The Bookshelf

The Bookshelf – My Childhood Favorites

Sheri (When the Kids Go To Bed)

I went on a rant last week about my kids lack of ambition for reading. It’s been pretty frustrating. I started thinking back to some of the books I enjoyed when I started reading. I spouted out the titles, the plots, and the characters…no bites. They had no interest. Oh well, the battle continues.

These were some of my favorite chapter books. Later I moved onto The Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley High, and anything by Christopher Pike.

child favorite booksWhat were some of your favorites growing up?

 

10 thoughts on “The Bookshelf – My Childhood Favorites”

  1. Love them ALL! Great list. The Ramona series was my favorite! I also remember consuming (in random order age-wise) the Sweet Valley High series, Tea with Francis, Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, Are you there God, it’s me Margaret, and Great Expectations!

  2. Since boys are such “reluctant readers” here a few titles they might like, Harry Potter, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Captian Underpants and Horrible Henry. my coworkers had the same problem with their boys and when they introduced these books the boys always had their noses in them!!

  3. I also loved Judy Blume – and I’ve recently read them again now my 10-year-old daughter has borrowed them from the library. Just as good some 25+ years later! I also loved Enid Blyton books e.g. Mallory Towers, Famous Five, Secret Seven.

  4. My oldest (8) has devoured all the “Magic Tree House” books as well as all of the “Secrets of Droon” books. She loves them and I think your boys would too. There are also tons of books in each series so it might keep them engaged for weeks.

    On an unrelated note, your blog is fantastic. We will be moving from SoCal to Rhode Island later this Spring/early summer. Any advice on good towns to live in (read: good schools, good neighbors, good amenities)? We have 3 girls (8, 6, 2) who are a handful! Thanks and keep up the great work!

    1. Thanks for stopping by. My oldest has enjoyed some of the Magic Tree House Books. Secrets of Droon sounds good. I will have to check those out.
      For public schools in RI I would suggest Barrington, East Greenwich, or Middletown. Taxes are on the high side but the towns and schools are great. Oh, and bundle up!!!

      1. Yes, we’ll have to dig out the winter clothing from when we lived in Chicago 3 years ago. 75 and sunny during Jan/Feb will be a thing of the past. Thanks for the tips – we have been focused on Barrington #1 and East Greenwich #2, so I feel like we’re on the right track.

        The author of Secrets of Droon, Tony Abbott, also wrote a shorter series called “Underworlds” and has an ongoing series called the “Copernicus Legacy.” My daughter has liked these too, but she devoured the Droon books. She also loved “The Magic Thief” trilogy by Sarah Prineas.

        Not sure how much you are looking for a read out loud book, but my 4 year old loves the book “Yummy” by Lucy Cousins. Its a straightforward telling of fairy tales with cool illustrations that I actually enjoy reading. She also always asks for the Richard Scarry “Best Storybook Ever.” Its a compilation of dozens of Scarry books that you can read out loud, or have the kids flip through on their own. Lastly, I have had fun reading Grimms fairy tales out loud to all of my kids from the new translation by Jack Zipes called “The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm.” They really like seeing how the actual stories differ from what they see in Disney movies, and I think they like being shocked a bit by the tone of many of the stories.

  5. I was like your kids. I really did not have a thing for reading. It wasn’t until I became a teenager that I started picking up women’s lit, horror (Stephen King), and fantasy (Anne Rice). I’m still a pretty avid reader and am also trying to share that with my little guy.

    But I never did Judy Blum or anything like that so don’t get discouraged. They may pick it up later.

  6. I have been introducing my daughter to my childhood favorites like Ramona and The Lion Witch and the wardrobe only to have my heart broken when she doesn’t share the same enthusiasm (she is more of a Captain Underpants and Comics reader)…..However I did hit the jackpot with Ronald Dahl she LOVED James and the Giant Peach and Matilda…..they are timeless books 🙂

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