Top Ten Tuesday: Childhood Favorites
I’m not going to do all the illustrated books (I think I might do that for a freebie). I’m picking books (mostly series) from when I was strongly reading on my own. I’m going with favorites then that I’d want my kids to read.
I guess my age was maybe 9 to early teens or maybe 9-12 for most of these? (And yeah, that’s childhood for me. I was a kid until maybe 14-15). Lot’s of historical fiction (although not the Historical Diaries or whatever they were called that my sisters and others loved, I think those were a little too realistic for me to handle then based on my memories of my unsuccessful attempts). My introduction to Rosemary Sutcliff came right on the heels of these age.
- The American Girls. Felicity, Josefina, Kirsten, Addy, Samantha, Molly at first, then later Kit, I was growing out of them a bit when Kaya arrived (and she’s the last of the quality ones in my opinion).
- The Little House books and the Caroline books (and the Charlotte ones I read when I was a bit older).
- Boxcar children (we were all obsessed with these).
- The Borrowers (The Borrowers, The Borrowers Afield, The Borrowers Afloat, The Borrowers Aloft, and The Borrowers Avenged) by Mary Norton.
- Grandma’s Attic series and Grandma’s Attic Novels (In Grandma’s Attic; More Stories from Grandma’s Attic; Still More Stories from Grandma’s Attic; Treasures from Grandma; Sixteen and Away from Home; Eighteen and on Her Own; Nineteen and Wedding Bells Ahead; At Home in North Branch; New Faces, New Friends) by Arleta Richardson. Our friends read these allowed while we sewed or whatever (I think I was bit older maybe preteens to early teens?).
- Narnia. My dad read these aloud to us twice.
- Sarah’s Journey Series (Home on Stoney Creek, Stranger in Williamsburg, Reunion in Kentucky, Whispers in Williamsburg, Shadows on Stoney Creek) by Wandra Luttrell (so, apparently these are middle-grade Christian fiction but I remember these being good, granted they were favorites).
- Annie Henry: Adventures in the American Revolution (Annie Henry and the Secret Mission, Annie Henry and the Birth of Liberty, Annie Henry and the Mysterious Stranger, Annie Henry and the Redcoats) by Susan Olasky
- Calico Bush by Rachel Field (Hitty is waaay more famous but this was the first one we read, and I’m not sure if I read Hitty at all, if so it was recently).
- Bobbsey twins (to round out the list, these were books I read at my grandparents). For some reason, I never got into the Nancy Drew books or the Hardy boys. I did look at Trixie Beldon, I think those are probably more interesting. I wish I’d read all these when I was younger, some books you can love only if you start young.
8 Comments
Davida Chazan
I guess I was either advanced or my parents and teachers didn’t care for children’s books, because I read more adult books when I was younger (that I can recall… of course, I’m old now so my memory is going)!
Livia Rose
It took me awhile to read plus I wasn’t emotionally mature enough for adult books plus very sheltered. I do think excellent children’s books have a special quality about them that transcends the ages groups though.
Davida Chazan
Very true. For example, I discovered all sorts of children’s books only when I had children of my own. Winnie the Pooh, The Phantom Tollbooth, Wind in the Willows, Where the Wild Things Are, Charlotte’s Web are some that I’ll keep on my bookcase!
Livia Rose
I still need to read The Phantom Tollbooth, I kept reading people mention it.
Catherine
I loved Narnia (i still re-read my favourites pretty regularly!) and I had the borrowers and I think the first two little house books read to me – but I must have been very little because I remember literally nothing about them .
Livia Rose
I had Narnia read to me twice (probably several on this were read to me first), the gorgeously illustrated edition which I want to get before I re-read them again. Hardly anyone seems to know about the Borrowers I feel. Little House + the Oregon Trail computer games basically WAS my childhood, I was very into Pioneer stuff. Obviously, going to be an American little girl sort of thing, I guess.
Ivy Miranda
The American Girls, Little House and Narnia, those books were my childhood! Along with The Wizard of Oz and Caddie Woodlawn (which is my favorite book). I nominated you for The Sunshine Blogger Award https://revealedintime.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-sunshine-blogger-award.html
Livia Rose
Thanks!
I’ve never read Wizard of Oz or seen the movie or the musical Wicked, but I did perform as a munchkin in a ballet Wizard of Oz as a kid.