[quote]Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where we list our top tens![/quote]
This week’s topic is “top ten books I read in my childhood and teen years that I would love to revisit.” Oh boy, guys. Was it just me, or did anybody else had trouble remembering what they read as a kid and as a teenager? I vaguely remember the books I read, and it totally pained me because it has been so long! I didn’t read a lot of the 90s young adult books like Judy Blume, but at least I read Alice? (Which isn’t on this list.)
Let’s see what books I want to revisit!
[row][column size=”1/2″]
Confession: I never finished Phantom Tollbooth. I’ve started it many times when I was younger, but every time I did, I had to put it down because it gave me a massive headache. Kid-Cee obviously did not appreciate the puns in this book; it was all lost on her. I think if I was to read it now, I’d have a huge appreciation for the cleverness of the book. [/column] [column size=”1/2″]
I don’t remember much about A Wrinkle in Time like what it’s about and if I actually read it. (I don’t think Kid-Cee liked fantasy books all that much.) It had always been on my book shelf, and over time, it became a constant presence and a comfort when I saw it. And now that I’m older, I think I’d be able to enjoy it better? Maybe. [/column] [/row] [row][column size=”1/2″]
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Who hasn’t read Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes as a kid? I didn’t realized until years later that this book was based on a true story. I just remembered loving the legend of a wish being granted when you fold a thousand origami cranes. (I watched my younger sister fold sooo many paper.) I think this book made me sad, and I’m sure if I was to reread it, I would be super emotional.[/column] [column size=”1/2″]
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
I remember cracking open In The Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson and rereading it multiple times. I always thought the book had an extremely clever title, and I loved that it was about a young Chinese girl try to deal with her Chinese cultural traditions as well as the new American ones that she has to learn. I want to see if this book holds up from the last time I read it, which was over fifteen years ago. [/column] [/row] [row][column size=”1/2″]
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
Fun, silly, enjoyable. That’s what I remember about Sideway Stories from Wayside School. I think I’ve read this book a million times when I was a kid, and I loved reading about the kids in the school and the absurdity of the situations they get themselves into. Of course, I don’t remember much about the story, so I want to reread because NOSTAGLIAAAAA.[/column] [column size=”1/2″]
The Giver is a book I really want to revisit. I read this in sixth grade, and it was such a depressing, yet emotional read. It was the first dystopian book I had ever read, and I loved every moment of it. I was just so mesmerized by the storytelling. I’m sure that after thirteen years, this book will just be as strong as I remember. [/column] [/row] [row][column size=”1/2″]
YES. I remember reading the entire Princess Diaries series at the bookstore after school because I needed to know if Mia and Michael were endgame. (I was invested!) It’s ten years later, and there will be another new Princess Diaries novel in June? Yeah, I think it’s time to revisit because I barely remember what happened.[/column] [column size=”1/2″]
My older sister introduced me to Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’s books. I think they were the first fantasy/paranormal young adult that I read, and I loved Hawksong a lot because I was sooo into the relationship between the two different shapeshifters. My only worry about revisiting this book is that it won’t hold up (like In the Forests of the Night, which was total crap). [/column] [/row] [row][column size=”1/2″]
Lord of the Flies was all sorts of fucked up, so obviously I really want to revisit this! Children killing each other, cannibalism, and all the good stuff? Like damn. Human nature at its worst. I liked seeing how unhinged these characters get. Since I’m older, I feel like I’d be able to really appreciate and analyze the text better. (The English major in me is talking. ;D) [/column] [column size=”1/2″]
Of Mice and Men was an intense and a heartbreaking book. I loved the relationship between the brothers because it was so loving. Just thinking about it makes me incredibly sad. I want to revisit this book similar to my reasons for Lord of the Flies. [/column] [/row]
(Also, I haven’t done a Top Ten since Halloween! That’s four months ago! Eeeeeep.)
Sideways Stories from Wayside School is one of those books I reread over and over, and still thought was hilarious every single time! Loved the combination of funny + clever :)
OMG Sideways Stories from Wayside School. I almostt screamed (I’m in class while writing this LOL) because I LOVED that book (and his other books) so incredibly much. They were so silly and funny; I probably read that book at least 20 times. And I loved A Wrinkle in Time!
Sideways Stories from Wayside School was on my list too! I really enjoyed this Top Ten because it made me push aside the immediate books I read as a kid and think about ones I’d actually like to re-read because the story has become unfamiliar. Great list!
I remember Sadako! I never ended up finishing it but I remember reading the book and just having it impact me so greatly. That book was the reason I now know how to make a paper crane which is pretty fun party trick to bring out.
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes! I was OBSESSED with that book when I was in fifth grade and was determined to make the 1,000 paper cranes that Sadako never had the chance to do. I only got to 960 something paper cranes I believe. I wish I still have my original copy of that book.
I was *forced* to read Of Mice and Men in 8th grade and didn’t really get it. Looking back now, I wish I’ve appreciated it more.
Dude, I completely forgot about Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. WOOW. TIME HOP THERE.
I remember when Meg Cabot was my everything. The Avalon High series… I would read those over and over. I also remember Artemis Fowl.
I am so old.
I had trouble remembering the books I read too! I could barely remember anything from my childhood, so I used mostly books from my teen years. The Princess Diaries is also on my list – Yay! I also really loved The Giver, but I read that one just last year – it’s truly a book for all ages, I think.
I love The Princess Diaries and Of Mice and Men. If I participated this week I would have also added Little House on the Prairie! Great list!