Top Ten Tuesday: Back to the Future

The Broke and the Bookish have a fun topic this week for Top Ten Tuesday:  Top Ten Childhood Faves.  Here are mine: (Click on the images to buy the books and The Scarlet Letter will receive a small commission).


10. Daniel Pinkwater:  He's so zany.  My favorite was probably The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death





9. R.L. Stine, The Babysitter (and many others):  And Christopher Pike actually.  This was the field of YA literature for me.  No sophisticated dystopians or contemporaries addressing issues.  I had the literary equivalent of slasher films, and they were good.

8. Noel Streatfeld, Ballet Shoes:  The cover I had as a kid was so much more lovely.  This one is a little teeny bopper, but it is a beautiful book.  They talk about it in You've Got Mail.
7. C.S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe:  Turkish Delight and snow, and kids out on their own living in a magical world?  Yes, please.

6. Lynne Reid Banks, The Indian in the Cupboard: This is my generation's version of Toy Story.  This is one that really got my imagination going as a kid.  I loved it.



5. Lurlene McDaniel, Don't Die My Love (and others):  I have no idea how I got into these books, seriously.  They are mainly about coping with grief, but I think that they explain a lot about my adult self, and perhaps my liking of Jodi Picoult.


4. Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden:  Not much to say that I haven't already said in these lists before, except that I wish I had this copy when I was a kid.



3. Gertrude C. Warner, The Boxcar Children:  I was really into kids surviving on their own, or maybe survival stories in general (see Gary Paulsen, Hatchet).  I actually tried to run away from school once in imitation of this series.

2. Ann M. Martin, The Babysitter's Club:  I kind of like these new covers.  I was a big fan of Claudia, because she was artsy, but I could relate most to Mary Anne (you know...shy and bookish).


1. Madeline L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time: I've mentioned this many times as well, and it is awesome.

There are so many more.  Like many of you I'm sure, I was a voracious reader as a kid.  I mean, these aren't even picture books.  What were some of your favorites?

Comments

  1. So many of these are on my list too! I can't believe that I left Daniel Pinkwater off my list! I loved The Snark-out Boys. There was something so believable/unbelievable about boys who were able to sneak out after dark and have all these adventures.

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  2. Despite fact that we must be of slightly different generations, we share many faves, L. Time to put a Pinkwater on hold at my library, I suspect. I too adored A Wrinkle in Time: outstanding!
    Hope you're well and happy in this dark-yet-festive season.

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  3. Man, so many great books in there. I'd forgotten about Pinkwater and the Indian in the Cupboard books, but I read and reread those when I was growing up.


    -- Ellen

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  4. Ooh, I forgot about The Secret Garden! Great list, brings me back memories...

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  5. I forgot about The Indian in the Cupboard! Such a weird book. Maybe I need to start re-reading some of those weird children's books again for a walk down memory lane!

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  6. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I have The Secret Garden on my TBR Mtn...I have got to read that one! I remember reading many of these as well!

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  7. I remember reading so many of those R.L. Stein/Christopher Pike slasher books, where the killer was always the absolute last person you'd suspect (and after reading a couple made them the first person you'd suspect, which was an interesting spiral). Nice list!

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  8. I loved the Narnia series and The Wrinkle in Time. I was also a big fan of Nancy Drew. I couldn't get enough of Judy Blume's books- and read them all in 4th and 5th grade. I also became obsessed with V.C. Andrews's books for a while. Excellent list. I adore the cover for The Secret Garden!

    ~Jess
    http://thesecretdmsfilesoffairdaymorrow.blogspot.com

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  9. I feel like I read The Indian in the Cupboard and liked it as a child, but I don't remember much about the plot. I really wish I could have experience The Secret Garden in my youth!

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