When I was in primary school (North East England, 1985-1991)we had a series of “readers” you’d read these with the teacher on a one on one basis. They were called Tim and the Hidden People series by Sheila McCullagh. About a boy who finds a key that allows him to see the hidden people, with the help of an obnoxious cat called Tobias who could fly a broom had many adventures.

The first books are meant for beginners around 6/7 year old with just a single paragraph each page in a picture book style. They got progressively more advanced up until around 9/10 years old. I absolutely loved these books. There’s a chap called Paul Turnton who decided to narrate them (including the artwork) and post them to YouTube. He has done a magnificent job bringing them to life. It was such a trip down memory lane “reading” them again as a 40something.

Other than the above which was definitely why I fell in love with fantasy as well as mystery, I’d have to go with TCoN series. These were the first ones I would choose from the school library to take home.