Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is: Top 10 Books From My Childhood (Or teen years) That I Would Love To Revisit
I have been an avid reader for a long time. Like, as long as I can remember. That means I have read a literal crap ton of books. Narrowing down the ones I want to revist? A daunting task, I must admit. Basically, searching for childhood favorites has made me very aware that I have always been a series lover at heart. Because I could find 200 favorites, but they’d all be coming from the same five series.
I am going to do this in somewhat of an age order, though they often overlapped. Either way, the little graphic will link to Goodreads!
I just adored these books when I was in grade school. My mom read them to me, even though I could read them myself. And she read me The Grumpling well… long past early elementary school. That one is my favorite, and it gives me the warm fuzzies just thinking about it! The books were cute and always had a lesson. Win.
I found these books at the library, and quickly devoured them, as it wasn’t a long series. But I felt like Anastasia got me. She was like me: dorky glasses, annoying little brother… good stuff.
So, I couldn’t have the American Girl dolls as a kid, because my parents were sane and realized that spending $200 on a freaking doll was ridiculous. But they bought me all the books! Which is probably better, in hindsight. I had all the “original 6” girls’ books, but these three were my favorites! Everyone looooooved Samantha, but I thought she was rich, spoiled, and snooty, not unlike the friends that owned her. Kirsten, Addy, and Molly were my girls.
My aunt bought me Stacey and the Missing Ring for my birthday when I was 8. It changed my life. I read that book until the cover was about to fall off, and bought every other book in the series over the 10 years that followed. Every. Single. One. Oh, and there were well over 200 of them. And dolls. And posters, and sleeping bags, and sheets, and journals, and TV shows, and movies… I am pretty sure Ann M. Martin has me to thank for at least a few years worth of mortgage payments. You’re welcome, Ann. Thanks for the books!
After reading The Baby-Sitters Club over and over again, I decided I needed some new reading material. Who to turn to? Ann, obviously! I found these books, and in them my lifelong obsession with baby names. Also, we clearly know what the parents of this family were doing between the two books. Just saying.
Eventually, I got a little too old for the baby-sitters, and I had to branch out. I stumbled upon these books, which were a bit of a mystery, but not too scary, because I didn’t really handle scary very well as a teen.
One day, on my trip to the bookstore, I found Lurlene McDaniel’s books. I bought one (because in the 90s, paperbacks were less than $3, true story) to try out. I read it in one night, sobbed for hours, and needed another one. My mom always joked about how all the titles were ridiculous (she dubbed some Let’s All Die, and I Die, You Die, Everybody Dies, etc.) and how Lurlene must have some real issues that therapy might solve. But I kept reading them, because honestly, sometimes you just need a good cry.
American Girls, I never had the dolls either but I used to want one SO badly! I also read the Face on the Milk Cartoon years ago and didn’t know it was a series so I never continued, but still really enjoyed it! Great picks
Here’s My List!
Oh I wanted one so, so much. BUT I also wanted MORE than one, because really, what use was having only ONE?
And apparently, it is a 5 or 6 book series now! I only knew about the first 3 I think? I doubt I’ll ever read the rest, but maybe one day!
I’m so happy to see The Babysitter’s Club on so many lists this week! I always intended to read The Face on The Milk Carton, but never got around to it. Great choices!
The BSC books were like, some kind of institution in my life. An obsession. My friends and I had a “Baby-Sitters Club Club” at recess, because we were nerds, even back then 😉
I spy Lurlene McDaniel xD I loved all of her books, they were quite depressing too. Don’t Die, My Love was one of my all time favorites.. Her book How Do I love Thee had a story called “Laura’s Heart.” That one is perfect! Lovely post x
I was obsessed! And then I was pretty sure I had some sort of hard core mental health problem because I was so obsessed with these death books!
YAY FOR AMERICAN GIRLS! Okay, um, I know…I’m Australian, but I loved American girls. My little sister actually DID get the doll, but I think it was down to $70 or something when she was into it?? (Still way too much, haha.) ANYWAY. I feel weird for loving American Girls so much, being Australian and all, but *ahem* Addy was my favourite. And also Josephina. Kit was pretty rocking, but I don’t remember if we read all of her books.
This was an awesome prompt right?! Walk down memory lane. :’)
Ohhh, $70 is NOT bad. Now it’s like, $150 JUST for the doll. Her bed costs more than MY HUMAN BED.
I, um, was too old I guess for Kit and Josephina. I kind of recall their release, but I wasn’t reading the books by then. Addy’s were so amazing, they always made me cry! And I think it’s fine to be Australian and like them, because I would definitely want an Australian Girl doll!
ah the memories of you locked away somewhere (anywhere literally) reading your books. Your love for books continue and I’m so proud of you.
Haha thanks! Do you remember the time I was reading in Matt’s closet, and you thought I was missing and almost called the police, and then decided I had drowned in the lake? Good times 😉
Yes, I do remember enjoying the Baby sitter’s club books!
here’s our TTT
Janhvi @ The Readdicts
Ah, they were the BEST! 🙂
Great list. One of my friends was obsessed with the American Girl books when I was a kid. She was always trying to get me to read them, but I never did. I’m not sure why.
Aj @ Read All The Things!
I liked them because I was always kind of a history buff, and to hear it from someone my age was extra fun 😉
I had The Baby-sitters Club on my list, too. Most of the books I loved when I was younger were fantasy, it seems. It explains why most of what I read today is fantasy (with a little contemporary mixed in). I didn’t read the American Girl books and I wasn’t even aware that there were other books by Ann M. Martin. I’ve never been able to handle Lurlene McDaniel’s books…too much sadness! Great list!
Michelle @ Michelle’s Minions
Lurlene was literally a non-stop sob fest, cover to cover. I think I had problems. And I just LOVED The BSC! I was convinced as a kid that I did NOT like fantasy, and even as an adult, I was sure I didn’t like it. It’s weird because I was just SO WRONG!
OH MY GOD I DEVOURED MCDANIEL… I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW OTHER PEOPLE READ THOSE!!! I also read the babysitter books and the A to Z mystery series. I am so greatful that mom read to me when I was growing up until I could read on my own. She is the one who made me a reader. <3
I didn’t think other people did either! Because they’re SO freaking sad! Who would do that to themselves?! My mom always read to me too, it is a fond memory 🙂
I forgot about Face on the Milk Carton! I remember I used to love those books so much. And the American Girl books were so much fun as a kid. Such a great list!
Thanks! I almost forgot about them too, but I reread them several times (at least, the ones that had been published when I was a kid haha)
Great picks! I loved the BSC and recently re-read the first book in the Anastasia Krupnik series — so good! And Face on the Milk Carton?! Need to re-read!! This was definitely a fun prompt today!!
My TTT
It really was fun to look back! Part of me wants to reread some of them, but I feel like I might disappoint myself. I think I will leave it at knowing I really loved them then 😉
I haven’t read any of these *.*
I guess in Croatia, we read different books as children.
Well now I am curious- which books DID you read!?
Nice list of books!!
Here’s a link to my TTT post for this week: http://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2015/03/top-10-books-from-my-childhood-or-teen.html
Happy reading!!
Thanks!
OMG Lurlene McDaniel! I read one of her books when I was younger and cried so much. I was way too nervous to read any others! haha I remember thinking it was pretty powerful but just scared me off. I wonder what it would be like to revisit those kinds of books now.
I kind of wonder about them toO! I mean, she still writes new books, I may just have to give one a try someday!
I still have my daughter’s copy of Ten Kids and Eleven Kids. And I read both of them too. I also read the Face on the Milk Carton books. Haven’t thought about those in years. And those Lurlene McDaniel books – were they all about dying girls? LOL
YES, the Lurlene books were ALL about dying kids/teens. Boys, girls, it didn’t matter, if you were a character in a Lurlene McDaniel book, kiss yourself goodbye 😉 I kind of want to finish the Milk Carton series now too!
I read all of the Lurlene McDaniel books when I was younger… and somehow managed to convince my parents to let me buy them all. I seriously have a ton of books by her. I loved them so much even though they all made me cry.
Thanks for sharing.
Hahha me too! I still have stacks of them at my parents’ house 😉
Is it sad that I barely know any of these except for Babysitter’s Club and American Girl, both series that I just never picked up. I’M SO YOUNG. hahahha. You know what I kind of read? The Boxcar Children. AND MAGIC TREE HOUSE. And Pony Pals
Well The Boxcar Children are older than the BSC! So that isn’t a good excuse. You need to go read all 200+ BSC books, stat! (No, I am old- I have been reading people’s lists, and stuff from like 2005 is on there and I am thinking…. well crap, I’d already graduated from college!)
I forgot about the American Girls series! It was incredible! I read those in elementary school and so desperately wanted to go back in time to meet the girls. The Face on the Milk Carton was really good. I read a few other books of Caroline B. Cooney’s, and I liked them. Some of these books I’ve never heard of. I’ll have to check them out for my little one!
ME TOO! That is exactly how I felt, I wanted to see their world. I am finding TONS of books to check out for my kids too on everyone’s lists, so fun!
I’m thinking I didn’t read much as a kid, because none of these sound familiar, ha! well, except American Girl Doll, which I loved. 😛
Aww! Well, maybe these were just before your time? I mean, a lot of this was from the 80s and 90s 🙂
I had a lot of these too (except the American Girl ones, because, you know… Canadian), and I re-bought a whole pile of them at a book fair after having kids, and they’re all sitting in a bin waiting until my daughter is old enough for them.
Aww! That is really cute! I still have mine, for my daughter too. She LOVES BOOKS so I really hope it continues. And hey, nothing wrong with a Canadian Girl learning a bit about her sisters to the south, eh? 😉
I’ll have to head south and find some. I’ve never seen then up here (didn’t even know they existed, actually) HAHAH! I bet she’d love them!
Hahah they probably don’t exist up there. I mean, I don’t think Canadians are super excited for a bunch of books about American kids? OH! YOU COULD WRITE Canadian ones!!!
I think I would be the exact wrong person to write books for children… I have trouble not torturing my characters. HAHAH!
Great list. I read every single Babysitter’s Club book as a child. I think I wanted to be a babysitter because of them. Ha. I would also add Judy Blume books. I read every single book of hers when I was younger.
ME TOO! I swore I was going to be a baby-sitter- I even had a Kid Kit! And then… I realized I wasn’t a big fan of other people’s kids 😉
Your mom’s names for the McDaniel books are just making me laugh!!
She was spouting more of them off yesterday, after she read the post too!
The Face on the Milk Carton – YES, YES! I *just* realized I left this series off my list. I read and re-read the series I don’t know how many times in middle school.