Writers Leigh Bardugo, Ben Winters and Janet Lin share their go-tos, from delightfully preposterous kids’ reads to sophisticated fairy tales

Ben Winters Author of 10 novels, including most recently Golden State I loved fantasy books as a kid. So many great childrens books are about an escape hatch from the drudgery of childhood. Alice in Wonderland was certainly that. Its preposterous and funny. The Phantom Tollbooth is another. Both are full of whimsy, and particularly now, theres something pleasing about whimsy. In the contemporary vein, I like Jasper Ffordes The Eyre Affair, rich with word play and allusions, and Kelly Links eerie, surreal stories. They deliver this shiver of weird delight.
Leigh Bardugo Author of Ninth House, Six…