Why I'm going back to the classics...for a while

Hi!

Over the past two years I've spent oodles of time  trying to read as many new books as possible, and review my favourites, mainly  to help me remember the details! As a slushpile writer on a mission to Get Somewhere, I've been very conscious of what agents and publishers are currently looking for. I've spent hours researching how to get to grips with the obligatory "Show, Don't Tell" and I've acquainted myself with the market's bestsellers. The  amazingly original and exciting books that I've read have brought me and my children lots of joy and fun. Thank goodness we have a constant supply of new ideas and authors coming through.

It is confusing though. I've read my own children every single one of David Walliams' thoroughly entertaining books. Somehow these bestsellers  have a really old-fashioned feel, but I love them! Walliams' style feels so warm and comforting and familiar, and in a  Dahl-esque manner  he whips us from the horrific to the absurd in the flick of a page turn. Tell the truth, I've missed that kind of story telling. They're so good to read aloud, and even better to listen to. So now I'm hankering for some proper Old Skool Classics that have stood the test of time. And by "classic" I don't necessarily mean old, I mean books that will be loved from generation to generation and stand the test of time.

Whenever I visit local bookshops, I'm struck by just how many books in the 8-12s section are largely the same books that I was plugging 15 years ago as a Year 6 teacher. I'm talking the likes of Harry Potter, Northern Lights, Kensuke's Kingdom and Matilda. A quick look at the British Libraries PLR listings reveals that the most borrowed children's authors Top 20 still includes Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton, and in the Top 20  most borrowed classic authors you'll also find CS Lewis and Beatrix Potter.  There's a steady supply of new editions of the classics it seems- each new cover design seems to cause a stir!

One thing that bugs me as a teacher is that children tell me -all too often- that their parents won't let them read the books they want to, deeming them 'too easy', or 'not  good English'. I've overheard parents at the supermarket trying to persuade their children to buy books or magazines that "teach them something" rather than the ones the child is drawn to.  And I recently joined in a teacher's hashtag about reading, where  teachers were recounting the lack of time in the school day to read for pleasure.  'Up-levelling' is where it's at, and being able to prove a pupil's progress to Ofsted inspectors.  Fads and fashions in the publishing world may come and go, but teachers and parents often seek the confidence of known quantities when it comes to reading material. Not to mention guaranteed value for money. As adults we  love to share our own childhood favourites with the next generation, and these are often what we select as special gifts. For busy teachers there is a much greater wealth of resources for more established authors to enrich and support their lesson plans, so who can blame them for picking more classic texts to use in class?  Canny debut authors, I notice, are putting resources for teachers on their websites- a good move!

This set me thinking, as lately I've been reflecting upon what I want to achieve with the Middle Grade books that I'm currently writing, and indeed, what is at the heart of Middle Grade fiction. Is it the characters? The plot? The voice? I often wonder why I've focused on writing for this age group above all others, and always reach the conclusion that this was the age when I was happiest in my reading, and found stories most satisfying.

So, I've decided to embark on a journey back through time, and revisit the books I enjoyed as a junior reader (as we called it back in Ye Olden Days) . A couple of months ago I re-read Madeleine L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time" and it brought back the thrill and excitement of disappearing into a whole new imaginary world, just as when I'd read it as a youngster. But yes. The world is very different now with technology and social media, and kids being much more knowledgeable and worldly wise. On the other hand though, the relevance and importance of things like relationships with friends, siblings, parents, and the dull oppression of homework hasn't changed much. Kids still have days when they're gleeful, and days when they're sad.

This led me into thinking that if I re-read books from my school days, could it help me re-connect with my Middle Grade self?  Maybe, if I read my favourite books from childhood , I'll be able to resurrect long dismissed memories. Maybe  I'll hit upon a cerebral shortcut to the Land of Long Ago, which will magically help me write a more sparkly authentic voice for my intended audience.

Over the weekend I was looking out for interesting tweets from the Winchester Writer's Festival, and a lively selection kept popping up. One that caught my eye was a quote from Beverley Birch saying, "as an author do not bandwagon hop. Write what's in your heart ".

So, without apology I'm going back to my favourite characters: Ramona, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Anne of Green Gables, Mary Poppins. I'm going to scrutinise The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, and Nothing to be Afraid of. I'll be analysing The Borrowers and Ballet Shoes and The BFG.  I admit that -unlike my younger self- I'll be tutting at the liberal sprinkling of adverbs, and the naughtiness of the lengthy backstories, but that will be part of the fun. Over the next few months (before I get back to reading all the latest bestsellers) I'll be seeking to pinpoint what  the essence of a truly great Middle Grade book is, so that I can bottle it and keep it close to my heart as I'm writing.

I just hope (with writerly wishfulness) that  I will discover the Holy Grail of what makes these evergreen books so endlessly appealing, and will one day be able to achieve a little of the classic magic in my own stories.

Pippa Wilson

Reading by Torchlight

True, it’s one of those clichés of a bookish kid – reading with a torch under the covers to avoid detection by a parent, but I’ll admit, I definitely did this. I was one of those bookish kids, like I’m sure many of you were, who took a book everywhere. And I mean everywhere – church, lessons, parties, friend’s houses, sports day… I always had a book in hand. Many a time I would fall asleep reading, book splayed over my face, or I would stay awake, late, trying desperately to keep reading and avoid detection, as well as figuring out how to breathe under the hot and sweaty duvet. Yet, somehow, there was nothing better than that thrill of reading late into the night and coming out of a book haze to realise that the house around you is completely still and quiet.

And those books have stayed with me. So many of them were classics, books that have stood the test of time. 

I remember my dad reading the Chronicles of Narnia to me, and that scene when Lucy walks out into that snowy Narnian wood is vivid to me, even now.

I remember recovering from chicken pox and being handed a load of my mum’s childhood books – What Katy Did, Pollyanna, Heidi, Little Women, 101 Dalmatians, and so many more.  I loved Five Children and It and The Phoenix and the Carpet. I loved Anne of Green Gables and read as much of the series as I could find.

I remember spending many a sick (and well) day, curled up in bed, rereading  the Famous Five adventures, Malory Towers, and the St Clare’s books. Returning to them was like revisiting old friends, old friends who I knew wouldn’t change or desert me. 

some old favourites

These books are all still in print and children still read them these days, which I’m glad to see. There is a reason after all these books are children’s classics, and while some of them contain those rather Victorian morality tales, which can be uncomfortable for a modern reader, it doesn’t really matter. After all, when I was a child, it was the story, the characters, and the settings that mattered to me. And many of them were set in a world that I couldn’t possibly understand, one that was so foreign to me that it washed over me, but at the same time, I related to them. I loved them. I wanted to go on those adventures too; to find smugglers, and strange creatures in the sand, flying carpets, and so much more.

The books you read as a child really do stay with you, and they are certainly the reason I wanted to become a writer. I wanted to be one of those people who wrote these magical stories and created whole worlds and adventures. There couldn’t be anything better, especially if I couldn’t be one of those children (and anyway I didn’t think I’d be brave enough) – I didn’t think anyway. 

From time to time, I still pull these off my shelves to reread or leaf through. Some sit proudly on my shelves still, while others I have to pull out from the back of my cupboard (mainly due to space restraints).  But they’re still there, and I still think about these books regularly. 

a small portion of my shelves

These books are important. And I’m glad they’re still read and will be passed on. They’re important influences I’m sure on many writers and readers.

But most importantly, they’re books about children and children don’t change – even if the world has moved on and times have changed, and children have mobile phones and TVs and computers. Everyone can recognise themselves somewhere in these tales – whether it’s as the uncertain orphan Anne, who tries to please everyone, or the adventurous Famous Five who long to get rid of all adults and make their own adventures. There is an element of fantasy in these books – after all, none of us expect to fall into wild adventures with smugglers and kidnappers, but we enjoy reading them and casting ourselves in those roles. And it gives us a chance to do that – to be a part of that world that we know we will never be a part of. As much as these stories are tied down with morals, they’re also an escape, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

It was great to read recently the magnificent Five Children on the Western Front, which won the Costa Children’s Book of the Year. It inspired me to go back and reread those old favourites, starting with Five Children and It. I’m keen to read all those ones I accidentally missed out on too, or the ones where I know I saw the film adaptation, but I don't know if I ever did read the book. It was recently announced too that Jacqueline Wilson is writing a modernised version of What Katy Did, called Katy, and it will be published later this year. I'll certainly be interested to see how she updates this classic, Victorian tale. Jacqueline previously wrote her own modern take on Five Children and It too.

While I love all the new Middle Grade fiction that’s coming out – much of it inspired by those classic tales - today I implore you all to go and read a classic, and let’s get talking about classics!

Which classics do you remember fondly? Have you reread any of these recently? Which were your favourites? How much reading by torchlight did you do?