Best children's books of past 70 years

Lucky Star · Post by **Lucky Star** » 20 Apr 2007, 21:55

Interesting article in The Times newspaper today. I have'nt read any of the books mentioned but; "one which realistically depicts the lives of young heroin users"

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I think I'll stick with Enid Blyton and her ilk. Here is the article.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/ ... 679972.ece

Post by **Anita Bensoussane** » 20 Apr 2007, 22:10

Well, if they're going to limit themselves to ten authors, and only Carnegie Medal winners, then inevitably a lot of great writers will be left out. At least they've got my all-time favourite children's book on the list - Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce.

Anita

Kitty · Post by **Kitty** » 21 Apr 2007, 09:03

Don't know most of them, I must be honest. Pullman is the only one I know and love in that list. Can't bear The Owl Service, never could - and never liked The Borrowers either! For personal choice I'd rather see a list with the likes of Antonia Forest, Diana Wynne Jones, Russell Hoban on it, but good luck to then anyway! As I said, I haven't read most of them.

Mollybob · Post by **Mollybob** » 21 Apr 2007, 09:33

The trouble with this kind of list is that it will be outdated in a few years time. I think they've primarily chosen contemporary/relatively recent authors (only 6 books out of 20 were pre-1970), many of whom won't be remembered in 2017, while writers such as Enid Blyton, C.S. Lewis, Arthur Ransome and even J. K Rowling will be remembered.

A similar thing happens every year on the Virgin Radio top 500, played over the new year. I couldn't believe that the best song ever was voted as Snow Patrol Chasing Cars this year. It was quite a good song, but who's going to remember it in 10 years time?

I'd never heard of many of the writers on the lists, and wouldn't really class any of them in my own personal list, except perhaps Eve Garnett - I always liked the books about The Family from One End Street.

I suppose lists like this are always very subjective though.

Stephen · Post by **Stephen** » 21 Apr 2007, 16:16

The Machine-Gunners is a very good read. Very different from a typical Blyton - but I can't say I was thinking when I read it that in twenty-odd years time, it'd be lumped together with a book about heroin users by a bunch of trendy critic-types!

I see the Greenaway list includes Dogger. What an absolutely heartbreaking story for a small child! Despite the fact there's a happy ending, I always thought how dreadful it would be if I was in the boy's situation with no big sister around to display human kindness!

Moonraker · Post by **Moonraker** » 21 Apr 2007, 18:19

I am afraid (no I'm not - I'm glad) that I take no notice of lists and polls. I know what I like, and I don't need some media/intellectual faction to show me what I should like. I remember being told I lacked intellect for enjoying Blyton in the 50s by pseudo-intellectuals.

I rest my case.

Kitty · Post by **Kitty** » 21 Apr 2007, 18:30

moonraker wrote: I remember being told I lacked intellect for enjoying Blyton in the 50s by pseudo-intellectuals.

What reasons did they give (if you don't mind my asking)? What a bizarre thing to say!

Moose · Post by **Moose** » 21 Apr 2007, 18:43

Hmmph I haven't read many of those at all. Strange that there is no Blyton, no Rowling etc.

Has anyone here read a book called 'Playing Beatie Bow' by a woman named Ruth Park? Don't know anything about her but it's a wonderful book.

Kate Mary · Post by **Kate Mary** » 21 Apr 2007, 22:48

Interesting to see "The Family from One-End Street" by Eve Garnett on this (highly selective) list. It is a lovely book, if you have enjoyed Enid's family stories such as "House at the corner" and "The Family at Red Roofs" etc., you will probably like this one.
What's more, the text and illustrations have never been updated. So it seems that kids can cope with references to pre-decimal money so long as the book in question is deemed to have sufficient 'literary merit' and has won the Carnegie Medal.

Bitter? Moi?

Post by **Anita Bensoussane** » 21 Apr 2007, 23:19

[Kate Mary:] So it seems that kids can cope with references to pre-decimal money so long as the book in question is deemed to have sufficient 'literary merit' and has won the Carnegie Medal.

Good point, Kate Mary!

One of the most boring books I've ever read - We Couldn't Leave Dinah by Mary Treadgold - won the Carnegie Medal in 1941. It tells the story of some children on an island in the war. I thought that the characters were flat and the story was slow and I struggled to finish the book. When I tried to sell my copy on eBay for very little money, together with another book by the same author, there were no bids. 1941 also saw the publication of another book about children on an island (or islands) in the war - Enid Blyton's The Adventurous Four. An exciting story from beginning to end, written in a fluid, lively style which is a joy to read. Why wasn't that awarded the Carnegie Medal, I wonder? Not that literary medals mean much, long-term. My copy of We Couldn't Leave Dinah attracted no interest at all but the Adventurous Four books are still popular sixty-odd years after they were first published.

Anita

Post by **Tony Summerfield** » 22 Apr 2007, 11:10

This is one of my pet topics, but I have been too busy to notice it until now. Looking at the posts here and in the link to the Times it is clear that some people didn't understand the purpose of this top 10. It was set up by CILIP to celebrate 70 years of the Carnegie Medal and as Anita points out only past winners were eligible for consideration - so the top 10 is picked from just 70 books. Also of interest is that at one stage, Nicolette Jones, one of our speakers at the Day was on the panel of judges that chose this top 10. I have to amit that I have all but one of these books in my collection, but I also admit that I have only read five of them.

I wrote an article on this subject for the Journal, 'No Prizes for Enid', but the editor has never found the space to include it! I have always believed there are two distinct categories of children's books, what I like to call the Puffin Books and the Armada books, and very few books and authors manage to get into both categories.

The Puffin group has in it all the books that well-meaning adults consider children should be reading and the majority of books on the Carnegie shortlists also belong in this category. The Armada books are the books that children actually choose to read for themselves!!

Enid is not the only popular author never to make even the shortlist for the Carnegie medal. Amongst other best-selling children’s authors who also failed to get any recognition are Malcolm Saville, W.E. Johns, Richmal Crompton, Anthony Buckeridge, Roald Dahl, Elinor Brent-Dyer and Monica Edwards, all authors who are sufficiently fondly remembered to have current Societies in their honour.

I have gone on long enough, but I hope this explains also why J K Rowling is not there - she wasn't eligible. Both Philosopher's Stone and Azkaban were shortlisted, but neither book was a winner.

Moose · Post by **Moose** » 22 Apr 2007, 13:43

LOL yeah there does seem to be a discrepancy between what adults sometimes think that children should enjoy and what they actually DO enjoy

. As a child I was forced to read a lot of these very 'worthy' children's books when I'd a million times rather have been reading Blyton. And ironically, I learned a great deal more from Blyton - on all sorts of subjects - than I ever did from any other author.

Belly · Post by **Belly** » 22 Apr 2007, 18:17

Anita

I completely agree re: Tom's Midnight Garden. Fantastic.

For some reason this book always makes me cry! All my imaginings as a child were along these lines. I can't wait for my girls to be old enough to have it read aloud to them.

jen · Post by **jen** » 22 Apr 2007, 18:18

How about Charlotte's Web? I love that book. Glad to see the dreaded Rainbow Fairies didn't get a mention!

Post by **Anita Bensoussane** » 22 Apr 2007, 20:42

[Belly:] I completely agree re: Tom's Midnight Garden. Fantastic.

For some reason this book always makes me cry! All my imaginings as a child were along these lines.

Great to see you posting again, Belly!

I don't think we've heard from you recently. Are you coming to the Enid Blyton Day this year?

I took my daughter to a theatre production of Tom's Midnight Garden a few years ago and it was spellbinding. There were a couple of points at which I had to dig my fingernails into my palms to stop myself crying - I didn't want to embarrass myself in public!

Have you ever seen the film version in which they add a couple of scenes at the beginning and end, showing Tom as an adult? I find that film moving as well, though it doesn't quite capture the magic of the book.

Anita