TOP TEN TUESDAY | CHILDHOOD FAVES

There’s something magical about childhood memories of reading. The books I read as a child, particularly the ones I struggled to read to myself, have had a much greater impact on me than any of the books I’ve read as an adult. Here are some that stand out, and a few words about why.

For some reason this book stuck with me from my early childhood reading. I adore Kelly’s reasons for why red is best (her red boots take bigger steps, her red paint puts singing in her head) and it is a great reminder, now that I’m a mom, to allow room for imagination in the day-to-day. (My kid loves this one now too.)

I remember being fascinated and disturbed by this story in equal measure. It was deliciously horrifying, and I remember wanting this read to me over and over again.

I loved the word play in this book. Jacob, who is two plus two plus two years old and has to say everything twice because no one hears him the first time. There are characters called the Intrepid Shapiro and the Fearless O’Toole. It’s just delightful, and I remember my dad reading this to me and doing all the voices.

This was the first chapter book I read cover to cover by myself when I was in grade two. It was hard, and I wanted to give up several times, but I’ve carried Sara Crewe with me ever since.

I read Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, but it was Trixie Belden I adored. Of all the teenaged sleuths I encountered, she most embodied someone I wanted to be friends with, and someone who felt as I did about wearing fancy clothes and behaving herself. I loved her sense of adventure, her curiosity and her loyalty to those she loved. I wanted to move to Crabapple Farm and I wanted to be part of her gang. I spent many a happy night reading Trixie Belden books by the dwindling light coming in my bedroom window long after I was supposed to be asleep.

I adored these stories of childhood adventure, and the freedom these children were afforded to go and explore nature on their own. There’s so much imagination and so much self-sufficiency, and I remember finding it hugely inspiring. There’s also a cosy comfort to the time period of its setting that I can’t resist.

A Canadian icon, Anne of Green Gables is one of the literary ladies we readers most identify with. She is smart, sensitive and determined not to lose her sense of wonder, no matter what life throws at her. I loved the Cuthberts almost as much as I loved Anne, and I enjoyed meeting all the characters Montgomery dreamed up and put on the page.

I’ve written about this book many times on this blog, but I can’t exclude it from this list. Of all the reading I did as a child, I think this had the most impact on my understanding of the world. It taught me the true horror humans are capable of, but it also taught me what love and courage can get you through. I will forever count Anne amongst my most precious friends.

There seems to be a theme emerging here – literary girls and young women I felt a kinship with, and who I wanted to make my friends. Cassandra was firmly in this category, and I returned to this book countless times when life felt a bit much.

I know that’s only nine, and I could easily find another book to plug in here to fill the extra space, but I’d rather stop with the books that really stood out to me. These were all, in their own ways, part of teaching me about the world, and they all helped me grow up.

Have you read any of these? Which books stand out to you from your early years of reading?

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly link-up feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic. To see past and upcoming topics, go here.