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.

Childhood - Enid Blyton and Nancy Drew.

Age 11 to 13 - everything Judy Blume wrote. 'Deenie' and 'Are You There God, It's Me Margaret?' stand out.

Sweet Valley High books were next. All of them. Cried when Regina died.

Then the Christopher Pike horror books. Nice boys in my second year Science class lent me them all.

Lots of other books too. I borrowed from the library prolifically.

Can anyone remember what the "Twilight" series if that year was?? I am sure there was some kind of magical type book series?? (Or maybe I am out of my mind??)

From when I was really young,

Ant & Bee
Harry the dirty dog
Teddy Robinson

There's a second one in the series which used to be called The Other Way Round, though I think the title has changed now. Do read it, it's just as good.

Sweet Valley Twins / High
The Babysitters Club
Point Horror
The Power (anyone else remember these?) A series of books about a teenage psychic called Mackenzie Gold. There was a book called 'The Catacombs' that I found particularly chilling aged twelve. I've been trying to buy these On Amazon / eBay to no avail .
The Saddle Club
Scrambled Legs

I didn't exactly have great taste in literature as a child .

Oh, I also loved Judy Blume and Paula Danzinger. I've actually read some one of Judy Blue's adult novels and quite enjoyed it.

TheCrazyDuchess I think I know what series you mean ( but once again my memory completely fails me ). There were a few books all about teenage vampires/werewolves etc. They all had names like Willow or Jade/Amber etc. This was in the mid 90s - was that when you meant?

I was just about to Google point horror but yes early to mid 90's and there were loads of books

The Night World series! Its just popped into my head... they were awesome.

Oh, also Joan Lingard's Kevin and Sadie series. I absolutely loved those books. Well worth a read to this day.

Lol on the kindle as we speak!!!!!

Gobbolino The Witch's Cat
The Hobbit
Judy Blume books, all of them
Mallory Towers
St Clare's
Topsy and Tim, the dentist story
a teen book called PS I Love You (not the one that became the film)
lots of books in the same series as the above
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Danson, I, too cried when Regina died. In fairness to Francine Pascal and her ghosties, tackling the issue of a teenage cocaine overdose was probably fairly controversial in the late 80s/early 90s.

Then after the 100th book (A Night To Remember, cringe that I know that off the top of my head ) characters were killed off in almost every book (especially Jessica's boyfriends) so the impact was lost. And the ridiculous factor increased massively .

Groundsel and Necklaces - first book I can remember .I still have it .
www.amazon.co.uk/Groundsel-Necklaces-Cicely-Mary-BARKER/dp/B000QI568M

The worst witch books,
The Famous Five,
The babysitter club books,
Point horror books,
Sadler Wells series,
Roald Dahl books, especially The Witches,
And as someone upthread said, reading Stephen King books covertly. IT was my first .

The Phantom Tollbooth. Loved it even though I remember having no idea what a 'tollbooth' actually was.

Stig of the Dump

The Ship that Flew. This book was magical. I loved it. It wasn't until I tracked down a copy and read it to my own dc that I realised how umm..of its time, shall we say, that it was. A little un pc for today's tastes, but I still thought it was good.

Just William. Inherited from my dad. I like Just William so much I still read the stories even now because they are just as funny and clever as ever and I would never part with my JW books.

I loved the Goosebumps collection too. I remember reading one about an evil sponge (it might have been a potato) that they found under the sink and I was terrified for weeks!

Lone Pine

White Riders (Monica Edwards)

Also loved just William!

Just Blume
Milly Molly Mandy- I loved the map inside
Babysitters club
Naughtiest girl in the school

I have some Point Horror books in my attic. I definitely have The Fever (which scared the almighty bejeezus out of me), The Beach, The Babysitter parts 1, 2, and 3. Some of the Monster Hall Point Horrors. I'm dying to go dig them out but the kitten is fast asleep on my lap.

So many of the ones already mentioned. I'd forgotten how much I loved the Kevin and Sadie books till Shadow mentioned them upthread.
I read 101 Dalmations over and over again
Loved horses and The Black Stallion books stick in my mind. Also Ludo and the Star Horse
All the Swallows &Amazons series.

Oh black Beauty loved that . Can anybody remember the name of the (not so) raunchy judy blume book ive been trying to remember.

Forever? With Ralph

The lion the witch and the wardrobe. I used to dress up like Lucy on world book day at school

Harry Potter series, they got me into reading and I still love them.

Jacqueline Wilson, I used to love recieving her new release. I was such a book worm as a child and always reading.

FOREVER with Ralph the penis

Fourkids I remember that book!

The story about the telephone line, ('Telephone Travel') was in a collection called The Wonder-Dog that I had. It's by Richard Hughes. But that itself is made up of two previous collections, The Spider's Palace and Don't Blame Me! originally published separately. I'm not sure about the grain of rice as I don't remember that one. But, if blue cover, might be this one you had: childrensbookshop.com/images/bookimages/85/85286.jpg.