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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:
Bezza1944 · 13/04/2015 18:28

Being brought up in a very cruel children's home in the 40 and 50s we didn't get to read for pleasure. My older sister and her twin brother so busy washing their sheets by hand every morning eventually left the home at 12 yrs old without being able to read or write. I on the other hand was eventually able to use books as a way of escaping the horrible foster parents I eventually lived with. Reading isn't just one thing it's hundreds of places and possibilities. It like a key you just have to fined the right one to open the right door for you and trying to find that key to that door is part of the adventure and the fun.

KnottedAnchorChief · 13/04/2015 18:30

Little women is the one I have never read but have always wondered about. I read all the time as a child and young person but less so now due to limited time and too many other priorities. Little Women is referred to lots in relation to classic children's books so I'll get round to it one day!

MyIronLung · 13/04/2015 18:36

I've never read The Wizard of Oz Hmm

notsmartenough · 13/04/2015 18:39

I've never read The Call of the Wild.
My favourite is Anne of Green Gables and I still have my hardback copy from when I left junior school (class 4A prize summer 1968!).

midi1975 · 13/04/2015 18:41

I've never read The Call of the Wild. Its by Jack London?

ImperialBlether · 13/04/2015 18:42

I re-read Anne of Green Gables whenever I'm drunk tired and emotional. It got me through my childhood, which was both literally and figuratively thousands of miles away from Avonlea. It's a great comfort read.

jamjars · 13/04/2015 18:44

Afraid there's a few of these I haven't read! Heidi stands out the most - I loved the TV series, just never read the book.

craftymama087 · 13/04/2015 18:45

I honesty would have thought i had read at least one of these since i'm a big reader but unfortunately i haven't read any of them. Not even at school Shock

rachelkanga · 13/04/2015 18:46

Don't recall reading any of these which is a bit embarrassing to admit, will add to my must read list and download onto my kindle for my holiday

MegBusset · 13/04/2015 18:48

I've read most of these over the years, but not King Arthur, Peter Pan or Journey to the Centre of the Earth. These new editions look lovely and I would love to win them please :)

StickChildNumberTwo · 13/04/2015 18:50

I think I've read about half of them, or more likely had them read to me by my dad - we certainly got through some of them in our bedtime story days (it was Lord of The Rings that finally put paid to our evening ritual - we were both exhausted by the end!)

Some of them I'd love to read to my daughter when she's older - I'm hoping she'll want to continue the bedtime story thing for a long time yet.

Not sure I've even heard of The Call of the Wild....

JustWantToBeDorisAgain · 13/04/2015 18:51

I think I've read about three of those but I've seen the films to more so that counts doesn't it? Wink I'm not completely uneducated!

atrociouscook · 13/04/2015 18:51

I think I'm too old to have read many of them (books were in a bit short supply when I was growing up) but have read some to my grandchildren and what a lovely way to keep them amused!

alialiath · 13/04/2015 18:53

Heidi, Black Beauty, The Wind in the Willows,& Treasure Island bring back some wonderful childhood memories. I must have been deprived, sob,sob as I'm ashamed to admit Ive never read The Call of the Wild, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, which I hope to remedy. .

jetSTAR · 13/04/2015 18:58

I have not read The Call of the Wild, Tom Sawyer, King Arthur, Huckleberry Finn, The Odyssey, or Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
Does it count that I have seen most of the films??
Have downloaded The Call of the Wild onto my Kindle. Star

Garfage · 13/04/2015 19:02

'Black Beauty,' though I do seem to remember there was a good 1970s telly adaptation? I don't think that's such a bad thing or a boy to admit, surely?

GeorginaG1986 · 13/04/2015 19:11

I have never read Heidi, despite getting it out of the library 6 times! Just never got round to it. :) Xxxx

sc7623 · 13/04/2015 19:12

I'm embarrassed to say that out of all those fantastic books I've only read Alice in Wonderland. How terrible us that! I own The wizard of Oz but only had it at Christmas & nit read it yet!

Sapeke · 13/04/2015 19:17

Weird teaching methods practised during the seventies: Issue a copy of a classic book to each child and pick on the slowest most unconfident readers to read a page at a time out loud to the other 39 children in the class in order to humiliate them and torture the good readers who were NOT ALLOWED TO TURN THE PAGE UNTIL EVERYONE HAS FINISHED.
We never did get to the end of Tom Sawyer.

Mercedes519 · 13/04/2015 19:19

I've never read Heidi but I could hum the theme tune...?

I read Wind in the Willows to DS when he was a baby (and realised I'd not read it before) but when I got to the bit with the weasels it was really scary so I missed that bit out. PFB much...he was less than 6 months old Blush

HourByHour · 13/04/2015 19:19

I think I'm quite well read really but definitely haven't read The Odyssey or Journey to the Centre of the Earth. We did Call of the Wild at school although I'm not sure I could tell you anything about it now...

rowrowrowtheboat · 13/04/2015 19:19

Hmm, I've read a few of them as a child but I haven't read:

The Call of the Wild, King Arthur, The Jungle Book, Anne of Green Gables, The Odyssey, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, or Peter Pan.

I'll look forward to reading quite a few of them again with my daughters.

Sapeke · 13/04/2015 19:20

Also haven't read The Call of the Wild, Anne of Green Gables, The Little Princess, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Peter Pan or Heidi. That would be due to the power cuts.

BumgrapesofWrath · 13/04/2015 19:21

I've never read Little Women, but I can pretend I know a lot about it because I've seen the film Grin

WeeMadArthur · 13/04/2015 19:22

I haven't read The Call of the Wild, Tom Sawyer, King Arthur, The Jungle Book, Black Beauty, The Odyssey, A Little Princess, Journey to the Centre of the Earth or Treasure Island, eek!