DD2 (9) wants to know what your best ever children's book is

[castille]

She recently read Heidi and loved it, and wants to read some more "brilliant stories".

Any suggestions?

[MayorNaze]

not necessarily my best but...

secret garden

a little princess

toms midnight garden

any good for her?

[ButtercupWafflehead]

Anne of Green Gables?

Second "Tom's Midnight garden"

[ButtercupWafflehead]

Anne of Green Gables?

Second "Tom's Midnight garden"

[womblingalong]

Mistress Mashams Repose - T.H White. About a little girl who finds Lilliputians living on an island in the lake of a house she lives in. Brilliant Story.

[Simplysally]

The rest of the Heidi series for a start!

If she likes period books, how about What Katy Did/Did at School/Did Next? Little women? Jane Eyre?

Also The Borrowers series.

[castille]

She's half way through The Secret Garden - I loved that as a child. My sister was obsessed with Tom's Midnight Garden but bits of it are rather harrowing aren't they? She's a sensitive sort...

Little Princess, Anne of Green Gables - great, hadn't thought of those. Don't know Mistres Masham's Repose, but it sounds like her sort of thing. All going in my Amazon basket!

Any others? All my childhood books are still at my parents' house and my mind has gone blank

[castille]

Ah yes Katy and the Borrowers. Brilliant. She's not quite old enough for Jane Eyre I don't think.

[Simplysally]

Swallows & Amazons by Arthur Ransome.

[mistlethrush]

The house at Green Knowe and series
The lion the witch and the wardrobe
Wind in the Willows

[Lilymaid]

What Katy Did/ What Katy Did at School/ What Katy Did next. First two better than last but I read all of these many times over when your DD's age.

[OrmIrian]

Little White Horse - Elizabeth Goudge.
Green Smoke - Somebody Manning. Might be too young for her but a favourite with us. Ditto Dragon in Danger.

My DD is reading the Ingo books atm - Helen Dunmore. Loves them.

[psychomum5]

at that age I was reading narnia (still love that set)

malory towers

twins at st claires

swallows and amazons (which is actually from a set, but I cannot remember the other books names)

[Simplysally]

I loved The Family at One-End Street (another series) but it may not be readily available now [old emoticon].

Also the Drina series about a girl who wants to be a ballerina. Probably very hard to get now.

For more adventure books, Malcolm Saville wrote a couple of series: The Lone Pine Club books which are mostly set in Wales but some are in Sussex. There was another series for slightly younger children. I forget the name now but the characters were Mandy, Prue, Tim, their friends and Mandy's widowed father who was called the Gaffer . Will google and come back with title.

[renaldo]

pollyanna

[Merrylegs]

Rumer Godden. 'Miss Happiness and Miss Flower'.

(still in print and poss on Amazon!)

Bliss!

[castille]

I don't know Little White Horse, Green Smoke or Ingo books, but will have a look. She likes easy books as much as hard ones - she still re-reads the Naughtiest Girl in the School and other Blyton often ans would def like Malory Towers etc.

The Narnias and Swallows & Amazons are at my parents' house so will pick them up next time.

[Simplysally]

Rumer Goden books are in my local library - poss as the librarian is ancient.

[castille]

Ah yes, Kizzy! I read that in class at primary school and loved it.

[Hotcrossbunny]

When Hitler Stole Pink rabbit - Judith Kerr

Angela Brazil stories were a huge favourite.

Loved Pollyanna

Ballet Shoes etc

Second Kizzy

I can't wait for dd(5) to be able to read these.

[LoveMyGirls]

Far away tree by enid blyton, I loved Enid when I was a child still do.

[EachPeachPearMum]

Swallows and Amazons (best one is actually Swallowdale)
Pippi Longstocking
Malory Towers
Chalet School
Weirdstone of Brisingamen
Anne of Green Gables
The Box of Delights
Mary Plain

[BlueCowWonderss]

Ballet shoes and Gemma series by Noel Stretfeild

[silverfrog]

Haven't read the whole thread, so will probably be repeating a lot, but at that age I was reading:

Narnia series
Anne of green Gables series
Dr Dolittle books (re-reading really, they can be quite young)
Finn family Moomintroll series
Ballet shoes (and others, so White Boots, the Painted garden, etc)
I am David
Secret garden
Over Sea Under Stone (plus the rest - a bit grown up, maybe?)

will have a think about more

[cocolepew]

Malory Towers
St Clairs
Judy Blume books, though some may be a little old for her, depending on how much about puberty she knows.

[castille]

She's read and enjoyed Ballet Shoes (and other Streatfeild) and Pippi Longstocking...

Lots of great ideas, thank you all, those should keep her busy for ages