These are the books that made me love to read and want to read more. I have read these stories countless times (as their tattered covers show) and will never forget how much pleasure each has bought me.
I can't think of a Dahl book that I haven't enjoyed but my two favourites would have to be The Twits and George's Marvellous Medicine. The amazing thing about these stories (besides Dahl's lively, fast-paced style of writing) are the villains; bad, evil people are just as vile in appearance and manner as they are on the inside and this is incredibly satisfying.
There is a sense of adventure in The Famous Five books, The Enchanted Wood and The Secret Passage which is rarely captured in adult books. I used to read these books before I went to sleep and after I was told to put my light out to go to sleep, I would lie in bed imagining various outcomes.
The Harry Potter books are the best children's books that I have ever read- and I have read many! At any time, a reader can escape the banality of everyday life and be transformed into a fantasy that somehow seems tangible. Rowling's attention to detail and focus on family and true love make her books stand far above the likes of Twilight and The Hunger Games.