Jeopardy Category: Children’s Literature

[M.A.Thompson]

I know this is not the proper area on the boards to post such a thread but I figured I would start here and tap the collective knowledge of the Literotica brain trust in search of the answer to my question as I am continually amazed how at least one person here always seems to come up with the obscurest of information.

I am looking for the title of a book, young adult fiction to be exact. For the past 9 years I have been introducing my children to the stories I loved as a boy and while I have been successful in identifying and finding most of them, one continues to elude me.

Unfortunately, the title has long since slipped my mind and I was hoping that possibly someone out there could identify it by my description.

It is about a boy who lives in the woods with his widowed dad. I remember the plot has something to do with pheasants and pheasant poachers. The antagonist is a big fat guy who, if memory serves correct, drives a gold Roles Royce. He may be the father's boss, I don’t quite remember, but he is some type of authority figure. Even though I am from the states, for some reason I think the story may be from the UK, but again, I am not positive.

That is all I can remember about the story except for the fact that as a third grader, I loved it.

I figure even if no one knows the answer, the worst that could happen is this turns into a "Books You Loved as a Kid" thread, and that’s not so bad!!!

P.S. I also had to start a new thread to show off my first Avtar!!!

 

[the_bragis]

Yes..Yes Yes!

Hello M.A.,

Yes, I know the story you mean. I had actually forgotten all about it until I read your blurb on it. It's absolutely delightful. Your kids will adore it!

It's called - "Danny World Champion of the World" by Roald Dahl.

Happy reading now,

Alex. (fem)

 

[M.A.Thompson]

Re: Yes..Yes Yes!

It's called - "Danny World Champion of the World" by Roald Dahl.

Alex, you are the most wonderful person on these boards!!! I am going to jump on the next Quantas flight right now so I can give you a great big hug and kiss!!!!!!

Thank you sooooo much!!!!!!! I knew someone would know!!!!!!!!!

Guess we can turn this officially into a “Favorite Book as a Child” thread!!!!!

 

[wildsweetone]

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton.

A tall tree in the Enchanted Woods behind the children's house... you could climb the outside of it, and watch the daily lives of its occupants.

Standing on the cloud at the top of the tree you'd find yourself swept up into a new land... the land of Topsy-Turvy, the land of Spells, the land of Dreams, etc...

Silky the fairy, Angry Pixie, Saucepan Man, Moonface... ohhhhh memories. Moonface lived at the top of the Faraway Tree. Inside his house was the Slippery Slip! you could spend time climbing the tree, visiting the land at the top and then... you could borrow a cushion from Moonface and slide down the centre of the tree all the way to the bottom.

I was given this book when I was 9. It's still here. My 14 year old daughter has read it about a dozen times and she keeps it (and many other of my favourites) in her bedside table.

thank you dear, i enjoyed reminiscing

 

[BigTexan]

Hmm, how young a boy did I have to be. I read "Stranger in a Strange Land" By Heinlein when I was in 6th grade, 12 y/o, and it became my favorite book, surpassing "Lord of the Flies" by Golding

I really can't remember any books I really loved before "Lord of the Flies". Children's books can be so banal. I loathed the "Hardy Boys" style of books and the drivel the schools tried to push on me.

BigTexan

 

[TheEarl]

Empty World. Can't remebr who it was by. Poor man's The Stand, about a virus that wipes out most of the world's population. Read it in school. It had a truly terrible ending and we complained (vociferously!) to the teacher about why we were reading a book which had such a bad ending. She got annoyed and set us an exercise to write an alternate ending. I did and realised that my ending was in fact far superior to the book's ending.

The book may have been utter tosh, but it was an epiphany as i realised I wrote better than someone who actually got paid for it.

The Earl

 

[the_bragis]

Hello again M.A.,

You're welcome. I'm happy to have made you happy.

I used to love getting lost in the fantasy of fiction when I was a kid. I guess the only thing that has really changed now is the type of fantasy I read.

I think my all time farourite childrens' book is perhaps "Wind in the Wilows' by Kenneth Grahame. As a child, I just loved the story and the characters. I used to fantasize about turning into a little field mouse or small animal living on the river's edge. It's only now as an adult I can appeciate how beautifully written it is.

Have a good day,

Alex (fem).

Fantasies of Alexxx and Bragi

 

[TheEarl]

Empty World. Can't remebr who it was by. Poor man's The Stand, about a virus that wipes out most of the world's population. Read it in school. It had a truly terrible ending and we complained (vociferously!) to the teacher about why we were reading a book which had such a bad ending. She got annoyed and set us an exercise to write an alternate ending. I did and realised that my ending was in fact far superior to the book's ending.

The book may have been utter tosh, but it was an epiphany as i realised I wrote better than someone who actually got paid for it.

The Earl

 

[karmadog]

Yeah, but the end of The Stand sucked too. I mean, really, the Hand of God descends? Talk about deus ex machina.

 

[ronde]

I lost one too.

I too, have a "lost" the title and author for a favorite book. It's a 30's or '40's vintage adventure story about two boys and their private teacher, in Spain, I think. They escape a coupe against their father by flying away in a glider from the top of the castle. I don't remember exactly how, but they end up in the jungle of South America. The teacher is a sort of early McGyver, and sets about making glass, gunpowder, and everything else they need to survive. Anybody recognize this one? I've been looking for it for years.