Nostalgia Thread: Best Children's Author?

[Flying_Monkey]

Oh yes, I adored the library. Wasn't in boarding school, but my local public library and when at grammar school, the school library. There were certain books I'd borrow again and again... I adored books and reading. At the public library, the librarian would let me borrow books 'older than my age' as I loved reading so much.

I was utterly *mortified* when at school the deputy head, who had never taught me so didn't know me, came up to me one day and accused me of despoiling a library book by writing it. It was something I just wouldn't do as I adored books. The evil woman *insisted* it was my writing and it looked nothing like mine. I loathed that woman from that day forward as I had a deep sense of injustice due to what she'd accused me of and she simply didn't believe me with her "Well Helen, I've been told that is just like your writing." Stupid cow. I hated her from that day forward. I told her I'd write something so she could compare my writing - she said it wasn't necessary. Can you tell I was a tad upset!

I've known many evil teachers. The paedophile (that isn't an exaggeration BTW) who ran my prep school once dragged me out of a maths class by my hair and caned me for reading a novel (when I was 10). I already knew what the teacher was teaching us, so I was 'learning on my own'... apparently a terrible offence. This was when I realised that many adults were quite profoundly stupid, cruel and unreasonable. Reading was always my escape from their world.

*Sorry, that's not very nostalgic, is it?