Bestselling author Neil Gaiman has written for readers of every age, and quite a few of his stories have made the leap from page to big screen. These weird and wonderful Neil Gaiman books are bound to be a hit with your kids – they’re creative beyond belief, and there’s something here for every age and stage.
Carnegie and Newbery Medal-winning author Neil Gaiman has long been one of the most inventive names in modern storytelling. He’s written across prose, poetry, comics, film and song lyrics, and he’s regularly named among the top living post-modern writers.
Gaiman’s first book for children, The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, was published in 1997. Since then he’s written a string of much-loved children’s books, including Coraline – a New York Times bestseller that became a hit animated film – and the magical Stardust, which was also turned into a feature film.
From picture books for the youngest readers to atmospheric stories for tweens and teens, Neil Gaiman’s wit and wonder is guaranteed to intrigue.
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Neil Gaiman Books for Kids
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1. Chu’s Day
Even the youngest fans can enjoy Neil Gaiman’s writing with the adorable tale Chu’s Day.
Chu is a little panda with a big sneeze. When Chu sneezes, bad things happen. But as Chu and his parents visit the library, the diner and the circus, will anyone hear Chu when he starts to feel a familiar tickle in his nose?
Follow-on stories include Chu’s First Day at School and Chu’s Day at the Beach.
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2. Blueberry Girl
Neil Gaiman wrote Blueberry Girl for a friend who was about to become the mother of a little girl, turning a deeply personal wish for a daughter into a book that celebrates the glory of growing up.
It’s illustrated with gorgeous art by Charles Vess, whose work also appears in Susanna Clarke’s The Ladies of Grace Adieu.
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3. Fortunately, the Milk…
Fortunately, the Milk… features Professor Steg (a time-travelling dinosaur), some green globby things, the Queen of the Pirates, the famed jewel known as the Eye of Splod, some wumpires, a disorganised dad, and a perfectly normal but very important carton of milk.
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4. Coraline
Coraline is one of Neil Gaiman’s most famous books, particularly since it was made into a popular animated film starring the voices of Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French and Ian McShane.
There’s something strange about Coraline’s new home. It’s not the mist, or the cat that always seems to be watching her, nor the signs of danger that her neighbours read in the tea leaves. It’s the other house – the one behind the old door in the drawing room. Another mother and father with black-button eyes and papery skin are waiting for Coraline to join them there. And they want her to stay with them forever. She knows that if she ventures through that door, she may never come back.
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5. The Wolves in the Walls
The Wolves in the Walls is a brilliant, witty and inventive picture book with striking artwork, sure to be a hit with existing Neil Gaiman fans as well as new young readers.
When Lucy hears noises from behind the wall, she tries to warn her parents that there are wolves banging about. But her parents don’t listen. When the wolves finally take over the house, and Lucy and her family are evicted to live in the garden, her parents realise perhaps they should have listened.
But Lucy is no shrinking violet, and pretty soon she has the wolves out and the family back in the house. So what was that noise Lucy heard coming from behind the wall?
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6. Cinnamon
In a hot, hot country, ringed with mountains on one side and jungle on the other, lives a princess called Cinnamon. Her eyes are made of pearls, which means she is blind. And, for reasons her parents the Rajah and Rani cannot fathom, she will not talk. So they offer a reward to anyone who can teach Cinnamon to speak.
People travel from far and wide to attempt it, but nothing works – until a mighty tiger, huge and fierce, prowls into their palace and announces that he is here to teach the girl-cub to talk.
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7. Crazy Hair
Crazy Hair is a fantastically fun tale from the author-illustrator duo behind The Wolves in the Walls.
Bonnie makes a friend who has hair so wild there’s even a jungle inside of it. Bonnie ventures through the crazy hair, but she may need more than a comb to tame her friend’s insane mane.
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8. The Dangerous Alphabet
The Dangerous Alphabet is an alphabet book with a story about two children and their pet gazelle, who head off, treasure map in hand, on an underground journey into a place where monsters and pirates roam. Will they find the treasure? Will they get out alive? Will the alphabet ever be the same again?
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9. Instructions
In Instructions, Neil Gaiman’s lyrical poem guides a novice traveller through the enchanted woods of a fairy tale – through lush gardens, a formidable castle, and over a perilous river – to find the way home again.
Illustrated by Charles Vess, it features lush images of mythical creatures, magical landscapes and canny princesses. Its message about the value of courage, wit and wisdom makes it a lovely gift.
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10. M is for Magic
M is for Magic is a collection of wonderful stories ranging across fantasy, humour, science fiction and a sprinkling of horror.
Be prepared to laugh at the detective story about Humpty Dumpty’s demise, feel a shiver at the sinister jack-in-the-box who haunts the lives of the children who own it, and be intrigued by the boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard – this collection is full of bite-sized narrative pleasures.
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11. Odd and the Frost Giants
With Neil Gaiman’s typical wit and style, Odd and the Frost Giants becomes a humorous, rich and layered tale of a life lived courageously.
Odd’s luck has been bad so far. He lost his father on a Viking expedition, his foot was crushed beneath a tree, and the winter seems to be going on forever. But when Odd flees to the woods and releases a trapped bear, his luck begins to change.
The eagle, bear and fox he encounters reveal they’re actually Norse gods, trapped in animal form by the evil frost giants who have conquered Asgard, the city of the gods. Can a twelve-year-old boy reclaim Thor’s hammer, outwit the frost giants and release the gods?
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12. The Graveyard Book
When a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing the entire family, who would have thought it would find safety in the local graveyard? Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead. But there is also the danger of the murderer still looking for him – after all, he is the last remaining member of the family.
The Graveyard Book is a stunningly original novel, deftly constructed over eight chapters, each covering every second year of Bod’s life, from babyhood to adolescence. Will Bod survive to be a man?
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13. The Sleeper and the Spindle
The Sleeper and the Spindle is a thrillingly reimagined fairy tale from the magical combination of Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell, weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic that will hold readers spellbound from start to finish.
On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword, and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future – and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems.
Twisting together the familiar and the new, this delicious, captivating and darkly funny tale shows its creators at the peak of their talents.
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14. Stardust
Stardust is an enchanting tale that will delight fans of Terry Pratchett and J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as those who loved the feature film starring Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro.
Life moves at a leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall – named after the imposing stone barrier which separates the town from a grassy meadow. Young Tristran has lost his heart to the beautiful Victoria, and for the coveted prize of her hand, he vows to retrieve a fallen star and deliver it to his beloved. It’s an oath that sends him over the ancient wall and into a world that is dangerous and strange beyond all imagining.
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15. Neverwhere
Neverwhere is an extraordinary modern classic about a world lying under the streets of London that most people could never dream of.
When Richard Mayhew helps a mysterious girl he finds bleeding on the pavement, his ordinary life changes in an instant. There’s a girl named Door, an Angel called Islington, an Earl who holds court on the carriage of a Tube train, a Beast in a labyrinth, and dangers and delights aplenty.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What age are Neil Gaiman’s books suitable for?
Neil Gaiman writes across every age group, so there’s real variety here. Picture books like Chu’s Day, Blueberry Girl and Crazy Hair suit toddlers and preschoolers. Coraline, The Wolves in the Walls and Fortunately, the Milk… work well for confident young readers, roughly ages 7 and up. The Graveyard Book, Odd and the Frost Giants, Stardust and Neverwhere are better suited to tweens, teens and adults, as they carry more complex themes and a touch more darkness.
Which Neil Gaiman book should my child start with?
For younger children, Chu’s Day or Crazy Hair are gentle, funny starting points. For a slightly older reader ready for something a bit spookier, Coraline or The Wolves in the Walls are excellent introductions to Gaiman’s style.
Are Neil Gaiman’s books scary for kids?
Some of them have a gothic or eerie edge – Coraline and The Graveyard Book both feature genuinely unsettling moments – but they’re written with warmth and humour, and young heroes who are brave and resourceful. It’s worth reading a synopsis or a sample chapter first if your child is sensitive to spooky themes.
Are any of these books connected to movies?
Yes. Coraline was made into a widely loved stop-motion animated film, and Stardust was adapted into a live-action fantasy film. Both are worth watching as a family once your child has read the book.
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Save These Ideas for Later
Building a home library takes time, so don’t feel you need to track down all fifteen at once. Save this list, work through it a book or two at a time, and let your child help pick which weird and wonderful world to visit next.
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