Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is:
Top Ten Books from My Childhood/Teen Years that I’d Love to Revisit
This is a fun one! And, actually, one of the beautiful things about having kids that love to read is that I am revisiting a lot of these books! It’s so fun to experience them again through my kids’ eyes. (Of course, most of you bloggers will think these books are from the dark ages, but that’s okay – I can deal with it.)
Early MG Favorites
These are a few of the first books that I remember loving as a child (beyond picture books, which I don’t really have any specific memories of). I find it interesting that the first books I really remember were all paranormal (or sci-fi/paranormal) – that genre stuck with me!
- The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts – I actually found this one at the library and read it again (along with my son). It’s still a cute book, and I can see why I loved it (the new cover is much prettier than the one on the book I read in the 80’s!). It’s about a girl with silver eyes who has telekinetic powers.
- The Ghost Next Door by Wylly Folk St. John – This was actually probably the first book I can remember loving. I must have read it a million times and it inspired me to write my own ghost book (which I won a prize for in the Young Author’s competition at school – I was so proud!). I haven’t been able to find a copy anywhere, so I haven’t been able to revisit this one, but I hope to!
- Anna to the Infinite Power by Mildred Ames – I ADORED this book!!! It was about a girl who finds out that she’s a clone – and it was my first foray into sci-fi. I haven’t gotten my hands on this one either, but I WILL!
Later MG Favorites
- Watership Down by Richard Adams – One of my favorite things about homeschooling my kids is that I can set the curriculum to stuff that I like! Right now, we’re reading Watership Down, which I remember loving when I was a kid!
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett – I loved this book as a kid, so I was eager to have my daughter read it too. I meant to read it along with her, but somehow that didn’t happen. I need to pick this one up again so that I can re-live the memories!
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson – Even when I was a kid, I apparently loved stories that could make me cry. This was a definite favorite, and my son loved it too! (I haven’t had my daughter read it yet – soon.)
Teen Favorites
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams – Without a doubt, my absolute favorite series from my teen years (and possibly of all time) was The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. This series was zany and weird and hilarious – and I LOVED it! I also loved Adams’ Dirk Gently series, but not quite as much as this one.
- The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan – I read the first book in this series when I was in high school, and I was completely entranced. Ironically, I’m just now finishing this series on audiobook – it’s an incredibly long and complicated series, and I’m sad to say that I fell a little bit out of love with it somewhere in the middle, but the final books in the series are making up for it!
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger – This is one of the classics that I remember loving in high school!
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle – This is a series that I definitely want to revisit with my kids. It’s been so long that I don’t remember much about it – except that I loved it!
What books did you love as a kid?
Some of those I haven’t heard of but they look great!
If I were homeschooling it would be ALL about the books. You have some great choices here, enjoy!
Of these I’ve only read The secret Garden, shame on me, but I really loved that one as a kid! I read it I don’t know how many times. My mom used to love visiting gardens and she would take me with her and I was always delighted when they had a walled garden. (I still secretly am)
The only book on your list that I’ve read is The Secret Garden! Which I totally loved. I did, however, have a different Madeleine L’Engle book on my list – A Ring of Endless Light.
I don’t have any kids right now (and they’re not especially high on my to-do list at the moment), but I hope my future children love to read as much as I do so that I can share these special books with them.
Here’s my Top Ten Tuesday post.
OOh nice! There are some new to me ones in this mix! Didn’t read any of these during my early years but they look intriguing for sure!
Here’s my Tuesday Post
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
I’ve read almost all of the books on your list. Bridge to Terabithia is one of my favorite books ever.
Aj @ Read All The Things!
I loved Bridge to Terabithia when I was younger- it’s great that it transcends time so well. I also really liked A Wrinkle in Time, but I only read that a few years ago. Crazy, I know!
Ahhh The Secret Garden ♥ That one made my list too this week! I love that book to pieces, I’ve already reread it once as an adult but I definitely want to do so again 🙂 I haven’t read Watership Down but it’s actually on my tbr shelf. And I own a copy of The Eye of the World and (finally) plan to read it soon 😀 Awesome picks Nicole^^ Here’s my TTT post this week!
Micheline @ Lunar Rainbows Reviews
I have recently re-read Bridge To Teribithia and A Wrinkle In Time. It WAS nice to revisit them. Great list!
There are quite a few of these that I haven’t read. I may have to remedy that soon.
I loved (and still love) The Secret Garden.
This is a great list. Thanks for sharing.
I loved The Secret Garden. Some of those I haven’t heard of, but that was a really fun post.
Great list! Bridge to Terabithia made mine as well. It was the first book that ever made me cry. And I know it sounds weird, but I did not read The Secret Garden for the first time until last year. But I loved it. I also read Catcher in the Rye for the first time last year. That one, I did not enjoy very much. It was only okay. I just thought it was overrated. I would also add anything by Judy Blume and anything by Beverly Cleary.
Great selection! I just had a friend recommend The Catcher in the Rye 🙂
The Girl With The Silver Eyes was a favorite of mine too! That and The Velvet Room by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. So much so, I had to search them out and buy them a few years ago when I realized I wanted to read them both again and couldn’t find them at my local library.
You had me at The Wheel of Time Series. 🙂 That’s got to be one of my favorite series ever. I read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy about a year ago, and I loved it. Sadly, I haven’t read any of the other books in the series. They’re on my reading list, though.
I loved Bridge To Terabithia, I read in 6th grade </3 It was so sad, and one of my favorite books by then! Great list.
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Some of these books I loved and some of them I haven’t read, but I would love to read books like Watership Down and the Secret Garden with my kids. What do you think is a good age? They are both a bit young right now.
My daughter is ten, which seems to be a good age if you’re going to have them read them independently (rather than aloud). I love reading books with my kids!
[…] Top Ten Books from My Childhood I Want to Revisit […]
Some great books and some I don’t know. I remember some of my most memorable early chapter books include; Where the Red Fern Grows, White Fang/Call of the Wild, The Outsiders, and Charlotte’s Web. I’m sure there are others, I just don’t remember them.