What books did you read as a child that influenced you in some way? Share with us.
Julie: As a young child, I fell in love with reading when my Grandma read Pushkin stories to me (in Russian). Those were my first influential stories since they opened up the world of books to me. I’ve been a reader since, a little on and off depending on what was going on in my life. I remember in grade school I would read Goosebumps every night before bed (I used to have an hour to myself before light out, miss that).
Rose: I remember that I was never a very good readers. I got nervous reading aloud in the classroom and nine times out of ten the books chosen for class reading were boring. They just didn’t appeal to me. 4th grade changed all of that. My teacher was tough that year. She was strict and demanding and all about reading and writing. I struggled to keep up. Then she did something amazing… she chose The Black Stallion by Walter Farley for the class reading. Suddenly I knew vocabulary words that other student knew. I remember a student correcting me once while I was reading aloud. Without missing a beat, I told him he was wrong and explained to him the difference. The teacher backed me up! It was a major moment for me. I felt like I was smart. I felt like I had something to contribute to the classroom. I felt validated. I have never stopped reading since!
Lynn: For me, the books I remember reading by myself were some of the most influential. And now, looking at lists of favorite childhood books, there are a bunch I’ve probably never even read. I’m going with a list of books I actually remember reading.
- Wind in the Willows
- Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales
- Ralph Mouse Books – especially with the motorcycles
- The Secret Garden
- Heidi
Oh my. I’ve always been a huge reader so there’s no way I’ll be able to remember them all. In 6th grade, I was so bored in school I read at least a book a day while at school waiting for classmates to finish their work! What comes to mind off-hand are the Bobbsey Twins, the Ramona books, and I loved sports books as well. I’m so glad that my kids have a greater variety to choose from than we did! Thanks for linking up at Booknificent Thursday this week!
Tina
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I have so many of these. Mostly classic Victorian novels like A Little Princess, Anne of Green Gables, and The Secret Garden. I also loved Ender’s Game and the Chronicles of Narina.
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I read a lot of children’s classics when I was young. There wasn’t a lot of variety like there is now today, but most of the books were very good. I have fond memories of Treasure Island, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, and especially Beatrix Potter, Winnie the Pooh, and all of Enid Blyton’s series. Left such an impression on me.
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All great books, Nish. And I think you may be correct. There is a larger variety today. I preview books for my niece and nephew. Just to be sure.
I loved Nancy Drew, Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume books as a kid. Stopping by from Spread the Love Linky.
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Oh yeah, I totally forgot about Judy Blume! And Madeleine L’Engle, too.
I always loved being read to and I began reading early. I think the books that made the biggest impact on me were Beverly Cleary books…and possibly The Chronicles of Narnia. 🙂 But I remember reading Nancy Drew books as well as Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. *sigh* Yeah, I’ve always been a reader. 🙂
Julie – I just finished a book yesterday that referenced Pushkin and had a character named Pushkin. Hmm… It was a PNR/Urban Fantasy read…Raphael by DB Reynolds. Pushkin wasn’t a big character. I just thought it was funny to have just read the name in a book and then see it here. 🙂
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Nancy Drew! Yea I loved those too 🙂 Ok so I think I have Raphael maybe. Another series on my TBR heh now I’m curious.
My story is very similar to Rose’s. I had difficulty reading very long words and my teacher said so in front of everyone. I felt stupid and ashamed but mum helped me get over it. I read 150 books last year. Take that teacher! Most influental books were Macedonian children’s classics you’ve probably never heard of so I wont list them. Amazing books though!
Great job overcoming that struggle!
Rose, I love how your teacher pushed you (and your classmates) to step up and succeed — and especially how she backed you up. All kids want to feel validated.
My most influential book I think would be the Little House on the Prairie series. I read and re-read the books, and watched the TV show with my grandmother in the summers. Once I hit middle school, I got hooked on The Face on the Milk Carton series. It is now a go-to for my students who don’t know what they want!
That’s so awesome that you can share your childhood favorites with future generations like that 🙂
Oh, I read all sorts of books. Legends of Olympus was one of my favorites. White Fang by Jack London. Tom Sawyer & Huck. Oliver Twist, which I’m rereading now with my son – so much fun 🙂 A Tale of Two Cities. H.G.Wells. My parents really did let me read whatever I wanted. And let me tell you, Turgenev at 10-years-old? So not fun! Lol 🙂
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I like that you’re re-reading your childhood books with your kiddo. I’m looking forward to that someday too 🙂
The Ramona the Pest books and the Little House series were some of the first books I remember that were read to me. I loved Ramona and thought Laura was a little stuffy. 🙂
As for books I read on my own…The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi showed me that girls/women can take control of their lives and pursue their dreams and The Taste of Blackberries was the first book to make me cry!
Terri M., the Director
Second Run Reviews
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Ooh you list some great books there that teach good life lessons early on.