Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

What we're reading

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

Tom's midnight garden- any others?

108 replies

peebles32 · 15/12/2024 20:44

How can I have missed this book? Pure genius and magical. I love children's literature so any recommendations appreciated. Another favourite was Wolf Wilder, Katherine Rundell.

OP posts:
AdaColeman · 15/12/2024 21:04

The Dark Is Rising series?
Everything that Alan Garner has written?

Writerinneed · 15/12/2024 21:08

More young adult than children’s books but I love the Northern Lights trilogy by Philip Pullman and The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. Also Goodnight Mr Tom is beautiful.

HeadNorth · 15/12/2024 21:09

The Secret Garden by Frances Hogson Burnettt is my favourite childhood book that remains poignant as an adult.

DelurkingAJ · 15/12/2024 21:19

I’m reading this to DS2. Others that I think of as similar

  • Children of Greene Knowe
  • The Borrowers
  • A Stitch in Time
casapenguin · 15/12/2024 21:20

I think mid century, time-slip children’s books are my favourite genre, so I have some recommendations in that line! Penelope Lively wrote some gorgeous children’s books, The House on Norham Gardens and The Ghost of Thomas Kempe have a similar vibe to toms midnight garden I think, as does A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley and The Children of Green Knowe series by Lucy Boston.

Palavah · 15/12/2024 21:21

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
A Traveller in Time
Miss Happiness and Miss Flower

niadainud · 15/12/2024 21:23

Yes, I loved that one.

I think some early Jean Ure is very good.

niadainud · 15/12/2024 21:24

Also if you haven't read all the Narnia chronicles I love The Magician's Nephew.

casapenguin · 15/12/2024 21:25

Nina Bawden might be in the same line, no time travel but ‘children in a new place’. I also think Rosemary Sutcliffe is just a brilliant historical novelist, for children or not, and Mary Stewart’s Arthur series is also great.

SybilTheSpy · 15/12/2024 21:30

The Moondial
Beswitched
Charlotte Sometimes
When Marnie Was There

DaveWatts · 15/12/2024 21:34

The Secret World of Polly Flint is another with a similar vibe

peebles32 · 15/12/2024 21:35

niadainud · 15/12/2024 21:24

Also if you haven't read all the Narnia chronicles I love The Magician's Nephew.

Loved all of these!

OP posts:
peebles32 · 15/12/2024 21:36

Ooh thanks everyone. It has absolutely blown me away! Such a magical book and so well written. Will check out the others.
I think I remember Moondial from when I was a kid.

OP posts:
niadainud · 15/12/2024 21:36

Box of Delights?

2024riot · 15/12/2024 21:37

The amazing mr blunden ! Although children of greene knowe is my all time favourite

2024riot · 15/12/2024 21:38

peebles32 · 15/12/2024 21:36

Ooh thanks everyone. It has absolutely blown me away! Such a magical book and so well written. Will check out the others.
I think I remember Moondial from when I was a kid.

I think these were both made into BBC shows as well and were epic

peebles32 · 15/12/2024 21:50

casapenguin · 15/12/2024 21:25

Nina Bawden might be in the same line, no time travel but ‘children in a new place’. I also think Rosemary Sutcliffe is just a brilliant historical novelist, for children or not, and Mary Stewart’s Arthur series is also great.

Loved Carrie's war.

OP posts:
DanglingMod · 15/12/2024 21:54

The Witch's Daughter by Nina Bawden
When Marnie Was There by Joan G Robinson
(More recent but very magical) The Way Past Winter by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

wheresmyliveship · 15/12/2024 22:08

The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge

AgathaMystery · 15/12/2024 22:10

SybilTheSpy · 15/12/2024 21:30

The Moondial
Beswitched
Charlotte Sometimes
When Marnie Was There

I came on to say Moondial. I loved the TV show too.

Also Carries War, Granny was a Buffer Girl & anything by Paula Danziger.

JaninaDuszejko · 15/12/2024 22:17

Tom's Midnight Garden is widely regarded as one of the, if not the, greatest children's novels of the 20th century so is hard to beat. The only one I love anywhere nearly as much is Carrie's War (but agree with all the recommendations).

WendyWebersdrugget · 15/12/2024 22:25

Carrie’s War - brilliant book, has stayed with me forever. The Ghost of Thomas Kempe is brilliant. Anything by Joan Aitken but shout out to Charlotte Sometimes because that is a book I still think about a lot. And Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff.

WendyWebersdrugget · 15/12/2024 22:26

The Witch’s Daughter by Nina Bawden is a great recommendation. Plus Children of the Stones is superb.

StJulian2023 · 15/12/2024 22:26

JaninaDuszejko · 15/12/2024 22:17

Tom's Midnight Garden is widely regarded as one of the, if not the, greatest children's novels of the 20th century so is hard to beat. The only one I love anywhere nearly as much is Carrie's War (but agree with all the recommendations).

I came on to say exactly what this poster said. I'll go now Grin

Growlybear83 · 15/12/2024 22:30

I think Tom's Midnight Garden is one of my favourite books of all time. I read it so many times when I was a little girl and it was just as magical when I read it again a few years ago.