To love re-reading old childhood favourites

[balletnotlacrosse]

Having found a stash of my old childhood books in my parents' attic a few years ago I have become hooked, once again, on school stories, ballet stories, etc etc and love buying old Noel Streatfeild books, Chalet School stories and so on to re-read.

AIBU to spend as much time reading children's books as adult's book and to enjoy them more just as much?

Has anyone mentioned the 'What Katie did series". They're lovely books.
I've read the Little house on the prairie series millions of times. I found them very comforting and distracting during a difficult period in my life.
I also love the Anne of Green gables series although I was an adult when I was introduced to them. My friend bought me a copy because we were 'Kindred spirits'
I think my favourite is Anne of Inngelside, The one that is really about all her children. It's a beautiful book about motherhood really. I was disappointed that Anne gave some of her children such awful names though. Shirley, Walter and Bertha. UGH.

On the subject of K M Peyton, I was disproportionately excited when I rediscovered that there was a sequel to Prove Yourself a Hero and A Midsummer Night's Death.... AND it was available on the kindle.

And Pennington was my first heart throb. But I am absolutely sure that mumsnet would universally agree that Ruth should LTB.

Ds gave a set of Beaver Towers (though there were more books than I remembered) to his infant school library when he left as he'd loved them so much.

I loved Eagle of the Ninth, Sutlcliff was another amazing writer.

To the poster who mentioned William Mayne - you know he was a convicted paedophile who preyed on his young female fans?

I can't reread Swarm in May for that reason.

Loved Rosemary Sutcliffe and Cynthia Harnett. Inspired by this thread I was just trying to find out about others I remember - one I remember loving was Magic at Midnight by Phyllis Arkle where all the animals from pub signs come alive at night. There's another I know I loved but can't remember anything about except it featured a man with a pet owl called Horace - any ideas??

The Kingdom of Carbonel & Carbonel and Callidor (by Barbara Sleigh).

I really loved those cats.

When I read Carbonel I wished for a black cat to adopt me one day.

When I about 8 a stray black cat followed me home. My father wouldn't let us adopt him as we already had a cat. But he sat outside our house day and night for weeks until my father relented. Naturally I called him Carbonel.

He could talk, but only I knew what he was saying...

Aaah. The power of books (and cats).

The power of books (and cats).

Why did I read this thread, now have 'watched' copies of the six cousins books by Enid Blyton!

I remember Misty being a weekly mag (my sister got it) and probably an annual too. And how could I forget the Family at One End Street, another one I'm going to have to search out.

Also loved the Abbey Girls and Jennings - should try reading them again too.

I've loved this thread, and now have a list of books to track down. Can't believe I'd forgotten The Kingdom of Carbonel. My very first love was Teddy Robinson (I'm going back a way for that one) and I was a soppy child who wept buckets over The Velveteen Rabbit and Black Beauty (Ginger!). Was too young to properly understand Lord of the Flies when I first read it, and scared myself silly. Piggy's death was shocking.

Can I add Gene Stratton Porter's books? Girl of the Limberlost/Freckles. They are massively dated and have that slightly dubious class-related Christian moralising you get in bits of L M Montgomery, but I like them.

Lots of books are available free on project Gutenberg if you don't have a kindle and can read online, btw. www.gutenberg.org/catalog/

I discovered Kingscote as an adult (and read through all my library had, though I think I've missed at least one).

I have just read 'Beswitched' recommended up the thread! What a delight! I bought it on Kindle. It was a treat to find one of the genre that was new to me. It was fairly predictable but nonetheless extremely enjoyable, rather like Charlotte Sometimes in many ways.

Thought you might enjoy looking at this - brings back happy memories.

www.pinterest.com/woollywonder/1970s-childrens-books/

I had brothers so read a lot of 'boys' books. My favourites were the Alfred Hitchcock & The Three Investigators series.

yes I have been reading 'One pair of hands' by Monica Dickens over and over, and it is still entertaining as well as being a social document of pre war England and a world that was about to end.

I would love to find copies of the Worlds End series also by MD, anyone got these or remember these? We loved them!

MD had the genius to get rid of the parents without killing them off, mum was in a light coma and dad was sailing round the world. As you do.

I loved the World's End series by Monica Dickens (and The Follyfoot series). They are sitting on my bookcase.

The World's End series:
The House at World's End (1970)
Summer at World's End (1971)
World's End in Winter (1972)
Spring Comes to World's End (1973)

ohhh I loved the World's End - I really wanted to BE one of those children!
MD wrote evocatively of my area, I was convinced, that was far London suburbs. We even had a home of rest for horses like Follyfoot at the top of our road that was demolished to make a housing estate.
Apparently Worlds End is out of print!
Loved the fact that they were 'horse books' but not in some unrecognisable world.

oh I do see them on Amazon and Abe books!

Rumer Godden too. The Story of Holly and Ivy (set at Christmas) & Little Plum (I liked climbing trees).

Anyone remember The Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse by Ursula Moray Williams? Loved it.

The Little White Horse, Elizabeth Goudge;
anything by Michael Saville (?) set round the Stiperstones in Shropshire.

gabsdot45 But Walter and Bertha are Anne's parent's names. Shirley is her maiden name.
SunnyBaudelaire I like Monica Dickens too, have you read her others, "One pair of Feet" and "My Turn To Make The Tea?"

I always thought Anne's kids got a bum deal in the naming stakes.

thegreylady delighted you enjoyed Beswitched. You're right, very Charlotte Sometimes inspired.