Anyone remember their first 'big' kids book?

Reg'stoy

Had to have been a Biggles or Alfred Hitchcock and the three investigators, I still remember the knot in the fence was the secret entrance to their club.

Hermy

Not the first book I ever read but a favourite back then was Ordinary Jack by Helen Cresswell.

MissRibena

My first 'proper' book was The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton and I was 5 or 6 when I read it. I can remember a lot about it quite clearly; I can remember the revelation of sounding out 'cupboard' and asking my mother what a board for cups was. I can remember one of the characters was called Moonface and that they went into the tree (but she nicked that idea from the Tinderbox). I went crazy reading Enid Blyton books after that and there was serious competition for them in the library and a queue outside on Saturday mornings waiting for it to open. None of us owned very many books at all but now I love owning a copy of a book. I suppose it must just be a materialistic thing that has crept up on me.

Anyone else remember the mutliple choice endings in Nancy Drew books? At one point, we thought this was the going to be the big new thing.

I moved onto Roald Dahl and Judy Blume and the likes but never took to Narnia. Then a few of us read The Stand in sixth class almost as a dare because of the size of it and that was the end of any 'Young Adult' stuff. At different points in time, I've gone through phases of reading all kinds of stuff that really make me wonder now; including Sweet Valley High, Mills and Boons (as a young teenager to be fair), Virginia Andrews, crime stuff (Scott Turow, Lynda la Plante etc). Luckily I recovered

Roisinbunny

ally2 wrote: »

My first was a Famous Five. I can't remember the exact tale (apart from the picnics and ginger beer) but I remember how excited I was to get and read a book of my own that looked like an adult's book.

Same here - I was inducted into books with the famous 5 - still have it buried somewhere in my library with an inscription from my mam..

Does anyone remember "The Hounds of the Morrigan" ?- I absolutely loved it. Not sure would it be very babyish if I picked it up again to read - but I've great memories of reading it!

Jako8

George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl

I can't remember what it's about but I remember something about a grandmother.

IvyTheTerrible

Roisinbunny wrote: »

Does anyone remember "The Hounds of the Morrigan" ?- I absolutely loved it. Not sure would it be very babyish if I picked it up again to read - but I've great memories of reading it!

I do!! I thought that was a great book at the time, so scary! Aparently though it is criticised for having lots of plot holes and Deus ex machina stuff in it. But I think a ten year won't care too much about that!

turgon

Id imagine it was the harry Potter series for me. That and Artemis Foul.

Jako8

turgon wrote: »

Id imagine it was the harry Potter series for me. That and Artemis Foul.

Wasn't Artemis Foul meant to be made into a movie?

Roisinbunny

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

I do!! I thought that was a great book at the time, so scary! Aparently though it is criticised for having lots of plot holes and Deus ex machina stuff in it. But I think a ten year won't care too much about that!

I didn't care one bit about plot holes I'd say at the time! (it was prob the adults who were reading so much into the technicalities, like the adult Harry Potter fans of today). Even now I can remember how scared I was, but scared in a really good way - it was pure suspense! A really great childhood memory...I'm definitely going to have to track down a copy if ever I have kids, think it fostered some of the book worm in me!

VanishingLayla

Mine was definitely an Enid Blyton book. Can't remember which one, though.

lemon_sherbert

I can't remember exactly, though I remember reading the Roald Dahl books and quite a few by Enid Blyton. I also loved the Milly Molly Mandy books, and the Goosebumps series. And the Noel Streatfield (sp?) shoe books. Oh and Little Women, and the Little Princess, and the Marita Conlon McKenna series about the Famine, the name of which is eluding me right now. Ah, this thread is making me very nostalgic. I went through an Agatha Christie phase as well. Harry Potter too.

IvyTheTerrible

lemon_sherbert wrote: »

I can't remember exactly, though I remember reading the Roald Dahl books and quite a few by Enid Blyton. I also loved the Milly Molly Mandy books, and the Goosebumps series. And the Noel Streatfield (sp?) shoe books. Oh and Little Women, and the Little Princess, and the Marita Conlon McKenna series about the Famine, the name of which is eluding me right now. Ah, this thread is making me very nostalgic. I went through an Agatha Christie phase as well. Harry Potter too.

Under the Hawthorn Tree?

lemon_sherbert

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

Under the Hawthorn Tree?

Yes, that's it, thanks! I remember acting it out with my friends in school and everything.

The Sparrow

The Battle Below Giltspur by Cormac MacRaois. Man I loved that book. It was basically about a irish legend and a scarecrow that comes alive and helps two kids defeat an evil force. There were two sequels as well. I would never think of reading it now in case it was terrible but it was by far my favourite book when I was a kid.

Also I remember reading the Tom McChaugren fox series. Run with the Wild or something.

God everyone else's books seem to be mostly Enid Blyton. How very British!!;)

IvyTheTerrible

The Sparrow wrote: »

The Battle Below Giltspur by Cormac MacRaois. Man I loved that book. It was basically about a irish legend and a scarecrow that comes alive and helps two kids defeat an evil force. There were two sequels as well. I would never think of reading it now in case it was terrible but it was by far my favourite book when I was a kid.

Also I remember reading the Tom McChaugren fox series. Run with the Wild or something.

God everyone else's books seem to be mostly Enid Blyton. How very British!!;)

I think the speaking English in Britain thing probably helps

Roisinbunny

The Sparrow wrote: »

The Battle Below Giltspur by Cormac MacRaois. Man I loved that book. It was basically about a irish legend and a scarecrow that comes alive and helps two kids defeat an evil force. There were two sequels as well. I would never think of reading it now in case it was terrible but it was by far my favourite book when I was a kid.

Also I remember reading the Tom McChaugren fox series. Run with the Wild or something.

Oh my God thanks for that - I totally forgot about them! The 2nd book was Lightning over Giltspur, can't remember the 3rd. But they were class..

I remember the Tom McCaughren books were really sad... Must have been kind of a Bambi theme going on there!:(

The Sparrow

Roisinbunny wrote: »

Oh my God thanks for that - I totally forgot about them! The 2nd book was Lightning over Giltspur, can't remember the 3rd. But they were class..

I had to google this as I barely remembered anything about the books other than I loved them as a kid. But the sequel was actually Dance of the Midnight Fire when their English cousin Ronan tagged along. And the third book was Lightning over Giltspur. And the scarecrow's name was Glasan:):D

It's great that someone else remembers them because nobody I have ever mentioned these books to has any idea about them.

Roisinbunny

The Sparrow wrote: »

I had to google this as I barely remembered anything about the books other than I loved them as a kid. But the sequel was actually Dance of the Midnight Fire when their English cousin Ronan tagged along. And the third book was Lightning over Giltspur. And the scarecrow's name was Glasan:):D

It's great that someone else remembers them because nobody I have ever mentioned these books to has any idea about them.

That's strange, there have to be more people out there that remember them! I actually think I have 2 of them buried somewhere in my home house.. One of the covers was a deep red with kind of Celtic Script and the other was purple-ey with then same type of script.. Must try to order them again, you never know, they could be just as good 2nd time round!

Glasán - I'm just blown away - can't believe I'd forgotten those! ( although it was prob 15 years ago for me!)Thanks so much for that blast from the past!!:D:D

emeraldstar

Not sure but I think it was Famous Five Go To Billycock Hill from Santa when I was five. I was so so excited when I saw it; a lilac-coloured hardback. Still have it on my bookshelf actually

Ann22

Furious Banana wrote: »

Hmm .. I think it was a book about racism in the deep south of America during the 1930's. Really good book, just wish I could remember the name of it.

I vaguely remember it having the word "burning" in the title.
Not that knowing one word is much good to me. :rolleyes:

Would it be 'Mississippi Burning'? Never read the book but saw the film. Was about racism alright.
My very earliest was a version of 'Snow White' with no pictures. It was bought for my friends birthday but I read it before giving it to her. It was a long time ago, maybe 1977 ish. The next ones were from the Secret Seven series, closely followed by the St Clare's, Mallory Towers then Famous Fives.

Ghost Train

Think "Going Solo" by Roald Dahl was the first book I got into

Cupcake Girl

Famous Five.. always remember reading them on balmy summer nights but Im sure thats just nostalgia!

chocgirl

It was either The BFG or Matilda can't remember exactly. I'd tried BFG a couple of months earlier though and I couldn't manage it, I had got really annoyed with myself and I remember my Dad read me Fantastic Mr Fox in the interim. I was so proud of myself when I finally read it. I'm going to ignore the fact there were a few illustrations.:)

MultiUmm

Roll of Thunder, Hear Me Cry. An astounding book that I still remeber vividly to this day. Might have a look around in a few shops and see if anyone has it, I'd love to read it again.

emeraldstar

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

Under the Hawthorn Tree?

And to forget the other two books in the trilogy: Wildflower Girl and Fields of Home. They were just as good!


God, primary school is rushing back to me :eek:
All those Irish children's fiction books... The Secret of the Ruby Ring, Martha and the Ruby Ring, No Goodbye, Safe Harbour, Rosie's Quest; Tom McCaughren: The Legend of the Golden Key, The Legend of the Phantom Highwayman, Run Swift Run Free...

LiamMc

There was a reading club at my school and I remeber reading chirdren's/abridged version of Hunchback of Notre Dame and Frankenstein.

But one book that stood out was a present from an aunt in England who gave me Roald Dahl's Danny Champion of the World. Three-quarters the way through the book the word 'bosom' appeared, I could not believe my luck.

mud

Mine was the collected works of Charles Perrault. This book was a collection of fairy tales including 'Bluebeard' which frightened the pants off me!

Blue Beard
Charles Perrault
There was once a man who had fine houses, both in town and country, a deal of silver and gold plate, embroidered furniture, and coaches gilded all over with gold. But this man was so unlucky as to have a blue beard, which made him so frightfully ugly that all the women and girls ran away from him.

One of his neighbors, a lady of quality, had two daughters who were perfect beauties. He desired of her one of them in marriage, leaving to her choice which of the two she would bestow on him. Neither of them would have him, and they sent him backwards and forwards from one to the other, not being able to bear the thoughts of marrying a man who had a blue beard. Adding to their disgust and aversion was the fact that he already had been married to several wives, and nobody knew what had become of them.

Blue Beard, to engage their affection, took them, with their mother and three or four ladies of their acquaintance, with other young people of the neighborhood, to one of his country houses, where they stayed a whole week.

The time was filled with parties, hunting, fishing, dancing, mirth, and feasting. Nobody went to bed, but all passed the night in rallying and joking with each other. In short, everything succeeded so well that the youngest daughter began to think that the man's beard was not so very blue after all, and that he was a mighty civil gentleman.

As soon as they returned home, the marriage was concluded. About a month afterwards, Blue Beard told his wife that he was obliged to take a country journey for six weeks at least, about affairs of very great consequence. He desired her to divert herself in his absence, to send for her friends and acquaintances, to take them into the country, if she pleased, and to make good cheer wherever she was.

"Here," said he," are the keys to the two great wardrobes, wherein I have my best furniture. These are to my silver and gold plate, which is not everyday in use. These open my strongboxes, which hold my money, both gold and silver; these my caskets of jewels. And this is the master key to all my apartments. But as for this little one here, it is the key to the closet at the end of the great hall on the ground floor. Open them all; go into each and every one of them, except that little closet, which I forbid you, and forbid it in such a manner that, if you happen to open it, you may expect my just anger and resentment."

She promised to observe, very exactly, whatever he had ordered. Then he, after having embraced her, got into his coach and proceeded on his journey.

Her neighbors and good friends did not wait to be sent for by the newly married lady. They were impatient to see all the rich furniture of her house, and had not dared to come while her husband was there, because of his blue beard, which frightened them. They ran through all the rooms, closets, and wardrobes, which were all so fine and rich that they seemed to surpass one another.

After that, they went up into the two great rooms, which contained the best and richest furniture. They could not sufficiently admire the number and beauty of the tapestry, beds, couches, cabinets, stands, tables, and looking glasses, in which you might see yourself from head to foot; some of them were framed with glass, others with silver, plain and gilded, the finest and most magnificent that they had ever seen.

They ceased not to extol and envy the happiness of their friend, who in the meantime in no way diverted herself in looking upon all these rich things, because of the impatience she had to go and open the closet on the ground floor. She was so much pressed by her curiosity that, without considering that it was very uncivil for her to leave her company, she went down a little back staircase, and with such excessive haste that she nearly fell and broke her neck.

Having come to the closet door, she made a stop for some time, thinking about her husband's orders, and considering what unhappiness might attend her if she was disobedient; but the temptation was so strong that she could not overcome it. She then took the little key, and opened it, trembling. At first she could not see anything plainly, because the windows were shut. After some moments she began to perceive that the floor was all covered over with clotted blood, on which lay the bodies of several dead women, ranged against the walls. (These were all the wives whom Blue Beard had married and murdered, one after another.) She thought she should have died for fear, and the key, which she, pulled out of the lock, fell out of her hand.

After having somewhat recovered her surprise, she picked up the key, locked the door, and went upstairs into her chamber to recover; but she could not, so much was she frightened. Having observed that the key to the closet was stained with blood, she tried two or three times to wipe it off; but the blood would not come out; in vain did she wash it, and even rub it with soap and sand. The blood still remained, for the key was magical and she could never make it quite clean; when the blood was gone off from one side, it came again on the other.

Blue Beard returned from his journey the same evening, saying that he had received letters upon the road, informing him that the affair he went about had concluded to his advantage. His wife did all she could to convince him that she was extremely happy about his speedy return.

The next morning he asked her for the keys, which she gave him, but with such a trembling hand that he easily guessed what had happened.

"What!" said he, "is not the key of my closet among the rest?"

"I must," said she, "have left it upstairs upon the table."

"Fail not," said Blue Beard, "to bring it to me at once."

After several goings backwards and forwards, she was forced to bring him the key. Blue Beard, having very attentively considered it, said to his wife, "Why is there blood on the key?"

"I do not know," cried the poor woman, paler than death.

"You do not know!" replied Blue Beard. "I very well know. You went into the closet, did you not? Very well, madam; you shall go back, and take your place among the ladies you saw there."

Upon this she threw herself at her husband's feet, and begged his pardon with all the signs of a true repentance, vowing that she would never more be disobedient. She would have melted a rock, so beautiful and sorrowful was she; but Blue Beard had a heart harder than any rock!

"You must die, madam," said he, "at once."

"Since I must die," answered she (looking upon him with her eyes all bathed in tears), "give me some little time to say my prayers."

"I give you," replied Blue Beard, "half a quarter of an hour, but not one moment more."

When she was alone she called out to her sister, and said to her, "Sister Anne" (for that was her name), "go up, I beg you, to the top of the tower, and look if my brothers are not coming. They promised me that they would come today, and if you see them, give them a sign to make haste."

Her sister Anne went up to the top of the tower, and the poor afflicted wife cried out from time to time, "Anne, sister Anne, do you see anyone coming?"

And sister Anne said, "I see nothing but a cloud of dust in the sun, and the green grass."

In the meanwhile Blue Beard, holding a great saber in his hand, cried out as loud as he could bawl to his wife, "Come down instantly, or I shall come up to you."

"One moment longer, if you please," said his wife; and then she cried out very softly, "Anne, sister Anne, do you see anybody coming?"

And sister Anne answered, "I see nothing but a cloud of dust in the sun, and the green grass."

"Come down quickly," cried Blue Beard, "or I will come up to you."

"I am coming," answered his wife; and then she cried, "Anne, sister Anne, do you not see anyone coming?"

"I see," replied sister Anne, "a great cloud of dust approaching us."

"Are they my brothers?"

"Alas, no my dear sister, I see a flock of sheep."

"Will you not come down?" cried Blue Beard.

"One moment longer," said his wife, and then she cried out, "Anne, sister Anne, do you see nobody coming?"

"I see," said she, "two horsemen, but they are still a great way off."

"God be praised," replied the poor wife joyfully. "They are my brothers. I will make them a sign, as well as I can for them to make haste."

Then Blue Beard bawled out so loud that he made the whole house tremble. The distressed wife came down, and threw herself at his feet, all in tears, with her hair about her shoulders.

"This means nothing," said Blue Beard. "You must die!" Then, taking hold of her hair with one hand, and lifting up the sword with the other, he prepared to strike off her head. The poor lady, turning about to him, and looking at him with dying eyes, desired him to afford her one little moment to recollect herself.

"No, no," said he, "commend yourself to God," and was just ready to strike.

At this very instant there was such a loud knocking at the gate that Blue Beard made a sudden stop. The gate was opened, and two horsemen entered. Drawing their swords, they ran directly to Blue Beard. He knew them to be his wife's brothers, one a dragoon, the other a musketeer; so that he ran away immediately to save himself; but the two brothers pursued and overtook him before he could get to the steps of the porch. Then they ran their swords through his body and left him dead. The poor wife was almost as dead as her husband, and had not strength enough to rise and welcome her brothers.

Blue Beard had no heirs, and so his wife became mistress of all his estate. She made use of one part of it to marry her sister Anne to a young gentleman who had loved her a long while; another part to buy captains' commissions for her brothers, and the rest to marry herself to a very worthy gentleman, who made her forget the ill time she had passed with Blue Beard.

Moral:
Curiosity, in spite of its appeal, often leads to deep regret. To the displeasure of many a maiden, its enjoyment is short lived. Once satisfied, it ceases to exist, and always costs dearly.

Another moral:
Apply logic to this grim story, and you will ascertain that it took place many years ago. No husband of our age would be so terrible as to demand the impossible of his wife, nor would he be such a jealous malcontent. For, whatever the color of her husband's beard, the wife of today will let him know who the master is.

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/perrault03.html

fenris

My first full big book was "The Moon of Gomrath" by Alan Garner, my dad was out diving in Slade near Hook Head and I had climbed to the top the tower of the "castle" as only an immortal seven year old could - by hanging onto bits of grass growing out from between the stones (the inside way up was blocked by a big black grating). As I was subject to a full scale "wait until your father gets back" I settled in and read my book, reasoning that one lot of grief was better than two seperated by a long period of strict supervision!

I remember being particularly impressed by the Wild Hunt and the fact that Alan Garner explained in the notes that he had used genuine spells but has mixed up the words deliberately - "just in case"!

Twilighter

Probably Harry Potter. I'm reading them again now, 4 years later.. I love them!

Zadkiel

Mine was Robinson Crusoe too....followed by Brams Stoker's Dracula