Children's classics: dull and old-fashioned, or brilliant, gripping stories that have stood the test of time? We ask readers to tell us about their favourite classic books...
Lauren says:
Rudyard Kipling - best known for 'The Jungle Book', right? Well, I like 'Rewards and Fairies' better; the fairytales are sometimes amusing, sometimes tragic and sometimes rather creepy! Along with The People of The Hill (that's another name for the fairies, by the way) are historical characters like Queen Elizabeth, so effortlessly woven into the story that it doesn't seem at all strange! These are not stories for the nursery - they are stories with darkness, like in 'The Knife and the Naked Chalk.' As Kipling himself once wrote, 'The tales had to be read by children, before people realised they were meant for adults.' Regardless of how old you are, I believe this book is well worth taking the time to read!
Isobel says:
The classic I love the most is Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery. When I was first given the book I thought it looked very old fashioned and a bit boring; then I turned to the first page and was sucked onto the world of Avonlea! The book tells the story of Anne Shirley, who is adopted by Matthew and Marilla, a brother and sister with a farm. It's happy and sad, filled with mistakes and friendship problems, boy problems too... and none of this is helped by Anne and her vivid imagination; she has her share of hair-raising adventures! I thoroughly recommend this book - I would read it over and over again!
Mina says:
My favourite classic is A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It transports you back to post Victorian England and makes you love Sara, the main character. When her father dies she faces the sorrow so bravely. Her clothes and the rich fabrics they are made from are described so beautifully you can almost feel them; then she is suddenly plunged into poverty and you can see how much she has lost. It is literally the opposite of rags to riches! It truly is a magical story, and one of my all-time favourites - I love it!
Grace says:
I would pick a book called The Children of the New Forest by Captain Marryat. It's a little old fashioned, but once you get used to that it is a beautiful story about a family of children during the English Civil War.
I love the historical setting and the story is so gripping. It's just magical - and it's the book that got me into writing. It's also one of the longest novels I have ever read - I am a fast reader but this took me two days to read. I have re-read it again and again since then and I think I don't think I will ever get tired of it.
Blue says:
I spent my childhood and early teens reading 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' by Lemony Snicket; the series chronicles the lives of Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, after the death of their parents. Snicket has a writing style I absolutely adore and the books are humorous too - one minute you're tense and jittery at some unfortunate event plaguing the courageous siblings, and the next you're in hysterics. I consider the series to be modern classics - they're popular with my generation but I caught my mum reading them too! They're set in a time period that isn't quite discernible so I don't think they'll go out of fashion or lose their relevance. I love the beautiful illustrations by Brett Helquist, too. The books symbolise all that was good about my childhood and may be the reason I became such a voracious reader in the first place!
Cathy says:
I LOVE these suggestions... I've read some of them, and totally agree! What's YOUR fave classic read? COMMENT BELOW and share your views!
Rudyard Kipling - best known for 'The Jungle Book', right? Well, I like 'Rewards and Fairies' better; the fairytales are sometimes amusing, sometimes tragic and sometimes rather creepy! Along with The People of The Hill (that's another name for the fairies, by the way) are historical characters like Queen Elizabeth, so effortlessly woven into the story that it doesn't seem at all strange! These are not stories for the nursery - they are stories with darkness, like in 'The Knife and the Naked Chalk.' As Kipling himself once wrote, 'The tales had to be read by children, before people realised they were meant for adults.' Regardless of how old you are, I believe this book is well worth taking the time to read!
The classic I love the most is Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery. When I was first given the book I thought it looked very old fashioned and a bit boring; then I turned to the first page and was sucked onto the world of Avonlea! The book tells the story of Anne Shirley, who is adopted by Matthew and Marilla, a brother and sister with a farm. It's happy and sad, filled with mistakes and friendship problems, boy problems too... and none of this is helped by Anne and her vivid imagination; she has her share of hair-raising adventures! I thoroughly recommend this book - I would read it over and over again!
My favourite classic is A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It transports you back to post Victorian England and makes you love Sara, the main character. When her father dies she faces the sorrow so bravely. Her clothes and the rich fabrics they are made from are described so beautifully you can almost feel them; then she is suddenly plunged into poverty and you can see how much she has lost. It is literally the opposite of rags to riches! It truly is a magical story, and one of my all-time favourites - I love it!
I would pick a book called The Children of the New Forest by Captain Marryat. It's a little old fashioned, but once you get used to that it is a beautiful story about a family of children during the English Civil War.
I love the historical setting and the story is so gripping. It's just magical - and it's the book that got me into writing. It's also one of the longest novels I have ever read - I am a fast reader but this took me two days to read. I have re-read it again and again since then and I think I don't think I will ever get tired of it.
I spent my childhood and early teens reading 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' by Lemony Snicket; the series chronicles the lives of Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, after the death of their parents. Snicket has a writing style I absolutely adore and the books are humorous too - one minute you're tense and jittery at some unfortunate event plaguing the courageous siblings, and the next you're in hysterics. I consider the series to be modern classics - they're popular with my generation but I caught my mum reading them too! They're set in a time period that isn't quite discernible so I don't think they'll go out of fashion or lose their relevance. I love the beautiful illustrations by Brett Helquist, too. The books symbolise all that was good about my childhood and may be the reason I became such a voracious reader in the first place!
Cathy says:
I LOVE these suggestions... I've read some of them, and totally agree! What's YOUR fave classic read? COMMENT BELOW and share your views!
I like to read classics such as the jungle book by Rudyard Kipling and Alice in wonderland by Lewis carol. I also like to read morden favorites like Jacqueline Wilson and Cathy Cassidy.
ReplyDeleteI capture the castle is a beautifully written book is told via the three notebooks of Cassandra Mortmain. She lives in a crumbling ruin with her writer’s-block-captured father, her fadingly glamorous stepmother Topaz, sister Rose, little brother Thomas and Stephen Colly-the farmers boy and lodger.
ReplyDeleteWhen the American heirs (Simon and Neil) return to the castle, the family is shocked. With their money low, Rose is under pressure to marry the rich Simon. Slowly, Cassandra is falling in love with her sister’s fiance and is torn- she deserves Simon and Rose only wants money for the family.
I love that book but the ending....argh!
DeleteI like What Katy Did and Little Women and Alice in Wonderland and... To many to list ;)
ReplyDeleteI love A Little Princess! That's like my fave classic! :o)
ReplyDeleteSameeee :D
Deletei agree with blue, i haven't read the books but i've seen the film which i loved and learnt the plot of the books from.
ReplyDeleteRead the books. The film is TOTALLY different. There's 13 books in the series which is why I wish they'd made a series of films instead of just one. And a pivotal point in the fourth book means it's crucial that Klaus wears glasses and can scarcely see without them. He didn't wear glasses in the film. The books are far superior. And they keep you busy as there's 13 books to get through!
DeleteBlue. :-)
Hi shout out to Cathy Cassidy i love your books. I am basically a reading fanatic. Cant wait for fortune cookie! ����
ReplyDeleteHi cathy I really love your books there the best x
ReplyDeleteI love classics too, and recently, due to a fascination with mythology, I managed to plough my way through Chapman's translation of "The Odyssey". It was hard work, but I was really pleased that I'd done it.
ReplyDeleteI also love "Alice in Wonderland", "The Secret Garden" and "Heidi". And speaking of Rudyard Kipling, "The Just So Stories" are an old favourite of mine :)
wow wow wow i have only read a few classics but my favourite is by far alice in wonderland its really good we did it as a play i was the queen of hearts so fun you have to watch the film and read the big cos u will love them who else likes alice in wonderland????
ReplyDeletei read alice in wonderland and the looking glass but they are way too weird for me! i loved little women but i did not like when beth died since she was my favourite character and would have preferred all the sisters to live! my mammy read heidi as a little girl and i read a chapter of it out of a classic girls treasury along with a chapter of both what katy did and a little princess. they were quite good, but not as brilliant as heidi! but, my favourite classic of all and one of my all time favourite books HAS to be anne of green gables! i was delighted to have been given the full book to read as another of the chapters in the treasury was from anne- the one about marilla's amethyst brooch. straight away i was whisked into the world of avonlea, as i joined anne on her adventures: having a best friend named diana, the cracked slate situation, her first taste of ice cream, the long grudge between her and gil... oh! now i'm gonna be dreaming about charlie sloane's big goggly eyes! i have read all the other books in the series... well, at the moment i am reading rilla of ingleside on the web cause i can't get an actual book! but the first in the series is definitely the best! i am absolutely mad about enid blyton! the good thing about her is you always have something to read since she wrote like 2,000 books! as for modern day books, well, cathy's of course, but i'm just a new reader, and i read a jaqueline wilson book and it was quite good but not exactly me. and i'm still into the fairy books for five year olds like secret kingdom and rainbow magic- PLEASE don't laugh- they're pretty good apart from the bits where the babyishness shines through! i tried to read gulliver's travels part one and two that were the same book and it was the most boring thing ever! i made my way through, though. did you know jonathan swift was irish? and i am NOT reading the last two parts! well, BYE! lucy :)
ReplyDelete