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PaperclipPerfector  5d ago (text post)   3388 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for January 16, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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I recently asked ChatGPT what the most recent global children's literature phenomenon before Harry Potter was. Surely someone must've written something since the Narnia books. It confidently said Matilda and refused to budge even when I told him I had no fucking clue who Matilda was.

Anyway, this Friday I found myself on a long bus trip with only a phone to keep me company and I decided to see what it was all about. And, oh boy, was I not impressed. Is everything by Roald Dahl as bad as Matilda? I wouldn't read this trash to my child if you paid me. The last book I inadvertently read that was equally terrible was The Girl that Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson.

Adding another vote for the Redwall series. In my experience it seems to have been a big hit with the millennial homeschooler generation.

As for one that hasn't been mentioned yet, Chronicles of Prydain was a series I enjoyed immensely as a kid. And it seems to have gained some reputation as a great children's series per Wikipedia. It also got a little known (?) Disney adaptation of the first two books, named after the second book, The Black Cauldron. Which was a massive bomb, and pretty freaky for a kids film in my opinion. My recollection of the books is them being an excellent fantasy arc with some really great characters. Will have to read again with my kids and confirm.

I was really into both that and The Dark is Rising as a kid. Apparently Welsh mythology really appealed to me for some reason.

My favorite series as a child.

They made a movie that was so bad, Susan Cooper got kicked off the set for complaining.

ha! I've never seen the movie, I'll have to check that out sometime. It's been a very long time since I've read them so i hardly remember the plot at all.

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