Forgotten Classics

Land of Green Ginger by Noel Langley

Joan Aitken
Diana Wynne Jones

Silver Snaffles if she likes horses. I was convinced I could ride on the basis of reading this book.

Spiderweb for Two - an great book in which two children solve a series of puzzles as they get used to their older siblings leaving home.

The Worst Witch series

Charlotte's Web and Pippi Longstocking were two of my favourites.

I loved Penelope Lively books at that age - The Ghost of Thomas Kempe and The Revenge of Samuel Stokes especially.
The Borrowers series - my favourite was The Borrowers Aloft.
Colin Dann books might appeal - The Animals of Farthing Wood and all its sequels. Though my favourite was one about a boy and his dog called Just Nuffin.

Mrs Frisby and the rats of Nimh. I'm just reading it to DS age 8. I suspect he could read it himself but its one of my childhood favourites so on our rules I get to read it to him. Its still fantastic. Even DH is enjoying it when he reads it once a week. Just done When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit on the same rules. Another family hit. Again he could have read it himself but got more out of it as we were able to discuss it.

The Voyage of QV66 by Penelope Lively. Brilliant, funny and thought-provoking - you just have to read it out loud in the accents. (The country is recovering from a huge flood, all the people have departed and a group of animals set out to find out what type one of them, Stanley, is, travelling on a canal barge).

The Olga da Polga books by Michael Bond (Paddington author). I think I had every one there was.

And I loved - and now and then still remember random bits of - a very silly book called Witches in Stitches, by Kay Umanski. Found it side splittingly funny aged 8.

The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban

The Otterbury Incident by C Day-Lewis

Alan Garner books - The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath, Elidor

Not "forgotten" but The Secret Garden is one of my favorites (I was going to mention Tom's Midnight Garden too, but Dilys beat me to it!)

Daddy Long Legs (maybe 8 is a little young for this?)
Children on the Oregon Trail
Tom's Midnight Garden
The Silver Sword

Ohhhh thanks Petallic!!! Hollow tree house rings a definite bell!!!
(My memory is very shaky so very likely only a brother and sister!!)

Slow I think it was Hollow Tree House, although I remember them as being just a brother & sister who lived in the tree house but maybe it's an EB series?

www.amazon.co.uk/Hollow-Tree-House-Rewards-Blyton/dp/0416186203

Please may I hi-jack this thread and ask if any of you remember an Enid Blyton book about four or five children who had great adventures living inside a huge hollowed out oak tree for the summer? (I seem to remember they were escaping from the odious presence of their aunt who lived in a farm house and hated children on site!!)

I absolutely loved this book as a child, and I would love my dd to read it, but have searched and searched for it without success so far!

I agree about the Ramona books - my DDs loved them at that age. I'm guessing from the OP's username that she might be familiar with them already!

Has anyone mentioned the Ursula Moray Williams books yet? Gobbolino the Witch's Cat and The Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse were firm favourites. Oh, and Ted Hughes' The Iron Man.

What's great thread. I second the Rumer Godden recommendations above. Also one particular Enid blyton book - red roofs.

Shadow the Sheepdog by Enid Blyton is one fo my favourites from childhood. I also loved The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge, Noel Streatfield,
How about A Little Princess? Heidi? The Ghost of Thomas Kempe? Charlotte Sometimes? 101 Dalmations?

Flat Stanley. I loved it as a kid, and now DS loves it too. I am beyond delighted

Oh dear, every time I read these threads I make a list for dd of second hand books on amazon! I wasn't read to as a child, or given many books. I hope to give my DCs a good grounding in books and foster a love of reading - thanks for recommending these and helping me do that!

A couple I remember enjoying reading when I was about that age are Witchdust by Mary Welfare and beautifully illustrated by Shirley Hughes, Gobbolino the Witch's Cat by Ursula Moray Williams and Enid Blyton's Naughtiest Girl in the School series (I dreamt of being able to go to boarding school after reading those!).

Wow, yes, Stitch in Time! Must return to that, remember it being a huge favourite.

The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. Five Children and It, and The Phoenix and the Carpet. I loved the Noel Stretfield books (Ballet Shoes etc) but suspect they'd be dreadfully old-fashioned now. I also adored the Oz books - not just the Wizard of Oz but the even weirder rest of the series (the sorceress who changes her head according to her mood, anyone?). When older, the Alan Garner books. And who remembers delighting in Stig of the Dump and Fungus the Bogeyman - surely modern classics? And I've recently read my 5-yo Pippi Longstocking, which was a succcess - hope she'll read it for herself in due course.

I definitely second The Armourer's House - absolutely beautiful book! (and special to me as my name is Tamsin - for a while I wanted to spell it Tamsyn like in that book!)

That puts me in mind too of Monica Edwards' Romney Marsh books - I LOVED Wish for a Pony around that age (and another variant spelling of Tamzin...) Does she like horsey books (eg. the Pullein-Thompsons, Ruby Ferguson), ballet books, school stories?