My all time fav author is the wonderful P. G. Wodehouse! They would be great for older kids! Alas, his books are difficult to find. I haven't read kids' books just for my sheer pleasure (as opposed to reading them to kids) since about 5th grade.
    Of all the literally thousands of books I have read in all my life, I don't think that I could I could narrow them down to a list of 21 favs. Wodehouse would have to be way up there on the list somewhere in a few places!
             BUT . . .
    In the "desert island" scenario, I would absolutely have to take my copy of "Light From Many Lamps" edited & with commentary by Lillian Eichler Watson. Because a marvelous man, Lewis Meyer (Lawyer turned Bookstore owner, author, speaker, leading citizen, etc.), who had his "Bookshelf" in Tulsa, Oklahoma, told me it was his favorite, & the book he kept on his nightstand & read from each night since 1951 or 52 or so, I bought it. Now it is on my nightstand, & I read from it most nights & sometimes even during the day, sometimes when I am speaking for various functions, sometimes at Bible study or prayer groups.
I was visiting in Tulsa a few years back, & on Sunday morning I happened to catch his weekly Sunday am TV book review show--which he was doing back when I was a kid in Tulsa! He reviewed a couple of books, & then took almost half of the 30 minute program for the next review.
He read several quotes from many writers, philosophers, great thinkers, statesmen (i.e., Abraham Lincoln), various scriptures of various religions. He said it was what he believed to be the most inspiring book he had ever found--other than a book of scriptures from any of the major religions--Mr. Meyer happened to be Jewish. Mr. Meyer passed away during the following week. Tulsans who had watched faithfully over the years could not recall him ever having given a review about "Light From Many Lamps." Some of his loyal customers said he would mention from time to time that "one of these days" he'd have to do a review of it on the show, since he always kept several copies in stock. The following week, his daughter had to order several hundred copies. On some level, he knew it was time.