Favourite books you read as a child

[jet_noise]

Kes Arevo said:

<snip>
The Hornblower series was extremely enjoyable. I still read them to this day.

'twas my introduction to historical fiction too.
Many authors followed - Patrick O'Brian, Dudley Pope, Alexander Kent and more!

[Kes Arevo]

jet_noise said:

'twas my introduction to historical fiction too.
Many authors followed - Patrick O'Brian, Dudley Pope, Alexander Kent and more!

Yup, once you enjoy one, you do the rounds! Currently doing Scarrow.

[Halmyre]

Tom Swift - a 'boys own' science fiction themed series.
Desmond Skirrow - The Case of the Silver Egg
Professor Branestawm

Anything by Alistair MacLean, much to my English teacher's despair.

[jimmyjimjim]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

The Moomin books by Tove Jansson

Just started reading this to my eldest.

[ARFBY]

One of the first books I ever bought from the school book club was Flat Stanley. I loved that book, I was very happy to see my son bring a copy home from the school library a few weeks ago. It brought back great memories of my childhood.

I also loved "Choose your own adventure" books, similar to what was posted previously, but no dice, just two page options to turn to at the end of a chapter : Enter the cold dark cave, turn to page 11 / Continue on towards the citadel, turn to page 23.

[Randy Winkman]

JimmyConwayNW said:

I have been thinking a lot about books I read as a kid lately, Anyone remember the Willard Price adventure series books?

What were your favourites.

Hal and Roger Hunt? I read about half a dozen of those.

My fave book was:

[jimmyjimjim]

How can it not be Brendon Chase?

[Japveesix]

JimmyConwayNW said:

I have been thinking a lot about books I read as a kid lately, Anyone remember the Willard Price adventure series books?

What were your favourites.

I still have almost all of the Willard Price books and I'm just waiting for my newborn and 3 year old boys to be old enough to enjoy them again with me. It's where a huge amount of my wildlife knowledge came from originally.

I also had a double book of Call of the Wild and White Fang. I adore both and have read them both many times, they gave me a longing for the wilderness and made me have wolf based nightmares for a while too!

[FuryV6]

I loved the griffin pirate books by Sheila K McCullagh when at primary school, later all the Asterix and Tintin books.
The Otterbury Incident stands out as a favourite at the time.

[Langweilig]

Viking's Dawn by Henry Treece. A story of exploration with characters such as "Thorkel Skullsplitter" and "Horic the Laplander" who set off across the seas in their longship, the "Nameless".

[CopperBolt]

Hardy Drew
The Nancy Boys.

Enid Blyton "..of Adventure" series were good I thought.

I think Piers Anthony had a few (fantasy/sci-fi style) that were kid friendly, but I believe he has fallen out of favour for some reason.
Prostho Plus I remember if purely for the fact that I never finished it before it had to go back to the library, gutted. Never did get round to getting it out again. Can still remember the title 40+ years later.

[jet_noise]

CopperBolt said:

Hardy Drew
The Nancy Boys.

Enid Blyton "..of Adventure" series were good I thought.

I think Piers Anthony had a few (fantasy/sci-fi style) that were kid friendly, but I believe he has fallen out of favour for some reason.
Prostho Plus I remember if purely for the fact that I never finished it before it had to go back to the library, gutted. Never did get round to getting it out again. Can still remember the title 40+ years later.

There's a book I haven't thought about in 40 years!
I finished it though

[Skeptisk]

What age counts as a child?

Up to and including junior school the two that stand out are the Jungle Book and Watership Down.

However when I was around 13 or perhaps 14 I read Animal Farm and 1984 and they were far and away the books that affected me most.

[Cloudy147]

The secret seven is my number one memory. I loved reading those books. Also read the Famous Five but never got into those characters like I did with Secret Seven. Also most of the Roald Dahl books - particularly remember the BFG, Charlie and the chocolate factory and George’s marvellous medicine.

Also remember reading The Demon Headmaster.

Loads of comic books - particularly transformers and the Beano but also Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and He-man.

Younger years was Thomas the Tank Engine and from the school library there was Meg and Mog books.

Older I read the Hobbit.

They are my standout ones for me

[Flip Martian]

I always preferred the Secret Seven over the Famous Five. Can't remember a thing about them now but it was 50 years ago. Weird though how the Secret Seven seems mostly forgotten in popular culture while the Famous Five lived on.

[droopsnoot]

Flip Martian said:

I always preferred the Secret Seven over the Famous Five. Can't remember a thing about them now but it was 50 years ago. Weird though how the Secret Seven seems mostly forgotten in popular culture while the Famous Five lived on.

I was the reverse, but I don't actually remember ever reading any Secret Seven books. Maybe I just decided it would be disloyal.

[Jonny_]

Terry Pratchett wrote an excellent series of books for children. Truckers, Diggers and Wings. These, along with the Johnny series (Johnny and the Dead, Johnny and the Bomb, Only You Can Save Mankind) were a superb introduction to Pratchett's style of humour.

[Flip Martian]

Jonny_ said:

Terry Pratchett wrote an excellent series of books for children. Truckers, Diggers and Wings. These, along with the Johnny series (Johnny and the Dead, Johnny and the Bomb, Only You Can Save Mankind) were a superb introduction to Pratchett's style of humour.

I enjoyed the Johnny series as an adult. Very fond of Pratchett's writing.

[p1doc]

jimmyjimjim said:

How can it not be Brendon Chase?

great book just reread recently held up surprisingly well

[generationx]

“Dougal’s Scottish Holiday” by Eric Thompson.

It was funny as a child, it holds up for an adult reader. The interaction between Douglas and Brian is hilarious.

Dougal's Scottish Holiday (Knight Books) https://amzn.eu/d/20UGcVB