The Reading Challenge Group discussion

Question 1 - What were your favourite childhood books? Do any still stand out in your memory today and give you that warm feeling of book-love all over again just thinking about them?

The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton) was one of my favourites as a kid. From about the age of 8-19, I read it once every year.

Winnie the Pooh was another one for me. I have a special edition of it and get all warm and fuzzy feelings when I take a look at it now!

When I first started reading I loved Harry Potter and the Little House on the Prairie books, as well as the Moomintroll series.

My fave was little house in the big woods. Loved the illustrations in it and it was a good story.

So this might be weird, but the furthest back I can remember is very early grade school when I was addicted to Garfield. Loved those books (or, rather, comics), and I read them over and over and over. I think they might've been the cause for my sarcasm that pops up more often than I'd like. I still have all the original books I bought.

After those, I don't remember anything until high school when I read Edgar Allan Poe. The Raven and Annabel Lee are my favorites. They've stayed with me the longest of all my reads and can still make me tear up.

Here's some favorites:
The Secret Garden
Black Beauty
The Black Stallion
Eight Cousins
Little Men
Tom Sawyer
Huckleberry Finn

Just a few...

Eek. Does it show my age if I can only remember specific books from junior high on? *LOL*

Back then, anything by mystery author Phyllis A. Whitney was popular. All the ones in the school library had young protagonists.

The first single book I can remember liking was "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck, published in 1931.

One of my all-time favorites is Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe for the gripping emotional power of the book. I remember when little Eva died, I wanted to fling the book across the room in frustration and sadness.

My earliest memories of books that I chose to read were the Asterix books, and I still have vivid memories of getting them out of the library. Tintin was also a favourite and Graphic novels are still high on my reading list today. Of the 'normal' books I chose at the time The C.S. Lewis Narnia books were probably top of the list.

As a young boy in the 50s in London, it would have been Enid Blyton's Noddy books and The Famous Five, followed then by the Just William books by Richmal Crompton, and Conan Doyle's books - not just Sherlock Holmes, but his other stuff - Brigadier Gerard, Rodney Stone, The White Company, etc.

Also Jules Verne's adventure books, and the Biggles books by Capt. W. E. Johns. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, too.

Like many boys, there would be lots of sports books, too, annuals plus a subscription to the now long-defunct monthly Sportsman's Book Club, many of which I still have!

Loads of P. G. Wodehouse Jeeves and Wooster books.

That takes me to about the age of 11, when I was allowed into the senior part of the local library!

Happy Days!

Early on in elementary my favorites were any of the Ramona books by Beverly Clearly and Ferdinand the Bull. I loved that the bull just liked to sit and smell flowers. But I think that Ramona was what got me to the point of LOVING books. For that reason, those books will always be very special to me. I read them to my children in hopes that it does the same for them.

I love all things Shel Silverstein! Where the Sidewalk Ends was my favorite.

These threads are a great idea!

I loved the Secret Seven books as a kid, and then in my early teens I devoured the 'Point Horror' books, which were massively popular at my school in the early 90s. I still have a soft spot for horror that I think goes back to fond memories of those books.

Honourable mentions go to Judy Blume, Robin Jarvis and the Sweet Valley High books (ha!).

I know she's has her critics but as a child I couldn't get enough of Enid Blyton's books. From Noddy & The Far Away Tree series to The Famous Five & Secret Seven. Her books gave me my passion for reading & I can't wait to share her books in the future

Oh man, I had over 100 Babysitters Club books...

I was a '70's child in upstate NY. I loved The Chronicles of Narnia, The Secret Garden, The Hobbit, The Black Stallion series, The Wind in the Willows, Winnie the Pooh, The Oz books, Peter Pan, and The Chronicles of Prydain. I still love these, and will occasionally reach for them for comfort reading.

My absolute favorite books as a kid were Enid Blyton's the Famous Five! It was so just so good! I couldn't get enough of how much they ate and how delicious everything sounded.

I also loved the Mirkka-series by a Finnish author, Tuija Lehtinen. I also remember my mom introducing me to one her childhood favorites, the Tiina-series, by another Finnish author, Anni Polva

But the famous five was the best!

I have not met anyone who loved these books but here goes:
The series that really got me started on serious reading was in 2nd grade - I had a librarian that introduced me to the Danny Dunn series. It started with "Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine". This series followed Danny and his friends Irene and Joe. There were a bunch more (DD and the Antigravity Paint, DD and the Heat Ray, DD the Time Traveler, etc). I loved this series and read it long past when I actually outgrew them and could read a book in an evening. I still love scifi.

Later I read Nancy Drew (think I had at least 100 of them) and then my dad introduced me to Perry Mason and my love of mysteries continues to this day. Other books that I remember from my childhood (I was sick a lot and read constantly) were To Kill a Mockingbird and How Green Was My Valley.

My first favourites were the Enid Blyton Famous Five books and then moved on to the Mallory Towers series, which I adored. I was given Ballet Shoes when I was about 10 and I totally loved that book - still have it to this day and read it occasionally!

There are so many but the two that stands out are The Trouble with Jenny's Ear and A Wrinkle in Time. I also read tons of stuff off my brothers's shelves. Thank God for brothers! Especially when they are buying you awesome books and not throwing your raggedy ann on to the telephone wires, lol!

Narin wrote: "I'm not sure if this one's famous anywhere outside of Sweden, but the Peter No-tail's series were just absolutely awesome back then."

Is Peter No-tail a cat by an chance. In Finland we had a cat with no tail called Pekka Töpöhäntä.

Another book thats stands out from my childhood is Cars and Trucks and Things that Go by Richard Scary. I can't tell you how many times my parents found me up in a tree reading that book.

Anne Of Green Gables which I still have and it was given to me in 1953 and I have all the rest of them given subsequently for Christmas, birthday and Sunday School Presents. Then The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, and there was The Adventure series.... The Island of Adventure, The Mountain Of Adventure....etc

Wow, so many great answers!

I loved Beatrix Potter, Good Morning Good Morning, and The Pokey Little Puppy as a wee kid, reading them a billion times over until their covers wore out. Then I progressed to The Bobbsey Twins, which were the loves of my literary lives for many years.

I also love love loved The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, Victoria Plum, Winnie-the-Pooh, The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo, The Sleepover Friends series, The Babysitters Club series, absolutely everything by L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables series, The Story Girl, Pat of Silver Bush, Jane of Lantern Hill, Emily of New Moon, etc), The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (!!!), anything by Enid Blyton, Tottie (or Story of a Doll's House), Little Women, the Little Town on the Prairie series, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Golden Filly series... I know I'm forgetting some!

I swear I did more than just read through my entire childhood...

Irene wrote: "Anne Of Green Gables which I still have and it was given to me in 1953 and I have all the rest of them given subsequently for Christmas, birthday and Sunday School Presents"

That is awesome, Irene! I still have all of my original L.M. Montgomery books as well, but I got those in the 80s/90s! I hope mine last for many years as well. :)

Jelliebeans wrote: "Honourable mentions go to Judy Blume, Robin Jarvis and the Sweet Valley High books"

Oh! I forgot Sweet Valley! I loved the Sweet Valley Twins books as a kid. :)

John wrote: "Loads of P. G. Wodehouse Jeeves and Wooster books."

P.G. Wodehouse! Your childhood reading hours were well-spent indeed, John!

P.G. Wodehouse! Your childhood reading hours were well-spent indeed, John!

Lucky me - I then went to Dulwich College where Wodehouse was a pupil, and there was/is a P G W library there!

John wrote: "P.G. Wodehouse! Your childhood reading hours were well-spent indeed, John!

Lucky me - I then went to Dulwich College where Wodehouse was a pupil, and there was/is a P G W library there!"

Wow... lucky doesn't cover it! I didn't start reading Wodehouse until my late teens, but I grew up watching the Jeeves and Wooster series on TV with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, so I've been a big fan my whole life. He instilled in me a sense of ridiculous towards life that has sustained me and preserved my sanity through many a trial.

Narin wrote: "He is a cat! In Swedish named Pelle Svanslös :D "

Must be same cat then. I had a few of those books as a kid too. I always felt sad because those other cats bullied him all the time. :)

The most memorable for me was Erich Kastner's The Little Man. It had adventures, fun and even some morals into it. I loved the idea that being small on the outside, doesn't mean being small in the inside.

It was Matilda by Road Dahl I enjoyed every moment while reading it, I'll read it again -Insha'a Allah- :(

I loved 'The Goose Girl' when I was 7. I think it might be one of the first stories I ever chose for myself to read. Point Horror novels featured a lot in my early teenage reading.

My favourite has to be Victoria Plum Victoria and the Prickly Hedgehog I love the illustrations. Would read the Enid Blyton Famous Five and the Secret Seven, I think these were just so abundantly available, I like the idea you could wander to a farm and get some milk and eggs when you wanted. Not the case from my local farm. Of course there is the Ronald Dahl books my two favourites have to be The BFG and Georges Marvellous Medicine.

Sarah wrote: "My favourite has to be Victoria Plum Victoria and the Prickly Hedgehog I love the illustrations."

YES!! I loved that one!

Auri wrote: "When I first started reading I loved Harry Potter and the Little House on the Prairie books, as well as the Moomintroll series."
Moomintroll! Yes, wonderful stuff, thanks for the reminder :)

Faye - what a good thought about the sense of the ridiculous helping to preserve one's sanity. Wodehouse certainly does that for me too now. Of modern authors, Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next novels fit the bill for me. (Sorry- not relevant to this question).

This is a great question, as I was struggling to remember what I had read as a child, seeing everyone's posts triggered the ole grey matter, I remember the Sweet Valley ones doing the rounds at school and Superfudge, how could I forget that. I remember in my teens the Virginia Andrews ones floating about.

Hmm, really young it was probably the Faraway tree and Dr Seuss.
A bit older and fantasy took over, the Dragonlance trilogy being the earliest I can remember.
Also, The Twits, by Roald Dahl was fantastic. In fact, all the Roald Dahl books really.
Even younger still, I've pinched all my books from my folks and am rereading them to my daughter, which is ace :) Diggy Takes his Pick is the current fave, featuring the wonderfully monikered Mr Cunningleigh-Slye, the big bad fox...

John wrote: "Faye - what a good thought about the sense of the ridiculous helping to preserve one's sanity. Wodehouse certainly does that for me too now. Of modern authors, Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next novels ..."

I just looked them up, and they sound hilarious! I'll have to check those out. Thanks, John!

When I was younger I loved reading Charlotte's Web, Forever, Dracula, and Tales of Two Cities.

I remember reading the Nancy Drew Mysteries and the Hardy Boys. Still like my mysteries. I also loved Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, The Trumpet of the Swan. Those are just a few that I can remember. I always had library books at home to read.

Lisa, I read Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys books all the time too! My grandma used to shop at the used book stores and for my birthday every year she would get me a big box full of books, and those were always there!

@Tara, they were great! I will have to think of some other title that I enjoyed.

Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie books were my favorite. One of the most treasured items in my library was a gift from my husband the year I was expecting our daughter ~ the entire set of books in a boxed set.

Definitely the secret garden. I still have the copy I owned in childhood and can't wait to share it with my little girl x

The Famous Five series!!! They created my love for books.....I still remember the first time I received a novel (on my 8th b'day) and was so scared that how would I ever finish such a long book!!(and that too, without any pictures!!??) I still sometimes feel the books in my bookshelf.....:)

When I was a teen in middle school, I also got into the Fear Street series by R.L. Stine. They were pretty good.

Amber wrote: "When I was a teen in middle school, I also got into the Fear Street series by R.L. Stine. They were pretty good."

I loved those, too. :)

For some reason The Dark Is Rising stands out as my all time fav as a child.....I recomend this book to every young reader i know....i didnt like the rest of the series but loved this one...I think it was the spirit of adventure that got me