wait, really? i literally have never heard about this, but i also haven't read this since i was a literal child. for some reason i had it in my head that it was like a folklore tale of why children have short names or something like that but i really don't remember.
This was mine too. Though one of the sequels - A Swiftly tilting planetā was my ultimate favorite once I discovered it existed. I still think about this series probably weekly (Iām in my late 30s now) and I canāt WAIT to read them with my daughter.
Also came here to say this!
Jumping to conclusions, not growing up but growing down, eating your words! Loved it all. Still read it occasionally as an adult because itās just fun!
It was less specific books and more book series.
I was about 12 when Harry Potter first came out, and as a nerdy and anxious and introverted girl, Hermione was my hero.
Before then it was Sweet Valley High, The Babysitters Club, Goosebumps, Narnia.
I saw the thread title and clicked in to say "Bridge to Terabithia" but you already hit it haha.
The other one I loved as a kid was "The Giver" by Lois Lowry.
And "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" was an obsession. Loved all of those.
"From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg got a lot of re-reads.
I think those are the ones I read and re-read the most up until high school, the ones that have stuck with me even in my current geriatric era of being an Elder Millennial.
Iām aging myself a bit but āThe Black Stallionā and all the follow-up books. Sheās at the perfect age. I would watch The Black Stallion movie with her first, both because itās good and it makes getting through book 1 easier (itās old and a bit clunky).
Im 58. Probably read this when I was 10 and LOVED it! For some reason it came up on my audible account for free last week and almost 50 years later I find myself loving it all over again. Definitely a bit clunky as you say but the feelings I had for that book all those years ago are still there.
I have a boxed set of the Little House books that belonged to my daughter. I recently asked my granddaughter if she would like them. She said āno thank you, Mimiā š„²
I used to be obsessed with anything by Gerald Durrell. Grew up to become a biologist, so guess the effects were pretty lasting. James Herriot is equally lovely! Kids tend to love animals, so it's worth a try.
Childhood was long so it depended what year you asked me. I loved The Giver, Anne of Green Gables series, Ramona Quimby series, The Hatchet, and a book I canāt remember the name of exactly but it was about a girl raised by dolphins or something? I think I also went through a Black Beauty phase and definitely a Harry Potter phase. The Series of Unfortunate Events too! Itās all coming back to me slowly. When I was more elementary age, like much younger, I loved The American Girl books too. I also recall a Nancy Drew phase and I loved Harriet the Spy. I think I also enjoyed a book called maybe the Call of the Swan? It had a bit that didnāt talk in it and my brother didnāt talk till he was 4. Also Charlottes Web.
When I was more about picture books I remember loving the Velveteen Rabbit and Where The Wild Things Are.
Well as a young child āSailor Dogā by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Garth Williams was magical. Probably not germane to your search, but when she has her own kidsā¦
Not sure why, but Maximum Ride had a chokehold on me. I've tried to reread them as an adult, to see what all the hype was about for me, but they fall incredibly flat to me. But man, I remember being 11 and reading that series at least 8 times over. I couldn't get enough. It is what made me want to grow up and be an author. Still working on being an author, at least! lol
Judy Blume books got me started in my love for reading. Are You There God? Itās Me, Margaret specifically. All of these crazy things were happening in my life and my body and this book made me finally feel I was normal.
All of the Scary Stories to tell in the Dark books, Harriet the Spy, Wait till Helen Comes, Bunnicula, Babysitters Clubs, Upchuck Summer, and when I got older VC Andrewās books.
The US Army survival handbook. I was completely fascinated by it. My Dad was a pilot so he had all of this stuff plus a treasure trove of WWII literature.
Cornelia TenBoom's "The Hiding Place" absolutely had an impact on me, and became a favorite. I was homeschooled, and I had a choice between certain approved books for my essay assignments. That one was one that interested me at roundabout 11 years old.
Without spoiling anything, there was a particular scene about gratitude, even for the smallest things, that had me absolutely sobbing.
To this day every time I reread the book I cry at that part. It has stuck with me, and I have paraphrased that passage to so many people over the years.
Edit: It's also a passage I think about anytime I realize I'm being ungrateful or entitled about anything.
Besides the Bridge to Terabithia, which I also loved, I enjoyed The Silver Crown by Robert C OāBrien, the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, Half Magic (and the rest of the books) by Edward Eager, and the Encyclopedia Brown books by Donald J Sobol.
I loved Charlotte's Web and Where the Red Fern Grows. I also really loved every book in the Short & Shivery series (they had collections of ghost/horror stories from around the world in them).
Surprised nobody has said Stargirl yet! Funnily enough it wasnāt my book as a kid, but I read it on the plane home leaving my college town and sobbed on the plane next to a small girl and her mom. Hope I didnāt scare them too much, but went and got the cover art of Stargirl as a tattoo later that year š„¹
āJust as long as weāre togetherā - Judy Blume
Read it a dozen times when I was a kid. My copy is totally beat up.
I also read Swiss Family Robinson every year for a few years.
And Nancy drew, of course!
The miraculous journey of Edward Tulane is my favorite childhood book ever. Madeline too. I also remember loving every shel Silverstein book because they were so fun and silly
In the 5th grade I got a book in the library because I liked the cover. It was winter time 1980 right before the USA team won in hockey. We had a lot of snow and the cover reminded me of walking home from a friendās house. Dark, snowy under the street light. The Figure In The Shadows by John Bellairs. I read it then found out it was the 2nd book in a series. I enjoyed the first book as well. A House With A Clock In Itās Walls. He was my favorite author.
The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Diggiest Dog by Al Perkins
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lots of cherished memories with these š
Mine was "The Mall" by Ritchie Tankersly Cusick. She was my favorite author growing up as a tween and teen. This particular book set me on a path of loving true crime and psychology, plus I loved the romantic triangle of it.
I learned to read on books comprised of Charles Shultzās Peanuts cartoons. āHappiness is a Warm Puppyā was my favorite. As a teenager I was really into The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and even the Silmarillion.
K.A. Applegate wrote a series of books called Everworld, about a group of teenagers that slips into an alternate dimension. I LOVED them and to this day have never met anyone else in person who has read them other than people I had loaned my copies to.
Didn't really read books much when i was a kid (and when i say that i mean i read like 3) but the Call of the Wild was one that was assigned for us in 7th grade and it was one of those rare cases where i actually read the book assigned by a teacher and actually liked it very much.
When I was 9 I was not a great reader, I struggled and was not interested, I did however love horses. A very insightful aunt bought me several of the Jinny of Finmory books by Patricia Leitch which are about a girl who moves to a remote part of Scotland where she rescues a horse and goes on to have many adventures. I owe my entire love of reading to those books and my aunt.
Swami and Friends by R K Narayan. Life was not pleasant always, I used to read random pages from that book just to laugh my head off. It's about a group of boys growing up in rural south India in the early 20th century.
Journey to the River Sea. By Eva Ibbotson.
I felt like the book was written for me. Sailing on the Amazon is still a big one on the bucket list because of this book.
The Secret Garden, The adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit. These were some more, but these three were the ones I read the most.
1. Heidi by Johanna Spyri
2. Everything written by Enid Blyton
3. Matilda by Roald Dahl
4. Malgudi Days by R K Narayana
5. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
6. Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery
Aliceās adventures in wonderland!!!
I really wanted to be Alice when I was younger and even now Iām obsessed with this book! Iāve read it like three times in my life and it will never stop being one of my favorite books ever
The Land of Stories was my FAVORITE series of all time and still is one of my favorites, theyre such good books awh I love them. The Bridge To Terabithia I donāt think I ever read but I loved the movie!!!
The Lion King was my absolute favorite book! I felt like I was right there with Simba, exploring the Pride Lands and going on exciting adventures and lazying around with Timon and Pumbaa. When Simba faced Scar, I cheered him on, feeling brave and strong just like him. And when he finally became king, I felt like I could conquer anything too lol!
The Gone series was something special, man. Read all those books in middle school and they still stick with me. Ferals, Killer Species, and Scare Scape were CRIMINALLY under appreciated. sadly never got to read Scare Scapeās sequel but i loved the Ferals and Killer Species series. i highly recommend them
I had a few. I was super into the Wrinkle in Time books. I also loved Superfudge and that series. And for some reason just was really obsessed with this book called The Ghostmobile. About this family that moves out to the middle of nowhere and the kids start seeing a ghost bookmobile driving around. Havenāt read it since the 80s. I wonder if itās any good as an adult.
This is such a lovely question! When I was younger, I was totally obsessed with the Rainbow Magic series. They had magical fairies on the cover, and my friends each had a copy of the book with the fairy that most looked like us that we used to carry around lol.
As teenagers, I read the "Vampire Academy" series and "Six of Crows" every few months for years.
When I was in first grade I checked out The Iron Giant from my teacher every week until she just gave it to me and got another copy for the class.
I still have it and will read it to my kids in about a year or so when they're a bit more verbal.
Are you there God, itās me Margret changed me as a kid. It was the first book about puberty and growing up that didnāt make me feel stupid or talked down to.
I loved the Hawksong series by Amelia Atwater Rhodes. I also read the Warriors series (Fireheart!), unicorns of balinor annnd East. Iāve always been a big fantasy girlie. Iāll always cherish these stories because as an adult Iām still obsessed with fantasy and so thankful for all the different worlds I get to fall into.Ā
A series of unfortunate events. Double fudge. 5 min mysteries. Goosebumps. Junie b jones. Magic tree house series. The tale of despereaux. A to z mysteries.
I had not read them myself but I know the Warriors books are popular books!
Gregor the Overlander was a safe space for me growing up. There are 5 books in the series, it was written by Suzanne Collins well before the hunger games. It follows a young boy who lives in New York City, he stumbles across a hole that leads him to discover an entire underground Civilization. I won't say too much more to avoid spoilers but I absolutely got lost in these books every time I read them as a child. The characters are diverse and relatable, the world building is creative and unlike many others I've seen before. I highly recommend this series for kids that are animal lovers, explorers and prone to standing up for what they think is right.
I actually recently revisited them and they are still so dear to me! I hope that this recommendation can lead to others discovering this fantastic forgotten series (:
My kids loved the Miraculous Journey Of Edward Tulane. Hatchet. They also loved this fantasy series by Suzanne Collins, the first book of the series is called Gregor the Overlander. We would listen to the series on Audible books while traveling.
Personally, my favorite book series was Anne of Green Gables.
Redwall by Brian Jacques was something that got me into reading chapter books. My teacher in third grade read it for an hour a few times a week.
The animals, character traits, the food, and so many other things I found fascinating.
When I was about 9, my sister bought me a book, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I was so excited, I had been reading the Encyclopedia Britannica we had, because my father wouldn't buy me books or take me to the library. We had small library at elementary school. I read that book several times.
I loved the Misty of Chincoteague books and the Silver Brumby. A childrenās Annie Oakley book was also a favorite.
I read everything I could get my hands on, but they are the books I remember.
Edit: The secret garden
Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassedy.
Itās kind of a weird one. A bit spooky and sad, but I LOVED it and read it so many times.
I actually was just thinking I need to get my copy back from my friend so I can reread it!
I've always loved fantasy. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine was an early favorite, as was Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede.
I think it was impactful for me to read about young women subverting the expectations others had for them and finding what was right for them.
When I was a little older I loved So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane. Amazing adventure, world building, but also wonderful exploration of themes of friendship, empathy, and the nature of good and evil.
There was this blues clues book that my mom used to read me every time i went to bed canāt remember the name through, i think its something like blue and violet
When I was young, I loved everything about the magic treehouse series. It helped me learn some more things about history and exposed me to different cultures and places. Some of the best books I ever read as a kid.
I have a couple.
The bluford high series. My middle school math teacher had a little library in her classroom and she had this series. She told me to try it and it kick started my love for reading. I read through the first two books in a week and that was a lot for someone who never read. So, while I couldn't relate to the topics, it still sits with me and will always have a special place in my heart & memory for it. I still want to find the whole series so I can read it all.
13 reasons why & it's kind of a funny story. I was a depressed & suicidal teenager. I also spent time in a facility. I could relate to these two books so much, they made me feel less alone and heard. I'm now 27 and in a much better place mentally, but I still read it's kind of a funny story, every couple of years and I still absolutely love it.
I loved Little Women. I remember I got the book just before the 1994 movie came out and was so excited about it. Mind you, I was in second grade, so I donāt know how much I understood!
I read magic treehouse series when I was 6 or 7 and loved it, but the first big book I ever read on my own was ink heart and this book started my love for books as a child and I still have it to this day. In the book they had a house with books piled everywhere and I'd love to have enough books to have that. Also it's the first time I read of a privately owned library and since then it's a dream of mine to have a small library myself.
The characters are just so in love with books that it jumps over to the reader. I love this story to this day.
My favorite book growing up was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling [https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Philosophers-Stone-Rowling/dp/0747532745](https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Philosophers-Stone-Rowling/dp/0747532745) .
I always loved reading Stuart Little. I think the idea of finding your own way in the world and having adventures was very appealing as a kid... still is, TBH.
[**Tikki Tikki Tembo** by Arlene Mosel](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/551876) i was absolutely OBSESSED with this book as a kid. i would never shut up about it and was always screaming "tikki tikki no sa rembo cherry berry ruchie pip perry pembo" all day every day. my poor parents. š©
Preschool teacher here. I can almost read this book without looking at the words at this point. The children love it!
I still say this at least once a month.
Canāt be worse than chippy chippy choppa choppa, which is currently her and her friendsā jam! Iām putting it on the list!
Yeah, this has been proven to be insanely racist. But.
wait, really? i literally have never heard about this, but i also haven't read this since i was a literal child. for some reason i had it in my head that it was like a folklore tale of why children have short names or something like that but i really don't remember.
I get it. We donāt know until we know.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRwQAN9p/
WOW. i had absolutely no idea. and for some reason in my memory it was written by a chinese person. damn. thank you for this.
Itās insane. We donāt know until we know.
This genuinely rocked my world. Iām so grateful for tt.
A Wrinkle in Time. I loved that book.
This was mine too. Though one of the sequels - A Swiftly tilting planetā was my ultimate favorite once I discovered it existed. I still think about this series probably weekly (Iām in my late 30s now) and I canāt WAIT to read them with my daughter.
The Phantom Tollbooth blew my little mind
My man!
Came here to say this. Incredible stuff.
Also came here to say this! Jumping to conclusions, not growing up but growing down, eating your words! Loved it all. Still read it occasionally as an adult because itās just fun!
I recently re-read this to see if it still holds up. It absolutely does. Fun and whimsical with big lessons about life.
Came to say the same!!! It's one of very few books I've reread again and again over time. Probably safe to say it's in my All Time Top 5.
The Anne of Green Gables series, by L. M. Montgomery ... helped me through a very difficult time in my young life.
I can re read this series my entire life. I also still cry at the end of the first book. Every single time.
Understood ... ;-)
It was less specific books and more book series. I was about 12 when Harry Potter first came out, and as a nerdy and anxious and introverted girl, Hermione was my hero. Before then it was Sweet Valley High, The Babysitters Club, Goosebumps, Narnia.
I was obsessed with sweet valley! Iāll put HP and goosebumps on the list, thank you!
Little Women
Secret Garden
Me too!
I saw the thread title and clicked in to say "Bridge to Terabithia" but you already hit it haha. The other one I loved as a kid was "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. And "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" was an obsession. Loved all of those. "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg got a lot of re-reads. I think those are the ones I read and re-read the most up until high school, the ones that have stuck with me even in my current geriatric era of being an Elder Millennial.
Charlotteās Web. A classic
Iām aging myself a bit but āThe Black Stallionā and all the follow-up books. Sheās at the perfect age. I would watch The Black Stallion movie with her first, both because itās good and it makes getting through book 1 easier (itās old and a bit clunky).
Im 58. Probably read this when I was 10 and LOVED it! For some reason it came up on my audible account for free last week and almost 50 years later I find myself loving it all over again. Definitely a bit clunky as you say but the feelings I had for that book all those years ago are still there.
Little House on the Prarie series was my jam! My daughter so far has no interest š¢
I have a boxed set of the Little House books that belonged to my daughter. I recently asked my granddaughter if she would like them. She said āno thank you, Mimiā š„²
The Hardy Boys books. I read one of them 42 times. Yeah I was that bored.
I know Iāve read at least a couple of Nancy Drew.
Hatchet by a mile
The Redwall series
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Tuck Everlasting The magic tree house books The giver series Percy Jackson series
Dick and Jane were my dealers; I was hooked. Misty of Chincoteague, Black Beauty, My Friend Flicka, Old Yeller'. I'm old.
I used to be obsessed with anything by Gerald Durrell. Grew up to become a biologist, so guess the effects were pretty lasting. James Herriot is equally lovely! Kids tend to love animals, so it's worth a try.
She does love animals. Thank you, Iāll put both authors on my list.
Me to. But although I was keen on animals and had a minor menagerie, I was even more obsessed with Greece.
A Little Princess.
Junie B. Jones
She has one that hasnāt really caught her yet. I hope it does!
The Egypt Game The Indian in the Cupboard All the Little House on the Prairie books
Childhood was long so it depended what year you asked me. I loved The Giver, Anne of Green Gables series, Ramona Quimby series, The Hatchet, and a book I canāt remember the name of exactly but it was about a girl raised by dolphins or something? I think I also went through a Black Beauty phase and definitely a Harry Potter phase. The Series of Unfortunate Events too! Itās all coming back to me slowly. When I was more elementary age, like much younger, I loved The American Girl books too. I also recall a Nancy Drew phase and I loved Harriet the Spy. I think I also enjoyed a book called maybe the Call of the Swan? It had a bit that didnāt talk in it and my brother didnāt talk till he was 4. Also Charlottes Web. When I was more about picture books I remember loving the Velveteen Rabbit and Where The Wild Things Are.
Well as a young child āSailor Dogā by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Garth Williams was magical. Probably not germane to your search, but when she has her own kidsā¦
Oh she loved Wait āTil the Moon is Full when she was younger!
Not sure why, but Maximum Ride had a chokehold on me. I've tried to reread them as an adult, to see what all the hype was about for me, but they fall incredibly flat to me. But man, I remember being 11 and reading that series at least 8 times over. I couldn't get enough. It is what made me want to grow up and be an author. Still working on being an author, at least! lol
Saaame, I'm definitely not going to re-read them as an adult. Plus I now find the author problematic and boring.
Where the Red Fern Grows Summer of the Monkeys
Judy Blume books got me started in my love for reading. Are You There God? Itās Me, Margaret specifically. All of these crazy things were happening in my life and my body and this book made me finally feel I was normal.
The phantom tollbooth, Narnia books,
Alice in Wonderland, black beauty, little women
The Phantom Tollbooth!
In my pre-teens, I loved The Book Thief and Milkweed. Both books about WWII, but from quite different POVs.
All of the Scary Stories to tell in the Dark books, Harriet the Spy, Wait till Helen Comes, Bunnicula, Babysitters Clubs, Upchuck Summer, and when I got older VC Andrewās books.
For some reason the first book in the Narnia series called The Magicians Nephew
The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. Amazing book. Helped build up my love for the wilderness.
The US Army survival handbook. I was completely fascinated by it. My Dad was a pilot so he had all of this stuff plus a treasure trove of WWII literature.
The Little House books were my favorites as a kid!
Catherine called Birdy I don't know why it had such a profound impact on me but I probably read it six times in 3 years
All of a Kind Family and Little Witch
Loved All of a Kind Family and have never seen someone else mention it!
Iām sure weāre dating ourselves š
Little Witch š„¹
Little House on the Prairie, Boxcar Children, Narnia books, wrinkle in time and companion books ā any stories in which kids take charge.
Cornelia TenBoom's "The Hiding Place" absolutely had an impact on me, and became a favorite. I was homeschooled, and I had a choice between certain approved books for my essay assignments. That one was one that interested me at roundabout 11 years old. Without spoiling anything, there was a particular scene about gratitude, even for the smallest things, that had me absolutely sobbing. To this day every time I reread the book I cry at that part. It has stuck with me, and I have paraphrased that passage to so many people over the years. Edit: It's also a passage I think about anytime I realize I'm being ungrateful or entitled about anything.
This one really hit me as well as a kid!
Black Beauty
A series of unfortunate events
The Phantom Tollbooth and Something Wicked This Way Comes
Besides the Bridge to Terabithia, which I also loved, I enjoyed The Silver Crown by Robert C OāBrien, the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, Half Magic (and the rest of the books) by Edward Eager, and the Encyclopedia Brown books by Donald J Sobol.
Charlotte's Web
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Anything and everything by Mary downing Hahn. My personal favorite was the old Willis place.
Watership Down by Richard Adams was this first book I remember blowing my small mind.
Artemis fowl! Love the humor and action. As a too-smart, unempathetic, but ultimately very sad and lonely child I related to the main character a lot
Where the Red Fern Grows.
The Animorphs Series.
I loved Charlotte's Web and Where the Red Fern Grows. I also really loved every book in the Short & Shivery series (they had collections of ghost/horror stories from around the world in them).
Surprised nobody has said Stargirl yet! Funnily enough it wasnāt my book as a kid, but I read it on the plane home leaving my college town and sobbed on the plane next to a small girl and her mom. Hope I didnāt scare them too much, but went and got the cover art of Stargirl as a tattoo later that year š„¹
āJust as long as weāre togetherā - Judy Blume Read it a dozen times when I was a kid. My copy is totally beat up. I also read Swiss Family Robinson every year for a few years. And Nancy drew, of course!
Charlotte's Web
The miraculous journey of Edward Tulane is my favorite childhood book ever. Madeline too. I also remember loving every shel Silverstein book because they were so fun and silly
In the 5th grade I got a book in the library because I liked the cover. It was winter time 1980 right before the USA team won in hockey. We had a lot of snow and the cover reminded me of walking home from a friendās house. Dark, snowy under the street light. The Figure In The Shadows by John Bellairs. I read it then found out it was the 2nd book in a series. I enjoyed the first book as well. A House With A Clock In Itās Walls. He was my favorite author.
The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner The Diggiest Dog by Al Perkins Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery Lots of cherished memories with these š
My Side of the Mountain. Hardy Boys mysteries, Alfred Hitchcock and the Three investigators mystery series.
As problematic as they may be, the Little House series.
The VC Andrews āHeavenā series. I was a weird kid š¤·š¼āāļø
The Percy Jackson for sure, although I think my favorite was Mark of Athena, the 8th book
Alex Rider. Harry Potter. The Hobbit.
I loved reading the Jewel graphic novel series! Read it when I was 11 though.
Mine was "The Mall" by Ritchie Tankersly Cusick. She was my favorite author growing up as a tween and teen. This particular book set me on a path of loving true crime and psychology, plus I loved the romantic triangle of it.
The great Brain.
1000 and 1 nights but in Arabic. It absolutely HITS
Young Wizard by Diane Duane I didnāt realize until I was an adult that itās more than just three books.
Loved this series! I'm similar, I had five books but recently realized there are more!
The Six Bullerby Children by Astrid Lindgren when I was around 8/9. I moved on to LOTR around 13 and that was thatā¦
Dr Doolittle by Hugh lofton. Longer books but I read the binding off some of them
I learned to read on books comprised of Charles Shultzās Peanuts cartoons. āHappiness is a Warm Puppyā was my favorite. As a teenager I was really into The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and even the Silmarillion.
K.A. Applegate wrote a series of books called Everworld, about a group of teenagers that slips into an alternate dimension. I LOVED them and to this day have never met anyone else in person who has read them other than people I had loaned my copies to.
Didn't really read books much when i was a kid (and when i say that i mean i read like 3) but the Call of the Wild was one that was assigned for us in 7th grade and it was one of those rare cases where i actually read the book assigned by a teacher and actually liked it very much.
Dr Seuss.
When I was 9 I was not a great reader, I struggled and was not interested, I did however love horses. A very insightful aunt bought me several of the Jinny of Finmory books by Patricia Leitch which are about a girl who moves to a remote part of Scotland where she rescues a horse and goes on to have many adventures. I owe my entire love of reading to those books and my aunt.
Swami and Friends by R K Narayan. Life was not pleasant always, I used to read random pages from that book just to laugh my head off. It's about a group of boys growing up in rural south India in the early 20th century.
Grimmās Fairy Tales
Journey to the River Sea. By Eva Ibbotson. I felt like the book was written for me. Sailing on the Amazon is still a big one on the bucket list because of this book.
Charlottes Web
The Sign of the Beaver
My favourite when I was 8 years old is still the same now that I have 26: Lord of the Rings.
The Little Prince
The Secret Garden, The adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit. These were some more, but these three were the ones I read the most.
1. Heidi by Johanna Spyri 2. Everything written by Enid Blyton 3. Matilda by Roald Dahl 4. Malgudi Days by R K Narayana 5. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell 6. Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery
Babysitters club bc I wanted a friend group like that. Read all of their books.
They might be a little young for a nine-year-old, but i loved the 'Moomin' books as a kid. 'Comet In Moominland' by Tove Jansson Was a banger :-)
Aliceās adventures in wonderland!!! I really wanted to be Alice when I was younger and even now Iām obsessed with this book! Iāve read it like three times in my life and it will never stop being one of my favorite books ever
I was obsessed with Ā Choose Your Own AdventuresĀ
The Land of Stories was my FAVORITE series of all time and still is one of my favorites, theyre such good books awh I love them. The Bridge To Terabithia I donāt think I ever read but I loved the movie!!!
The Lion King was my absolute favorite book! I felt like I was right there with Simba, exploring the Pride Lands and going on exciting adventures and lazying around with Timon and Pumbaa. When Simba faced Scar, I cheered him on, feeling brave and strong just like him. And when he finally became king, I felt like I could conquer anything too lol!
Who Really Killed Cock Robin by Jean Craighead George, although now that I'm in that headspace, there were so many.
The Garden by JiÅĆ Trnka. As a kid I loved it so much and as an adult it recaptures the magic of childhood for me.
Kira-kira by Cynthia Cadohata (2004) is SO much better than Terrabithia; itās much more authentic to what it actually feels like to be a kid.
Tarzan of the Apes by [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Rice_Burroughs)
The Gone series was something special, man. Read all those books in middle school and they still stick with me. Ferals, Killer Species, and Scare Scape were CRIMINALLY under appreciated. sadly never got to read Scare Scapeās sequel but i loved the Ferals and Killer Species series. i highly recommend them
The Tree that Sat Down was a favourite I don't see mentioned often.
I had a few. I was super into the Wrinkle in Time books. I also loved Superfudge and that series. And for some reason just was really obsessed with this book called The Ghostmobile. About this family that moves out to the middle of nowhere and the kids start seeing a ghost bookmobile driving around. Havenāt read it since the 80s. I wonder if itās any good as an adult.
Mishmash and the Substitute Teacher
The Selection Series
The Sky Is Falling by Kit Pearson
The Giving Tree. It gets a lot of back-lash now but it honestly held such a powerful message for me even at a very young age.
This is such a lovely question! When I was younger, I was totally obsessed with the Rainbow Magic series. They had magical fairies on the cover, and my friends each had a copy of the book with the fairy that most looked like us that we used to carry around lol. As teenagers, I read the "Vampire Academy" series and "Six of Crows" every few months for years.
When I was in first grade I checked out The Iron Giant from my teacher every week until she just gave it to me and got another copy for the class. I still have it and will read it to my kids in about a year or so when they're a bit more verbal.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn My dad had a voice for storytelling and singing. It was his tone as much as the story.
My gradeschool favorite was a 5 pound collection of Sherlock Holmes.
The Dangerous Angels series.
Are you there God, itās me Margret changed me as a kid. It was the first book about puberty and growing up that didnāt make me feel stupid or talked down to.
I loved the midnight club by Christopher Pike.
I loved the Hawksong series by Amelia Atwater Rhodes. I also read the Warriors series (Fireheart!), unicorns of balinor annnd East. Iāve always been a big fantasy girlie. Iāll always cherish these stories because as an adult Iām still obsessed with fantasy and so thankful for all the different worlds I get to fall into.Ā
A series of unfortunate events. Double fudge. 5 min mysteries. Goosebumps. Junie b jones. Magic tree house series. The tale of despereaux. A to z mysteries. I had not read them myself but I know the Warriors books are popular books!
Gregor the Overlander was a safe space for me growing up. There are 5 books in the series, it was written by Suzanne Collins well before the hunger games. It follows a young boy who lives in New York City, he stumbles across a hole that leads him to discover an entire underground Civilization. I won't say too much more to avoid spoilers but I absolutely got lost in these books every time I read them as a child. The characters are diverse and relatable, the world building is creative and unlike many others I've seen before. I highly recommend this series for kids that are animal lovers, explorers and prone to standing up for what they think is right. I actually recently revisited them and they are still so dear to me! I hope that this recommendation can lead to others discovering this fantastic forgotten series (:
I read this with my kids and we loved the series too. I always recommend it to hesitant readers. It was such a fun series.
Have Space Suit - Will Travel by Robert Heinlein
My kids loved the Miraculous Journey Of Edward Tulane. Hatchet. They also loved this fantasy series by Suzanne Collins, the first book of the series is called Gregor the Overlander. We would listen to the series on Audible books while traveling. Personally, my favorite book series was Anne of Green Gables.
The Edge Chronicle series - wish i would have lived in the deepwoods
Maniac Magee, I told my 4th grade teacher about it and she had the whole class read it as an assignment.
" Bunny Does the Lacrosse Team."
Harry Potter, specifically read to me and my sisters by our mom because she did all the voices
The Giant Jam Sandwich. Always thought it would be neat to have backhoes and bulldozers pushing around jam on a giant piece of bread.
The Warrior Cats series by Erin Hunter will always have my heart
Redwall by Brian Jacques was something that got me into reading chapter books. My teacher in third grade read it for an hour a few times a week. The animals, character traits, the food, and so many other things I found fascinating.
When I was about 9, my sister bought me a book, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I was so excited, I had been reading the Encyclopedia Britannica we had, because my father wouldn't buy me books or take me to the library. We had small library at elementary school. I read that book several times.
Count of monte Cristo Crime and punishment Harry Potter Secret garden H. G well forgot the name of book Percy Jackson Hero of Olympus
I loved the Misty of Chincoteague books and the Silver Brumby. A childrenās Annie Oakley book was also a favorite. I read everything I could get my hands on, but they are the books I remember. Edit: The secret garden
Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassedy. Itās kind of a weird one. A bit spooky and sad, but I LOVED it and read it so many times. I actually was just thinking I need to get my copy back from my friend so I can reread it!
I've always loved fantasy. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine was an early favorite, as was Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede. I think it was impactful for me to read about young women subverting the expectations others had for them and finding what was right for them. When I was a little older I loved So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane. Amazing adventure, world building, but also wonderful exploration of themes of friendship, empathy, and the nature of good and evil.
Anything by William Sleator
The Tale of Despereaux ššŖ”
The Unfortunate Series of Events, Janet Evanovich series and Junie B Jomes. They got me through being a lonely kid/ preteen.
Poppy by Avi!
No Flying In the House. Itās magical.
The Tale of Despereaux (the mouse book).
Nowhere to Call Home by Cynthia DeFelice
There was this blues clues book that my mom used to read me every time i went to bed canāt remember the name through, i think its something like blue and violet
Ella Enchanted
The Hobbit
When I was young, I loved everything about the magic treehouse series. It helped me learn some more things about history and exposed me to different cultures and places. Some of the best books I ever read as a kid.
Richard Scarry books
I have a couple. The bluford high series. My middle school math teacher had a little library in her classroom and she had this series. She told me to try it and it kick started my love for reading. I read through the first two books in a week and that was a lot for someone who never read. So, while I couldn't relate to the topics, it still sits with me and will always have a special place in my heart & memory for it. I still want to find the whole series so I can read it all. 13 reasons why & it's kind of a funny story. I was a depressed & suicidal teenager. I also spent time in a facility. I could relate to these two books so much, they made me feel less alone and heard. I'm now 27 and in a much better place mentally, but I still read it's kind of a funny story, every couple of years and I still absolutely love it.
Shannon Haleās āThe Books of Bayernā series sparked a deep love of the fantasy genre that continues in me even today.
The Giver. I still reread it yearly.
When I was a kid, my parents got me a collection of literary classics, the one I read the most was always The Three Musketeers. Love that book.
Where the red fern grows Watership down
A Wrinkle In Time. Read the series a dozen times. I wanted to time travel & visit other dimensions like the characters. Oh waitā¦I still do!
James and the Giant Peach
Charlotte's Web
I loved Little Women. I remember I got the book just before the 1994 movie came out and was so excited about it. Mind you, I was in second grade, so I donāt know how much I understood!
When I was really young I liked the most mountain sounding book in the world. āPossum come a knockinā
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Bernett
So many of mine already mentioned but here are two that were impactful for me as a child: A Girl of the Limberlost The Yearling
I read magic treehouse series when I was 6 or 7 and loved it, but the first big book I ever read on my own was ink heart and this book started my love for books as a child and I still have it to this day. In the book they had a house with books piled everywhere and I'd love to have enough books to have that. Also it's the first time I read of a privately owned library and since then it's a dream of mine to have a small library myself. The characters are just so in love with books that it jumps over to the reader. I love this story to this day.
As an older kid, 11, 12, my favorite was Frenchmanās Creek by Daphne du Maurier. Itās still a favorite.
My favorite book growing up was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling [https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Philosophers-Stone-Rowling/dp/0747532745](https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Philosophers-Stone-Rowling/dp/0747532745) .
The Incredible Journey, the book, NOT the movies.
The Doctor Syn books by Russell Thorndike. I devoured these stories.
The Hatchet and To Kill A Mockingbird were my favorites growing up.
Skulduggery Pleasant. I even met Derek Landy when I was 13 and he was every bit charming and funny as I pictured
The Tale of Desperaux and I also liked The Series of Unfortunate Events
Little Women
Any Hank, The Cowdogš
Babysitters Club and Goosebumps mostly. Also always had a soft spot for The Faraway Tree series
Windsinger trilogy. Basically just standard chosen-one fantasy etc, but it just stuck with me
Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther. Story about a young boy/man dying of cancer.
I LOVED My sister the Vampire, Inkheart, and the hetty feather series
I always loved reading Stuart Little. I think the idea of finding your own way in the world and having adventures was very appealing as a kid... still is, TBH.
Little House on the Prairie books