8 Books of my Childhood

Guess what's coming out this week? If you guessed the final book in the Penderwicks series, you're right! 

Guys, I am so excited to read this last book. The Penderwicks is one of the series I grew up on, and now it's going to be over. Batty and Jane and Skye and Rosalind were all like sisters I didn't have, and I could see so much of myself in all of them. This series was one of the series that I'll go back and reread when I'm old and sitting in a rocking chair because it holds so many memories - of the story, and of me reading them. 

After rereading this series (in anticipation of getting back into the Penderwicks' world), I thought of the other books that were important parts of - let's call it my childhood. Books I'd read over and over, and that I would still go back and read. 

Storybound 

I read Storybound during the November of my first Nano - November of 2012 (wait . . . that long ago?!). It's a sweet tale about a girl who is "Written In" to the world of Story, the world behind every book. Marrissa Burt's writing is very sweet, and reading it over again brings me back to my first forays in writing. 

Little Women 

Very similar to the Penderwicks (in fact, I'd say the Penderwicks in a modern Little Women), Little Women has been a special series to me since I was about ten years old. I devoured all of Alcott's books that I could get my hands on, and loved them all. Now, I cringe a little at how preachy Alcott can get, but when I was ten, twelve years old, Alcott's writing style was home to me. 

The Shakespeare Stealer 

This book was required reading in 5th grade, but I fell in love with it. This book is about Widge, a young apprentice who is ordered to infiltrate the company of actors that Shakespeare worked with and steal the script of Hamlet. Blackwood's writing in general is amazing (two of his other great books are Around the World in 100 Days and Curiosity), and this was an intriguing story.

Ramona

Ah, Ramona. I had a love/hate relationship with this series. Reading one of the books again recently, I was hit with a huge wave of nostalgia. But Ramona was always a bit bratty for me - couldn't the girl understand that stopping and thinking was ever a good idea? But she was also relatable - don't we all make innocent mistakes? But this was a series I read a lot when I was in third or fourth grade. 

Pippi Longstockings 

When I was in second grade or so, I started getting an obsession with the country of Sweden when I did a project over it. And, naturally, that lead to me reading Pippi Longstockings and the other two books in the trilogy. The books tell about a young girl who lives in an old house in Sweden with her monkey, Mr. Nielsen, and the mischief that she and the neighbor children get up to. I think I read this book a dozen times, and the stories never got old to me. Now, the book reminds me about little nine-year-old True who loved the silly story and the country it came from. 

Caleb's Story

The book is one of the rattiest on my shelf, because it's been read so many times. Most people know this series by it's first book, Sarah Plain and Tall. But for me, the first and dearest book is the third book, Caleb's Story. When I was maybe four, I received four "big kid books" from some summer reading club deal at the library and this book was one of them. My dad read me it so many times. When my dad reads, he does voices for each character and can make a story come alive. Caleb's Story was one of the books he worked his magic on - and it's one of those books that I'll never forget. 

Charlotte's Web 

Another book that I got that summer was Charlotte's Web. My dad read my this one, too: and it also became a favorite of mine. Now, the book is almost as ratty as Caleb's Story. We watched the movie several times (not the newer version - I'm talking about the old animated one), and while it was one of my favorites, the book has a special place in my heart that no movie can ever do justice. 

Little House on the Prarie 

Little House was one of my first escapes. I remember my mom finding the first book at a library book sale and giving it to me. I thought the cover could have been prettier (I didn't like the red color), and hated the Indians (reading that part made my stomach curl from second-hand terror, and I'd usually skip it). But I loved the books. I'd read the Long Winter every summer, to try and imagine that it was anywhere close to cold. I remember measuring my age compared to Laura and Mary (and it's slightly frightening to think that I'm as old as Laura is in the last two books).

There we are. Eight books of my childhood - bound pages of stories, but also of unprinted memories. These books definitely shaped my reading preferences, but they also influenced other parts of my life. And I am so glad that I have them all in my mental shelves. 

I want to hear from you! Are there any books here that you have read? What are the books from when you were younger that you remember fondly?