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Who still reads children's books?

76 replies

mummydoit · 27/04/2007 15:54

Does anyone ever re-read their childhood favourites? I won't part with my full set of Chalet School books or my Narnia books and have re-read both as an adult. I also still have most of the Lorna Hill ballet stories (lent a couple to a niece who lost them). Also kept the Jinny/Shantih horse stories until another niece borrowed them (must get those back!). DH thinks I'm mad to read them as an adult - he wouldn't even read Harry Potter. Assure me I'm not alone!!

OP posts:
wrinklytum · 29/05/2007 23:04

Love Harry Potter.Am currently reading Roald Dahl "Matilda" as found a couple of his books in charity shop for 25p! Can't wait until I can re read all my old favourites to the dcs.My mum is currently reading "The Eagle of the Ninth" (Rosemary Sutcliff) which is childrens' fiction book about the lost legion.....must run in the family

paulaplumpbottom · 29/05/2007 23:04

What were the Judy Blume books called?

shonaspurtle · 29/05/2007 23:06

Ooh, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Superfudge, Deenie, Hello God it's Me Margaret, Blubber and lots more!

I met Judy Blume at a book festival in New York when I was on holiday with a friend a few years ago. She came across to persuade us to go and hear a new writer. She said "I'm Judy Blume" and we both nearly fainted with excitement .

shonaspurtle · 29/05/2007 23:07

Love, love, love Rosemary Sutcliff! Song for A Dark Queen was my favourite. It's the story of Boudicca.

veruccasalt · 29/05/2007 23:08

I love re-reading old books - I've still got some Malcolm Saville books kicking around the house although I do draw the line at Enid Blyton now. I'll encourage my dd to read her though . I like the books where teenagers could just wander off and capture international criminals time after time/win Horse of the Year Show/become prima Ballerina of the Royal Ballet/conquer Hollywood and no one even batted an eyelid at their derring-do.

paulaplumpbottom · 29/05/2007 23:09

LOL I remeber reading Hello God its me Margaret and wondering what the suspenders were for

veruccasalt · 29/05/2007 23:09

I saw 'are you there, God, it's me, Margaret' in the library today. That took me right back to being 12 again .

Wasn't long before I wanted to read Forever so my sister had to buy it as the library refused to supply to junior ticket holders. Seems quite tame now in retrospect.

NKF · 29/05/2007 23:11

I do. L M Montgomery and E Nesbit are favourites. I recently re-read Black Beauty and it made me cry just as it did when I was a child. Noel Streatfeild is a treat too.

shonaspurtle · 29/05/2007 23:11

My new friend Judy and I had a very interesting conversation about that - she thought it was very funny that people got so worked up about Forever.

wrinklytum · 29/05/2007 23:12

Ooh,Shona I loved these.Didn't reckon anyone else would have heard of her.Remember visiting Hadrian's Wall as a kid and imagining Roman Armies marching along after reading "Eagle of the Ninth" !!Seem to remember "The Silver Branch" as another and one about a boy with a club foot who became a great warrior.She is a fab writer.

NKF · 29/05/2007 23:13

Yes yes yes! Eagle of the Ninth. And Wolf Scarlet. Who read pony books. All those Pullein Thompson sisters.

paulaplumpbottom · 29/05/2007 23:14

Do girls even read Judy anymore?

shonaspurtle · 29/05/2007 23:16

She was amazing. I saw a documentary about her once. She was absolutely crippled by a childhood illness and learned to read very late but her mother was a great storyteller which inspired her.

She absolutely brought Roman Britain alive for me. I loved Outcast as well and re-read that fairly recently. Hmm, will have to look for all her books now!

wrinklytum · 29/05/2007 23:20

I think I might just have to borrow them all back when I next see mum

bilblio · 29/05/2007 23:50

I love re-reading kids books. At the moment I'm trying to read all the Harry Potter books again before the new one comes out, and I'm also re-reading the Anne of Green Gables books.
I've never been very good at just sticking to one book at a time.

My parents made me join the library at a very young age when they realised I could be costing them a fortune in books. Now I raid charity shops hunting for all the favourites that I kept repeatedly borrowing.

Springadora · 29/05/2007 23:54

meeee - and why not?

lyrabelacqua · 30/05/2007 00:06

I still re-read my Tintin collection from time to time

RosaLuxembourg · 30/05/2007 00:07

I love reading children's books - I haunt secondhand bookshops and buy loads - have recently tracked down nearly all of Rosemary Sutcliff's books and really enjoyed rereading them. The best one I found recently was Elizabeth Goudge's Linnets and Valerians which is absolutely lovely.

Springadora · 30/05/2007 00:11

Loved Linnets and Valerians - forgot about that one - will hunt it down at once!

elkiedee · 30/05/2007 21:32

I enjoyed reading Gillian Avery's historical novels for kids, mainly set in Victorian Oxford. There's The Warden's Niece and The Elephant War. I found another one on ebay recently which I'd learned of in my teens but had no means of finding at the time - it arrived yesterday, for about £3 inc postage, so that's quite cool - I don't buy so many books on ebay because it's not necessarily cheap for ones that are available new, or turn up very frequently in charity shops, but I guess it's good for books that not so many other people are after.

shonaspurtle · 30/05/2007 21:42

I love it when I find out that my favourite childrens writers wrote more books than I knew about as a child or - shock! - continued writing after I grew up!!

A book I loved (but was v scared by) as a child was Dead Ned by Leon Garfield. I only found out recently that there was a sequel called Alive & Kicking Ned. Got it off eBay & spent & happy day reading it when on mat leave before ds was born.

I still read all the books Diana Wynne Jones writes. I had about 10 years catching up to do when I re-discovered her.

Quality writing is all the same in my book whatever the intended age group (scuse the pun!). When I worked in a book shop I could while away many a quiet evening shift reading picture books.

Springadora · 31/05/2007 00:03

Crikey this is making me nostalgic - I'd forgotten the Warden's Niece too. There must be a m=hole in my brain. Keep them coming - I'm drawing up a list of forgotten treasures!

RosaLuxembourg · 01/06/2007 23:03

I have just come back from Hay on Wye with a huge pile of children's books including Rosemary Sutcliff's very first book The Queen Elizabeth Story which I have just finished. It is so lovely and perfect for reading out loud - I can't wait to read it to the children.
Just remembered for the benefit of this thread - the best recent children's book I have read I, Coriander by Sally Gardner. If you haven't read it, please do.

MrsWho · 03/06/2007 15:05

I am so glad you said that Rosa as I cam e back with more kids books than adult ones I seem to have the taste of a teenage boy too so can't even see me passing them off as dd1s (very girly!) though dd2 will get them eventually

roisin · 03/06/2007 15:12

Bleurgghhh.. Can't stand I, Coriander - sorry!

We're doing a Reading Challenge at school and it was one of the list of 10 books. We met to discuss and vote on the books and I, Coriander was the only book not to get any votes at all

Having said that, County-wide it has made it to the top 3, so you're obviously not the only one Rosa.