Books We Read (or Were Read) at School

[Katharine]

I think I must have been a bit backward at school, as many of the books I recall I felt were too adult for me at the time. I saw the film Educating Rita when I was 17. I didn't really 'get' it at the time, and was a bit disappointed with it. However I watched it again a few years later and really enjoyed it. In fact it's now one of my favourite films. If I didn't understand it's subtleties at 17, I definitely wouldn't have been able to study it at O level.

I'm amazed at so many of you saying you were read Enid Blyton books at school. My overwhelming memory of school and Enid Blyton both at primary and secondary, was that she was classed as a 'rubbish' author and the reading of her books was to be discouraged. I wonder if that was unique to Ipswich? We get a mention in Sheila Ray's book about Enid. I think our libraries banned the Billy Bunter books as being unsuitable for the local youngsters, so did they also influence the teachers in the area about Enid Blyton as well? I grew up thinking the whole teaching profession was against her, but from so many comments on here, it would seem my teachers were in the minority.

All I can say, is thank goodness for my mother and aunt, or perhaps I'd never have discovered the delights of Enid Blyton.

[Anita Bensoussane]

In Primary School, we read the 'Tim and the Hidden People' series by Sheila McCullagh. From what I remember, these books were very atmospheric, almost scary. I don't think we read the entire series, but what we did read was pretty captivating.

I haven't seen the Tim books, but when my daughter was little I collected Sheila McCullagh's Puddle Lane series for her (published by Ladybird books for beginner readers) and she really enjoyed them. They too were atmospheric, with mysterious and magical happenings.

I think I must have been a bit backward at school, as many of the books I recall I felt were too adult for me at the time. I saw the film Educating Rita when I was 17. I didn't really 'get' it at the time, and was a bit disappointed with it. However I watched it again a few years later and really enjoyed it. In fact it's now one of my favourite films. If I didn't understand it's subtleties at 17, I definitely wouldn't have been able to study it at O level.

My 13-year-old son studied Educating Rita at school a few months ago and said he didn't like it much. I felt sorry that he'd been introduced to it so young as it's one of my favourites and I think he might have enjoyed it more if he hadn't read it for a few more years. I have the film on DVD and suggested that it might help bring the play to life if he watched it (even though the film contains an additional subplot or two) but he wasn't interested. We sometimes read bits out loud at home, with my son taking Frank's part and me taking Rita's/Susan's, but I could tell my son's heart wasn't in it.

[Carlotta King]

I don't ever remember seeing any of Enid's books at school either. I never heard anyone actively specify that they were frowned upon or discouraged, but there were none on the bookshelves from what I could remember, as I would have read them at school if there had been, and I only ever read them at home. Like Katharine says, it is thanks to my mum introducing me to Enid's books and giving me all the books she herself had owned as a child!

[Katharine]

Anita, I was very interested to see that your son has already studied Educting Rita. I don't know how much the book differs from the film version, but it really does seem to me that it would be a bit beyond a lot of children of 13.

I think that's a real shame, as I think it's an excellent film, but I've only really appreciated it's strengths since I've had a bit more experience of life.

I don't know if it's in the book, but my favourite bit is when Rita has to write an essay on how she would get around the problems of staging Ibsen's Peer Gynt. Her short answer being 'put it on the radio'. That pretty much sums up how I felt about having to write English essay.

I've just remembered another book I studied at A level - Death of a Salesman. I have fairly neutral feelings about that. I can't say I liked it as such, as I like my books to be fairly simple and straight forward, whereas this is quite thought provoking. However, it's not something I would rush to switch off if the film came on TV, and if my children ever had to study it, I'd be happy to discuss it with them.

[Wolfgang]

My 13-year-old son studied Educating Rita at school a few months ago and said he didn't like it much. I felt sorry that he'd been introduced to it so young as it's one of my favourites and I think he might have enjoyed it more if he hadn't read it for a few more years. I have the film on DVD and suggested that it might help bring the play to life if he watched it (even though the film contains an additional subplot or two) but he wasn't interested. We sometimes read bits out loud at home, with my son taking Frank's part and me taking Rita's/Susan's, but I could tell my son's heart wasn't in it.

This might be tragic, but it's no tragedy. .

[Rebeccadanielle]

At my first primary school Enid Blyton was a banned author. This was a Christian school and they banned just about everything including Deltora Quest, Harry Potter and the Fairy Realm books, also I'm certain the Judy Blume books got banned too. I was so glad to get out of that place and into a better school.

In grade eight we also studied A Fortunate Life by Albert Facey. Nobody enjoyed that book and I don't think we even finshed it because so many people in my class had trouble getting into the book, and the teacher didn't even like it and while we were reading it and doing our work she would be on a computer planning her next holiday to Melbourne. We were supposed to read Lake at the End of the World by Caroline MacDonald, but I'd read it a couple of years earlier and hated it so much. So I convinced the teacher to let us read Parvana instead as I'd read that one earlier and thought my class would get more out of it.

We did a lot of short stories and other obscure plays that I have forgotten but none left any sort of impact on me.

In grade two my teacher got into trouble for letting us read The Cay but she said we were old enough to understand this book and she wasn't going to have us do our first novel study on a religious based book like the school wanted, she wanted a book she could teach, a book that we could discuss and enjoy. (This teacher was my hero) and to this day The Cay is still one of my favourite books.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I don't know if it's in the book, but my favourite bit is when Rita has to write an essay on how she would get around the problems of staging Ibsen's Peer Gynt. Her short answer being 'put it on the radio'.

Ah yes - I think it's "Do it on the radio." I'm much more familiar with the film than I am with the play, and I love that line too. Also "Assonance means getting the rhyme wrong," and loads of others.

This might be tragic, but it's no tragedy. .

"It is for the poor *********** under the tree!" (Another favourite bit! In fact, about half the script is my favourite bit!)

[Katharine]

Oh yes, I'd forgotten those two bits. Well that's solved what I'll be watching next time I sit down in front of the TV.

[Stephen]

As I said earlier, I thought Animal Farm was excellent. But I've just remembered another book we did that featured animals with human thoughts and feelings - Jonathan Livingston Seagull - and it completely threw me! I couldn't get into it at all.

[Danger Bird]

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
An Inspector Calls by J B Priestley

Two books that were a lot better than I thought they would be. Particularly An Inspector Calls which had a great twist.

[Fiona1986]

I'm a fan of An Inspector Calls too, which is something I read at school. So much so I asked for it for my christmas a few years ago.

[Aussie Sue]

As I said earlier, I thought Animal Farm was excellent. But I've just remembered another book we did that featured animals with human thoughts and feelings - Jonathan Livingston Seagull - and it completely threw me! I couldn't get into it at all.

Didn't read it at school, but Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a favourite adult book of mine.

Aussie Sue

[Courtenay]

Yes, I like Jonathan Livingston Seagull too (and I couldn't get into it the first time I read it either). I think it's meant to be a sort of benign spiritual allegory, whereas Animal Farm is a biting political allegory, so that would account for some of the differences between them!

As for books at school... We never had set texts to read and study in primary school (this was also in Australia), but I remember one teacher in particular I had two years running - he would read us stories, one chapter or so per day, and put on silly voices for all the different characters.. Usually the books were by Paul Jennings (humorous Aussie writer for kids, very popular in the late '80s/early '90s) or Roald Dahl. I can still hear that teacher's hilariously funny renditions of Mr and Mrs Twit!

Secondary school books - a lot of the ones we had were the sort that really didn't make for good study material, but some were excellent. Here are the ones I recall the most:

The Shifting Heart by Richard Beynon - a quite moving play about an Italian immigrant family struggling with prejudice in 1960s Melbourne

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham - enjoyable sci-fi, but not brilliant for study purposes

Elli: Coming of Age in the Holocaust by Livia E. Bitton Jackson - very harrowing memoir of a young Jewish girl sent to Auschwitz

Macbeth - the only Shakespeare I did at school, but I'd read it already when my older sister studied it a few years earlier, and already loved it!

Medea by Euripides - my first taste of ancient Greek drama. When our English teacher at that time decided we should have a poetry day, I remember having fun writing a rhyming send-up of Medea!!

Minimum of Two by Tim Winton - short stories by a popular Australian writer, who unfortunately is a bit repetitive with his themes and a bit bleak as well

King Oedipus by Sophocles - more Greek tragedy, a bit bleak again, but fun to study!

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë - really didn't think much of it, but had to pretend I did for exam purposes

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - had read it some years earlier and loved it; didn't really enjoy studying it, but I'm grateful I wasn't put off it!

Fly Away Peter by David Malouf - short novel about a young Australian man caught up in WWI; not a brilliant story in retrospect, but good themes for essays

The Longest Memory by Fred D'Aguiar - another short novel, about slavery in pre-Civil War Virginia, told from the perspective of several different characters alternately. This was one of the last books I studied at school (for VCE English, the equivalent of A-level), and one of the best.

I recall being so worn out with studying books by the time I finished school that it was several years before I really got into reading for enjoyment again, but I'm glad I now can - when I have time!

[Aussie Sue]

Courtenay I was interested to read your comment re Tim Winton. He is held up as one of our great writers and being Australian (and a very keen reader) I try to support our writers but despite trying many times I just can't get into his books, not for me.

cheers
Aussie Sue

[Anita Bensoussane]

I remember one teacher in particular I had two years running - he would read us stories, one chapter or so per day, and put on silly voices for all the different characters.. Usually the books were by Paul Jennings (humorous Aussie writer for kids, very popular in the late '80s/early '90s) or Roald Dahl.

I read some short stories by Paul Jennings after watching Round the Twist on TV in the 1990s. Imaginative and original with some bizarre elements - I really enjoyed them.

Quite a few people have mentioned having Lord of the Flies as a set text. My 14-year-old son recently read that at school and he played the part of Piggy in a drama evening consisting of scenes from Lord of the Flies. The fact that my son is tall and lanky while Piggy is described as short and fat added a touch of humour!