I was enormously obsessed with Swallows and Amazons aged 8 - 10. A heartening number of today's children still love them - not huge numbers, but enough. Just William is mostly read by the adults. Biggles has been reissued, but few children read him - it's mostly adults who borrow the books. The Willard Price series still gets read by children, but there is some pressure to remove them from the library shelves, for containing out-dated attitudes to other countries. I'm keeping them for as long as I can, though, because there is a dearth of good books for boys. Children's publishing has gone very pink.
I really liked Nancy Drew when I was 10 or so. The library didn't stock them, so I'd save up pocket money to buy them. I remember my parents suggesting that I should spend the money on something a bit more enduring, but they never pushed me. They were right, though, because I soon gave them all away to charity, whereas I kept all my other childhood books.
I have re-read some Hardy Boys books since then, though. I even - *embarrassed look* - discovered and read some Hardy Boys fanfiction not so long ago. *runs away, blushing*
Arthur Ransome is wonderful, and a better writer than many of those writing for adults.
Glad to see someone else enjoyed the Lone Pine books, too - always much keener on those than on Blyton. And I enjoyed Willard Price tremendously when I was in a zoology obsessed phase (c. 8-11).
Urgh, Blyton. Not too keen myself, although liked the Amelia Jane series as a child, and Mallory Towers/St Claires were okay if the school library had nothing else. In terms of school stories I liked the Trebizon series better. Anyone heard of them? Never bothered with most of the FF/SS even though my best friend had them all and freely leant them. Minidj1 likes/d to read FF & SS at his grandparents' house though and him reading just about anything (as opposed to nothing) is fine by me.
I've read all the Trebizon books, though as a children's librarian, not as a child. I can't remember the series well, but I must have liked them enough to read the whole series. Just reading one would have satisfied my professional need for stock knowledge. (For a grown-up, I have a rather shameful weakness for girly children's and teenage novels with pink covers.)
Trebizon was a contemporary series when I read them. They are about a girls' boarding school. Much more realistic (although I know that Mallory Towers & St Clares are quite comical in a simplistic sort of way, and also reflect a bygone age) and I had a friend at a boarding school at the time, whose letters tended to confirm the books' general accuracy.
Of course, when it comes to school stories, The Chalet School gets my vote.
I love Ransome, as I went on about not so long ago. He is remarkably able to give his young characters kids' feelings (as I remember them at this great distance) utterly without sentimentality.
Indeed. I don't like too much goo in my fiction, but at the same time I do like characters to be well fleshed-out emotionally (well, you know what I mean, I'm not a wordsmith, esp not this evening).
Although the Walkers and Blacketts are lots of fun, I have a great fondness for Coot Club and Big Six. Great Yarmouth completely entranced me. Ransome has such love for what he describes.
That is to say I have read some of each, but mostly from libraries although my sister did have a lot of the Saville's and as stated above they were actually better than the Famous Five.
I've never read any of them *hangs head in shame* - I'd never even heard of any of them before moving to this country.
I did try reading Swallows and Amazons last year, because I am certain I would have adored the books had I discovered them as a child, but something about the portrayal of Mother in the first chapter set my teeth on edge, and I set it aside. (In my defence, I was so tired and shellshocked I was hardly able to get into anything I tried to read the first few months I was in this job. Maybe I'll try again.)
Biggles - yes, because although twodimensional, the stories and characters have a cartoonish, period charm. Haven't read any for years, but my memory is that the early ones set in WW1 are the best ones: the later ones when he becomes a detective and isn't in daily danger of death are a bit of a let-down.
Swallows and Amazons - of course. Essential reading if you are 7 years old or so and your family are boaty types: not only are they good stories, but so far as I remember, all the technical stuff about knots and giving way and stuff was right as well, very handy!
I read a few Malcolm Saville and Richmal Compton books, but only once and I remember them smelling dusty and being a bit crap. Willard Price I either never read or can't remember.
I read most of the Willard Price books when I was eight or nine - engrossing, action adventures with recurring characters and lots of scientific facts per chapter. The underwater city setting in "Diving Adventure" is reminiscent of Arthur C Clarke or - another childhood favourite - Hugh Walters.
I hadn't thought before about the connections between Willard Price and Arthur C Clarke, but you're right. I don't think I've ever read any Hugh Walters, though.
With Biggles, the WWI ones are probably best 'cos WE Johns knew what he was writing about there. I found that the ones up to and including WWII were generally pretty good, because they were fairly time-limited; but he then wrote the air police ones for the next 20+ years.
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Date: 2006-10-20 01:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-20 03:40 pm (UTC)I used to like Nancy Drew. Haven't read *that* as an adult though.
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Date: 2006-10-20 03:54 pm (UTC)I have re-read some Hardy Boys books since then, though. I even - *embarrassed look* - discovered and read some Hardy Boys fanfiction not so long ago. *runs away, blushing*
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Date: 2006-10-20 04:18 pm (UTC)I am still a big fan of Just William, Biggles and Jennings. I enjoyed the Willard Price books I read, but didn't go back to them.
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Date: 2006-10-20 02:11 pm (UTC)Glad to see someone else enjoyed the Lone Pine books, too - always much keener on those than on Blyton. And I enjoyed Willard Price tremendously when I was in a zoology obsessed phase (c. 8-11).
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Date: 2006-10-20 06:18 pm (UTC)Of course, when it comes to school stories, The Chalet School gets my vote.
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Date: 2006-10-20 03:25 pm (UTC)I did try reading Swallows and Amazons last year, because I am certain I would have adored the books had I discovered them as a child, but something about the portrayal of Mother in the first chapter set my teeth on edge, and I set it aside. (In my defence, I was so tired and shellshocked I was hardly able to get into anything I tried to read the first few months I was in this job. Maybe I'll try again.)
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Date: 2006-10-21 01:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-20 07:15 pm (UTC)Swallows and Amazons - of course. Essential reading if you are 7 years old or so and your family are boaty types: not only are they good stories, but so far as I remember, all the technical stuff about knots and giving way and stuff was right as well, very handy!
I read a few Malcolm Saville and Richmal Compton books, but only once and I remember them smelling dusty and being a bit crap. Willard Price I either never read or can't remember.
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