Here is a random yet somewhat related thought: I like making lists, especially to-do lists. Then I like crossing items off the list and keeping the lists as proof that I have actually accomplished something.
The following is a list of my top twenty, all-time favorite books, specifically, a list of my favorite books that I read as a child/young adult. To quote Kathleen Kelly in You’ve Got Mail, “When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.”
Note: There are way more than twenty books listed, because a lot of the favorites are series…I tend to think of a series as one book with several volumes, but that’s just me…
Harry Connick Jr. has his Songs I Heard album…this is my Books I Read list.
Feel free to weigh in when you’re finished reading. Are any of your favorites on the list? I know everyone has different tastes, but I’d like to know what you think (specifically about your favorite books/generally…oh, about everything).
Btw, the list is in alphabetical order, just because it’s more diplomatic that way.
1. Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry
- I loved how quirky and odd Anastasia was. I think I may have developed my love for lists after reading this book.
2. The Anne of Green Gables books by Lucy Maud Montgomery
- Anne and Gilbert are the stuff dreams are made of. I found some kindred spirits when I found these books.
3. The Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace
- A trip back to yesteryear when life was “kinder and gentler.” There’s a Besty-Tacy book for all ages, and I’ve read them all…not in order, however, because my local library did not have a copy of Betsy Was a Junior. My favorites are Heaven to Betsy and Betsy’s Wedding.
4. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- Teen angst at its finest.
5. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
- Talking animals. A spider using vocabulary to save a pig’s life. What’s not to love?
6. Cheaper by the Dozen & Belles on Their Toes by Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
- The first book was required reading in junior high; the second was a necessary must.
7. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
- Welcome to the wacky weird world of Harriet M. Welsch, everyone’s favorite under-age spy.
8. Honestly, Katie John (series) by Mary Calhoun
- I loved the Katie John books. My favorite is probably Katie John and Heathcliff. I discovered Wuthering Heights by reading this book, which is a Good Thing.
9. The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
- This book made me cry. It also made me wonder how I would have fared had I been left to fend for myself on an Island with no one but a dog for company.
10. The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Once again, I was a sucker for a book about a family of girls. I loved following Laura’s adventures, from helping her father keep the family alive to meeting and falling in love with Almanzo. Being a pioneer wasn’t for the faint of heart. (As an adult, I realize that these books are problematic. But I included them because some of the thoughts expressed by seemingly good people provide insight into the feelings and attitudes that allowed people to commit injustices without a twinge of conscience. And perhaps therein lies their value.)
11. A Little Princess by Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett
- This was probably my favorite book as a child. I liked it much more than The Secret Garden.
12. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- I come from a family of four girls, so this book will always have a special place in my heart. I remember sobbing uncontrollably when Jo turned Laurie down and wishing that I could have a best friend like him.
- P.S. Are you starting to detect a theme…how many of these books have “little” in the title?
13. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
- The rats in this book are smarter than most people, and Mrs. Frisby is a brave little mouse who will stop at nothing to save her sick little boy. Who would have thought you could feel compassion for rats and mice? I honestly can’t pass a cage of rats in a pet store without thinking of them.
14. My Friend Flicka (series) by Mary O’Hara
- These books were a favorite of my mom’s when she was a child, and she passed the love on to me. I love the daydreaming Kenneth and watching him grow up and fall in love was to die for.
15. The Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene
- A girl detective? Need I say more? I loved the yellow hardback books. When I was a kid, they tried to update Nancy, they made her modern and paperback, but nothing’s as good as the original.
16. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms by Kate Douglas Wiggin
- I read this before I read Anne of Green Gables and loved it. When I finally got around to Anne, at first, I thought Anne was a poor imitation. The books stand on their own, and I’m a fan of both.
17. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry & Let the Circle be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor
- These books took me to the rural, Jim Crow south. Not I place I’d like to live, but learning what life was like back then was informative.
18. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
- Another book that was required reading, with shades of Dead Poets Society.
19. The Shoe books by Noel Streatfeild
- I especially loved Skating Shoes, but I also like the fact that Movie Shoes picked up the Ballet Shoes story.
20. We Interrupt This Semester for an Important Bulletin by Ellen Conford
- I loved this book, and its precursor, Dear Lovey Hart, I Am Desperate. Even though these books took place in the distant past, I found them timeless.
my childhood-favorites shelf:
