Mrs B Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 I was talking to some friends the other day about books we read at school as children, and set books for exams, and I was wondering what books you remember ‘having’ to read, and what else you read (or perhaps didn’t!). I grew up with “Janet and John†at school, and I think we had Ladybird Books too – which started at 1a and went all the way up to 12c. At school and out of school I was always ready to read anything I could get my hands on – just as well our house backed on to a park, which had “The Library†at the other end – I think that from the age of about 7 I trundled back and forth to the Library quite happily several times a week to replenish my stock of reading material - Enid Blyton was a great favourite (much to my parents’ disquiet, who were sure from their reading up on “what children should read†that I should be reading something far more erudite ), along with pony books, boarding school books, Billy Bunter and Just William, and fairy stories of any description - full of ogres, wicked witches, goblins - and I can't remember having a single trauma as a result! As far as “set texts†for exams went, I remember all too clearly for ‘O’ Level, (yes, I’m “that†age) “Lord of the Flies†– which I have never brought myself to read again, Merchant of Venice and some modernish poets – Betjamin and the like. ‘A’ Levels found me tackling Hamlet and Othello, Marlowe’s Faustus, Waugh’s “A Handful of Dustâ€, Chaucer’s “Wife of Bathâ€, the poetry of Gunn and Hughes, and some slim volume of Wordsworth .................. I think! The other thing we were wondering, and didn’t know, but were curious about - and I know that Fugees will have the answers is what today’s children/young people are using as ‘reading books’ today, and what set texts are now on the exam syllabus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K9Fran Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 I think you and I must be about the same age. I started with Janet and John too (and now roll about on the floor when Wogan does his 'tribute' to them in the mornings). Enid Blyton Secret Seven (as opposed to the more popular Famous Five) and then on to Black Beauty, the 'Jill' books by Ruby Ferguson, anything by the Pullein Thompson sisters or Pat Smyth, Follyfoot, and then on to Joyce Stranger. The only compulsory reading I remember was Lord of the Flies and Shakespeare. Didn't do A level English, but do remember the metaphysical poets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 It was Jane and Peter in my day,we also got these reading cards that were colour coded, I think aqua was the hardest......I loved those, as each one was a mini story. My mum was a right one for getting me to read, I had just about all the Ladybird books, a book called The Magic Wishing Chair, about a brother and sister who had a rocking chair that took them places, every animal story book and encyclopaedia I could get my hands on, Little Sambo books, Rudyard Kipling's Just So stories, Beowulf. At secondary school I remember Catcher On The Rye (hated it) Of Mice And Men (loved it) Flowers For Algernon (loved it) hated every bit of Shakespear I ever read, loved Walter Scott. I was dumfounded to find out that Scottish schools don't do Walter Scott at all, and many kids have never even heard of him .....bloody disgrace, he's probably not that well known south of the border but you might have heard of Ivanhoe or Rob Roy, and was one of Scotlands greatest writers, he even turned down the position of Poet Laurete . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Rotties Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 I loved reading as a child and still do, I remember ladybird books and Janet and John, then found Enid Blyton, and wanted to go to boarding school but could never make my mind up which one Mallory Towers or St Clairs the first big book I remember at school was Animal Farm in my last year at primary school, I loved it and remembered the quotes for years to come ie all animals are equal but ......... , come on folks you know the rest of that quote surely Loo and I also found out very early on if Mum asked us did we want a book or sweets if we said a book we would get the sweets as well as Mum loved seeing us read (maybe because we were quiet whilst reading ) Hated Lord of the Flies with a passion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 I think several of us are of a similar age, I too started with Janet & John and ladybird, however I was reading before I went to school and throughout school always read at a much older level, so much so that in Jnr school I was allowed to be a "free reader" and bring my own books in to read as all the set texts were too young for me. I too did Lord of the Flies - and also have never read it again, I found it very disturbing even tho by that time I was reading gorier books Set texts that I can remember (and still have on the book shelf) were Midsummers Nights dream, Merchant of Venice, Chaucers Canterbury Tales & Mill On The Floss (another one I hated). I did the Enid Blyton bit for a while but moved on instead to The Hardy Boys Follyfoot and Joyce Stranger are still amongst my favourites, along with John Wyndham (I still adore Day Of The Triffids & pretty much everything he ever wrote.) I also was a huge reader and collector of J T Edson Westerns, I would hunt high and low to collect them and at one point had several hundred of them - I sold them all to a specialist shop in Hay On Wye when I left school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murtle Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 (edited) I remember Janet and John and am guessing by the comments not everyone had them which would explain when I mention them to some friends they look at me blankly. At primary school Across the Barricades was my favourite book and I remember reading it many times over. Loved Secret Seven, not so keen on the Famous Five, preferred Sweet dreams to the other one with the American blonde twins??! Ah I know Sweet Valley High!! For GCSE's I remember reading Of Mice and Men, Romeo and Juliet, under milk wood there were many more but I can't remember them. Black beauty was the first book I ever bought with my own pocket money. I loved the book!!! oo ooo we did Chaucers Canterbury Tales at primary school. Our end of term play was based on it too...I can't remember who I was!!! but I can remeber the outfit.... Edited June 2, 2009 by murtle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranirottie Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 I was an avid reader from an early age (I could read before I went to school) and would read everything that I could lay my hands on. I loved Black Beuty,Heidi,White Fang and just about everything.I did the usual Shakespeare and other classics at boarding school . I am still an avid reader now but prefer easy read novels these days otherwise with my memory I cant remember who is who. x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebejo Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 My earliest memories are of the Ladybird fairytales (and we've got the entire collection for our girls to read too!) and Topsy & Tim. My mum would take us to the library every week and I'd change the Topsy & Tim books. I too read Lord of the Flies at school and hated it. I hated Tess of the D'Urbervilles too. I've read a lot of the classics by choice but I could never get into that book, I detested Thomas Hardys writing. I did A-level English Literature and I remember reading an awful lot of Shakespeare, Hamlet, MacBeth, Much Ado About Nothing amongst others but I particularly loved his sonnets, 116 being my all time favourite. We had a laugh reading Chaucers Canterbury Tales, he had a wicked sense of humour I read a lot of poetry. My English teacher thought the sun shone from Sylvia Plath but I didn't like her work at all. I loved Philip Larkin and Brian Patten. Pattens A Blade Of Grass is one of my favourite poems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K9Fran Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 I forgot Kes! How could I forget Kes?....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzeanna Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 (edited) I can't remember what I read at primary school, but I loved reading and probably was reading books which were far too old for me! I loved the Famous Five, but I also read all the Chalet School stories, pony stories, Jane Eyre, Treasure Island, Lorna Doone, Kidnapped, lots of Dickens (from choice, as well as at school), Edgar Allan Poe and Grimms Fairy stories etc. A lonely only child's best friend is a book, I think. I went to a Grammar and we did Shakespeare...lots and lots of Shakespeare...and quite daringly for those days, Lady Chatterley's Lover! I used to know the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner off by heart and large sections of "we come to bury Caesar not to praise him" kind of stuff, but it's all fading away with age Nowadays one of my favourites is Terry Pratchett, followed by JD Robb. A good helping of fantasy and a side dish of gruesome murders! edited to add: I forgot AA Milne...When we were very young, Now we are six, and of course Winnie the Pooh. I'll be able to read them to my grandson now! I've bought a book called Now we are Sixty..done to the exact style of the original poems. It's hilarious! Edited June 2, 2009 by suzeanna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel n Hardy Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 At home we had all the enid blyton books (i have older sisters) so mallory towers and the other one as well (St something) was read, also secret seven, famous five etc at junior school all the ladybird books and secondary school it was things like lord of the flies cider with rosie all quiet on the western front canterbury tales unman, wittering and zigo and various others I havent thought about in 30 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacobean Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 I've always loved reading. I remember Janet & John and the ladybird books. I remember them selling books in junior school and being bought one called Amelia Bedelia. I read that time and again. Loved all the Enid Blyton books. The gollywogs and Mister Meddles were my faves. Also enjoyed the wishing chair and boarding school books later on. I'm still put out that you can't get a gollywog these days as I loved mine. In secondary I had to read To Kill A Mocking Bird & another which escapes me. I thought it was by Laurie Lee about him bumming his way around Spain. I didn't think much of it at the time as I thought it was bad to expect people to give him things. I would be interested in reading it as an adult as I'm sure I'd have a different take on it now and think it was wonderful that strangers opened their doors to him etc. I probably have the wrong author altogether. I do remember having to read another that scared the beejeezus out of me. A fantasy type with an owl in it. Can't remember anything else about that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacobean Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 Does anyone remember a series of books about a family who lived near the River Ouse? I really enjoyed those as a child. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Rotties Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 Does anyone remember a series of books about a family who lived near the River Ouse? I really enjoyed those as a child. Could it be these ones Michelle? the Green Knowe books Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslass Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 another which escapes me. I thought it was by Laurie Lee about him bumming his way around Spain. "As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts