I’ve been reading all my life. Well, I suppose I wasn’t reading once upon a time (I was, regrettably, an illiterate newborn), but I don’t remember learning to read. I feel like Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird sometimes in the fact that: I just read. HOW DID IT START?
Basically: all blame goes to my mother, homeschooling, and Sonlight.*
When the Top Ten Tuesday prompt was about childhood favourites I pretty much wilted with happiness. I would LOVE to reread all my favourite books.** I grabbed the camera and perused the old bookshelves…and remembered just how many books I read when I was in school. We have a lot of bookshelves. We have a lot of books.
I’m going to cheat for this post again. I KNOW. I’M SORRY. I think, once, I actually did a TTT post properly (did I? maybe? pretend?)??? I’m going to list a heck of a lot of books. #sorrynotsorry You need to see the literature I devoured.
My childhood was awesome.
* I am not, in fact, referring to the sun and I’m not misspelling. It’s a homeschooling curriculum.
** But part of me is terrified that if I do, with my older and cynical mind, I wouldn’t enjoy them as much.
This Week’s Prompt: Top 10 Books From My Childhood That I Would Love To Revisit
1. REQUIRED HOMESCHOOLER READING
Ah! I’m joking about the “required” but I feel like if one is/was homeschooled with a churchy background they’ve probably read these books. My mum was very into Little House in the Prairie (hello, Mum! Just gossiping about you again) although I rather disliked it (hello? “perfect kids” Ew), but I did love Grandma’s Attic because the narrator got into all sorts of trouble. And I’d rather BURY this fact, but, um…yeah, I read about 40 Mandy books.
Seriously, let’s never talk about Mandie.
2. THEN CAME NARNIA, OF COURSE
I saved up and bought (for like $70 I think I remember…sheesh, fandom-life was expensive) the dramatised audio set. My sister, Mime, and I listened to them ON REPEAT. I’m not even exaggerating. Hours and hours and hours of Narnia.
Puddleglum is my spirit animal.
Also writing Narnia fanfiction was the beginning of my illustrious fantasy-writing-career.
3. LIFE IS NOTHING WITHOUT LEMONY SNICKET
Whom my parents referred to as “Lemon Persnickity” which did not please me at all.
I even wore my hair like Wednesday’s when I was little.
I loved these books. I own all 13 of A Series of Unfortunate Events and I think, counting some of Lemony Snicket/Daniel Handler’s YA books, I’ve read at least 19 all up. A LITTLE BIT OBSESSED? YEAH, UM. OKAY.
4. JUST 2 OR 3 OR 25 BEVERLY CLEARY BOOKS
I didn’t realise we had so many until today! There’s not just Henry Huggins and Ramona Quimby…there’s Dear Mr Henshaw and Otis Spofford and Socks! I loved all of these. Although I believe they were bought for Mime.
I am nothing if not a book thief.
5. LET’S TAKE OFF. LIVE IN THE WOODS. MAYBE MAKE IT 5-MILES?
Yes! My bad! That is a The Hunger Games quote up there even though these are, in fact, Gary Paulsen books. I love survival things. I totally could handle myself in the Canadian woods with knowledge like a) don’t eat too many weird berries, b) don’t annoy bears, c) fish are food not friends.
6. THE IMMORTAL BOXCAR BRATS
A few Boxcar Children books may have graced my childhood. Maybe, you know, FORTY OF THEM. Okay! Let me explain! My little sister was the one who was really obsessed. I just came along for the ride. I had problems with the fact that there are literally 40 summer adventures for these kids and they never grow up. That’s disturbing.
7. ELOIS JARVIS FREAKING FANTASTIC MCGRAW
I admit! I was so addicted to Moccasin Trail I even sneaked into the lounge room after my mum had finished reading aloud a chapter…and I read ahead. (I think I only did that once?) My mum just didn’t read fast enough. Devious, evil, 12-year-old me.
I also loved Ranofer and Mara and Jim a lot.
8. Y’ALL LOOK AT MY ‘MERICAN KNOWLEDGE
What can I say?! I know a lot about American history! I loved Carry On Mr. Bowditch, which I’m sure is the forefront of the Keep Calm and Carry On signs (shhh, don’t ruin my story). I loved Caddie Woodlawn a lot for her feisty spirit and temper and need to be out in the sun instead of cooped up inside (and also her brothers ended up quilting with her at the end! SO SWEET). Let’s not forget Strawberry Girl where they killed the donkey and that was so sad. Oh, lookee, Moccasin Trail again! I sneaked it in twice because I love it so. And I named my DOG Atticus. I think it’s fair to say To Kill a Mockingbird had a big affect on me.
9. OH LOOK! BOOKS ABOUT THE REST OF THE WORLD!
One of the things I love most about my childhood books is that they weren’t all set in America. I’m Australian and adored books like For the Term of His Natural Life and Billabong by Mary Grant Bruce…but what did I love more? THE REST OF THE WORLD.
I loved being in the middle east with Shadow Spinner (best book ever peoples, and the upcoming 2015 release The Wrath and the Dawn is based off this original tale). Then Japan with The Master Puppeteer. It’s by Katherine Paterson and yes, it’s sad too.
Joan Aiken and the Dido books also were a huge favourite. They were basically steampunk! Such a mess of genres all in one book. WOW. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase was my first Aiken experience, but…um…don’t watch the movie. EVER.*
* They totally put a kid through a wringer in the movie and it’s gross and bloodless, which is even more disturbing. Seriously just don’t EVER watch it.
10. BOOKS I HAVE SECOND-HAND-LOVE FOR BECAUSE I DIDN’T ACTUALLY READ THEM, I EAVESDROPPED
The best thing about me (yes, I totally did just say that) is that I always had half an eyeball on my own schoolwork, aaaaand a pretty generous amount of attention on Mime’s. I never actually sat down and read Little Pear or Pinky Pye or The Cricket in Times Square. But I know them, oh yes, I know them. I would kidnap them (particularly Follow My Leader) after Mum had finished reading them to Mime.
***
I didn’t even mention The Bronze Bow or Murder for Her Majesty or Johnny Tremain. Sheesh, 10 was not enough this week. NOT ENOUGH. But it was a nice stroll down memory lane writing this post and made me want to reread them, despite my hesitations.
And I also continually remind my mum she can never ever ever sell them.
See? THIS is why I’m a bookworm. My bookish love comes from years of whining:
“PUH-LEASE MUM. JUST READ US ONE MORE CHAPTER.”
obviously i want to know which books filled your small brains. let’s relive ancient history (har, har) and tell me your childhood loves! do you share any of mine?? do you still own your childhood books? did your parents ever read out loud to you? OH and feel free to leave me a link to your TTT posts!
Cait @ Paper Fury
…is currently having MEMORIES. Oh, she remembers reading waaaay past her required reading amount and finishing books in a day not a week. Good times. (Not much has changed.) If she was to reread, it’d probably be Shadow Spinner, because she’s wanted to retell that Eastern fable in modern times FOREVER.
GREAT LIST. YOU HAVE A LOT OF BOOKS LOL. I fondly remember the Boxcar children books 🙂 Mostly I read my mum’s books from when she was a kid – Swallows and Amazons, Trixie Belden, Little Women, What Katy Did, The Chalet School series (which I’m pretty sure are from my GRANDMOTHER’S time, not my mum’s). Trixie Belden was my favourite 🙂
Yesssss I adored Trixie Belden too! And no one had ever heard of her! Grr…
I NEARLY got Trixie Belden on this list!! I only read about 5 but I actually have a collection of 10 or so that I bought to sell and then…couldn't…sell. #typical
What a fun list. I would probably have to cheat like you and post roughly a bajillion books. As I was reading your post I just wanted to squeel again and again because all those books were just so integral to my growth. Although I must admit, I still haven’t quite figured out how the boxcar children managed immortality and how they HAPPENED to run into mysteries everywhere they went. That is one of life’s big questions I suppose I’ll just have to forgo.
You mentioned a whole lot of my favorites but I’ll post a couple more here:
-Ginger Pye by Eleanore Estes
-Betsy Tacy and Tib series by Muad Hart Lovelace
-All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor
-Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
-The Wheel On The School and other books by Mendert Di Jong
-Hitty – Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Fielding
-The Trumpet of the Swan and other books by E.B. White
-The Secret Garden and A Little Princess by Frances Hodsgon Burnett
Those are just a few jumping around the top of my head. Man alive, what a fun and impossible tag!
OH HITTY. I forgot about that one!
(Sorry for jumping in. It’s just this TTT is making me so excited and nostalgic. :D)
YES, Betsy-Tacy and A Little Princess!
Their first adventure SHOULD have been discovering the fountain of youth, and then I would've been okay. 😉 But, well, even worse, they actually DO grow up in the first 10 books by Gertrude Chandler Warner. Afterwards it's just a franchise, but they were in their twenties for like, um, 2 books there. >_<The Wheel on the School! YES. And I loved EB White too…Charlotte's Web was a bit heartbreaking. *sniffles* Also The Secret Garden totally always intrigued me…the combination of India AND that moor. Total delicious classic.
Oooooooohh I love this post so much that I had to comment now, even though I’m going to have to come back and comment properly AFTER work when I have more time. NOOOOO. (however, I shouldn’t complain – I like my work, really: there are 4 extremely soppy lurcher dogs, and a sweet old couple, and I get to clean the crystal tumblers today!)
See ya later!
AW, thanks for commenting anyway!! XD (DOGS ARE AWESOME.)
There are so many on your list I haven’t read and that makes me a little sad. I’ve missed out! Instead of just revisiting my childhood/teen faves, I’m thinking I need to revisit those of others who took part in the Top 10! It’s awesome you still have all your childhood books. Unfortunately I never made it clear to my Mum to keep mine. She likes to eye off my full shelves even today but I maybe, sorta growl at her, so she knows now. 😉
Oh oh we must be SO FIRM about keeping these books, right?! My mum has threatened to sell several times, but I all but melt down and die. Books aren't just books THEY ARE MEMORIES TOO.
Of course Lemony Snicket and Narnia – how could I miss these beauties!?! Great TTT list I must say. I thought I had a lot of books but I could spend days admiring your bookshelves!
I could spend days admiring these shelves too. 😉 *happy sigh* I AM SO GLAD FOR THE EXISTENCE OF BOOKS.
I feel like I didn’t have a childhood! I don’t remember whatbooks I read or was read to. I distinctly remember Bridge to Terabithia, some books in Spanish (since I live in a Spanish speaking country), Holes, and and maybe ONE of the Narnia books, but other than that I’m blank. My mom doesn’t remember either! Since we had to move when I was little, the most probable explanation is that my mom didn’t bring the books with her *cries*. Awesome post, Cait. I think I’m going to save it for future reference 😛
AW. I FEEL SAD FOR YOU. But hey, at least you are a massive bookworm NOW if not when you grew up, right?!
Great list! I loved every single Beverly Cleary book. Ramona was awesome. I also loved Judy Blume. I read every single one of her books.
*whispers* I actually don't know if I've read Judy Blume! I CAN'T REMEMBER and I see her everywhere on this week's list…it makes me wonder about this Blume shamed hole in my life.
I devoured the Little House books when I was a kid. I read everyone and wanted to visit all of the places Laura lived. It probably had something to do with the fact that I grew up pretty close to the Little House in the Big Woods. 🙂 Yeah, I may have been obsessed.
My little sister completely adored the Boxcar Children. One summer that was the only imaginary game she wanted to play.
Thanks for sharing this great list of books!
OH WOW. THAT IS COOL, THOUGH. I was always miffed about the snow and the apple orchards and endless flat prairies, since I don't think we really have that kind of stuff in Australia. (Well, we have them, I guess, but not where I live. xD)
So I’m going to start of by saying that I haven’t read any of those books (apart from a few of the Narnia ones.) Before you throw things at me, let me explain. I never really read for pleasure when I was young, heard to believe but its true. I think it’s because I get tongue tied when I have to read allowed, feel anxious and just panic, I don’t know why really but it happens a lot (I have this thing where I will look at a word, just pronounce it in my head and be convinced that’s how it should be, so reading allowed and getting words wrong really scared me. I actually spent a long time thinking a friend of mine was called Leah when she was actually called Leigh. I probably shouldn’t admit it but early on after visiting your blog last year I was referring to you as Cat, until I saw your name again and mentally slapped myself). Anyway my teachers in school knew I didn’t like reading in front of class and always forced me so it made the fear of it even worse, and I hated reading because of it. It wasn’t until I was around 12/13 that I picked up a Darren Shan book and Harry Potter that I came to the realisation I was missing out.
I envy the fact that you have so many childhood memories based around books and I’m so happy that my little one loves them because your stories about reading with your mum and with Mime is something I’m really looking forward to her having (but about me obviously haha)
Great post Cait 🙂
Aw, Stacie! *hugs you* I totally totally understand about freaking out because of having to read in front of class. I kind of feel angry at your teachers for that, since they probably kind of turned you off books for doing that. GAH. And, seriously, I don't read outloud, like, um, ever if I can avoid it. Actually I do when I'm reading picture books to my nephew, but he CORRECTS ME, because I make things up. *facepalm* I don't know why, but reading out loud makes me say sentences backwards. >.> AAAAANYWAY.Also: you're not the only one to call me Cat! HA! Don't worry! I have had several people tell me they thought my name was Cat. 😉 I WILL NOT GROWL. I'm really really lucky I had a childhood full of books.
Oh my gosh! My family still has the Grandma’s Attic books. Haha, i never finished Little House on the Prairie. I got bored in Farmer Boy.
I also looooved Pippi Longstocking (though I totally butchered pronouncing the name of Pippi’s house. It’s like villavilkula or something like that.). Oh! And Mrs. Pigglewiggle! She was the best.
And NARNIA. i was so obsessed with Narnia. And then Redwall too…gosh, I even built a little Redwall Abbey out of cardboard boxes and miny tiny clay animals to live in it.
I read Boxcar Children too…and found it disturbing how Benny had a birthday at the end of one book, and was back to being 6 in the next. O__o
Oh oh, did you ever Mara, Daughter of the Nile? That was a good book.
(I got bored with Little House too. Argh. Nothing ever HAPPENED. Just perfection and annoying characters. I do remember liking the TV show though.) OH PIPPI!!! I don't know if I read the book, but I loved the animated movie!! x)Benny…eternally six and small despite eating, like, a billion pieces of cake in one sitting. I feel like his eating habits were a little out of control there. YES YES I LOVED MARA. It nearly got into this post and it only didn't because a) I ran out of room, and b) the photo I took was a bit dodgy anyway. BUT ZOMG I LOVED THAT BOOK SO MUCH. Sheftu. 😉
Wonderful list. Boy, it looks like I missed out on a lot of good childhood reading. When I was a child, I wanted to read adult books (and often did once I hit early teens).
Just goes to show you were a smart child, right?!
I read only a couple of the Boxcar kids because my absolute favorite was the first one – the one where they had to kinda survive on their own in a boxcar. AND NOW THAT YOU MENTION THAT. YES. THAT IS VERY DISTURBING.
My Mom and Dad read to my brother and I a lot. Dad read to us the first book of Narnia and Dr. Suess books (mom would read the latter too) and Mom would read to me Ella Enchanted, The School Story and similar books we read for our book club. I still enjoy reading with her; we’re still going through the Trixie Belden series together and we just finished A Voice in the Wind, which was pretty amazing. So now we’ve started the sequel to that. But of course I read a ton on my own, as well. ^_^ Another series I liked when I was younger was ABC Mysteries. Those were always pretty neat, too.
Oh I totally agree! I LOVED that first one…survival stuff is always awesome, even if…um, it wasn't quite the gritty survival stuff of Hatchet or anything. XD I liked how they existed on milk and bread and blueberries. The School Story was AMAZING. It totally gave me a better understand of the publishing world, although, um…now, I realise it's a tad unrealistic. XD
YOU READ GRANDMA’S ATTIC AND CADDIE WOODLAWN
YOU’RE LIKE
THE ONLY PERSON I KNOW WHO HAS BESIDES ME
THIS IS WHY I LOVE YOU
I HAD AN AWESOME CHILDHOOD. I AM VERY WELL VERSED IN ALL THE BOOKS. CADDIE WOODLAWN IS LIFE.
There were quite a few I had to sacrifice from my list that I liked-the Sue Barton nursing books had to make way in the end for Fantastic Mr Fox! The Silver Brumby books-I loved them but just couldn’t fit them in which was a pity! I was never happy about being unable to get through my gran’s wardrobe into Narnia especially when she had the fur coats hanging there!
Every time we moved house I checked for Narnia. 😉 *whispers* I possibly still keep up that habit. YOU NEVER KNOW RIGHT?!!
What a great list of children’s books! We have a few in common, like the Boxcar Children (yeah, 40 summers is a little weird. I vaguely remember wondering why they never got older) and Gary Paulsen, but my childhood was pretty much defined by Marguerite Henry’s books, specifically Misty of Chincoteague. My mom read it to me, I read it (and all of Henry’s other books) to myself, and we took a family vacation to the islands of Chincoteague and Assateague when I was 7. I could probably even recognize my copy of Misty blindfolded, because it has a wonderful, distinctive smell (don’t laugh; it’s true).
I have a list compiled on my blog if you really want to know what I read long, long ago… 🙂 http://poetreeandbooks.blogspot.com/2014/01/child…
I'm not laughing! That's awesome! Most of our children's books are second hand so they're all tatty and loved, which is awesome. The 40 summers, yeah. >_< I shall check out your list!!
Can you believe I STILL haven’t read the Narnia books. I really need to get onto that. It’s one of those series which I’m like, “Oh yes, I’ll read them one day” . . . but haven’t actually gotten around to them yet. BUT I WILL.
GOSH, KARA. THERE IS A MASSIVE NARNIAN HOLE IN YOUR LIFE. FIX THIS.
Yes, I do still own all my childhood books, and my mom did read aloud to me before bedtime when I was a wee young’un. From your list, I’ve read a bunch and loved them all! Narnia (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is my favorite), Little House (I’ve read Little House on the Prairie and On the Banks of Plum Creek, but not the whole series), A Series of Unfortunate Events (gah, I want to marathon all 13 books again and now!), Caddie Woodlawn (awesome awesome awesome, forgot about this one!), To Kill a Mockingbird (my favorite classic), the first two Boxcar Children (the first was my favorite, and after the second one I lost interest), and GARY PAULSEN!!! I’ve only read two of his books but holy ravioli they were spectacular! I read Hatchet and loved that, and then I picked up Dogsong on a whim. And Dogsong, man, that book was beautiful. I still remember it. Just agh. MEMORIES!!!
OH GOSH ANOTHER GARY PAULSEN FAN!! *flails* I loved so many of his books. I can't remember the details of all of them now, but I looooved the first Hatchet and I'm so glad he wrote a bunch. xD My mum was still reading aloud even when I was a teen and I'm pretty lucky. 😉 I think that's why I like audio books so much.
OH MY GOD. I REMEMBER THE BOXCAR CHILDREN. And I’m just now realizing that I never actually read Narnia. I’m horrified. I need to get on that immediately.
NEVER READ NARNIA?!! *falls on the floor like a stabbed pineapple* IT IS SO GOOD THOUGH. Well. I don't know how I'd feel about the series if I read them for the first time now though. 0_0 But I was so so obsessed as a kid!!
Okay. Basically, you just listed all my childhood books I ever read.
AND I KNOW WHAT SONLIGHT IS!
And you have no idea how happy it makes me that you loved Follow the Leader as well. That was seriously my favoriteee book as a child. I read it so much that the book literally broke in half, but is still sitting my bookshelf.
THAT IS SO AWESOME. AND ALSO, WELL, THIS DOESN'T SURPRISE ME BECAUSE YOU LIKE HAVE MY NAME AS WELL BECAUSE MY MIDDLE NAME IS GRACE. SO YES. WE'RE PROBABLY LIKE CYBER TWINS. I reread Follow the Leader a million times.
Ohhh Mandy books… Those books are okay when you’re younger and don’t worry about different plots and character development, but once I got to around 7th grade, ewwwww. She ALWAYS disobeys. She basically solves every mystery by disobeying!!! And her 3 boyfriends!!! Argh!! Boxcar Children were also like that, nothing really happened that was exciting. Surprise Island (Or something) was my favorite because I like “survival” stories like that. Caddie Woodlawn is such a sweet book! I didn’t read Lemony Snicket when I was younger, so I’m diving into them now! They’re awesome, depressing yet hilariously awesome! And your read Grandma’s Attic! Those stories were great. I mostly remember the one about the guy almost ripping his tongue off 😀 I should probably do this list later this week 😀
As for books I read as a kid, I read lots of American Girl (vividly remember getting caught reading in the dark for a Samantha book… Guess that’s why I have glasses….), some Little House, Narnia, Little Men (3x), Hans Brinker, the Swiss Family Robinson, some G. A. Henty, and random other books my school’s library had. I particularly remember When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit 🙂
She is like a compulsive disobedience little brat. GAH. I mean, by book 30 it's boiled down to:Adults: “Don't do that Mandy”Mandy: *does it* Mandy: *cries*Mandy: “I'M SORRY”Adults: “We forgive you.”GAHHHHHH. aHEM. Sorry. XD I was clearly not a very big overthinker as a kid and I just read them all like one after the other. Epic binge read. haha. Lemony Snicket WILL NEVER GROW OLD. I'm reading his new series as it comes out and I love them so much. XDAmerican Girl books! YES! Me too! Although that's weird for me because I am, in fact, Australian, but I loved Felicity and Addy so much. xDI read When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit too!! AND GA HENTY!! OMG. The Cat of Bubastes!!! LOVED THAT BOOK. Also Beric the Briton.
I totally forgot about The Boxcar Children! I loved those too. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
They were rather mystery magnets, eh?! 🙂 Still! Lots of fond memories!
I LOVED The Boxcar Children!! You have a fair point about them never growing up though lol..
It's a liiiiittle odd in retrospect but at the time it never bothered me, haah!!
It’s okay. I cheated, too! Well…not with listing more…I should have done a teen list and a picture book list, too! But I wanted to finish a book I was reading yesterday and rushed to do a Top 10 ^^;;; BUT I cheated and didn’t just put re-read titles. Because…I’m scared to re-read some of my favorites! What if they’re not as good as my childhood self thought? What if I pick them apart? I loved the Little Hosue books. How could I forget them!! Narnia is on my list. NARNIA!!!!!!! Lovelovelovelovelove. I do re-read this one every few years! I love that Narnia fanfic led you to fantasy writing. My fanfic brush began with Sailor Moon, but in my head, I made up stories longn before I knew what fanfic was. I mentioned that today, actually. For THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND, there was a song we learned in choir…a Christmas song, I forget its name, but it goes “In the meadow we can build a snowman, and pretend that he is (Parson Brown?) He’ll say are you married, I’ll say no, ma’am, but you can do the job when you’re in town! And I would have a scene with the various girls from WOBP, especially the MC, and drag out the romance because I was silly! lol. Huh, I should have mentioned the song in my post. I couldn’t remember all the words last night and I don’t remember much more about the song than that! Boxcar children! YES! I wish I still had all my childhood books. My mom gave them away because they took up space in boxes in the basement. I had Boxcar, Sweet Valley kids/JHS/HS/Uni, BSC, a few horse series, Fearless, and so much more! I wish I still had it all!! TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD was my favorite HS required read. I want to re-read it again for the 3rd or 4th time. But IDK about this new book and if it’s really Harper Lee’s intent, so I’m waiting to see! I love how you grouped these by topic . It’s totally a top 10!
I FEEL THAT FEAR SO MUCH. I want to reread all my favourite kids books, but I read a few a couple of years back, and….I didn't love them nearly asmuch. It kind of destroyed that “magic” for me, you know? So now I'm too terrified. I never even KNEW what fanfic was! HA! I thought I was being original. *facepalm* I was a really naive little kid. But then, Narnia is totally a huge building block in my writing life, so I won't knock it. 😉 I LOVED The Witch of Blackbird Pond!! And basically ALL THE ELIZABETH GEORGE SPEAR. I want to reread TKaM now. I'm kind of looking for an excuse and this post has spurred me to try it…particularly with the sequel coming out. (Or prequel or whatever it is.)
Ah yes, the practically required reading for a homeschooler.;)
I love the dramatized Chronicles of Narnia!
I haven’t read any Beverly Cleary since grade school. I wonder if they still hold the same magic?:)
Aren't those dramatised CDs amazing?!! TOTALLY made my childhood. xDI always wonder if it'll destroy the magic to reread childhood favourites. I'm too nervous to try….
I love your pictures and around the world travel by book! I confess I’ve never read Lemony Snickett, but I’m excited to try them out with my daughter. I wonder when she’ll be old enough to try…
I loved Narnia and remember my dad reading those to me, I am way too excited to start chapter books with this kid!
Aw, thanks!! I had a lot of fun taking these pictures. xD OH. I hope your daughter enjoys Lemony Snicket! My nephew is only 4 but the second he's old enough, gosh, you can bet I'll be throwing them at him. I actually have the first 5 books on audio too, which is awesome. XD
THIS POST IS MY ENTIRE CHILDHOOD. Like, even down to Grandma’s Attic. I read that whole series, and even had a companion cookbook. (Also I read the whole Mandie series, but let’s keep that between the two of us.)
Yay! Nostalgia! My parents read to me all the time – they think that’s why I learnt so quickly. My Dad actually read the first (or maybe the first two, I can’t quite remember…) Harry Potter books to me and then I started reading them by myself from there. The two series that I look back on as my “childhood favourites” are the Jane Blonde series, which was about spies and eventually devolved into an awesome sci-fi tale so complex that I didn’t understand it until I re-read it a couple of years later, and the How To Train Your Dragon Books which are technically my little brother’s and are still going. I still own the Jane Blonde ones (never giving those away).
Jane Blonde?! OMG. That's so clever. HA! I hadn't ever heard of those until now! I love How to Train Your Dragon although I only just read them now….What can I say?!! I never grow out of kids books!
Oh my gosh, Cait, this is SO familiar I can’t even xD I’m from a homeschool family JUST LIKE THIS, I swear. I knew it would be good the instant I read ‘Sonlight’ and I’m still laughing. And I’ve literally read every single one of those books. (I have read-aloud book memories, too, haha.) WE ARE TWINSIES. Narnia has always been a favorite of mine, and I remember being annoyed by Little House on the Prairie too, because those girls were kind of snobbish brats. *shrugs* And Lemony Snicket is still one of my favorite authors ever.
*homeschooler hi-five* It's awesome being homeschooled because (usually) homeschoolers have SO MANY BOOKS IN COMMON. IT'S JUST LIKE AN AWESOME CLUB OR SOMETHING. *ahem* TWINSIES FOR SURE. Little House was totally full of snobbish brats and they all acted “perfect” it just drove me nuts. -_- I loved Narnia, particularly Edmund, because he was evil. heeh.
Like I said, I was going to do the full Sonlight curriculum (I did the maths and science) and I was SO looking forward to it because of all the books you get with it, but then I had to do IGCSES instead. I may have cried. These all look fantastic and I’d like to see if they have them at my library! My favorite childhood books would also be the Lemony Snicket series (the first book was one of the first “proper” books I ever read), the Secret Seven series, the Babysitters Club, The Hawkeye Collins and Amy Adams series, the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen books (I recently got rid of all of mine *cries* I had pretty much the whole collection) annnndddd Matilda, by Roald Dahl – its the only book I read quite often, it’s amazing.
THAT MAKES ME CRY A LITTLE FOR YOU, TOO. I'm annoyed because my little sister ended up going to school and totally MISSED OUT on so many of these books!! I can't even talk to her about them. WAH. I do hope your library has a few good ones. I like recommend everything I mentioned in this post, haha. Particularly Eloise Jarvis MacGraw though. xD
I never read The Boxcar Children but I’m seeing it around so much. I’m so intrigued! 🙂 Great list!
I feel like the Boxcar Children, the Babysitters Club, and Harry Potter are quite the staples of this weeks prompt, eh?!
Oohh so many books! I haven’t read that many of these, and I feel like I’ve missed out on so much! I vaguely remember reading a couple of the Narnia books… Most of the books I read back then were from the library, but when my mum saw I caught the reading bug and it was actually sticking around, she began buying me my own books 😀 (Plus, it was bribery to go to school *cough*… I was not a good student… I kinda hated the place!) I wish I’d payed more attention to the books I got from the library, though! Once I got my hands on my own books, they became the shiny new awesomeness and everything else was forgotten, teehee! Great list, Cait!
Oh I don't blame you for forgetting them! lol I actually just discovered my library card has a history and I was perusing what I'd read a few years back and…I totally didn't remember them. AND THAT WAS ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO. I can't possibly remember what I read as a kid. If I ever have kids (ahah) I feel like I want to list everything they read, just in case they care when they're older. 😉
YES! Loved Boxcar, Gary Paulsen and Beverley Cleary — seriously need to re-read some of these! This was definitely a fun prompt today!!
My TTT
It was a totally AWESOME prompt!
My mom read to my sister and I a lot. We’re both readers now, so I guess it worked. I think there are still a few childhood favourites stashed away somewhere. I know I still have my copies of the four A. A. Milne books; I didn’t include them because I already revisited them a few years ago. I love Winnie-the-Pooh…
I loved Beverly Cleary’s books when I was growing up. I read a lot of them, even beyond the Ramona books. Dear Mr. Henshaw made my list this week (mostly because I’m told I loved it, but I can’t actually remember anything about it).
A lot of the other books I read were silly series, which I have no desire to revisit. I mean, they were fun at the time, but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t interest me now.
I'm SURE reading aloud to kids works wonders, because I'm the biggest bookworm ever and my mum read aloud until I was into my teens. :') Fond memories.
Out of all the TTT’s, this is the one to cheat on. I, good-girl-Sophia, cheated big time on mine, and even proclaimed “I HATE RULES.” This is what nostalgia does to me.
But we have so many overlapping ones! (Oh the homeschooling life.) Little House in the Prairie, Narnia, The Boxcar Children, Mr. Bowdich (I had SUCH A CRUSH on him), Caddie Woodlawn… *sigh*
And OH you own Detectives in Togas! That one made it on my list. I really liked it, but I think it disappeared into the house of one of our neighborhood children. 🙁
Also, the Trumpet of the Swan was MY BOOK when I was seven or eight. Whenever I saw a swan I would shout out LOOK ITS LOUIS! Louis and Serena were my OTP when I was little.
This post inspired me to sit down and write my own TTT today because I was so nostalgic. I wasn’t planning to because I’m working on a project that will be posted later this week (*whispers* vlooooogggggg).
So you are why I actually wrote a TTT this week, finally. 🙂
Rules are for mortals. *does fabulous hair toss*Homeschooling life equals AWESOME BOOKS, amirite?!! XD OMG I AM SO GLAD YOU LIKED MR BOWDITCH. TOTAL CRUSH. I cried when his girlfriend fell down the stairs. Or Johnny Tremain?! I'm kicking myself for skipping him on this list, but I looooved Johnny Termain. My big crush was on Jim from Moccasin Trail though. 😉 #firstbookboyfriendOMG REALLY?!!! VLOG?! I'M SO EXCITED!!!
OH MY GRACIOUS I RECOGNIZE LIKE 90% OF THESE IT’S NOT EVEN FUNNY.
We didn’t use Sonlight, but we read a lot of their books…
Let’s just say, I adored Mandie (she had my name! I mean, come on!), In Grandma’s Attic, Caddie Woodlawn, BOXCAR CHILDREN WERE MY LIFE, and oooooooooh Eloise Garvis McGraw and Elizabeth George Speare! <3 Also, basically every book in Mime's picture. And I am totally familiar with the sneaking in another chapter or two even though I/my mom was only supposed to read one…biggest frustration of my young reader's life was getting an awesome book for school lit and only being allowed to read ONE CHAPTER A DAY. I mean, what madness is this?!
…We were/are the type of homeschooling family who drowns in books. We literally have around 1,500 books/magazines in this house. I am not kidding in the least. My mom had to keep getting taller bookshelves…even those are getting packed now…
Also, this timing is funny because just yesterday I was sitting on the floor on the very bookshelf that looks much like the picture up there in number 10 and realizing how many books have been added for my younger siblings that–GASP!–I have never read. I think I grabbed like seven books off there and snuck them away to my room to read at…some point…
Speaking of which, I tend to do that a lot, if we read a book for school that I adore. I literally call one of my bookshelves in my bedroom the "not-technically-mine-but-who-cares-I-ADORED-these-books-and-they-shall-be-mine-forevermore" bookshelf…
Okay, rant over.
IT'S A HOMESCHOOLING THING CLEARLY. WE JUST HAVE, LIKE, EPIC TASTE IN BOOKS. XD I have eternal love for McGraw and Speare, omg, I think Jim from Moccasin Trail was like my first book crush. He was wonderful. And gosh, I HEAR YA. One chapter a day was rubbish. I'd finish my week's reading in like…a day…and Mum wouldn't even give me more books. *glowers* No wonder I had Narnia on repeat. xDThat. is. so. cooooool. I so hope my mum keeps all the books. I've told her I want them all if she's going to get rid of them. I'll LIVE IN AN IGLOO MADE OF BOOKS.Stealing books from younger siblings is totally acceptable and needful. We can't have them knowing things we don't know, right?! It's our JOB to read all the things.
I had so many favorites when I was a little kid, and I basically reread these favorites over and over again (usually in the space of a day because I did not have high school homework looming over me). I loved The Little House on the Prairie books SO MUCH, and my friend and I went around the playground during recess wearing our bonnets, making woodchip soup, “hunting” for game (aka crickets) and playing pioneers EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I was actually obsessed with any book having to do with pioneers. Another favorite of mine was Indian Captive. I was also obsessed with Nancy Drew to the point where me and a friend (a different one) dug a tunnel with a STICK THAT WE FOUND ON THE GROUND so that we could walk through it and figure out mysteries. We didn’t actually finish it because we were caught, but we got surprisingly far in the space of like half a year. I don’t think I even need to say that books had a huge impact on me.
I was obsessed with pioneers….but not Little House for some strange reason. >_< But seriously my sister and I made “wagons” with paddle-pop sticks and all sorts of crazy things and I literally printed out SHOPPING LISTS for supplies one would need to cross the Oregon Trail. XD
SUCH a great post this week! this has got to be one of my favorite TTT posts today so far! i loved all the pictures, and you reminded me of some I totally forgot about when writing my own TTT post this week! The lemony snicket books was one of them, and i’m actually bummed years ago i got rid of my set of them that my dad bought me, cause he passed away a few years later. :/ books hold memories sometimes, it’s so weird how that works! the little house on the prairie books were on my list this week as well!
AWWW! THANKS, EMILY! XD That totally made my day!! Lemony Snicket is just phenomenal and aw, so sad about your dad. Books do hold memories. *nods emphatically*
Wow, so many books. No one ever read to me. I think I found it annoying and I read faster by myself anyway. My list isn’t as diverse as yours. I mostly reads children’s books by Macedonian authors. Interestingly enough, they’re all on my all time favorites list 😀
Great post Cait! Love how you always add a little something to your posts! 😀
https://ireadboooks.wordpress.com/2015/03/24/top-…
I always used to get SO frustrated that my mum would only read a few chapters…hence the sneaking and reading when she wasn't looking. She read this post and told me she didn't know I cheated! HA. I must've had a great poker face. 😉
Great list of books. I liked reading Hatchet and the Little House on the Prairie Series too. Happy reading!!
Such GREAT chlidhood memories, right?!
I forgot about the Ramona series! I used to adore those…they were on of my favorites growing up. I read the Boxcar Children too…they’re what introduced me to mystery.
It always struck me as weird how those Boxcar kids found a mystery EVERYWHERE they went, but I really did enjoy it so much. xD
I know we’ve already figured out that we are fellow Sonlighers, and I think that’s so fun! I think the only books I haven’t read of these would be the entire Series of Unfortunate Events, which, I know, shame on me, but after reading the first…three, I think, I really didn’t like them very much. They reminded me too much of the movie version of the Wolves of Willoughby Chase (yes, I have watched that, and would rather appreciate it wiped from my mind. How could they ruin it so?).
But I love all those other books SO much, and authors like Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Elizabeth George Speare, and Mary Ray, are who inspire me to want to write incredible, exciting historical fiction like they did.
It IS so fun! I like to shout SONLIGHT occasionally so we all poke our heads out of the woodwork and compare notes. 😉 Omg, yes yes I can totally see the resemblence between Joan Aiken and Lemony Snicket! Both seriously weird but kind of addicting. XD I rad a stack of Joan Aikens and they just go weirder and weirder. (I wish the Wolves of Willoughby Chase movie could be BURNED from my mind too. Omg. It was awful and nothing like the book anyway.)
I love your list!! To Kill a Mockingbird and Narnia are amazing! I loved Lemony Snicket’s books!
I'm so glad I still own all these books! I want to reread TKaM!
Oh my god I haven’t heard the term Sonlight in AGES! Mara, Daughter of the Nile was a huge favorite of mine from that curriculum – I still want to reread it someday!
SHEFTU. TALK ABOUT FIRST BOOK BOYFRIENDS. *flails* I loved Mara, too, wow, the plot twists in that book were perfect. XD
Of yours I read Narnia, the Little House books, and the James III sequence (Wolves of Willoughby Chase). I LOVE JOAN AIKEN! I also really loved all the Little House Books, and The Children of Green Knowe series. As a child I devoured The Worst Witch books, Enid Blyton, and The Hobbit, with occasional forays into Le Petit Prince by St Exupery. When I stayed with my grandparents, I got access to different books such as the series of Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators (my dad’s old books) and The Abbey Girls series, The Chalet School series, as well as big thick ‘Girls School Omnibus’ editions with titles like ‘Chris of the Fourth’ and ‘The Girls of the Rose Dormitory’ (my grandma’s books). I read Jane Eyre and other ‘younger’ classics like Heidi, The Secret Garden, The Little Princess, Treasure Island and so on – and things like Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet, The Eagle of the Ninth (I love Rosemary Sutcliff still), all the Swallows and Amazons books…Later on I read Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Dickens, and so on…
JOAN AIKEN IS JUST THE BEST. I never read all the Dido's but the ones I did read I loooooved to pieces. They were so weird yet awesome. Omg, and the Little Princess was AMAZING (I used to love that movie too) and same with The Secret Garden. That one always inspired me so much because I was a really serious kid and I felt SO MUCH for Mary when everyone picked on her for being serious.
The 90s films of The Little Princess and The Secret Garden were excellent! Different from the books, but beautiful and captured the same sort of atmosphere. NEVER watch ‘Return to the Secret Garden’ though. It is AWFUL. They killed off Dickon. *furious face*
OMG HOW COULD THEY KILL OF DICKON? YEAH. HOW ABOUT NO.
Yay! This was my favourite TTT, I cannot believe how many books you probably own. WOW. What’s also strange is that I have read a few TTT’s from today and I have read mostly the same books as other bloggers from my childhood, however, mine differs completely form yours. I have only read one or two of the books you have mentioned, and haven’t heard of a lot of them!!! Mine were Matilda, the harry potter series, Little Mr and Miss books, Roald Dahl books, anything and everything by R L Stine and also the Horrible Histories Series. But my absolute fave is A Little Princess – so beautiful and magical. Angelica x
I KNOW, RIGHT?! I'm really really glad my mum kept all these, and I've put dibs on getting them all if she's ever getting rid of them. xD haha! I love books so much. A stack of mine are Historical Fiction, so it doesn't surprise me that they're more obscure. xD I LOVED Roald Dahl too! But I didn't read him when I was little…I was like 15 when I read all this books. Never too old for a good magical adventure, right! 😉
Oh my gargoyles, I knew like 85% of the books you put on there! But we can’t forget Noel Streatfeild’s SHOES series or Michael Bond’s PADDINGTON..were those books homeschool things, or do regular people read them? Do you know?
I read and loved (and still love!) Noel Streatfield’s books. I remember reading Apple Bough from the school library, and my copy of Thursday’s Child was so worn from re-reading….
HEY AT LEAST I KNOW ALL OF THESE. Or at least recognize them 🙂 I did read the first book in the Boxcar Children but then not the whole series. I also read a lot of books by Beverly Cleary hahaha.
YAY. YOU CLEARLY HAD AN AWESOME CHILDHOOD TOO. Pfft, once you've read, like, 10 Boxcars you've read them all. >_< There's only so many ways you can solve a mystery, right?!
I loved all Beverly Cleary books too. Socks! I forgot about Socks…but now that you’ve reminded me, my heart is filled with nostalgia.
What a fantastic encouragement of reading you’ve shared.
*joins you with the nostalgia* It was like a walk down memory lane just photographing all these books. :') SOCKS. I felt so bad for Socks when his owners had that baby. xD
We read a lot of the same books as children! Us isolated homeschooling children obviously had some sort of curriculum. And I have read Lemony Snicket and Laura Ingalls Wilder over and over and over. I see the flaws noe, but they are still pretty cool books. this was a rather marvellous list
*homeschooler hi five* OH YES. I totally understand! I see weird flaws too, which is why I don't want to reread. I want to keep the magic! lol XD
Yay for carry on Mr. Bowditch! That one definitely ranks up there for my favorite books. 🙂
It was so so amazing. xD I have such good memories of that one!
I… did not read many of these. Well, a few Beverly Cleary books of course. The first Narnia book? And um, none of those pesky American books 😉 (See, we don’t even read our OWN history over here! I kid, I actually really like history.)
And then there’s the books on your list that um, didn’t come out until I was a senior in high school? (I’m looking at YOU, Lemony.) I do remember contemplating reading a Boxcar book. And I wanted to read Little House and then (and I warn you, this is RIDICULOUS) Michael Landon died- you know, the guy who played the dad on the TV show?- and I was too sad to read it. But I never watched the TV show either. I was a weird kid. REALLY weird.
I own mine. Most of them, a few were lost in a flood in my parents’ basement. I blame them for not packaging them better. And yes, my mom ALWAYS read to me, even when I could read just fine by myself. 🙂
WHAT. I probably know more history about America than the average American. -_- Don't ask me about Australian history though. I DON'T HAVE A CLUE. (Okay, I know a little bit, but not half as much as I know about America.) I think I started on Lemony Snicket when I was like 13, but pfft, that still counts as childhood. I count last YEAR as childhood, really.I did like that little House TV show, even though it was different from the books. But the characters weren't as “perfect” so I liked them. 😉 Except when they adopted that brother. WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT.
I AM ASHAMED (hides in the darkness)
I never had the chance to read Narnia and A Series of Unfortunate Events (tho I really really want to, just never seen copies of ASoUE here in PH)
New goal: Read this book this year !! 😀
DON'T BE ASHAMED!!! We all have different childhood book loves. XD I hope you do get a chance for Snicket though. His books are phenomenal and I STILL am reading his newer series. xD Never gets old!
I only read a few of the boxcar children when I was in elementary school never got a chance to finish them, but I do remember liking what I read! I also have read books 1-5 of the Narnia books! I really want to try and finish the last two! Here is the link for my TTT ( https://cksreadingcorner.wordpress.com/2015/03/24… )
I looooved Narnia so so so much. I can't even count how many times I've read it.x D I think book 3 was my favourite though, The Horse and his Boy. xD SO FUNNY.
I actually don’t know a lot of these books, I’ve only heard of the Narnia ones (which I also read a few as a kid! Yipee!) and the Series of Unfortunate Events. This makes me feel old, lol! But yay to lifelong readers too 🙂
Oh my goodness, yes to so many of these! You just took me back to my childhood, when I sat around all day reading about Mandy, the Boxcar Children, the people of Narnia, and SO MANY MORE! “Strawberry Girl” will always hold a very special place in my heart because my parents gave it to me the day my brother was born. It was my consolation prize. 😛
Homeschoolers unite! I was a homeschooler too! You read a ton of books I did. Boxcar Children, Chronicles of Narnia, Little House on the Prairie and a bunch more. I also read a lot of Nancy Drew and also the Four Story Mistake. I still own a bunch of them still.
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Those shots of your (what appears to be) giant bookshelf filled neatly with all those kids books makes me SWOON! XD Ah, I love it. Most of our reading when we were kids came from the library, both public and church. X) Ahhhhh, good times. And I don’t know if I’ve said this to you before, I might have, but…..FELLOW HOMESCHOOLERS FTW! *high five before I retreat back into my cave of introversion*
WOW. YOUR FAMILY HAVE AN EXTENSIVE COLLECTION. I didn’t grow up reading, as you already know, so I’m afraid I don’t have much input on the subject. BUT To Kill a Mockingbird! I will forever be grateful for this piece of literature and Harper Lee. Also, I love your paperback edition!!
I loved The Little House series!!! 😛 *pokes and runs away*
And I loved Narnia and The Series of Unfortunate Events as well! I actually read both of those series when I was in high school so my childhood was incomplete for the longest time. BUT I READ THOSE BOOKS AND COMPLETED IT SO ITS ALL OKAY. The funny thing is I watched the movie for The Series of Unfortunate Events before I read the books so that was awkward. I liked it but then I read the books and was like O_O. MY LIFE HAS BEEN INCOMPLETE FOR TOO LONG.
I LOVED THE BOXCAR CHILDREN. I only read book 1 but still, I LOVED IT. It was fun and fabulous and so much fun.
ALSO. CAIT. You need to remedy the Pinky Pye situation. Pinky Pye is beautiful and you needs to read it!
Except for Narnia, our childhood literature has nothing in common o.o
I mostly read Astrid Lindgren (I still read her books when I want to relax a bit and I still watch the Astrid Lindgren adaptations on Christmas Eve) and Cornelia Funke. And loads of different authors who didn’t publish as much as those ladies.
Oh, and I read heaps of horse books, like Rose Hill and Sternenschweif (I hope it doesn’t exist in other languages than German – I’m too afraid to look it up). And Enid Blyton, but I don’t talk about that, because at some point I realised all her books are the same and I haven’t even touched a book written by her since then.
I still have most of my Cornelia Funke and all my Astrid Lindgren books. They just are a part of me, you know? Like, I quote them and I reread them and they are honestly one of the few books I can talk about to my parents.
Nadja 🙂
Funny – my TTT list this week features books that I AM reading again with my kiddos because I homeschool them. I said in my post that one of the best things about homeschooling is that I can pick the books we read – and so I just pick all my favorites. 🙂
Ah, childhood books! I read the Little House, and my mom loved them so much we bought all of the books about Laura’s ancestors and read them. A scottish grandmother, ah yes! I think you would have liked her a bit more, as she got into a bit more mischief.
Not going to lie, I read all of the Nancy Drew books I could get my hands on. And American Girl books too. Man, those were the good days when I could read almost all day!
Lovely post, by the way! Good memories!
augh. memories. XD
(also, I really love the illiterate newborn line. your posts make me happy.)
but Little House on the Prairie.
Narnia.
A billion Boxcar Children (yes. disturbing. but my grandpa lived in a boxcar when he was a toddler, so I have a fondness for the first few books. XD)
I read Moccasin Trail SO MANY TIMES. It’s ridiculous. [Jim. And Sheftu. XD]
And oh, Caddie Woodlawn, Strawberry Girl, Follow My Leader…
and The Bronze Bow and Johnny Tremain are also books I read like…10 times each…?
My mom read so many books aloud to my siblings and me – Pride and Prejudice and Don Quixote were maybe slightly over our heads, but no less fun. XD Some of my favorite read-alouds were Stories from the Old Squire’s Farm and a bunch of James Herriot books – we laughed fit to kill, and I don’t know if it was the stories or the way she read them, but wow, they were hilarious.
so many book memories. XD
ooh, I’d love to see the 1001 Nights set in modern times, too. do it. 😀
… Interesting.
If I made a list, none of these would be on there.
Instead it would probably be something like ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’ because I haven’t read any of the above…
I can’t believe I completely forgot about Beverly Cleary books!! I read them all! Goooshh thanks for the reminder 🙂
I went on a very long Little House on the Prairie kick. The one telephone conversation I had as a kid was me basically fangirling over Little House to my friend who had no clue what it was.
I had an Anne of Green Gables moment too. Until I was introduced to Emily of New Moon. Emily was more my speed, and she had only three books.
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch! I read this as an older teen, but I adored it all the same. Because he was brilliant, and real. A brilliant, real person, who would have thunk!
Johnny Tremain! Oh man! This is where my very poor first, unfinished book came from. It was weird. Like some secret island that the British were trying to take over, and the people rebelled. . . Yeah, it was terrible and sunk fast. Daughter of Liberty also fueled the Revolutionary War hunger. As well as Ludington’s Ride. In English class, I might have wrote a not so short story that was a modern spin off it.
Mostly though I was an avid Nancy Drew consumer. I didn’t actually read all the series because once I reached the point of reading one Nancy Drew in two or three days I started looking for books with more. . . substance? Not on purpose. Just one day some subconscious door opened and I saw that there were more books in the world than just Nancy Drew and I wanted to read them. All of them!
A Horse Named Cinnamon came out of my moms’ childhood collection. The Phantom Stallion series came after that. Me and my best friends adored that series as we all had a thing for horses. And then there was the The Cooper Kids by Frank Peritti. That was good too.
I read EVERY single Mandy book! LOVED those! And The Series Of Unfortunate Events, Chronicles of Narnia…….Seriously going back to my childhood right now (I actually feel like re-reading all of them 🙂
I also loved Nancy Drew, I think I probably read about 100 of those! I still own every single Mandy, Chronicles of Narnia, and Nancy Drew book that I read, but the Series of Unfortunate Events I passed on to another kid 🙂
This is an awesome list!! I just read To Kill a Mockingbird this year and IT IS BEAUTIFUL. I was obsessed with a certain Warrior Cats series as a kid and I wrote my first fan-fiction based off of it. I totally get about not wanting to ruin those childhood memories- I just reread the first Warriors book and the magic had just kind of worn off =( Narnia, Call of the Wild, and all the Beverly Cleary’s would make my list, too.
Agh, yes, rereading is sooo risky. I read a few of my favourite books a few years back and nearly cried because they were just….not the same. I'm too scared to try again!!