Occasionally I’ve been referred books that are more aimed at kids or teens but ended up being a pleasant surprise, either because they have hidden adult humour or the emotional message lands really well.
Some of the best examples I can think of is:
The Five People You Meet in Heaven – Mitch Albom (emotionally charged and a real thought provoking story, may of cried haha)
Every Day – David Leviathan (Both beautiful messages and emotional weight)
Loopy Lu of Laversham – Roo Berry (oddly a child friendly book with some subtle adult humour slipped in) my friends daughter didn’t clock it 😂
Any other books like this that as an adult you’re pleasantly surprised by younger people audience books?
by Asel2214
14 Comments
I only recently read Alice in Wonderland for the first time and was blown away by Carrols writing.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I read the series for the first time at age 26.
The Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black.
I’m primarily a YA reader, so I’m going to veer more towards books geared to teens.
The Chronicles of Prydain
The Lost Years of Merlin series
Classics:
The Alice Books
Winnie the Pooh
The Little Prince
Out of these three, I was only familiar with the Alice books as a kid. I would say they, to some extent, influenced my love of philosophy today. The others I read as an adult and loved them.
YA:
Ophie’s Ghosts
Root Magic
My favorite literary genre is magical realism. I think they would be great introductions for young readers before tackling novels like Beloved, Midnight’s Children or Like Water for Chocolate
Picture books:
Elsa and the Night (by Jons Mellgren)
Loved this book about grief and friendship. It is in no way related to the Frozen movies
I first read the Chronicles of Narnia at 20 something. Definitely enjoyed.
I’ve enjoyed reading the Amelia Bedelia books to my daughter.
The Book with No Pictures
Even some of the board books for little little kids: Llama Llama Nighty Night and The Pout-Pout Fish come to mind
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Recently reread it after loving it as a kid and it holds up SO well. I loved it as much as the first time I read it.
Sarah McCarry’s Metamorphoses trilogy. Blew me away, especially as an elder millennial.
Also, Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume (and probably others of hers, but that’s the only one I’ve re-read as an adult).
Read the Earthsea trilogy recently and it was pretty great.
The Phantom Toolbooth!
Never read it as a kid, but read it recently and had a lot of fun
The Howl’s Moving Castle series by Diana Wynn Jones. They’re just wonderfully cozy and whimsical to read. I also love how the character Sophie is in the books, her personality differs a bit from the film version.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman. I’m a huge fan of the film version, so had to read the book. It’s a bit more unsettling than the film, which I loved.
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll. Just amazing.
Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson. I grew up watching the Moomin anime, so reading this was a nostalgia trip. It has a lonely, cold and sort of exciting atmosphere (like the feeling of seeing a world which is usually hidden), which I think adults might appeciate.
Harry Potter
Gregor the Overlander! By the same author as The Hunger Games. I think it’s technically middle grade but it’s SO GOOD and the kids are all so smart and mature and not dumbed down for the audience. There’s also some serious depictions of war, plague, death, poverty, etc.
The Unwind series by Neal Shusterman
Clive Barker with The Thief of Always. It’s was a great read then and still great now.