Favourite Author or Book as a child?

[ChristineCagney11]

Ok I'll start, I was a big fan of The Faraway Tree, lots of other Enid Blyton stuff Famous five, wishing chair but that was my favourite, then on to Jack London.
Have fond memories of The 🐅 Tiger that came to tea also.
Mr men books anyone?

Although in that book it's US and the mother gets run over 🤔
Wonder how similar the rest of it is?

@Andante57
Oh your last sentence brought a tear to my eye.

@HollyWugger yes, yes to the Sadlers Wells books. How I loved Sebastian and Veronica, and the descriptions of Northumberland. I've never met anyone who's read them.

@ShirleyJackson
I'm definitely looking up "Granny was a buffer girl" if nothing else to find out what buffer girl means !
Julie Andrews as in the actress ?

@GertrudeKerfuffle
I'm going to add the 'Green Knowe' books by Lucy M. Boston. The house was based on a real place, the Manor at Hemingford Grey - you can visit it, and I'd love to go one day.

Also Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

I was going to say Children of Green Knowe - my absolute favourite.

Also A Traveller in Time - Alison Uttley (so sad).

@ChristineCagney11 Yes! She wrote it under her married name, Julie Edwards - it’s a lovely story. I remember it vividly - there’s a little abandoned house with a wall made of shells in it, and I was desperate to live in it, like the girl in the story 🙂

Granny Was A Buffer Girl is by Berlie Doherty - I met her once, on a writing course, and she’s so lovely.

Off the back of this thread, I’ve been doing some digging, and I’ve found a copy of Daisy for 6 quid! I’m so excited! 😀

@ChristineCagney11 it’s this one - I woke up and the name of the writer was in my head!

@ShirleyJackson
Oh I'm excited for you !
On the back of this thread I'm going to seek out some books at the weekend, you can get some great bargains online can't you ?
I am definitely going to look for the Julie Andrews/Edwards book.
A house with a wall made of shells sounds amazing!!!
if i come across an actual house like that I'll give you a shout.. maybe we can go halves ? 😂

Christine - ah that’s nice!
Also, I can’t get totally engrossed in books in the same way as I did as a child. I remember dm snapping “Andante! Auntie J is talking to you.”
I’d been so completely lost in what I was reading that I hadn’t heard her.

So glad @Chelsea26 to discover someone else who read and loved the Willard Price books. Nobody else I mention them to has ever heard of them!

@Andante57 LOL yes same, I haven't read a non fiction book in a few years. Mostly things like Charlie Connelly factual books I read occasionally but I'm going to try some books from my childhood and others on here I've never read.

(Julie Andrews Collection) www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0061207071/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_2CPDFWXNK1FNT7176FR0 Mandy

I loved Enid Blyton (Famous Five etc) but also Frances Hodgson Burnett and Astrid Lindgren Bullerby Children series.

Roald Dahl was also a favourite, Alison Uttley and the What Katy Did too.

From what another PP said, Milly Molly Mandy and Judy Blume (more from 12 onwards).

Goodnight Mr Tom was and still is, a favourite, a few of us (friends etc) read it as teenagers, such a comforting, well written tale of hope and family/friends.

@ShirleyJackson
Ordered, although it's quite funny that that's not a picture of Julie Andrews.
That's my treat for the month, she's written quite a few books hasn't she ?

@GonnaGetGoingReturns
I've never read Goodnight Mr Tom but wanted to as I had thought it was a really sad book.
Is it uplifting then ?

These are bringing back so many memories!
Loved Stig of the dump, What Katy did, Heidi/Anne of GG all mentioned already.

I’ll add the Cassie at the Ballet school series, Mr Pink Whistle, and the Iron Giant

And another book I adored but can’t remember the name of, character nicknamed “Moth” joined a ballet school, but her cousin “Libby” joined and found it all so much easier, “Moth” ended up being a really good choreographer while Libby was accepted into a formal ballet company. I think, if anyone could remember the name, I’d love it.

The fact they were so old fashioned was a big part of the appeal for me when I was a kid. It was liking stepping back into another world, one with archaic boarding schools, one where people had to get multiple trains and boats to get to Austria, one where girls' parents would head off to Canada and not see their kids for two years (no doubt they all suffered massive emotional damage!). All that good stuff!

That's a series of books by Jean Richardson

@ReachedTheEndofCake
Stig of the dump I'd forgotten about 😀
Absolutely loved it, must seek it out somewhere.

@Classica thank you!

@ChristineCagney11 - it is sad in places yes. But with the love and care of Mr Tom and his friends, Will gets better and finds happiness again.

I mean the sad bits are probably a bit shocking if you don't like child abuse etc but they're not too bad.

I loved Stig of the Dump too and the Iron Man by Ted Hughes.

My other favourite childhood books (one at school) was a very simple cooking book, my Brownie yellow book (lots of things to do), Heidi (my mum's copy) and funnily enough a coloured probably early 70s child safety book which DM swears she hasn't got rid of - we loved it - DB and I - lots of cautionary tales re not accepting sweets from strangers with nice drawings. Effective but strangely calming. We also had books like the Butterfly Ball and Tiger Flower.

@GonnaGetGoingReturns
Your safety colouring book sounds much nicer than all the safety public announcement videos on BBC. (Well except Tufty and the green cross code man)
I still remember the "Don't go in the water" one with the grim reaper in 😳