First Book you read as a child that stood out the most

kopchoir · 06-09-2009, 1:20 PM

First book you read as a child.

I was an avid reader as a child devoured blyton and others but the first book that stood out for me was the hobbit my mum bought me an expensive version of the book after i had finished the original wish i still had it to be honest then moved onto the lord of the rings struggled at first due to my age with the rings books.

Anyone else

**Theydon Bois** · 06-09-2009, 1:49 PM

No idea what my first book was, but I devoured Enid Blytons Famous Five, Secret Seven, Tintin, Asterix, Three Investigators (which actually of all the childrens books stand up to reading again - I read a mass of them that I bought at a boot sale a year or so ago), Dahl (Fanststic Mr Fox and Danny Champion of the World, Charlie and the Chocoate Factory being me faves), plus tons of comics* all read and re-read loads of times until I stopped reading books altogether at around 12?ish

*My Dad came home from work with two Comics when I was 6? 7?, the Beano and the Dandy - they where behind his back, and me and my brother had to pick one - I got the Beano, him the Dandy - this was repeated a few years later with Whoopee (mine) and Whizzer and Chips (Brother).

DPinBucks · 06-09-2009, 3:15 PM

It was the Just William books for me.

Dony · 06-09-2009, 3:26 PM

The Flight of the Doves by Walter Macken always stood out for me, so much so that I called one of my daughters after a character from the book.

The Flight of the Doves

There was another book I read called The Sliver Spoon (I think), though I can't seem to find it. It was about a young boy being separated from his family during the War.

Codehead · 06-09-2009, 4:04 PM

The Narnia Chronicles - CS Lewis. I read them all out of sequence, just whatever I could get my hands on. I didn't get (and still don't really) the whole religious agenda, I just enjoyed reading them.

mentalpen · 06-09-2009, 4:20 PM

I never really enjoyed reading as a child.
Early teens was when i started reading so will say "Of mice and men" was the first book that i enjoyed and got me into reading for fun.

kopchoir · 06-09-2009, 5:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mentalpen

I never really enjoyed reading as a child.
Early teens was when i started reading so will say "Of mice and men" was the first book that i enjoyed and got me into reading for fun.

I didnt really read much in my teens apart from school work it was always girls and football that took over to be honest nowt much has changed throw beer and gaming into the equation and im set for life

Yeah Dahl and Cs lewis I read as well my mum tried getting me to read other stuff but i enjoyed reading stuff that was not the norm something i could as a child use my imagination.

getting older i started on some tom clancy books

**IronGiant** · 06-09-2009, 5:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Codehead

The Narnia Chronicles - CS Lewis. I read them all out of sequence, just whatever I could get my hands on. I didn't get (and still don't really) the whole religious agenda, I just enjoyed reading them.

Me too

on both counts...

So first book was I'm sure, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.

DICKIEDUVET · 06-09-2009, 6:47 PM

I used to love reading the Fighting Fantasy series where you could choose different paths to take which had different consequences, Written by Steve Jackson if I remember right. Warlock Of Firetop Mountain and Citadel Of Chaos were two that stood out.

domtheone · 06-09-2009, 6:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theydon Bois

No idea what my first book was, but I devoured Enid Blytons Famous Five, Secret Seven, Tintin, Asterix, Three Investigators (which actually of all the childrens books stand up to reading again - I read a mass of them that I bought at a boot sale a year or so ago), Dahl (Fanststic Mr Fox and Danny Champion of the World, Charlie and the Chocoate Factory being me faves), plus tons of comics* all read and re-read loads of times until I stopped reading books altogether at around 12?ish

Absolutely Loved the Secret 7. Fantastic Mr Fox (film coming out soon

) and Danny The Champion were stunning books too and amongst my favourite memories. May have to read them again sometime (feels a bit wierd reading a book that i've not read for 20/30 years given that i'm grown up now, may have lost some of it's magic etc etc. Wierdstone of Brisingamen the only example i've had of this though).

Possibly my earliest memories are the Tim and Tobias Books though (Tim and The Hidden People) . Always have a special place for them and have recenty considered getting hold of them for nostalgic reasons

Quote:

Originally Posted by DICKIEDUVET

I used to love reading the Fighting Fantasy series where you could choose different paths to take which had different consequences, Written by Steve Jackson if I remember right. Warlock Of Firetop Mountain and Citadel Of Chaos were two that stood out.

Loved them too! Citadel of Chaos was a right

to complete from memory

*The Dude* · 06-09-2009, 7:16 PM

The first one that stands out is one I read in class at Junior School.

It was called 'Moonfleet' and was an old story about a boy who got mixed up in pirates/smuggling in Cornwall or somewhere...

A really great story with a good moral running through it, got me into backgammon too.

**Theydon Bois** · 06-09-2009, 7:24 PM

Ah! Just remembered one of my favourite kids books! The Phantom Tollbooth! We did it as a sort of play/presentation at my primary school, using an overhead projector with stills drawn from the books as backgrounds.

Oh, and as an avid gamer (still play DnD now

) the FF books were supurb, I used to take them on holiday when we went to Cornwall as kids.

GasDad · 06-09-2009, 8:13 PM

Come Hunt an Earthman - Philip E High

No idea how I ended up with the book - but it was the end of Blyton etc for me and the start of a love afair with SF that remains to this day.

Early teens saw me working through my Fathers , Alistair Mclean and Desomnd Bagley - 'Running Blind' was perhaps the best of the lot.

rickinyorkshire · 07-09-2009, 6:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by domtheone

Fantastic Mr Fox (film coming out soon

)

Me too, loved that book! :D

Also, Charlie and the chocolate factory was another book that stands out.

Decadence · 07-09-2009, 7:58 AM

A little Ladybird poetry book about various vehicles called Tootles The Taxi.

kav · 07-09-2009, 8:27 AM

I got through tons of Enid Blyton - Famous Five, Secret Seven, and Five Find-Outers (and dog), the Hardy Boys (handsome, athletic, even-tempered Frank and handsome, athletic, hot-tempered Joe

), The Three Investigators, Roald Dahl, The "Choose Your Own Adventure" series...

However, the books that stood out the most for me as a child were:

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain
Journey to the Centre of the Earth - Jules Verne
The Witches - Roald Dahl

Whe I first read the OP, Journey to the Centre of the Earth was the book that jumped into my head, so I'd have to say that one, if I could pick only one. Something about the idea of a whole world within our world just blew me away as a child.

BamBamMickey · 07-09-2009, 8:29 AM

In order of reading.....

George's Marvellous Medicine.
James & The Giant Peach.
Of Mice & Men (about age 9)

sniffer66 · 07-09-2009, 8:41 AM

The Midnight Folk - John Masefield

I loved it at the time. I re-read it recently as I had so many good memories and I found it a bit heavy going - odd !

Another vote for CS Lewis here as well

Stream62 · 07-09-2009, 9:07 AM

Wasn't much of a reader as a child I rememeber my mum encouraging me onto James and the Giant peach and a couple of other but they didn't catch and I gave up halfway through! Mainly read comics!!

First books I actually read and enjoyed were the Hobbit, the first of the Dark is Rising books and another vote for CS Lewis (I bought these again recently in preperation for reading them to my daughter when she is old enough...she is currently 1)!

sniffer66 · 07-09-2009, 9:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stream62

and another vote for CS Lewis (I bought these again recently in preperation for reading them to my daughter when she is old enough...she is currently 1)!

LOL, I bought the boxed set for my son when he was 6 months !

Then re-read them all myself

square-eyes-baz · 07-09-2009, 8:41 PM

I read both these in the early 70s and still have them both- fantastic stories,very atmospheric, the first one is hard to get hold of now, I remember even then being totally immersed in them -

The Man Who Lived In Inner Space

Amazon.com: The man who lived in inner space (9780395140741): Arnold Federbush: Books

The Giant Under The Snow

The Giant Under the Snow: Amazon.co.uk: John Gordon: Books.

*The Dude* · 07-09-2009, 8:53 PM

Anyone who's into CS lewis or Tolkien should maybe try some Alan Garner too..

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen

25 years after reading it, I still sometimes dream about fighting off hordes of svarts.

domtheone · 07-09-2009, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Dude

Anyone who's into CS lewis or Tolkien should maybe try some Alan Garner too..

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen

25 years after reading it, I still sometimes dream about fighting off hordes of svarts.

Although it wasn't quite as magical as when I first read this (25 years ago maybe?) (see post 10), still a mighty great book

spudtator · 07-09-2009, 11:09 PM

Danny, the Champion of the World was quite intense for me when I was young as my dad died when I was two. I imagined that if my dad was still alive he would be like Danny's.

Rorifett · 07-09-2009, 11:14 PM

The Gingerbread Man

I remember having to give up reading it at points when I was a wee boy cos I struggled with some of the words (can't imagine which words since the whole book consists of 'can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man') - I'm sure I drove my mum up the wall every day I'd be there on the couch with Dotaman on the tv, reading the book out to her and asking her to translate what they were saying on Dotaman.

I only found out a few years ago that she doesn't speak Gaelic and had been fobbing me off with phrases just to get me to shut up... But like Murphys I'm not bitter...

Sonic67 · 08-09-2009, 12:31 PM

My first grown up book was The War Of The Worlds. I'm not sure of my age at the time but I started reading it and then found it too difficult. So I vowed to read a chapter a night anyway. By the end I really got into it and ploughed through.

**IronGiant** · 08-09-2009, 12:44 PM

Having parts of the book set only a mile or so from your house helped keep my interest in War of the Worlds going when I first read it

Dave

GasDad · 08-09-2009, 1:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Dude

Anyone who's into CS lewis or Tolkien should maybe try some Alan Garner too..

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen

25 years after reading it, I still sometimes dream about fighting off hordes of svarts.

This was a class book in Junior school - but this was in Wilmslow - just around the corner from Alderly Edge. Class visits to see the caves etc followed.