What were your favorite books as a child?

[greenstone]

The Boxcar Children mysteries

Trixie Belden 

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books

[Deleted]

Lots of great favorites listed already  

I'll add Robin McKinnley... I still re read Blue Sword and Hero and the Crown most years...

[Apple]

I think most of mine were listed.

Anything "Fudge" (I started my son of with Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by reading it to him.  He read the books so many times they completely fell apart).

Indian in the Cupboard

The Boxcar Children

All the Ramona books

The Three Investigators (Alford Hitchcock)

Encyclopedia Brown

Lois Duncan books

Grimm's Fairy Tales

[doxieluvr]

When I was really little, I liked Ramona series books, anything by Judy Blume and the little house on the Prairie.

By middle school, my favorite author had become V.C. Andrews. Once I was turned loose in the public library, my choice of reading quickly changed.     

I loathed reading the classic books like Tom Sawyer and Bridge to Terebithia.

[happyscooter]

 I didn't have any particular author but I do remember being able to order a book every month from the Scholastic Book Co. (or something like that).  We had the Weekly Reader and the teacher would have a book order to send off.  We didn't have much money but I could buy a book for $2 or $3 each month.  And I had a library card from the time I was 6 years old. 

I love reading to my granddaughter and she has a ton of books. 

In our attic are all, and yes, I mean ALL of the books my kids accumulated over the years.  Guess what my grandchildren are going to be getting for their birthdays and Christmas for the next several years? 

[michelyn8]

I don't remember my mother or father ever reading to me but my father was an avid reader of Louis L'Amour and Zane Grey.  My love
of reading came from my 5th grade teacher who set aside time each day to read a chapter to us from different books and she had a mini-library in our classroom that we could borrow books from.  (and this is the teacher my sister had told me was mean  ). 

I think my favorite of all those she read to us was Runaway Ralph.  I also loved reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Super Fudge (I call my DGD this when she will only accept cereal for supper and sadly, DD2 doesn't get the reference).  I learned what boys experience in puberty from Then Again, Maybe I Won't and when peers were being diagnosed and undergoing surgeries for scoliosis, I understood what was going on because I'd read Deenie.  I learned alot from Judy Blume although I admit I didn't get the whole Jewish/Christian thing in Are You There God, Its Me Margaret because I didn't know anyone who was Jewish.

Right now, DGD is stuck on Brown Bear, Brown Bear and while it gets aggravating reading it over and over, I'm happy to do it because I love having her on my lap and the smile on her face when she brings me the book.  I just wish I'd had the patience to read more to my own children but back then I was under so much stress, it was more "one more thing that I need to do" than a chance to enjoy some downtime with them.  
 
ETA: I read every single Nancy Drew available in the early 80's and then moved on to read whatever caught my interest in browsing at the library.  My mother never censored me so I read a lot with adult themes at the young age that I probably shouldn't have.  Very "enlightening" to say the least.

Does anyone remember The Witch of Blackbird Pond?  It was geared towards pre-teen.  Not sure why I remember that one in particular - maybe because it was one of the first non-Nancy Drew books I read after I'd gotten bored with them.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

The Redwall Series

I have my favorites out of the series, but I wasn't a huge fan of some of them.  The last one I read I felt didn't have the same quality story telling as the original Redwall.

I liked and still like anything by Shiel Silverstein.  His poetry is deliciously twisted.

[Deleted]

Goosebumps series, Babysitter Club series, Nancy Drew... started getting into Stephen King in my teen years.

My favorite "school" book is hands down Catcher in the Rye.

[swamp]

May 9, 2013 10:01:27 GMT -5 @moneyjenny82 said:

My favorite "school" book is hands down Catcher in the Rye.

[img]http://syonidv.hodginsmedia.com/vsmileys/yeahthat.gif[/img]   I love that book.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Beatrix Potter.  My favorites are The Two Bad Mice, Squirrel Nutkin, Mrs Tiggy Winkle and Tom Kitten.  I have a little blown glass Tom Kitten ornament I put on my tree every year.

[lynnerself]

The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley and anything else horse related

[Chocolate Lover]

I read every Nancy Drew book and pretty much any book that looked interesting. Lots of them have been mentioned already.

I had some books my cousin in England sent me that I can't remember the name or author of, just that it was a girl's boarding school. I do remember the Red Dwarf books because I still have those.

I read so much that lots of names didn't stick, maybe the story did if it was really good/upsetting. lol (Like the one with the kid that gets stung by a bee and dies, I want to say the title had something to do with blueberries but I could be way wrong)

Was reading Stephen King by 12 or so, I don't think Mom was thrilled with that, but she didn't complain. I did get a couple of weird looks when I'd laugh my head off at something in them.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

The things my brain retains.  This was one of my favorite books to check out from the school library in elementary school.  I didn't know it was still in print.  Now I'll have to get it for Gwen.

www.goodreads.com/book/show/713875.The_Robbery_at_the_Diamond_Dog_Diner

I used to read just about any book Reading Rainbow would have on.  I loved Reading Rainbow.

[Gardening Grandma]

I loved the Enid Blyton series (Sea of Adventure,  Castle of Adventure, Island of Adventure).   Also dog books (Call of the  Wild, etc) but my all time favorite was "Call It Courage"

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Here's another one I read to death. 
 
www.amazon.com/Gregory-Terrible-Eater-Mitchell-Sharmat/dp/0545129311

Man, no wonder I couldn't retain physics if these book titles have been floating around in my head for 20+ years, there was no room for physics!

[Pants]

Lots of people have mentioned favorites already.

Has anyone mentioned Anne of Green Gables? That author had tons of series, including the Anne series but a lot more. 
In general, I liked series books. Getting to know new characters was too much work.

The BFG and The Witches from Roald Dahl.
I was bizarrely into children's holocaust fiction/true fiction for a while. Number the Stars, Diary of Anne Frank, but there were a lot more of those.
The cat ate my gymsuit was great.


Other than that I grew up in Australia and loved a lot of books that I haven't been able to find since, because I can't remember the name of the book or author. A lot of crazy-ass YA lit comes out of that continent. I think it's the heat.

[midjd]

I read so much that lots of names didn't stick, maybe the story did if it was really good/upsetting. lol (Like the one with the kid that gets stung by a bee and dies, I want to say the title had something to do with blueberries but I could be way wrong)

I know the book you're talking about, but I can't remember the title either.

Bsbound - I loved Anne of Green Gables!

I finally remembered that author's name who was bugging me... Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. She wrote "The Agony of Alice" and a few other books in that series. She also wrote the Shiloh books.

Gordon Korman is another author I enjoyed, although I don't think I understood a lot of the Canadian references in his books.

[Phoenix84]

Oh snap!  Reading Rainbow!  I used to love that show.  I had totally forgotten about that.  The host was the same guy who played Jordey on Star Trek: The Next Generation. 

Anyone remember those old choose your own adventure books? 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I used to read choose your own adventure books.  So easy to cheat.  Hell no I don't want to die, back to page 40 to choose option #2.

[Bob Ross]

Mine were the ones I found in the shoebox on the top shelf of my dad's closet. 

Although TBH, those weren't really "books".

[Bob Ross]

Oh, and for those of you with kids...

You know that in 20 years when they're asked this same question, they're all gonna say "Twilight".

This is why you fail as parents.

[vonna]

wrongside -- Where the Red Fern Grows was one of my favorites! You are very brave to be reading that with your kids, especially if you are reading out loud. I remember when my mom, sis and I took turns reading "Lassie, Come Home" out loud. We had to keep passing it off to each other in the really really sad parts because we kept getting choked up!!

My mom was a children's librarian, so I basically don't remember a time when I was not reading as kid. Many of my favorites have already been listed by others.

Here are a few that I don't think have been listed yet.

The first series I remember reading in early elementary were the Thornton Burgess books -- I loved the animal stories!

I liked "Why Have the Birds Stopped Singing" -- I think around 4th grade?

Island of the Blue Dolphins

My Side of the Mountain

If I had to pick one favorite, it would probably be The Secret Garden.

[Chocolate Lover]

Mid, I'm just glad someone can confirm it's existence!

I recently found some new editions of Choose your own Adventure stories, I think they were Goosebumps books. 

[Chocolate Lover]

May 9, 2013 11:45:51 GMT -5 Bob Ross said:

Mine were the ones I found in the shoebox on the top shelf of my dad's closet. 

Although TBH, those weren't really "books".

I did find a couple of books. Some with pictures, some without. 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Island of the Blue Dolphins

That's a good one too.  So is Indian in the Cupboard, someone already mentioned that one.

Anyone else read Christopher Rice's teen books?  I liked The Last Vampire series the best. 

I read Goosebumps too but I liked his Fear Street series better.

[Deleted]

May 9, 2013 11:31:30 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Anyone remember those old choose your own adventure books? 

The count of Monte Cristo.

I used to read many of adventure books in different cultures.

[The Captain]

In first grade I was always the last to "graduate" from the color coded Dick and Jane books.  Sister Francis used to say I'd be as old as she was before I learned to read (with a smile on her face).  Then in second grade some kinda switch got flipped and I devoured every book I could get my hands on. 

We used to have a bus that would run a fixed route around the neighborhood to the library.  One of my friends had an older sister that would take us every Tuesday and Saturday.  By halfway through third grade, I'd pretty much read every book in the kids section.  

Then mom went to the library with me and got me an adult card (so I could check books out of any section).  I clearly remember the librarian asking her if it were appropriate for a child to be exposed to adult material.  Mom plainly told her that she trusted me to put the book down if I found something that I thought I shouldn't be reading. 

Fourth and fifth grades were the classic periods - Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick, - basically everything in the classic section. 

Sixth grade was when I discovered Science Fiction and Fantasy and I've never been the same since.

[bean29]

I also was an avid reader.

With my kids I remember enoying an ABC book called Chicka-Chick-Boom Boom and I also really like Little Critter.  I remember Brown Bear.  There is a sequel similar book Polar Bear? and then there is another one too I think.  Dr Seus.  When My kids started school I had a book called I will always find you (meaning if they got lost I would find them).  I remember Magic School Bus Books too and Spot - my kids each had a Spot the dog.

I remember Ralph and the Mortorcycle and James and the Giant Peach.  Does anyone remember Black Beauty?  We had several books centered around horses.

I remember we read all my Mom's Nancy Drew Books and all the new ones in the series.  We also ready many of the Hardy Boys books.

I read all the Little Women and Little House Books.

Does anyone remember the Outsiders and That was then this is now?  My friends and I were crazy about that book.

I also read a lot of classics and had an adult card at a young age.

ETA:  Remeber Amelia Bedelia and Junie B. Jones?  As a Mom, I think I liked those books more than DD. 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I read the Outsiders in 8th grade.  It was good but not one of my favorites.   I liked the other choice: Of Mice and Men, better.

Depressing as all hell but such a good book!

[Deleted]

May 9, 2013 10:54:19 GMT -5 Pants said:

Lots of people have mentioned favorites already.

Has anyone mentioned Anne of Green Gables? That author had tons of series, including the Anne series but a lot more. 
In general, I liked series books. Getting to know new characters was too much work.

The BFG and The Witches from Roald Dahl.
I was bizarrely into children's holocaust fiction/true fiction for a while. Number the Stars, Diary of Anne Frank, but there were a lot more of those.
The cat ate my gymsuit was great.

Other than that I grew up in Australia and loved a lot of books that I haven't been able to find since, because I can't remember the name of the book or author. A lot of crazy-ass YA lit comes out of that continent. I think it's the heat.

Anne of Green Gables was great!


My kids like the Australian Tomorrow When the War Began series