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Original poster

Obscure children's books that you used to love

661 replies

LadyPlumpington · 15/07/2015 20:06

Mine is 'The Island of the Skog' by Steven Kellogg. The DC love it too :)

What are your old obscure favourites?

Obscure children's books that you used to love
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Original poster
LadyPlumpington · 15/07/2015 21:56

purpledaisies excellent Grin

Ramona Quimby series, anyone? I felt a bit sorry for Beezus with that nickname.

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MrsSnufkin · 15/07/2015 21:56

I love Eloise.

Also -
The Family from One End Street
Boggart Sandwich (it was on Jackanory)
All the Ramona Quimby books
Simon and the Witch
A spooky short story collection by Jan Mark - can't remember the name of it but Nule, the one about the haunted staircase post, caused me sleepless nights.
I also had millions of those Fighting Fantasy books (choose your own adventure ones). I never used dice though and cheated like a fiend. House of Hell was my favourite!

Pizzadelivery · 15/07/2015 21:55

The Adventures of Hummy and Dummy by Aunt Bee.

Was my favourite book for as long as I can remember, never met anyone else you has read it. It got lost in a move but would love to own it again!

Also A letter for Benny (I think!) was by Leila Burg, she came to my primary school and would sign the book you bought, it was the only one I had enough money for. Didn't love the story but I was so proud of the book!

thumbcat I used to have the Tottie book too, it came with others in a little box.

PurpleDaisies · 15/07/2015 21:54

I read all of those LadyPlumpington. All my friends were into them as well and we used to swap them between us.

TheSquatLobster · 15/07/2015 21:53

I remember Eloise Deva.

She used to skidaddle all the way down the stairs, then skidaddle all the way up again Grin

Stratter5 · 15/07/2015 21:53

Come Back Lucy, about a girl going to live with her cousins, and a ghost who wants her to live with her

Original poster
LadyPlumpington · 15/07/2015 21:52

Did anyone else read the Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley High or Choose Your Own Adventure stories, or was it just me? classy

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LegArmpits · 15/07/2015 21:51

How could I have forgotten!
The Land of Far Beyond - I think it's Pilgrims Progress lite - by Enid Blyton.

This tends to fetch lots on eBay, but I've still got my old dog eared copy. Fascinating book, great illustrations too.

Standardlamp · 15/07/2015 21:51

I used to have a book called " run rabbit run" !! It had real photos of a rabbit running through streets and through a market maybe?? Does anyone remember this ?? Smile

Spinningplates10 · 15/07/2015 21:50

Love this thread! Remembering so many books I'd forgotten, I practically lived in my local library as a child.

Have been inspired by this to google a book I've often thought of but couldn't recall the name. It's The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren and I'm off to order a copy Smile

splishsplosh · 15/07/2015 21:49

Does anyone else remember Ludo and the Starhorse and the Little Brromstick by Mary Stewart?
Also the Winter of Enchantment, and a school story I loved and read regularly was At School With the Roundheads.

I hope the Lorna Hills Sadlers Wells books are still in my loft, along with When Marnie Was There and Fattypuffs and Thinnifers and more

PickledLilly · 15/07/2015 21:47

There were loads of Drina books thumcat - I had lots of them, and all of the saddlers wells books which thankfully I kept. They're probably the only childhood books I've got, we moved house a lot and my mum was ruthless damn her!

I've got a copy of Not now Bernard as well, thankfully still in print.

LauraChant · 15/07/2015 21:46

Tottie was highly traumatic, I seem to remember, both the book and the TV series!

WallyBantersJunkBox · 15/07/2015 21:44

I had the grown up Holly Hobbie book, something to do with the Incas? Was brilliant.

LauraChant · 15/07/2015 21:44

I read When Marnie Was There as a child and have always associated it with Marianne Dreams, funnily enough.

DevaDiva · 15/07/2015 21:44

Eloise by Kay Thompson, it's about a French girl who lives in a hotel and has a tortoise called Skipperdee and a pug called Weenie; I used to pretend I was her! DD age 13 still loves it and has my very worn original copy on her bookshelf.

I also read everything by Cynthia Voigt when I was a teenager and will be retrieving my collection from my parents house on my next visit Grin

PickledLilly · 15/07/2015 21:44

What a lovely thread, so many amazing memories. I loved the Flossie Teacake books and loads of others mentioned. A MASSIVE thank you to whoever mentioned the Cynthia Voight books where the children are abandoned by their mother. I have been trying to track them down for years but couldn't remember anything but the plot. They have them on Amazon! I'm so thrilled to have finally found them.

I was a total bookworm as a child so have memories of loads of random books I read. Did anyone else read Semolina Silkpaws? That was an unusual book, I got it when they were selling off old books at the library and read it loads. All of the characters were cats.

Fosterslover · 15/07/2015 21:43

Meant to say Hollie Hobbie!

hels71 · 15/07/2015 21:43

My favourite book aged 6 was Tikki-Tikki-Tembo. Everytime I got to choose a story at hometime that is what I picked.

I also loved my Dad reading Wonk and the Fireworks and The Story Of Mr Prettimouse,

Thumbcat · 15/07/2015 21:43

I had an old book from a jumble sale called Drina Dances in New York that I used to love.

At the moment DS and I are reading Tottie - The Story of a Doll's House. I remember it from TV when I was little and DH tracked down the book for me.

Original poster
LadyPlumpington · 15/07/2015 21:43

niminypiminy I described it to DH as 'this little blind boy gets trapped in a disused pit and some kind of spirit that never speaks but is kind of THERE helps him to escape' and he looked at me like this Confused

It was for kids, apparently!

OP posts:
babybarrister · 15/07/2015 21:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Fosterslover · 15/07/2015 21:42

Loved chocky and the tripods.

Does anyone remember these?

The adventures of holly hobbit
Patches
The fate of Jeremy Visick?

niminypiminy · 15/07/2015 21:42

Not a memory from childhood but have just read When Marnie Was There by Joan G Robinson. Anyone who has loved Tom's Midnight Garden or Charlotte Sometimes or Marianne Dreams would also love this.

HighOverTheFenceLeapsSunnyJim · 15/07/2015 21:41

misslemonsfilingcabinet we have that!

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