Last summer, armed with some colorful pens, I sat down to make a very special list. Carl and I had been talking about books that really influenced us, and I wanted to know that someday my kids would have their own list of influential books.
Growing up, I spent many hot summer days in my local library–is it just me, or do all libraries have amazing air condish? And the best tasting icy cold water fountain water. They must have a direct line from a secret mountain spring. I can’t wait for this babe to love the library as much as we did. I hope she loves the water there as much as her super weird, super nerdy parents.
This is the Carl-and-Hayley family list of books we’d want her to read someday.
Get workin’, T.
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Harry Potter (the entire series)
…and preferably she could go back in time and wait in costume at midnight for each book release.
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The BFG, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach
We were just talking about this! Why was James and the Giant Peach such a horrifying movie? It definitely seemed too scary for kids. The giant bugs were supposedly nice, but were SO creepy looking!
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The Phantom Tollbooth
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The Hardy Boys series
I never got into Nancy Drew but I loved these books! I remember their chum Chet, described as a rotund boy driving a jalopy. I used these words on the regular; I was probably the coolest kid in my fourth grade class.
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Charlotte’s Webb
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The Hobbit
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
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Little House on the Prairie
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Huckleberry Finn & Tom Sawyer
Carl’s must-read book. I didn’t even read these until high school English.
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The Invisible Man, The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, and Dracula for kids
Much Googling has taught me that this series was called the Great Illustrated Classics. It seemed like everyone at my school was reading one of these at any given free reading session. The really hardcore kids read Goosebumps, but that just wasn’t me.
What books do you love to this day?
I loved reading your reading list and decided at the BFG I should read this, because I never have and it looks interesting. These are a great selection ! Wow it is so cool we all love the library so much !
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All books listed here read at minimum 3-5+ times:
My Side of the Mountain
The Giver + sequels, although I didn’t read the sequels until I was in high school.
Diary of Anne Frank – 8th grade
Robert Heinlein: The Door into Summer, Farmer in the Sky
The Pushcart War
The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Toothpaste Millionare
When I was in middle and high school, my librarian kept tabs on those of us who read a lot, and we were invited to be reviewers for the BBYA (Best Books for Young Adults) lists. There was a special cart for us to pull nominated books from, often they were advanced proofs, and then fill out rating cards when we returned them to the cart. When the ALA conference was in DC, we were able to go in person and advocate for or explain why a book did not deserve a place on the various age group lists. Might be something to ask your local children’s dept librarian about once T is older and if your library has access to those books – my mom also read a lot of them, too.
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