Obscure children's books that you used to love

ha! Thanks to the internet I have just discovered there was a sequel, which explains a lot...

I remember Exiles of Colsec - it was also my first intro to scifi apart from Peter Davison's Book of Alien Planets and Peter Davison's Book of Alien Monsters!

I was thinking about this thread the other day and remembering a really obscure book which I thought was called Greylock but tracking it down it is called Snowcastles. It was very very odd - like it was supposed to be the first in a series but I could never find any others. The main character was a barbarian prince in a land of snow who was exiled for some reason or other, but there were weird details about the creatures in the lands beyond his kingdom that were never really explained.

I definitely didn't buy it so some relative must have bought it for me when I was about nine - not sure what they thought I would think about the cover!

If anyone else has read it I will be thrilled! (And amazed!)

The Owl Who Was Afraid Of The Dark. The owl was called Plop.

Ahh. Warm fuzzy feeling of nostalgia. Was total bookworm as a child - still try to! Shout out to:
The tattooed potato by Ellen Rankin
Charlotte sometimes
The Otterbury Incident
Island of the blue dolphins.

Walt Disney treasury: Donald and Daisy meet a ghost my absolute favourite.

And one I got from the library loads... Can't remember the title but it was a detective book with the clue to the next page hidden in the (full page) picture.

forgot to add- Exiles of Colsec by Douglas Hill. Teenage misfits exiled to alien planet- my first experience of science fiction aged nine- mind blown!

Some books I'd completely putt at the back of my mind until until this thread, specifically Dear Mr Henshaw and How to eat fried worms, both of which I loved and can remember pieces of. Am also gutted my copy of Rebecca's world is awol seeing the prices of it on ebay, but still have my copys of Gerald Durells Talking Parcel, The Children of Green Knowe and several of the three Investigators Books.

Also loved the following- The Captain COBWEBB series by Gordon Boshell - David and Toby Green have adventures with their invisible Uncle Captain Cobwebb

The Reluctant Vampire by Eric Morcambe

The Race Against time series were a boy and his uncle had secret advnetures all over the world without the parents finding out.

Private Keep Out by Gwen Grant about a girl growing up i a mining town in the 1950s- written in first person and still one of the funniest books have ever read.

I remember a book where a family of children end up living in a house in the countryside (maybe on a mountain), having to look after themselves - I seem to remember an episode of hay box cookery - is that The Children who Lived on a Mountain, or another book?

Deewee what are the chances of that?! Thanks for the Lone Pine info too.

I have The Chirldren who lived in a barn right next to me where dd2 left it after reading it this afternoon.

Anyone who is interested in the Lone Pine series might like to know that there's a version of Mystery at Witchend touring this summer. And there's a Malcolm Saville Society that meets and walks round the locations. Ds was desperate to go and find the Gay Dolphin. Was most disappointed to find the real name is the much less interesting "Mermaid".

www.pentabus.co.uk/lone-pine-club-alice-birch

Oobedobe now you mention it I remember the Lion in the Meadow - you are right it was surreal but kind of magical as well. Thinking back so many books were. Weirdly I had a picture book called "Bother that Blue Tit" doesn't get more odd than this - has anyone else ever come across it? I read it to DS. Even at the age of 3 he thought it was peculiar...

SchnitzelVonKrum I read the lone Pine books by Malcolm Saville and loved them. I still have some. So nice that someone else like them as well!

Did anyone read When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (and sequels) by Judith Kerr who wrote "The Tiger who came to tea"? There was a documentary about her life recently on BBC4 (of course)?

Oh and I forgot two very obscure ones - probably written in the 1940s - my mum had some old books of hers and my parents were keen on auctions and used to come back with job lots including boxes of musty books . Two I liked were "the children who lived in a barn" and "we went to live in Scotland" Exciting titles were obviously not deemed necessary.. The main attraction for me was the absence of adults as children were left to fend for themselves. There was a another thread on Mumsnet today on what you dreamed of as a child and I think this could have been something. Obviously at that point I hadn't read Lord of the Flies...

I loved "An Old Magic" by Ruth M Arthur - I used to borrow it from the library frequently. I tracked down a copy on eBay recently and it's just as good as I remembered

Other favourites include When Marnie was there and Charley.

I also had a battered green hardback that was probably ancient even in the seventies - it was about a little girl who was in Scotland on holiday and the local children were horrible to her - I think one of them was called Elspeth. Remember them all going blackberrying but I cannot remember the title of the book

I loved Thursday's children! The Diddakoi (sp?) by Rumer Godden

I really like all Noel Streatfeild's books especially her autobiographical "The Vicarage Family,

Jill the pony books, Mary O' Hara's horsey books - my friend Flicka and Thunderhead, and the Pullen-Thompson sisters - there were loads.

School books -the Chalet School series, I so wanted to go to boarding school (why)?

Did anyone else like Penelope Lively's children's books - Going Back, A Stich in Time, Astercote? They had a dreamy magical quality as did Marianne Dreams can't remember who that is by? Our library doesn't seem to have most of these authors anymore when DC are looking for books to read. I must be getting old!

Lastly when I was a teenager I had a book called 'Mischling Second Degree' - it was a puffin I think with a yellow cover. My dad gave it to me and wrote in the front with a quotation from the book. I lent it to a friend and never got it back. I think about it sometimes because it was a lovely inscription and he is sadly no longer with us.

Oh, and another one - The Dribblesome Teapots, by Norman Hunter. He wrote the Professor Branestawm books, but IMO his Incrediblania books are even funnier, I struggled to read this one to DD when she was little because half the time I couldn't stop laughing long enough to finish the sentences

BlueChampagne - have you read Children on the Oregon Trail as an adult? I remember reading it in primary school, making maps of the trail, waiting desperately for the next installment. I searched out a copy for dd, and was sadly disappointed - at least in part because I'd always thought it was autobiography not fiction.

Can I add two more that I'm surprised no-one has mentioned: The Fair to Middling by Arthur Calder Marshall, and The Man who Was Magic by Paul Gallico. Both slightly strange semi-morality tales, but not with the conventional moral resolution you'd necessarily expect.

My favourite book as a child was The Greyhound by Helen Griffiths. I recently bought it from Amazon for my 8 year old daughter but she doesn't seem too impressed. She's plodding through a chapter every few nights but in the meantime has devoured about 20 Goosebumps!!

I'll raise you ladies "Pookie", Alison Uttley's "Enchantment"' "Travels of Oggie" and Eric Thomson's Magic Roundabout stories.

Leon Garfield, anyone?

How have I missed this thread? On page 7 so far and, before I forget, check to Olga da Polga, Ludo and the Star Horse, Cynthia Hartnett (seen these in the library recently), and Children of the Oregon Trail. Off to read some more of the thread now.

Sorry

Massive spoiler there notnow

Not read the whole thread. These may have come up.

Loved - The Little Go To Sleep Book, Little Owl, The Intergelatic Omniglot, Save The Last Dance For Me and Girlfriend in a Coma.

Little kids books up to big kids books.

I remember Phoebe and the hot water bottles.

Phoebe and the Hot Water Bottles - it was my favourite. Phoebe gets a new hot water bottle every time she does something good, I think, although she really wants a puppy. Then there's a fire and she puts it out with the hot water bottles and is a heroine and then finally gets a puppy. Hurrah!

Fannyupcrutch! You did NOT dream it! I remembered I saw that book in the library, only you misremembered the title - it's A TASTE OF BLACKBERRIES by Doris Buchanan Smith - done some googling - it's still out there so you could get a copy! Best of luck!
I remember so many of the books people are mentioning - William The Dragon (loved the roast potatoes!) Two Thumb Thomas (loved the talking cats) Bogwoppit - Bottersnikes and Gumbles (family favourite, we still have all the books) Paula Danziger, Olga Da Polga (I had pet guineapigs of my own!) Ahhh, memories!