Bitter Fame: Life of Sylvia Plath by Anne Stevenson (1990)
This book sparked off a Plath craze in our flat with her work, actions, and diary entries being soundly discussed as we all read Bitter Fame. Not just a biography, Stephenson's literary criticism will make you read Plath's poetry collections with a greater understanding. It's also particularly good on her struggles to become a writer in her own right.

Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery (1908)
Of all the great books I read during my childhood, this is probably the one that remains with me most. At the time, (probably aged about 10) I identified hugely with Anne, the stubborn, hot-tempered carrot-topped heroine. I may not read it so often now but it's still much loved and stuck on my bookshelf!

Northern Lights by Philip Pullman (1998)
Northern Lights is the first and, for me, the best of Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Ostensibly a children's fantasy writer, Pullman wrestles with weighty questions of faith, organised religion and the nature of existence. The plot is gripping, the characters (including an armoured bear, fearless witches and the beautiful but evil Mrs Coulter) vivid and his parallel universe richly inventive.

Wise Children by Angela Carter (1991)
I first read Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber on an irritatingly feminist course in college. Despite her best attempts, the lecturer didn’t put me off Carter (or men!) and Wise Children is my favourite of her books. The bawdy Chance twins, a pair of bawdy chorus girls have their roots in Shakespeare's plays of mistaken identities. It's cleverly structured and packed full of literary reverences but, most importantly, is a rollicking read.