My kids are both huge fans of Roald Dahl--I think the BFG has been the hands down favorite.

For a read aloud, the Narnia series was good for our DS. It's not my style, so DH read it to DS7 (who was 6 at the time). I got a good deal on the entire set on CD (yay for clearance sales!) and we have been listening in the car (generally when we have longer drives to make). So far we've made it through the first 3 books. It's been a good way for me and my DD to get on board with the series so that we can have it in common with DS.

Speaking of DD....My voracious reader, who was always reading (and finishing) seveal books as once, is suddenly having a hard time connecting to books. She has read a couple of short books this summer and has been working her way through Grimm's Fairy Tales, but has mostly been picking books up, reading a chapter or two, and then abandoning them with a sigh. I'm not sure if it's just that nothing is measuring up to the last book we read, or what's up. Has anyone else had a similar experience? DD is just shy of 10.