Children's books you still love..

[SereneGoose]

Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series...

It's still as magical and relevant today, 50 years later..

What's yours?

The Secret Garden. The opening chapters in particular are far more grueling than I was equipped to realise as a child.
Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass. So much of everything in there - maths, physics, literature. There’s a book called The Annotated Alice that is excellent to read as an adult.
Enid Blyton. Much hasn’t aged well, but some of her moralising short stories have stayed with me 50 years!
My Naughty Little Sister books. Because I had one
Diana Wynne Jones when I was a preteen.
From when DS was small:
Mick Inkpen’s books, especially the Kipper books, Nothing and The Great Pet Sale.

@TallagallaPenguin Yes, we had 'Meet Mary Plain' as children. I think it had been my aunt's before that (she was born in 1930). I also inherited 'Marigold in Godmother's House' from her which was gorgeous and by Joyce Lankester Brisley - we had ALL the Milly Molly Mandy books and 'Bunchy' as well. I always wanted to read 'The Dawn Shops' but I've never found a cheap enough copy.

To pp - my copy of Albion's Dream arrived today, so that is my evening sorted!

For older children - did anyone else love 'Quest for Orion' by Rosemary Harris as a teen? I did - and was joyous to realise as an adult that there was a follow up called Tower of the Stars which I tracked down. Very post apocalyptic and before we read Z for Zachariah at school.

I must say, we were jolly lucky to have been brought up in a time where the local libraries were thriving and well stocked. I don't remember every ordering a book - which I suppose you could do, but I wasn't aware of it. But I certainly remember the joy of Fridays after school where we got the money for a quarter of sweets and changed our library books. A quarter of sherbert pips and 3 new books please...the excitement when I either reached an age, or rules changed and you could take SIX books at a time.

I think I may have been the only keen child reader of the 20th century who didn't love Enid Blyton.

She wrote such a range of books - younger children, older children, fantasy, adventure, school stories, family life. I think I read everything of hers that was in the library, except probably some aimed at very young children, but there were and are some series I like much more than others.

I tried Noddy (as a small child) then several Famous 5, Secret 7, Mallory Towers, the Faraway Tree etc when a bit older but nothing I tried hooked me. They all read to me like someone was churning them out to a formula. I have friends now in their 50s who still love her but they never caught my imagination.

I must say, we were jolly lucky to have been brought up in a time where the local libraries were thriving and well stocked.

Oh yes, all those gaily jacketed hard back books. And the thrill when you found the missing one from a series that you'd been wanting for ages.

Our local library had a long serving and much respected children's librarian. Generations of children knew Miss F.

@Hatty65

To pp - my copy of Albion's Dream arrived today, so that is my evening sorted!

That was quick - if you enjoy it, let us know, won't you? I certainly hope you find it to your liking!

I remember "Mary Mary" being read to us at school. I remember a story where she played ludo with Mr Bassett, and another when she puts on women's clothes, and asks everyone "Do I look like a grown-up lady?".

Oh my goodness, every one of these! Love love love them all and still have most on my bookshelves...this could be my own list! Only just recently re-read The Silver Sword and it is still a magical book. Would add Helen Cresswell who no one seems to mention now but I also loved The Piemakers, The Signposters and The Beachcombers very much. Anyone else recall these?

Also a big yes to Mary Mary! In my family we still often refer to 'smiling like a toothpaste lady'. So simply written but very comical even today

Probably just because it's my generation but cant help feeling that 1970's was a golden age for children/young adults (as we were known in library category)...
Susan Cooper, Alan Garnet, Antonia Forest, Judy Blum, Paul Zindel, Beverly Cleary ...on and on...

Oh! And the Emma books...Hannah Arundel...

Ant and Bee by Angela Banner. I loved those books!

They were written in the late 60s and early 70s. Looking at one recently, I saw something somewhat ironic in "Ant and Bee and the Secret": outside the school, there's a sign saying "Electric cars only". In 1970! Yes, I know they existed then, but were far less practical.

Anna Magdalena!

She's now probably a Mumsnetter, for refusing to wear a dress to her mother's wedding, and for her annoyance at people shortening her name. "AIBU to go non-contact with Uncle Andy when he keeps calling me 'Sausage'?" And was she named after Anna Magdalena Bach?

@Hatty65 Yes, I love Quest for Orion and the sequel - have two lovely hardback copies which I reread at intervals.

I remember Ant and Bee!

I have the Mary Plain books - most of them came from a jumble sale at my cousins' mid -Hampshire village. I got the couple of missing titles during lockdown. A couple of them have been recently republished, with illustrations by Clara Vuillamy, who is Shirley Hughes' daughter. So I assume other people do know them.

Loved Ant and Bee! At university my friend got me one after we’d been reminiscing about them.

People always say Goodnight Mr Tom on these threads but I adore Back Home by the same author which is also about evacuees but about a girl who is evacuated to America. This is probably my favourite book of all time. It’s absolutely wonderful.

Yes, I didn't like Goodnight Mr Tom but I loved Back Home and a couple of Michelle Magorian's other books as a teen. I must re read them !

Loved Mary Poppins, Pictures of Adam by Myron Levoy, Interstallar Pig, the Runaway Summer by Nina Bawden, the Wizard of Oz, Mortimer, Una and Grubstreet, the Queen's Nose. Loved Enid Blyton as a child but struggled when reading to DD. Diana W-J holds a big places in my heart.

Bella by Anne and Edward Syfret - creepy as fuck and fab

One book I've lost track of - think was called Ladies and Gentlemen. Set when Queen Victoria died, involved girls who wanted to be doctors... Would love to find it

I really enjoyed the Pennington books too although they were a bit niche. I liked Flambards but I really loved Dear Fred, which got passed around my class as it had rude bits in it.

One favourite of mine was Penelope Farmer's Charlotte Sometimes. Such a haunting, beautiful novel and I loved the song of the same name by The Cure. It was almost verbatim and I recognised it as soon as I heard it.

I've just crossed paths with the Arthur Ransome Society and it was a really fantastic experience. Nancy Blackett was my absolute heroine, and I still read those books when my mood needs a boost.

Swallows and Amazons forever!

The Adventure Series were great. I couldn't not love Bill Smugs!

Danny the Champion of the World & Charlotte’s Web

The Adventure Series were great. I couldn't not love Bill Smugs!

Yes I still enjoy those, and the Faraway Tree and the Wishing Chair. EB had very original ideas. I absolutely loved the Wishing Chair when I was small. I first read it when I was still young enough to believe that pixies and fairies and so on might just exist.

ETA the Stuart Tresilian illustrations of the Adventure books, with the characters looking exactly as they were supposed to look, and the original illustrations of the Faraway Tree books, added a lot to my enjoyment.

My favourite young children's books were 'The Adventures of Pip' by Enid Blyton (delightful stories about nature and wildlife), and the Sophie series by Dick King Smith. Also other Enid Blyton - the Wishing Chair and the Faraway Tree. And The Children of Green Knowe. I've also just bought a box set of The Worst Witch, which I can't wait to re read.

And I loved the 'My Story' series which were accounts of historical events from the point if view of the children involved. I wish I still had them, unfortunately they came from the library and I've never seen them second hand.

As an older child I loved all the classic 'girls stories' - Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon, Little Women, What Katy Did, Dear Daddy Long Legs, Just Patty, Eight Cousins, A Little Princess, Pollyanna, Heidi. I also adore Eva Ibbotson's teen books. Also a lovely pair of books At the Sign of the Sugared Plum and Petals in the Ashes which are about the great plague and the great fire of London, from the point of view of a teenage girl. All of which I still re read.

I only discovered the Chalet School and Malory Towers as an adult, but I still love them.

And, and, and . I think I just love books !