Books to keep 'em quiet for hours

Oscar Moffit, age six, from Stoke Newington: "We sometimes go by train to my grandma's in Northumbria and I always take my Beano annual because it's got lots of funny bits - my favourites are Dennis the Menace and Billy Whizz (The Beano Book 2002, DC Thomson, £6.25). My mum and I also like The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey (Hippo, £3.99) and The Ha Ha Bonk Book by Janet and Allan Ahlberg, which is full of good jokes (Puffin, £3.99)."

Ellen Hindley, age nine, from Hackney: "I once read a brilliant book on my way to Cambridge. It was called I Was a Rat! ... or, The Scarlet Slippers and it's by Philip Pullman (Corgi Yearling, £4.99). It's a carry-on from Cinderella about a rat who's turned into a pageboy by a fairy godmother - only he doesn't get back in time to get changed into a rat again. Roger (also known as rat boy) goes on lots of adventures and the book has excellent illustrations and newspapers telling you what's happening at the palace."

Rufus Quickenden, age 10, from Oxford: "In the school holidays we often go to stay in a friend's house in Normandy, which means driving a long way, then getting on a ferry. The Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz (Walker Books, £4.99) is great for a long journey because you don't want to put it down. It's about this boy called Alex whose parents are dead, so he lives with his uncle who works in a bank. Alex thinks his uncle leads a normal life but then he finds out this secret. There are lots of good gadgets in the book and it gets really exciting because Alex takes on the adults and is as good as them."

Julia Steinhardt, age 11, from Henley: "On our last holiday we had to take a plane home from Seattle and that takes hours and hours. I enjoy fantasy and science fiction and read this book called Sabriel by Garth Nix (Collins, £12.99). The story is about a teenage girl who lives next to a magical world and finds out her father is trapped in the great river, Death. She determines to rescue him, taking with her his necromancing bells and magic sword, and you cross with her into this thrilling land of fantasy and adventure."

Scarlett Moloney, age 13, from Islington: "Last summer I flew on my own to New Zealand. It took so long I ended up reading the safety card - I was that bored. I then started on The Complete Works of Shakespeare, which my dad had given me. For a big trip I'd recommend anything by William Nicholson - his latest book is Firesong (Mammoth, £10.99), which is just out. It's a brilliant fantasy about twins with special powers. I also went to Hamburg over the Jubilee weekend and took The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (Penguin Popular Classics, £1.25), which was great, and it always helps to have a horror novel in your bag such as The Last Vampire by Christopher Pike (Hodder, £4.99)."