I second the person over at DW who said Joan Aiken! The Dido books are great for adventure, sense of the fantastic, and a totally bizarre sense of humor.
Laurence Yep's City of Fire, a fantasy AU of the 1930's featuring an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to mythology and plotting, including tiny griffins, Kushite Amazons, and a dragon assassin disguised as a Pinkerton agent
no subject
Other recs:
Philip Reeve's Larklight: A Rousing Tale of Dauntless Pluck in the Farthest Reaches of Outer Space, middle-grade steampunk with a tone exactly like what it sounds from the title (and with bonus adorable illustrations similar to what you get in the Series of Unfortunate Events)
Laurence Yep's City of Fire, a fantasy AU of the 1930's featuring an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to mythology and plotting, including tiny griffins, Kushite Amazons, and a dragon assassin disguised as a Pinkerton agent