Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
I have been reading books for as long as I can remember. My dad has always been a lover of books so he passed this love onto me as a child and I am forever grateful to him for giving me a passion that I can still enjoy to this day. So, when I saw the prompt for Childhood Favorites, I knew I had to jump on this Top Ten Tuesday because these are the books that got me into reading!
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
I distinctly remember being absolutely in love with Tumnus back in the 5th grade when I read these for the first time. And then Prince Caspian, and so on. These books were like a part of my actual childhood the amount of time I spent reading and then rereading them. I really wish that they had continued on with the movies instead of stopping so soon in the series.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
This was one of the books I remember my dad reading to me before bed on a nightly basis, I think we tried to read one chapter a night but I always ended up begging for just one more. Needless to say this was a favorite and I still love it to this day.
The BFG by Roald Dahl
Who doesn’t love anything that Roald Dahl writes? If you don’t, then I’m not sure we could have been friends as children because I’m pretty sure about 80% of my reading material was written by this amazing author. The BFG was one of my all time favorites though! I think the first time I heard this book read aloud was in class during the reader’s circle where my teacher would read books aloud to us each day.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
This was a pretty serious book to read as a child, but I liked that it was something real instead of all fantasy. This was one of those books that I still remember details of to this day about how I would survive if I ever was stranded in the wilderness. Still, a great book nonetheless.
The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events) by Lemony Snicket
This series became a weekly ritual with my best friend in the 5th grade. Every Friday night my dad would take us to the 24 hour bookstore where we got to get some frilly drink from the cafe and then get the next book in A Series of Unfortunate Events to then stay up all night reading until the next Friday when we could do it all over again. These books are fantastic though, and I have always held a special place in my heart for them.
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Here’s another favorite Dahl book! I think at some point in every child’s life they would love to discover that they had magical abilities. In Matilda’s case, I can’t think of anyone who deserved it more. She definitely didn’t win the family lottery or the principal of the year. But she was still good at heart and it goes to show what having the right morals can get you in life. This book will forever be a favorite of mine.
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Honestly, it was almost a tie between The Boxcar Children and The Babysitter’s Club. Both equally as entertaining as a child, but I think I enjoyed the family camaraderie in this series a little more. There’s nothing better than being able to start a mystery book and read through to find out who dunnit at the end of the book within one sitting. These books were great and kept me highly entertained during my spare time as a kid. Not to mention there are about a billion of these books out there to blast through!
The Moorchild by Eloise McGraw
Beware entering the Moor, you never know what kind of changelings you will find! The Moorchild was a fun and whimsical book that was part eerie and part magical. I can still feel the creepiness of getting swept away as a changeling child on the moor (which made me a little scared of the woods behind my house as a kid) but even so, I couldn’t help but love the beautiful setting and magical feel to this story.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Read in class, this book was one of those that almost changes your life. Dealing with some pretty heavy topics for kids once again, this book really makes you think about the “what if”. What if life changed so drastically? What if you lived in this futuristic world where the old ways are all but forgotten? This was one of those books that makes you want to go home and hug your parents and really appreciate your life. But books like these are also what get us thinking as kids and fighting for the right kind of life.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Get your tissues ready! I loved this book so much as a kid but could never keep the waterworks at bay. This book was so sweet but also so very sad. I recently picked this up and reread it on a whim because I had forgotten most of it since it had been almost 18 years since I first fell into the story of Tuck. Still just as amazing and moving as the first time around with a lot of nostalgia.
Lets Discuss
Did you read any of these books when you were younger? What are some of your childhood favorites? Some of these were recreational reads but I’m pretty sure some of the heavier topic books were required school reads. Still, they made a definite impact on me as a person and a reader and therefore they are some of my favorites. Did you read a lot when you were younger? I was always carrying a book or two around with me, and I still do! Some things stick with us throughout our lives. Anyway, interested to see what you all loved when you were younger, and I hope you have an amazing 4th of July Holiday!! Stay Safe!
