When you were a child...

what books made a real impression on you? If you had children would you want them to read it? Did you read books that were age appropriate?

I used to read lots of Enid Blyton - I started off on The Magic Faraway Tree and graduated to The Secret Seven and The Famous Five. Loved them all - they were dated even then, but it didn't seem to matter.

I loved Charlotte's Web.

And Mog The Forgetful Cat. I saved my copy and gave it to my eldest, but she lost it, so I have to buy them all again for my littlies to read.

They were all waaaaaay too old for me at the time, I was always ahead of my age group reading-wise.

Sometimes I used to sneak into my mum's library bag and read her grown-up books. Not sure that was such a good idea now, but it seemed all fun and scary at the time

oh wow i still remember most of the magic faraway tree to this day, i LOVED it! The famous five were a favorite too. I always wanted their hard boiled eggs dipped in salt and to say jolly good all the time! My other favorites were Narnia, i wanted to meet aslan, and shadow the sheepdog (i was very young then about 5 i think!)

I was going to say magic faraway tree as well.

It was just so - well, magical, the idea of all the different lands at the top of the tree. Now I think about it I wonder if that fuelled my interest in fantasy books?

I also really loved 101 Dalamtians and The Starlight Barking by Dodie Smith.

The book that made the biggest impression on me at school was probably To Kill a Mockingbird, such a classic. I would love my daughter to read that one when she's older.

Enid Blyton here too. Famous Five and Faraway Tree were my favourites. Not very pc nowadays, but I would love my children to read them. Apart from that, I think some of the post apocalyptic stuff - one by Robert Swindells is it Brother in the Land? - really made me think. Oh and the Animals of Farthing Wood. And the Earthsea books by Ursula Le Guin. And Alan Garner oh I could go on....

i read a lot of enid blyton and the nancy drew books. There was a series of books called sweet valley high (i think that was the name) and i read most of those as well. i remember having a nancy drew book which contained about 4 different stories and i used to read these over and over again.

I loved Agatha Christie novels as a kid, I still do
now, but I've read all the books in the series.
Agatha Christie isn't entirely age-appropriate, but
it's suited to children. Of course, Enid Blyton books
were a favourite with me too.

Oh, and there was a time when I became hooked on The Babysitters Club.