If foodies can enjoy a pairing of food and wine, why can’t readers benefit from a pairing of great books? That’s the question I posed to the OOM team this week. A good pairing is all about finding the right connectors between two stories. Whether the books are matched based on themes, plots,  or characters, they can range greatly in styles and time periods. Sometimes paired books complete each other – one can’t seem to exist without the other – and sometimes they just make a fun companion read. Here we’ve listed some of our favorite books that we think would make a good pair. As always, be sure to  share your suggestions in the comments!

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Stuart Little - Get the facts straight on how to take care of a mouse, whether he’s a temporary guest or becomes your life long friend.

Wayside School series and Harry Potter series – If you went to a regular, muggle school like me, these two books will give you a taste of what some other students experience at some untypical schools. Sometimes you’ll feel jealous of them, and sometimes you’ll feel fortunate you’re not one of them.

Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones’s Diary – The best part about this pairing is that it doesn’t matter which of these two books you read first. You’ll enjoy reading the other for having read one of them first. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Sybil (or Shutter Island) – Multiple personalities abound may cause you to think more about your own personality.

Prep and A Separate Peace – Lee and Gene can bond over their New England prep school experiences.

Romeo and Juliet and The Notebook – Two great love stories about couples who will do anything to be together. Read R&J first followed by The Notebook. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t.

Gulliver’s Travels and Alice in Wonderland –Whichever one you read first, both are guaranteed to  send you to a fantasy world with some added danger!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Chocolate Fever – Start with the dream of owning your own chocolate factory, follow-up it with the cold, hard facts that too much chocolate is not very good for you.

Lord of the Flies and The Hunger Games – Need we say more? Suzanne Collins has said that Lord of the Flies is one of the most influential books of her life. See her other influential picks here.

Dracula and Chronicles of Vladimir Tod - We’re guessing you’ve already read Twilight. So why not expand your library with a modern and a classic vampire book.

The Westing Game and The Calder Game - Clues and puzzles will take over your mind. Read a perennial classic followed by more mystery and twists.

The Deadly Sister and Brother/Sister - the titles are enough to give us chills. Both are psychological thrillers dealing with…you guessed it! Siblings.