I was at a friend’s flatwarming the other day, had a look at her bookshelves and saw Stories for Nine Year Olds! This was one of my favourite books from childhood. I worked my way through the small school library, and came across it on my way. It was one of a series (you can probably guess the names of the other titles) but the Nine Year Olds volume was by far the best.
Stories for Nine Year Olds was my first introduction to Saki (“The Lumber Room”) who became a favourite. It has “The White Seal” in it, a wonderful Kipling story. It also has the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, which must have been one of my earlier encounters with Greek myth and the ancient world in general. I don’t think it’s still in print (although there are other books with the same name) but if you can get hold of one it’s a great read for any age.
K C Murdarasi 
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