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Confession time! Tell us your literary sins to win an entire set of 20 Puffin Classics

383 replies

EmilyMumsnet · 13/04/2015 10:57

Literary shame is a powerful thing - if you've ever nodded sagely while your friends discussed Bleak House or chuckled knowingly about the The Wizard of Oz - the film is the same thing isn’t it? – you'll know what we're talking about. But now we're giving you the chance to 'fess up! Tell us which Puffin Classic you have never actually read, and you'll be in the running to win the entire set.

The Puffin Classics are back, and with a bold new look – twenty brand new covers for the classic tales, from Huck to Dorothy to Alice to Peter. One lucky poster will receive all twenty, while 5 randomly-selected runners-up will win a copy of their never-read tale.

Here's the full set list:
The Call of the Wild, Tom Sawyer, The Wizard of Oz, King Arthur, The Jungle Book, Black Beauty, Huckleberry Finn, Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, The Odyssey, A Little Princess, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, The Wind in the Willows, Treasure Island, Heidi, Peter Pan, Little Women, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

This competition is now closed. And the winners are:

Belo - full set of Puffin Classics
happysouls - The Call Of The Wild
Punkatheart -Heidi
Miisty - Tom Sawyer
Pigeonpea - Huckleberry Finn
kohl - Wind In The Willows

Thanks for all your contributions, we'll be in touch with the winners shortly

Confession time! Tell us your literary sins to win an entire set of 20 Puffin Classics
OP posts:
katehig · 21/04/2015 08:42

There only seem to be 18 in total... But I haven't read many. The main one I feel I ought to have read, as it comes up so often, is Huckleberry Finn.

yourgrace · 21/04/2015 11:22

Anne of Green Gables

pepicola3 · 21/04/2015 14:16

The Call of the Wild, Tom Sawyer, The Wizard of Oz, King Arthur, The Jungle Book, Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, The Odyssey, A Little Princess, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Peter Pan, Little Women

MimsyBorogroves · 21/04/2015 14:27

The Odyssey. I read a few sentences and the Cliff notes and managed to do a piece of A Level work on it though. Hmm

cooljammer37 · 22/04/2015 14:02

I have never read Journey to the Centre of the Earth, even though I pretended I had and didn't have a clue what people were talking about!

strawberrisc · 22/04/2015 18:48

I am ashamed to admit that I did not even know that The Wizard of Oz was a book Blush

Donthate · 22/04/2015 18:57

I was a member of a book group. I started one book and I just couldn't get into the book so I googled reviews of the book and totally winged it. The book was Captain Corelli's Mandolin and it was my choice Blush

georgedawes · 23/04/2015 15:52

The Wind in the Willows (very ashamed!)

maddieshae · 23/04/2015 23:48

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

pieceofpurplesky · 23/04/2015 23:58

I have read all but the Call if the Wild. I love children's books both modern and old. I am, however, an English teacher so probably have an excuse.
My literary shame is plentiful.
I hate reading Shakespeare. It's a play. Watch it not read it.
I have never read Pride and Prejudice beyond the first line as quite frankly it seemed crap!
I love teen vampire and zombie fiction.
My son hates reading with the same passion I love it.
And most shameful ... I read fifty shades. All three of them. Then lied about it to my very intellectual boss saying I wouldn't read such rubbish Blush

simone12345 · 25/04/2015 12:20

Black Beauty when l was younger

marmaladegranny · 25/04/2015 13:28

Most of these were on our on our reading list for the first year in grammar school (books we were supposed to read a certain number during the school year in our own time - and write a review). Being a voracious reader I had read many during primary school. My favourites are Anne of Green Gables and the subsequent Anne books (still on my kindle even now) and Wind in the Willows. I do not recall reading Call of the Wild or Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
My first grandson is 11 weeks old and I am really looking forward to reading the children's classics to him - he's already heard most of the Mr Men books and a Winnie the Pooh anthology.

ancientbuchanan · 26/04/2015 16:41

Journey to the centre of the earth.

Liked around the world in 80 days but never read this one.

Barbieinthebath · 26/04/2015 22:28

I have beaver read Black Beauty, never seen a film of it either so the only thing I know about it is that it is about a horse.
It seems to be one of those books that everyone else I know read as a child, probably whilst I had my head stuck in a famous five or Malory towers book - I was a big Enid Blyton fan :)

Wenglish · 27/04/2015 13:11

I've never read Little Women! I have no idea what it's even about!

TaurielTest · 27/04/2015 13:25

I loved Roger Lancelyn Green, especially the Tale of Troy and the Norse Gods one, but I never read his King Arthur book! (I did read Morte d'Arthur etc as a student though, so it's not exactly a secret shame.)

The covers are lovely.

Sallystyle · 27/04/2015 19:20

I haven't read quite a few of these Blush

IvoryMadonna · 27/04/2015 20:00

I did read a version of The Odyssey as a child, but not that one, which was only published in 1997! I am far, far too old to have read that! Grin

IvoryMadonna · 27/04/2015 21:10

The Call of the Wild - no, but we read White Fang at school and I was bored to tears by it.

The Wizard of Oz - no, never even seen the film.

King Arthur - yes. Maybe it was RLG's tales from The Odyssey that I read? I read all his mythology books.

The Jungle Book - no, but I have read Just So Stories.

Black Beauty - yes, but it may have been an abridged version.
Heidi - yes, but it may have been an abridged version.

Tom Sawyer - no.
Huckleberry Finn - no.

Anne of Green Gables - no.
Little Women - no. I did read the What Katy Did books, which were very old books that had belonged to my aunt.

The Secret Garden - yes, loved it.
A Little Princess - no, strangely. I would have if it had come into the house.

Journey to the Centre of the Earth - no, never read any Verne. Didn't know they were childrens' books.

Treasure Island - no, although I still have a very old copy that was one of my Dad's school prizes.

Peter Pan - yes.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland - yes.
The Wind in the Willows - yes.

jan08 · 28/04/2015 13:20

of those - only the Odyssey. I love reading and if I could pass that onto my children I would be really very happy. My daughter is reading Alice in Wonderland at the moment which just takes me back to my childhood, but we don't have any of the others!

milliemoon · 29/04/2015 16:29

I haven't read The call of the wild

DingleberryFinn · 29/04/2015 16:38

I haven't read Anne of Green Gables, but had a confusingly cross-purpose conversation with my friend who adores that book/series of books. I thought she was talking about the House at Green Knowe books... and wondered why our recollections varied so wildly.

chemenger · 29/04/2015 16:45

I haven't read The Call of the Wild, or Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn (and must confess to having thought that only one of them was a book and the other was a character in that book) orThe Odyssey or A Little Princess (never come across it).

EmNix · 30/04/2015 08:37

I have not read most of these books. I remember reading little women at school. Think it's about time I had a look at these for my summer reading.

Candyperfumegirl · 30/04/2015 12:30

little women - just couldnt get into it!