Drat!

[rabidsamfan]

Incredibly busy week and a half ahead of me, lots of commitments and things I have to do, so what does my body decide will be fun this morning? Back pain. The kind that comes out of nowhere with a sudden "F!!!!" inducing spasm and then insists on making it impossible to tie your shoes.

Good thing I bought some slip-ons, that's all I've got to say.

*sigh*

But in happier news, I've got a pot of money to buy replacement books. Any juvie, YA, or Sherlockian titles y'all think are absolutely essential for any well read child, YA, or Sherlockian to read? Anything from Dr. Seuss to Blue Bloods to Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula... Come on, folks, give me ideas!

Comments

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

After the Dancing Days by Margaret Rostkowski (not sure about the spelling of the last name)

I LOVED that book when I was in the young adult reading stage of my life. :-) I still like it now, but it does not leave me in a puddle of tears anymore.

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

And since you mention Dr. Seuss--Fox in Socks. That is all I have to say.

(Are you doing picture books, too? Because I always try to advertise for Garth Williams's "The Rabbits' Wedding." It is beautiful--well, it's Garth Williams--but it's also adorable. I don't know how popular it is, though, which is why I take any and every opportunity to tell people about it.)

[fullofowls.livejournal.com]

for a child... hmmm... lots of things but the only thing I can think of right now, besides a big comprehensive book of fairytales from around the world, is the Half-Magic series... it's about these five children who find half a magic coin, which makes their wishes come halfway true. it's unspeakably funny.

oh and Bunnicula, of course. which is exactly what it sounds like, but 1000x better.

and everything Diana Wynne Jones ever wrote, but especially the Chrestomanci Chronicles, and the Dalemark Quartet.

Terry Pratchett's YA books are pretty good too. i guess it all depends on the child's age and reading level...

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

*rubs your back gently*

Diane Duane's Wizards series, as ever. I second the Diana Wynne Jones rec. I read several Octavia Butler books when I was a teenager, though they aren't specifically YA, and they are awesome and thinky.

Nnedi Okorafor's books.

Tobias Bucknell's books.

A friend of mine had a discussion here: http://sparkymonster.livejournal.com/307357.html

The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole In Many Lands -- nonfiction, history and very fun.

[kcscribbler]

I firmly believe every child should read every book that's been made (and either destroyed or at least distorted) into a movie, so that they can see the differences. Peter Pan, the Narnia series, A Little Princess, the Wizard of Oz, Journey to the Center of the Earth, etc. Even if the movies are good, the books are better and they need to see the differences.

Oh, and as a small child: Make Way for Ducklings and Where the Wild Things Are (hooray for Reading Rainbow!). As an older kid, I worshipped the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books and L. Frank Baum's Oz series. Then at nine years old I met Sherlock Holmes and Poirot and chucked pretty much everything else for several years, so I would have no idea about YA books... :)

Oh, and take it easy and feel better! :( *hugs*

[dreamflower]

Most libraries have the first books of classic series, like "Five Little Peppers" and "Oz"-- but there were several of them, and it would be nice (if they can be found) to have the other less well-known books that followed them as well. If you don't already have it, Howard Pyle's version of "Robin Hood" is probably the best ever, especially if you can get the unabridged versions with his illustrations!

Also, Heinlein's Podkayne of Mars. I suppose nowadays it would be called YA. It was the first science fiction I recall reading, and it made an indelible impression on me.

[lame-pegasus.livejournal.com]

Feel better soon! *gives you a good, virtual backrub*

[persephone-kore.livejournal.com]

I always rather liked "One Fish Two Fish" as far as Dr. Seuss.

Gerald Morris's Arthurian stuff is really good.

Pamela Service is fun; I seem to remember finding some of her books repetitive when I went through a bunch of them fast, but I'm particularly fond of Weirdos of the Universe Unite and her Arthurian stuff, which is an oddly optimistic post-nuclear-apocalypse variation: Winter of Magic's Return, Tomorrow's Magic, Yesterday's Magic, Earth Magic.

The Rescuers series by Margery Sharp is fun, though I have not read them in a while to see how they hold up.

Likewise the Mary Poppins series.

[allisona.livejournal.com]

Lots of L.M. Montgomery, especially the Anne books and the Emily books.

The "Wrinkle In Time" series by Madeleine L'Engle.
The first one changed my world as a kid.

The Phantom Tollbooth

The Hobbit

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham (just recently re-read that one)

Bridge to Terebithia by Katherine Paterson

Run by Eric Walters (fictional account of Terry Fox story)

The Velveteen Rabbit

And yes on Peter Pan, Alice In Wonderland, Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, The Wizard of Oz

Good anthologies of fairy tales, myths and legends. I devoured such books as a kid.

Sadako and The Thousand Paper Cranes

books by Roald Dahl

Charlotte's Web

Paddle-to-the-Sea. Just a gorgeous book.

I'll think of a thousand more soon as I post this.

As for Sherlockian stuff I'm partial to Nicholas Meyers' "The Seven Percent Solution" because that's where I started my Holmesian journey.