Best Annuals for girls

[Spink]

dd is just about to turn 6. We're getting ds the Beano annual (for Christmas) as he's got into the comics this year, and thought about getting an annual for her too. A quick look online isn't very inspiring - I was gutted to see the Blue Peter annual isn't being done any more cos I think something like that would have been perfect. She gets bored with the Doc McStuffin / Little Pony / Hello Kitty type magazines as they don't seem to have very much in the way of content. She'd love anything to do with One Direction but it looks like their annual is geared at older girls.

We get her the monthly StoryBox magazine & she loves that.

Any ideas?

Does she like animals? If so, what about the Deadly 60 annual? Haven't seen it for a while as dd is now 12 (!) but it used to be good. Or the Lego annual?

Deadly 60 sounds worth investigating, thanks. Her brother would try to commandeer a LEGO one & I don't think I can face the aggravation...

Takver, I've just looked at the Deadly 60 one and it looks good so is a definite contender - but it is a bit annoying that it seems (to me) to be packaged for boys - dd likes a bit of girly prettyness and it looks like getting a balance of that and interesting stories & facts is too much of an ask!

Hmm, it never used to be particularly boy-focused, I'd say it was more unisex? I always think of animal obsessions as a bit of a girl thing, but maybe that was just dd and friends!

Maybe I need to see it in the flesh... I'll look out for it

DD (7) recently wrote as part of her homework: "I then go to bed and read excellent annuals like Bunty." Her older sister (13) also enjoys 1970 annuals like Mandy, Judy.... we buy them from car boot sales and charity shops. Much better than modern annuals.

Ah jeee I hadn't thought of that. eBay might be worth a look! Are they not really dated?

Oh, yes. They're dated. But that doesn't seem to make any difference to my DDs. I may possibly enjoy reading them too

In fact DD1 (13) has a two foot high pile of 1970s comics and when she's tired she browses through her favourite stories.

And if you can pick up 1970s Beanos, they're much better than modern versions.

Famous five, Rainbow fairy and Brownie annuals here since 6 - still buying them at 8.

God I used to ADORE Bunty annuals! My grandma used to get them from charity shops for me. There also used to be Brownie/GG annuals that I loved, and one called the Girl's Own Annual that was very jolly hockey sticks, but brilliant. I remember there being a lot of stories about plucky gels called Margaret who rescued their rest of their finishing-school-classmates from impending avalanches using only a lacrosse stick and the like.

Lavender, this might be a stupid question but does the Brownie annual have lots in it about being a brownie?

The Brownie annual is fab! It has lots about "today the brownies did x... Or two brownies went on a trip to y..." etc but it can be enjoyed by anyone. I loved it when I was younger.

The horrible histories annual is good at that age. Or the lego one?

YY to brownie annual, dd used to really like it. But possibly more appropriate if your dd is likely to be a brownie in the future?

Does she like Horrid Henry?

Never too young for Dr Who.

She does like HH, so does ds!

The Paddington looks ok...

Spink - just seen this, yes the Brownie annual does have a bit about being a Brownie. Not too much though, I just looked through it - probably 4-5 pages, rest is things to do, bake, colour in, puzzles. I bought it at 6 and it did fuel the desire to become a brownie at 7 though.

Horrible histories is good too, we have that one and tried a Lego friends annual but I didn't like it much too much emphasis on being girly.

Famous Five annual is/was always the favourite one here.

Thanks everyone, I'll know which ones to hone in on now !
merry Christmas.....