Calizzy Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Our family is moving to London this fall and I thought it would be fun to start reading some literature set in England. I have Peter Pan and Paddington books on my list. Which others would you recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Anything by Enid Blyton Harry Potter Narnia The Secret Garden A Little Princess Anything by Nesbit Bruce Coville's Shakespeare retellings The Little White Horse 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermione310 Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Five Children and It, The Secret Garden (although it was written in the US, author was British I believe) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Given that London is a highly multicultural place (at the time of the Olympics, I saw it written that more languages were spoken in the neighbouring borough's schools than in the Olympic Village) here are some suggestions for children's books about coming to the UK from elsewhere. Your children, as new arrivals, might find them interesting: http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/oct/13/black-history-month-best-books-immigration-refugees 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 You've mostly had recommendations for classics (good to read any time, of course), but I wonder if reading modern fiction would better suited to cultural acclimation, if that's what you're after. I'd highly recommend phoning whichever will be your local library in London and asking for recommendations of books that are popular with kids your kids' ages. That way they'll be up on the slang and the local kid culture. If some titles aren't available stateside, you can get your amazon.co.uk account going early (the shipping is still pretty reasonable, even international). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Not sure what age your children are. We moved here while my dc's were still in primary school. They had read Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, Milly Molly Mandy, and Harry Potter. HP was probably the best for conversations..... I am sure they had read others. Libraries and charity shops here have lots of Blyton and Horrible History books so I would wait on thoze until you arrive. A popular picture book series at the library here is Winnie the Witch. My kids had read some of those before we moved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Others: Splendors and Glooms Ballet Shoes Oliver Twist When the Siren Wailed How the Heather Looks describes the places many British children's books are set, like Wind in the Willows, Winnie-the-Pooh, King Arthur, and Puck of Pook's Hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Lassie, Come Home The Story of the Treasure Seekers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 You've mostly had recommendations for classics (good to read any time, of course), but I wonder if reading modern fiction would better suited to cultural acclimation, if that's what you're after. I'd highly recommend phoning whichever will be your local library in London and asking for recommendations of books that are popular with kids your kids' ages. That way they'll be up on the slang and the local kid culture. If some titles aren't available stateside, you can get your amazon.co.uk account going early (the shipping is still pretty reasonable, even international). My local library in Scotland is full of wizard and fantasy stories, and teen angst tales. Both of my boys have read a lot of fantasy because they weren't interested in the angst.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Jennings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmaNZ Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Jennings. We love Jennings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 What ages? I love and adore Enid Blyton's boarding school series - Malory Towers and St. Clare's. My dad bought them for me in England when I was about 10 and I have read them countless times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Swallows and Amazons is another popular classic here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calizzy Posted September 6, 2015 Author Share Posted September 6, 2015 My oldest is starting 2nd grade this year. I'm not really trying to accomplish understanding British culture, mostly just thought it would be a fun way to include the kids in getting excited about the upcoming move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiara.I Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Paddington Bear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 My kids love the Noddy stories by Enid Blyton. Some of the older editions can have some culturally insensitive bits, but newer versions do not. Mary Poppins. The BFG Tom's Midnight Garden Everything by Sendak, Ahlberg, or Potter. My Naughty Little Sister Goodnight Mister Tom Fern Hollow books Rupert annuals - you can often get these used, they can be weird, but have an unmistakable British quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Water-babies The Famous Five series Jane Eyre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 I think there is a young adult zombie series set in London???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 The BFG (Dahl) - it even features a queen of England! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Tom's Midnight Garden is another good one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 The Little White Horse, by Elizabeth Goudge National Velvet, by Enid Bagnold Barbara Willard's Mantlemass Chronicles series Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 The Shoes books by Noel Streatfield (any of them). Possibly Back Home as well. Harry Potter, yes. :) FWIW, I would pre-read Peter Pan and Mary Poppins before reading them to the kids. Peter Pan gets a bit colorful in the description and actions of Tink, and Mary Poppins is downright racist. We made it halfway through before deciding it just was not an appropriate book to enrich a 4yo's vocabulary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 The Naughtiest Girl in the School series: http://smile.amazon.com/Naughtiest-Girl-School-Rewards/dp/0603032915/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1441811877&sr=8-6&keywords=naughtiest+girl+in+the+school We had friends who lived in England when I was a kid and sent two of these to me and I always wondered what happened next! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 The Shoes books by Noel Streatfield (any of them). Possibly Back Home as well. Harry Potter, yes. :) FWIW, I would pre-read Peter Pan and Mary Poppins before reading them to the kids. Peter Pan gets a bit colorful in the description and actions of Tink, and Mary Poppins is downright racist. We made it halfway through before deciding it just was not an appropriate book to enrich a 4yo's vocabulary. Only one of the chapters in the first Mary Poppins books is racist. Apparently the author re-wrote that chapter when she realized her error. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Swallows and Amazons, Forever! But, really, the UK is just so, so multicultural that there are many different types of British Children. My kids adore British Children's lit and we have read almost all the writers and specific titles listed here and I could list many more. But that isn't the UK of today, nor was it really the UK of the time when lots of those classic books were written. I would go to Amazon UK and check out the top ebooks or paper books for your kids' age range. That will let you know what their peers are reading. I know that Amazon US has newsletters (marketing letters, lol) for different age ranges that you can sign up for. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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