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Children's books

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Original poster

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

306 replies

invisiblegorilla · 30/12/2015 19:58

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.

OP posts:
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bigTillyMint · 30/12/2015 21:51

Cleveland Polly??? Clever Polly!

bigTillyMint · 30/12/2015 21:50

Oh yes, Milly Molly Mandy and Cleveland PollySmile

Bambambini · 30/12/2015 21:49

Read avidly. Earliest i remember is loads of Enid Blyton. The stuff that i really loved was:

Little Women books
Little House On The Prairie series
Chalet School
What Katy Did books
Anne of Green Gables
The Gemma books by Noel Streatfield
Sadlers Wells series
Masha books - about a Russian ballerina

Tripod Trilogy - John Christopher
The Awakening Water - J R Kesteven
Anything by Paul Zindell

bigTillyMint · 30/12/2015 21:49

I am ancient.

Harry the Dirty Dog
My Naughty Little Sister
Teddy Robinson

The Famous Five
The Secret Seven
Swallow and Amazons

And I was in the Puffin Club. Anyone else?

GuinevereOfTheRoyalCourt · 30/12/2015 21:48

White Boots by Noel Streatfeild and then "Ballet Shoes" etc (I read them out of order!)

"The Fox Cub Bold" and then "The Animals of Farthing Wood" etc by Colin Dann (read out of order, again...)

"Milly Molly Mandy"

"Clever Polly & the Stupid Wolf"

Enid Blyton - esp St Clare's, Mallory Towers & Five Find-Outers & Dog series

VoyageOfDad · 30/12/2015 21:47

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ComeLuckyApril · 30/12/2015 21:46

Fourkids I remember that book!

The story about the telephone line, ('Telephone Travel') was in a collection called The Wonder-Dog that I had. It's by Richard Hughes. But that itself is made up of two previous collections, The Spider's Palace and Don't Blame Me! originally published separately. I'm not sure about the grain of rice as I don't remember that one. But, if blue cover, might be this one you had: childrensbookshop.com/images/bookimages/85/85286.jpg.

MrsJayy · 30/12/2015 21:46

FOREVER with Ralph the penis

Buttons23 · 30/12/2015 21:40

The lion the witch and the wardrobe. I used to dress up like Lucy on world book day at school Grin

Harry Potter series, they got me into reading and I still love them.

Jacqueline Wilson, I used to love recieving her new release. I was such a book worm as a child and always reading.

onemouseplace · 30/12/2015 21:39

Forever? With Ralph Wink

MrsJayy · 30/12/2015 21:35

Oh black Beauty loved that . Can anybody remember the name of the (not so) raunchy judy blume book ive been trying to remember.

experiencedpresenthider · 30/12/2015 21:31

So many of the ones already mentioned. I'd forgotten how much I loved the Kevin and Sadie books till Shadow mentioned them upthread.
I read 101 Dalmations over and over again
Loved horses and The Black Stallion books stick in my mind. Also Ludo and the Star Horse
All the Swallows &Amazons series.

ShadowsCollideIsSurroundedByAd · 30/12/2015 21:30

I have some Point Horror books in my attic. I definitely have The Fever (which scared the almighty bejeezus out of me), The Beach, The Babysitter parts 1, 2, and 3. Some of the Monster Hall Point Horrors. I'm dying to go dig them out but the kitten is fast asleep on my lap.

EskiVodkaCranberry · 30/12/2015 21:29

Also loved just William!

Just Blume
Milly Molly Mandy- I loved the map inside
Babysitters club
Naughtiest girl in the school

Witchend · 30/12/2015 21:26

Lone Pine

White Riders (Monica Edwards)

LuckyCornish13 · 30/12/2015 21:25

I loved the Goosebumps collection too. I remember reading one about an evil sponge (it might have been a potato) that they found under the sink and I was terrified for weeks!

ASmallHenInItsLateForties · 30/12/2015 21:25

The Phantom Tollbooth. Loved it even though I remember having no idea what a 'tollbooth' actually was. Grin

Stig of the Dump

The Ship that Flew. This book was magical. I loved it. It wasn't until I tracked down a copy and read it to my own dc that I realised how umm..of its time, shall we say, that it was. A little un pc for today's tastes, but I still thought it was good.

Just William. Inherited from my dad. I like Just William so much I still read the stories even now because they are just as funny and clever as ever and I would never part with my JW books.

MyIronLung · 30/12/2015 21:25

The worst witch books,
The Famous Five,
The babysitter club books,
Point horror books,
Sadler Wells series,
Roald Dahl books, especially The Witches,
And as someone upthread said, reading Stephen King books covertly. IT was my first Grin.

gingeroots · 30/12/2015 21:24

Groundsel and Necklaces - first book I can remember .I still have it .
www.amazon.co.uk/Groundsel-Necklaces-Cicely-Mary-BARKER/dp/B000QI568M

ShadowsCollideIsSurroundedByAd · 30/12/2015 21:22

Danson, I, too cried when Regina died. In fairness to Francine Pascal and her ghosties, tackling the issue of a teenage cocaine overdose was probably fairly controversial in the late 80s/early 90s.

Then after the 100th book (A Night To Remember, cringe that I know that off the top of my head Grin) characters were killed off in almost every book (especially Jessica's boyfriends) so the impact was lost. And the ridiculous factor increased massively Grin.

HooseRice · 30/12/2015 21:19

Gobbolino The Witch's Cat
The Hobbit
Judy Blume books, all of them
Mallory Towers
St Clare's
Topsy and Tim, the dentist story
a teen book called PS I Love You (not the one that became the film)
lots of books in the same series as the above
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

TheCrazyDuchess · 30/12/2015 21:18

Lol on the kindle as we speak!!!!!

ShadowsCollideIsSurroundedByAd · 30/12/2015 21:16

Oh, also Joan Lingard's Kevin and Sadie series. I absolutely loved those books. Well worth a read to this day.

TheWeeBabySeamus1 · 30/12/2015 21:16

The Night World series! Its just popped into my head... they were awesome. Grin

TheCrazyDuchess · 30/12/2015 21:15

I was just about to Google point horror but yes early to mid 90's and there were loads of books

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