What really stands out when you think of your childhood books?

[invisiblegorilla]

For me:

The Chalet School series. The early ones, when Jo was still a pupil! I brought them second hand. Eustacia, Elisaveta and so on. I remember when Jo and co. were given their prefect rooms in the new building and being in love with the descriptions/idea of it all.

Nancy Drew. Can't remember which ones, it's just a lot of investigations and stories blended it together in my memory.

The Chronicles of Narnia. I found the last book a little strange, but I read the first three over and over again.

And anything by Roald Dahl. There's a lot more (anything to do with boarding schools and midnight feasts had me obsessed) but I'm curious about what books other people remember the most.

Enid Blyton and The Faraway Tree collection (even though Moon Face scared me)

What Katy Did/What Katy Did Next

I loved the Chronicles of Narnia and read the first 6 books and then had to wait ages til I got the seventh!

Going way back, I remember my mum reading Can't You Sleep Little Bear? I read it to DS now and every time I get a little choked up at "I've brought you the moon, Little Bear"

Picking out and reading Stephen King books from the library when I was 10/11 and my mum not having a clue that they were horror stories/completely unsuitable for me

I also loved the Three Jays series by Pat Smythe, I was lucky I was given these by my next-door-neighbour, whose daughter was 6 years older than me. I inherited loads of her horsey books!

Most of the above.
Roald Dahl, the Ramona Quimby and Harriet the Spy books, lots by Joan Aiken...

So many of these!

More than any others though, the Alfie and Annie-Rose books. I'm so glad that DD seems to love them like I did!

My Friend Flicka and Thunderhead
Jinny and Shantih - Dd 11 is reading these at the moment. I found the whole series in the local charity shop in unread condition. They cost me a quid!
The Famous Five
Enid Blyton's Adventure series
The Worst Witch - Ds 7 likes to listened to this as an audio book

River Tam - I've nearly finished re-reading the Anne of Green Gables series - I'd never read Rainbow Valley or Rilla of Ingleside before as they must have been out of print when I was younger.

Roald Dahl, but especially the BFG and the Enormous Crocodile.

Ramona Quimby- was fascinated by all the American terminology. Spent ridiculous amount of time figuring our what a Graham Cracker was.

5 Children and It and the Phoenix and the Carpet.

Goodnight Mr Tom and a book about a post-holocaust society called "Brother in the Land".

My favourite book was the original penguin paperback of 'Worzel Gummidge'
When i was very small i loved the Blackberry Farm books

Mrs Pepperpot
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
A Christmas Carol
Aesops Fables
Adventure Game Booms, eg Citidel of Chaos, Island of the Lizard King and The Forest of Doom.
Judy Bloom books
Gobolina the Witches' cat
Great Expectations
Giant, Myths and Legends
Spike Milligan funny verse

Anne of green gables, wind in the willows (my all time favourite book) and Jane eyre

And of course all the Penguin books Porridge Pot, Chicken Licken, Enormous Turnip, Princess and the Pea. My mil has the whole collection I read them myself!

Fattipuffs And thinnifers and the faraway tree stand out in my mind from when I was young.

There were definitely a lot of books set during WW1 and WW2 on the bookshelves at home and at school, usually from the POV of child protagonists. I remember really enjoying one set during WW2 about a girl who escaped with her family and eventually ended up in France, and her struggle to learn the language and pass the school exams. Can't remember the name or the other details though.

Anything by Enid Blyton - Adventure Series, Secret Seven, Famous Five, Malory Towers etc.

All the Enid Blyton books I devoured, Famous Five, Secret Seven, Magic Faraway Tree.
Heidi was another favourite and the Gentle Giant by Oscar Wilde is s book I've sought out as an adult.

The Five Find Outers
Magic Faraway Tree
Mr Pinkwhistle
The Ghost of Thomas Kempe
All the Horrible History books
Harry Potter
And there was one about a young girl set after the war who had a stack of paper bought for her after her mum saved up so wrote a diary and she found an unexplored bomb on a beach. (I think that's the gist of it but I can't remember what it's called!)

invisuble are you thinking of the Judith Kerr ones, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit?

Onemouseplace oh I loved Flambards I read them soon much. I even have the series on DVD. I wanted to marry Will.

Anne of Greengables was another I read and read, went through the whole series.

The Chalet School books

A Little Love Song - by the same author as Goodnight Mr Tom.

Roald Dahl - all of them! But my favourite was Danny The Champion of the World, beautiful story.

There's another one that really sticks in my mind and I cannot for the life of me remember the title or author. It was set in the US and was about a girl who had a really difficult relationship with her mum but was really close to her dad. Her mum was really harsh and jealous of her being close to her dad ( think the dads name was Zeke ) and lets slip one day that Zeke isn't her real dad, she fell pregnant and Zeke was in love with her so married her. There was a theme about birds and flying throughout - but I can't remember the significance.

I read it in the 90s but think it may have been written in the 70s/80s. Does anyone have an idea of the name of it? Would love to re-read to see if it's as good as I remember. ☺

Anything and everything by Enid Blyton and Rumer Goddens' Miss Happiness and Miss Flower which I've just read to DD who loved it as much as I did. I was a prolific reader so there's probably about a million more but they're the ones that spring immediately to mind.

YES! I've been googling bits of the plot on and off for years and have never been able to find the title. Ahh, and it was set during the 1930s, which makes much more sense. Thank you!

Chalet School, Malory Towers and St Clare's, most other Enid Blyton, Anne of Green Gables, Ballet Shoes, Bobbsey Twins.

I read Michelle Magorian as an adult and wished her books had been around when I was a child. A Little Love Song is a beautiful book.

Virtually all Enid Bylton, from Noddy to all the school stories. (I went on to get a degree in Eng Lit so all the fuss about them seems irrelevant ).

Alison Uttley's Sam Pig books - I loved those and read them so many times.

What Katie Did, etc, and the Anne of Green Gables books.

The Secret Garden and A Little Princess. I once read The Secret Garden three times in a row, curled up in a big armchair, aged about 8. Bliss.

Also, lots of Ladybird books, non-fiction like What to Look for at the Seaside, What to Look for in Spring, etc. I had a whole collection of them but now only have a few left. I sometimes buy myself replacements if I see nice copies in secondhand bookshops.

Sweet valley high

All of Enid Blyton
Trebizon
Sue Barton Nursing books
Ann of Green Gables
Sweet Valley High / Cheerleaders
Judy Bloom