Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

As we were planning the 2020 thread, I realized that there are so many great Children's/YA books that I want to share with the members of this group, and that we just don't have time to fit them all into our schedule.
I have read all the books on this list over the years, some as recently as this past September.
I rated all of them at least three stars.
This will be the place to share your thoughts on any of the books you read, but only if you want to.

List of books:

Brazil: My Sweet Orange Tree by José Mauro de Vasconcelos

American Southwest: Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson

United States:
Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace

World War Two books:
The Devil in Vienna by Doris Orgel (Austria)
Friedrich by Hans Peter Richter (Germany)
I Am Fifteen—and I Don't Want To Die (Hungary)

Fantasy:
Half Magic by Edward Eager United States
Five Children and It by E. Nesbit England

Humour:
Just William by Richmal Crompton England
Le Petit Nicolas by René Goscinny France

Betsy-Tacy
I loved these books when I was a child. A great librarian in St Paul MN introduced me to many great books, and this series was the most memorable.

I discovered the Betsy Tacy books a couple of years ago, and really enjoyed them. I was excited when I found that the library now has them all as ebooks, and a couple of other books by the same author.
It's nice to know that other members like them too.

I was raised on Grimm’s and Anderson’s fairytales but not the ones in Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books. Granted some of Grimm’s and Anderson’s fairytales are in Lang’s Fairy books but his are comprised of tales from around the world not just Europe. I would love to read a fairy book a month if we can still recommend stuff. The most popular are The Blue Fairy Book, the Red Fairy Book and the Yellow Fairy Book.

Grimm's Fairy tales are far too bloody for children. I don't know what my parents were thinking by giving me them, i had nightmares for YEARS.

I loved them lol. They had just the right amount of blood/gore and adventure!

Yeah but not for a pre-schooler! I was reading them aged 3 and up.

I like The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame because Mr. Toad's car horn goes POOP POOP!

I simply adored Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome and we used to build rafts and sail across the pond or down the creek and our parents would have just whipped the ever-living daylights out of us if they had known. That was back in the day where kids played outdoors all day and got dirty and only came in for dinner, and if you were naughty you could expect the blows to rain down upon you, so you tried to make sure your parents never found out!

Jazzy wrote: "I like The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame because Mr. Toad's car horn goes POOP POOP!"

I can see how it chimes with your love of toilet humour.

Bernard wrote: "Jazzy wrote: "I like The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame because Mr. Toad's car horn goes POOP POOP!"

I can see how it chimes with your love of toilet humour."

I live with a young man I hear this every day! I find a lot of things funny, there's no need not to, I laugh a lot and I'm usually asked back and would I please sit in the front row? When I've been to a comedy performance on stage.

Jazzy wrote: "I simply adored Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome and we used to build rafts and sail across the pond and our parents would have just whipped the ever-living dayli..."

Although I was not alive in 1930, my own childhood was closer to that time than the digital dystopia of today. It brings back fond memories.

Re: I laugh a lot and I'm usually asked back and would I please sit in the front row?

You sound like the ideal audience member!

Bernard wrote: "Re: I laugh a lot and I'm usually asked back and would I please sit in the front row?

You sound like the ideal audience member!"

The funniest play I ever saw was Noises Off, and it was one time when everyone was laughing so hard all during the show I didn't feel alone :)

Bernard (re Swallows & Amazons)

Oh yes, you left the house and no one could ring you up, you had to make your own fun. There was very little pocket money but I wasn't the only 12 year old who had my own pen knife to cut twigs and grass and tie branches together. I always wished my parents would get a boat but they couldn't swim. I could because I taught myself. I figured if my dog could swim then I could swim! and jumped in the pond and paddled like he did.

I think the funniest play I have seen lately is Robin Hood: The Musical Comedy.
Will Scarlet is actually Willow Scarlet and she has a big crush on Robin Hood, who ignores her for Maid Marion.

Rosemarie wrote: "I think the funniest play I have seen lately is Robin Hood: The Musical Comedy.
Will Scarlet is actually Willow Scarlet and she has a big crush on Robin Hood, who ignores her for Maid Marion."

Those damn revisionists!

Jazzy wrote: "Grimm's Fairy tales are far too bloody for children. I don't know what my parents were thinking by giving me them, i had nightmares for YEARS."

EDIT: This isn't to say that kids shouldn't read them. It is just an interesting article about how they came to be what they are today.

I read an interesting article once that said that the Brothers Grimm never intended their tales to be told to children. I posted the link to the article below. It was an interesting history on the tales.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au...

Yes, fairy tales can be scary. The panto versions have rightly been toned down.

Did you know that Cinderella may have had a FUR slipper?

Bernard wrote: "Yes, fairy tales can be scary. The panto versions have rightly been toned down.

Did you know that Cinderella may have had a FUR slipper?"

oh yes! It's because the word for Fur and the word for Glass in French were quite similar :) I had a lovely book of Annotated Fairy Tales but gave it away - oh why?

According to Charles Perrault, she did. But if you think that Grimm's fairy tales are scary, stay away from Perrault's. He is the creator of Blue Beard.

I think it would have been even funnier, Rosemarie if he was just a fellow named Willow and sweet on Robin :D

Re: Cinderella's slipper:

Vair=squirrel fur
Verre= glass

But the pronunciation is the same.

True, Jazzy. But at least there was another role for a woman in the play.

Rosemarie wrote: "According to Charles Perrault, she did. But if you think that Grimm's fairy tales are scary, stay away from Perrault's. He is the creator of Blue Beard."

oh tis fine NOW but as a very young child it was horrifying. Death itself was a terrifying concept.

Sorry but I must go read Dune again I'm trying to finish it by tomorrow. Have a lovely evening x

PS Felicia, my parents used to think if it was a book, it was safe for me to read! :D

Enjoy, Dune, Jazzy!

Jazzy wrote: "PS Felicia, my parents used to think if it was a book, it was safe for me to read! :D"

Mine did too. I read them as a child. and I let me all three of my kids read them. I just thought it was an interesting article. I added an edit to my post to help clarify what I was trying to share.

Glass shoes would not be practical, even for a fairy tale character.

You were one tough kid, Patrick!

I got to listen to the original German versions and had dreams about the big bad wolf. But my favourites all had wolves in them, or wicked witches. Go figure!

Some of my favorite children's classics that I read last year are:
Heidi
The Secret Garden
A Little Princess
The Wind in the Willows
The Call of the Wild
Pinocchio
Black Beauty

I tried to read White Fang but I found it a little too.... I guess dry? It didn't seem to have the same magical world building as some of the other ones that I read. I want to try to read it again. Some of the ones on my list to read this year are
The Black Stallion
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Little White Horse
and the rest of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang series.

The Little White Horse is a charming book.

For anyone who likes The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, I recommend The Land of the Blue Flower by the same author. It’s a short story, which I found by chance a few days ago. You may be able to get a free version for Kindle. I thought it was very sweet.

I do like The Secret Garden. Thanks for the recommendation, Trisha.

Please feel free to share any YA/Children's classics that you have recently enjoyed reading in this thread.

I still have fond feelings of our reading The Travels of Jamie McPheeters by Robert Lewis Taylor

Blueberry that is a great story!

If there are any children's classics that you enjoyed reading and want to share them with the group, please go ahead and do so in this thread.
We'd love to hear about them!

I loved The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. My grandmother gave it to me for Christmas when I was around 12/13 and I devoured it. My imagination really came to life while reading this, I felt I was Bastian tucked away myself.

I've read that one twice, Mike. I love the main character's name, in German it's Bastian Baltasar Bux. Just perfect!

I enjoy Ruskin Bond books. He writes for children and his ghosts are also adorable just like the ghost of Canterville.

For me his stories work as panacea.

I've heard good things about Ruskin Bond from another member of goodreads, Nidhi. I hope I can find his books in Canada!

I gave it to my son for Christmas about 1984, when he was about 12 or 13. He read it (in German) and loved it!

I have the beautiful German hardcover edition: Die unendliche Geschichte .

Rosemarie wrote: "I have the beautiful German hardcover edition: Die unendliche Geschichte ."

It looks exactly like the one I gave my son!

There are so many but a few not yet mentioned yet in this thread are My Father's Dragon, The Frog and Toad Treasury: Frog and Toad are Friends/Frog and Toad Together/Frog and Toad All Year and Pippi Longstocking.

I like The Frog and Toad books-they're a lot of fun.

Rosemarie wrote: "I have the beautiful German hardcover edition: Die unendliche Geschichte ."

That looks nice Rosemarie! I am tempted to get a new version myself. I think my eldest, an 18 year old studying English Literature, would really enjoy it but she's terrified of reading my old paperback copy for fear of it falling apart.

It's nice inside too. Each section has different coloured print-very pretty.