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Children's books

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Original poster

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

137 replies

castille · 05/03/2009 12:10

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

Any suggestions?

OP posts:
wilbur · 13/03/2009 11:09

Sorry, Green KNOWE, not Knowle. By Lucy M. Boston.

thumbwitch · 13/03/2009 12:02

Right, well, won't be buying The Tree that Sat Down any time soon - any of you who have it, you might want to make sure you keep it in good nick as it seems to have achieved collector status and I can't buy it for anything less than £17 (up to £85).

I have the first Bottersnikes and Gumbles book - I wouldn't recommend that either because it has the same collector status and is not available at less than about £25; shame cos I wanted to get the other books.

Jux · 13/03/2009 12:10

I got the Tree that Sat Down for £7 2 days ago. sorry It's in the post.

Can't find the Stream that Stood Still for less than £30.

Merrylegs · 13/03/2009 12:13

Wow - I have both! Were mine as a child and now DD is reading them.

(Merrylegs braves DD's bomb-site of a room to rescue pension fund...)

thumbwitch · 13/03/2009 12:14

well done Jux _ I should have thought of it earlier! I shall just have to go and scour old bookshops - I have found a newly opened one that had an old hardback edition of the Princess and Curdie so might look there.

Jux · 13/03/2009 12:15

Precious Bane by Mary Webb. Lovely story about a girl with a hare lip.

Servalan · 13/03/2009 12:59

The Bagthorpes books by Helen Cresswell

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

Servalan · 13/03/2009 12:59

Oh - and The Midnight Folk

Takver · 13/03/2009 13:29

Randomly, our county libraries don't have either The Tree that Sat Down, or the Stream that Stood Still - but they do have the third in the trilogy, the Mountain of Magic, which I don't remember at all.
Adding to the list of very good books which are almost impossible to get hold of - what about Martin Pippin in the Daisy Field. I loved that one as a child. MP in the Apple Orchard (which IMO is not half as good) is still in print, but not MP in the Daisy Field. I wanted to buy a copy for DD as we have family in Lewes and the stories are set all over Sussex, but again, only available for lots of £££s.

Merrylegs · 13/03/2009 13:59

Wahoo, I have The Stream that Stood Still too. Full house!

.

Jux · 13/03/2009 14:00

Just got MP in the apple orchard, though I wanted him in the daisy field.

Still got my old copies of the Princess &the goblin and Curdie. DD wasn't hugely impressed by them though

The Mary Plain books seem to be oop. My bro loved them.

Merrylegs · 13/03/2009 14:01

Oops. Meant Mountain of Magic. (That's the third. I have em all. Did I say?)

MissM · 13/03/2009 14:05

I also have all three! Hurrah - can sell when old and destitute. Although I'm more excited that there are people out there who have actually read them as no-one I knew had. As far as I was concerned I was the only child in the entire world to have even heard of them.

Takver · 13/03/2009 14:25

How old is your DD, Jux?
I have put Princess & the Goblins aside as I reckoned my DD was a bit young yet - I bought it to read aloud to her, but I think she will enjoy it more in a year or so (she is 6 going on 7).

Fennel · 13/03/2009 14:28

George MacDonald would be for older children wouldn't he? There's rather a lot of death in his books. As a child I was scared by the Princess and the goblins and the Princess and Curdie and At the back of the north wind, but I'm sure I was quite a bit older than 6 or 7.

Mumcentreplus · 13/03/2009 14:29

Charlotte's Web was my abso fav,loved Secret Seven and Famous five books too and the 'Gemma' books...

MorocconOil · 13/03/2009 14:36

Was that 'Gemma and her Sisters', about a family who were all very theatrical/musical?

Takver · 13/03/2009 14:39

There were 3 I think - Gemma, Gemma & Sisters & Gemma Alone. I have them stashed in my box of childhood books (perhaps this is the best advantage of being an only child? DH has lost all of his childhood books to the general family melee )

MorocconOil · 13/03/2009 14:44

Ah Gemma. They were great books. I remember reading them all one summer holiday when we went to Suffolk. I loved the photos on the cover. Must see if they are still at my Mum's house.

Mumcentreplus · 13/03/2009 14:44

Yes mimizan...my mum still has mine in her attic gathering dust somewhere!

MorocconOil · 13/03/2009 14:45

Takver, I think there were four. Possibly Gemma in Love??

MorocconOil · 13/03/2009 14:47

Just googled it, and it's Good-bye Gemma.

Takver · 13/03/2009 14:50

You're quite right Mimizan - had forgotten the fourth one, is Goodbye Gemma (just looked on Amazon!)

MorocconOil · 13/03/2009 14:52

'Emma in Love' was another series of four about a girl who was orphaned and went to live with her bohemian aunt in Edinburgh. Can anyone remember that series?

Takver · 13/03/2009 15:00

Don't remember those - but they reminded me of Emily of New Moon - by LM Montgomery of Anne of GG fame - I almost liked them more, but maybe just because I felt they were 'special' to me, whereas everyone read Anne of GG.