Tom's midnight garden- any others?

peebles32 · 2024-12-15T20:44:41+00:00

How can I have missed this book? Pure genius and magical. I love children's literature so any recommendations appreciated. Another favourite was Wolf Wilder, Katherine Rundell.

2024riot · 30/03/2025 17:09

profiterolesarelovely · 20/12/2024 09:02

The journalist Lucy Mangan wrote a brilliant book called Bookworm: a memoir of childhood reading.
She describes growing up and the books she loved at each stage, including Tom’s Midnight Garden. It prompted me to reread it and several others. Very comforting!

I just popped back to say after this recommendation I bought it for my cousin who loved it ! So thank you @profiterolesarelovelyyou made someone very happy !

Cotswoldmama · 06/03/2025 06:41

The wolves of Willoughby chase by Joan Aiken, it's a great book on its own but is the first in a series and the others are great too.

HilaryThorpe · 06/03/2025 05:39

Sorry should be Rosemary Sutcliff.

HilaryThorpe · 06/03/2025 05:37

Yes I remember Cynthia Harnett's books. It reminded me of Rosemary Sutcliffe and the wonderful Eagle of the Ninth.

JaninaDuszejko · 06/03/2025 05:23

The Doomsday Book is definitely not a childrens book. I loved it but it's devastating.

It did remind me of the children's historical novelist Cynthia Harnett. They are not in print anymore but I don't know why, they have exciting stories and lots of accurate historical details. The most famous is The Wool Pack about the 15th century wool trade, I adored Stars of Fortune as a child about the Washington family of Sulgrave Manor with a plot to help the imprisoned Princess Elizabeth in the 16th century.

Rabbitsinthelilac · 06/03/2025 02:46

I can't remember the authors and I'm not sure they're aimed at children, but these are my recommendations:

The Doomsday book. A time travel story about the black death.

The earth hums in b-flat. This is aimed at young adults. It's about the innocence of childhood, threaded through with all the imagination that goes with it.

I can't remember the third! Must be getting old 😁 maybe it'll come back to me.

I saw Tom's midnight garden as a TV show and loved it.

HilaryThorpe · 05/03/2025 10:54

pollyhemlock · 05/03/2025 08:34

@HilaryThorpe Yes The Lark in the Morn and its sequel The Lark on the Wing are wonderful and I love the Quaker background. However rereading them recently Kit’s singing teacher Papa Andreas comes across to a modern eye as a bit creepy. Not Elfrida Vipont’s intention I’m sure.

I wondered how it would have stood the test of time! It doesn't seem to be on Kindle, but is on Audible. I might indulge myself.

pollyhemlock · 05/03/2025 08:34

@HilaryThorpe Yes The Lark in the Morn and its sequel The Lark on the Wing are wonderful and I love the Quaker background. However rereading them recently Kit’s singing teacher Papa Andreas comes across to a modern eye as a bit creepy. Not Elfrida Vipont’s intention I’m sure.

JaninaDuszejko · 05/03/2025 06:22

Yes, Joan Aiken is fab, I loved The Wolves of Willoughby Chase as a child.

MaxJLHardy · 05/03/2025 06:21

The Pirates in the Deep Green Sea by Eric Linklater all about Davy Jones.

TheBitchOfTheVicar · 05/03/2025 06:03

Joan Aiken not mentioned enough on this thread!

The short story The Serial Garden (there was more than one featuring the same family) was my favourite

HilaryThorpe · 05/03/2025 05:57

Yes the Carnegie prize is a wonderful list. Remembering Elfrida Vipont's The Lark on the Wing sent a shiver down my spine and brought the song back into my head.

tobee · 05/03/2025 04:11

Cold Christmas by Nina Beachcroft was one of my favourites along with Charlotte Sometimes.

Penelope Farmer, who wrote Charlotte Sometimes, wrote two other books I remember enjoying as a child, William and Mary, and The Castle of Bone.

Some books that I remember loving as a child were The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban, and The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid "Pippi Longstocking" Lindgren.

Some children's books can be so profoundly memorable but also the plots can be quite devastating.

EBearhug · 03/03/2025 18:15

Some great books in that list.

KIlliePieMyOhMy · 03/03/2025 18:07

Look at what won the Carnegie prize for children.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Medal_(literary_award)
Lark by Anthony McGowan is a great book.

Carnegie Medal (literary award) - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Medal_(literary_award)

Owlbookend · 03/03/2025 18:02

Loved nearly everything mentioned on this thread, but Charlotte Sometimes is without doubt my favourite.

FlorbelaEspanca · 03/03/2025 16:00

JaninaDuszejko · 15/12/2024 22:17

Tom's Midnight Garden is widely regarded as one of the, if not the, greatest children's novels of the 20th century so is hard to beat. The only one I love anywhere nearly as much is Carrie's War (but agree with all the recommendations).

Yes - John Rowe Townsend called it the only masterpiece of children's literature published since 1945.

aliceinawonderland · 23/12/2024 14:59

Try Robinsheugh by Eileen Dunlop ( possibly only on abebooks as out of print)

Purplebunnie · 23/12/2024 13:52

@avaritablevampire

Shadow the Sheepdog! How could I forget

I also used to read Mr Twink books when I was quite young - cat detective with Sgt Boffer a very silly dog who was his sidekick

Examconfusion · 22/12/2024 11:04

not read whole thread but will save to read at leisure

my addition would be Back Home by Michelle Magorian, she also wrote Goodnight Mr Tom which always seemed to be more popular but I just loved this one, I’ve re read it many times and I think it might be my favourite book ever.

HilaryThorpe · 22/12/2024 11:00

My favourite Philippa Pearce book is Minnow on the Say, which I read to a primary school class on my first teaching practice in 1976. It was magical.

HilaryThorpe · 22/12/2024 10:58

I love Tom's Midnight Garden and in the 1970s was lucky enough to attend a workshop where Philippa Pearce was talking about it. She was lovely.

WendyWebersdrugget · 21/12/2024 18:34

@avaritablevampire I had totally forgotten Midnight is a Place - I loved that one, too!
The Chimneys of Green Knowe was also a favourite. Glad to know there are other fans of Come Back Lucy - I agree it was quite creepy.

BustopherPonsonbyJones · 21/12/2024 16:00

marthasmum · 21/12/2024 14:57

Does anyone remember a book called Playing Beattie Bow? I can’t remember the author but I think it may have had a similar theme of time slip. It featured leg less man on a trolley (set in Victorian times). I remember loving it and finding it very creepy - similar feeling to Come Back, Lucy

I do. It was set in Australia and had the added drama of it being a love story. It was another one which left you feeling quite sad. If you like time slip books, The Root Cellar by Janet Lunn was similar to Playing Beatie Bow. I think it was set in Canada at the time of the American Civil War. Both great reads.

avaritablevampire · 21/12/2024 15:22

Moonfleet
Heidi
The secret garden
The railway children
Whitefang
Shadow the sheep dog
The moondial
Midnight is a place (Joan Aiken)