The best kids book that you need to read again as an adult

Carol Ferro Author Of The Strangeling's Tale
By Carol Ferro

Who am I?

I truly believe that the best children’s books are not actually for children, but that they contain deeper narratives for adults to find. I read a lot of children’s/YA fiction as a Children’s Storyteller, alongside traditional folk stories, and it’s amazing how much the most enduring folk themes have in common with the best children’s stories. Don’t walk away from the children’s fiction section just because you grew up, the best stories are still there, and I guarantee you missed loads when you read them the first time round.

I wrote...

The Strangeling's Tale

By Carol Ferro, Tegan Gilmore (illustrator),

Book cover of The Strangeling's Tale

What is my book about?

Seven unlikely adventurers meet in this magical tale: A mysterious tailor, hiding a dark secret. A King who seeks knowledge. A seal pup who guides fishermen home. A schoolgirl who undergoes a chilling transformation. A teacher who bears a terrible burden. A wild-hearted man, keeper of the story tree. Last of all, the Strangeling himself, a boy with a harrowing past and pure white eyes that told of horrors beyond his years.

The seven converge on the story tree, intent on destroying the power of a sphere. Though their tales are tangled and their fates entwined, they each seek different answers among the papered leaves of the tree. Will they find their heart’s desire in the shade of the mystical tree?

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The books I picked & why

The Velveteen Rabbit

By Margery Williams, Charles Santore (illustrator),

Book cover of The Velveteen Rabbit

Why did I love this book?

I first read this book as a young child, and thought it was about a magic toy. I re-read it a few years ago (for work, as a storyteller I can call a lot of ridiculous activities “work!"), and realised it’s not about the toy, it’s about the boy, and about love, and about the power of imagination to make anything real. I love this book much more now I can see the whole story from an adult’s point of view. Don’t wait for an excuse to read it to a child, read it for yourself, but be prepared to get really emotionally involved in a way a child never would.

The Velveteen Rabbit

By Margery Williams, Charles Santore (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Velveteen Rabbit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The beloved story of the Velveteen Rabbit, the toy rabbit made real by the love of a boy, is now available in a beautiful Little Apple Classic book.

Originally published in 1922, the classic story of a toy rabbit who loves a boy so much he eventually becomes real, has charmed children-and adults-for nearly a century. Author Margery Williams wrote this treasured classic that has warmed many hearts for decades. This story is among the top 100 books for children recommended by the National Education Association, chosen in a 2007 online poll, and also won the IRA/CBC Children's Choice award.…

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

By Douglas Adams,

Book cover of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Why did I love this book?

I loved this book the first time round, when the Vogons were boring and unfair, and Zaphod was an exciting space pirate. As an adult, I found all the other characters and noticed other dimensions to the story that went over my childish head. Having done a Physics degree, I can now fully appreciate the complexity and absurdity of the science in the story, and having read the rest of the series I know the back story of the ill-fated bowl of petunias. I can now truly understand Marvin’s melancholy and how he could talk a supercomputer into oblivion. It’s a cracking read in its own right, don’t leave it to the kids!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

By Douglas Adams,

Why should I read it?

27 authors picked The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This box set contains all five parts of the' trilogy of five' so you can listen to the complete tales of Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Zaphod Bebblebrox and Marvin the Paranoid Android! Travel through space, time and parallel universes with the only guide you'll ever need, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Read by Stephen Fry, actor, director, author and popular audiobook reader, and Martin Freeman, who played Arthur Dent in film version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He is well known as Tim in The Office.

The set also includes a bonus DVD Life, the Universe and…

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The Neverending Story

By Michael Ende, Ralph Manheim (translator),

Book cover of The Neverending Story

Why did I love this book?

I saw this book in an independent bookshop in London about 10 years ago, and having read my childhood copy to tatters I treated myself to a brand new copy. I’m so glad I did, as I missed loads just reading it for the story. My knowledge of story-building techniques has shown me hidden depths in the narrative, from the 26 chapters each starting with a different letter of the alphabet to the symbolism of the book cover logo (two snakes biting each other’s tails—infinity). Seeing Bastian learn how to let go of so much but keep hold of his sense of self was beautiful, and makes this book too special to put away as one grows up.

The Neverending Story

By Michael Ende, Ralph Manheim (translator),

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked The Neverending Story as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Read the book that inspired the classic coming-of-age film! From award-winning German author Michael Ende, The Neverending Story is a classic tale of one boy and the book that magically comes to life.

When Bastian happens upon an old book called The Neverending Story, he's swept into the magical world of Fantastica--so much that he finds he has actually become a character in the story! And when he realizes that this mysteriously enchanted world is in great danger, he also discovers that he is the one chosen to save it. Can Bastian overcome the barrier between reality and his imagination…

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The Weirdstone of Brisingamen

By Alan Garner,

Book cover of The Weirdstone of Brisingamen

Why did I love this book?

When I first read this book I lived in London, so my mental landscape was fairly generic “countryside” from day trips. As an adult living in Greater Manchester I can now read this book in the place it was written, grounded in the actual landscape, and it’s so much better for it. This book has layers under layers, bits of local history, folklore, geology, and the imaginative world of children. I definitely got tons more out of this story from reading it as an adult with a deep knowledge of the folk tales and landscape that underpins it.

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen

By Alan Garner,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Weirdstone of Brisingamen as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen is one of the greatest fantasy novels of all time.

"Alan Garner's fiction is something special." - Neil Gaiman

When Colin and Susan are pursued by eerie creatures across Alderley Edge, they are saved by the Wizard. He takes them into the caves of Fundindelve, where he watches over the enchanted sleep of one hundred and forty knights.

But the heart of the magic that binds them - Firefrost, also known as the Weirdstone of Brisingamen - has been lost. The Wizard has been searching for the stone for more than 100 years, but the forces…

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The Golden Compass

By Philip Pullman,

Book cover of The Golden Compass

Why did I love this book?

I first read this book in my “voracious book devouring” phase when I was 9 or 10 years old, and having read it I put it away. My daughter got a copy a decade ago and I picked it up out of curiosity. I found a whole new love for Lyra and Roger, with my adult experience I could see how the removal of children’s daemons was not just barbaric but was a traumatic removal of their innocence. I could feel the deep care shown by the Gyptians and the fierce protection of the witches. It’s far too big a story for a child to fully absorb. I have re-read it a few times since and found something new each time.

The Golden Compass

By Philip Pullman,

Why should I read it?

21 authors picked The Golden Compass as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first volume in Philip Pullman's groundbreaking
HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy, now a thrilling, critically
acclaimed BBC/HBO television series. First published
in 1995, and acclaimed as a modern masterpiece, this first
book in the series won the UK's top awards for children's literature.

"Without this child, we shall all
die."

Lyra Belacqua and her animal daemon live
half-wild and carefree among scholars of Jordan College, Oxford.

The destiny that awaits her will take her to the frozen lands
of the Arctic, where witch-clans reign and ice-bears fight.

Her extraordinary journey will have immeasurable consequences
far beyond her own world...



This…

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You might also like...

One Giant Leap

By Ben Gartner,

Book cover of One Giant Leap

Ben Gartner Author Of The Eye of Ra

New book alert!

Sponsored by Ben Gartner Author

Who am I?

I love to read a good action-adventure story. I’ve also written a few. And I know that no matter how high the stakes, if there’s no heart in the characters then there’s very little engagement to make it any more memorable than a temporary thrill. I love thrills, but the stories that stick with you after the excitement of the moment is over, those are the true gems. Besides the fun of reading that type of book, maybe you even learn something about yourself or the world and come out a wee bit wiser than when you went in. And isn’t that a fantastic use of our imaginative powers?!

Ben's book list on new action-packed middle grade with heart

Book cover of Frances and the Monster Book cover of Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls Book cover of The Unforgettable Logan Foster Book cover of Journey Beyond the Burrow Book cover of The Last Shadow Warrior

What is my book about?

I’m pretty sure I’m about to die in space. And I just turned twelve and a half.

Blast off with the four winners of the StellarKid Project on a trip to the International Space Station and then to the Gateway outpost orbiting the Moon! It’s a dream come true until space junk collides with the ISS, turning their epic trip into a nightmare of survival. Alone aboard the Aether starship, the kids have to work as a team to save the adults before the ISS is destroyed. Suit up, cadet, and launch into adventure with One Giant Leap!

One Giant Leap

By Ben Gartner,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked One Giant Leap as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

I’m pretty sure I’m about to die in space. And I just turned twelve and a half.

Blast off with the four winners of the StellarKid Project on a trip to the International Space Station and then to the Gateway outpost orbiting the Moon! It’s a dream come true until space junk collides with the ISS, turning their epic trip into a nightmare of survival. Alone aboard the Aether starship, the kids have to work as a team to save the adults before the ISS is destroyed. Suit up, cadet, and launch into adventure with One Giant Leap!

Praise for…

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