4.23 avg rating — 534,199 ratings

"The BFG is not my absolute favorite book of all time (though it's always been among my favorites). But, this book is pure escape fantasy for children, so it absolutely MUST be high on this list. (Mild spoilers ahead)

An orphan girl is whisked away from her dreary existence by a lovable giant, who is silly and kind. Together, they have adventures (including literally collecting dreams), meet the Queen of England, and foil the plans of the villains. And ultimately, the girl and the giant see in each other the family they never had before.

This book is silly, sometimes icky, and wonderfully whimsical (I resisted the temptation to make up a word like Roald Dahl would have). It has rhymes, fantasy, and did I mention it's silly?

Nothing ever written is a more perfect example of how to write FOR kids...except maybe James and the Giant Peach (also by Roald Dahl, of course)."

4.04 avg rating — 522,598 ratings

"James and the Giant Peach is not my absolute favorite book of all time (though it's always been among my favorites). But, this book is pure escape fantasy for children, so it absolutely MUST be high on this list. (Mild spoilers ahead)

Imagine if everything good about your life was ripped away -- including your family. Now imagine if your new life was dismal, dreary, grey misery. It involved hard work, terrible living conditions, and no love at all.

Then, one day, you get a foolish ray of hope, only to have it disappear. However, something replaces it. One tiny, glowing ember of beauty. Now imagine if this one tiny beautiful thing in your otherwise grim life could grow. Imagine this one beautiful thing growing to enormous proportions, until it shoved aside everything bad in your life, and took you away to someplace wonderful -- and gave you the greatest, strangest, silliest adventures along the way.

THAT is the story of James and the Giant Peach.

Nothing ever written is a more perfect example of how to write FOR kids...except maybe The BFG (also by Roald Dahl, of course)."

4.06 avg rating — 618,184 ratings

4.24 avg rating — 3,190,253 ratings

4.10 avg rating — 73,764 ratings

4.17 avg rating — 941,727 ratings

4.34 avg rating — 1,130,313 ratings

4.18 avg rating — 433,307 ratings

4.46 avg rating — 127,445 ratings

3.96 avg rating — 336,242 ratings

4.39 avg rating — 451,825 ratings

4.01 avg rating — 310,686 ratings

3.91 avg rating — 399,028 ratings

3.98 avg rating — 492,724 ratings

4.12 avg rating — 25,580 ratings

4.15 avg rating — 22,047 ratings

4.29 avg rating — 2,849 ratings

3.67 avg rating — 121,787 ratings

4.08 avg rating — 150,240 ratings

4.35 avg rating — 1,524,939 ratings

4.07 avg rating — 74,711 ratings

4.39 avg rating — 1,250,252 ratings

4.06 avg rating — 73,541 ratings

3.96 avg rating — 156,431 ratings

4.02 avg rating — 101,092 ratings

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 519,214 ratings

4.37 avg rating — 480,111 ratings

4.24 avg rating — 188,388 ratings

4.09 avg rating — 118,371 ratings

4.04 avg rating — 118,123 ratings

3.99 avg rating — 130,482 ratings

4.03 avg rating — 126,028 ratings

4.01 avg rating — 141,916 ratings

4.05 avg rating — 137,180 ratings

3.97 avg rating — 155,651 ratings

4.06 avg rating — 161,644 ratings

4.02 avg rating — 176,148 ratings

3.86 avg rating — 186,965 ratings

3.95 avg rating — 213,769 ratings

4.02 avg rating — 248,322 ratings

4.03 avg rating — 577,517 ratings

4.26 avg rating — 1,076,108 ratings

4.14 avg rating — 140,718 ratings

3.97 avg rating — 90,786 ratings

4.22 avg rating — 114,679 ratings

4.18 avg rating — 18,233 ratings

4.22 avg rating — 253,865 ratings

3.90 avg rating — 71,871 ratings

3.95 avg rating — 14,888 ratings

3.78 avg rating — 10,662 ratings