Influences on Un Lun Dun

Talking about his new novel, Un Lun Dun on Open Book, Chine Miéville admitted that his decision to make his protagonists female was partly influenced by Joan Aiken's heroine, Dido Twite. I now feel extremely tempted to pass part of the Easter holidays rereading Aiken's James III series, just to see if they really are as good as I remember them being.