Where better to start than Jules Verne's classic, Around the World in 80 Days, translated from French by George Makepeace Towle. In his balanced review, Trishit calls the book
"An unforgettable classic which is recommended for all the ages",
But he also notices omissions in the journey.
"it is very clear that Phileas Fogg didn't travel to the continents of South America and Africa. Jules Verne missed out on those two continents and so the title of the book – Around the World in Eighty Days – is somewhat ironic."
Phileas Fogg's story ends with a return to London. Oksa Pollock's exploits start when she moves from Paris to London with her parents, her grandmother and her best friend Gus. She starts to discover family secrets and her own magical abilities. SophieDophie, who lives in France, wrote this first ever review of the series by Anne Plichota and Cendrine Wolf on the Guardian children's books website in 2011. Oksa Pollock's adventures hadn't even been translated into English yet!
"She and her family are not from Earth – they actually come from a parallel world called Edefia. They're trying to get back to Edefia, but the only person who has the magical powers to achieve this is Oksa.
Hopefully you won't have to wait too long to become 'Pollockmaniacs'"!
It has been translated now – phew – by Sue Rose, and SophieDophie was right about Pollockmania! HorseLover3000 loved the first novel in the series, The Last Hope.
"Oksa thinks she is just a normal girl, moving to England from France. But when she starts to discover unknown powers, she has no idea how her life will change.
I think this book is fantastic. The characters are well thought out, very believable and realistic, and it is a new take on the whole magical world idea. I think the villain in it is an especially good character because he is Oksa's teacher, which makes it realistic and makes you wonder if your teachers could be anything like that."
If you enjoyed Oksa Pollock's first exploit then you can look forward to five more! SophieDophie highly recommends the sequel.
"If you haven't heard of Oksa Pollock, now is the time to find out about her because The Forest of Lost Souls is the second book of her amazing adventures.
It's really easy to imagine the action in your head because of the way it's been written – you feel as if you're there with Oksa and Gus in the deep, dark forest, and although the story's quite complex, you never get confused. In fact, the complicated plot and made-up words make the book even more interesting to read."
From Oksa to another adventurous heroine, Astrid Lindgern's Pippi Longstocking (translated from Swedish by Edna Hurup). Lady Abigail tells us about the Swedish character's quirky charm.
"Pippi Longstocking is a 9-year-old girl who does not have a Mother or Father. Pippi says that her Father got lost in a storm and landed on a desert island and that he became king of all of the creatures there.
At one point, Pippi Longstocking walks backwards because she does not want to turn around on the way back home. I think that is a bit odd but at least she does not bang her face. If she bumps into some things she will just bang the back of her head."
Kung Fu Kitty has written a brilliant review of another classic translation: Emil and Detectives by German author Erich Kästner (translated by Eileen Hall).
"Emil and the Detectives is an exciting younger children's book full of adventure. From the minute Emil steps on the train on his own, clutching a bunch of flowers and seven pounds tucked away in his jacket for his Grandma, you know something exciting will happen. But when a man in a bowler hat gets on and sits opposite him, you become certain.
When Emil falls asleep and wakes up the money is gone, and you join him on a search all over Berlin for the money. Luckily it's a busy city and there are plenty of boys about, ready to help Emil catch the man in the bowler hat. But what about Gran at the station? How long will she wait? And will Emil be able to give her the money his mother has entrusted him with?"
Another character with tangled mysteries to solve is Tintin, brought to life in 23 graphic stories by the Belgian cartoonist Hergé (translated by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner). Butterfly Rainbow and Purple Unicorns were taken on two of Tintin's sea voyages, in The Secret of the Unicorn:
"Tintin buys this model boat, and he discovers something amazing whilst getting into lots of trouble. The boat leads him on a search for treasure. If you read it you'll love it. Every time I'm typing about this, I'm reading! I can't get enough of it."
And The Shooting Star:
"I like this book because it is often very funny and smart. There is a lot of action almost on every page and suspense and twists and turns in the plot right till the end.
The pictures by Hergé are very colourful and whenever you look at them, you can almost see the whole story in front of your eyes, like a film!"
ilynx21 has let us know about another graphic novel, A Game of Swallows by Lebanese writer and illustrator Zeina Abirached (and translated by Edward Gauvin) in his thoughtful review.
"A Game for Swallows is a historical fiction graphic novel about Lebanon's civil war.
What makes this book stand out from other graphic novels is the feeling that Zeina puts into the book, which makes you really feel the characters' emotions.
The narrator tells the story from the point of view of someone who very well could have existed and lived at that time in that place. In the book, it tells the story of two children who are waiting for their parents with the neighbours in a time of bombing.
In conclusion, it is really worth reading because it makes you feel like you are in a war and that is a very unique experience."
Another story that will teach older readers about tragic historical circumstances is Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl (translated by Susan Massotty). It is translated non-fiction: a real diary kept by a young German Jew during the second world war. In his sensitive review SkulduggeryPleasant notices the contrast between some "light-hearted" details of Anne's everyday life and the extraordinarily difficult situation for Jews in Germany at the time.
"In the 1940s, Germany invaded Holland and the Nazis started creating a load of anti-Jew rules. Otto Frank knew he had to do something to protect his family. They went into hiding. In the building of Anne Frank's Dad's office, behind a bookcase, is a marvellous secret annexe, two floors and an attic full of strangeness. Find out about life in the annexe of 263 Prinsengracht, Amsterdam, from the perspective of a teenage girl and the strange arguments and discussions that take place in the Jews' struggle to survive and Anne's struggle to stay a part of her family.
This book at first seems rather light-hearted with the oddness of living without daylight but soon Anne's diary gets flooded with hardship as she gets bullied by almost everyone. A great book about the will to survive."
Those looking for a jolly reading experience might turn to Jo Nesbo's Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder, translated from Norwegian by Tara F Chace.
The first book in the series had reviewer Waddleme in hysterics!
"A hilariously funny, totally crazy, and exceptionally brilliant book. Five laughs a page, brilliantly set, with some fantastic characters."
And don't worry because Yoshi assures us there are more laughs to come in Doctor Proctor's second adventure, Time-Travel Bath Bomb.
"I thought this book was an excellent sequel and it was every bit as crazy as the first Doctor Proctor adventure."
Another Nordic children's book is Finn Family Moomintrollby Tove Jansson. The translation (by Elizabeth Portch) captured the imagination of reviewer anteater.
"The way Tove Jansson, the Finnish author, writes about Moominvalley just makes you want to live there! The Moomins are little creatures who live in a beautiful valley and are always having adventures together.
Tove Jansson created the most spectacular adventures for the Moomins and friends, and I think anyone over six would very much enjoy the series."
German author Cornelia Funke also manages to create fantastic new worlds in her readers minds. AYRA loved Reckless, the first book in the MirrorWorld series, translated by Oliver Latsch.
"This is one of the best books I have ever read because the author wrote the book in a way that allowed you to feel that you were part of the story, and created the characters in such a way that I felt I had known them all my life."
Tigerwatcher is just as enthusiastic about Funke's novel Dragon Rider (translated by Anthea Bell).
"Dragon Rider is a magical story that will leave you wanting more. When Firedrake (a dragon) and Sorrel (a brownie) set off on a journey to the Rim of Heaven, they find themselves in the middle of an ancient legend. As they head towards the Himalayas with a boy and a manikin in tow hidden secrets are released. However, someone is not to be trusted...
An absolutely amazing story. Unputdownable. This is the best book I have ever read as the descriptions really give you a sense of being in the action. I think any person from the age of 9 upwards would love this book. I give it 110 out of 5 stars!!!!!!!!"
We'll finish off this round-up with Marina, a mystery novel for older readers by Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafón (and translated by Lucia Graves) in this beautiful review by alannahbee.
"With flowing prose and a story-line that would entice any historical fiction enthusiast, Marina is a fine piece of well-crafted, intriguing, chilling literature.
The story is narrated by fifteen-year-old Oscar Drai, a boarding school student who appears to be unravelling in his very own exponential crisis. He stumbles across a semi-dilapidated house in the outskirts of Barcelona which, as he soon comes to find, belongs to Germán Blau, an enigmatic, aged artist and his daughter, Marina. Oscar falls for Marina and her delicate yet feisty condition and, one Sunday morning, they walk down to the old Barcelona quarter to witness a macabre and mysterious ceremony at a hidden cemetery: a woman, veiled in black, places a single rose upon a grave embossed with a small black butterfly. They follow this woman through the winding back-streets of the Catalonian city (Zafón's descriptive language of the architectural structures is a feat in itself), thus unravelling thirty years of mystery and tragedy at the hands of crippling greed and man's thirst for longevity.Marina is one of those books that are meant to be devoured in one sitting; feasted upon quickly, as it will truly curb any hunger you might have had for a good read."
Phew! We've travelled to far-flung places and had access to words written in many foreign languages. Of course, like Phileas Fogg, we've had to miss out a few... but let these reviews inspire your own journey in translated fiction. Do keep sharing your reviews with the world by emailing childrens.books@theguardian.com.
