DD2 (9) wants to know what your best ever children's book is

[castille]

She recently read Heidi and loved it, and wants to read some more "brilliant stories".

Any suggestions?

Goodnight Mister Tom -Michelle Magorian.

Goodnight Mister Tom -Michelle Magorian.

the malcolm saville stories set around shropshire were a favourite

TPL's link to Jane Nissen reminded me - I bought Christmas with the Savages to read to the DDs this Christmas and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Lost Prince by Frances Hodgson Burnett (I am fairly certain).

One that I enjoyed at this age was 'The Tree that sat down' by Beverley Nicholls. You would need to find it second hand as it hasn't been republished for a long time. Having reminded myself of it, I have just bought a copy second hand off Amazon for £9.99 plus postage, although hardbacks are rare and £50 or more.

One that I am reading to my son at the moment, and I would have loved myself at 9, is 'The house in hiding' by Elinor Lyon. It has recently been republished by Fidra books, so is reasonably easy to find. Robust, accident-prone children, a secret shieling off the west coast of Scotland and the young laird returns from the war when everyone thought he was dead. What more could you ask?

LadyG, the colour Garth Williams illustrations are classic, aren't they? Who was Cap Garland? I've forgotten the Long Winter story.

I was referring to the way the native 'Americans' were treated, and Laura's blatant dislike of it. I think her relationship with Ma is really interesting, as she is so racist, and Laura is very aware of this. I sense a real ambivalence in the way Laura feels about Ma. I'm not sure how aware of this I was as a nine year old reading the books.

mimizan we read Little House on the Prarie a while back, and I thought it was interesting how positive Pa was about the native Americans, and how strongly he made the point that the immigrants were basically stealing their land.

Takver, I noticed that too. I loved the books as a child but have even more respect for LIW as an adult reader. She wrote those books around 150 years ago, which is a long time in the history of America. Some of her opinions expressed in those books are way, way ahead of her time. Her actual writing is fantastic too.

She was an amazing woman.

Goodnight mister tom

The animals of farthing wood.

(my top favs when I was 9)

Brilliant - lots more excellent suggestions!

LadyGlencoraP - That Book People collection looks great, and she's only read two of them.

Thank you all, I now have a very long list for her

I just discovered my very old, very battered copy of The Land of Green Ginger - Noel Langley - it's on the verge of complete disintegration so I said I'd read it to ds2 and dd and they absolutely love it - it's genuinely laugh out loud funny

The talking parcell Gerald Durrell.

Takver - my DD and I loved the Little House books too.

Also can I recommend 'The Children Who Lived In a Barn' by Eleanor Graham

Very probably out of print but you might find a copy on line - we did.

I agree that Laura and her Pa did have more enlightened attitudes than Ma, Mimizan but the books are not as straightforward as they appear. They were only written in the 1930s when Laura was quite elderly and there is a lot of debate about how much input her daughter Rose, who was a professional writer and quite left wing, had into them. She prepared them for publication and may have substantially rewritten them.

charlottes web

the sheep-pig

malory towers series

goodnight mr tom

babysitters club series

narnia series

the wonderful wizard of oz

alice in wonderland (though this one is quite hefty in comparison to the others)

i loved all of these when i was around your DDs age and have bought quite a few for me to read for DD when she gets older

xx ei xx

love the Family at One End Street series - brilliant.
Roald Dahl - especially Danny the Champion of the World (even if she is a girl, still a good book)
Loved the Malcolm Saville books
Chalet school books
Narnia series
Drina ballet books
Noel Streatfield of course
Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet and other E. Nesbit books
Carbonel series, excellent
Watership Down (maybe a bit too sad in places)

LadyG, that was very interesting about Rose possibly rewriting the books. How did you find that out? I would like to read more about the background to the books, if you could direct me.

Mimizan - this is the definitive biography as far as I know. It makes it clear that the books were very much a collaborative effort between Laura and Rose.

Matilda by Roald Dahl sprang to mind when I saw the title.

Hang on, hang on, WHAT happened to Cap Garland in real life?????

And as for The Tree that Sat Down - I thought I was the only person in the whole world that had read that series. I'm so excited to find there is someone else!!

He was killed in a hideous threshing machine accident at the age of 26.

Jane Eyre

DD is nine and says HER favourite books are "The Butterfly Lion" and "Friend or Foe" by Michael Morpurgo.

My favourite was The Secret Garden.