Children's books still enjoyable for adults

If you're a Peyton fan, can you tell me which was the one where a boy survives in the North Sea wearing some kind of flotation suit his brother invented? I'd like to read that one again in particular.

Can't tell you off the top of my head, but might be Windfall - if not, then the Plan for Birdsmarsh or Thunder in the Sky. They're all early ones and may not be in print any more, I don't know. Will try and remember to check my copies when I'm home later.

Watching with interest! Not heard of Cold Christmas - but just discovered it for 16p on Amazon, so ordered!

Loved Greene Knowe, Dark is Rising and Alan Garner. Also Noel Streatfield.

Anything by Diana Wynne Jones, but particularly Howl's Moving Castle and Fire and Hemlock.

yes to Robert Westall.

Little White Horse is probably my favourite book ever - but closely followed by 'Knock Three Times' by Marion St John Webb - and I'm pretty sure that is out of print.

@EBearhug - I know there's a lot more to KM Peyton than Flambards - I was just running through some of the ones on my own shelves. Most of the Peyton books apart from Flambards I read when I was a children's librarian, so I never saw the need to actually buy them!
If you're a Peyton fan, can you tell me which was the one where a boy survives in the North Sea wearing some kind of flotation suit his brother invented? I'd like to read that one again in particular.

Monica

Haven’t read whole thread yet but most of those I’ve seen so far, plus (somebody may have mentioned these already) all the Monixa Edwards - Romney Marsh & Punchbowl - I wanted to be Tamsin or Lindsey 😊

KM Peyton has written much more than Flambards, such as the Pennington books. They're great, too.

Robert Westall.

The Wheatstone Pond was adapted by Radio 4 a few years back. I enjoyed it in that format, too.

Antonia Forest - Marlows books
Monica Edwards - Punchbowl Farm & Romney Marsh
Penelope Farmer - Charlotte Sometimes, Marianne Dreams
Phillippa Pearce - Tom's Midnight Garden
Noel Langley -Land of Green Ginger (esp. if you can get the unabridged version)
Monica Dickens - Cobbler's Dream (the original of Follyfoot, but much darker)
John Verney - Friday's Tunnel, February's Road etc
Arthur Ransome - Swallows & Amazons books
Sylvia Waugh - Mennyms books
Mary Norton - Borrowers books
KM Peyton - Flambards books

His Dark Materials series is fab. I also reread all the Harry Potters whenever I need something comfortingly familiar. I love reading my old books when I go to stay with my parents - Noel Streatfield especially.

DH age 50 recently read Anne of Green Gables for the first time (we visited PEI) and was blown away.

I read Charlotte Sometimes a week ago, based on a recommendation here.

I also re-read the Katy books a while ago.

Virtually anything by Diana Wynne Jones

Dark is Rising

Antonia Forest’s Marlow books

Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials

I still reread books by Jean Ure and Anne Fine.

Actually pretty much any well written children’s book should be enjoyable for adults too. It pisses me off immeasurably that so many celebrities think they can just knock off a children’s book because there’s no need for good, interesting writing.

Yy to Beatie Bow, thought I was the only adult fan!

Harry Potter hasn't been mentioned yet...

Charlotte's Web

puts Green Knowe on bucket list

The Cynthia Voigt books are excellent.

I have even enjoyed reading Little Plum, The Dolls' House etc. by Rumer Goden. DS has not been that interested but maybe DD will be.

I have reread some of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books but they can be quite racist (I know everyone says this about children's books in their defence but it is really more a reflection of the time than the people) so would need some editing/explanation for my DCs.

I think that is probably partly why the Enid Blyton books have dated so much (racist and classist, oh and also sexist). Because they are fiction it seems more unnecessary - LIW was reporting on what real people actually did (blackface) and said ("the only good Indian...)

Pretty much all these book listed here
Also a book called, The Enchanted Horse by Magdalene Nabb, I still love it as an adult.

It's at Hemingford Greys near Cambridge - just beautiful

Agree with so many of these: The Dark is Rising, A Little Princess, My Friend Flicka, The Secret Garden. I think many of them have more resonance for adults in many ways.

Can I add A Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge, one of my all time favourites as a child and still loved now.

Green Knowe is real? Oh my. Where is it?

Am amazed no one has mentioned Alan Garner.

Green Knowe

Oh my god there's an actual Green Knowe house?!

Susan Coopers Dark is Rising series

Anything by Ursula La Guin

Dora Chance - have you ever been to the Green Knowe house? It is fabulous, and so how you'd imagine it to be. Years ago my mum and I had a magical trip there

Adrian Mole Although I’m not sure if the later ones in the series are even aimed at children.

Love all of these. I wanted to live at Greene Knowe as a child. Probably still do in fact!