J.K. Rowling single-handedly rescued this book from obscurity by mentioning that it was a childhood favorite that influenced her writing. (It is somewhat hilarious that the only book Rowling really remembers as an influence is one of the few that appears to have had little direct influence. Tallying Rowling’s sources has become something of… Read more The Little White Horse (1946)
Modern readers may know Bedknob and Broomstick, a combined volume by English author Mary Norton (who also wrote the Borrowers books). Publishers continue to market this as a timeless classic, with the most recent cover by the amazing illustrator Marla Frazee (who illustrated the Clementine books as well as numerous picture books). … Read more The Magic Bedknob (1943)
Though it does involve a mystery of sorts, with a burglary and the children organizing a hunt for clues, The Alley is written in Estes’ characterisicaly slow and contemplative style. (She also wrote the Moffats series, based on her childhood in small-town Connecticut, and The Hundred Dresses.) Aside from a couple of chance encounters with… Read more The Alley (1964)
In very Narnian fashion, two children, Anne and Patrick, go to spend the holidays with a professor who lives in an old house in the country, where they stumble into a magical medieval land. (The impression of Narnia is heightened by the drawings by Pauline Baynes.) The premise is that the children break a stained… Read more The Unicorn Window (1961)
Nathaniel lives in small Massachussetts village in 1785. He does his lessons in the Horn book, longs to go to sea, and is being raised by a puritanical uncle. Period details abound, and the first chapter feels like we’re in Johnny Tremain or Carry On Mr. Bowdich. But after a long detour about Nathaniel wanting… Read more Nathaniel’s Witch (1941)
The S.R.S.C. (Society for the Removal of Superfluous Children) has established a colony for children unwanted by their parents, at Watkyns Bay which cannot be reached from the ordinary world unless you know how. (The one exception is a cursed boatful of 17th century Dutch sailors.) There, the children live a life of play and… Read more The Marvellous Land of Snergs (1927)