Laura
Read Across America was this past Tuesday. If you aren't familiar with this day, it is meant to celebrate reading and encourage children to read. It didn't begin until I was an adult, so I missed out on it as a child, but it got me reminiscing about how much I loved to read when I was young and about all my favorite children's books. I credit my love of reading with my good grades as a student, and I still love reading over any other activity today. I decided to ask my fellow staff members and some of our local teens to tell me what their favorite books were when they were children. Mine were The Babysitters Club books, and I'm so glad that they are being turned into graphic novels so a whole new generation can enjoy them as well!
Kris
The first book that left an overwhelming mark on my imagination and desire to read was, From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E. L. Konigsburg. If you are not familiar with the story, it is about a girl named Claudia who is fed up with the way she is treated at home, so she grabs her brother Jamie, and the two of them head to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to stow away, at least long enough for their parents to how to treat them better. The adventures that follow as Claudia and Jamie begin to explore and discover new things about their shelter, they find new ways of seeing beauty and solving mysteries, and eventually find their way home.
This was the book that really affected me most growing up. I have since spent the rest of my life, so far, attempting to find that same kind of magic in my own life that was so fun to find in Claudia and Jamie’s lives. To this day I am still looking for the secret door or hidden hallways that will deliver me to an alternate world, maybe another universe, but in the least some great mystery out there that is just waiting for me to solve it.
Stephanie
Holes by Louis Sachar is the book that sticks out in my head whenever I think of my favorite book from childhood. I was in 3rd grade and we were having a Scholastic Book Fair at my elementary school and I was so excited that I was finally going to be able to buy something. I remember that I had checked out Holes from probably both the school and public library and already read it but something about the cover (the OG cover is still one of my favorite book covers to this day) and story made me want to have my own personal copy.
This was the first book that I read that tied together two storylines, one in the present and the other taking place in the past.
Ash
I realize that I am among thousands of children who cherished this book while growing up, and this is very much a cliché. However, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone impacted my tiny 4th grade soul in ways that I will never forget. We started reading it as a class, but I soon found myself begging my teacher to allow me to keep a copy when I went home. Eventually, during our group readings, I would go to the library to read independently since I was ahead of everyone else. And during the last few chapters, I lost track of time and my teacher had to send another student to look for me when I didn't return to class for lunch. These were fond memories; just me, the dusty tables of the library, and a magical school that felt weirdly like home.
Amy
My earliest favorite book that I remember is The Monster at the End of this Book starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover by Jon Stone, the Little Golden Book version, illustrated by Michael Smollin. I made my Dad read this to me over and over and over. Fortunately, he enjoyed it, too, and did voices and everything. Grover’s anxiety about finding a monster at the end of the book and his attempts to persuade the reader not to turn another page were hilarious to me as a very young child. I laughed and laughed and laughed. Every time.
Jakeem
The first book I can remember becoming my favorite was Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry Allard. It tells the story of a very misbehaved classroom and all the chaos the children cause every day to their very nice teacher, Miss Nelson. One day their teacher doesn’t come to class and in walks the substitute teacher, Miss Viola Swamp. And once she comes to their classroom, they regret everything they ever did to Miss Nelson. The book teaches children about having respect for your teachers and elders, but also a great read for children who love good humor and a good mystery to solve.
Ashleigh
As a kid, I loved reading and going to the Marshville Library on a weekly basis. The juvenile fiction series that really stood out to me was Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House series. The adventures the two siblings, Jack and Annie, got into were always exciting and full of history. My two favorites(because I can’t just pick one) were Vacation Under the Volcano and Tonight Under the Titanic. Osbourne continues to write the adventures of Jack and Annie as they continue their epic journey through time.
Sriya
Since I was a child, I have loved to read books of all sorts. Today, reading is still one of my favorite pastimes and I enjoy reading all kinds of books and genres! When I was younger, there was always one particular series I loved to read on my own and to have my parents read to me. It’s called Pete the Cat. The first four books in the series were written by Eric Litwin and illustrated by James Dean (not the actor, trust me, it confused me too). Following that, Dean and his wife, Kimberly, wrote and illustrated the rest of the books in the series. Filled with rhymes, short poems, and catchy, song-like writing, the stories follow the adventures of Pete the Cat and his friends. The books are not only entertaining but also teach valuable life lessons and values to children. As a kid, I remember laughing along with Pete and his friends as I read, and trying to recite the verses to the songs to myself when I was bored. Some of my favorite books from the series include Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes and Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons.
Monica
It was honestly difficult trying to pin-point a specific book that impacted me enough as a child to be deemed a favorite, but after pondering at my work desk, I remembered the reason I couldn’t go to sleep peacefully for a few days in the 4th grade: The Goosebumps series by R. L. Stine. Even though I was scared, and even though these books supplied many characters to join me in my sleep paralysis dreams, I could not put them down as a child. Reading them during spooky season was one of my favorite things to do. Some of my favorites include: Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes, The Curse of Camp Cold Lake, and Say Cheese and Die!
Taylor
Growing up, the most impactful books on my childhood were The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley and Shakespeare’s Secret by Elise Broach. Both are great mysteries that kept me turning pages--they were also both introduced to me by my 5th grade teacher (you’re a real one Mrs. Freemen). While they remain my favorite books I read as a child, there’s one picture book I found as an adult I wish I had read as a child.
One Busy Day by Lola M. Schaefer is about a little girl who just wants to spend the day with her older brother. When I first read this book I got emotional because it captured a moment in my childhood perfectly. The colors illustrated remind me of autumn (my favorite time of year), the way the kids dream up scenarios and implement their imaginations are ways I did so at that age, and it made me miss that sort of childlike wonder I shared with my older brother. The books that move us as kids are unforgettable, but this was the first time a children’s book impacted me as an adult. Also, apparently, this is a sequel which I didn’t know about until literally this moment so…
Bindi
It’s quite shocking that I wasn’t a big book fan back in my childhood days. You wouldn’t ever catch me with a book unless it was read to me by my mother or a teacher. I had many books I could “tolerate”, but The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is one that brings back memories I can’t forget. This book reminds me of those cold winter days where you’re all cozied up in your bundle of blanks; going to sleep with the hope of school being canceled from snow the next day. The Snowy Day revolves around an African American boy experiencing snow for the first time in his neighborhood. His experiences with seeing snow for the first time and being able to climb mountains and make snow angels reached out to 2nd grade me. In North Carolina, seeing lots of snow was rare, so every time I read this book I clung to the hope that maybe I could experience what the main character experienced. Ezra Jack Keats also has other books portraying a small African American boy such as Peter’s Chair, Whistle to Willie, and A letter to Amy.
Aaron
In elementary school, I enjoyed reading many books, including the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. However, my favorite book from childhood is definitely The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. This novel sparked my imagination as it told a tale of a forgotten underground city. It especially made me wonder what hidden secrets may be hidden from the world or what could be constructed under our feet. The story of The City of Ember had many plot twists that, as a kid, I didn't see coming and really enjoyed reading it. The characters were also interesting as I followed their journey to escape the city. Once I found out there was a book series, I was extremely happy. I don’t remember the sequels too much, but they were great follow-ups to the cliffhanger at the end of the first book. The prequel novel, The Prophet Yonwood, is definitely one of my favorites though due to serving as a prequel to the series.
Anjali
Growing up, I loved a bunch of different books from the Judy Moody series to the Nancy Drew series, but my favorite series was Pinkalicious. It portrayed a young girl who had a great imagination. Her character represented who I was as a person, at that age, and inspired me to be even more imaginative myself. The books also inspired me to have a positive outlook on life, and do things I love.
Anna
My earliest memories of books, beyond learning to read with phonics, are actually audiobooks. Being the 4th youngest out of 5 kids meant a lot of time spent in a minivan’s booster seat, going from soccer to doctor’s appointments, accompanied by a sizable collection of audiobooks. I remember listening to loads of books probably a bit too advanced for a 6-year-old: like Septimus Heap, Gregor the Overlander, and the 39 clues series, but the one that really defined my entire personality when I was in elementary school was Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan! What more can you ask for than 12 books about totally awesome knife-throwing archery masters on high-stakes adventures to save the kingdom and everyone they love! I love these books and credit them with my lifelong love for high fantasy and series with just too many books. Although it was wild if you missed a car ride and everything went from great to suddenly, the main character is captured by Vikings.
Ulayah
Happy Reading!
Comments