Top Ten Books I Wish I Read as a Kid

This week's Top Ten from The Broke and the Bookish is a freebie so I picked an old topic, Books I wish I read as a kid. Every book on my list is one I enjoyed as an adult, but I know I would have absolutely adored it if I’d read it when I was young.

1) Half Magic series by Edward Eager

2) Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

3) The Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke

4) A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

5) The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

6) The Arthurian Saga by Mary Stewart

7) The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper

8) The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

9) The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

10) Peter and the Star Catchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Photo of me as a kid (check out that sweet carpet!)

The Prince of Mist

The Prince of Mist
by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
★★★☆

I’m a huge fan of Zafon’s work. I’ve read and loved The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game, so picking up this young adult book was a no-brainer. It’s a wonderfully creepy ghost story. Even though I liked it, I know it won’t stay with me in the same way his other books have.

It’s the first book Zafon ever had published and it does feel like a first novel. His writing has certainly improved over time, which is wonderful, but because of that, it doesn’t have the same depth as his other books. I couldn’t sink my teeth into it in the same way, but it was meant for a much younger audience. It reminded me in parts of Gaiman’s Coraline and of The Dark is Rising series and I think it would be the perfect introduction to Zafon’s work for a 10-12 year-old.

On the audio, the performer was great, but the sound effects were incredibly distracting. I think a younger audience might enjoy them, but I wasn’t a fan. There’s music throughout and there’s odd extra noises. When it says someone screams, they play a scream, or when a door creaks in the text, you hear it creaking, etc. I didn’t need that additional drama and it sounded cheesy. So maybe with this one, skip the audio and grab a print version.