General Chat

mary, i too loved the secret garden, one of my favourties, and all the famous five books

Being fairly ancient - Milly Molly Mandy. These were reprinted a few years ago. Anne

ooh, what a lovely thread! but I have to go offline, packing & sorting for the xmas trip norf tomorrow. Loved Blyton, Hobbit, fairy tales etc. Have a good xmas everyone! xx Jen

Silver Sword Stig of the Dump Milly Molly Mandy Mrs Pepperpot Secret Seven

The story about the girls at boarding school --can`t remember the name, Ros

The Wizard of Oz. 'Miss' read this to us on a Friday afternoon - I loved it and couldn't wait for fridays to come round! The next year, the teacher read us Bevis and Mark.....boooooooring boring. Loved the Faraway Tree, all the Enid Blytons, and the Andrew Lang 'Red Book of Fairy Tales' - scary stuff which had my eyes popping out. OC

my favourites were Black Beauty. The What Katy Did series, The Secret Garden, The Borrowers, Wind in the Willows,The Hobbit, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, my absolute favourite- Bellmann the Beagle, Born Free and all time favourites always to be re read David Copperfield and Jane Eyre.

Oooohh yes... St Trinian's !!! and ... Amelia Jane !!! The book 'Old Chairs To Mend' was a book about some children and a chair mender. Not actually a Nursery Rhyme. Sadly I can't remember much about the story but I know I loved it, it was one of the first more grown up books (about half an inch thick and with not so many pictures in) that I read when I was about 8 or 9, I can still see the front cover of the book now in the school library.

I think the other book was actually called 'Children's Treasury of Literature' circa 1970 about 2 inches thick, The cover was heavily illustrated and blue-ish / multi in colour but if the jacket was removed the hard back cover was red with gold writing. I have searched and searched online and would love to find it again.

Junior School - The Incredible Journey Senior School - The Merchant of Venice

I think this was 'Old Chairs To Mend' by Noel Streatfield... 'Story' Emma and Paul know that there will soon be a new baby in the family, although their mother and father will not promise an exact date. One day, their father wakes them, and says that the baby is probably coming today, but it might be very late, so they are to stay the night with their Gran. They are to be taken to Gran's place by a neighbour, Mrs Jones, who is a bus conductress and whose bus goes right past Gran's place on the other side of London. The children get off the bus at the right stop, but when they ring Gran's doorbell, nobody answers! Just as the children are starting to get worried, a boy comes through the gate. He tells them that Gran has had an accident and gone to hospital, but there didn't seem to be much wrong with her. The boy has a key to Gran's house, and he lets them in. He explains that his father is a chair caner - he repairs cane chairs - and Gran lets him keep his work tools in her back room. The boy's father - Bert Boakes - soon returns, and says that Gran will be fine and should be home in a couple of days. The children spend an exciting day with him, seeing what the life of a chair caner is like. They also meet his brother Syd, who is a street acrobat, and his niece Connie who is a singer (but not a very good one!) When the children go home the next day, it seems 'as if miles of time had passed since ... yesterday morning. It was as if between then and now they had been in a different world' (Old Chairs to Mend, 1966:92). 'Writer's Thoughts' Old Chairs to Mend is one of Noel's books for younger readers. Like Bertram, it was published in the Hamish Hamilton 'Antelope' series. Noel's other books for Hamish Hamilton were Let's Go Coaching (in the 'Gazelle' series for very young readers) and The Grey Family (in the 'Reindeer' series for a slightly older age group, though still younger than Noel's usual readership). The characters in Old Chairs to Mend are aged eight and six, and there is nothing much in the way of characterisation. The book gives a very simplistic picture of a way of life that is likely to be unfamiliar, but interesting, to the readers. Editions and Availability UK Editions Old Chairs to Mend was first published by Hamish Hamilton in 1966, with illustrations by Barry Wilkinson. US Editions There does not seem to have been a US edition of Old Chairs to Mend. Out of Print Old Chairs to Mend is out of print and very rare. In February 2004, the only two second hand copies I can find listed by online booksellers costs £13 and £18. (Source: Addall Used and Out of Print Book Search.).

20,000 Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe Several books by Robert Louis Stevenson Len

The Wind in the Willows Secret Seven Famous Five Treasure Island Reg

the lion,the witch ,and the wardrobex

Debs You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, And spet upon my Jewish gaberdine, And all for use of that which is mine own. Well then, it now appears you need my help; Go to, then; you come to me, and you say 'Shylock, we would have moneys.' You say so: You that did void your rheum upon my beard, And foot me as you spurn a stranger cur Over your threshold; moneys is your suit. What should I say to you? Should I not say 'Hath a dog money? Is it possible A cur can lend three thousand ducats?' Or Shall I bend low and, in a bondman's key, With bated breath and whisp'ring humbleness, Say this:-- 'Fair sir, you spit on me on Wednesday last; You spurn'd me such a day; another time You call'd me dog; and for these courtesies I'll lend you thus much moneys?' len

Janet and john Malorary Towerers Mice and men

Gaynor, I had Hilda Boswell's Treasury of Fairy Tales and my friend who I met many years after had Hilda Boswell's Treasury of nursery rhymes Collins and sons was the publisher.

Thanks Len! That brought back memories. Deb

I was a great fan of Noel Streatfield .. Gemma and her Sisters was my favourite. I'd done all Enid Blyton and Arthur Ransome and horses scared me so no Jill at anything for me. By the time I was ten I'd read every book in our house (there weren't many) including the Book Club collection of Charles Dickens (all very tasteful in dark blue with titles in gold letters). Then, still ten, I discovered How Green Was My Valley and was blown away. My sons weren't interested in reading until the Harry Potter books came along. Now 17 and 18 they are voracious readers - favourite author being Magnus Mills. Neither of them were thrilled by the Magic Key books that they had in primary school. Our house is full of books. If we read them and like them we can't get rid of them ... help! Hapy Christmas to you all from someone who wishes she has shares in Amazon. A xxxx

Debs In 1940 I could repeat the whole play plus a few other things I needed for English Lit. I had a memory then..... but somehow mislaid it len