Marcus Sedgwick
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
I think this is one of those books that people underestimate, either because they’ve forgotten they’ve read it, or never have. Maybe there’s too much Disney in people’s memories of it. The original book is powerful, dark, compelling and sinister and I love it.
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
I could just as easily have listed Where the Wild Things Are, but Sendak is on great form in Night Kitchen too – this is a picture book that probably breaks any kind of rule someone might stipulate for what a picture book for young children should be, but one which just proves that very often rules deserve to be ignored. Surreal and anarchic and a lot of fun.
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
This is probably the book that, eventually, made me a writer. It’s such a wonderful fantasy, cleverly told and full of creeping terror. A true modern classic.
The Changes by Peter Dickinson
The same can be said of this trilogy by another wonderfully imaginative writer. As I read this book I remember thinking, strange, strange, strange, and I have always loved a book that makes you feel that way.
Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
This is on the borderline for a children’s book, but if Tolkien is read by young adults, then there’s no reason why Peake shouldn’t be either. Certainly, I read this aged 14 and it was perfect – dark, epic, very strange (again!) and loaded with masterful characterisation. A forgotten gem.
