Manolito Four-Eyes: The 1st Volume of the Great Encyclopedia of My Life

I'm amazed noone has reviewed this book or recommended it. If you are an adult trying to learn Spanish, a good trick is reading childrens' books before moving up to adult fare. But you have to pick good books, or be bored out of your mind. Most of the Spanish childrens' books I've bought have been riddled with pious Catholicism and unpleasant machismo. (I remember one book where a 12 year old kid is depicted as cutting the throat of a turtle as big as a motorcar while wise old fishermen stand round approving this 'rite of passage'.) Anyway, Manolito Gafotas is enchanting, up there with Le Petit Nicholas. I can also recommend La Isla del Tresoro by R. L. Stevenson (!), and the sword and dagger books Limpieza de Sangre, etc. by Arturo Perez-Reverte (his adult books are disgusting, but these are an enjoyable pastiche of Dumas). And one more - El Pirata Garapata. Fantastic!