Question of the Day - Tuesday, August 23

[cassiopea]

Hello all you lovely TCS members! Happy Tuesday! 
 

Favourite Childhood Books?

In grade 6 I remember reading "The Dark Tower" (Title has since been renamed) by Sharon Stewart. I found it riveting, and one of the only books I read more than once as a kid. It took place during the French Revolution, from the POV of Marie Antoinette's daughter.


Another series of books I enjoyed as a kid was "Horrible Histories". So interesting and so funny! Still have many of the copies to this day.


I also really liked National Geographic magazines. Then there was Lord of the Rings series, which I started reading at age 11.

Then a bunch of other books about planets, history and dinosaurs 

 

[Draco]

Lets see..

GooseBumps by RL Stein

BabySitter's Club

Any books by Beverly Clearly

but my all time favorite was Stuart Little by E.B. White. Don't know why but I read that book so many times

 

[Winchester]

There was a series of books when I was a child that my mother had had. I guess it was called The Maida Series: Maida's Little Shop, Maida's Little School, Maida's Little Zoo, etc. I used to read them when I stayed with my grandmother during summers. I have no idea whatever happened to them, but I enjoyed reading them.

I also read some of the Trigger Berg series. Trigger Berg and the Sacred Pig  was a book in the series and I think that's about the only I can really remember. But as I recall (and I was just a little kid), it was pretty funny. Something about a white pig and the whole thing was very mysterious. 

But my all-time favorite book as a little girl was Alice in Wonderland. Again, I found it one day when I was staying with my grandmother. I cannot tell you how many times I read that book. Several years ago, Rick gave me a gorgeous pop-up rendition of Alice in Wonderland. It's just beautiful. I still read that thing.

 

[DreamerRose]

I was into horses as a child, so I read books about horses - The Black Stallion series, Misty of Chicoteague, Smokey the Cowhorse. I also loved those little orange books that were biographies of famous people. I never liked those 19th Century books my Dad kept trying to foist off on me - Alice in Wonderland, Little Women, etc. The stilted language turned me off.

 

[handsome kitty]

I read all kinds of stuff.  When I was younger I reread two books over and over.  One was short stories ( a Reader's Digest collection), my favorite was The Trojan Horse and the other was a Reader's Digest compilation of fairy tales that I still have.  I can remember my mother reading to me from them and me reading them to my younger brother.

The books I remember really giving me a love of reading was a set of John Dickson Carr mystery novels.  I still have those as well.  I never got into Agatha Christie but have read a few of hers as well.

Almost everyone read in my house.  I could wander bedrooms and find Science Fiction in my brother's room and creepy stuff (Flowers in the Attic, Stephen King) in one of my sister's room, and popular stories in another sister's room.  Everyone shared books.  We also had a bunch of the Reader's Digest condensed books w/5 or 6 novels in each.  I am seeing those at yard sales now.

In 5th grade I got in trouble for spending lunch time reading instead of socializing.  I read The Prince and The Pauper and all the Jack London novels between then and 8th grade.  Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys of course.

 

[margd]

I read anything I could get my hands on but was always especially delighted to get my hands on a previously unread Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mystery.

 

[Kat0121]

I also read everything I could get my hands on with the exception of horror or sci fi stuff. I especially loved the Little House books, Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley High to name a few. 

 

[artiemom]

Nancy Drew, and comic books--do those count??

My dad always bought comic books. It was a ritual. On Sunday nights, he would take me down to the local shop, where they sold them. It also had a soda fountain, yes a real old one. It was an old store. He would buy me a vanilla coke! and I would look around at all the comic books. I was a Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman fan...

I swear that is how I learned to read... 

I also loved the Reader's Digest condensed books.. and the National Geographic magazines.

 

[denice]

The first books I remember reading were the Nancy Drew mysteries.  I also remember the Little House books at about the same time.

 

[catmom marcia]

My first book I read that didn't have pictures in it was The Wizard of Oz.  That launched my lifelong love of reading.

 

[Winchester]

 
In 5th grade I got in trouble for spending lunch time reading instead of socializing.  I read The Prince and The Pauper and all the Jack London novels between then and 8th grade.  Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys of course.

I got my butt smacked one night for reading under the bedcovers with a flashlight. Shared a bed with my sister and she told my parents. Dad came into the bedroom around midnight or so and there I was. He smacked me, but good. And then, when I told my sister, "I owe you one!" I got my butt smacked again. Rotten little tattletale she was.

I had my nose in a book most of the time when I was young. Still do, really. And, of course, my sister cannot understand why anybody would spend time reading anything (and she's a flipping teacher!).

Liked the Nancy Drew books (The Hidden Staircase was my first one and I think I was in my 30s when I finally, finally read The Clue of the Dancing Puppet) and the Hardy Boys. I read a lot of the Trixie Belden series. I also loved A Christmas Carol. When I was in grade school, the teacher read A Christmas Carol to us aloud, a chapter or so at a time. When we were tested, I had 100%. Heck, I was reading that book when I was wee little!

 

[cassiopea]

 
I was into horses as a child, so I read books about horses - The Black Stallion series, Misty of Chicoteague, Smokey the Cowhorse. I also loved those little orange books that were biographies of famous people. I never liked those 19th Century books my Dad kept trying to foist off on me - Alice in Wonderland, Little Women, etc. The stilted language turned me off.

Oh! You had reminded me when you mentioned horses  - I also read "The Saddle Club" series. Can't believe I forgot. Thank you 

 

[eldridge]

Where the Red Fern Grows

 I believe it was 5th grade when we read that as a school assignment.  That had such a lasting impression on me and an excellent book as far as delving into value and loyalty in pet/human relationship.  

 

[LTS3]

 
BabySitter's Club

Loved that series

I think the last book I read was #100 and it had the limited edition gold foil cover, too. Not sure if it's still in my parents' house somewhere. I also had a few books from the BabySitter's Club Little Sister series.

A few other favorites: Matilda, Mandy (written by Julie Andrews of The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins fame), James and The GIant Peach, The Phantom Tollbooth, Cheaper By The Dozen, My Side of The Mountain, The Castle In The Attic, The LIttle House On The Prarie series.

 

[angels mommy]

I read anything I could get my hands on but was always especially delighted to get my hands on a previously unread Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mystery.

Lol! I remember those too!
What I most remember loving was all the Winnie the Pooh books! I love Pooh, Tigger & the whole gang.[emoji]128522[/emoji]

 

[muffy]

Yep, loved those Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys.

 

[Willowy]

All of them . I was such a reader when I was a kid. I would go into the kids section at the library and take 10 (that was the limit for how many you could have at a time) off the shelf. I'd have those read in about 4 days and go back for the next 10 (filed alphabetically). I liked Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley High and Nancy Drew and all those, though they were a bit formulaic.

At one point I tried to read all the Newbery Medal winners and honors. The old ones were hard to get through (bor-ing!), but most of them are really good. I tried to go through all the "classics" but found Dickens and Steinbeck absolutely unreadable. I do love Moby Dick, The Secret Garden, and Captains Courageous, though. I thought Little Women was OK but I didn't know why it seemed to be a favorite. Kind of meh.

I settled on Kate Seredy books as my favorites. They're old but they're so good! Especially The Chestry Oak.

After I went through the kids and young adult section, then I moved up to adult mysteries and certain other books. I had to be more picky about those, because I didn't have any patience for romance, and most adult books have some romance! :lol3:

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

my absolute favorites were the James Herriot books. i read them all. i also loved Agatha Christie books.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

My absolute favorite was the Mandie series.  I re-read those every so often even now.  I was sad when the author passed away.  We never got to find out how Mandie's life turned out! 

I also loved the Little House on the Prairie series and The Babysitter's Club series.  

 

[oldgloryrags88]

Going to Sleep on the Farm is all I can think of at the moment.