Favourite Children's Books

To tie in with the announcement of the shortlist for the 2009 Royal Mail Awards for Scottish Children's Books on 6th May, our list this month recognises some of the books that had a big impact on us when we were children. No doubt you will have a particular book or author that played a significant role in your young reading life, so take a look at our choices and then tell us about yours...

The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M Boston
This book tells the story of Tolly, a lonely boy who is invited to spend Christmas at his grandmother’s house, Green Knowe. As Tolly gets to know his grandmother, she tells him stories about the other children who lived in the house in the 17th Century, Toby, Alexander and Linnet. I read The Children of Green Knowe as a child and it completely absorbed me. It’s a really evocative book, with ghosts, a family curse and a sense of mystery, but the thing that still captures my imagination to this day is the house itself. Boston evokes it so clearly as a place where the history of one family lives in its walls, a place at once eerie and yet safe and welcoming. You can visit Lucy Boston’s own home, on which Green Knowe is based – I have yet to make it, but one day... (Philippa Cochrane)

Mister God, This is Anna by Fynn
I was about 14 when I read Mr God, This is Anna. I picked it up because of its anonymous-ish author – Fynn. It’s rather vague to me now but its effect remains vivid. Anna is lonely and afraid, and she bumps into an elderly man and they start to philosophise.  At one point they talk about how everything in life is reducible in such a way that shadows become lines and lines become dots, so everything is effectually a dot. It may not sound much but to me, reading it then, I remember breathing hard and fast, blocking out every noise, realising that people could see the world differently. Mr God, This is Anna is the book that encouraged me to think beyond my own bubble. I think I’d better get it out again. (Stephina Clarke)

Matilda by Roald Dahl
Trying to choose my favourite children's book is a bit like trying to choose the best piece of cake I have ever eaten: even the bad ones had something going for them. The book that I first remember being a real favourite was Humphrey the Friendly Camel, but sadly that great work of literary genius is currently out of print. If you remember Humphrey, perhaps you could add a comment below.

As I can’t choose my first ever favourite book, I will have to try and narrow down my choice some other way. I suppose if I was going to choose one children’s author it would have to be Roald Dahl. This may seem like an unoriginal choice, but then that’s because he is arguably the best. And if I had to choose just one of his books it would have to be Matilda. Ok, so this is partly because I identified with the central character (who is a bit of a book geek) but there are so many other great characters in the novel, including the unforgettable headteacher Mrs Trunchbull. Matilda also opened up the fascinating world of telekinesis, and I don’t know how many hours I spent attempting to move small objects with only the power of my mind. Sadly this led to the discovery that I had absolutely no telekinetic skills whatsoever, which really was a crushing blow - but I still love Matilda. (Caitrin Armstrong)

The Agaton Sax Series by Nils-Olof Franzen
Agaton Sax was the hero of a series of comic detective novels written in the '60s and '70s by Swedish author Nils-Olof Franzen, with the English translations brilliantly illustrated by Quentin Blake. As a young reader I was fascinated by detective stories, and particularly ones with a slightly skewed sense of humour, so the title Agaton Sax and the League of Silent Exploders immediately appealed. After reading this vaguely surreal adventure I was hooked on the joy of Sax, a parody of Sherlock Holmes who not only solves crimes but is also skilled in underwater ju-jitsu and still finds time to run Sweden's smallest newspaper. Unfortunately the books are pretty hard to get these days, but if you come across one snap it up. Agaton Sax is one of a kind. (Paul Gallagher)

Noddy/ Secret Seven/ Famous Five by Enid Blyton
There is one children’s author who really mattered to me when I was growing up and that’s Enid Blyton. My shelves were lined with her books from the moment I could read. I started with Noddy (or Oui-Oui as he is known in France), whom I just loved and probably identified with! I quickly moved on to the Secret Sevens and the Famous Fives. I am not sure what a 7 year-old boy in 1970’s France had in common with those post-war posh English kids but somehow it worked and their adventures really kept me reading and wanting more! I can only credit/blame Enid Blyton for turning me into the avid reader I am today! (Olivier Joly)