I asked a child what their fave book from last year was and their answer was a series that was published about a decade ago. A good reminder that a book is always new to a child who hasn't read it. The constant publishing hustle for novelty has nothing to do with what children want. #KidLitUK
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But my favorite, that I read dozens of times until I lost count, was "Tom Sawyer". The sequel was OK, but I loved Tom Sawyer for some reason.
Also, "White Fang".
I might be old, but I'm not THAT old... Good stories are timeless.
In my teens, I was all John Steinbeck. "Grapes of Wrath", "East of Eden", and "Cannery Row".
"But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’—that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world."
A lot of us grew up with old stories like The Secret Garden and The Chronicles of Narnia. I barely remember any contemporary books from my childhood but I remember our primary school teachers reading us Roald Dahl.
Maybe David Baddiel can write a book about me and my ways.
Truly doesn’t matter that it was published 50 years ago. If you relate to the six year-old Ramona, that’s what you ask to hear.
A child’s discovery reminds us that the best stories aren’t about being new—they’re about being timeless.
Maybe the publishing world could take a page from its own classics.
#KidLit
#TimelessStories
#ReadingForAllAges
And what did those have in common?
Engineering.
I did the same with several Dahl books. Understand the tug of heart strings, but they cherished them all.
My urban kids hated it
🤷🏻♀️
have the book.
It was a minor-sad moment for me. But you can’t win them all
Mostly we love the same stuff!
It was the first children’s book to have working class protagonists. Really trail blazing at the time.
I've talked to non-white parents in several former colonies about this, bemused given the range of choice now
but actually most of our bookstores (and supermarket shelf sections) tend to be full of old or new mass market stuff for kids, so choices are also limited
And for kids who aren't into fiction, I've bought Attenborough nature books & others on topics of interest.
the range, breadth and randomness
felt like a treasure hunt at times
And fairly recently a new Tongan island formed and I was back to being an 8 year old again.
I read a lot of books last year, and my favorite was first published in 2018. (Kingdom by Jon McNaught).
He thought it was based on a video game. I told him it was written way before the internet and TV and he was surprised.
Secret? I have a precious. It's a cheap replica but not cheaply made. Came with something as a bonus.
First published in the 70s/80s.
I’m not sure if they stand up in 2024 but we’ll find out!?
Until there was a sequel to Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. What? A new book from a kid's author?
I was thrilled when my grandmother let me borrow it, and then let me keep it!
One example being The Stone Angel by Margaret Lawrence.🇨🇦 your post is so true.
We were really poor when I was young so my mum picked up books and games from jumble sales (I don't know if people remember them?) because they're gender neutral and we all enjoyed them.
*NOT Harlequin lol
The Dark is Rising, Wrinkle in Time, Narnia, Harry Potter, Wind in Willows, The Borrowers, Beverly Clearly, Little House on the Prairie, Charlotte’s Web……
I need to reread the books, especially as we're often in Cheshire, as my husband & son support Stockport County Football Club.