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Children's books

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Original poster

The definitive list of books every child should read

74 replies

TheNightIsDark · 01/01/2014 16:17

As chosen by you! They don't have to be masterpieces literary speaking but brilliant stories, strong characters etc

I'll start:

The Railway Children
Junk (older teen though!)
Harry Potter
A Little Princess
The Gruffalo

OP posts:
Original poster
TheNightIsDark · 01/01/2014 16:19

There is a purpose to this btw! Trying to fill a kindle with all the books the DCs may ever need from birth to 14 or whenever they get into adult fiction.

OP posts:
Sirzy · 01/01/2014 16:21

things like the gingerbread man
Wind in the willows
BFG
Harry and his dinosaurs books

EdithWeston · 01/01/2014 16:24

There are lots of lovely suggestions on this thread

NoComet · 01/01/2014 16:39

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nihm
Black beauty

My two are still refusing to read either (12&15) the older one would live both

Hers are room on a broom and secret garden

Original poster
TheNightIsDark · 01/01/2014 17:05

I love the secret garden.

Will check out that thread. Thank you Smile

OP posts:
booksteensandmagazines · 01/01/2014 18:12

I've got lists for 11-14 year olds on my site - contemporary and classic which you might get some ideas from. My favourites for classics are
The Outsiders by SE Hinton,
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott,
I Capture the Castle,by Dodie Smith and
Bridge to Terrabithia by Katherine Patterson.

Rosencrantz · 01/01/2014 18:13

The Jolly Postman series!

melonribena · 02/01/2014 22:53

Goodnight mr Tom
Forever
Any roald Dahl book

Original poster
TheNightIsDark · 02/01/2014 22:55

Thank you.

I've been a bit sad and now have a notebook with 10 a5 pages of books to look out for. It includes whole series. I have told DP it's my will and if I die it's his job to pass the list on.

There's 4 DCs. The list is doable!

OP posts:
KatOD · 02/01/2014 22:58

Second Roald Dahl! Also the Narnia series by C S Lewis is a must-read, maybe also Phillip Pulman's Dark materials trilogy? How about the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings?

I really liked the Family at One End street books when I was younger but no-one seems to remember them now. Prob also the original Mary Poppins books by P L Travers.

KatOD · 02/01/2014 22:59

MelonRibena do you mean the Judy Blume Forever?!

Original poster
TheNightIsDark · 02/01/2014 22:59

All on the list Kat Grin

I spent hours searching through old threads. There's some I haven't come across before that sound brilliant.

OP posts:
MrsSteptoe · 02/01/2014 23:00

Golly, so depends on the child.
9-11 age range: Pig Heart Boy.
Five Children and It (Nesbit) - and I believe Jacqueline Wilson's updating on a theme, which I think is called Four Children and It, is also very good
Younger age range:
YY to the Roald Dahl books, but my favourites are Danny, Champion of the World and The BFG
Charlie Cook's Favourite Book (Donaldson & Schaffer)
Spike Milligan's Book of Milliganimals (that's for the grown ups too)
Dr Seuss's Ten Tall Tales

That'll do for now...

MinkBernardLundy · 02/01/2014 23:04

Flowers in the attic. not because they should. mother because it us good it is not but because very teenager I knew read it. and it is mainly better than 50 shades.

Another vote for Roald Dahl.
Lord of the rings?

Need to get some sci fi in there:
Dune trilogy
Terry Pratchett
Douglas Adams
Ray Bradbury short stories
William Gibson (for well into teenage years).

NachoAddict · 02/01/2014 23:04

I second Good Night Mr Tom, I read that so many times and was looking to buy it for DS.

I loved Jacqueline Wilson books as a child but I would read anything I could get my hands on!

Also liked the books about an indian in a cupboard, enid blyyon, loved The Secret Garden.

Oh Oh The Swiss Family Robinson, loved that and read it many times.

monstermissy · 02/01/2014 23:04

Any Judy Bloom! I loved it and her book will take you from child to teen. I see Forever mentioned ^^ just look out for Ralph Wink

MinkBernardLundy · 02/01/2014 23:05

Oh and Charlotte web

Original poster
TheNightIsDark · 02/01/2014 23:07

The best Judy Blume's were the Fudge stories. They still make me laugh.

I learnt all there was to know about puberty from Judy Blume. Not the fudge books of course. That would be weird.

OP posts:
Amrapaali · 02/01/2014 23:08

Calvin and Hobbes. Absolute must.

soupmaker · 02/01/2014 23:09

True Grit by Charles Portis. I'm going to read it to my girls then let them discover it as young teenagers. A marvellous book.

Animal Farm by George Orwell. Ditto the above. First time round it's a fairy tale second time round it's for when learning Russian history.

NachoAddict · 02/01/2014 23:09

I read a trilogy about psychics as a young teen which I really enjoyed and re read as an adult. Cant remember the name of it now.

I think it was Dark Visions by L J Smith (after a very brief google)

nancy75 · 02/01/2014 23:10

Tom's midnight garden
Roald Dahl
Little Women
Diana Wynn Jones

nancy75 · 02/01/2014 23:12

KatOD - I love the family from one end street!

WhatAFeline · 02/01/2014 23:17

Younger children

Tottie : Story of a Dolls House by Rumer Godden
A necklace of raindrops by Joan Aitken

Older children

Midnight is a place by Joan Aitken
Children of Morrow by H M Hoover

WhatAFeline · 02/01/2014 23:18

Yy everything by Diana Wynne Jones. Genius.