log(book)

List: Kids' Books

Books for kids – or books that I read as a kid without much ill results. I’m gesturing at all of me.

Of these, I like the books by Astrid Lindgren best. Honourable mentions to the Thief Lord, some of Erich Kästner and the book that taught me to read.

Cover of Mio, My Son.

Mio, My Son

by Astrid Lindgren · published 1954 · read 2001-02-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Mio, my Mio. A book for children, with heart-breaking beauty. The beauty is in how it uses fairytale and lyrical resonance to spin a story that is both familiar and strange. It meant a lot to me:…
Cover of Märchen.

Märchen

by Astrid Lindgren · published 1989 · read 2007-05-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Cover of Ronia, the Robber's Daughter.

Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter

by Astrid Lindgren · published 1981 · read 2001-12-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Cover of The Brothers Lionheart.

The Brothers Lionheart

by Astrid Lindgren · published 1973 · read 2001-11-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Cover of Kalle Blomquist.

Kalle Blomquist

by Astrid Lindgren · published 1946 · read 1998-09-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
My first, own, serious book! Serious in that it was long, and the book I got for my first day at school. Despite its length – it's a collection of three individual books – I got through it within…
Cover of Herr der Diebe.

Herr der Diebe

by Cornelia Funke · published 2000 · read 2001-07-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Possibly my first good magical realism book. I loved this so much that I took the real name of one of the characters as my alter ego name in adventure stories I was writing at the time. The Thief…
Cover of Das fliegende Klassenzimmer.

Das fliegende Klassenzimmer

by Erich Kästner · published 1933 · read 2001-07-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
It's the one German boarding school novel and I loved it to pieces as a kid. As all Kästner books except for Lottchen it features a fairly transparent self-insert, but it's fine, imo. Most boarding…
Cover of Emil and the Detectives.

Emil and the Detectives

by Erich Kästner · published 1928 · read 2004-12-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Cover of Die dampfenden Hälse der Pferde im Turm von Babel.

Die dampfenden Hälse der Pferde im Turm von Babel

by Franz Fühmann · published 1978 · read 2000-03-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Five stars mean a book changed my life. This book changed my life several times, and I'm not sure it's done with me yet. It's about language. It's about philosophy. It's about linguistics. It's…
Cover of Momo.

Momo

by Michael Ende · published 1973 · read 2002-07-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Cover of The Neverending Story.

The Neverending Story

by Michael Ende · published 1979 · read 2002-03-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Cover of Coraline.

Coraline

by Neil Gaiman · published 2002 · read 2003-02-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Coraline is a wonderful book. Terrifying, too. Coraline and her parents move to a new place, where there's nothing apart from the other (strange!) people living in the house. Her parents are busy…
Cover of Alarm im Kasperletheater.

Alarm im Kasperletheater

by Nils Werner, Heinz Behling · published 1958 · read 1998-12-31
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
And this is how I learnt to read: Too early, to general displeasure, and by this book. It's a beautifully illustrated story with the characters of a Punch-and-Judy show. It's grandma's birthday, and…
Cover of Max und Moritz. Eine Bubengeschichte in sieben Streichen.

Max und Moritz. Eine Bubengeschichte in sieben Streichen

by Wilhelm Busch · published 1865 · read 2000-01-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Max and Moritz is an extremely quotable gruesome story of two boys and their pranks. It's written in rhymed couplets, many of which have turned into common sayings because they are witty, sarcastic,…
Cover of Emil in the Soup Tureen.

Emil in the Soup Tureen

by Astrid Lindgren · published 1963 · read 2001-04-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Adorable book for kids. Emil is wonderful, as is everybody else. As usual, Astrid Lindgren doesn't flinch away from real life, so Emil is for instance regularly locked away because his parents don't…
Cover of Immer dieser Michel.

Immer dieser Michel

by Astrid Lindgren · read 2001-12-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Cover of Pippi Langstrumpf.

Pippi Langstrumpf

by Astrid Lindgren · published 1945 · read 2001-11-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Cover of Tomte Tummetott.

Tomte Tummetott

by Astrid Lindgren · published 1961 · read 2004-01-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Cover of Igraine the Brave.

Igraine the Brave

by Cornelia Funke · published 1998 · read 2004-02-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Cover of Das doppelte Lottchen.

Das doppelte Lottchen

by Erich Kästner · published 1949 · read 2001-01-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Das doppelte Lottchen (English: Lottie and Lisa) is exactly what I loved to read as a child. The story of the twins Liese and Lotte, who were split up soon after birth when their parents separated.…
Cover of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

by J.K. Rowling · published 1997 · read 2001-09-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Harry Potter – look, I can't be objective. I grew up on these books. My friends and I could act out entire scenes by heart. I went through the cycle a generation experienced: Love, obsession,…
Cover of Die rote Zora und ihre Bande.

Die rote Zora und ihre Bande

by Kurt Held · published 1941 · read 2007-08-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Cover of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

by Mark Twain · published 1875 · read 2002-10-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Cover of Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver.

Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver

by Michael Ende · published 1960 · read 1999-05-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Lukas, and Jim, their steam locomotive Emma, and their shared adventures fascinated me a lot. I remember being read these stories (and drawing in the book) when I was three, and I loved them to…
Cover of Odd and the Frost Giants.

Odd and the Frost Giants

by Neil Gaiman · published 2008 · read 2016-06-11
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
It's a Gaiman fairytale, about a wonderful boy among the vikings and their gods, and that's all you need to know.
Cover of Der Räuber Hotzenplotz.

Der Räuber Hotzenplotz

by Otfried Preußler · published 1962 · read 1999-09-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
As Alarm im Kasperletheater, this book is a riff off the usual characters of a Punch-and-Judy show. There's the Robber, Hotzenplotz, who opens the book by stealing(!) grandmother's coffee grinder,…
Cover of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

by Roald Dahl · published 1964 · read 2006-08-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Cover of Matilda.

Matilda

by Roald Dahl · published 1988 · read 2004-10-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Cover of The Witches.

The Witches

by Roald Dahl · published 1983 · read 2006-03-01
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Cover of Winnie ille Pu.

Winnie ille Pu

by A.A. Milne · published 1926 · read 1999-01-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Further Reading If you enjoy this, you're probably a nerd for classical education and allusions, so you should absolutely go and read Gaudy Night. This book is, of course, adorable in every way. The…
Cover of Lotta on Troublemaker Street.

Lotta on Troublemaker Street

by Astrid Lindgren · published 1958 · read 2003-06-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of Madita.

Madita

by Astrid Lindgren · published 1960 · read 2001-01-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of Pinocchio.

Pinocchio

by Carlo Collodi · published 1883 · read 2001-04-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Just like I knew who Darth Vader was for a decade before I watched Star Wars, I knew the story of Pinocchio by ambient cultural knowledge: The puppet that wanted to be a real boy, and couldn't lie…
Cover of Die feuerrote Friederike.

Die feuerrote Friederike

by Christine Nöstlinger · published 1970 · read 2003-01-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of Die Wilden Hühner.

Die Wilden Hühner

by Cornelia Funke · published 1993 · read 2004-11-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Generic-but-good girl series, where the girls do lots of adventurous things and are way cooler than the boys, and very matter-of-fact. I liked it a bit as a kid, though I mostly read it for lack of…
Cover of Die Wilden Hühner: Fuchsalarm.

Die Wilden Hühner: Fuchsalarm

by Cornelia Funke · published 1998 · read 2004-10-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of Die Wilden Hühner und das Glück der Erde.

Die Wilden Hühner und das Glück der Erde

by Cornelia Funke · published 2000 · read 2008-03-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of Dragon Rider.

Dragon Rider

by Cornelia Funke · published 1997 · read 2007-04-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost.

Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost

by Cornelia Funke · published 1993 · read 2001-02-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
I have a vaguely positive memory of this book, but that's about it. The protagonist was nice, had an annoying older sister, and dealt with ghosts with cleverness and hacked up techy devices? It's…
Cover of Der 35. Mai oder Konrad reitet in die Südsee.

Der 35. Mai oder Konrad reitet in die Südsee

by Erich Kästner · published 1931 · read 2003-08-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of Struwwelpeter: Fearful Stories and Vile Pictures to Instruct Good Little Folks.

Struwwelpeter: Fearful Stories and Vile Pictures to Instruct Good Little Folks

by Heinrich Hoffmann · published 1845 · read 1998-02-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
An old book of German horror stories to frighten, erm, educate! kids. The rhymed stories are terrifying and illustrated, and I can still recall lots of the rhymes now. They include The titular…
Cover of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

by J.K. Rowling · published 1998 · read 2003-10-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

by Joanne Gise · published 1990 · read 2002-01-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of A Wrinkle in Time.

A Wrinkle in Time

by Madeleine L'Engle · published 1962 · read 2018-02-26
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Started off as five star book, ended as a three star book. I found the religious … themes very jarring, much less low-key than in Diane Duane's books. The descriptions and characters were great, the…
Cover of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

by Mark Twain · published 1884 · read 2003-04-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of The Night of Wishes.

The Night of Wishes

by Michael Ende · published 1989 · read 2002-11-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of Jim Button and the Wild 13.

Jim Button and the Wild 13

by Michael Ende · published 1962 · read 1999-11-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
The second part of the Jim Button series is still super imaginary, and this time concerns rebuilding (well, expanding, really). It's fun, but lacks the deep strength of the first part. Also, finding…
Cover of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

by Newt Scamander · published 2001 · read 2001-10-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
I loved this book as a kid, both for the fantastic beasts and for the scrawled notes by Harry, Ron and Hermione. Imagine if the Silmarillion came with scrawled notes in the margins from Gandalf and…
Cover of Der kleine Wassermann.

Der kleine Wassermann

by Otfried Preußler · published 1956 · read 2000-09-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
A nice little book for children. Nothing special per se, but I think the way life under water is portrayed is very well done. The smallest common issues are considered – where is the young waterman…
Cover of The Little Ghost.

The Little Ghost

by Otfried Preußler · published 1966 · read 2001-06-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of Neues vom Räuber Hotzenplotz.

Neues vom Räuber Hotzenplotz

by Otfried Preußler · published 1969 · read 2000-12-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
The second part of the Hotzenplotz series is nice and fun, and not worse than the first part. But somehow the fact that there is a second part makes it more common, less exciting. I remember…
Cover of Hotzenplotz 3.

Hotzenplotz 3

by Otfried Preußler · published 1973 · read 2001-01-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of Mary Poppins.

Mary Poppins

by P.L. Travers · published 1934 · read 2002-02-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of Eine Woche voller Samstage.

Eine Woche voller Samstage

by Paul Maar · published 1973 · read 2000-05-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
This is the first part of a very German series of books for children. The Sams (from "Samstag", "Saturday") appears the the very dull, very anxious office worker Herr Taschenbier after for a full…
Cover of Am Samstag kam das Sams zurück.

Am Samstag kam das Sams zurück

by Paul Maar · published 1980 · read 2000-11-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
The second part of the Sams is not bad, it just doesn't stand out either. I have little memory of the plot, and what I remember is not extremely amazing. Stick with the first part, imo.
Cover of Neue Punkte für das Sams.

Neue Punkte für das Sams

by Paul Maar · published 1992 · read 2001-06-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of Ein Sams für Martin Taschenbier.

Ein Sams für Martin Taschenbier

by Paul Maar · published 1996 · read 2001-08-01
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
I don't have many memories of the third Sams book. I think I had more pity for Martin than for his father, because kids being bullied was relatable, whereas adults who were bullied looked weird and…
Cover of The World of Poo.

The World of Poo

by Terry Pratchett · published 2012 · read 2020-04-23
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of Pippi in the South Seas.

Pippi in the South Seas

by Astrid Lindgren · published 1948 · read 1999-07-01
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
While I generally love everything Astrid Lindgren has written, the Pippi books rank lowest among her books for me. Pippi (Pippilotta Viktualia Rollgardina Pfefferminz Efraimstochter Langstrumpf) is…
Cover of Die Wilden Hühner und die Liebe.

Die Wilden Hühner und die Liebe

by Cornelia Funke · published 2003 · read 2005-10-01
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Cover of Pünktchen und Anton.

Pünktchen und Anton

by Erich Kästner · published 1931 · read 2001-01-01
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Cover of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

by C.S. Lewis · published 1950 · read 2002-06-01
★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Cover of Prince Caspian.

Prince Caspian

by C.S. Lewis · published 1951 · read 2002-10-01
★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆