Reading Children's Books as an Adult

I was reading another thread about atmospheric books for Autumn - it made me think of a children's book, I still have, The House with the Twisting Passage by Marion St John Webb. I was always intrigued by the title, for a start.

Jenny stays with her aunt, who is the caretaker of a manor house, and entertains herself by exploring the corridors and imagining who could live behind the doors. When later, she returns to the house, it has been populated with characters like her pretend ones - but not quite! What is exciting is that she gradually visits them, one by one, and they each tell her a story - The Yellow Silk Dress, The Tattooed Man, The Crack'd Mirror ...... it fascinated me and it was a bit creepy.

Hm. Never even heard of him. Thanks!

"A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." - C. S. Lewis
"There are good books which are only for adults, because their comprehension presupposes adult experience, but there are no good books which are only for children.” - W. H. Auden
There's many many more quotes expressing the same sentiment :)!

I think it was them that I remember being in a house that had an overwhelming smell of mutton cooking!

I tend not to be bothered by stories that are out of date / not in tune with the modern world - I am happy to read them as if their time… so I am probably not a good judge… but still enjoyable from my perspective…

I liked the Bastable Children stories but I didn't know about Magic City. I don't know what the Nesbit books would read like now?

I have read them - favourite was Knight’s Castle… they are okay but I preferred E.Nesbit - who certainly influenced him in his writing… e.g. magic city is her book which we can assume inspired Eager write Knight’s Castle

I never stopped reading children's books... mainly because there was more variety in the plot than in YA fiction and books aimed squarely at women (I was not, and am still not, into romance). Also, there is a magic about them that is missing in books aimed at older audiences.

Oh, and as a fair chunk of MN seem to still read The Chalet School books, I think you'll have the backing of a lot of people on here!

At primary age, I was captivated by the US author Edward Eager. I found his Magic series in the library myself. I've never heard of anyone else who has read them. Half Magic - what a brilliant idea!

A good book is always worth reading, as long as you do read. I worked for a time as a school librarian, so I made a point to read some of the more recent books. I'd recommend books by Sally Gardner and Annabel Pitcher, especially Maggot Moon and My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece

It's showing on C4 at 02:45 tonight, which probably means it's on All4 currently.

I never read the original Gone Away Lake, but I still have ‘Return to Gone Away’ which is a lovely book!

Looks as if the BBC Eagle of the Ninth is on YouTube, for anyone who wants to check it out. I'm only on a small screen at the moment, but it looks like the whole serial is there.

I tried re-reading Malcolm Saville a while ago, but couldn't get into them. A shame, because I loved the books as a child.

2011 is recent...

I mostly got Monica Edwards from jumble sales, nit the library. I was reading one of the Lone Pine books earlier in the week (Shropshire, though,) and am slightly regretting not having brought the next one or two. (I am home on Sunday, so I will survive the wait.)

I sometimes read Enid Blyton's Book of Fairies for a bit of comfort. Also my old Secret Seven books.

The BBC once did what I remember as a good version of Eagle of the Ninth. I think it was in the Sunday teatime slot - they used to do adaptations of classic books aimed at family audiences.

I first learned about Rye, Winchelsea etc from Malcolm Saville. Didn't come across Monica Edwards until I was older. I don't know if my local library didn't have them, because I think I'd have been attracted by the Geoffrey Whittam covers if I'd seen them. I prefer the Romney Marsh books to Punchbowl Farm, though Meryon does become a bit too good to be true.

The film is called The Eagle, and was released 2011 with Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell. I must admit I thought it was a more recent film, I find I do that a lot lately - thinking a film is more recent then shocked to see when it was made😂

Oh, and later, I'm goingto the Bleriot memorial, because I first learnt about Bleriot in Flambards.

Didn't know there had been a film (we didn't have a TV when I was a child, which is partly why I read so much.)
I didn't read all the Monica Edwards when I was a child, but I filled in the gaps i had during lockdown, when I wasn't spending money on petrol.

@EBearhug I loved the Monica Edwards Punchbowl Farm books. I think at one point they would have made a good children's TV series but I think that ship has sailed now. I didn't read so many of the Romney Marsh books, maybe I need to.

I loved Eagle of the Ninth, didn't think the film really did the book justice

I am currently on holiday in Kent. Winchelsea - first learned of it in a children's book,possibly Eleanor Farjeon. I had previously visited Rye with my parents, because my mother was a huge EF Benson fan. Romney Marsh - not really like the Romney Marsh in my head from Monica Edwards (probably just the pictures in my head were wrong.) Currently at Dover Castle, with it's Roman lighthouse - i only read Eagle of the Ninth as a child, but I read the rest as an adult, and in the second or third, he's at a lighthouse.

There is a lot of my life influenced by reading children's books, I realise - they are often the cconnections I make with places.

I recently read the famous American children's science fiction book, A Wrinkle in Time. It's got a bit of a CS Lewis vibe (Christianity). It's excellent.
I read children's books all the time. Why not, if they're well written? My favourites from childhood are the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House on the Prairie books - a brilliant series. And Ballet Shoes, of course.
A few more - Children on the Oregon Trail, Cue Treason, The Cay.

I reread Swallows and Amazons as an adult .

Oh yes, loved Silver Brumby too. Glad to see that getting a mention