Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Children's books

Join in for children's book recommendations.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

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:
Thread gallery
5
onemouseplace · 30/12/2015 20:38

River Tam - I've nearly finished re-reading the Anne of Green Gables series - I'd never read Rainbow Valley or Rilla of Ingleside before as they must have been out of print when I was younger.

Palomb · 30/12/2015 20:36

My Friend Flicka and Thunderhead
Jinny and Shantih - Dd 11 is reading these at the moment. I found the whole series in the local charity shop in unread condition. They cost me a quid!
The Famous Five
Enid Blyton's Adventure series
The Worst Witch - Ds 7 likes to listened to this as an audio book

MurlockedInTheCellarHelpUs · 30/12/2015 20:35

So many of these!

More than any others though, the Alfie and Annie-Rose books. I'm so glad that DD seems to love them like I did!

villainousbroodmare · 30/12/2015 20:33

Most of the above.
Roald Dahl, the Ramona Quimby and Harriet the Spy books, lots by Joan Aiken...

PestoFestivio · 30/12/2015 20:32

I also loved the Three Jays series by Pat Smythe, I was lucky I was given these by my next-door-neighbour, whose daughter was 6 years older than me. I inherited loads of her horsey books!

LuckyCornish13 · 30/12/2015 20:32

Enid Blyton and The Faraway Tree collection (even though Moon Face scared me)

What Katy Did/What Katy Did Next

I loved the Chronicles of Narnia and read the first 6 books and then had to wait ages til I got the seventh!

Going way back, I remember my mum reading Can't You Sleep Little Bear? I read it to DS now and every time I get a little choked up at "I've brought you the moon, Little Bear"

Picking out and reading Stephen King books from the library when I was 10/11 and my mum not having a clue that they were horror stories/completely unsuitable for me Grin

fourkids · 30/12/2015 20:32

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 :)

RiverTam · 30/12/2015 20:31

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

PestoFestivio · 30/12/2015 20:30

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

mareseatoatsanddoeseatoats · 30/12/2015 20:27

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.

onemouseplace · 30/12/2015 20:25

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.

PestoFestivio · 30/12/2015 20:21

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 · 30/12/2015 20:21

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.

mumsnit · 30/12/2015 20:20

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

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!

PestoFestivio · 30/12/2015 20:19

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!

RiverTam · 30/12/2015 20:19

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

Original poster
invisiblegorilla · 30/12/2015 20:18

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

OP posts:
FiftyNineOhEight · 30/12/2015 20:18

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.

PestoFestivio · 30/12/2015 20:17

  • Mary Plain - I have the whole series Smile 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

Varya · 30/12/2015 20:16

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

Isthatwhatdemonsdo · 30/12/2015 20:15

Fanny is now Franny I believe.

RiverTam · 30/12/2015 20:14

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.

MumOnTheRunCatchingUp · 30/12/2015 20:12

bohemond now that sounds familiar

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

MumOnTheRunCatchingUp · 30/12/2015 20:11

Yes. Dick and Fanny!!!

Bohemond · 30/12/2015 20:11

Swish of the curtain

Swipe left for the next trending thread