Win a copy of Philippa Gregory's Dark Tracks *NOW CLOSED*

Any Chalet School book by Elinor M Brent Dyer. Pure escapism into a world of boarding school and fantastic times. I have just discovered there is a Friends of the Chalet School association which I shall be joining!!!

OH my, I could not let a day go by in the long summer holidays without catching up on the latest adventures of the Famous Five Enid Blyton series .

Has to be The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett. First book I read and can remember reading independently. Took you into another world where children find magic, mystery and healing. They were also pretty good at keeping secrets from the adults which added to its appeal. I have bought copies of this book for my grandchildren, although they were illustrated.

What Katy did and what Katy did next. I won it for my English prize still treasure it and the lovely memory. Loved reading and so does my granddaughter.

Oh for me it had to be The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S Lewis . When I read it ( which I did several times) I felt like I was actually in Narnia . I could feel the cold. Pure escapism for me .

As I was horse mad Black Beauty! It made me cry but I loved it and have read it several times since!!

I loved the Malory Towers books. The adventures of Darrell and her friends were so real to me. I was desperate to go to boarding school!

The Milly-Molly-Mandy stories by Joyce Lankester Brisley.
She seemed such an orderly, neat little life compared to mine. The stories were comforting.

The Silver Sword by Ian Serallier. I was very ill as a child and the exciting story took me out of myself.

I remember reading Picnic at Hanging Rock in the 1960s
It left a very unsettled feeling, but I really enjoyed it.
Watching the series on TV recently I had the same reaction.

Very hard to choose but I think Anne of Green Gables would have it by a whisker- still have my original copy that I can now pass on to my DGD

I used to go to riding lessons so it was Black Beauty of course.

A book called Patrick, about a boy whose shipwrecked as a baby and is bought up on an island by lots of different animals until he's 'rescued' and hates being forced to go to school, wear clothes, follow rules etc. Eventually, he manages to return but dies because living with humans has made him soft and he can't withstand the winter

The Family from One End Street by Eve Garnet. They were such a poor big family who always seemed to get into trouble.I can remember feeling sad that they had so little but still managed to have fun.

Jane Eyre. As a child I identified with the lonely little girl, as a young adult I dreamed of finding my own Mr Rochester.

The Biggles books. Born in 1944, I was introduced to them by my older brother. From reading the books, I gained a lifelong love of India, where the fictional James Bigglesworth was born; also of travel, adventure and derring-do

The Silver Chair - C S Lewis. I loved the whole series but this was my favourite one.

Heidi books were my favourite - although I would read and love any/every book I could lay my hands on!

I used to love oliver twist as I was fascinated by the depiction of the London underworld

As a young child I read all of the Enid Blyton Famous Five books. I loved the fact that the children had all sorts of adventures and never came to any harm.

Black beauty was my all time favourite

Books were things to be valued in our home. I read everything I could lay my hands on, including my Nan's medical dictionary as that was the only book I could find in her house. Most of my books came via the library but each Christmas and birthday I asked for a book of my own. The one I have kept through goodness knows how many house moves is Black Beauty. Its still here and I still read it now and again, still cry and smile in equal measure.

As a child around the age of 10, I remember my love of the Roald Dahl books, as they were so engrossing, full of great humour and fantastic illustrations. My favourite has to be 'the Twits'. Mrs Twit tricking her husband into eating worms in spaghetti is etched in my memory forever. Happy Days !

I loved The Faraway Tree series by Enid Blyton as a child. The idea that there could be an entire world of mystical creatures living alongside us totally intrigued and fascinated me. If I'm totally honest when I hit low points in my life I reach for those books and every time the magic captivates me, strengthens my resolve so I can brush myself off and start again.