Favourite books from childhood?

[paperplane]

BUMP!!

 

My absolute favourite books when I was younger where a series called 'Teen Power Inc'. by Emily Rhodda (I think they're called Raven Hill Mysteries now). She also writes those Deltora Quest books which I remember flicking through and absolutely hated them along with Rowan of Rin.

 

I loved the Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Salem books too.

 

One book I loved not so much childhood but as a teen was 'Raw' by Scott Monk.

[bethany725]

I loved the Baby-sitters Club books by Ann M. Martin when I was young. They were by far my favorite books. I started collecting them from their earliest days in the late 1980's. I had a huge collection of about 55 books, which I ended up giving to my boyfriend's little sister about 5 years ago. I don't know what happened to them after that, but she doesn't have them anymore....she likes Anne Rice and Edgar Allan Poe now.

 

Ohhh I'm with Echo and Kylie.. I loooved BSC! My best friends and I read them and swapped them back and forth all the time. I always had trouble picking between Stacey and Claudia as my favorites! I remember Mary Ann used to cry allll the time, and Kristy was the tomboy! And Dawn was the vegan California girl, I think? Claudia always had her candy hidden in her room, and was an artist, if I remember correctly.. So much FUN! I actually miss them! At age 26!!

 

 

The Babysitter's Club series by Ann N. Martin - my favorite character was Abby because she was humorous and it was funny how Ann Martin would write her dialogue in "stuffy nose" speak

 

And Wow.. I must have quit reading before this "Abby" character was introduced! The only characters present when I was still reading them were:

Mary Ann, Kristy, Claudia, Dawn, Stacey?? Was that the original 4 + Stacey when she came along?

 

I also loved "Sweet Valley High".. I think that was the one with the California twin sisters??

Edited February 6, 2009 by bethany725
avoiding a double-post

[Ceinwenn]

Mine were definately the Nancy Drew & the Hardy Boys books. Loved Anne of Green Gables, too.

[frankie]

I loved Lois Lowry's Anastasia-series, still do. I just reread them some time ago and noticed that they're still very clever and incisive. I've even managed to find almost all of the books that were translated to Finnish, I only have one to look for. I'm thinking someday I'll order the rest of the books in English (the ones that weren't translated).

[chesilbeach]

I was a complete Enid Blyton nut from an early age, starting with the Noddy books, and moving onto The Naughtiest Girl In The School and Amelia Jane series, then the Happy House and Faraway Tree books, before getting into the more obvious Famous Five and Secret Seven and the Adventure series and then the Mallory Towers books. But, my favourite of all was The Children of Cherry Tree Farm which was an absolutely wonderful book.

 

As a teen, I read the Judy Blume novels and the Sweet Valley High books as well, but by 14/15, I'd moved onto more literary fiction than specific YA books.

[Chimera]

The famous five also were one of my favourites... Actually I had many favourites depending on the time, including: Heidi, Sissi the empress, Matilda by Roald Dahl, Titanic's children by Elisabeth Navratil...

 

But the one which stayed most with me was L'histoire d'Hellen Keller by Lorena A Hickock. I was fascinated by the story of this little girl and how she had overcome all odds.

[Heather]

The famous five also were one of my favourites... Actually I had many favourites depending on the time, including: Heidi,

 

The famous Five wheren my faourite too and I had forgoton about Heidi I have not read this book in years and it is the only one I have read at least 3 times must get it again and have another read.

[Chrissy]

Famous Five, Mallory Towers, St.Clare's and so many others; I think I read

pretty much everything that Enid Blighton wrote at some point in my

childhood.

 

Then came my obsession with The Chronicles Of Narnia which lasted a

number of years. I developed my passion for detective stories, thanks to a

Compendium Of Detective Stories and Duncton Wood put in an

appearance around these years.

 

In my early teens I read was captured by grittier stuff, and the two books

that stand out for me are That Was Then, This Is Now by SE Hinton, and

Bubblegum And Kipling by Tom Mayer. This second one my mum had

bought me, not realising the very adult content in parts!

[Stephanie2008]

Biff and Chip books I loved one where they found a secret room. I can remember re-reading these books a few years ago and still loving them

 

I also loved (and still do love) Roald Dahl books, particularly Matilda.

[Chrissy]

I also loved (and still do love) Roald Dahl books, particularly Matilda.

 

How on earth did I forget Roald Dahl?

[Ben]

Aha, I'm still in my childhood.

[Chrissy]

Aha, I'm still in my childhood.

 

 

 

[chrysalis_stage]

some books i can remember now that i read and enjoyed as a smallish kid were:

One snowy night (Percy the parkkeeper) - Nick Butterworth

lots of Jacqueline wilson, Road dahl, Enid Blyton

random Goosebumps R.L Stine

Victoria Plum - Angela rippon

Vampire Diaries - L.J Smith

Ramona the pest - Beverly Cleary's

Necklace of raindrops - Joan Aiken (best friend nicked my copy, need to get another )

[chrysalis_stage]

Biff and Chip books I loved one where they found a secret room. I can remember re-reading these books a few years ago and still loving them

 

ahh i love them too, the memories...

 

got the book of 'spywatch - Derek Farmer' when we were doing it at school, that was fun (primary school) anyone else remember that?

[Lucybird]

I used to love a book called Magical Powers which I think was by Mary Hoffman, I only ever saw it at the local library, never in a bookshop so unfortunately I never owned it.

 

Roald Dahl of course. Enid Blyton (but I refused to read The Famous Five). When I was really young I loved the Pippo books. Oh books by Shirley Hughes, especially the My Naughty Little Sister ones

[chrysalis_stage]

IEnid Blyton (but I refused to read The Famous Five).

 

yeah same, dunno why, i had a couple that my mum got me and i gave them to my friend who liked them

[Nollaig]

The Famous Five were epic, Julian was obviously gay, George wanted to be a man, they had a magical lassie style dog more intelligent than any actual dog and I don't even remember the other characters. Hurrah! I loved them. Smugglars top was my favourite I think.

[Lucybird]

yeah same, dunno why, i had a couple that my mum got me and i gave them to my friend who liked them

 

I think it was because they were the more famous ones, I wanted something less popular. Or maybe because we had one of them on tape and they all sounded like rabbits

[Janet]

I used to love a book called Magical Powers which I think was by Mary Hoffman, I only ever saw it at the local library, never in a bookshop so unfortunately I never owned it.

 

Could it have been Special Powers, rather than Magical ones? If so, Amazon have it!

[Lucybird]

Why did I never think to look on Amazon? Yes that looks like it. I'm tempted to buy that, I bet it won't meet up to my memories though.

 

I had forgotten one of the characters was called Archie...maybe I subconsciously remembered it, Archie is my boyfriends name!

[Rawr]

I loved Enid Blyton books too - The Faraway Tree was amazing! xD Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one i read a lot, i had an illustrated version Also, there was a series of books i remember reading in primary school, i think they were entitled 'Tim and Tobias' - it was about this boy and his cat having random adventures in the night time, was really cool.

[Chrissy]

Gobbolino The Witches Cat by Ursula Moray Williams. I adored this book.

[Janet]

Gobbolino The Witches Cat by Ursula Moray Williams. I adored this book.

Me too!

 

I still have my copy somewhere from donkey's years ago (the one with the pretty pink cover). I might even dig it out and re-read it now you've reminded me of it!

[Epo]

Anything by Roal Dahl or Enid Blyton. My absolute favourite was "The Giraffe, The Pelly & Me". I must have borrowed it from the library 30 times...at least (seriously). My eldest son is now two and a half, and it was a great moment for me to read it to him for the first time.

 

Honorable mentions to; Michael Hardcastle's football books (the inspiration for my first football novel...in the works), the Asterix "graphic novels", The Iron Man by Ted Hughes.

 

I also remember with fondness the books that helped me learn to read...Roger Red Hat, Billy Blue Hat et al by Sheila K. McCullogh

Edited February 9, 2009 by Janet
Merged consecutive posts

[Talisman]

The ones I remember the best were the Mallory Towers books by Enid Blyton. I loved those books. Also one called Kizzy (can't remember the authors name), about a young gypsy girl, and Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals. I still have the copy I won as second prize in a writing competition when I was about 10!