What really stands out when you think of your childhood books?

[invisiblegorilla]

For me:

The Chalet School series. The early ones, when Jo was still a pupil! I brought them second hand. Eustacia, Elisaveta and so on. I remember when Jo and co. were given their prefect rooms in the new building and being in love with the descriptions/idea of it all.

Nancy Drew. Can't remember which ones, it's just a lot of investigations and stories blended it together in my memory.

The Chronicles of Narnia. I found the last book a little strange, but I read the first three over and over again.

And anything by Roald Dahl. There's a lot more (anything to do with boarding schools and midnight feasts had me obsessed) but I'm curious about what books other people remember the most.

[doitanyways]

Jinny and Shantih - still adore those books

[Isthatwhatdemonsdo]

The Famous Five books and The Magic Faraway Tree. Loved them all.

[MrsJayy]

Little house collection wanted to be Mary ingils till she went blind
Mr men books loved those
and as a teen judy blume there was a slightly racey one that the librarian would only give out to over 16 was like forbidden fruit

[MumOnTheRunCatchingUp]

Famous five
Secret seven
Original penguin books

Then later on I LOVED the Laura Ingalls Wilder/little house in the prairie books ( borrowed from the weekly mobile library which csme during 6 weeks hol)

When I was younger, aged around 5-11 I remember I spent a lot of time looking at the illustrations. My own DC barely glanced at them.

[invisiblegorilla]

I have vague memories of The Faraway Tree! Didn't they alter them (changed some of the names/removed the corporal punishment)? I remember there being a bit of a fuss about it.

[comedycentral]

I loved Goodnight Mr Tom

[Bohemond]

Swish of the curtain

[MumOnTheRunCatchingUp]

Yes. Dick and Fanny!!!

[MumOnTheRunCatchingUp]

bohemond now that sounds familiar

I read a book given to my mum from Methodist church called 'a peep behind the scenes' very memorable

[RiverTam]

The Worst Witch books - they were just starting when I was about 7 or 8.

Chalet School

Arthur Ransome - I preferred the ones set on the Norfolk Broads to the Lake District ones, though Swallowdale was my overall fave.

The Willard Price adventure series, they'd be very un-PC.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House in the Prairie books, we read them all, there's quite a lot. I remember the very first one (Little House in the Big Woods) starting 'About 60 years ago, when your grandmother was a little girl' which wouldn't have been the case then, let alone now! Actually, I'd love to reread them as a social history.

[Isthatwhatdemonsdo]

Fanny is now Franny I believe.

[Varya]

The issue of trans-gender was not in the books.

[PestoFestivio]

• Mary Plain - I have the whole series and she was a great influence on me
  
  
• Ballet Shoes, followed by all the other Noël Streatfield books I could find
  
  
• the Jill books - Ruby Ferguson
  
  
• the Swallows & Amazons series, read voraciously under the covers after 'lights out'
  
  
• the Moomins series

[FiftyNineOhEight]

Ooh lots of these - Enid Blyton: Famous 5, the "Adventure" series, Twins of St Clares, the 5 Find-Outers - many of them inherited from my mother's childhood collection. Chalet School - loved those. Narnia - borrowed from a friend. And the Laura Ingalls Wilder series with Ma and Pa.

[invisiblegorilla]

I remember crying my eyes out while reading Goodnight Mr Tom. I loved it though. Fantastic book.

[RiverTam]

I've just read that the Faraway Tree is going to be made into a film!

[PestoFestivio]

Oh yes RiverTam also all the Laura Ingalls Wilder books

I read all of these in order to the DD's when they were small, they also loved them!

[mumsnit]

Anne of Green Gables - must have read this at least 20 times

The Little White Horse - so sad DD not interested in reading this!

Chalet School and Mallory Towers

Swish of the Curtain - need to re-read this!! Thanks for the reminder Bohemond!

[onemouseplace]

Little House Books - I loved these so much, and still do.

Lorna Hill - A Dream of Sadler's Wells etc - by far the best ballet series.

Flambards - although the one I loved best was the second book - The Edge of the Cloud - which isn't about horses but about the early days of flying.

Anne of Green Gables series - goes without saying.

The Children of Green Knowe - loved this, and the BBC adaptation. I have a copy of the TV series on DVD and it is a guilty pleasure to watch it every Christmas.

Rosemary Sutcliff - my favourites were The Armourer's House and The Queen Elizabeth Story.

The Little White Horse - probably one of my favourite books of all time - I re-read it regularly.

[PestoFestivio]

I am so lucky, my Mum let me keep all my beloved childhood books in their loft until I had my own house. Now I have them all here and have re-read quite a lot of them to the DD's.

[onemouseplace]

Oh - and the Carbonel books were brilliant as well.

PestoFestivio - my Mum has kept all of mine as well, and I am starting to read them to DD1.

My other favourite stand alone book has to be Alison Uttley's A Traveller in Time.

[mareseatoatsanddoeseatoats]

Loads of these

Mallory towers/ st Clare's
Back home and goodnight mr Tom
Judy Blume
Nancy Drew
Paula danziger
Ice mountain
Sweet valley high
Railway children

Loved them all and still re read lots of them as an adult.

[PestoFestivio]

Oh I loved the Carbonel series too, have all 3 books. And on a younger note, loved the Ponder & William books.

[RiverTam]

Oh, of course Anne of Green Gables. Read them all though I didn't really like the later ones.

[fourkids]

This as a real loooong shot but I loved a book of short stories and have spent years trying to trace it without luck - I wonder if it might ring bells with anyone -
One story was about a girl finding she could go down the plug hole in the bath, and I think down the telephone line, and another was about a girl who had a grain of rice that made her know stuff when she had it in her mouth. TBH it sounds a bit weird and unlikely now - I hope I haven't dreamed it and been hankering after someone I got that doesn't exist! I'm sure it was a blue paperback...

When I was little I loved Mrs Mopple's Washing Line :)