What was you favourite book when you were a child?

[Dropinthe]

Mine was The Faraway Tree series.

bit confused by all the religious stuff that they were obviously based on - thought it was just a story about a lion!

binkie, I adored Mary Renault's works but I din't read them until I was late teenage/early 20s. Did she do children's books too?

lonelymum, I don't think she did write purposely for children: I think I just read them early (and very very naively).

Frances Hodgson Burnett did a tomboy book called "The Lost Prince" which I loved too.

Lonelymum, thanks for authors name, I will be hunting them down for my girls to read in a few years...will not be giving them my undercover reading matter (borrowedfrom cousin) the stud, the world is full of married men, Lucky, etc etc. probably my sex education!!!

the winter of enchantment by victoria walker
the king of the barbareens by janet hitchman.
and the fairy books, esp the blue and red ones.
and several books with a magical cat called carbonnel(?), with cats eyes (the road markings) which were brought to life and escaped.

has anyone else read later books by joan aiken? not sure if i'm too old or they're really not as good.

Forgot Antonia Forest - any more Forest fans on here? She wrote superbly 3 dimensional school stories, recently back in print again.

Fattipuffs and Thinifers, anyone?

Most of these, and also there was a very interesting series by John Verney (who did lots of illustrating other books) starting with one called Friday's Tunnel. I have them all now, acquired largely from second-hand bookshops in the US, over the past couple of years.

I have a Puffin copy of Marianne Dreams in my bookshelf here, salvaged recently from my parents' house.

Franny so WEIRD I was just thinking about posting Antonia Forest, they are fabulous books. very satifying.

Aaah, Fattipuffs and Thinnifers, brilliant book. My dh still has his copy, bless him.

It really shouldn't count as a children's book but

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary

shiver

used to read it over & over again at grandparents

HC, wow, should have known it. Have you read any of the 'home' ones or just the school ones that were reprinted in the 80s? You probably know this already, but the whole series is being reprinted by Girls Gone By who are just wonderful for out of print girls' stories. I am planning plenty of Forest homages if I ever have any female children.

Franny the ones I remember ended with "term" Autumn term?? should go and look on Amazon

Yep, those are the school ones. She wrote others telling what happened at home in between the school terms - some of the most interesting bits IMO.

When you move down I'll lend them to you

The Tall Book of Make-Believe. It's still going strong, albeit a bit tatty round the edges!

A Little Princess. Obsessed by it. Particularly having your very own fire with a kettle and very own cupboard with cake in it. Also liked the idea of being Lady Bountiful and gracious to the poor (even though we were, in fact, poor).

The Faraway Tree series and the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. Lovely...

Yes, adored Marianne Dreams. Have read it quite often since, as a comfort book. Cold Comfort Farm, PG Wodehouse and Agatha Christie too. Plus all the Narnia books - the Magician's Nephew really haunted me.
And Tom's Midnight Garden. Have all of them waiting for ds and dd. I can't wait!

Pippi Longstocking

And Enid Blyton and Flat Stanley.

Oh, and I ADORED Just William books. Read every one. Loved the vintage feel of them, even as a child.

Just though of another - Rebecca's World by Terry Nation. Very surreal.

All the Enid Blyton girls school stuff - was there one called Claudette at Malory Towers? A world I always wanted to be part of.
I read the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe in a college library aged 8 while my mum did her teacher training and the librarian looked after me. I've never forgotten it.
I liked Heidi and Anne of Green Gables too. And Enid Blyton's Cherry Tree Farm series with Tammylan the wild man who knew all about nature.....
When I went to High School our English teacher told us Enid Blyton books were banned because he thought she was a terrible writer. Gutted.

lol at Aloha and A Little Princess

just remembered Ian Serraillier's The Silver Sword

MI... can't believe you have Marianne dreams..

Is it the one I am thinking about, and have actually been recounting to people for years - hoping to meet a kindred spirit, but actually getting lots of blank faces?

...Girl meets invalid boy, draws things.. goes to sleep and the pictures come alive?????

Was it serialised on ITV OR BBC and was really really spooky?

Liked all John Wyndham esp the Kraken Wakes which gave me nightmares, also the Chrysalids.
And Ballet Shoes. So many!
Dark is rising is fab. So much more satisfying that most modern adult fiction IMO.