Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Children's books

Join in for children's book recommendations.

Original poster

Can you help create some book lists?

81 replies

stargirl1701 · 18/07/2018 17:12

I'm a primary school teacher and my school is celebrating a big anniversary next session. I run the upper school reading club (P5-7) and I was hoping to do some book lists - one for each decade the school has been open. A 'top ten reads of the...' idea. I need some help compiling the lists. I'm looking for chapter books for the 9-12 age range. I want to stick to books published in the UK.

1940s - I've got nothing

1950s
The Borrowers
Tom's Midnight Garden
Marianne Dreams

1960s
Summer Birds
Stig of the Dump
The Owl Service

1970s
The Ghost of Thomas Kempe
Charmed Life

1980s
The Indian in the Cupboard
Redwall
Moondial

1990s
The Story of Tracey Beaker
Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone

2000s
Journey to the River Sea
The Various
Millions

2010s
Goth Girl
How to Train Your Dragon
The Dream Snatcher
The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day

What would you add? I'm hoping for 10 in each decade. My childhood reading was way too heavy in the classics from pre WW2!

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Witchend · 20/07/2018 17:58

1940s:
Mystery at Witchend by Malcolm Saville (he then published 19 more up to the 70s, but that one is clearly wartime)
Also Wish for a Pony (Monica Edwards) was first published around 1947.
Cue for Treason (Geoffrey Trease) was published in 1940 plus the Bannermere Series first one was published in 1949.

concretesieve · 19/07/2018 18:23

Gah - Tyke TILER

concretesieve · 19/07/2018 18:21

How did I forget Blush - The Turbulent Term of Tyke Taylor 1977

soloula · 19/07/2018 15:45

1940s
The Little Prince

AdaColeman · 19/07/2018 15:04

Rumer Godden does have some lovely titles, I like An Episode of Sparrows, but it was published first in the USA and only published here a year later in 1956, so wouldn't be included if stargirl is looking for works published first in UK.

Leeds2 · 19/07/2018 14:34

If you choose to do pre 1940s, then The Family From One End Street by Eve Garnett (1937).
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge (1946).
Little House on the Prairie was published in 1935, but some of the later books, eg Little Town On The Prairie, were published in the 1940s.

Creatureofthenight · 19/07/2018 14:29

Rumer Godden - The Doll’s House (1947)

AdaColeman · 19/07/2018 10:43

Elidor Alan Garner 1965

AdaColeman · 19/07/2018 09:12

Lorna Hill's Sadlers Wells series was written during the 1950s, it starts with A Dream of Sadlers Wells.

MysteriesOfTheOrganism · 19/07/2018 09:01

I've just remembered that my daughter (born in the 80s) absolutely adored Enid Blyton's Malory Towers series (1940s).

AdaColeman · 19/07/2018 08:51

The Emerald Crown Violet Needham 1940 This was my favourite book when I was about eight or nine.

MaggieTheMouse · 19/07/2018 08:31

1980s - The Queen's Nose by Dick King-Smith
1990s and 2000s - some Malorie Blackman perhaps?

Rocinante1 · 19/07/2018 08:19

@Moore6701

That's it! I remember my dad reading those to me when I was younger but he always told me the authors full name. They weren't in the box with his other old books and I couldn't remember what name he actually published under!

Thank you!

thor86 · 19/07/2018 02:22

The Little Grey Men - BB (nom de plume of Denys Watkins-Pitchford). It's a children's fantasy novel from 1942.

Also the sequel
Down the Bright Stream (1948), later republished as the Little Grey Men go Down the Bright Stream. I loved that book as a child (in the 90s, not the 40s I should add!)

AdaColeman · 19/07/2018 02:10

Skellig David Almond 1998

AdaColeman · 19/07/2018 01:21

Rosemary Sutcliff was prolific during the 1950s and 1960s, two of my favourites are
The Lantern Bearers 1959
Knight's Fee 1960.

SleightOfMind · 19/07/2018 01:15

Placemarking as going to bed but have lots of suggestions.

Lovely idea OP.

AdaColeman · 19/07/2018 01:14

The Little White Horse Elizabeth Goudge 1946 (Perhaps for the younger ones)

AdaColeman · 19/07/2018 00:51

Carrie's War Nina Bawden 1973

Tom's Midnight Garden Philippa Pearce 1958

AdaColeman · 19/07/2018 00:41

I Capture the Castle Dodie Smith 1948

Millions Frank Cottrell Boyce 2008
He wrote quite prolifically around that period so well worth looking up for more ideas.

Pity Ballet Shoes is just a bit early!

SmiledWithTheRisingSun · 19/07/2018 00:15

Great thread!

bookmum08 · 19/07/2018 00:13

I'm quite intreged by the 1940s books. I feel the need to research this for myself!
Biggles is the adventure series I think someone was thinking of further up the thread. I believe Worzel Gummage was 1940s (first ever Puffin paperback). That's a tough decade with the war and paper rationing. Enid was one of the few authors who got to churn stuff out then. Ladybird Books like Bunnikins First Birthday etc were 40s. Ooh I want to go to the library tomorrow to find more out!

annandale · 19/07/2018 00:05

1940s - Theatre Shoes by Noel Streatfield.
1960s - I am David by Anne Holm.

Big yes to the Swish of the Curtain.

Moore6701 · 19/07/2018 00:05

Was his name captain WE johns ? - wrote the biggles books- loved them growing up.

nocutsnobuttsnococonuts · 18/07/2018 23:58

Oh and forgot these are some my 9 year old dd loves and should fit in.

Captain underpants.
Diary of a wimpy kid.
Tom gates.
Dennis the menace.
Harriet the spy.
Dork diaries.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.

Swipe left for the next trending thread