This goody-two-shoes will have her revenge!
For Christmas my third grade year I happily received a stack of books that was at least 8 inches high. I spent the entire day devouring the first Boxcar Children book. I spent the entire Christmas vacation daydreaming about living in an abandoned box car on a bed of pine boughs, scrounging for food in the forest to divide with my siblings.
And to think, I hate camping. Who would have thought?
A few other titles I remember most from my childhood days:
I adored all the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. I especially loved Beezus and Ramona. Beezus was Ramona's bossy know-it-all big sister. Nothing like how I was, right, sis? *ahem*
-anyway-
Beverly Cleary also wrote one called Socks about a kitten with white paws who is adopted by a young couple: feline frolics ensue. I read this one quite a few times. For some reason the idea of an adorable tiny kitten in need of a home completely stole my heart. However, when my family "adopted" a stray cat (and by adopting I mean she returned daily when leftovers on the porch became a regularly scheduled program] I was only nice to "Kitty" about half the time.
Now, you couldn't pay me to have a pet.
I also went through a *rabbit stage* [didn't we all?] after my teachers introduced me to books like Bunnicula and Watership Down.
Because, after all, you can't go wrong with talking animals.
Until your sixth grade teacher makes you read Animal Farm and you realize that would really just get out of hand.
I loved the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books [not to be confused with Amelia Bedelia, whose inane stupidity always really bugged me.] I vaguely remember the crazy Pippi Longstocking, whose wild recklessness and untamed hair was amusing and irritating at the same time.
Back then I was such a little by-the-book goody-two-shoes.
Maybe I still am, but now I can appreciate Pippi's fearless reaction to a perpetually bad hair day... er... decade.
And I secretly covet red hair.
And, admittedly, I have also had my share of Amelia Bedelia moments.
I was a Babysitter's Club freak. I think I read almost every one of those books and collected all kinds of cutesy/tacky paraphernalia. They made babysitting look extremely lucrative [even with paying those steep weekly club dues!] Plus, they were somehow saving the neighborhood just about every Friday night. I always thought they were so mature and grown up, especially Mary Ann, with her cute, sweet, charming boyfriend, Logan. I picked up a Babysitter's Club book again when I was in high school and skimmed through it. I was floored.
Wait.
Those girls were only, like... 14?
The American Girl books and the Laura Ingalls Wilder series ignited my love of historical fiction, which is still my favorite genre.
The Orphan Train quartet by Joan Lowery Nixon is a captivating little set about a family [circa 1860] whose mother reluctantly decides that she must give her children up for adoption, sending them out west to families who need help on their farms.
One Saturday morning my dad casually picked one of these books up off the lamp table and read it straight through in a few hours. We were sure he had some kind of reading superpower and thought it was pretty super that our dad would sit and read one of our books.
My sister Heather and I read the more recent Nancy Drew series (early-mid 90's). We would each buy a few, read them, and then trade with each other. Once [just to spite me, I think] Heather told me the ending of one she had just read. I was furious. The situation had all the makings of a fantastically frustrating tween fight--yelling, tears, tattling, silent treatment, plans for revenge...
which I am still plotting.
*ahem*
-anyway-
What books do YOU remember?
And to think, I hate camping. Who would have thought?
A few other titles I remember most from my childhood days:
I adored all the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. I especially loved Beezus and Ramona. Beezus was Ramona's bossy know-it-all big sister. Nothing like how I was, right, sis? *ahem*
-anyway-
Beverly Cleary also wrote one called Socks about a kitten with white paws who is adopted by a young couple: feline frolics ensue. I read this one quite a few times. For some reason the idea of an adorable tiny kitten in need of a home completely stole my heart. However, when my family "adopted" a stray cat (and by adopting I mean she returned daily when leftovers on the porch became a regularly scheduled program] I was only nice to "Kitty" about half the time.
Now, you couldn't pay me to have a pet.
I also went through a *rabbit stage* [didn't we all?] after my teachers introduced me to books like Bunnicula and Watership Down.
Because, after all, you can't go wrong with talking animals.
Until your sixth grade teacher makes you read Animal Farm and you realize that would really just get out of hand.
I loved the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books [not to be confused with Amelia Bedelia, whose inane stupidity always really bugged me.] I vaguely remember the crazy Pippi Longstocking, whose wild recklessness and untamed hair was amusing and irritating at the same time.
Back then I was such a little by-the-book goody-two-shoes.
Maybe I still am, but now I can appreciate Pippi's fearless reaction to a perpetually bad hair day... er... decade.
And I secretly covet red hair.
And, admittedly, I have also had my share of Amelia Bedelia moments.
I was a Babysitter's Club freak. I think I read almost every one of those books and collected all kinds of cutesy/tacky paraphernalia. They made babysitting look extremely lucrative [even with paying those steep weekly club dues!] Plus, they were somehow saving the neighborhood just about every Friday night. I always thought they were so mature and grown up, especially Mary Ann, with her cute, sweet, charming boyfriend, Logan. I picked up a Babysitter's Club book again when I was in high school and skimmed through it. I was floored.
Wait.
Those girls were only, like... 14?
The American Girl books and the Laura Ingalls Wilder series ignited my love of historical fiction, which is still my favorite genre.
The Orphan Train quartet by Joan Lowery Nixon is a captivating little set about a family [circa 1860] whose mother reluctantly decides that she must give her children up for adoption, sending them out west to families who need help on their farms.
One Saturday morning my dad casually picked one of these books up off the lamp table and read it straight through in a few hours. We were sure he had some kind of reading superpower and thought it was pretty super that our dad would sit and read one of our books.
My sister Heather and I read the more recent Nancy Drew series (early-mid 90's). We would each buy a few, read them, and then trade with each other. Once [just to spite me, I think] Heather told me the ending of one she had just read. I was furious. The situation had all the makings of a fantastically frustrating tween fight--yelling, tears, tattling, silent treatment, plans for revenge...
which I am still plotting.
*ahem*
-anyway-
What books do YOU remember?
4 comments:
Love this post (=
I too loved Mrs. Pigglewiggle. But...I also loved Amelia Bedilia. I loved books about running away from home or inadvertantly ending up on an adult free adventure--Boxcar children, From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Wrinkle in Time, Baby Island.
What does that say about me?
I also adored Babysitter Cllub books. I reread a bunch a few years ago. It was silly...but I still love them.
I could write and write about the books I loved as a kid. The silly thing is, I enjoy rereading those books sometimes more than reading new books. Alex thinks it's pathetic. I think it is my way of holding onto my inner-nerd with the big ol' glasses. Sometime soon I will need to get out some pictures and post them for you. Younger Meg and Jason, you were not alone.
Wow, I think we are secret book soul sisters or something...
I totally met Ann M. Martin when I was in 5th grade and she signed about 3 of my BSC books. She looked way older than any photo I had seen of her, and she was drinking coffee which was off putting to me at the time, haha.
I read basically everything you've listed here, but I also read Goosebumps and Fear Street(???)
I wasn't into those for long though.
Hahaha. I have a lot to say about this post but will probably forget half of it. I hated Romona books. I liked Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Amelia Bedilia and the Orphan Train books. I remember reading the babysitters club little sister books - was that what they were called? and then trying to start my own babysitting club in the neighborhood. HAH!
Oh and yes- I do remember telling you who done it for that Nancy Drew book - and you already did get me back by telling me who done it in the one you had read - I still remember it was Hank. I don't think I ever finished reading that one cause it was not nearly as good when you know who did it. Ahem-- sorry about that -- ahem. Ummm... I remember I liked the book A Boy in the Girl's Bathroom and the Sweet Valley High Twins books (is that right?) and other Joan Lowry Nixon books- didn't she have some mystery ones too? And yes, of course American Girls... oh so many books...
Meg, I now have a gift I will give you for Christmas (If it is still in print) wait and see!
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