in 10th (product of moving all the time, different schools read stuff in different years). But since, I've read it at least 6 or 7 times.
  • ScottyNoHotty
    ScottyNoHotty Posts: 1,957 Member
    Tales of a fourth grade nothing and the Fudge books by Judy Blume
  • MissO﹠A
    MissO﹠A Posts: 906 Member
    Y'all rock. Cheers. :heart: I'm adding all of these to my Amazon Wish List.

    Susie: Thanks for mentioning Lemony Snicket, got the box set sitting on the shelf which I've forgotten about and never even opened. *smacks forehead*
  • maab_connor
    maab_connor Posts: 3,927 Member
    The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. but you might want to read it first - i did for the nephews and then put it away for a few years. it's a bit dark.
  • TinaDay1114
    TinaDay1114 Posts: 1,328 Member
    Berkeley Breathed (the guy who used to do the "Bloom County" comics) wrote a couple of kids' books...one of our favorites is "Edward Fudwupper Fibbed Big." It's a picture book (so it's not very complicated or long), but it's HYSTERICAL.
  • nerdyandilikeit
    nerdyandilikeit Posts: 2,185 Member
    I lived off Judy Blume books! I only recently read James and the Giant Peach and Matilda, but I LOVED them, too.
  • ksmarathon2010
    ksmarathon2010 Posts: 70
    The Phantom Tollbooth and The Fantastic Mr. Fox
  • BrettPGH
    BrettPGH Posts: 4,716 Member
    Like Maab's these may be a bit "dark" but my little girl really loves the Lenore series of comics by Roman Dirge. They're quirky and funny but a smidge "goth". So you've been warned, but the two of us love them.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    http://www.lemonysnicket.com/

    A Series of Unfortunate Events. I bought these for my niece, and read them with her. I loved them.

    Those were good books!!
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    The Phantom Tollbooth
    YES!
  • LordBezoar
    LordBezoar Posts: 625 Member
    The Phantom Tollbooth - They just did a huge re-print for its anniversary, I loved this book as a child and have found that I still love it today.
  • Triquetra
    Triquetra Posts: 270 Member
    Depending on reading level check out Xanth series by Piers Anthony...my son is devouring these currently. Full of fantasy characters, magic and puns (which is his gavorite part!)
  • sassylilmama
    sassylilmama Posts: 1,493 Member
    Bump because my daughter goes through books faster than even I did at her age.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    http://www.lemonysnicket.com/

    A Series of Unfortunate Events. I bought these for my niece, and read them with her. I loved them.

    Seconded! And I'm bummed she beat me to it, it's he first thing I thought of to recommend. I have entertained kids from 2nd graders through middle school with this series. It's fabulous.
  • thedreamhazer
    thedreamhazer Posts: 1,156 Member
    All of these are on my list to recommend! Also, I loved The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series and the Young Wizard Series by Diane Duane (for slightly older readers than these other books).
  • sillygoose1977
    sillygoose1977 Posts: 2,151 Member
    The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. but you might want to read it first - i did for the nephews and then put it away for a few years. it's a bit dark.

    I just read this and loved it. I'm going to read it with my 9 year old after we finish Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.
  • Krizzle4Rizzle
    Krizzle4Rizzle Posts: 2,704 Member
    http://www.lemonysnicket.com/

    A Series of Unfortunate Events. I bought these for my niece, and read them with her. I loved them.

    THIS! My nephew loves these books!
  • sporadica
    sporadica Posts: 133
    In my real life I work in a kids library- so the real question is, how many recommendations do you really want? ;)
    In terms of series- Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo is great. Also, check out Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. Gregor the Overlander is also fun- a little dark, but about a fantasy world under the ground that is accessed by a hole behind the washing machine. They're written by Suzanne Collins. Oh, and the Molly Moon books by Georgia Byng. And the Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi.For stand-alone books, anything by Kate DiCamillo is great- The tale of Despereaux Mouse and also The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Illustrations are magic as well.
    Aaaand, I might stop now. Sorry :)
  • gillybumbler
    gillybumbler Posts: 136
    There is a huge list at this link:
    http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3419900011.html
  • Just_Dot
    Just_Dot Posts: 2,283 Member
    I second Series of Unfortunate Events, Phantom Tollbooth, and The Graveyard Book!

    Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson...it's hilarious!

    What age are you talking? I teach 6th grade Language Arts, so I've read a ton of YA stuff, but I'm worried it might be too "old" for your kiddos.
  • dreamingchild
    dreamingchild Posts: 208 Member
    This is a fun one....Capyboppy

    Can read in one sitting so not a chapter book but still it's one of my favorites.
  • thedreamhazer
    thedreamhazer Posts: 1,156 Member
    In my real life I work in a kids library- so the real question is, how many recommendations do you really want? ;)
    In terms of series- Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo is great. Also, check out Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. Gregor the Overlander is also fun- a little dark, but about a fantasy world under the ground that is accessed by a hole behind the washing machine. They're written by Suzanne Collins. Oh, and the Molly Moon books by Georgia Byng. And the Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi.For stand-alone books, anything by Kate DiCamillo is great- The tale of Despereaux Mouse and also The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Illustrations are magic as well.
    Aaaand, I might stop now. Sorry :)

    How could I forget Gregor the Overlander? I just read these last year and I loved them. I enjoy children's books immensely.

    Also, the Redwall series by Brian Jacques.
  • garnet1483
    garnet1483 Posts: 249 Member
    The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. but you might want to read it first - i did for the nephews and then put it away for a few years. it's a bit dark.

    Ditto this...it IS dark, but it's also good. Coraline, same author, is also good and dark and creepy (better than the movie).

    I'd also recommend the Myth books by Robert Asprin (you may want to pre-read...I can't remember, there may be some more grown-up content--if there is, it's probably mostly double entendre). And the Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L'Engle. Definitely kid appropriate, and exciting. Oh, also, Charles de Lint has several collections of short stories set in the fictional Newford. Some of them are a bit grown-up, especially the later books, but The Ivory and the Horn, Dreams Underfoot, and Moonlight and Vine are all good.
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  • ket_the_jet
    ket_the_jet Posts: 1,257 Member
    I don't have kids, but my favorite book as a child was Le Petit Prince.
    -wtk
  • HeelsAndBoxingGloves
    HeelsAndBoxingGloves Posts: 916 Member
    I was going to recommend the Series of Unfortunate Events books but everyone beat me to it lol!! I haven't read them but I've heard the Percy Jackson series is good
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