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The topic this week is connected to books for my younger self. I'm going to look at books I read over and over but had to part with as I got older and I had to find space for new books.
1) Walter Farley-The Black Stallion
I've never been much interested in horse racing other than watching the Grand National as a kid but I loved this series of books especially the ones that heavily featured racing-The Black Stallion's Filly, Courage, Challenge and the two with health scares-The Black Stallion and Satan and The Black Stallion and Flame. I have re-purchased them to read again!
2) Enid Blyton-The Famous Five & more
I had all 21 books by Enid Blyton and the first 8 that Claude Voilier wrote in his spin offs with the same characters. I've been able to get the Famous Five, Secret Seven, Secret, Adventure, Find Outers, Malory Towers and St Clare's etc but not the books Claude wrote sadly. I plan to be reviewing them as I read them over the next year or so.
3) Francine Pascal-Sweet Valley High
When I was around 12, every girl in my first year at secondary was addicted to SVH. We all loved the books and I was Team Jessica while my best friend was Team Elizabeth. I had a ton of books filling my bookshelves...about the first 50 I think but I eventually had to part with them as I lost interest in romance. I always regret not reading every one!
4) Judy Blume books
All the girls in my secondary school loved her books and I bought a few-Blubber, Deenie, Forever, Are you there God it's me Margaret. I read them so often! She was an author who really understood what affected kids as they grew up. I've downloaded a few to read again.
5) Helen Dore Boylston-Sue Barton
After a spell in hospital with kidney failure when I was ten, I became fascinated with this series which follows a young woman through all the various types of nursing-neighbourhood, student, rural, staff nurse etc and loved them. I did recently get hold of them again and found that I really enjoyed them again so this time I'm keeping them!
6) Cheerleaders/Sweet Dreams
Two more teen romance series that I devoured when I was about 11! The first was a series about a cheerleader squad at an American high school and I loved it but the stand-alone books in the Sweet Dreams series which were also all written by different authors. I still fondly remember Ask Annie, Green Eyes, The Two Of Us and The Popularity Plan!
7) Elyne Mitchell-The Silver Brumby
I loved this series about the lives of the wild horses in Australia. I had the whole set at one point and I so wish I still had them so I could read them again and review them! Maybe I can find them online at some point.
8) Anne Digby-Trebizon
I had a thing about girl's boarding school books when I was a kid but never got the chance to read the whole set. They are available cheap online so I will try and read and review some of them where I can!
9) The Pullein-Thompsons
Sisters Diana, Christine and Josephine wrote a pile of horse related books for children. I loved Christine's Phantom Horse series best but read Josephine's Pony Club books from the local library and other stand-alones by all three.
10) Roald Dahl
At school we were given Roald Dahl to read for fun or stories read to the whole classroom. I remember the first time we heard each of the stories and I got a few of my favourites as presents. My favourite was Fantastic Mr Fox and James And The Giant Peach-my fascination with foxes and sharks continues to this day!
