When I was a little kid, I had a friend whose house was off-limits—his parents didn’t allow any of us to go inside. Fascinated by the thought of what was hidden within its walls, I imagined an interior that was crazy enough for fiction. I never forgot that feeling, and now that I’m a grown-up writing children’s books, the houses and buildings in my stories are always characters in themselves. I continue to be inspired by middle-grade books where homes are fun, fantastic, and unforgettable.
This is my favorite Roald Dahl book because it infuses his trademark craziness with actual character development and genuine warmth. (Not to mention class commentary even a kid can understand.) The bond between Danny and his loving father is grounded in their going-nowhere wooden caravan—a tiny house before tiny houses were even a thing. It’s a humble abode, but it’s also safe, cozy, and self-contained, exactly the kind of place a kid dreams of living…even if using the outhouse in the back is “like sitting in an icebox” in winter!
From the bestselling author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG!
Danny has a life any boy would love-his home is a gypsy caravan, he's the youngest master car mechanic around, and his best friend is his dad, who never runs out of wonderful stories to tell. But one night Danny discovers a shocking secret that his father has kept hidden for years. Soon Danny finds himself the mastermind behind the most incredible plot ever attempted against nasty Victor Hazell, a wealthy landowner with a bad attitude. Can they pull it off? If so, Danny will truly be…
L’Engle doesn’t give us a high-definition picture of Meg Murry’s home, but she does offer lots of tantalizing details: it’s nearly two hundred years old, it sits on a hill outside of town, there’s a forest in back and an orchard nearby, and her twin brothers have a treehouse. Even cooler, Meg’s bedroom is in the attic (even though she’s sometimes afraid to be alone in it) and her scientist mother has a lab off the kitchen. But my absolute favorite thing about the “pleasant, if shabby” Murry house is the way midnight visitors are treated with perfect hospitality—and no one bats an eye when even the craziest things happen.
Puffin Classics: the definitive collection of timeless stories, for every child.
We can't take any credit for our talents. It's how we use them that counts.
When Charles and Meg Murry go searching through a 'wrinkle in time' for their lost father, they find themselves on an evil planet where all life is enslaved by a huge pulsating brain known as 'It'.
Meg, Charles and their friend Calvin embark on a cosmic journey helped by the funny and mysterious trio of guardian angels, Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which. Together they must find the weapon that will defeat It.…
Ten-year-old Lewis Barnavelt, suddenly orphaned, is sent to live with his Uncle Jonathan at 100 High Street in New Zebedee, Michigan. There he finds himself in a hilltop mansion both odd and fascinating: among his discoveries are ancient coins, a secret passage behind a bookcase, and the fact that Uncle Jonathan is a warlock. The only bad news is that the weird and wonderful house holds a potentially world-ending secret inside its walls. Simultaneously warm and scary, this is my favorite haunted-house story of all time.
The American classic - now a major motion picture from Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, starring Cate Blanchett, Jack Black and Kyle MacLachlan
Lewis Barnavelt doesn't have time on his side...
When Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan, comes to stay with his uncle Jonathan, he expects to meet an ordinary person. But he is wrong. Uncle Jonathan and his next-door neighbour, Mrs Zimmermann, are both witches! Lewis couldn't be happier. What's not to like about seeing his uncle practise spells and eating Mrs Zimmermann's delicious cookies?
At first, watching magic is enough. Then Lewis experiments with magic himself and unknowingly resurrects the…
Apartment buildings are surprisingly rare in kidlit, and this “glittery, glassy apartment house” on the Lake Michigan shore is one-of-a-kind, filled with the kind of eccentric characters only Raskin can create. (The Westing House referred to in the title is pretty interesting, too, but as a kid who grew up in an ordinary house, I found the apartment building far more interesting!) This perennially popular puzzle book is like a three-dimensional game of Clue, only with a lot more surprises. The first page alone holds so many irresistible contradictions that I defy anyone to stop reading.
"A supersharp mystery...confoundingly clever, and very funny." —Booklist, starred review
A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger—and a possible murderer—to inherit his vast fortune, on things for sure: Sam Westing may be dead…but that won’t stop him from playing one last game!
Winner of the Newbery Medal Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award An ALA Notable Book
"Great fun for those who enjoy illusion, word play, or sleight…
The townsfolk of Market Chipping, in the land of Ingary, are terrified of the smoke-billowing castle that rumbles across the wasteland—but hatmaker Sophie isn’t particularly put off. After all, the Witch of the Waste has turned her into a crone, and when she’s caught out in the open at nightfall, she’s getting downright chilly. When the castle rumbles toward her, she hails it like a taxi—and it obediently stops. You’ll want to climb right into Wynne Jones’s unforgettable work of imagination, too.
Now an animated movie from Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, the oscar-winning director of Spirited Away
In this beloved modern classic, young Sophie Hatter from the land of Ingary catches the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste and is put under a spell...
Deciding she has nothing more to lose, Sophie makes her way to the moving castle that hovers on the hills above her town, Market Chipping. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl, whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls...
There Sophie meets Michael, Howl's apprentice, and Calcifer…
In my latest middle-grade adventure, twelve-year-old Dagmar is forced to spend the summer living off-the-grid with her family in a tiny house, where she confronts: Deadly traps! A spoiled rich kid with scary dogs! An annoying little brother with a runny nose! A billionaire at war with his eccentric siblings! A hulking bodyguard! A terrifying natural disaster! And—wait—cows?
My favorite fantasy novels tend to be rather complex. Winding plotlines, mysteriously interconnected characters, whimsical settings, and intricate, thoughtful worldbuilding combine to create immersive stories that stick in the mind like overworn folklore. Time travel or interworld travel lend additional layers of intrigue and mystery, forcing the inescapable contemplation of a more thrilling, alternate reality. And if it’s all packaged in artful, breathtaking prose that breeds full-color images, audible noises, indelible flavors, nose-crumpling odors, and tangible textures, I will happily lose myself in the pages, truly forgetting about the strictures of everyday life… at least until I get hungry and remember I need to consume more than books to survive.
An Heir of Realms tells the tale of two young heroines—a dragon rider and a portal jumper—who fight dragon-like parasites to save their realms from extinction.
Rhoswen is training as a Realm Rider to work with dragons and burn away the Narxon swarming into her realm. Rhoswen’s dream is to Ride, but her destiny will pit her against her uncle and king, who have scorned her since before her birth.
In the Exchange, the waystation between realms, Emmelyn fights the G’Ambit, a gambling ring with members more intent on lining their pockets than protecting the realms—or their own lives.
Realm-devouring parasites threaten all existence. The Exchange is desperate to destroy them. But could their radical plans endanger the realms, too?
Soul-sucking parasites are overwhelming the realms.
Rhoswen of Stanburh is of age to train as a Realm Rider—a defender of the realms. Riders and their dragons work together to burn away infiltrating Narxon as they swarm in through tears in a realm’s fabric. But it’s not an easy battle: the mere touch of the smoky, dragon-like adversaries can reduce the lively winged beasts—and their Riders—to ash.
Becoming a Realm Rider is Rhoswen’s dream, but she carries far more responsibility…
