Can you help create some book lists?

[stargirl1701]

I'm a primary school teacher and my school is celebrating a big anniversary next session. I run the upper school reading club (P5-7) and I was hoping to do some book lists - one for each decade the school has been open. A 'top ten reads of the...' idea. I need some help compiling the lists. I'm looking for chapter books for the 9-12 age range. I want to stick to books published in the UK.

1940s - I've got nothing

1950s
The Borrowers
Tom's Midnight Garden
Marianne Dreams

1960s
Summer Birds
Stig of the Dump
The Owl Service

1970s
The Ghost of Thomas Kempe
Charmed Life

1980s
The Indian in the Cupboard
Redwall
Moondial

1990s
The Story of Tracey Beaker
Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone

2000s
Journey to the River Sea
The Various
Millions

2010s
Goth Girl
How to Train Your Dragon
The Dream Snatcher
The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day

What would you add? I'm hoping for 10 in each decade. My childhood reading was way too heavy in the classics from pre WW2!

Sad you are restricting the search to UK published books, or I would add Anne of Green Gables
Pollyanna series.

Angela Brazil is, I suspect, long out of print. I think the editions I read were from my grandparents.

1960s The Silver Sword

Would Pippi Longstocking be too young? There are a few ideas on this super long list: www.goodreads.com/list/show/72656.Best_Children_s_Books_of_the_1940s

Oh sorry you only want UK - didn’t read carefully enough!

The Federation of Children's Book Groups has some book lists here www.fcbg.org.uk/booklists/ including Fifty Favourite Books From The Last Fifty Years

The Little Grey Men - BB (nom de plume of Denys Watkins-Pitchford). It's a children's fantasy novel from 1942.

He also wrote Brendan Chase in 1944. They are really great fantasy novels for rhat age group. Whimsical plots and just lovely to read with fun characters.

Robert Westall books might suit that age group span 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Machine gunners, the winds eye, kingdom by the sea.

Linda Hoy - Your friend, Rebecca. 1983

Doctor Dolittle and The Secret Lake published in 1948.

It's a children's book, but by today's standards it is quite dark and doesn't have as much humour as the doctor dolittle books published previously. I Still think it is suitable, and has some important messages but you'd best read it yourself first.

And William Earl Jones has a whole load of adventure book published in the 40's. I can't remember the name he wrote under... but I think it was Captain something (he was a pilot in WW1).

His adventure books are about the armed forces and were written to inspire young people (women) to join up, but they aren't rubbish propaganda or anything. Good adventure, exciting story. Might be a little old for the 9 years olds though.

1940s

Tolkien - The Hobbit (actually, 1937 - but poetic licence??? )

1950s

Meindert de Jong - The House of 60 fathers

1960s

Alan Garner - Weirdstone of Brisingamen
Alan Garner - Moon of Gomrath

I thought The Box of Delights might fit the bill for the 1940s but no - it was published in 1935.

The Baker St Boys books are brilliant. They're about Sherlock Holmes' "Irregulars" - the street kids who helped him solve cases, and written from the kids' perspectives. It was a (sadly) short-lived TV series in the 1980s so I guess the books would have been written then. The Case of the Disappearing Detective is the first one IIRC.

1950 - Jennings Goes to School

1940s Just William (the original is 1920s but she kept writing them so some are from 1940s and all so brilliant)
Enid Blyton's Famous Five series

1950s - The Silver Sword (best children's book ever)

1960s Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Blackhearts in Battersea (second best children's book ever )

1990s - Holes - Louis Sachar

Yes what about Mysteries' idea of poetic licence? Could you say "1940s and before"?!

Oh wait! Cue for Treason by Geoffrey Trease was written in 1940! This is such a good book - adventure, derring-do, etc!

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes in 1944.

There's no need for poetic license on the dates. You've got plenty in the 1940s to pick.

Although that last one was American!!! Ignore the hundred dresses!!

101 Dalmatians was written in 1956. Sorry for the multiple posts OP - I should have just looked them all up at once!

Look up Angela Brazil. She has about 6 or 7 books published in the 1940s for children.

The Greengage Summer - Rumer Godden - 1958

I know you've said published in the U.K. but what about the abridged version of Diary of Anne Frank (published 1952) for children of that age?

And Percy F. Westerman for the 40's and 50's.
Adventure books, often with military theme.

That's this box of my dad's children's books finished! Can have more tomorrow!

Violet Bibby, Many Waters. 1975. I want to read it now!

The Greatest Gresham 1962
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit 1971
A Strong and Willing Girl 1980