Children's Books....

[jaelie]

I've got a question for yall. When you were a child (I'm talking ages eight to twelvish) what were your favorite books to read? Some of mine, for example:

The Chronicles of Narnia
Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm
Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson
The 1001 Arabian Nights
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (and Tom Sawyer, too)
The Little House books
The Anne of Green Gables books

I also read a lot of Louis L'Amour and Agatha Christie, but I started on those at about eleven or twelve.

So.... what did you read?

Comments

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. I definitely read pretty much all the Nancy Drew books, as well as all the Hardy Boys, heh. Never read RL Stine or Christopher Pike but I remember those authors from my three years working at a book store.

[annawick.livejournal.com]

I read the same things you did. You forgot the Bobsey Twins and Trixie Belden.

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

Oh! Good call!

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

Just got through chatting with my eight-year-old neice, Kyrie, who apparently likes the Junie B. Jones books. Heheh. I read one that my nephews left behind in their father's truck and it was really cute.

[tempest-sky.livejournal.com]

Let's see...I'll add...
Alice in Wonderland
The Wizard of Oz
Peter Pan
Where the Wild Things Are (I still love that one, so I had to throw it in!)
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
Gulliver's Travels

I think I was about 12ish when I read the S.E. Hinton books (The Outsiders, Rumblefish...etc.).

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

Ooo. Good to add. I remember reading and re-reading the SE Hinton books. Thanks!

[avice.livejournal.com]

the only thing I see really standing out as missing is A Wrinkle in Time

oh, and Bunnicula was really fun too!

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

Oh! I heard that A Wrinkle in Time is an excellent one. Heh. I've never read it, so that would be why I didn't think of it.

[walkingshark.livejournal.com]

Don't forget the sequel to a Wrinkle in Time, a Wind in the Door. Also add to that list everything written by Heinlein before Stranger in a Strange Land (which is probably not the best book for an eight year old to be reading, best to wait until 11 or 12, and everything he wrote after it basically sucked :)), George's Marvelous Medicine (this is best for younger kids but I include it anyways because its a pretty fun book), and perhaps The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Franklin E. (?) Basewheeler? Something like that. The one about the kids who end up living in a museum.

Hmm. Might want to throw on Neutron Star, and any of the other classic short story collections by the Sci-Fi greats. Short Story anthologies can be a great way to get introduced to a new author.

The Forever War is one of the best anti-war military sci-fi books ever written, but hold off until the kids are at least 10ish. Though I read it first around 3rd or 4th grade if I recall correctly. Note that some of these books (the ones written by and for adults) contain light "adult" content and often some violence, but I don't seem to recall any of them ever delving into anything I would consider "too much" for any but the most sheltered of young children. As long as the parental units are not afraid of answering a few potentially uncomfortable questions, a lot of these books can be both entertaining and thought provoking.

So, what prompted this bit of informal research?

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Mike!

Oh, and the reason for my query is that I have been going through my personal library. I have discovered that I have all kinds of adult books, both fiction and non-fiction. I also have quite a lot of children's picture/story books.

However, I am woefully short in older children's "chapter" books. I am going to be fixing that problem somewhat in the next while, as once we start having children, the money will be a lot tighter. ^_~

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I'll start looking into some SciFi anthologies. That's an excellent idea. I think Asimov has a few all on his own...

[walkingshark.livejournal.com]

Ahh yes, the classics. :)

Man-Kzin wars are also great fun, some of the stuff in there is absolutely spectacular. Also, in my experience anything with a hugo or a nebula award is usually good. :)

Good luck, have fun, and don't forget recycled on the square here in Denton, their selection is hugenormous.

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

I love the Man-Kzin wars, and already own like three of them. I know where one is and have to locate the other two, heh.

[kalar.livejournal.com]

From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwater (or something like that)

Hello God, its me...Margret.
Harriet The Spy
Matilda
A Spell for Chameleon
Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Ender's Game
Pinballs
InterStellar Pig

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

I looked that book title that was eluding both you and Mike - I remember reading it and loving it, too. It's From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg. I think I actually own it somewhere. Gonna check the parents' house for it. They still have like six boxes of my books in their attick...

And thanks for your add-ons! I loved those books, too, though I don't think I ever read InterStellar Pig, heh.