My parents and family members have wondered for years where I get the reading genre from. I don’t come from a family of readers on both sides and I’m the only one that has a book with her all the time. I’m blessed that my parents nurtured my love despite driving them crazy with constant trips to the library. My parents were teenagers when they had me (they were married at 16/17 and I came a little over a year of their marriage. They are still married!) and there wasn’t much money. I use to spend evenings in the library at the University of El Paso while my dad met with his study groups. I remember, a few students in his group complaining because they had to study in an area where I could browse and still be visible.
The one book that drove my parents crazy with constant rereading was Dr. Suess’ Green Eggs and Ham. I LOVED that book and wore out my copy. My poor mother would roll her eyes when I’d sit with her to read it to her. I was about 8 when we read Scott O’Dell’s The Island of the Blue Dolphins. It’s the one book I still buy and hand out if I’m invited to a child’s birthday party. I always wanted my own copy, but my parents never bought it. I wore out the VCR tape we had of the film adaptation.
As a pre-teen, I stuck with the usual authors, Judy Blume, Nancy Drew, Francine Pascal, and R.L. Stine. I’m jealous of kids today because there’s so much material written for them and I wish I would have had that growing up, but I wouldn’t trade the authors I grew up with. I was also an ambitious kid. When my peers would do book reviews for the Blume books, I’d be presenting a Dickens’ novel. I clearly remember a teacher raising an eyebrow when I insisted on reading A Tale of Two Cities. I didn’t finish it then, but since the teacher hadn’t read it I lied about the grand scheme of the book. Yeah that’s my bookish confession between us.
Favorite children’s books:
Favorite young adult books:
Reem @ I Read And Tell
That’s so quote that you’ve been reading ever since you were a little kid! I wasn’t much of a reader, but my mother was, so she encouraged me to read. Now here I am, a book maniac.
Reem @ I Read And Tell recently posted…Review: The Burning Sky
Reem @ I Read And Tell
*cute, not quote lol
Reem @ I Read And Tell recently posted…Review: The Burning Sky
Cee @ The Novel Hermit
Dr. Seuss is an absolute must for all kids!
It’s been a while since I’ve read Island of the Blue Dolphins so I don’t remember much from it except that it was my older sister’s favorite book as a kid.
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Emma @ Words And Peace
thanks for sharing. need to check those YA
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Shannon (Giraffe Days)
I loved the Amelia Bedelia books as a kid, though I always found her somewhat perplexing. I did learn some different words/expressions from them though – like “draw” the curtains (instead of “close” the curtains) and some others.
I do remember reading My Darling, My Hamburger as a young teen but I had forgotten all about it until I came across a reference to it in an adult novel (the main character was reading it), and I had one of those reactions “Oh I remember that book!” But I couldn’t remember anything about the story so of course I had to get a copy so I could re-read it one day. 😉 (I hope I liked it when I read it years ago, otherwise I bought a book I don’t want!) I haven’t heard of the other YA titles.
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sprite
That’s hilarious that you lied about the plot of A Tale of Two Cities — and got away with it!
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