85. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

I can't say enough good things about this book and the whole series (also called the Dark is Rising Sequence). Every time I read it I am amazed by how complex and deftly it is written. The author weaves the mythology into an original story. This time I listened to it on CD and the guy who reads it does a really good job. It is a little intense, probably not for really small kids, but I would say about 10 and up would really like it. This is the second book in the series and about the only continuing elements from the previous book are the Merriman ( a version of Merlin) and the overall good versus bad storyline. I love this book because it gives you a lot to think about. But most of all I like it because it is just an incredible story. I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially if you liked the Narnia books or Harry Potter. Oh yeah, there was a movie made of this book, but it really was loosely based on the book. So if you saw the movie and didn't like it, you should still give the book a try because it is about a hundred times better.