Figgs & Phantoms
by Ellen Raskin
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 820L · 152 pages · 1974
Why we'd hand it over
Raskin's linguistic and structural playfulness (nested stories, puns, invented words) makes this a secret delight for kids ready for language games—funny and weird enough to reread, substantial enough not to feel like fluff.