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.

Anne - Rilla of Ingleside is so, so sad. I still can't believe what happened. The Blue Castle was written for older readers and I highly recommend. You can get the entire L.M Montgomery catalogue on Google Play for a couple of quid. Well worth it.

All the Streatfield books but the one where the children go to Ireland and cook a lobster was my favourite. Title?

Just William. I have some on audio book for the car. Hilarious!

Swallows and Amazons - Pigeon Post in particular

Did I am David and The Silver Sword and The Pied Piper at school. Still think of them. Also did the Kevin and Sadie books and loved them too.

Little Women and the sequels.

All the Diana Wynne Jones books. Magicians of Caprona and Howl's Moving Castle in particular.

Enid Blyton, of course. Fatty and that crew were my favourite.

Chalet School.

Dick King Smith.

Nina Bawden was great too. What was the one about Cleopatra's Needle?

Bread and Jam for Frances. Loved that. Apparently there are others in the series. Must hunt them down for the DDs.

The three investigators. Mostly because of their den!

I love these threads. Remembering old favourites (a lonely child who lived opposite a library in the late 60s/early 70s, I read everything, spent hours in there) and finding new treasures in other people's lists. Thank you all!

I wish I'd hung on to all my childhood books. I've spent a good deal in the last few years replacing them!

For Christmas, after reading the last thread like this on here, I bought The Whispering Knights and Astercote.

I've just this minute been to Abebooks and bought an ex-library copy of The Ship that Flew, which I would never have remembered had it not been mentioned on this thread.

The house that sailed away!

Joskar I think the Streatfeild book is 'The Magic Summer'

Silver Snaffles. Has that had a mention yet? The dark corner of the stables, which led to a magic place where horses taught children to ride.

The Spider's Palace ordered!! Thanks again :)

"Remembering old favourites (a lonely child who lived opposite a library in the late 60s/early 70s, I read everything, spent hours in there)"

Me too Apples except I was probably a decade behind you. I was an avid reader. I remember bringing a book back one day which I had checked out the day before. I read it over the course of an evening. The librarian didn't believe me that I had read it.

I'd forgotten the house that sailed away. I loved the idea of them fishing out the window for tins of things and grandma in her curlers.

Can't believe no-one has said 'Carrie's War' yet. I loved it and re-read it this summer and reading it as an adult is fantastic as well.

There was lots of good war books when we were young, The Machine Gunners and When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit were probably two of my favourites.

Tom's Midnight Garden was wonderful, I saw a stage show of that recently and all the adults were crying when Tom said goodbye to the old lady and my philistine children didn't think it was emotional at all.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Does anyone remember a book set in a girls' boarding school that was about 3 girls who were best friends? They had the only dorm room in the school that was for 3 girls to share and it was at the top of a tower. One of them may have been called Bella, and another of them was interested in a man who worked at the school (may have been a teacher, or a handyman or gardener) and there was some scandal over it.

I read it in the early 90s but it was set earlier - possibly 50s? Definitely not as far back as Enid Blyton or the Chalet School, but I can't remember enough details to place it exactly.

Joskar, the Noel Streatfeild book is The Growing Summer, I think.

Oh wow great memories in here! I'd forgotten about Paula Dansiger (sp) I absolutely loved Heidi and the sequels and the secret garden. Goodnight Mr Tom and back home I read over and over. I also loved the Redwall books as a teenager.now I will read anything which I firmly believe is a direct advantage of having access to a wide variety as a child.

Also the Ladybird Well Loved Tales from the 70s

www.google.co.uk/search?q=ladybird+well+loved+tales&client=ms-android-samsung&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjMkorf44TKAhWB2BoKHWvvBXwQ_AUICCgC

and Anne of Green Gables

I hated a lot of 'classic' children's books when younger, trying to remember some of my favourites. Some of them I'd definitely like to re-read now!

Private Peaceful - Michael Morpurgo
When the Whales Came - Michael Morpurgo
War Horse - Michael Morpurgo
The Lorax - Dr Seuss
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series - Michelle Paver
Driftwood - Cathy Cassidy
Children of the Lamp series - Philip Kerr
Septimus Heap series - Angie Sage
Cherub series - Robert Muchamore
The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me - Roald Dahl
Cat Royal series - Julia Golding
Percy Jackson & the Olympians series - Rick Riordan

Aw, I'm all nostalgic now.

Can anyone remember 'Naughty Amelia Jane' - def my favourite childhood book

The Babysitters Club, loved them and still have the whole collection in my loft.

St. Clare's/Malory Towers.

Pongwiffy books by Kaye Umansky (hence my nn,) my absolute favourite books when I was 7-10. My favourite teacher read them to me and took me to meet the author.

Lots of Roald Dahl but especially Fantastic Mr. fox & George's Marvellous Medicine.

Reading this thread has made me want to re-read so many books plus read a few I missed as a child

Could we get the thread moved to Children's fiction so it doesn't vanish in 90 days? Lots of books I want to remember to get for DS at some point.

Many that people have already mentioned, especially Diana Wynne Jones (have a memory of reading an interview with her in a Puffin Club magazine once, where she talked about her and neughbours having a party and the children all running into and out of each others houses and along the river at the back, always wondered what bit of Bristol that was).

Don't think I've seen Arabella and her raven Mortimer mentioned yet. Sadly think I might have missed the window for those with the nieces.

Also read loads of science fiction, there were loads of dystopian "almost everyone dies after nuclear war/pandemic/mysterious attack by aliens" books around at that point. Ray Bradbury short stories are the most vivid though. Read lots of Andre Norton but suspect it wouldn't hold up to rereading. Also read Among Others by Jo Walton recently, the main character in that talks a lot about books she is reading, so if you read a lot of SF it reminds you of a lot of books!

I wanted to be a vet from the moment I was old enough to understand what one was so I read and obsessively re-read the James Herriot books all through my childhood - I still love them now that I am a vet although I don't do quite as much livestock work as he did!
White Fang and The Call of the Wild by Jack London - I have read these dozens of times, still two of my favourite books.
I loved the Willard Price Adventure series, although the idea of capturing wild animals for zoos and circuses is now totally abhorrent.
All Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl was devoured. Especially loved Malory Towers and The Twits. Classics like Le Petit Prince, The Wind in the Willows, The Secret Garden etc.
Anything to do with animals - all the Farthing Wood books, Black Beauty, The Starlight Barking, one very memorable one called Stray by AN Wilson.
Michael Morpurgo - especially War Horse and a wonderful book of short stories all set in Cornwall - one in particular about a boy who goes to live with the seals.
When I was a bit older loved Philip Pullman, The Saddle Club, Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley High then in my teens classics like Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Grapes of Wrath, To Kill A Mockingbird, 1984, Moby Dick, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Asimov, Shakespeare, Dickens, Hardy etc.

Oh, and the Jinny and Shantih series, how could I forget those, I loved them!

For me it has to be the Worst Witch Series, the Famous Five, the Secret Seven and the Fiend series. I still re-read them all as an adult. They all bring back memories.

Anne of Green Gables, Orange Wendy, Carries War.

Strange, just got DS the entire collection of Roald Dahl books for Christmas and I'm slowly reading them.

Started with Boy, onto Going Solo now, he had quite a life. Loved Dahl as a kid.

Also loved Famous Five, James Herriot and also Helen Forrester when I was a kid.

Many that have been mentioned already, but of special note were Carrie's War, Charlotte's Web, Which Witch, Private Keep Out and The Owl Service.