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Children's books

Join in for children's book recommendations.

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Original poster

Are there any books you should have liked as a child...and didn't?

23 replies

deleted203 · 31/05/2013 01:53

I know we are always sharing the books we loved - and I wondered if anyone else is like me and guiltily wondering why I didn't like certain books - and if I would now? We had a whole set of children's classics - and despite loving lots and lots of them, such as Treasure Island, Lorna Doone, Kidnapped, Robinson Crusoe, Black Beauty, The Water Babies, Oliver Twist, there were others I was absolutely bored to tears with. Off the top of my head I'll start with:-

'Swallows and Amazons'
'What Katy Did' (although I didn't mind 'What Katy Did At School')
Loved the Narnia books - but disliked 'The Horse and His Boy' (and I wasn't overly keen on 'The Magician's Nephew)
'Heidi'
'The Children of the New Forest'
'Little Women' - although I liked 'Little Men'

Now, I have read all the Narnia series several times, and I'm still not very fond of those two. Can anyone convince me I should re-read 'Swallows and Amazons' or 'Heidi' perhaps? Or will I still find them boring, do you think? I feel faintly sad that there are 'classic' children's books that I failed to get any enjoyment from, particularly as a lot of them were so wonderful.

OP posts:

janji · 31/05/2013 02:49

Never liked the Famous Five or Secret Seven!

Original poster

deleted203 · 31/05/2013 02:52

Ah - now I loved the Famous Five and hated the Secret Seven! But my sister was the other way round.

OP posts:

rundontwalk · 31/05/2013 03:15

Watership Down-just couldn't get into it. I tried several times (i was a persistent child!) but it left me cold. It's still sat on my childhood bookcase,just in case!

Original poster

deleted203 · 31/05/2013 10:30

Yep, I couldn't like Watership Down, either, although I did struggle through to the end. It did nothing much for me.

OP posts:

TunipTheVegedude · 31/05/2013 10:34

Winnie the Pooh, Narnia, The Hobbit.

I love Swallows and Amazons but I'm not convinced there's much point in reading it as an adult if you didn't like it as a child. What makes it work for me is the intensity with which the children play, and that's not something that would work for an adult reader.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 31/05/2013 10:43

Most of the ones mentioned so far, although I liked Little Women and What Katy Did. I was a total bookworm, I loved Enid Blyton, mainly the school stories and Adventure series, Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, Chalet school, many more but couldn't get into Narnia, Hobbit etc at all.

My tasted have stayed the same as an adult, I mainly reaf stories of women's lives and can't get into fantasy at all.

supperscold · 31/05/2013 13:40

Hated Winnie the Pooh - and still do - too much whimsy.

harryhausen · 31/05/2013 13:50

Never like Beatrix Potter although loved the illustrations and just stared at those.

I never liked 'The Secret Garden'. I was a bit too old for Dahl at its most popular but re-read a lot of it to dd and neither of us are liking the BFG.

mixedmamameansbusiness · 31/05/2013 15:47

Oh BFG. I like Dahl generally, but I have read BFG:

As a child;
To DS1;
With DS1;
Bedtime story to DS1 and DS2;
Currently to DS2 as a bedtime story.

I plan on sending it to a good home once we are done as I can't bear the idea of repeating steps 3.-5. With DS2 and DS3.

DeWe · 31/05/2013 16:24

I didn't like Swallows and Amazon as a child, but reread it when dd1 was reading them and loved it. Still think Roger's totally spoilt though.

I don't like, and never have liked Dahl, I'd say his autobiography is interesting, but that's as far as I'll go.

Loved the Hardy boys/Nancy Drew, but was terrified by the older veriosn of them: Hardy Boys Case Files.

Hated Mary Poppins, and I remember being very disappointed with Wizard of Oz and the sequels.

Quangle · 31/05/2013 19:47

Of the Narnias, I loved The Horse and his Boy and The Magician's Nephew but wasn't keen on any of the others (apart from TLTWATW) so the complete opposite to the OP.

Loved Heidi too. But couldn't get along with What Katy Did or the Moomin Trolls. Or, when younger, Alice in Wonderland or Winnie the Pooh.

DeWe · 31/05/2013 19:55

Oh yes, I agree about the Moomin trolls. Dm kept thinking I would love them and getting them for me and I just didn't find them interesting at all.

KikeriFreedomCastle · 31/05/2013 19:59

I couldn't get into Nancy Drew, didn't particularly care for Chalet school (though my own DC likes), also find Little Women (and the other books, Little Men, Jo's Boys et al) irritating and pious.

LEMisdisappointed · 31/05/2013 20:12

Loved TLTWATW - reading the magicians nephew to DD now, love it.

Not really childrens books per se, but i just don't GET tolkein, tried many times but no, not for me

Original poster

deleted203 · 31/05/2013 20:33

Oh Mary Poppins! Such a disappointment, yes. I seem to remember she was terribly stern and cross in the book. I rather think we had 'Mary Poppins in the Park'. Wizard of Oz, too, wasn't much good. The Secret Garden was dull and I didn't like any of the children in it. I think I read it after 'Tom's Midnight Garden' which I really enjoyed.

Going on what others have mentioned, I liked Winnie the Pooh, loved the Hobbit, quite liked LOTR - although I found it a bit dull and long winded at times. Like Dahl, but agree that the BFG isn't much cop. Didn't like The Chalet School - all that hideous babying of 'The Robin' and the obsession with TB. Quite liked the Moomins, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys.

On 'pony books' - did anyone else hate 'My Friend Flicka' or the 'Jinny' series?

OP posts:

DeWe · 31/05/2013 20:56

Did't hate the Flicka or Jinny series, but didn't really find them interesting. Found the Follyfoot ones at the library (Monica Dickens I think) and hated them.
But loved Monica Edwards pony books

Kneedeepindaisies · 31/05/2013 20:59

Sowornout. I read Tom's Midnight Garden again recently and it's still amazing.

I love the ending.

If only I could get the TV version on DVD.

Kneedeepindaisies · 31/05/2013 21:02

Sorry didn't answer the OP.

I don't remember any I didn't like but I think that's because I always read my favourites over and over. If a book looked boring I just didn't bother starting it.

I don't think I've actually read that many children's classics.

zipzap · 31/05/2013 23:40

I was a total bookworm as a child (and still would be if I could find a few spare moments away from the dc --in addition to too much time on mn!)

However I hated the hobbit when I tried to read it aged about 7-8. I was a very good reader for my age and by then had read loads of other stuff (including the narnia stories and most of the swallows and amazon books) but I just hated the hobbit.

To the point that I have never tried to read it again or any of the lotr books and have actively avoided the films ( despite being brought one as a present; still in it's cellophane wrapping).

Floralnomad · 31/05/2013 23:45

Loathed Treasure Island , all the Narnia series and Stig of the Dump . My favourite book was The Second Mount by one of the Pullen Thompsons ( I think) .

SanityClause · 01/06/2013 00:01

DH convinced DD1 to buy The Waterbabies, a few years ago. I had to read it to her. Not an abridged version, but the full version. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT READING THIS BOOK!

Ditto, Tarka the freakin Otter.

I found the Lord of the Rings a bit meh, actually. I'm not really sure why everyone seems to adore it.

In the main, I read most things as a child. I did particularly love Anne and the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, I recall.

SugarMouse1 · 25/06/2013 00:56

Little Women, What Katy Did, Terry Pratchett books, Jacqueline Wilson books,

Oh those awful Sweet Valley High books? Anyone else remember them??

Louise1956 · 25/06/2013 20:25

i didn't care for the Swallows and Amazons books either, though I did enjoy the Tv series they made when i was a child. I enjoyed The Hobbit, but found Lord of the Rings very boring when I tried to read it. i didn't care for stories where children solved mysteries, didn't like the famous Five, Secret Seven etc, I thought they were silly ('what chance has a gang of desperate criminals against three small children?' as Eileen Colwell wrote).

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