PDA

View Full Version : What is your favorite childhood/young adult book?



Corie
12-04-2004, 10:22 PM
I am starting to collect my favorite books to start a little home library for my 2 kids. I have been asking everyone that I know for their book recommendations.

I'm interested more in the young adult or teen-age books rather than
little kids books.

I would love to hear your favorites!!!

Thanks for your help!!

Sincerely,
Corie

Momof3Labs
12-04-2004, 11:10 PM
I loved the Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew and read them over and over and over again - mostly from my mom's collection!

The Secret Garden comes to mind too, and so does Harriet the Spy. Oh, and the Boxcar Children!

C99
12-04-2004, 11:16 PM
My favorite books growing up were the books in the My Book House set, edited by Olive Beaupre Miller. They were my dad's set and lived in my room. They now live in the nursery in my house.

I also loved and still love the Anne of Green Gables books by Lucy Maud Montgomery. If you have a more serious little person, the Emily of New Moon series (there are only 3 books) is a bit more "real" in the main character's emotions.

I never got very into them, but the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder are very good, and they start off at a simple reading level for a new reader.

The Harry Potter series, of course, although I read those in adulthood, obviously.

To echo Lori, I liked The Secret Garden and The Little Princess books.

In the storybook category, my favorites were the Paddington books and the Beatrix Potter books -- The Tale of Jeremy Fisher was my particular favorite.

kijip
12-04-2004, 11:22 PM
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Anne of Green Gables

Little Women

Books about Baseball stats and facts

Wrinkle in Time

Lord of the Rings

The Hobbit

The Diary of Anne Frank

All of the Judy Blume books!

wagner36
12-04-2004, 11:33 PM
I loved all of the ones PP's have listed (except I hated Nancy Drew), but I wanted to add the "shoe" books my Noel Streatfeild (weird spelling, I know, but it is correct). Words can not express how much I loved those books - there are a bunch - Ballet Shoes, Movie Shoes, Circus Shoes, Skating Shoes, Traveling Shoes, Theatre Shoes. They were all originally published under non-shoe names. I think, starting in 2001, most of them are being re-released.

I also loved The Little Princess and Little Women, and any hardcover book with illustrations by Tasha Tudor.

Saartje
12-04-2004, 11:34 PM
I think pretty much anything by Cynthia Voigt is likely to be a good choice for the age group you mentioned.

Bethann31
12-04-2004, 11:55 PM
I loved anything by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, like The Headless Cupid, The Changeling and The Witches of Worm. They are not nearly as scary as they sound. Here is her website, www.zksnyder.com.

I also loved Trixie Belden stories and Nancy Drew.

Beth

pritchettzoo
12-05-2004, 12:00 AM
Anne of Green Gables series
Little House on the Prairie series

Ack! I can't think of specifics...I'd have to wander through the library or a bookstore. I was a freak and would read 5+ books a day in the summer, so I went through quite a lot. By the time your kids get to be teenagers, they are going to have their own taste in books, KWIM? I wouldn't get too many (other than the "classics") because you never know whether they're going to be into sci-fi and not read anything else. I loved biographies and historical fiction as a young teen (still do, but I started then).

You can also look through the winners of the Newberry Medal (all the way back to 1922):
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/newberymedal/newberymedal.htm

Anna
Mama to Gracie (Sept '03)

jec2
12-05-2004, 12:25 AM
Ramona the Pest
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
Flowers in the Attic
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Where the Red Fern Grows

almostamom
12-05-2004, 12:34 AM
I am a fifth grade teacher. Here are some of my students' favorites:

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (also 2 sequels - Saving Shiloh and Shiloh Season)

The B.F.G. by Roald Dahl

Nothing but the Truth by Avi

Blackwater by Eve Bunting

I would also recommend checking the Newbery Award list. This is an award given to the best young adult book written each year. I'll see if I can find a link and add it later. A few of our other favorite authors are Gary Paulsen, Jerry Spinelli and Louis Sachar.
ETA: Just saw that Anna already gave you the link to the Newbery Awards :)


~Linda~

pixelprincess
12-05-2004, 12:54 AM
My favorite books...
Tintin Comics
Akbar and Birbal
P G Wodhouse
Earle Stanley Gardner

Dh first read Lord of the Rings at 11 and still loves it!

ellies mom
12-05-2004, 02:04 AM
I think that is just the best idea. I've got a few books that I've picked up also, although the Harry Potter books are mine. Let's
see...

Just about anything by Roald Dahl, especially James and the Giant Peach and Matilda
The Wrinkle in Time series by Madeline L'Engle
The Secret Garden
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Little House on the Prarie books.

I'm not going to get the Little House books yet though because a girl I went to school with told me that her family used to make buying the next book an event. Trapsing down to the book store to buy the book and then going out for ice cream. I always thought that was so cool.

ETA Oh yeah, I think it was Judy Blume (from a PP) that did the Fudge and Super Fudge books. They were great. I also remember working my way through the books that won the Newberry awards. Can't go wrong there.

luvbeinmama
12-05-2004, 02:52 AM
First thing that popped into my head is:

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

After that is:

Black Beauty
Little Women
Happy Hollisters (mystery book series)
Hardy Boys (my brother read all of them, started at 6 yrs old)

These are really more pre-teen to teen books I think rather than teen/young adult books, but they were childhood fav's of mine.

new_mommy25
12-05-2004, 03:07 AM
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith- My all time favorite!
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Little House series by Laur Ingalls Wilder
anything from Beverly Cleary especially the Ramona series
The Lord of The Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion
Harry Potter (didn't have these as a kid but love them now!)
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spear
Bridge to Terabithia (so, so sad)
Old Yeller
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Island of the Blue Dolphin bu Scott O Dell
The Chronicles of Narnia
Sarah Plain and Tall
The True Confessions of Charolette Doyle
anything by Roald Dahl especially The Witches, Danny the Champion of the World, and Matilda
Stuart Little, Charolettes Web by EB White
Where The Red Fern Grows (break out the tissues)
The Outsiders (LOVE)

new_mommy25
12-05-2004, 03:09 AM
OMG I used to LOVE Mrs. Piggle Wiggle!! I had all the books!

Flowers in the Attic- my friends and I were obsessed in that series when we were in the 8th grade. Really, really freaky and twisted.

new_mommy25
12-05-2004, 03:09 AM
Loved Ballet Shoes and Dancing Shoes!

new_mommy25
12-05-2004, 03:10 AM
I can't believe I forgot about The Diary of Ann Frank.

Another good one was Number the Stars

jubilee
12-05-2004, 03:19 AM
Between me and my 12 year old son- we came up with:

The Harry Potter series
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Westing Game
Holes
The Series of Unfortunite Events
The Boxcar Children series
The Trixie Belden series (so much better than Nancy Drew!)
Books by Lloyd Alexander
Little House on the Prairie series
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

I'm sure there are more, but we are both drawing a blank. And I see some of our suggestions have already been mentioned by others! :)

Kimberly H
12-05-2004, 07:52 AM
I don't think anyone's mentioned the "All-of-a-Kind Family" series. There are 5 books in the series and I think Mia will get the first one for Christmas to save until she's older. When I was pregnant with Drew I actually re-read the entire series - I got some stares at the library. ;) Here's the Amazon review of the first book:

Amazon.com
There's something to be said for a book that makes you wish you'd been part of a poor immigrant family living in New York's upper east side on the eve of World War I. Sydney Taylor's time-honored classic does just that. Life is rich for the five mischievous girls in the family. They find adventure in visiting the library, going to market with Mama, even dusting the front room. Young readers who have never shared a bedroom with four siblings, with no television in sight, will vicariously experience the simple, old-fashioned pleasures of talk, make-believe, and pilfered penny candy. The family's Jewish faith strengthens their ties to each other, while providing still more excitement and opportunity for mischief. Readers unfamiliar with Judaism will learn with the girls during each beautifully depicted holiday. This lively family, subject of four more "all-of-a- kind" books, is full of unique characters, all deftly illustrated by Helen John. Taylor based the stories on her own childhood family, and the true-life quality of her writing gives this classic its page-turning appeal. (Ages 9 to 12)

jk3
12-05-2004, 08:13 AM
I loved that series a s a child.

Some other favorites:

Tuck Everlasting, Every Little Thing (?) + anything else by Natalie Babbit
Sideways School series by Louis Sachar
Cadie Woodlawn
Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie
Superfudge by Judy Blume + most of her books
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Chalkbox Kid
The Paintbrush Kid
Julian series by Ann Cameron
Ramona series
The Twits, The Magic Finger+ The Witches by Roald Dahl
Cam Jansen series



Jenn
DS 6/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

Laurelsmom2002
12-05-2004, 09:01 AM
My favorite books growing up were the books in the My Book House set, edited by Olive Beaupre Miller. They were my dad's set and lived in my room. They now live in the nursery in my house.
- We have a copy of those too- but they had to move out of the nursery to the office until she's older- their a little delicate for toddlers IMO

I've gotta echo PP and vote for the Trixie Belden series- although I started that one in about 4th grade, and you gotta get Where the Red Fern Grows- soo good

JElaineB
12-05-2004, 09:02 AM
anything by Judy Blume (maybe more pre-teen aged though)

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Madeleine L'Engle's books, especially the Time Quartet (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters)

I still enjoy reading the last 2 sets from time to time!

ETA: How could I forget the Little House on the Prairie books?! Loved those, pre-teen age.

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

cuca_
12-05-2004, 09:06 AM
Another vote for Nancy Drew, the Boxcar Children and Little Women. I also loved anything by Edith Blyton. I also enjoyed Little Men, and Eight Cousins, by Louisa May Alcott. Around 7th or 8th grade I read To Kill a Mockingbird and absolutely loved it.

Oh, now you've inspired me to start a collection for DD. I have to rummage around my parents' house and find our old books!

Carmen
DD May 2003
#2 expected in May 2005!

Alys the Cat
12-05-2004, 09:07 AM
To Beth's post on Zilpha Keatley Snyder, add The Egypt Game. (Loved it!) I also think Shel Silverstein's books (A Light in the Attic, etc.) are great. Other favorites are:
Bridge to Terabithia (K. Paterson)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (E.L. Konigsburg)
The Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper (J. Van Leeuwen)

kcimato
12-05-2004, 09:18 AM
Loved the All Of a Kind Family books as I was one of 5 girls in our family.

Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt or any of her books.

My all time favorite to read to my 4th graders is People in Pineapple Place by Anne Lindberg. Actually, anything by her is good.

Any Newberry book.

Momof3Labs
12-05-2004, 09:40 AM
Oh, I forgot about the Shoe books! I read those all over and over again, too.

ETA: Trixie Belden and Little House on the Prairie, too. I was also a HUGE reader as a pre-teen and teen.

Roleysmom
12-05-2004, 09:56 AM
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn -- my absolute favorite, I have read it so many times that some of the passages seem real to me.

Harriet the Spy, my second all time favorite.

There's this great series that began in the 40s and ends in the early 60s that chronicles the growing up of Beanie Malone (it starts with Meet the Malones) by Leonora Mattingly that is a lot of fun. They have been rereleased in paperback.

Little Women

The Little House on the Prairie books

I vividly remember being read this book in 4th grade and would love to read it on my own, but can't remember the title. It's about a sister and brother who live in the Museum of Metropolitan Art in New York. Maybe somebody knows the title?

ETA: Kimberly's post made me remember the All-of-a-Kind Family, another series where I can remember the details. Great books!

Paula -- mom to Roley Julia, January '02

LucyG
12-05-2004, 10:00 AM
Let's see . . .

- The Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary
- The "Betsy" books by Carolyn Haywood
- Little House on the Prairie books
- Anastasia Krupnik books by Lois Lowry
- In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, by Bette Bao Lord (precious book about a little girl, Shirley Temple Wong, who moves with her parents to Brooklyn, NY, from China)- LOVE this book!!
- Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books by Betty MacDonald

A good one I've discovered since becoming a teacher is The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963. It's a great book about the Civil Rights movement as seen through the eyes of a young African American boy from Detroit. It's probably appropriate for fifth grade and up.

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
21 months and counting!

LucyG
12-05-2004, 10:03 AM
I LOVED the "All-of-a-Kind-Family" books!!! I read and reread those books more times than I can count!

Kimberly, did you see my post about "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson?" It's about a Chinese girl who emigrates to America.


http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
21 months and counting!

Corie
12-05-2004, 12:32 PM
I recently bought several books from the bookstore and they happened to be 2 of your book recommendations!

I bought The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder and
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg.

Keep your suggestions coming!!
Thanks so much!

Corie

August Mom
12-05-2004, 01:46 PM
My all-time favorite collection was the Trixie Belden mystery series. I had them all. I just saw in B&N that they are being printed again. :)

I also liked Judy Blume, although that was more in elementary to junior high, I think.

And, Little Women is a great book.

Kimberly H
12-05-2004, 01:59 PM
I did, Lucy! It's now on my running list of books to get next trip to BooksAMillion. Thanks!!

pritchettzoo
12-05-2004, 02:07 PM
I love that series too! I didn't think anyone else would have heard of it. DH found all the books on ebay (used and well-loved) for our first Christmas--are they back in print now?

Anna
Mama to Gracie (Sept '03)

candybomiller
12-05-2004, 02:22 PM
My favorite book EVER, children's or adults is Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. I sob when I read it.

I'm really glad you asked this question. I've already gone to amazon to order the All of a Kind Family books. I had never heard of them, but they sound amazing.

MelissaTC
12-05-2004, 02:48 PM
One of my all time favorite books is Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt. It is a Newberry Medal Winner. I absolutely love this book! It is the story of a young girl and how her life changes when her mother passes away. It is set in the early part of the 20th century. It chronicles her life from 7 to 17. I think it is being printed again in paperback. I bought a hardcover a few years ago at B&N as it was going out of print.

Another one I loved in HS was Fade by Robert Cormier. It is definitely a hs book as it touches on subjects such as sex and incest but it was definitely amazing and I didn't want it to end.

laretce6
12-05-2004, 03:23 PM
You guys are making me smile remembering how much I read as a kid :)

Everything said above ;)

Plus The Grey King series by Susan Cooper. and anything by Rumer Godden (although I think a number of these are now out of print).

also anything by Paula Danzinger

Caroline
Mama to Eleanor Katherine 8.2.04

tarahsolazy
12-05-2004, 03:53 PM
The Great Brain Series, by John D. Fitzgerald

The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

Loved Trixie Belden, and they are getting re-released!

The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis

leanng
12-05-2004, 04:14 PM
Anything by Roald Dahl!! He wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, The Witches, etc. He had (I cried in high school when he died) a way of writing that was fun for kids but didn't seem to 'dumb it down' for us. I have been building a collection for my son.

The Little House Series
Any Judy Blume book
Ramona Quimby series

LeAnn
Mom to Alex 11/12/02

lizamann
12-05-2004, 05:02 PM
LOVED those Zilpha Keatley Snyder books!!

lizamann
12-05-2004, 05:07 PM
Anything by Daniel M. Pinkwater, especially Lizard Music.

You have all listed such good books, including some of my all time faves. But Pinkwater really rocks! Really wacko!

nathansmom
12-05-2004, 05:14 PM
Alot of my favorites have already been mentioned but here's 2 that haven't. I'm still in the process of tracking down a copy from every printing on both.
Wolves of Willoughby Chase

by:Joan Aiken, Pat Marriott (Illustrator)


Flight of Doves

by:Walter Macken

ErinMC
12-05-2004, 05:25 PM
To Kill a Mockingbird! It was my absolute favorite. A few years before that, I loved the Little House on the Prairie books.

Jacksonvol
12-05-2004, 05:27 PM
The book you are thinking about is "From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Fitzwiler" (last name could be wrong, but something like that)

Roleysmom
12-05-2004, 06:36 PM
Thank you!
Paula -- mom to Roley Julia

new_mommy25
12-05-2004, 06:52 PM
I love Irene Hunt's books. I read Up a Road Slowly many times when I was growing up. The Lottery Rose is another great book.

new_mommy25
12-05-2004, 06:53 PM
I own 3 copies of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase!

Sheila
12-05-2004, 08:46 PM
So many great ones have been mentioned. I too have been trying to remember/track down books that I loved for my daughter (hoping she someday likes the same kinds of books that I liked!!)

Here's some that maybe haven't been mentioned yet:

- The Outsiders and other books by SE Hinton
- The House w/o a Christmas Tree (or any book in the "Addie Mills" series)
- The Late Great Me by Sandra Scoppetone (sp?) I was trying to remember the title of this for YEARS. I now own my own copy. It was a blast from the past rereading this!
- In the category of ya romances - PS I Love You, by Barbara Conklin. I LOVED this book.
- And, what I refer to as the "Betsy, Tacy and Tib" series. I was just thinking about this recently. I cannot for the life of me remember the author, but I loved this series. Anyone remember these???

Great thread!
Sheila
________
Bmw 3 Series (E90) History (http://www.bmw-tech.org/wiki/BMW_3_Series_(E90))

ett
12-05-2004, 09:40 PM
Also loved the "All of a Kind Family" series. Didn't know that you could still buy them now.

Other favorites here ...
Anne of Green Gable series
Little Women
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Great thread!

Corie
12-06-2004, 08:33 AM
I just bought an old series of books from Ebay called, My Book House.

There are a total of 12 books in all. Looks like a fun series to read little stories to the kids.

Corie

tinkerbell1217
12-06-2004, 12:12 PM
Well, as for childhood books, "Where The Sidewalk Ends" is one and "The Giving Tree" is another. As for young adult...hmmm. anything by SE Hinton (The Outsiders, Tex, Rumble Fish, That Was Then, This is Now), and anything by Judy Blume also (Are You There God, Its me Margaret, Deenie, and Forever).

Oh, I almost forgot:

A Wrinkle in Time
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Hobbit
Diary of Anne Frank (one of my all time favorites)

cinrein
12-06-2004, 03:45 PM
I too loved the Little House series and Nancy Drew. I still have some Nancy Drew books. :)

Cindy and Anna February 2003

Kimberly H
12-06-2004, 04:59 PM
Large white books with gold trim? That name rings a bell and so does the description.

rottiemom
12-06-2004, 04:59 PM
sigh....I lived on Trixie Belden and desperately wished that there were more. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is fantastic. I was always an avid reader & devoured anything with printed words. I think that I must have read all of the Alfred Hitchcock mystery collections as a child (that explains a lot)

But my favorites? My absolute all time favorites?

How to Care for Your Monster and Monster Holidays, by Norman Bridwell (of Clifford the Big Red Dog fame). I got those two books as part of a book club in 3rd or 4th grade and read them over & over. My mother gave them to my nieces and I was crushed. Eventually a few years ago I was able to track them down used & they still slay me. Basically a lighthearted look on keeping popular monsters as pets (Mummy, Vampire, Wolfman & Frankenstein).

I was always an odd one ;).

Nina

Corie
12-06-2004, 06:24 PM
You are exactly right!

I am such a loser! Do you know how I found out about these books? I was looking through my Pottery Barn Kids catalog and I was noticing the prop books featured on the bookshelves in the pictures. The catalog had a set of 'My Book House' on a bookshelf.

So, that got me curious about these books. I had never heard of them and I am a total book lover. I found a terrific set on Ebay for cheap and bought them. I have seen them since at Half Price Books for more than double what I paid for them.

I love finding new books!

Corie

Tori_s mom
12-06-2004, 08:44 PM
This has been so much fun reading these suggestions! I agree w/PP that it really matters what your kids like. I really loved fantasy and sci-fi. I mostly read the books in the adult section of the library by age 11. ;) I know you asked for young adult/teen books, but I couldn't resist adding a couple of series that I still enjoy reading. A good book is a good book:

The Dark is Rising Sequence (series) by Susan Cooper
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
Anne of Green Gables series by L. M. Montgomery
Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pern books by Anne McCaffrey
The Hero and the Crown; The Blue Sword; or anything else by Robin McKinley
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O'Brien
A Ring of Endless Light or anything else by Madeline L'Engle
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Birth of the Firebringer by Meredith Ann Pierce
The Hobbit by Tolkien
Sabriel; Lirael; and The Abhorsen by Garth Nix (pretty dark, but fab)
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg (teen in mental hospital; dark, but very good)

Tasha (Bookaholic :))

June Mommy
12-06-2004, 11:21 PM
I LOVED Tuck Everlasting, that is the first book that I think of from the middle school years. I read a lot of what has already been mentioned, but the books I adored were not classics by any stretch of the imagination...I lived for Sweet Valley Twins and the Baby-sitters Club! Back then a new one came out every month and my dad would take me to the mall to get them. I probably have over 100. I'm sure DS won't ever care to read them ;)

Jen841
12-07-2004, 08:41 AM
I agree with all of these! I loved any Ramona book, and Judy Blume's SUPERFUDGE and THE TALES OF THE 4TH GRADE NOTHING (is that right?) There is the ultimate girl book also, ARE YOU THERE GOD ITS ME MARAGET. I got that for Christmas in the 3rd or 4th grade. The same year I got a pair of panty hose, not tights. It was a big year!

I also loved how things work type of books, and we had a series of 50 books about each state.

I started cooking early, and loved cook books too. I saw cooking as a science experiment.

Corie
12-07-2004, 02:43 PM
I thought of a couple of activity books that my mom got for me when I was younger. I really loved them!

The Best of the Mini Page by Betty Debnam

I think it is out of print now. The book was all Mini Pages.
Do you remember the Mini Page? It came in our town's newspaper once a week. My mom would pull it out of the paper and I would do all the activities and read the little stories.


The Anti-Coloring Book by Susan Striker

This is like a coloring book, kind of. For example, on one page,
it might say, "What do you think a martian would look like?"
And you have to create your own martian.
On another page, it might say, "Design a flag to represent your family." I had such a great time using my imagination to create all these pictures. It was great!

Corie

Corie
12-07-2004, 02:43 PM
I thought of a couple of activity books that my mom got for me when I was younger. I really loved them!

The Best of the Mini Page by Betty Debnam

I think it is out of print now. The book was all Mini Pages.
Do you remember the Mini Page? It came in our town's newspaper once a week. My mom would pull it out of the paper and I would do all the activities and read the little stories.


The Anti-Coloring Book by Susan Striker

This is like a coloring book, kind of. For example, on one page,
it might say, "What do you think a martian would look like?"
And you have to create your own martian.
On another page, it might say, "Design a flag to represent your family." I had such a great time using my imagination to create all these pictures. It was great!

Corie

8isenough
12-07-2004, 06:19 PM
Younger days...Cordouroy..LOVE LOVE LOVE HIM! Then as I got older...Are you there God it's me Margaret? (the whole series from her as a matter of fact), Blubber , Amelia Bedelia, and Nancy Drew.

8isenough
12-07-2004, 06:20 PM
Oh yeah...don't know if this was in book form or not, but I loved the movie "Free to be you and me." :)

JulsL
12-07-2004, 07:01 PM
My Favorite book of all times is "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler.

Julie

kitmama
12-07-2004, 11:41 PM
What a great thread!! This may have to be printed for later reference. :)

I had to reply to your post Tasha, because I think the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix is fabulous, too! I discovered them as an adult and still enjoyed them, and would have LOVED them as an adolescent. Ditto for Tarah's recommendation: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. And, of course, the Harry Potter books.

So many of my favorites have been mentioned already. I collected Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books, and also enjoyed Trixie Belden books. My absolute favorite was "A Wrinkle in Time", and I enjoyed the following books in that series too. I still reread it from time to time. Loved reading Silverstein's poetry, and I also really got into the Chronicles of Narnia. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle was an early favorite. The Ramona Quimby books were fantastic, and Judy Blume amazes me to this day- she KNOWS what's going on in an adolescent's head. Her books for pre-teens are great. Just about any Newberry award winner is bound to be good.

Not really classics, but I also devoured the "Babysitter's Club" books.

Wish I could remember more. I read voraciously as a kid!

Corie
12-12-2004, 03:25 PM
I am so excited!! I just got home from Half Price Books. I found a complete set of My Book House on the clearance carts in front of the store. The books were priced at $2.00 a piece. I paid $24 for the whole set and it is in great condition. Yeah!!


Corie

mudder17
12-12-2004, 08:42 PM
Wow, great lists. Okay, I'm probably duplicating everyone, but this way you'll see which ones are most "popular":

Encyclopedia Brown
Where the Wild Things Are
The Velveteen Rabbit
Dr. Suess Books
Nancy Drew
Hardy Boys
Trixie Belden
Brian Jacques Redwall books
Wrinkle in Time Series
Chronicles of Narnia
Anne of Green Gables
Beatrix Potter
Winnie the Pooh
The Hobbitt
Beverly Clearly books (Ramona Quimby)
Shel Silverstein
Ursula L. Guinn (Earthsea Cycle)
Harry Potter (slightly older)
Agatha Christie (slightly older)
Sherlock Holmes (slightly older)

Okay, there are many, many more that I can't think of at the moment, but these are just a few of my favorites. (Yes, I spent a lot of my childhood summers reading because the library was air conditioned and our Chicago house was not.)

Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtickers/ticker/16994.birthday.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif Breastfed 9 months and counting