Books from my childhood I would like my children to read.

[3bunnies]

Much of my childhood was spent reading Enid Blyton but I did digess sometimes and there are a few books I would like to track down for my dc. One was about a magic tollbooth - I can't remember any more of the story except I enjoyed it and it made me think- I have found the Phantom tollbooth is that likely to be it? Think dd1 would enjoy it.

Also I remember a story about an inventer who came up with all sorts of mad inventions - one of them was a machine which could paint a flagpole, but he started it at the bottom and then was stuck at the top because there was wet paint below him. dd2 would enjoy it if I knew what it was called.

Professor brainstawm?

The phantom tollbooth is awesome - I can't wait to read it to my DCs! I was in an am dram production of it age 11. I was the spelling bee :o

My DD has recently started listening to chapter books, we have mostly done my old favourites! It's amazing when your child enjoys the same stories you enjoyed yourself... really magical :) I've got a whole list lined up in my head of what I'd love to share with my DCs!

Oh could be, have reserved that and Phantom tollbooth at library. When I looked up Prof Branestawm on amazon - the phantom toolbooth came up as being bought by the same people! Trying to find a book to get dd1 over her 'I can't read anything else now that I have read Harry Potter' phase.

So far dd1 seems to have rejected all my old favourites, hoping the tollbooth will buck the trend!

I LOVED Enid Blyton and dd won't even entertain it. She liked the Naughtiest Girl in the School on CD when she was littler, but has no interest in reading any of them. It makes me a bit sad.

I am going to order Swallows and Amazons....

The Phantom Tollbooth. It's my favourite book ever, Digitopolis, King Azaz and the Watchdog.

DS is 7 now, we're reading it next year, just got to finish a harry potter first.

Johnny Briggs and the Giant Cave is also pretty awesome, "Our mam" and "our Rita". All my hoarding is worth it now because I can just pull out my old books for the DC's.

Also 'Mr Rabbit and the lovely present' and 'The winter bear'.

I am fairly sure that I kept the Professor Branestawm (assuming it was that) and saw it at my parents but I think dsis might have swiped it from there for dneph. I would have paid good pocket money for that too! I spent my money on books while she was into music clothes and make up!

So do we think Phantom tollbooth will rival Harry Potter? She also loved The Land of Stories and will read the sequel after Christmas. She will reread favourite books but gives up on books within a chapter or two if she isn't captivated instantly.

Dd loved Tollbooth as much as me. I read many childhood favourites to her over the years: all of Narnia, Little Women (not a huge success), the Adventure stories of Willard Price.

If she liked Harry Potter, she might like the Chrestomanci books by Diana Wynne Jones. The Lives of Christopher Chant might be a good place to start. I loved The Magicians of Caprona when I was young.

My ds enjoyed Professor Brainstawm. I picked them up cheaply second-hand. So far my dcs have enjoyed some of my childhood favourites

Lots of Enid Blyton
Jennings
The Boy with the Bronze Axe
Molesworth
Stig of the Dump
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Ballet Shoes and White Boots
A Little Princess
Five Children and It

However, ds informs me that he doesn't always like the books I like (after I have spent ages lovingly tracking them down second hand for him). And I have several hundred pounds worth of Chalet school books waiting for a convert (didn't buy them but have kept them for years so somebody had better fall in love with them like I did).

A younger age group but I am totally loving reading Teddy Robinson with my 6 year old dd.

Also Gobbilino and Amelia Jane.

SO far I've done quite well on converting my dc: (dd1:13yo, dd2:10yo, ds: 6yo)
Malcolm Saville (dd1, ds)
Chalet school (dd2)
Arthur Ransome (all of them)
Monica Edwards (dd2, ds)
Joan Aiken (dd1)
Diana Wynne Jones (dd2)
Narnia (all three)
Green Knowe (dd2)
Noel Streatfield (dd1, dd2)
Antonia Forest (dd1, dd2)
Violet Needham (dd2)
Geoffrey Treese (dd1, ds)
John Putney (dd1)
And one of my all time favourite books "Demon Island" (Cecil Baldock, I think) had ds on the edge of his seat, not daring to read on, but not able to bear not knowing what happened next.

One I haven't so far had success with is Arthur Catherall, but I think ds will like them in a couple of years.

Rebecca's world
The chronicles of Narnia
Anything by Roald Dahl

My two have loved the Mortimer books (Joan Aiken) and when they are a little older ill give them 'When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit'. I re read this recently and loved it.

Gobbolino The Witches Cat ( a great favourite of my mum and I, and now DD2

Heidi DD2

The Secret Seven DD 1, but she never moved on from them

The Secret Garden and Black Beauty still to introduce