The Inquisitor's Tale

This is the kind of book that I wish I could have read when I was younger. It manages to be fun and funny and exciting while offering ruminations on God, religion, race relations, and life in the Middle Ages. It didn't dumb anything down for younger people (even the farting dragon was based on actual myth!), but it wasn't afraid to be weird and goofy.

All in all, this is the best kid's book I've read in a long time–and just a really good book in general.