By Sharon Araujo
Terry Fox Library

I loved reading as a child and I think part of the reason is the quality and creativity of books written for children.  As an adult, I still turn to these books as an easy and enjoyable escape from the day-to-day grind.  This is why I’ve chosen as the topic of this column books written for children that are fun for adults, too.

The Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix

First up isn’t one book but a series of seven. And this series has it all:  action, adventure, mystery and double-crossing scoundrels.  Like most series, it’s best to read these in order but, if you don’t, you’ll still be able to sort out what’s going on.  The main character, Arthur Penhaligon is unwittingly roped into the world of The House, which is the centre of the universe.  The House is crumbling and it’s up to Arthur to help save it because if The House falls apart so do all the other worlds attached to it, including Earth. 

Rodzina by Karen Cushman

The year is 1881 when 12-year old Rodzina is forced to board the orphan train in Chicago and head out west to California. The people in charge have made arrangements for the train to stop at various towns along the way where, hopefully, the orphans will be adopted.  Rodzina doesn’t hold out much hope for herself.  First of all she’s big, angry and tough. Second, she doesn’t really want to be adopted. She suspects that people are simply looking for children that they can use as slaves.  What will happen? There’s only one way to find out.  Although this book is a work of fiction, orphan trains really did exist and desperate families really did put their kids on these trains. The back of this book lists some non-fiction works that discuss orphan trains.

Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath

This is the story of Primrose Squarp.  Her parents are lost at sea and presumed dead.  This bothers Primrose less than you would think because she’s pretty sure her parents are still alive and are sitting on an island somewhere waiting to be rescued.  In the meantime, though, Primrose needs somewhere to go.  The town council doesn’t feel as though paying Primrose’s babysitter, Miss Perfidy, $3.00 per hour is a good long-term arrangement.  When the town council locates Primrose’s Uncle Jack, they’re delighted - Primrose less so, but she warms up to the arrangement.  Primrose also finds sanctuary at The Girl on the Red Swing restaurant, where everything is served on a waffle.  This is a warm, humourous book with wide-ranging appeal.  It’s a great read for adults as it reminds us what it was like to be eleven years old and searching for our place in the world.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathon Stroud

This is the first book of The Bartimaeus Trilogy.  The second book is called Golem’s Eye, and the third is The Other Place.  Nathaniel is a young magician’s apprentice, taking his first lessons in the arts of magic.  But when a devious hotshot wizard named Simon Lovelace ruthlessly humiliates Nathaniel in front of everyone he knows, Nathaniel decides to kick up his education a few notches and show Lovelace who’s boss.  With revenge on his mind, he masters one of the toughest spells of all: summoning the all-powerful djinni, Bartimaeus.  But summoning Bartimaeus and controlling him are two different things entirely, and when Nathaniel finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of magical espionage, murder, blackmail and revolt, he wonders if he’s got what it takes to survive. 

Enjoy these and other great kids books at your local library!