For those of you that have NO IDEA what I am talking about, let's take a trip down a little road called "Meg's Memory Lane" ... We'll start with what brought about this whole post...
Miss Nelson Is Missing! was a staple in my childhood reading list. I loved this book with all my little heart! Including eerie old Viola Swamp...
The 5 year old Meg shudders at the sight ....
So this whole encounter got me thinking... what other books had such a big impact on me? Beyond the traditional Bernstein Bears, Where's Waldo, Dr. Seuss and Disney extravaganza, I loved those little books about silly Amelia Bedelia. I swear if they made a version for adults, I would laugh my butt off. A few of the others that I adored were:
- If you give a Mouse a Cookie
- Polar Express
- The King, The Mice and the Cheese
- Where the Sidewalk End and Falling Up
- The Little Prince
Anyways, the next book that I remember being completely captivated by was ...
Animalia... I loved this book! It was rare that I was able to have it considering it wasn't a hard read but I loved it all the same. There was something whimsical about the book and I would spend hours trying to find all the hidden things in each illustration.
A Dog Called Kitty is a heartfelt book that made me cry my eyes out! This was a book on a whole new level for me. The story is set in Oklahoma which is why I think I was originally drawn to it. This book was the first book that made me realize the power of a story. It struck me in a way that I can't explain. But I loved it all the same. :)
Next is when I guess I could say my dark side set in? I absolutely adored RL Stine's Fear Street Saga Trilogy: The Betrayal, The Secret, and the Burning. They start in the 1600's and focus on a girl who falls in love with the son of their family's rival. I think this might be where I developed my love for historical fiction ;) maybe...
Next I read a controversial book that was recommended to me by a friend: Go Ask Alice. This book was a lot for me to read at 13 but I loved it. It is a supposed diary by a 15 year old girl addicted to drugs and describes the terrible consequences of her decisions. It is very dark but honest. And I think I admired the honesty of the writing.
After such dark reads for a little Meg, I chose something a little different... AKA The Left Behind Series. My parents read these book and the idea of reading the same books as my parents made me feel grown up. I only made it through the first 3 of the 16 in the series but I liked it nonetheless :)
By this time I was in High School and started reading the classics like:
- The Great Gatsby
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- Watership Down
- 1984
- The Outsiders
- Lord of the Flies
- In Cold Blood
- Catcher in the Rye etc etc etc.
Looking back now, I am surprised how dark they are because I didn't feel that way. I think Annabel Lee will always be one of my favorite pieces of poetry regardless.
My senior year, I took a class called Teacher Cadet where we would interact with local elementary school children. It was such a treat to go into the classrooms and see the same books I fell in love with 12 years earlier. It made me so happy to see that the little stories that captured my heart as a 5 year old were still being treasured by a whole new generation :)
What were some of your favorites growing up??
3 comments:
I've never read either of those poems before, but they are so good! I never thought I was in to poetry, but turns out I might be! Haha :)
To this day, To Kill a Mockingbird and 12 Angry Men are 2 of my very favorites!
holy crap, forgot about go ask alice. LOVED that.
Oh so many of my favorites growing up too! We'll have to talk books and poems sometime. Such a great post!
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