Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's theme is a chance to revisit the books that made me a reader. I love looking back over my books and revisiting old friends.These are books that I have not re-read yet but are on my list. It is really great to re-read these books as an adult. My child-self was a pretty good judge of books... or maybe I just have not matured all that much in my reading :)
1. Maniac Magee | Jerry Spinelli. If you have not read this book, please go buy, borrow, or steal it. I am not going to tell you anything about it - just read it.
2. James and the Giant Peach | Roald Dahl. I remember not knowing what to do with this book when I read it. It was not as straight forward as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Then I watched the movie and did not like it. Maybe I can make more sense of it now. Maybe.
3. Where the Sidewalk Ends | Shel Silverstein. This is the first book I remember loving the illustrations and not thinking they were too childish (clearly I was an insufferable child). I need to go back as an adult and see if I still love them.
4. Tuck Everlasting | Natalie Babbitt. I do not want to give too much away, but this is the first book I read that dealt with the issue of immortality in a realistic, hard way. This book will probably appear on a TBT post in the near future...
5. Island of the Blue Dolphins | Scott O'Dell. I think my adoration of the beach, especially islands, stemmed from this book. I wanted so badly to go live on an island by myself (with lots of books, of course).
6. Holes | Louis Sachar. This group of quirky characters are wonderful. I loved the movie when it came out but the book is much, much better.
7. The Indian in the Cupboard | Lynne Reid Banks. Before there was Toy Story, there was this book. And it was magical.
8. The Merlin Effect | T.A. Barron. This was the first fantasy book I remember reading. My mom is not a fan of fantasy (just because she doesn't like the genre, not for any ethical/religious reasons lol), so I never really encountered it until I was old enough to check books out of the library at my elementary school. Strong female protagonist, Arthurian legend, and the ocean/beach.... perhaps this book was more life-defining than I realized!
9. Riding Freedom | Pam Muñoz Ryan. This is another book with a strong female lead AND she loves horses. Books like this were for me what catnip is for cats. She wants to work with horses, girls aren't allowed to, so she dresses like a boy and no one EVER finds out. This is based on a true story. Y'all should definitely check this one out ASAP.
10. The Devil's Arithmetic | Jane Yolen. I know for a fact I was not old enough to understand all the nuances of this book. It has haunted me (in a good way) my whole life. This is the first book I read that opened my eyes to the fact that injustice and death do, in fact, exist. It is also shows the preciousness of life, what makes life worth living. It is painfully beautiful.
1. Maniac Magee | Jerry Spinelli. If you have not read this book, please go buy, borrow, or steal it. I am not going to tell you anything about it - just read it.
2. James and the Giant Peach | Roald Dahl. I remember not knowing what to do with this book when I read it. It was not as straight forward as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Then I watched the movie and did not like it. Maybe I can make more sense of it now. Maybe.
3. Where the Sidewalk Ends | Shel Silverstein. This is the first book I remember loving the illustrations and not thinking they were too childish (clearly I was an insufferable child). I need to go back as an adult and see if I still love them.
4. Tuck Everlasting | Natalie Babbitt. I do not want to give too much away, but this is the first book I read that dealt with the issue of immortality in a realistic, hard way. This book will probably appear on a TBT post in the near future...
5. Island of the Blue Dolphins | Scott O'Dell. I think my adoration of the beach, especially islands, stemmed from this book. I wanted so badly to go live on an island by myself (with lots of books, of course).
6. Holes | Louis Sachar. This group of quirky characters are wonderful. I loved the movie when it came out but the book is much, much better.
7. The Indian in the Cupboard | Lynne Reid Banks. Before there was Toy Story, there was this book. And it was magical.
8. The Merlin Effect | T.A. Barron. This was the first fantasy book I remember reading. My mom is not a fan of fantasy (just because she doesn't like the genre, not for any ethical/religious reasons lol), so I never really encountered it until I was old enough to check books out of the library at my elementary school. Strong female protagonist, Arthurian legend, and the ocean/beach.... perhaps this book was more life-defining than I realized!
9. Riding Freedom | Pam Muñoz Ryan. This is another book with a strong female lead AND she loves horses. Books like this were for me what catnip is for cats. She wants to work with horses, girls aren't allowed to, so she dresses like a boy and no one EVER finds out. This is based on a true story. Y'all should definitely check this one out ASAP.
10. The Devil's Arithmetic | Jane Yolen. I know for a fact I was not old enough to understand all the nuances of this book. It has haunted me (in a good way) my whole life. This is the first book I read that opened my eyes to the fact that injustice and death do, in fact, exist. It is also shows the preciousness of life, what makes life worth living. It is painfully beautiful.
Oh my goodness, I LOVED Riding Freedom growing up and read it many times!!! Definitely did a book report on that one.
ReplyDeleteI think I did too! When I was re-reading the back cover I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is just as awesome (maybe eve more so!) now that I am an adult.
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