Books you thought no one else has read

[tweetysylvester]

It's so fun to find rare books to read, or just look up or hear about less known books, so thought I'd start a thread about this. Nostalgic novels, YA books, current titles you discovered very randomly...

I still have copies of A Proper Little Nooryev and its sequel.

The other Jean Ure books I liked (and still have) were a trilogy about 4 teenagers studying drama at college, and Plague 99 about a mysterious disease that kills off the majority of the population and completely shuts down London. I discovered recently there are two sequels to Plague 99 but I didn’t enjoy them so much.

Yes to Jean Ure - I still have my copies of Supermouse and Nicola Mimosa; also See You Thursday and After Thursday.

Some other books I think of now:

Taking Terri Mueller by Norma Fox Mazer. It has some very Face on the Milk Carton vibes @bookworm14 @Welshwabbit

The Big Pink by Ann Pilling . Young bullied girl with amazing singing voice @SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius

Nobody's Family is going to Change by Louise Fitzhugh (she wrote Harriet the Spy)

I'm the King of the Castle by Susan Hill

The Children of Dynmouth and Felicias Journey both by Wiliam Trevor

A book that I absolutely loved as a child was A Cricket in Times Square.
I was lucky enough to have a son who was/is a voracious reader and he loved it too.
I also have a much younger sister who I could pass my beloved books on to.
Casilda of the Rising Moon, A Gentle Falcon and The Children of Green Knowe were our favourites.

Nobody’s family is going to change! That made a big impression on me.
also the Children of Green Knowe - part of a series I think?

This was my childhood favourite. It’s still in print!

A Cricket in Times Square! I haven’t thought of that book for years.

I still have a copy! Lovely Garth Williams illustrations.

Thank you NotSoFar. I love Kate O'Brien's The Land of Spices and Mary Lavelle, and opera, so that sounds right up my street.

I’ve read Family Album - I picked it up because of the lovely Faber cover.

didn’t realise that there were sequels to the Girl Who Invented Romance!

@InigoJollifant - it's only in the last couple of years that I realised that there were 5 books in the series by Madeline L'Engle that starts with A Wrinkle in Time. Sadly I didn't enjoy the sequels as much as the first book.

The ones that immediately spring to
mind for me are Hanging Out with Cici by Francine Pascal, the Otterbury Incident by C Day Lewis, and Henny Takes a Hand by Barbara Paterson.

Does anyone else find that when you buy a secondhand copy of a beloved childhood book it has to be the same edition? A modern reprint just doesn’t work!

Not just children's books!

@MargotMoon I remember The Otterbury Incident! C Day Lewis was Daniel’s father. He also wrote the lovely poem ‘Walking Away’.

Yes! I've just bought a second hand hardback copy of The Farthest Away Mountain and it had to have the same cover as the book I loved at primary school.

Oh I have read the Far Distant Oxus by rhetorical same writers!

The Phantom Tolbooth by Norton Juster

The Swish Of The Curtain and the rest of the Blue Door stories by Pamela Brown - kids setting up a theatre company.

And classic Australian children’s fiction - Seven Little Australians and Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. Outside of my family I’ve never met another person who’s read those!

Oh, good. I always feel Colwin’s work should be far better known outside the US! How did you come across her, @Terpsichore ?

I can’t remember now, @NotSoFar - I think I've vaguely been aware of her for a few years but only bought a few of her books on kindle more recently. I’m still aiming to get a print copy of Home Cooking. I particularly enjoy the way she writes about food in her novels.

Oh my god so many of these! My sister loved Cricket in Times Square, Swish of the Curtain and Green Knowe. Her first boyfriend introduced her to The Phantom Tollbooth!

I remember my mum reading I'm the King of the Castle on a family holiday and her saying it was quite disturbing. I now have a copy and I'm plucking up the courage to read it.

The Children of Dynmouth is one of the best books I've ever read. I bought a copy for my mum for her birthday!!

Land of Green Ginger was a favourite book my sister and I both had read to us at school!

Wasn't there a tv series of 7 Little Australians? Or am I misremembering?

Long shot - does anyone remember a children's book where a girl had a hamster called Honey Bun Gingery? I don't remember anything else about it except I had a toy hamster named Honey Bun Gingery after it!

And yes there was a series of Green Knowe. I think there was A Stranger at Green Knowe with a gorilla on the cover?

I love The Otterbury Incident; still have my copy with beautiful cover illustrations by Edward Ardizzone.

Also did anyone have the books An Edwardian Christmas by John S Goodall? They were just picture books but I loved them and was obsessed with the ideal Christmas they portrayed when I was a child and the details. He did a series of other books too.

You’re right @tobee there was a tv series of Seven Little Australians. I got it on DVD and my mum and I binge watched it one Christmas Eve!

I’ve never met anyone who’s read Christmas With The Savages by Mary Clive.

I have read Christmas with the Savages! Indeed I have a copy. It’s very entertaining. Also have several of the John Goodall books. Such lovely detailed illustrations.