This week's YA Highway Road Trip topic:
What books were you obsessed with as a kid?
Unlike most writers and English degree holders (I am both), I cannot tell of a childhood with my nose buried in books (not w/o resorting to fiction, anyway:). In fact, in grade school, my least favorite subject was English...because it mostly consisted of copying sentences out of a textbook to correct them (no handy workbooks back in my day).
All that changed in Jr/Sr High when I fell in love with literature and became obsessed by Historical Romances (thanks to a friend who read her mom's castoffs then loaned them to me).
Still, there were a few books that caught and held my attention as a youth. Like the Little House series:
I loved the TV show, and had a whole collection of the books. It threw me that the first book didn't have anything to do with Walnut Grove, but when my mom explained that it was set before the TV show, I gave them a try and enjoyed them.
I also had many Nancy Drew books, this one being my favorite. I loved the idea of secret passages and ghosts, only I wanted them to be real instead of some non-magic mystery to expose.
Which leads me to this book:
(God love Goodreads, I haven't seen this book in years). This is about a girl who has the gift of ESP. I did devour this book, which confirmed for me years later as a teacher that if you put the right book in a child's hand, even a reluctant reader will get hooked.What about you? Any Childhood favorites?
I love Little House so much, I bought myself that full set a few years ago. :)
ReplyDeleteI always enjoyed watching Little House, but never read the books. My daughter never did either, but her friends couldn't put them down.
ReplyDeleteI love the Nancy Drew books. My mom had some of the originals, which I plowed through. After that, my friend and I would go to the library together to each get a Nancy Drew book--then we'd swap.
ReplyDeleteI liked the Little House books too. I only watched the show one time, and it was after I had read the books, so I hated it. The show didn't match up right with the books and I liked the books better, so I boycotted the show. I was such a nerdy child.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in WI, home of the Little House homestead and museum, so I have many memories of reading Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved Nancy Drew, too. I wanted so badly to find a secret passageway.
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm getting whiplash from the flashback from the Lois Duncan book! I LOVED that book! Weren't there others too - maybe one set in a summer camp? *rushes off to Google Lois Duncan*
ReplyDeleteI loved Nancy Drew but for some reason could never get into the Little House series, even though I loved the tv show. I was obsessed with the Black Stallion.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, I read Nancy Drew as a kid too! Loved 'em. I even recognize that cover. :) And I believe I've read The Gift of Magic, too--I read a lot of ESP stories, especially in college. Any I could get my hands on.
ReplyDeleteI love Nancy Drew. I think I inhaled them too quickly for any single title to resound more loudly than the rest, but I do remember reading an excerpt from one of the college-years follow-ups in a bookstore in junior high and being SCANDALIZED that George was contemplating going camping with her boyfriend and sharing a zip-together sleeping bag. Oh, my tender tween eyes!
ReplyDeleteI always wanted there to be a mystery in MY neighborhood, and it was just so boring. We never had any. I loved Nancy Drew, but she really gave me a false impression of how much sleuthing an average girl got to do.
ReplyDeleteI read the same set of Nancy Drew books that my mother read as a child... with the way cool retro covers. Couldn't get enough of them.
ReplyDeleteNancy Drew and Little House ruled my childhood.
ReplyDeleteLittle House...it brings back memories
ReplyDelete