Books that you read/had read to you as child that you really loved?

A lot of Jane Eyre

What a lovely and uplifting thread! I could barely read age 5 (and couldn't wait till I was 8 and could join the local Library!) I remember going along (aged 50) to Library with my Grandpa, to return some of his books and he met a teacher friend, who spoke kindly to me and said books will help you to learn so much and become a very clever girl! I can visualise that moment 56 years later.

My very favourite books were:
Secret Seven
Mallory Towers
Peter Pan
Heidi
Aesop's Fables
The Little Princess

and later as a teen:
The Little Prince (fabulous book to re-read)
Wind in the Willows
Katy Omnibus
Kidnapped
Watership Down
The Girl Guide Handbook (a mixture of stories, easy recipes and how to pass some badges!)

I still have some in my bookcase that I promise myself I will read again.

Puzzler61 I read all the horsy Jill stories and fantasised about having a pony too!Fat chance in our pit village!

I loved the Faraway Tree stories, Famous Five and Island/Castle/River of Adventure by Enid Blyton, I still have copies and DD rereads them whenever she comes to stay. Also The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder and What Katy Did. Never read the Wind in the Willows as a child but there’s an audio version on BBC Sounds. It’s WONDERFUL!

Oh, and Judy magazine! Sandra of the Secret Ballet had me mesmerised. (Never mind that Sandra had been kidnapped and kept captive. All rather dodgy but somehow I didn't notice that!)

No-one read to me but I was a very early reader the Alice books were wonderful to me.

Oh, those Christmas annuals! We also got one each Christmas and I think I still have a couple up in the loft.

You're very welcome Bakingmad. Who knew this thread would grow like Topsy! It just shows how important our childhood books were and are.

I loved Annuals too and always found one in my Christmas stocking ?

Jill’s Pony Trek, Jill’s Riding Club, Jill’s Gymkana and more similar stories, by Ruby Ferguson.
I saved my pocket money planning to buy my own pony (big plans).
Goodness knows where I would have kept a pony as our garden was all given over to vegetable growing by my dad.
?

Oh and I recently reread some of the Mallory Towers books during Lockdown and I still enjoyed them.

Any book by Enid Blyton,the What Katy did series,Swallows and Amazons and all the Arthur Ransome books,The Bobsey twins and a book called The Children who Lived in Barn.
A company called Persephone books was reprinting old titles so I have a new copy of The Children who Lived in a Barn.
I also loved Little Women,Ballet Shoes and The Secret Garden.

I must have missed this the first time round!
I too loved Enid Blyton, the Drina books ( I so wanted to be a ballet dancer but Mum couldn’t afford lessons)
I think I was slow learning to read and remember how I hated the Janet and John books!

In primary school we would all sit on the floor in front of the teacher at the end of the day and she would read from a book about 2 children who travelled on a magic carpet to foreign lands. I thought it was called Over the Rainbow but I haven’t been able to find it since.

And I can remember when I was about 9 looking forward to Saturdays when I would choose my library books, go to the sweet shop and then spend all afternoon in the front room reading and eating my sweets in peace.
Thank you Trish57 for starting this thread

What a lovely thread. My favourites were Wind In The Willows, which I can still get lost in even now, and Winnie The Pooh, though I had to avoid Eeyore (spelling?!) cos he made me so sad. I still have a book called Girls' World, full of adventure, which inspired me to try many things.

Reading through this thread has brought back wonderful memories of all the books I enjoyed as a child.
Lorna Doone was one of my favourites, The Railway Children, and I had all of Monica Edwards books. I also enjoyed the Biggles books, though they are intended for boys, as well as The Eagle comics.

I loved the 'Katy' books, by Susan Coolidge(?), I had my mother's copy which unfortunately was lost in a flood a few years back. All the Chalet school series, all of Enid Blytons boarding school stories i.e. The Twins at St. Clares, Mallory Towers etc. My brother had the most amazing copy of Black Beauty which had full page colour pictures with tissue paper over them. I also enjoyed the Biggles books with Ginger and Lacey.

Milly Molly Mandy as a small child, our teacher read the stories to us, and I thought Billy Blunt was Billy Blood! Later on I was obsessed with the Lorna Hill ballet books, and Pamela Brown's Swish of the Curtain, and it's follow-ups.

Reading the comments has reminded me of the books I loved as a child. The Lone Pine series by Malcom Saville, I was a member of the Lone Pine Club. The Chalet School series, What Katy Did, most of the Enid Blytons and of course, Little Women and the sequels. I really enjoyed the new Little Women film at Xmas.

Also the silver sword, my naughty little sister, milly molly mandy, the hobbit and the secret garden!

I was a bookworm, still am, I remember all the enid blyton books and roald Dahl books, pippin longsticking and mrs pepperpot and mr twiddle, so many more, think I might try and revisit.

I remember the Mammoth Wonder Book. My dad had it and two others, one called the Favourite Wonder Book and a third but can’t remember that title. I started reading them at about 7 , my dad was very careful with his books and made me wash my hands and sit in our big armchair( it was big to me ) and he would put it on my lap, the chair was upholstered in mustard fabric, can see it now!

As a child loved the What Katy did books and Little Women series and another vote for Enid Blytons Boy Next Door and another she wrote called Shadow the Sheepdog which I read over and over. Didn’t like her other stuff much.

Later still loved all the Sue Barton Series and The Chalet School, still have all those copies must read them again.

As a teenager Jane Eyre( read it first time at about 9 or 10 and frightened myself to death! Lots of Dickens and Graham Greene

All the Famous Five and William books (those last were my father’s).

And one that nobody else ever seems to have heard of - Chalky, by Howard L. Apps. It’s brilliant - I still re read it now and then. Set in the 50s but somehow doesn’t read too dated. Story of two ordinary boys who are sent unwillingly to help a grumpy, elderly lady neighbour, and find out why she’s so poor. Subsequently go on a hunt for a valuable diamond that was lost many years before.

Also quite funny in places. Nothing twee or offensive by modern standards. It’d make a brilliant film.

I just found Mallory Towers Enid Blyton on I player CBBC whole series it is quite good

Oh what a lovely thread to browse through. I'm short of reading material but this is rekindling my childhood favourites, some series like Little women and the Chronicles of Narnia I've never completely read. The Anne of Green Gables series I have read and these are all in my kindle. Favourites include Malcolm Saville Lone Line series And I've collected all of them over the past few years as I only had library books as a child. Other favourites Famous Five, Mallory Towers, the Katy books, Noel Streatfield Ballet Shoes, Alison Uttley a Traveller in Time. And Paddington. Plus many many more.
Wonderful memories that I'm going to revisit.

Enid Blyton's Famous Five and Five find outers and dog series.
Ruby Gervaise, Jill series.
Monica Edwards especially the white riders and No Mistaking Corker
Joanna piano, like yoy, I read and enjoyed the Mary Plain books.