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Confession time! Tell us your literary sins to win an entire set of 20 Puffin Classics

383 replies

EmilyMumsnet · 13/04/2015 10:57

Literary shame is a powerful thing - if you've ever nodded sagely while your friends discussed Bleak House or chuckled knowingly about the The Wizard of Oz - the film is the same thing isn’t it? – you'll know what we're talking about. But now we're giving you the chance to 'fess up! Tell us which Puffin Classic you have never actually read, and you'll be in the running to win the entire set.

The Puffin Classics are back, and with a bold new look – twenty brand new covers for the classic tales, from Huck to Dorothy to Alice to Peter. One lucky poster will receive all twenty, while 5 randomly-selected runners-up will win a copy of their never-read tale.

Here's the full set list:
The Call of the Wild, Tom Sawyer, The Wizard of Oz, King Arthur, The Jungle Book, Black Beauty, Huckleberry Finn, Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, The Odyssey, A Little Princess, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, The Wind in the Willows, Treasure Island, Heidi, Peter Pan, Little Women, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

This competition is now closed. And the winners are:

Belo - full set of Puffin Classics
happysouls - The Call Of The Wild
Punkatheart -Heidi
Miisty - Tom Sawyer
Pigeonpea - Huckleberry Finn
kohl - Wind In The Willows

Thanks for all your contributions, we'll be in touch with the winners shortly

Confession time! Tell us your literary sins to win an entire set of 20 Puffin Classics
OP posts:
Teresainwirral · 13/04/2015 17:58

Never read any of them as a child but recently read Alice in Wonderland.....and really must try and read the rest.

Philmeme · 13/04/2015 17:57

I wasn't really ashamed as it never crossed My mind until now, but I do feel a kind of emptiness thinking about it, that I have never read any of them.. with Me its ALWAYS I'm gonna start doing a bit of reading in My spare time,36 years later, have I?? Not Yet GETTING those books might spurts Me along, No promises though!!

Roseformeplease · 13/04/2015 17:57

I am an English graduate (and teacher) who has perfected the art of nodding and smiling wisely when a book comes up for discussion. Sometimes Ihave read them (and can't remember a thing) sometimes I have read some of the first few pages.......My memory can only hold the book I am currently reading, the last 2 or 3 and all the books I need for school (plus, weirdly, anything by Enid Blyton or E Nesbitt). So, I am phenomenally well read, but can't remember most of them.

hareinthemoon · 13/04/2015 17:56

Have not read: King Arthur, Anne of Green Gables, The Odyssey, A Little Princess, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Peter Pan.

BellaBearisWideAwake · 13/04/2015 17:56

I've read all but two! One of those is Call of the Wild

Loulou0615 · 13/04/2015 17:54

I am ashamed to say I actually have not read any of them, I have watched the films. This would be a good collection for me and my daughter to discover together.

Tinkerisdead · 13/04/2015 17:53

Ive read most of those listed and A Little Princess and The Secret Garden are my favourite books, I think ive always had a fantasy about finding a new fantastic life after being hard done by!

Years ago I was sick of "literary shame" and so I started reading my way through the bbc top 100 in (let me just check ...2003!) ive now read maybe half of those but heres the shame, I can never remember a bloody thing about them! Honestly I've read hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, Lord of the Rings, Birdsong...loads and I cannot tell you what happens in them AT ALL!! And everyone raves about A Prayer for Owen Meany. Three times I've tried to get through it and can't get past the shouting CAPS LOCK. I gather there's some amazing twist but I don't ever read a spoiler just in case I manage to get through it.

So I can merrily check off that I've read pretty much all the classics,but I'm buggered if I can tell you about any!

golfyc · 13/04/2015 17:52

Had completely forgotten about call of the wild was one of my favourite books as a child - definitely one to get for my son. Never read heidi or odessey.

Marmalade1144 · 13/04/2015 17:51

I've read the secret garden as a child & adult and I just wanted to burn the garden down so they'd be no story, or let others know about it. Then it could just be called the garden or the garden that got burned down.

CheeseEMouse · 13/04/2015 17:51

Oh, I loved Anne of Green Gables as a child and had loads of the sequels and Avonlea books.

I haven't read Heidi, and when discussing our daughter's possible name had to pretend I knew that the best friend in Heidi was Clara (I didn't have a clue).

Alidoll · 13/04/2015 17:51

Never read Alice in Wonderland - does watching the Disney version count?

WhenDidAllThesePetsAppear · 13/04/2015 17:50

The only one I have not read is Journey to the centre of the earth, it took me back to my childhood just looking and remembering the titles, Heidi was my favourite - I will have to route it out now and have another read!!

kestrel80 · 13/04/2015 17:50

I didn't even realise The Wizard of Oz was a book!

tonycarbone · 13/04/2015 17:49

Never read Anne of Green Gables as it was a book for girls!

oddgirl · 13/04/2015 17:49

Shockingly for an English Lit grad I have only read Little Women...I was clearly too busy reading Jackie magazine and writing to Cathy and Claire about my crush on my history teacher...

2fat4that · 13/04/2015 17:49

I haven't read The Call of the Wild, Tom Sawyer, King Arthur, Huckleberry Finn,The Odyssey, Journey to the Centre of the Earth or Treasure Island.

mafletch · 13/04/2015 17:49

I never finished The Secret Garden. I found it interminably dull. Plus I hated the girl on the cover (I don't think it was a Puffin version ??) so I drew make-up on her.

Amummyatlast · 13/04/2015 17:49

I've never even heard of The Call of the Wild or the Odyssey, and haven't read Anne of Green Gables or Peter Pan.

Valerie0978 · 13/04/2015 17:46

I consider myself to be well-read. I was an English Lit major, after all. However, I detested Huckleberry Finn with such a passion when I was forced to read it at fifteen, that I swore to myself I would never read another Mark Twain novel as long as I lived. Therefore, I have never read Tom Sawyer. My dislike of Twain is not something I bandy about lightly, however; and I may be inclined to give Tom Sawyer a try if I were to, say, win the book in a prize draw ??

jt75 · 13/04/2015 17:45

I've never read The Wizard of Oz and The Call of the Wild. I've read The Secret Garden several times. It's my favourite.

DENISE7 · 13/04/2015 17:42

The call of the wild, but Wind in the Willows was a super read.

starlight36 · 13/04/2015 17:41

I haven't read either The Call of the Wild or Journey to the Centre of the Earth. I must have read Heidi about twenty times though as was a firm favourite when I was growing up. The Alps seemed so magical when I was growing up in the suburbs.

ShadowStone · 13/04/2015 17:40

Ooh. Didn't realise there was a clicky link to more detail about the books.

I definitely didn't read the version of the Odessey in this collection. The one I read was a translation of Homer's version. The Puffin one is probably going to be a lot more readable.

queenoftheschoolrun · 13/04/2015 17:37

I consider myself quite well read but there are quite a few in this list which I haven't read - The Call of the Wild, King Arthur, The Odyssey and Journey to the Centre of the Earth. I haven't even heard of The Call of the Wild!

sassolino · 13/04/2015 17:37

I've read most of the books on the list. I don't think I ever read Heidi or A Little Princess. Not embarrassed about it in the least.
But since when did The Odyssey become listed as children's literature? Perhaps the abridged version, or retold by a modern author so as to simplify it?