I’ve told you that I have been looking through catalogs getting ready to order our school books for the year?
It’s bringing up SO many fun memories as I look through the long list of great books to read!
I remember sitting down to read as a little girl…Little House on the Prairie books (of course I thought it was SO COOL that the main character and author’s name was Laura)…The Boxcar Children (I have an awesome story to share with you about my own boxcar!)…Anne of Green Gables…
Those were some of my very favorites.
So the question for today is…What were YOUR favorite books to read as a child?
(You know we’re all going to have to go to the library after we read all of these answers to check out some of these memories, right?!)
Tamy ~ 3 Sides of Crazy says:
Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie are awesome of course, but I loved Little Women the best.
July 19th, 2008 at 7:03 am
Vanderbilt Wife says:
I loved those that you mentioned. Also the Betsy-Tacy books, American Girl, Baby-sitter’s Club…and pretty much anything else I could get my grubby hands on. I read EVERYTHING.
July 19th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Marie says:
I loved Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables. One that I liked but isn’t a seies is Island of the Blue Dolphins. Also a book that I recently came across is The Bronze Bow! Happy Reading!
July 19th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Kari says:
Little House on the Prairie, over and over and over and over and… We went to her house in Missouri and my parents bought me the box set. Then as an older child, anything Jannette Oke. Right now, my favorite book is “Sheep in a Jeep.” And, I’m actually reading an adult book to myself that I’m enjoying too. We always seem to mourn at least a little that our children grow up so quickly but since they do anyway, I think I’ll look forward to the stage when we can read some of these childhood classics to our son. I took a poll of some men I know a while back to see if they had read and enjoyed Little House and they had. Phew! Oh, and then there was Charlotte’s Web, The Great Brain series (my nephews would enjoy those Laura if you can find them), anything by Beverly Cleary, and any stories that had horses in them, and… I too read EVERYTHING!
July 19th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Jia@ColorMeUntypical says:
I honestly skipped the Anne of Green Gables and Little House. Mostly because as a child I only read one Non-fiction book over and over again and that was “Bridge to Terribithia.” The movie, while fancy and entertaining, did not do this book justice as to what I recall as a child. I still own my old copy. Broken spine, browned pages, most of which are noted or torn apart.
July 19th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Teresa says:
My mom taught sixth grade reading and the Little House books were some of her favorites too. I donated a set of the Little House books to our local elementary school and another to our county library in her memory. It’s a way to give back to the community and to honor my mother. Hugs to you Laura! You are one motivated, crazy woman (cutting your own hair!) I’d hate to see how mine looked if I cut it. I cut my husband’s once and he had to wear a hat to work the next day-he worked in a hospital. He never let me touch it again!
July 19th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Rane @ Arabian Knits says:
Aside from the ones you’ve mentioned, I loved Norma Johnston’s Keeping Days books (which are out of print, but the library might have them), there was another book and its sequel by her, one of which was called The Swallow’s Song, but I can’t remember if that was the first or second book, and The Potter’s Wheel. I loved Louisa May Alcott books, and the All of a Kind Family Series.
Of course, I also read and reread Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and other books like that.
July 19th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Becky says:
You named a few of my favorites already, but I also remember being completely immersed into the Doctor Doolittle books! And for just plain ol’ fun, just about any Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book.
July 19th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Melanie says:
Those were some of my favorites you named, too. I also read a ton of Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Bobbsey Twins, Babysitters Club…anything, really I guess! I loved (and still do) to read! And it’s so much fun to share favorite stories with my kids now.
July 19th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Nicky says:
Some stories that I loved as a child and some that my children now love are… The Chronicles of Narnia, Charlotte’s web, Mrs. Frisby and the rats of Nimh, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, The Velveteen Rabbit, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Ralph S. Mouse , Stuart Little, Hank the Cow Dog Series, Little House, The Secret Garden, and Pippi Longstockings. We love reading in this house and can’t wait to see others responses!
July 19th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Teresa says:
I absoluetly loved all of the Roald Dahl books. The BFG was my favorite book. As a child, I never could get into the classic books you mentioned!
July 19th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Donna says:
Dr. Seuss! “I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I am!”
July 19th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Brenda@CoffeeTeaBooks&Me says:
Personally, I loved the original Nancy Drew books.
My daughter (who is married), enjoyed the Mandie books very much. She could hardly wait until a new one came out.
As a family, we absolutely LOVED the Hank the Cowdog series when my son was young.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Sally says:
Anne of Green Gables — I read the whole series on a car trip from TX to CA one summer. I tried to re-read them last year, but they just didn’t hold my attention anymore (so sad!), but I still love the
movies.
My favorite book of all time growing up that I read time and time again was called The Secret Language, about 2 girls at boarding school. I found it in my grandpa’s library and never let it go.
I also read The Children’s Pilgrim Progress over and over again.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
jayme says:
I also LOVED Anne of GG books…and I LOVED the Little House Books. And I also was a big Babysitter Club reader…and the Box Car children (and if you had your own boxcar I am sooooo jealous.)
I also loved the Ramona books…and the mouse and the motorcycle books…and NANCY DREW!
Addy and I are reading Matilda right now. I could read it 1000000 more times.
July 19th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Char says:
As a younger girl, I read Nancy Drew - every single one that our library had - I went to the library practically every other day one summer when I was 9 or 10, and checked out two new Nancy Drew’s each time.
I also liked the Little House books. My brother had the entire “The Great Brain” series, and I read all of those too. (Kari is right - your boys would get a kick out of them, I think!)
When I got a little older, I loved A Wrinkle In Time and the Chronicles of Narnia, and of course Anne of Green Gables. I am a HUGE fan of L.M. Montgomery (AofGG author), and I have the entire Anne series and every other book L.M. wrote. One of my goals in life is to find a first edition Anne of Green Gables. I doubt it will ever happen, but I always look when I go to used bookstores.
July 19th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Char says:
Oh, I forgot - I’m a huge fan of Agatha Christie, and I have all of HER books too. (Lots and lots and lots of books)!
July 19th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Katrina says:
It wasn’t till I was about 10 that I started to enjoy reading. At that time I thoroughly enjoyed the Enid Blyton Famous Five books. I have just read through her Family Collection with my girls and they loved it so much that I am collecting as many Enid Blyton stories as I can get at the moment. They are generally selling very cheaply online 2nd hand. Enjoy your reading. Your list looks very much like the one I have planned for in a year or so when my girls are a bit older.
July 19th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
jeannie says:
Harriet the Spy!
July 20th, 2008 at 5:16 am
Sheila says:
I agree with the above recommendations, as well as:
all books by Eleanor Estes
Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards (yep, THAT Julie Andrews) as well as The Last of the
Really Great Whangdoodles
the shoes books by Noel Streatfeild
other books by L.M. Montgomery, like the Emily series, Story Girl, etc. I have all her books
Secret Garden, Little Princess
Little Women, Little Men, Jo’s Boys
I’ll stop there :o)
July 20th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Kate says:
Oh, all of these books are just bringing back SO many wonderful memories.
Many of my favorites are already listed, but a few others are: the Encyclopedia Brown series, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler, and Tuck Everlasting.
This was a great question!
July 20th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Rini says:
Forgive me, I can’t help it.
YOU’RE - a short version of ‘you are’
YOUR - describes something belonging to you
“You’re going to need your book.”
–
And on an actual semi-related note: I recently starting an attempt to teach my step-daughter to read. It was so much fun looking over the old Abeka materials! I don’t remember learning to read myself very well (I started at the age of two), but I certainly remember watching my sisters learn!
July 21st, 2008 at 7:31 am
Laura says:
Grr. I hate it when I have such a “duh” typo…and I don’t notice it until ALLLLL of you have read it!!! How many times did I look at that and not see it?! Well, now that it’s all said and done and most of you have read it…I fixed it. Thanks Rini!
July 21st, 2008 at 7:52 am
Chelf says:
Little House on the Prairie series.
The Secret Garden.
The Little Princess.
Black Beauty, lots of books about horses.
Mr. Men and Little Miss books.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.
Where the Red Fern Grows.
… and those were all before 7th grade!
I always had my nose in a book. Still do. “Back in my day, Television was called BOOKS!” Best entertainment there is… your own imagination!
July 21st, 2008 at 9:39 am
Joelle says:
I really liked Sam Campbell’s Living Forest Series. He had the most interesting - and hilarious - books about wildlife. I loved them all.
Of course, I also enjoyed the Little House books.
July 21st, 2008 at 10:11 am
Karen says:
So many of mine have already been mentioned: Anne and Emily books by LM Montgomery, Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, Little Women. I also liked Cherry Ames and as I got older, anything Janette Oke and Lori Wick.
July 21st, 2008 at 10:54 am
Rebekah says:
I had my nose in a book all the time. My favorites….the Chronicles of Narnia, Happy Hollisters, Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Magic Bicycle, Encyclopedia Brown, the Great Brain series, the Island Stallion, my mom’s Janette Oke books, the Mandie books, Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, wow…..okay, I could go on and on. Like I said, I read a lot! Wish I had the time now.
July 21st, 2008 at 12:46 pm
jenne says:
I wasn’t much of a reader in “the middle years” when I might have enjoyed all the lovely favorites already listed.
I did eventually grow to really love reading, and started at 13 or so with many Grace Livingston Hill romances. I loved The Cay, Samuel Youd’s Tripod series, the Narnia series, the other C.S. Lewis fiction series starting with Out of the Silent Planet. The Hatchet. I loved the Bodie & Brock Thoene Zion Covenant series too.
Recently I’ve been trying to collect books for my preschoolers which I loved having my mom read to me before I could read, and then loved reading as an early reader.
Come over to My House
Johnny Lion’s Book
Put Me In the Zoo
All the older Barentstain Bears books
The Little Lamb
Such good memories.
July 21st, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Amanda/Crunchy Christian Mom says:
I’m so unorginal… but Little Women, the Anne of GG and Emily of New Moon series, and Little House on the Prairie were my favorites, too.
I just found a whole box of books from my childhood at my mom’s today! I dug out a few to share with boys, mainly the Little House series, some I Can Read favorites, and an extra copy of Prince Caspian.
July 21st, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Mary in Ohio says:
The Little House books, Little Women, Dr Seuss (I still love Dr Seuss!), The Borrowers (I have read that soooo many times I love that book), anything about nature and science, anything about history. I read an electic mix and I still do!
July 28th, 2008 at 7:18 am