Brianna and Krysta at Pages Unbound have brought back their Friday Classic Remarks and since I’ve been rereading old favourites, this week’s question spoke to me:
What classic did you love when you were younger—and you still love now?
It’s a good thing that the prompt doesn’t limit you to one book! I don’t think Enid Blyton applies but classics that I’ve been rereading and loving lately:
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett: I absolutely love how Mary grows over the course of the novel and I think she and Colin are the perfect pair to push each other on to being better. And Dickon is the perfect person to act as a friend and role model. Plus, this book inspired another one of my childhood favourites: The Painted Garden by Noel Streatfeild
- A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett: I still tear up whenever Sara wakes up in her attic to realise that the Magic has come and transformed it into something cozy and welcoming. She is truly a princess and a masterful spinner of stories.
- Every book by Jane Austen: I keep finding new things when I reread her books – such as my recent realisation of how modern the characters in Persuasion are. I can see them (aka Sir Walter and Elizabeth) existing quite happily in today’s social media society!
I’m sure I’ll find more books as I continue rereading, but for now, these are my childhood favourites that I still love!
(P.s. I’m so excited for the July 17th post because I just read The Secret Garden and Little Lord Fauntleroy!!)
Thanks for participating!
Those are all such great choices! I used to love A Little Princess and The Secret Garden–and I still do! But, even though I like Noel Streatfeild’s work, it’s hard to find much besides Ballet Shoes. I have read a few more, but have not yet managed to find The Painted Garden. I know it was republished with a “shoes” title in the U.S., but I think that one may have been abridged? I will have to do some research.
I love Jane Austen, but I haven’t read Persuasion for years. Maybe it’s time for a reread?
I think The Painted Garden was heavily abridged as Movie Shoes in the US! But I’d definitely recommend reading the unabridged version – I enjoy it so much!
It’s always time to reread Jane Austen if you ask me!
Alice In Wonderland / Through The Looking Glass. Weapons grade weird.
The Wind in the Willows. I could never tire of reading two chapters – “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” and “Dulce Domum”.
1984 and Animal Farm. I read both of these when I was about 13, and shortly thereafter my school reports started featuring the phrase “has a problem dealing with those in authority” more and more frequently…. 🙂
Fantastic choices! I think I have the Wind in the Willows somewhere at home but I haven’t been able to find it 😬I should find and reread it soon!
Have you read Fahrenheit 451? It may or may not contribute to more problems with authorities (although hopefully it was just the school authorities?)
No, I haven’t read Fahrenheit 451 – to be honest I never really got on with Bradbury. No idea why, he just never “clicked” for me…
Hehe…yes, it was just the school authorities, well, two or three teachers, actually. In the end I realised that the game was rigged in their favour, so it was easier and less bothersome to just smile politely and walk away… 🙂
A Little Princess in on my own TBR, but I haven’t gotten to it yet. It sounds so lovely! Perhaps this is a strong candidate for a quarantine read? I need something light and fluffy.
I didn’t read Austen or The Secret Garden until I was an adult. I’m always surprised to see what classics people read as a child — I read very few!
I also participated in Classic Remarks — my selection was Charlotte’s Web: http://deathbytsundoku.com/classic-remarks-a-classic-i-have-always-loved/
A Little Princess is a lovely read! It gets a bit sad in the middle but the ending is fantastic and super happy. I’d definitely recommend it as a quarantine (or anytime) read if you have a copy with you!
I have a public domain copy available to me, but I am wary of those. They are often poorly edited eBooks. Perhaps I should wait until I can get a more reliable publication from the library when it opens.
I have not tried the public domain copy so I can’t say, but there are so many lovely editions out there! I’m sure the library will have a nice copy (:
I remember loving The secret garden as a child and thinking it was an old classic when I read it and that I now was “grown up” since I read classics. I don’t know why I felt The secret garden was a classic, but I can’t help smiling when thinking of it because of how proud I was.
It is definitely a classic! So good 😊
Jane Austen is the best <3 Does Harry Potter count as a classic yet? Its the other book from my childhood that I am still obsessed with today haha
I would think so! How are classics defined anyway…? (Harry Potter feels like it could be a modern classic?)