Your fav author from childhood

Enid Blyton does seem to have done a good job of starting readers! Mine was the Famous Five. I can say most of the books mentioned I read as a child and many others I read aloud later as a teacher. NotSpaghetti The best loved at school was the Weirdstone of Brisangamen which my class became obsessed with. All the written and artwork reflected the story and we even went on a trip to Alderley Edge to explore the setting. The children said it was the best trip ever!

I liked “The Cuckoo Clock” by Mrs Molesworth. It was a Victorian children’s book. Also McDonald Frazer “The Princess and the Goblin”. There was a magical grandmother who span in the attic of the castle. The first Narnia book I read was “The Magician’s Nephew” and it terrified me. I would pick a book from the library shelves and realise it was “one of those books” and put it back in horror. I had the feeling they might be deliberately putting themselves into my hands. CS Lewis said he would rather not have written the books than frighten any child but he was confident no child could be frightened. But it was not so. How could it be? My daughter was very uneasy about Mr Tumnus.

Very late to thus lovely thread but Enid Blyton was a huge favourite. Noddy, secret seven, Galiano's circus, famous five, Mallory towers, St Claire's etc. Was trying to remember White Boots - thank you for jogging my memory! Jill pony books had me yearning for a pony. Bobbsey Twins and another America series of books about The Happy Hollisters. The Abbey Girls Win Through sits on my bookshelf. It was presented to my mum in 1937 as a Sunday school prize.

Noel Stratfield, Lorna Hill, Elinor Brent - Dyer chalet school. Moved on to Geogette Heyer and Cynthia Harrod Eagles. I read everything in series by each author, something I continue to do.

Two obsessions- horses and theatre so Pamela Brown "The Blue Door Theatre" books and My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara. Also all Richmal Crompton's William books across the decades ( the Brown family started with a cook and a maid but these disappeared as the 20th century progressed)

I keep being reminded of books I loved. How could I have forgotten Little Grey Rabbit? I adored those books and so, much later, did my son.

Henrietta’s House, anyone? By Elizabeth Goudge - is that how it’s spelt? A great favourite of mine.

I may be alone in this, but I didn’t like Little Women. The title’s offputting, and I didn’t like any of the characters in the way I liked Katy, or Anne of Green Gables. Jo was too
masculine for my taste. A girl can be strong-minded and assertive without being boyish.

I read something by Thackeray at junior school - not Vanity Fair, which came later.

Sara65 I think you mean the Tottie books ( dolls )
The horrid doll was called Marchpaine and the little boy doll was called Apple.Tottie herself was a peg dolly.

Another Enid Blyton fan here. All of her books! Also,
The Secret Garden,Heidi, Just William ( the black hand gang!)
Comics were a real treat, Beano, Dandy etc and then moving on to Girls Crystal, Mandy, Bunty.

I loved comics too. We used to collect them and then go to friends houses and do a comic swap. Bunty was my favourite too.

I remember Joanna Spyri's Heidi and Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden very well. And also the Noddy books when they had the golly in them.

Enid Blyton. Couldn't care less about the politics. I loved those books.

Well, I mastered reading when I was about 4 but couldn't have read Dickens.

Charles Kingsley, Lewis Carroll, Joanna Spyri at 6 - yes!
But not Dickens until I was at Senior school.

Oh, did anyone else read The Rivals Richard Brinsley Sheridan and anything by Thackeray?

Obviously you are much younger, Hollycat, because Enid Blyton was not persona non grata when I was under 10.

Anyone remeber the Diana comic? I can vividly remember that it had a free gift of a sparkly bracelet in the first edition. Or the Buster comic?

Once we had mastered reading, the school sent letters home asking that Enid Blyton’s books weren’t given to us as presents because they were not well written. So from the age of seven we read Charles Kingsley, Jerome K Jerome, Thomas Hughes, Louisa M Alcott, Lewis Carroll, Harriet Beecher-Stowe, Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling, and EVERYTHING by Dickens! We did Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare to get an idea of the storylines before tackling the actual plays, and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales which were heavily censored with black lines over the rude bits!??

Chicks' Own when I was very young, then School Friend, and I had an annual every year from FC.

Oh Bunch was a fab comic MarieEliza, I had that every week for years. The Four Mary's were my favourite. Been a looonnnggg time since I thought if them!

I know it’s not an author but I loved reading comics, my favourite was Bunty. I loved the Four Marys, their lives were so different to mine and their adventures were from a different world

Noddy too! I meant

Enid Blyton always! Magic Faraway Tree, Famous Five, St Clares and Mallory Towers. Sorry too. Noel Streatfield also. Happy times!

I read some Enid Blyton because my older sister had some. I wouldn't call them favourites, though I was rather fond of Noddy & Big Ears when very young.

Lots already mentioned on here. I still have my Jill books! Everything by Monica Edwards, Rosemary Sutcliffe, Lorna Hill, Jennings, Just William, all the Revd. Awdry (?) books (Thomas the Tank engine etc), Worzel Gummidge, C.S Lewis, The Little White Horse. Just So Stories, Tom's Midnight Garden. Goodness, so many.

I don't think anyone has mentioned Alison Uttley's Little Grey Rabbit stories. They're charming.

I read everything I could lay my hands on, really but those were particular favourites.

I still like a good children's book. Very much enjoyed His Dark Materials and the subsequent books.

I read a lot of Enid Blyton, mainly Noddy and the Famous Five books which I loved.
I used to read Bobby Brewster books, Milly Molly Mandy, Jennings and Darbyshire, Billy Bunter, Heidi, Cherry family, and all the William books by Richmal Crompton which were great. But I can't remember the names of all the authors.

I also loved the small, chunky Observers books, comprehensive information and pictures about every one of a certain subject. I studied the ones about Birds, Dogs, Wild Flowers and Horses and Ponies. I still read reference books.

Definitely Enid Blyton. My daughter and now my granddaughter both love her books.

The Silver Sword by Ian Seraillier read to us at junior school was exciting I remember.

BettyBoop49 - they are some of the “BB” books I mentioned earlier!
Their tiny world was so well drawn.

Enid Blyton. Loved the school books and The Adventure Books.
Then the wonderful William Books by Richmal Crompton.
Little Women andGood Wives - loving them all my life.
Ricky-Ticky-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling.
Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.

Yes, callgirl1, Heyer was in early secondary school. You are right.