Though it may not be Tuesday, this Tag comes from Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads! I’m super excited for this post. I always like talking about my book past because I can relive magical childhood memories. So, without further ado, here are my five childhood reading catalysts!
Charles M. Schulz‘s Peanuts Comic, Age 9
This comic needs no introduction. When I was in Middle School, I re-read collections of Peanuts cartoons for months. Finally, my mother and librarian said enough was enough and told me to find some thing else to read. Though I found new books to love, there will always be a special place in my heart for Charlie Brown and his world.
Arnold Lobel‘s The Frog and Toad Treasury, Age 7
Why do I love Frog and Toad? I’m not really sure. Not much really happens in these stories. The illustrations are beautiful but rather small. The eponymous friends carry on their friendship through mild misunderstandings and misadventures, always ready to forgive each other and forget. These gentle stories are among my favorite kids’ books. I have fond memories of Frog and Toad from my childhood, and I never tire of re-reading them to my 4-year-old daughter. She seems to like them, too.
Goodreads Overview
My mother used to read these stories to me when I was in elementary school. I’ve always had a special love for nature, so the green landscapes were relaxing for the childhood me. Overall, I think Frog and Toad is charming and unforgettable.
Kevin Henkes‘ Chrysanthemum, Age 6
Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, the nationally bestselling and celebrated creator of Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Owen, and Kitten’s First Full Moon, Chrysanthemum is a funny and honest school story about teasing, self-esteem, and acceptance to share all year round.
Chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect—until her first day of school. “You’re named after a flower!” teases Victoria.
“Let’s smell her,” says Jo.Chrysanthemum wilts. What will it take to make her blossom again?
Goodreads Overview
I have so many good memories of this picture book! My mom gave it to me as a present when I started kindergarten. Since I was so shy, I identified with how sad Chrysanthemum felt when leaving home for the first time. As I grew older, I struggled loving myself. When I felt especially sad, I would open this book and remember. Because of this book, I devoured so many other picture books throughout elementary school.
J.K. Rowling‘s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Age 10
Harry Potter’s life is miserable. His parents are dead and he’s stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he’s a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.
Though Harry’s first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it’s his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.
Goodreads Overview
Behold my penultimate favorite childhood book series! When I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone for the first time, I was 10. I always felt Harry and I were on the same life path. We even graduated high school together. (The last book came out my senior year.) I must have re-read the first four Harry Potter books at least 10 times each. They helped me cope with bullying, face hard family situations, and carried me onto a path of never ending reading!
J.R.R. Tolkien‘s The Lord of the Rings, Age 13
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit.
In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.
Goodreads Overview
I was one of those kids who started reading The Lord of the Rings because of the movies. Though it took me a long time, I finished it by my 7th grade year. To fill the hole it left in my schedule, I started reading every epic fantasy I could find. You could say this is the book series that broke me from middle grade reading. It opened me up to so many other series and books I wouldn’t have tried before then.
There you have it! Thank you for reading! See you tomorrow.
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So Many Thoughts 