I just read Eoin Colfer's Highfire in one sitting, and it had me cracking up basically continuously. Highly recommended. That sucker had better be a movie in 5 years (if movies are still a thing in 5 years).
Sounds like it is not very different from that Artemis series then :D
I am just reading the book girl series again. It's the most horror-like I can stand and I just can't get enough of Tohko.
Such a pity that even books (that she refers to) that are considered classic in the East aren't translated to western languages except maybe english.
Just take Miyazawa Kenji's "Night on Galactic Railroad". I was actually curious about that book before I ever heard the title or the author's name, simply because it was referenced in so many anime that I thought that can't be an accident. Now thinking about it, I think "Book Girl" was where I found out about it lol
There is still not a single work from the author that has been translated to German afaik.
Japanese often know Alice in Wonderland, but Night on Galactic Railroad, which even has some similarities, is completely unknown in Europe.