Obscure children's books that you used to love

[LadyPlumpington]

Mine is 'The Island of the Skog' by Steven Kellogg. The DC love it too :)

What are your old obscure favourites?

The High House - loved that - I think there were a couple of sequels too.

Fireweed by Jill Paton Walsh - boy and girl on the run in the London blitz.

The Tricksters by Margaret Mahy, and also Catalogue of the Universe -- so obscure I can't even find it on Amazon

How about 'Ronia the Robbers Daughter'? I think I got it via the school book club, so I bet someone else has it too.

One if my favourite picture books is called 'The Night if the Paper Bag Monsters' - is that obscure enough?

Oh, and if we're including books we read at school, then I'll add:
Me and my Million
Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
A Pattern of Islands

The Tree That Sat Down (and the two others in the series)
Professor Branestawm
The Golden Goblet (seriously scary, about an orphan in Ancient Egypt)
Carbonel
Green Smoke

DD really loved the last two!

Was The Growing Summer the one where the kids went to stay with an aunt on an island or something, and the water came out of the taps brown, and there was a refugee from Kenya (?)?

Oh God, Children on the Oregon Trail. Is that the one where their parents die, and then the baby dies and the eldest brother has to be really harsh to keep the others alive? It made a big impression but it was harrowing stuff.

Oh what a Busy Day!

It was my favourite book as a young child (aged about 5). It's full of beautiful pictures, you could look at it forever and never be bored.

At Xmas I got a copy off Amazon for DD1. I opened the 1st page having not seen it for over 30 years...and promptly burst into tears! I had a massive flashback to the innocence of my childhood [sniff]

marmaduke the Marmalade Cat.

Marianne's Dreams
The Lost Prince by Francis Hodgkinson Burnett. Loved this book.
a Gift from
Winchlesea by Helen Cresswell.
The Little White Horse - fab book and I've always liked the name Loveday since.
The Tamsin and Rissa series by Monica Edwards and also The Punchbowl series particularly The Black Hunting Whip
Lots of stuff by the Pullien Thompson's particularly the one with the grey pony on the cover who had a silly name - Adonis from memory.
Charlotte Sometimes. Loved that one.

Yes Laura, that was The Growing Summer. They have to go stay with Aunt Dymphna in Ireland. I've just reread it.

Wow- this thread got long!

laurachant (if you see this) that Noggin book is named 'The Island'; it's one of my favourites. I also love 'The Game'.

I remember Drina the Ballerina books. Also the Sadlers Wells ballet books.

And the Ghost of Thomas Kempe

Also I loved the Great Gilly Hopkins. I still have copies of most of them. must dig them out.

I am still here! Thanks Amazons.

I loved the The Lone Pine Club books by Malcolm Savile but appear to be the only person who has ever read them. We have Olga da Polga, Moomins, Tintin, Asterix, Joan Aiken, Rumer Godden ...

Understudy Magic, by Beatrice Gormley.

My mum worked in a library when I was young (still does actually... as do I :o) so I frequently got random withdrawn children's books. A tradition I am of course upholding with my own DCs!

Other ones include one about a girl called Little O who gets strawberry on her shoes, one with a little mouse called Jeremy who is called 'a muddy mouse', one about a girl who keeps using alliteration and says stuff like 'jumping Jehoshaphat!' and buys red shoes I think?!

We have so many books on this thread!
Fattipuffs and Thinnifers
Ronnie the Robbers Daughter
Mary Plain

Did anyone read The Witches and The Grinnygog? I still have that.

Another one: Pongwhiffy. The books followed the adventures of a filthy witch, her hamster familiar and the other witches in their coven. The first book and the one where they went on holiday to the seaside were ace.

Marianne Dreams was the creepiest book I have ever read. Terrifying.

Also loved Roger Lancelyn Green's Greek myths and Arthurian legends.

Flappingandflying it was Adonis and the book was Prince Among Ponies.

So many more favourites mentioned! I loved Trebizon too, up to the point the heroine gave up tennis for running, then they seemed to get a bit samey.

Kevin and Sadie - I read a couple (Across the Barricades was one, I think). I remember how real they felt compared to so many children's books.

I never read Miss Happiness and Miss Flower but I loved the follow-up, Little Plum.

Anyone else read Pippi Longstocking?

Thanks Flapping - Ireland, not an island, I see! my childhood geography was appalling.

I read The Family at One End Street, MrsSnufkin.

Also remember being read the following by teachers and loving them -

Gobbolino The Witch's Cat
The House That Sailed Away

and my all-time favourite...

The Farthest Away Mountain, by Lynn Reid Banks.

Happy days, lost in a book.

HighOverTheFenceLeapsSunnyJim I'm so pleased copies still exist! Lovely book. Great thread and yes, "Carries' War" should be compulsory reading.

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh - I always thought it was very well written considering the content!

The Lost Prince - I thought it was rather predictable but also pretty good, esp in how international it was.

Did anyone ever read about Emily Starr? Stories were by the author of Anne of Green Gables and set on Prince Edward Island. I preferred them to the Green Gables set.....

My brother, sister and I had this book about a boy who was making a sandwich, started with bread... added one filling "and some bread" but then decided to add a different filling, "and some bread" until it was about 10 feet high. None of us have ever been able to find it. Please help! What is the name of this book?

Little O is by Edith Unnerstad, and there was another about her brother called The Urchin. Swedish -- a big family with lots of older brothers and sisters. Loved those books.

Ah, it's "Hilda's Restful Chair" bad memory