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12 often-overlooked children’s classics

12 often-overlooked children’s classics

by | Oct 31, 2019 | Reading, Your Kid's Next Read

classic books for modern childrenFor many years, my friend Allison Rushby has been a ‘go-to’ source for me for ‘classic’ children’s stories. The woman has read everything, particularly if there’s a green and pleasant English setting involved, and is the team member we turn to when a question about ‘classics for kids’ comes up in the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook group.

Classics are an interesting area. Some of them withstand the test of time beautifully, but others just seem tired and old-fashioned.

I will never forget reading Around The World In Eighty Days by Jules Verne to my oldest son, then about eight. We spent an awfully long time wading through travel description waiting for the balloon to show up and then were disappointed when it did.

It gave me the opportunity to discuss writing in different eras with him – a time when nobody much had seen the world versus a time when it’s at your fingertips thanks to Google – and may, in fact, have indirectly and subconsciously fed into the reservoir of inspiration that became The Mapmaker Chronicles series, but oh my word it was a hard slog at the time…

But I digress.

Allison has kindly put together a list of classic reads for children that she feels are as exciting and engaging today as they were when first written. As she candidly admits, this list is heavy on English novels, so we’re also working on an Aussie classics list (my all-time favourite Callie’s Castle by Ruth Park is sadly no longer available, but my love of turrets remains).

In the meantime, take it away Al!

Beyond the usual suspects

There are certain “classic” children’s books that seem to be suggested time and time again. And for good reason! Charlotte’s Web, Anne of Green Gables, Pippi Longstocking and The Secret Garden have become classics due to their marvellous storytelling.

But there are so many, many other classic children’s books that I know hold a special place in my heart right alongside these popular titles and I find when they come up in conversation, I long to reach for them and delve back into their familiar pages immediately.

I’ve been keeping a little list of these many, many books in one of my (many, many) notebooks. When I came across the notebook a few weeks back, I thought it was time to write a post listing some of these beautiful classics that don’t get suggested quite so often (feel free to blame my Nana for the list being solidly English in nature).

12 often-overlooked children’s classics

White Boots by Noel Streatfeild

I find Ballet Shoes still gets recommended a lot (don’t hate me, but I personally find the Fossils and GUM/Great Uncle Matthew a bit much). I prefer White Boots, hanging out at the chilly ice rink in a cardi and being a part of the burgeoning friendship of Harriet and Lalla.

The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston (a six-book series)

A magical old house, lots of spirits (including a demonic tree spirit!) and a crazy boat ride to get there. Fun times. I am still kicking myself that I lived down the road from Lucy M. Boston’s house (the inspiration for the novels) for a full year and had no idea it was open to the public.

What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge (also What Katy Did at School, What Katy Did Next, Clover and In the High Valley)

I’m pretty sure I could have kept reading about Katy Carr, her endless “scrapes” and all the members of her 1860s family forever. Thankfully, there are quite a few books to keep you going here.

The Doll’s House by Rumer Godden

When you break it down, this is a mighty strange book, but it just works. Tottie Plantaganet (what a name!) is a doll and lives in Emily and Charlotte’s doll house. And all is good. Until evil Marchpane moves in… I have only listed one Rumer Godden book, but I adore all of her writing, especially The Story of Holly and Ivy and Miss Happiness and Miss Flower. Her books are always unusual and unexpected, but in a way that feels as if you’ve found the exact story you were looking for.

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

The year is 1290, Catherine is fourteen, an avid diarist and very concerned that she will be married off to someone horrid (and she most definitely should be concerned). More for the YA crowd, as there is violence, sex, death in childbirth and death in general (it is the Middle Ages, after all).

Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner

I love this funny little book about Emil, a German boy who is sent on an errand in Berlin in 1929 that (of course), goes horribly wrong.

Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel

There’s just something about Frog and Toad. These are very easy to read stories for early readers, but I’m quite sure I read them again and again right up into my teens, because Frog and Toad are just plain funny and everything friends should be.

Carrie’s War by Nina Bawden

Carrie and her brother Nick have been evacuated from London and find themselves in a Welsh village and a hotbed of family drama.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

I feel like this book is often overlooked as Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden is invariably recommended first and foremost, but it really is top notch (have just taken one for the team and had a little re-read to make sure). When Sara Crewe’s fortunes change suddenly, her kind and generous personality does not. Of course you know she’ll win out in the end, but it’s a lot of fun waiting for the payoff.

Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter

A good option for readers who love Anne of Green Gables and What Katy Did, Pollyanna’s optimistic “glad game” errs on the side of cloying, but you’d have to have a mean, withered little black heart not to enjoy this read.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken

The train! The menacing wolves! The evil Miss Slighcarp! The horrid orphanage! Starving Aunt Jane! There is a lot of wide-eyed, white-knuckled reading to be had here.

Milly-Molly-Mandy by Joyce Lankaster Brisley

I still want to be Milly-Molly-Mandy when I grow up and I am 45! Millicent Margaret Amanda lives in a darling little village in a nice white cottage with a thatched roof and wears a fetching pink and white striped dress. Her friends include Little Friend Susan and Billy Blunt. So, so twee, but incredibly comforting, like a tummy-full of your favourite childhood pudding. Really, does it get any better than this? I think not.

Allison Rushby is the author of more than 20 books. Her latest middle-grade novel, The Seven Keys, is the sequel to the award-winning The Turnkey. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I’m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I’m the author of two epic middle-grade adventure series, The Mapmaker Chronicles and The Ateban Cipher.

You can find out more about me here, and more about my books here.

If you’d like more book suggestions for your young reader, join the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook community.

*This post contains affiliate links. Click the title of each book to find out more about it or to purchase from Booktopia.

The keys to surviving (and thriving) as an author

The keys to surviving (and thriving) as an author

by | Oct 9, 2011 | Advice for Writers, Q & A, Writing

Allison Rushby is the author of many books, both women’s fiction, non-fiction, children’s and Young Adult.

In this post, she discusses the keys to surviving (and thriving) as an author in these tumultuous publishing times.



How to survive and thrive as an author



Given your long (and varied) experience in traditional publishing, are you excited by digital publishing or worried?

Allison Rushby: “A little bit of both, I think. It’s very difficult at this point to see how publishing will be operating ten years from now, so this is worrying. The exciting part, however, is the knowledge that it’s only going to become easier to reach more readers in all kinds of territories.

The digital distribution of books will make a huge impact in Australia, in particular, I think. Distribution has always been an issue for us as our country is so large, but with a relatively small population for that size. Digital distribution will revolutionise publishing in Australia, but how this will work for booksellers, publishers, authors and agents right now is difficult to say.”

 

You’ve chosen to put out your own Kindle book – why did you choose to go that route rather than bring it out through a publishing house?

AR: “Choosing to release Die, Yummy Mummy, Die straight to Kindle was an easy choice. It wasn’t a book that a publisher would really be able to publish, for a start. It’s a compilation of 20 of my favourite Desperate Housewife columns, which used to appear in Queensland’s Courier Mail newspaper.

I wasn’t really interested in publishing more than 20 columns, as I wanted to stick to my, and my readers’, absolute favourites. Even though the column ended some time ago, I’m still asked about it quite a lot and every so often a mum will come up to me in the supermarket, or a car park, and say something like, ‘I’m a bad mum, too!’. I love that (I think) and so this is a book just for them.”

 

What do you think are the keys for authors to survive/thrive in the current publishing climate?

AR: “Probably versatility and being open to change. I’ve had to try my hand at different genres over the years to stay afloat, especially because this is my fulltime job and I need to keep working.

When opportunities come up, I tend to grab them. For example, just last week I pitched a six-episode young adult e-serial through my agent to a publisher who was looking for something Downton Abbey-esque. I think there’s a perception that successful authors write one book every one or two years and that’s it. But the reality is very different for most fulltime authors.

Pretty much every author I know has a sideline in writing for different areas, or teaching others to write, etc.”

 

How do you see yourself focussing your efforts in the future?

AR: “I’m currently writing a travel memoir and I have to admit that I just adore writing non-fiction. It’s an area in which I’d like to write more. However, I also really enjoy writing Young Adult fiction.

While I started out in women’s fiction, I think my voice lends itself more to the YA genre. I have a YA book out in February next year in the USA and have also written another one that will hopefully follow close behind. I had a ball writing the first 5000 words of the Downton Abbey-esque e-serial, so while I love the non-fiction, I think I’ll have to find a way to keep writing in all kinds of different areas (finally having both my kids in school is certainly helping).”

 

Your top three tips for writers hoping to be published in fiction?

AR: “1. Simply start writing. This may sound obvious, but so many people think they need to find a large block of time, the perfect writing space, or the most original, amazing idea ever before they start writing. None of these things are true. All you need is a computer and your backside on a chair (you don’t even need a computer – a piece of paper and the stub of a pencil will do!).

2. Keep writing. Another obvious one, but sometimes the obvious eludes us in creative endeavours, it seems! Writing fiction is a skill and, like any skill, the more you practise, the better you get. Think of your first manuscript as an apprenticeship. It’s only a learning tool. Once you finish that first manuscript, write another one. I see so many writers pause for more than a few years trying to sell that first manuscript, instead of moving on to writing the next one. If they end up selling that first one, that’s a fantastic bonus (and there’s another waiting to be published right behind it!). But don’t waste any time between manuscripts. Keep going.

3. Write what you like to read. I see a lot of writers setting out to try and write what’s hot. But by the time you’ve written your vampire/wizard novel, the trend is well over. What you love reading is a really good indication of what you’ll probably be good at, and enjoy, writing.”

 

So You Want To Be a Writer bookAre you new here? Welcome to my blog! I’m Allison Tait and you can find out more about me here and more about my online writing courses here. 

Subscribe to So You Want To Be A Writer podcast for more amazing writing advice.

Or check out So You Want To Be A Writer (the book), where my co-author Valerie Khoo and I have distilled the best tips from hundreds of author and industry expert interviews. Find out more and buy it here.

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