His Dark Materials has been voted best children's book in 70 years: agree or disagree?

I think that with all the older books you have to read it with retro filters on. When we went to see LWW at the cinema I asked DS#1 which character he wanted to be. He said Peter. I asked if that was because he was brave and considerate and took care of his siblings - he said that it was because he had a big sword

Watership Down was great. I thought Dark Materials was pretty good, but it's not something I'm likely to read again (though maybe I should). I recently re-read the Narnia series and it wasn't as great as I remembered from ... long ago enough that it made me feel old.

However, as a children's book I think that the Narnia Series is better. I like Prince Caspian and Voyage of the Dawn Treader better than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, myself.

So I guess that my vote would go to Watership Down, of the books mentioned so far. I also enjoyed the Enid Blyton books and Lloyd Alexander as a child, but when I look back at them they're not so inspiring.

LOL at "Heartbreaking Waste of Marina's Money." I got to about page 5 of that one on a borrowed copy and gave up.

I loved the Enid Blyton 'Adventure' series (Philip, Dinah, Lucy - Kiki the parrot) as a child but tried to read them to one of mine and had to keep stopping to explain out-dated words - also got extremely fed up with the way they say queer on every other line; I didn't notice this as a child but was very surprised to discover that she actually had so little imagination with adjectives!

Yes the sexism really, really irritated me

And Peter's kingliness

I re-read the Narnia books recently and found them very dated. I just didn't get the same enjoyment out of them that I got when I first read them as a child.

I thought they were wonderful books and the stage version of them at the National Theatre was fantastic. Patricia Hodge and Timothy Dalton were perfectly cast.

Yes I liked the Magician's Nephew best too I am still captivated by Narnia at 35.

Last week I went to Ellbell's 40th birthday party and was so excited because she has a "Narnia lamp post" in the garden! But then her DH tried to switch it on and shorted out the entire house, plunging all herm any guests into semi darkness! So that wasn't all that magical to be honest! And very disappointing!

Couldn't get into HDM series but possibly because I started in the wrong place..

HDM if for older children though isn't it?

Can't imagine my DS being able to read it and he's 8. He does do Harry Potter though.

I bought HDM for my 75yr old father as a birthday present. He loved them.

enid - I've just started the Owl Service. I remembered that I loved Alan Garner as a child but couldn't remember any books. Owl Service is seriously weird isn't it? And the dialogue is so dated. But fantastic even so.

I really must start to read some books meant for adults....

???????
i thought this was one of the truly crap books i have read. not so crap that i didnt manage to finish it. but not good either.
and i definitly didnt think it was a kids book

For all those who haven't read HDM - it's one of the few titles that I was really disappointed when coming to the end of and am always really jealous of those who have yet to read them.

Is it just UK writers?
I would go for Ursula Le Guin or Kevin Crossley-Holland.
Thought Northern Lights was wonderful but after that it was downhill all the way to the talking elephants on wheels. And too much telling his readers what to think.
His earlier books are good though.

And the moment Lyra sees a severed child. Shiver of horror.

The Amber Spyglass was disappointing but the first two are amazing. That moment (spoiler alert) when he loses his fingers and it's so awful but it turns out to be the sign of his destiny.

i love these books my niece and nephew loved them and i can't wait to read them to my dd (it will be a while)

quite terrified of the films, bound to disappoint but at least it has Daniel Craig in them to distract if needed

I remember it too. I could not stop reading. Interestingly, his other children's books are entertaining but entirely not in the HDM league IMO

The books are overwhelming. my dh loved them and was always trying to persuade me to read them. It wasn't until I was laid up for a fortnight with a terrible chest infection that I picked up the first out of desperation (I read enormously fast and had run out of books .

I still remember that week. It was better than drugs!! I was totally swept away and drawn in by the trilogy. I wept and was truly in a different place.

I adore the dark Materials trilogy. But I would not have enjoyed them as a child.

ds1 is 9. He loves the hobbit and LOTR but though we have tried to read him Pullman, it has not engaged him in the slightest..

Agree

What happens to Tony is why I can't re-read dino. Actually I get all teary just thinking about it. It's the whole Oblation thing in microcosm

They ARE amazing, Torty, you are in for a treat. I'm just not sure they will be the stand out best from this period in say another 50 years time.

In fact last night he put Matilda on, and when he heard who was reading it said 'Mum, I had NO idea that was a real name!!!' (the reader shares a christian name with dd!)