# What was your FIRST favorite book?



## LRGiles (Apr 28, 2010)

A writer friend asked me what my FIRST favorite book was? She then explained it as the book you remember from childhood that really made you want more books. Her's was CHARLIE AND THE GREAT GLASS ELEVATOR (which I enjoyed, too). But, my FIRST favorite was a book called ZORK: THE CAVERNS OF DOOM...it was one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books (yes, telling my age here). I remember finding a copy in a used bookstore a few years back. I bought it, and, admittedly, the high action and intrigue I remembered doesn't hold up as well today. But, it was the spark that started a fire which continues to burn...

What about you? What's your FIRST favorite?

L.R. Giles


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Congo, by Michael Crichton. I read it three times before I even hit the 7th grade.


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## Taborcarn (Dec 15, 2009)

There were probably others before them, but the first books I can remember calling my favorites were the original Dragonlance chronicles by Weis and Hickman


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## LRGiles (Apr 28, 2010)

I guess I was more of a bandwagon Crichton fan...I was all over Jurassic Park once I saw that T-Rex in the movie trailer back in the day. 

L.R. Giles


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

My first book I can remeber adoring is One Child by Torey Hayden.  I was 14 or 15.  I read a ton before that, but I don't remember adoring any book.  I just read and moved on.

But, yes, I too got hooked with the Congo, Jurrassic Park stuff.  They both were really good books!


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## travelgirl (Sep 22, 2009)

Stephen King's IT was my first favorite book.  I read that one in 6th or 7th grade.  It's the first book I ever remember wanting to read again when I was finished with it.  

I read a LOT before that, but I couldn't even tell you the titles of any of them, they didn't grab my attention in the same way that IT did.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

It was a ghost story called Jane-Emily by Patricia Clapp. That was when I discovered that the Saturday Afternoon Matinee didn't have a monopoly on horrors.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I have loved to read as long as I can remember, and the first real book that I remember loving was _Elizabeth Blackwell, the First Woman Doctor_. I was very young when I read it (first grade), and it made me want to read everything I could get my hands on. (It also made me want to become a doctor, but too few women were being admitted to medical school when I graduated from school for it to become a reality for me.) I'll never forget how I felt when I finished the book.


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## LRGiles (Apr 28, 2010)

travelgirl said:


> Stephen King's IT was my first favorite book. I read that one in 6th or 7th grade. It's the first book I ever remember wanting to read again when I was finished with it.
> 
> I read a LOT before that, but I couldn't even tell you the titles of any of them, they didn't grab my attention in the same way that IT did.


Travelgirl...I understand your feelings on IT completely. I'd have to say that was probably my 2nd favorite book (and I just mean chronologically second...it terms of quality, I actually enjoyed it much more than ZORK) 

L. R. Giles


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

The first book that I can remember really loving (other than fairytale type stories) was probably The Velveteen Rabbit.


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

travelgirl said:


> Stephen King's IT was my first favorite book. I read that one in 6th or 7th grade. It's the first book I ever remember wanting to read again when I was finished with it.


Hahah, that is so funny!! I remember trying to read that book in the 5th grade. I was reading adult books very early and my mom was always trying to stop me from reading things with adult content because I could read it, but couldn't process the subject matter. I snuck and purchased a copy of IT and would try to read it under the covers at night with my flashlight, but it scared the living daylights out of me. I'd put it on my bedside table and by gosh I'd just flip out with it sitting there at night because I kept thinking the bloody IT letters were glowing in the dark. I finanally had to take it outside and burn it.. LOL

Twenty years later, I have still never been able to pick up another Stephen King book. I was too traumatized by that one!!


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## sandypeach (Oct 28, 2008)

I guess my first favorite book would have to be "Emil and the Detectives", a collection of short stories that "Kindled" my life-long love of the mystery genre.


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## travelgirl (Sep 22, 2009)

Madeline said:


> Hahah, that is so funny!! I remember trying to read that book in the 5th grade. I was reading adult books very early and my mom was always trying to stop me from reading things with adult content because I could read it, but couldn't process the subject matter. I snuck and purchased a copy of IT and would try to read it under the covers at night with my flashlight, but it scared the living daylights out of me. I'd put it on my bedside table and by gosh I'd just flip out with it sitting there at night because I kept thinking the bloody IT letters were glowing in the dark. I finanally had to take it outside and burn it.. LOL
> 
> Twenty years later, I have still never been able to pick up another Stephen King book. I was too traumatized by that one!!


I don't know if I would have been ready for that book when I was in the 5th grade. It did scare me pretty good, I couldn't go near a storm drain for YEARS! I just remember really being able to identify with the kids in the story, they felt like friends to me. "Beep beep, Richie!"


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

One of the first books I remember really loving was Alison Uttley's "A Traveller In Time". It wasn't new, even when I first read it (about 40 years ago) and I recently had the chance to re-read it. I almost wish I hadn't! It was terribly old-fashioned in style, typical of a children's book of the period it was written in ('30s, 40s? I'm not sure) and I found it hard going. But at the time it had a profound effect on me - this was the book that sparked off a life long fascination with time travel and sci-fi in general and as a child, I loved it.


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## Sariy (Jan 18, 2009)

My avatar.


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## LRGiles (Apr 28, 2010)

travelgirl said:


> I don't know if I would have been ready for that book when I was in the 5th grade. It did scare me pretty good, I couldn't go near a storm drain for YEARS! I just remember really being able to identify with the kids in the story, they felt like friends to me. "Beep beep, Richie!"


LOL "Beep Beep, Richie". Yes, The Losers Club definitely struck a nerve with me...they really did feel like kids you might know. And the way King wrote it, I could've sworn he was writing about my own small town. Even down to the concept of The Barrens, we used to play an a similar area that we called The Weeds...ah (startling) memories.


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## vickir (Jan 14, 2009)

I'm the same as MLPMom, "The Velveteen Rabbit." I loved it so much that a few years ago my sister gave me a reprint for Christmas. Still love it.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

*thinks back to all the crazy amount of sex, abuse, and violence in IT*

5th grade? Sheesh, I don't plan on being the most crazy strict parent, but I think I'd have tried to take that away from you that young. I loved the book myself, but I read it at 23, and I still felt a little dirty.

David Dalglish


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## travelgirl (Sep 22, 2009)

Half-Orc said:


> *thinks back to all the crazy amount of sex, abuse, and violence in IT*
> 
> 5th grade? Sheesh, I don't plan on being the most crazy strict parent, but I think I'd have tried to take that away from you that young. I loved the book myself, but I read it at 23, and I still felt a little dirty.
> 
> David Dalglish


It's not as bad as The Exorcist, which I read in 8th grade. I don't know what my parents were thinking. They saw me reading that stuff and never said a word.


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> *thinks back to all the crazy amount of sex, abuse, and violence in IT*
> 
> 5th grade? Sheesh, I don't plan on being the most crazy strict parent, but I think I'd have tried to take that away from you that young. I loved the book myself, but I read it at 23, and I still felt a little dirty.
> 
> David Dalglish


Oh, she didn't know I was reading it. My butt wouldve been sore had she known..lol. I actually bought it at a garage sale from a lady down the street for like a quarter. I was dying to see what his books were like because everyone was raving about him. Turns out my mom was wiser than I gave her credit for ... I'm STILL uncomfortable at the thought of picking up a King novel.

I had that problem a lot though... I loved to read very young and was always trying to read adult books but I didn't know how to emotionally deal with the subject matter. I also remember really wanting to read Danielle Steel and my mom taking those away from me too..lol


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## pawsplus (Mar 31, 2009)

_Charlotte's Web_. It's still one of my very favorites. I read it first when I was 5, I think, and I re-read it at least once a year. Very few books hold as much significance in my life now as they did then, but this is one, particularly as regards this quote:

"It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both."


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

The first book that I remember being my favorite was 

I made my mom read it to me over and over until I could remember every single word.
Once I started reading myself, the earliest thing that I remember loving was The Babysitters' Club series by Ann M. Martin. I don't remember a particular favorite in the series, just the series over all.


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## Figment (Oct 27, 2008)

Much as I loved _Charlotte's Web_, the book I most remember from my childhood was _The Secret Garden_. I used to get it from the library...take it back when due...and then go back the next day when it was reshelved and check it out again. I loved that book! (And, yes, I bought it for Kindle).


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## Margaret (Jan 1, 2010)

My first favorite book was one called _B Is for Betsy_ by Carolyn Haywood. It was the first title in a series of books and I read and loved every one. I read them during the summer between first and second grade.

_The Secret Garden_ was another favorite, but I was a little older when I read it, so it doesn't qualify as my first.


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## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

As a young adult reader, my first favorite novel was The Stand. It stayed as my favorite for years and in some ways still is. I've never read it a second time though, and I wonder what I would think if I did. That may be why I rarely re-read novels. I'm afraid to be disappointed. 
L.J.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

For me it was not a book but a series. My parents gave me a complete set of Asimov's _Lucky Starr_ books when I was 7 or 8 years old .... and I've loved Science Fiction ever since.


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## J.M Pierce (May 13, 2010)

I think mine had to be _Of Mice and Men_.

When I was young, I was the big goofy kid. I guess I sympathized with Lennie a lot. This is the first book that I can remember that really evoked my emotions. In my later teens I really became a Crichton fan, but will never forget my John Steinbeck year. I read everything that I could find of his in our school library.


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## pawsplus (Mar 31, 2009)

Figment said:


> Much as I loved _Charlotte's Web_, the book I most remember from my childhood was _The Secret Garden_. I used to get it from the library...take it back when due...and then go back the next day when it was reshelved and check it out again. I loved that book! (And, yes, I bought it for Kindle).


One of my faves, too!!! I'm not sure about it on the Kindle, though . . . you couldn't see the wonderful Tasha Tudor illustrations very well!


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## joanne29 (Jun 30, 2009)

As a young child t was Pippy Longstocking and as a young woman it was Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel.


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## Mandy (Dec 27, 2009)

Half-Orc said:


> *thinks back to all the crazy amount of sex, abuse, and violence in IT*
> 
> 5th grade? Sheesh, I don't plan on being the most crazy strict parent, but I think I'd have tried to take that away from you that young. I loved the book myself, but I read it at 23, and I still felt a little dirty.
> 
> David Dalglish


What a happy day it was when I first talked my mom into letting me read Stephen King! I was about nine when I began reading SK, and 'The Tommyknockers' was the book that really did it for me. I couldn't get enough. Before I got my greedy little hands on mom's SK collection, I was reading V.C. Andrews and John Saul. I think Andrew's 'My Sweet Audrina' was the first true adult book I read. Good ol' days!


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I'm not sure (it was so long ago), but the first "real" book which I remember reading on my own was A. A. Milne's _Winnie-the-Pooh_. There was no turning back for me after that with the reading habit firmly established.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Nancy Drew.


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## Paegan (Jul 20, 2009)

I remember exactly when I first got hooked on books - it was the summer I was 12 years old and spending a month at my grandparents up in the northern woods of Wisconsin.  During that month I read Jane Eyre, A Wrinkle in Time, and Caddie Woodlawn.  I got home, went to the library, got a free card and have never looked back.


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## Dawsburg (May 31, 2009)

Oh, goodness...my first favorite picture book from childhood was Owl Babies. But my first favorite _novel_ was probably The Miserable Mill, book four in A Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket. That book still makes me feel giddy. I love Snicket's lit references.


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

pawsplus said:


> _Charlotte's Web_. It's still one of my very favorites. I read it first when I was 5, I think, and I re-read it at least once a year. Very few books hold as much significance in my life now as they did then, but this is one, particularly as regards this quote:
> 
> "It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both."


That was my first favorite too! After that, it was:

 *The Pushcart War* by Jean Merrill

N


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## AlexJouJou (May 16, 2010)

I have 4 favorite books that I remember very clearly!

My very first favorite books in elementary school were (the below and all the sequels!):










and










The two books that I consider favorite from middle/high school are:










And


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## William Meikle (Apr 19, 2010)

LRGiles said:


> A writer friend asked me what my FIRST favorite book was? She then explained it as the book you remember from childhood that really made you want more books. Her's was CHARLIE AND THE GREAT GLASS ELEVATOR (which I enjoyed, too). But, my FIRST favorite was a book called ZORK: THE CAVERNS OF DOOM...it was one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books (yes, telling my age here). I remember finding a copy in a used bookstore a few years back. I bought it, and, admittedly, the high action and intrigue I remembered doesn't hold up as well today. But, it was the spark that started a fire which continues to burn...
> 
> What about you? What's your FIRST favorite?
> 
> L.R. Giles


Treasure Island.... I think I was seven when I first read it, and I must have read it half a dozen times that first year. (I'm now in my 50's and I read it again last month.)


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## michaeljasper (Apr 20, 2010)

Without a doubt, it was Tolkien's THE HOBBIT (and yeah, I'm stoked about the new movie(s) coming out in the comings years), which I read in 5th grade as an assignment by a super-cool elementary teacher. We even did projects -- recording the songs, which I set to music on our old piano (!), dioramas, and other awesome stuff I wish I still had all these years later.

Totally blew my mind, and led me to the kind of writing I do today. Haven't truly recovered that sense of awe and immersion. But I'm trying!


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

"My Friend Flicka." I was probably only 10 or so when I discovered it and in my 20's when we gradually grew apart.


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## LCEvans (Mar 29, 2009)

Black Beauty. I was in second grade and already loved horses, so my teacher let me borrow her copy. After that, I found it in the library and read it over and over. It made me cry every time when I got to the part where Ginger died and was hauled off by the knacker. At least there was a happy ending for Beauty.


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## chipotle (Jan 1, 2010)

I agree - The first novel I was ever assigned to read in school was The Hobbit and I just loved it. Before that I had a strong love for all things Curious George.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Mandy said:


> What a happy day it was when I first talked my mom into letting me read Stephen King! I was about nine when I began reading SK, and 'The Tommyknockers' was the book that really did it for me. I couldn't get enough. Before I got my greedy little hands on mom's SK collection, I was reading V.C. Andrews and John Saul. I think Andrew's 'My Sweet Audrina' was the first true adult book I read. Good ol' days!


off topic:

I think I read my first King in '75 or so when I was 9 or 10 and read my mother's copy of _Carrie_. ... Which I loved - but to be fair, I completely didn't understand the shower room scene.

/off topic


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## tlrowley (Oct 29, 2008)

So many books, it's hard to pick one.  It would have to be Anne of Green Gables (I'm a good little Canadian girl, born and raised in Nova Scotia).  I can remember so many details about the edition I had.  Really a lasting memory.

The other ones I remember vividly are Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden and Cherry Ames.  I got started on mysteries at a very young age - still hooked even now.


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## J.M Pierce (May 13, 2010)

I forgot all about the boxcar children!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to the library tonight and getting that for my son! Thanks for the sudden memory blast that just hit me!

J.M.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

J.M. Pierce said:


> I forgot all about the boxcar children!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to the library tonight and getting that for my son! Thanks for the sudden memory blast that just hit me!
> 
> J.M.


I just had the exact same reaction when I saw that cover. I loved those books.

David Dalglish


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## Vyrl (Jun 7, 2010)

Well, I feel like cheating a little and listing more than just one  . 

Favorite first 'vanilla' book -- "The Hobbit"
Favorite first 'chocolate' book -- "The Outsiders"
Favorite first 'strawberry' book -- "The Last Unicorn"
Favorite first 'Neapolitan' book -- "The Neverending Story"
Favorite first 'dark chocolate' book -- "Frankenstein" 
Favorite first 'starfruit' book -- "Dune"

I loved many of the ones you've listed as well. "The Stand" is an all-time dark chocolate favorite.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Madeleine L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time". I mean, a book that starts out: It was a dark and stormy night.
Just like all of Snoopy's.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

intinst said:


> Madeleine L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time". I mean, a book that starts out: It was a dark and stormy night.
> Just like all of Snoopy's.


How true, Intinst.


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## farrellclaire (Mar 5, 2010)

I was allowed to read anything so amongst my favourites as a child would have been a couple of Catherine Cookson and Jean Plaidy books I borrowed from my grandmother.  

Can't remember my first favourite but I had a particular fondness for some Enid Blyton books andThe BFG was a regular re-read.  Also loved Black Beauty, Little Women, A Little Princess and a book about a girl who is obsessed with a horse.  Can't remember the name but I've looked for it for years.  

I read everything I could get my hands on so I really couldn't pick just one anyway but these are some Irish books that were amongst my favourites.

I absolutely loved Janey Mack, Me Shirt is Black by Éamonn Mac Thomáis, an elderly neighbour gave it to me when I was little and I read it so many times it fell apart.  Tom McCaughren's fox books - best day of my childhood was when he happened to do a little reading and signing while we were around and my mother bought me one of his books so I could get it signed.  We didn't have much money so to get a brand new book was just wow for  me.  Also loved The Ruby Ring books by Yvonne MacGrory and Under the Hawthorn Tree.


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## Melonhead (Jan 1, 2010)

Homer Price by Robert McCloskey. I wanted one of those runaway donut machines.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

This was the first one that came to mind for me:


I think it would make a wonderful movie, too. Before that, I remember reading Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, and Ramona, but no particular book sticks out.



farrellclaire said:


> ...and a book about a girl who is obsessed with a horse. Can't remember the name but I've looked for it for years.


Was it about a girl who loved horses, and she met another girl who had one but wasn't really interested in it, and they would switch clothes so the main girl could ride and the other girl could sneak off and meet a boy? I think the horse had a foal, too. I remember the book fairly well, but I can't remember the title.


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## farrellclaire (Mar 5, 2010)

marianner said:


> Was it about a girl who loved horses, and she met another girl who had one but wasn't really interested in it, and they would switch clothes so the main girl could ride and the other girl could sneak off and meet a boy? I think the horse had a foal, too. I remember the book fairly well, but I can't remember the title.


No, but thanks for trying! It's based in Scotland as far as I remember but I'm fuzzy on most of the details. It was an Arabian horse, she didn't own it and wanted to ride it/tame it or something along those lines. Old age getting to me now.  I can see a night of googling ahead of me!


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Not counting _Go Dogs Go!_ and _There's a Monster at the End of this Book_ I would have to say my first favorite book was Spellsinger by Alan Dean Foster. Everything before that was pretty juvenile, it was my first "grown up" book.


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## Tracey (Mar 18, 2010)

Folk of the Faraway Tree - the whole series.  I read them over and over.  I regret that I don't have them anymore, as I would have loved to have handed them down to my daughter.

I did see a box set the other day in Target though, might have to go and buy it me thinks.


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## Guest (Jun 9, 2010)

Back when I was pretty little, maybe 7 or 8, I found this series of 4 books in my elementary school library. I have no idea what they're called, and I'd kill to know. Each one was for a different season, and the cover had a boy on a hill with a tree and a dog. They were my first "chapter" books. Man, I'd love to read those again.


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## MAGreen (Jan 5, 2009)

I am sure my dad could tell you I had other favorites when I was younger (Cinderella, I think), but in 4th grade I read Island of the Blue Dolphins and loved it...I also read Chronicles of Narnia...don't really remember which came first, but I loved them both! They were the first books I choose to read for myself and they started a life long love affair!


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## Rye (Nov 18, 2008)

You guys reading IT by 5th grade are crazy! I first read and saw the movie when I was about 17 or so and I haven't been able to look at clowns the same since! If I had read it in the 5th grade I think I'd have gone mental or something!


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## travelgirl (Sep 22, 2009)

Rye said:


> You guys reading IT by 5th grade are crazy! I first read and saw the movie when I was about 17 or so and I haven't been able to look at clowns the same since! If I had read it in the 5th grade I think I'd have gone mental or something!


Ha! I would just like to say that I never claimed NOT to be mental.


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## caseyf6 (Mar 28, 2010)

My Mom gave me a great gift when I was about 7 years old or so-- she bought me several series of books and a couple of classics.  I honestly don't know if she had read them, or if someone recommended them, but they were:

The Betsy-Tacy books
The All-of-a-Kind Family books
Secret Garden and Little Princess
and a couple of the Trixie Belden books came along a little teeny bit later.

Those books made me RAVENOUS for reading.  Then there were the classics she had bought for my older brother -- all the Judy Blumes, Black Beauty and the Grimm/Andersen Fairy Tale books...so much good stuff.  

Thanks for reminding me what a gift she gave us.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Rye said:


> You guys reading IT by 5th grade are crazy! I first read and saw the movie when I was about 17 or so and I haven't been able to look at clowns the same since! If I had read it in the 5th grade I think I'd have gone mental or something!


Heh, me and a friend actually did this in 6th grade. She read It and I read The Tommyknockers. I think it was a form of rebellion. We knew they were scary and gruesome and on a higher level than we should probably be reading, so it made reading them all the more exciting. And that excitement kept on and I read Stephen King a lot through Middle School, so I have that to thank for continuing to foster my love of books beyond what it already was... during those difficult changes in your life years when things like that could go by the wayside.

I remember being _really_ creeped out one night at 3am during a scene in The Tommyknockers when they are riding into Derry for supplies, batteries I think. Anyway, they were riding through town and you catch a glimpse of Pennywise in a sewer grate as they go by. I had to put the book down I was shaking so bad and couldn't wait to go to school the next day and tell my friend.


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## Herc- The Reluctant Geek (Feb 10, 2010)

_The Adventures of Pip_ by Enid Blyton that I bought from the newsagent on the corner when I was 9. By some miracle, I found it in an old box under my parents house a few months ago and read it to my son. I'd like to say he loved it, but he didn't.


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## Addie (Jun 10, 2009)

I love reading everyone's first favourite book! It's bringing back a lot of memories.

Mine was _The Runaway Bunny_. I was on a bunny kick at the time, and thought it was just the sweetest story.

As for series, I can't remember which was my first, but I loved _Encyclopedia Brown_ (although, I don't remember Encyclopedia Brown looking like that ... new artist?), _Nancy Drew_ (my all-time favourite children's series), _Goosebumps_, _The Chronicles of Narnia,_ _The Indian in the Cupboard_, _Mrs. Piggle Wiggle_ and _Hank the Cowdog_.

Does anyone remember _The Grand Escape_ (I swear it wasn't published in 2005 like the description says; I'm not _that_ young)? Aside from Nancy Drew, it's the first book I really enjoyed that I can remember picking up myself at the library without the teacher reading it to our class.

Oh, and _A Dog Called Kitty_ was the first book that ever made me cry. Shortly after, my parents got me a dog, and I wanted to name her Kitty. Dad wouldn't let me; he named her Moxie. In hindsight, that was probably the better choice.



This thread also reminds me of when we would get those Scholastic Book Club pamphlet things in class and could buy all sorts of age-appropriate books. And how much I absolutely loved the smell of musty paperback books. Oh, memories. <3

ETA: Sorry. I got a little carried away.


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## Blanche (Jan 4, 2010)

"The Grey King" by Susan Cooper -- 3rd grade. This was the first book that _really_ sparked me. I had always loved books but with this particular book I could not put it down for more than a couple of days. I received the book from my aunt as a Christmas present and I still have it. I love my aunt! She still gives me great books every year!

This thread is full of fantastic books. On nearly every book mentioned I went "oh yeah, that one too!"


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

The one that stands out for me is The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe.    I was about 8 when I found it in the school library.


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## horse_girl (Apr 9, 2010)

I was all into reading horse books when I was young. In that light, The Black Stallion by Walter Farley got me hooked on reading. I had to read all of the series and collect as many as I could. To this day, I can still remember the fascination I had with wishing I had a horse who would do anything for me. It's never happened like that in real life, but I still love those books


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## Kristen Tsetsi (Sep 1, 2009)

First favorite book (after Archie comics, that is) was a) the whole Nancy Drew series, but then, as a single book, b) "If Tomorrow Comes" by Sydney Sheldon. Oh, how I loved that book...


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## katbird1 (Dec 10, 2008)

*The Boxcar Children* would have to be my first favorite book. Next would be *Jane Eyre*, which I bought with my own money from either Rich's or Macy's in downtown Atlanta, must have been in the 5th or 6th grade. I remember fashioning a bookcover out of - what? Saran Wrap back then? - so I would protect the paperback cover.


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## Indy (Jun 7, 2010)

It's hard to go back to the first, yano?  And what does "favorite" mean really?  My favorite book of all time has grown in stature for me over 28 years since I read it first (the count of monte cristo).  And I totally did not expect that the book I'd read so many times happened to be an abridged version!  Shame on you Bantam!  The longer public domain version from amazon turned out to be MUCH better.  I swear for two weeks my household and friends were sick of hearing me rant over this.  Now I'm kind of half afraid to pick up a kindle version of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, no telling what wonders await me!

Ok.  The first favorite would have to have been, timewise, the year that I read the Little House on the Prairie series... so it would be between those books and Cosmos, the Sherlock Holmes stories, and the Anne of Green Gables series.  My mom went nuts the christmas I was 11 and bought nothing but books, series full of books; that copy of Cosmos was hardbound and gorgeous. I think the Little House books were probably first though, and they are something I reread for several years after the first reading.  I would learn things in my history classes then go back to them and look for inferences to say, the civil war and Laura's parents' attitudes towards it.  (I found very little but it was fun looking.)  

The fantasy reading that I did - Madeleine L'Engle, Tolkien, etc. was all a bit later, maybe a year or two later.


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## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Eloise was the first book I remember loving. I was about 5 or 6? The first novel type book I fell in love with was probably The Secret Garden.


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## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

horse_girl said:


> I was all into reading horse books when I was young. In that light, The Black Stallion by Walter Farley got me hooked on reading. I had to read all of the series and collect as many as I could. To this day, I can still remember the fascination I had with wishing I had a horse who would do anything for me. It's never happened like that in real life, but I still love those books


I went throughh that faze too. I remember reading Man O War and crying through a lot of it.


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## horse_girl (Apr 9, 2010)

Octochick said:


> I went throughh that faze too. I remember reading Man O War and crying through a lot of it.


LOL...great to find a kindred spirit. I also loved Man O War. The whole series was and still is timeless.

(I only read SFF and non-fiction now...I guess I get enough horses in real life  )


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

I can't remember my first favorite, but I do remember the day I turned 6 and could FINALLY get my very own library card. My mom had to check books out for me before that and it totally


Spoiler



p*ssed


 me off.

I was always a huge Winnie the Pooh fan.

I am dating myself but does anyone else remember a series of biographies for kids? They all had orange covers. I think I read every one of those.

I also loved Nancy Drew and Little House on the Prairie. I totally loved the Anne of Green Gables series which are the only childhood books I regularly re-read.

EDIT: I forgot to say, with all the Stephen King fans here, I read Carrie at the age of 14 or 15 and it scared me so badly I have NEVER read another horror book in my life. My mom read The Amityville Horror and just told me about it and I had nightmares that night. No horror for me!


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## A_J_Lath (Jun 6, 2010)

'Peter Davidson's Book of Alien Monsters' - a collection of short SF stories, the Peter Davidson thing being a marketing device 'cos he was playing The Doctor at the time. Think I was ... 10 or 11 years old. First introduced me to Philip K Dick by way of 'Beyond Lies the Wub', and there was pretty good Robert Holdstock tale in there too, though I can't remember the title.


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## Indy (Jun 7, 2010)

So I got to thinking... what was I reading before I was eleven and suddenly addicted?  One thing was this enormous, illustrated book of fairy tales that my babysitter had for her kids.  I read something out of it almost every day I was at her house, and I have no idea what it was called.  When a sunday school teacher gave me a bible in similar size and style (illustrations wise) I read it cover to cover simply because it reminded me of the fairy tale book.  Oh and "wynken, blynken and nod" as its own board book.  I love that poem and the book itself has a permanent place on my nightstand!


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## Daphne (May 27, 2010)

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Not as twee and girly as it sounds, but actually quite magical and with just enough social commentary for a child. I struggled with the film version - perhaps because I liked the book so much.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

I would have to say The Hobbit. My father put it in my hands when I was 11.


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## 16205 (Jun 8, 2010)

I remember being in love with the Black Stallion series when I was very young, but I think the first book that really knocked my socks off at 13 was John Saul's _Comes the Blind Fury_. I read it three times in a row or something like that, and I still have the book in my collection.


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## Vyrl (Jun 7, 2010)

One more that just came to mind is "The Secret of Nimh." Wonderful book with a wonderful message.


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## PraiseGod13 (Oct 27, 2008)

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce.  And.... I love it still..... over 50 years later......


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Mindy's Mysterious Minature.


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

I am going way back, but the first book I remember loving (and I still have it) is The Pokey Little Puppy. I also loved my Madeline books. As I grew older, there was Charlotte's Web, The Yearling, Old Yeller (boy did I cry!) In junior high I loved Per Hansa. I have so many favorites from long ago that I can't even begin to list them......sigh.....of course, Nancy Drew was right in there among my favorites......


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## OliverCrommer (May 17, 2010)

I loved A Handful of Time by Kit Pearson. She's a Canadian children's author, who lives in my city. I remember reading that novel and crying after, because it was so emotional and touching.


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## blackbelt (May 4, 2010)

Pinocchio, the original version, not the Disney-fied one.  It HORRIFIED me, but it was an experience I'll never forget.  I read it over and over my 6th grade year.


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## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

Nancy Drew series


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## MAGreen (Jan 5, 2009)

And the more I think about it...The Swiss Family Robinson was one of my first books, and then my dad bought me Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. It was a two volume hardback edition. I loved them. And Where the Sidewalk Ends, and The Giving Tree, and another one...but I can't remember the name.


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## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Drenfrow reminded me of a book about mermaids I found at my local library when I was about 9. It was a group of illustrated mermaid fairytales and I was obsessed with them. I kept checking it over And over till finally they told me I had to "give someone else a chance" and wouldn't let me check it out again


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## classan1 (Jun 10, 2010)

Maybe I`m not original but it was Sherlock Holmes


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## summerteeth (Dec 23, 2009)

Mine was (and always will be) To Kill a Mockingbird.  My mom made me read it when we were on vacation when I was 8 or 9 and I have read it dozens of times since.  She had to explain certain parts to me, I remember.  When we got home from vacation, we rented the movie with Gregory Peck.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

The first book I can recall being a favorite was _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_, first read when I was about eight years old. I still have a soft spot for those books, and one of my first purchases for the Kindle was a collection of the early ones.

Mike


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## G. Henkel (Jan 12, 2010)

My first favorite book was *Murder on the Orient Express* by Agatha Christie. While I read many books before that, this was the first one I consciously re-read, and which spawned a whole collection of Agatha Christie novels for me.


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## Chloista (Jun 27, 2009)

"Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott.  As a little girl, I adored that book and read it several times.

When I hit 11 years old, I read "Gone With The Wind," and that was a favorite for many years.


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## Blanche (Jan 4, 2010)

> Drenfrow reminded me of a book about mermaids I found at my local library when I was about 9. It was a group of illustrated mermaid fairytales and I was obsessed with them. I kept checking it over And over till finally they told me I had to "give someone else a chance" and wouldn't let me check it out again Sad


I had a book like that too -- "Crazy Kill Range" by Rutherford G. Montgomery. A story about wild horses on the range. I checked it out from the school library and re-read it over again. I grew up in a small town and when that book was eventually scheduled to be donated/sold, the librarian passed it onto my mother to give to me. The library card was still inside it and I both sides of the slip were filled with my name. I wish I still had the book... I'm not sure what happened to it over the years.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Mine was "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'engle.  I remember a teacher reading it to the class in chunks, and I got so into the story I checked it out of the library to read the rest and find out what happened.  (Then I had to listen to it again in class... but that was fun too.  I loved the story.)

Vicki


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## planet_janet (Feb 23, 2010)

This is such a tough question for me to answer because I can recall so very many wonderful books that I adored as a child.  I guess I'd have to say one of the first books I loved was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, followed very closely by A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, and A Wrinkle in Time.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

drenfrow said:


> I am dating myself but does anyone else remember a series of biographies for kids? They all had orange covers. I think I read every one of those.


I totally remember those - wish I could remember what they were called/who published them. But I read most of them too - loved them!


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

_Green Eggs and Ham_. I drove my mom nuts with that book...


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## 1131 (Dec 18, 2008)

Curious George Rides a Bike followed by all the rest of the Curious George books.  I still love Curious George


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## Addie (Jun 10, 2009)

Chloista said:


> "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. As a little girl, I adored that book and read it several times.
> 
> When I hit 11 years old, I read "Gone With The Wind," and that was a favorite for many years.


I really liked _Little Women_,


Spoiler



but I would have loved it if Jo had gotten together with that handsome guy (who apparently was originally supposed to be ugly?) instead of marrying that really old guy. I tried to read the sequel that's about Jo and her husband and kids, but I just couldn't get into it.


Did you give that one a try?


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

I can not remember a time when I didn't read so it is hard to remember what was the first favorite book, but the one I remember the most was The Velvet Room, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. I also devoured the Nancy Drew series and Hardy Boys and anything I could lay my hands on. My parents didn't censor, but various librarians sure did! I remember phone calls to my mom and I always managed to go home with the books I wanted.

The other very early influence on my reading life (and life in general) was "The Life Nature Library". It was a popular series of hardbound books published by Time-Life between 1961 and 1965. Each of the 25 volumes explored a major topic of the natural world. They had fantastic pictures and stories. We didn't have a lot of money, but my folks managed to get every one of these books and all three of us kids spent countless hours pouring over them. They were precious to all of us and left no excuses for not looking something up!  I taught my younger brother to read from them (who is now 40 ) and he still has about 10 volumes that his kids treasure.
We moved alot when I was growing up (Navy & Civil Service) and these books were always the last to get packed up and the first to come out.


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## bvlarson (May 16, 2010)

I think it was Firestarter, by Stephen King. One of those "read it over and over" books.


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## Patricia (Dec 30, 2008)

Meemo said:


> Nancy Drew.


Me, too! I don't remember which one, but I was hooked on reading for life. What a wonderful memory...


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## Patricia (Dec 30, 2008)

Geoffrey said:


> off topic:
> 
> I think I read my first King in '75 or so when I was 9 or 10 and read my mother's copy of _Carrie_. ... Which I loved - but to be fair, I completely didn't understand the shower room scene.
> 
> /off topic


So funny


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

sherylb said:


> I can not remember a time when I didn't read so it is hard to remember what was the first favorite book, but the one I remember the most was The Velvet Room, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder.


I also loved that book and have been looking for a copy over the years. Last year I ordered a used copy online and it was the exact same Scholastic Books edition I remember having as a girl. Great find!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Patricia said:


> Me, too! I don't remember which one, but I was hooked on reading for life. What a wonderful memory...


The first Nancy Drew I read was The Hidden Staircase, followed by The Mystery of the Moss Covered Mansion. I thought they were the best books I had ever read. Now I collect them!

L


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

sherylb said:


> I can not remember a time when I didn't read so it is hard to remember what was the first favorite book, but the one I remember the most was The Velvet Room, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder.


I've never read that one, but I liked The Egypt Game and The Witches of Worm.


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## prairiesky (Aug 11, 2009)

Like a couple others here, The Black Stallion by Walter Farley, started me reading every horse book that I could find. I was probably 8 years old and staying with a great aunt. She would take my sister and me to the library. That summer I read anything I could find in horsey fiction. Wonderously, a couple of years later I did get a horse of my own!


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## tdmsu (Feb 5, 2010)

My first favorite book - the first book I can remember reading was...

Arty the Smarty! Cool little fishy!


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## Antiquary100 (Jun 12, 2010)

My first favorite was A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, it's funny but now I prefer The Secret Garden. My Mom bought tons of books for me when I was a kid, so I never ran out of something good to read. When I got older I tended to buy them myself, often old favorites, so I could have my own "Library".


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## philvan (May 26, 2010)

I vaguely remember when Noddy was Cool


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

I love this thread!  It's reminding me of so many old favorites!


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## Belita (Mar 20, 2010)

I'm sure I don't remember my _first_ favorite book, but the first books I remember reading and not being able to get enough of were the Sweet Valley Twins books.


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

When I was in 2nd grade, a man named Uncle Ted came to my class and read to us. I can't even remember what he read, but later on I realized the significance of being read to by Dr. Seuss.


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## Patricia (Dec 30, 2008)

Chloista said:


> "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. As a little girl, I adored that book and read it several times.
> 
> When I hit 11 years old, I read "Gone With The Wind," and that was a favorite for many years.


"Gone with the Wind" was the first book that I read more than once.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Madeline L'Engle's books are the first ones I truly remember LOVING. Then in 6th-8th grade, it was Gone with the Wind. I must have read it 12 times during those 2 years. 
I was reading by the age of 3, so I always liked books and reading.. but those were the ones I remember LOVING.


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## Belita (Mar 20, 2010)

Jane917 said:


> When I was in 2nd grade, a man named Uncle Ted came to my class and read to us. I can't even remember what he read, but later on I realized the significance of being read to by Dr. Seuss.


Dr. Seuss read to your class??!?! I'm so jealous! I love Dr. Seuss's books. I want to go visit the Dr. Seuss museum in Springfield.


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## cruising ann (Apr 2, 2010)

When I was 6 I received three Bobsey Twins Books, from then on I read anything I could lay my hands on.  I have Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, The Hardy Boys  all boxed up, I do get them out and re-read, my love of mysteries has lasted forever.  If my parents knew what I was reading out of their book of the month collection, they would have died.  Lydia Bailey at about 8 or 9, the same for a Christmas Carol (on a very stormy New Years Eve, and scared me to death every time a tree branch hit the window).


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## gina1230 (Nov 29, 2009)

Ashes in the Wind by Kathleen Woodiwiss.  I read that while in high school and have not stopped reading since.  Fortunately my grandmother owned a bookstore then.


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2010)

As a child: "The Hobbit";

As a young adult: "Legend" by David Gemmell;

As an adult: "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Jane917 said:


> When I was in 2nd grade, a man named Uncle Ted came to my class and read to us. I can't even remember what he read, but later on I realized the significance of being read to by Dr. Seuss.


That's very cool. When my son was in fourth grade, Donn Fendler came and spoke to his class. My brother-in-law was very jealous. Apparently, *Lost on a Mountain in Maine* was one of his favorite books when he was a kid.











L


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## MinaVE (Apr 20, 2010)

My first favorite was "Remember Me" from Christopher Pike. YA horror, I think is the category.

Strangely enough I haven't read much horror since then. Now I like non-scary stuff.


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

MinaVE said:


> My first favorite was "Remember Me" from Christopher Pike. YA horror, I think is the category.
> 
> Strangely enough I haven't read much horror since then. Now I like non-scary stuff.


Is that the one with the girls in the skiing cabin? I think I read and liked that in elementary school.


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## MinaVE (Apr 20, 2010)

Aravis60 said:


> Is that the one with the girls in the skiing cabin? I think I read and liked that in elementary school.


Maybe not... the persona was a dead girl and she was watching her brother and friends deal with her death. Now I want to go find my collection.


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

MinaVE said:


> Maybe not... the persona was a dead girl and she was watching her brother and friends deal with her death. Now I want to go find my collection.


Not the one that I was thinking of, but I read that one too. The one that I was thinking of was Slumber Party, also by Christopher Pke


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## Patricia (Dec 30, 2008)

cruising ann said:


> When I was 6 I received three Bobsey Twins Books, from then on I read anything I could lay my hands on. I have Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, The Hardy Boys all boxed up, I do get them out and re-read, my love of mysteries has lasted forever.


Come to think of it, I read Bobbsey Twins, too. And I adored Trixie Belden!


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## Addie (Jun 10, 2009)

MinaVE said:


> My first favorite was "Remember Me" from Christopher Pike. YA horror, I think is the category.
> 
> Strangely enough I haven't read much horror since then. Now I like non-scary stuff.


I totally remember that book! I loved the majority of his books. I really liked _Remember Me_ and _The Last Vampire_. It's weird, but I loved all horror books when I was younger, and now I don't really care for them.
Dang it. I just checked Amazon, and they're not Kindled.


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## DLs Niece (Apr 12, 2010)

In early grade school, my aunt loaned me her complete original Nancy Drew collection. I really enjoyed reading them and think they may have been the spark that ignited my love of reading. As a young adult, I became bored to tears by all the 'recommended' reading that was pushed on me in high school and I almost lost that love. I am happy to say that as an adult, I have regained it.


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## J.L. Penn (Mar 17, 2010)

I vividly remember my first favorite book - The Rebel Witch by Jack Lovejoy. Can't wait for my daughter to read it when she's older. In fact, I'm hoping she'll let me read it to her. Hmm, I think I'll go try to find a copy online. I'm sure it's out of print by now.

-Jenn


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I don't remember reading much kids books as a kid. I think Struwelpeter was one for kids. But the rest of the time I read adult books. I remember I loved Konsalik, a german writer and unfortunately I can't read the books anymore as they don't exist in english as far as I know so no way to get them

I also have to say "It" left a huge impact on me and started me on a Stephen King collection. I did love Misery too and scared my mom out of her wits with that one when I gave it to her to read. I don't think she touched a King since  

But the one book that really got me to love books was Angelique by Anne Golon, it is still my favorite book and the whole series is great. But it was the first book that left me literally breathless. I think I was somewhere between 11 and 13 when I read that. Unfortunately they are out of print and extremely hard to get and I was able to aquire the 9 that were translated to english in very old and worn paperbacks. The last 3 were never translated to english from french. I first read them in german. Some of the best historicals about France I have ever read. Details are unbelievable Anne Golon did years and years of research along with her husband. 

Now I can't read the paperbacks anymore as they are so old and faded and the print is so small. Makes me sad


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## MinaVE (Apr 20, 2010)

AddieLove said:


> I totally remember that book! I loved the majority of his books. I really liked _Remember Me_ and _The Last Vampire_. It's weird, but I loved all horror books when I was younger, and now I don't really care for them.
> Dang it. I just checked Amazon, and they're not Kindled.


Nice to see fans of his here! Loved Last Vampire (not so much the sequels) and collected most of his work. Then of course later on he couldn't surprise me anymore, we just knew each other that well, haha.



Aravis60 said:


> Not the one that I was thinking of, but I read that one too. The one that I was thinking of was Slumber Party, also by Christopher Pke


That one I don't remember very well. A re-read is due I think!


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## Martel47 (Jun 14, 2010)

While I remember some stories read to me as a kid, like Bimbelman's Bakery (sp), Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and the Goat in the Rug.  I distinctly remember "reading" two books as a kid.  The first was one of those read-along records where it would ding to tell you to turn the page.  It was The Hobbit, with illustrations from the old animated cartoon.

The second book I remember reading several times was Onion John.  It won the Newberry in 1960; I didn't pick it up until I was in elementary school in the 80's, but I still liked it.  It's not on Amazon for Kindle as far as I can tell.  I'll have to look elsewhere.  I haven't thought about this, well, since the last bookfair at my kid's school when I saw a poster of Newberry winners.  But before then, it's been a while.


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## NicolaFurlong (Dec 4, 2009)

To Kill A Mockingbird. 

Still is.

Cheers from southern Vancouver Island, BC.


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## lvoynich (Jun 5, 2010)

The Poky Little Puppy


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

In grade school it was a series of books all titled, "We Were There AT XXXXX" Where the XXXXX was some event, Like, "We Were There At Gettysburg". They were always about a boy and a girl at some historical event. I scarfed them up as fast as I could check them out. Read each one several times.  The next book I remember was The Hobbit, but I had to wait until I got into high school as I wasn't allowed into the high school library.


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## laurie_lu (May 10, 2010)

"Flowers in the Attic" by V.C. Andrews.  I was a preteen when I read this.  I lived in my room reading the entire series and I recall feeling like I personally knew the characters.


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## MicroBeta (Jun 9, 2009)

My first favorite was “The Stand”.  It’s the only book I’ve read multiple times.

The first time it was a copy I picked up in Heathrow Airport, and the UK version was a bit different.  The story line was the same but things like candy bars for instance were different.  

I’ll probably read it again.  

Mike


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

I've been thinking about this for a while and I don't know if I remember my FIRST favorite - there have been so many.  So here's an early list 
Fox in Socks, Millions of Cats, The Funny Thing, Lizzie the Lost Toys Witch, The Sugar Mouse Cake, Dorrie and the Blue Witch (followed by all the Dorrie books I could get my hands on), The Wednesday Witch (and the rest of Ruth Chew's witch books), Half Magic (ditto Edward Eager's books), Little Witch, The Velvet Room, The Clue in the Crumbling Wall (Nancy Drew in general), the Beverly Gray books, The Chronicles of Narnia, Piers Anthony's Phaze books, the Hobbit...


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## Martel47 (Jun 14, 2010)

Andra said:


> I've been thinking about this for a while and I don't know if I remember my FIRST favorite - there have been so many. So here's an early list
> Fox in Socks, Millions of Cats, The Funny Thing, Lizzie the Lost Toys Witch, The Sugar Mouse Cake, Dorrie and the Blue Witch (followed by all the Dorrie books I could get my hands on), The Wednesday Witch (and the rest of Ruth Chew's witch books), Half Magic (ditto Edward Eager's books), Little Witch, The Velvet Room, The Clue in the Crumbling Wall (Nancy Drew in general), the Beverly Gray books, The Chronicles of Narnia, Piers Anthony's Phaze books, the Hobbit...


Yeah, I could have made a list, too. One of my favorites was the Chronicles of Prydain series. I think I enjoyed it more than Narnia at the time, although, I find more and more to like about Narnia now. Loved Hardy Boys, Encyclopedia Brown, and I think it was called the Three Detectives series or something like that. The main character was Jupiter Jones, and they had their detective office in an RV hidden in a Junkyard...oh the memories that are flooding back now!


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

Martel47 said:


> Yeah, I could have made a list, too. One of my favorites was the Chronicles of Prydain series. I think I enjoyed it more than Narnia at the time, although, I find more and more to like about Narnia now. Loved Hardy Boys, Encyclopedia Brown, and I think it was called the Three Detectives series or something like that. The main character was Jupiter Jones, and they had their detective office in an RV hidden in a Junkyard...oh the memories that are flooding back now!


You are talking about Alfred Hitchcock the Three Investigators - I have almost a complete set of the original stories.


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## Vyrl (Jun 7, 2010)

Has anyone mentioned 'Watership Down?' Loved that book as a child.


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## Birstel (Dec 18, 2009)

My first favorite was Terry Brook's Sword of Shannara.  I still reread that book every year or so.


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## fairy_dreams (Jun 17, 2010)

Mine was Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. For an elementary student, it was easy to get swept up in that story. However, I was terribly disenchanted by the movie :/

My second one would be The Book Thief. That one was just hauntingly beautiful. I need to reread it (for the fifth time...)


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## travelgirl (Sep 22, 2009)

Birstel said:


> My first favorite was Terry Brook's Sword of Shannara. I still reread that book every year or so.


I tried reading that book when I was in 7th or 8th grade, but lost interest around halfway through, and always meant to start over and finish it, but never could find the book again. It was the first book I bought on my Kindle, and I gave it another try, and lost interest again halfway through. I think I'd really enjoy it if I could just stay with it long enough to finish it!


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## Martel47 (Jun 14, 2010)

Andra said:


> You are talking about Alfred Hitchcock the Three Investigators - I have almost a complete set of the original stories.


That's it! Did you ever see the ones that were with Vincent Price instead of Hitchcock? Same books but different in the chapter's where they met with Price. I never understood why they did that.

Anway, I read a bunch of those.


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## roderpol (Jun 15, 2010)

Mine was "My Side Of The Mountain" by Jean Craighead George... and then a few years later I read "Fade" by Robert Cormier and it blew my mind and I still consider it my favorite book of all time.


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## bevie125 (Feb 12, 2010)

My first favorite was Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl, and also Pokey little Puppy, and Go Dog Go


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

fairy_dreams said:


> Mine was Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. For an elementary student, it was easy to get swept up in that story. However, I was terribly disenchanted by the movie :/


I totally agree with this! I loved the book and thought that they butchered it in the movie version.


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## ReeseReed (Dec 5, 2009)

Ramona, The Pest by Beverly Cleary.  I bought it at a school book fair and read it dozens of times before finding another Ramona book in a school book order mailer.  Then I discovered that Cleary had written many books.  I'll never forget that summer, begging my mom to take me to the library to find another one she'd written!  I just finished reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle to my boys, and they loved it as much as I did back then.


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## J.L. Penn (Mar 17, 2010)

Oh my goodness, I'd forgotten about Beverly Cleary.  Loved her and Judy Blume.  Before I could even read, I loved The Berenstain Bears.  Encyclopedia Brown was another favorite when I was a bit older.

-Jenn


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

ReeseReed said:


> Ramona, The Pest by Beverly Cleary. I bought it at a school book fair and read it dozens of times before finding another Ramona book in a school book order mailer. Then I discovered that Cleary had written many books. I'll never forget that summer, begging my mom to take me to the library to find another one she'd written! I just finished reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle to my boys, and they loved it as much as I did back then.


I loved Ramona, too. We had all the Ramona books in paperback, and I checked out most of Beverly Cleary's other books from the school library at some point, although I was never really interested in reading _The Mouse and the Motorcycle_. Not so big on talking animals at the time, I guess. Did you know that there's a "new" Ramona book out? It's available on Kindle, too!









There's actually a lot of B.C. books, including all the Ramona ones, and it looks like almost all are $5.99.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

My mom used to drop me off at the library, and I'd devour a whole Encyclopedia Brown book every single trip. This whole thread is like Nostalgia Lane...

David Dalglish


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

First book loves: _Kim _ by Rudyard Kipling and followed by _Michael Strogoff, Courier for the Tzar _ by ules Verne.

Ed Patterson


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## patrisha w. (Oct 28, 2008)

sandypeach said:


> I guess my first favorite book would have to be "Emil and the Detectives", a collection of short stories that "Kindled" my life-long love of the mystery genre.


I remember that one too! But the first one I can remember reading over and over was Dr. Doolittle. I LOVED the idea of the PushMePullYou and took to drawing them all over my school notebooks...


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

patrisha #150 said:


> I remember that one too! But the first one I can remember reading over and over was Dr. Doolittle. I LOVED the idea of the PushMePullYou and took to drawing them all over my school notebooks...


I had a stuffed PushMePullYou - hmm, wonder where it went?


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## meyer261 (Jan 3, 2010)

My first Book? I don't have a clue what the first one was. I grew up a total bookworm, my mom was a great story teller and she would tell me endless stories when I was little. I don't recall any of them now, but I credit her for my love of reading. I do remember reading all the Dr Seuss books, and then moving on to the Hardy Boys and Zane Grey as I got older. I'm sure there are countless other books I have since forgot about.


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## A_J_Lath (Jun 6, 2010)

Thinking about it ... my first favourite novel, as opposed to short stories, has to be 'Stig of The Dump' by Clive King. It's about a boy who discovers a prehistoric caveboy living in a disused quarry. Very enjoyable - I'll have to dig it out and read it again sometime.


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. I gotta read it again.


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## lorezskyline (Apr 19, 2010)

Probably something by Roal Dahl either James and the Giant Peach or the Twits.


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## bamaspride (Mar 21, 2009)

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.

8th grade English. The first time I was EVER excited about going to English because each day we discussed, as a class, the previous night's reading. Though my Mother taught me the love of reading, this experience sealed the lesson!


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## SMS (Jun 6, 2010)

For me it was anything by Grace Livingston Hill and then it would have to be This Good Earth and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  Strange I went back years later and read them again and wondered why I was so attracted to them.  Guess it was because I was about nine or ten and had not introduced myself to murder, sex and mystery. 

SMS


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## Dellaster (Jun 18, 2010)

DLs Niece said:


> In early grade school, my aunt loaned me her complete original Nancy Drew collection. I really enjoyed reading them and think they may have been the spark that ignited my love of reading.


The topic poses a great question and I was having a hard time deciding what book "from childhood that really made (me) want more books" when I read this post. Aha! Not Nancy Drew but close: Hardy Boys.








A quick look through the titles at Wikipedia brought back the memory of which particular book: _The Shortwave Mystery_. This was sometime in early grade school for me as well, almost certainly among the first, if not _the_ first, all-text no-picture books I read all by myself.

_A Wrinkle in Time_ came into my life not long after and sealed my doom.


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## gajitldy (Apr 25, 2009)

What a great nostalgic thread.  I loved soooo many that have been mentioned.  I am probably going to date myself, but does anyone remember the Trixie Belden series? Her rich neighbor Honey who owned a horse.....I was so jealous.  Also Cherry Ames,student nurse?  Have loved books forever!
Diane


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## romac (Jun 23, 2010)

The first book I actually fell in love with was S.E. Hinton's _The Outsiders_. To this day I can't quite put my finger on why I loved it the way that I did, I think it was how great the characters were. We read it at the beginning of 6th grade, and I actually had my mom buy me a copy of my own and read it several more times that year. I also really enjoyed _That Was Then, This Is Now_ that year.

These were both quickly replaced by Jurassic Park however, I think I read it in maybe 7th grade if not just before, and I've read a couple times a year every year since.


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## julieannfelicity (Jun 28, 2010)

My first favorite book was 'Up A Road Slowly' by Irene Hunt.  I suppose the main reason I was intrigued to read it at first was because the main character's name was Julie.  It just so happened my birth name was Hunt also, so I related myself to the book and read it so much the binding came apart.

My second (first) favorite book was 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry.  I really can't give specifics why, but even as a child (at age 7/ I remember thinking how peaceful everything seemed in their society.  My life, at that time, was very chaotic and I took solace within the story.


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## lib2b (Apr 6, 2010)

MinaVE said:


> Nice to see fans of his here! Loved Last Vampire (not so much the sequels) and collected most of his work. Then of course later on he couldn't surprise me anymore, we just knew each other that well, haha.
> 
> That one I don't remember very well. A re-read is due I think!


In 6th-7th grades, I was obsessed with Christopher Pike books. My favorite was one that I think was called _Witch_. I can almost picture the cover, but I can't really remember the plot.

My very first favorite books were the L. Frank Baum Oz books. My grandmother had given me a discard copy of _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ from the library she worked at, and then I discovered the other 13 books in the series at my school library. I devoured them.

Other favorites during my childhood-young adult years were: _Howl's Moving Castle_ and _A Tale of Time City_ by Diana Wynne Jones, _The Hero and the Crown_ by Robin McKinley, all of Tamora Pierce's books, the Weetzie Bat books by Francesca Lia Block, and the Anne series by L.M. Montgomery.


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## twizzle777 (Dec 22, 2008)

I loved this thread.  My first favorite had to have been 'Harry the Dirty Dog.'  "Harry was a white dog with black spots."  There were many, many after that.


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## Tris (Oct 30, 2008)

Ha, "Go Dog Go" by good ol' Dr. Seuss!  I was REALLY young and it didn't really have a plot or anything, but I still loved it as a kid.  Then I had many favorite books that are now to hard to count!

Tris


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## ErichSysak (Jun 23, 2010)

Return of the Twelves by Clarke and Bryson. Just magical...Then as a teenager every sci fi and fantasy book I could get my hands on.


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## me3boyz (Jan 10, 2010)

Had to think about it, there were so many.

Bobsey Twins & Hardy Boys. Didn't care for Nancy Drew, though I read them as well. Mostly because I ran out of Hardy Boys books. I read & re-read Huck Fin. Always liked it better than Tom Sawyer. Then there was the Black Stallion series. Almost forgot The Trumpet of the Swan. I read it so many times in 6th grade. I think I read just about every Madeleine L'Engle book written at the time. A few Judy Blume books (Forever; Are you There God? It's Me, Margaret; Blubber etc).

There was also a series of horse books I loved. Can't remember who wrote them, but the premise was always the same: girl/boy injured/hates/afraid of horses is sent to visit/live with relatives/friends who own horses. Something always happens where the main character has to 'save the day' by riding/saving/rounding up the horses. Pretty sure it's not the Misty books as the horses weren't the main focus.

Now, I'm hooked on Anne Bishop's Black Jewels books.


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## daringnovelist (Apr 3, 2010)

HAROLD AND HIS PURPLE CRAYON.  (Well, d'uh!)

Camille


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## D.A. Boulter (Jun 11, 2010)

My first favourite book?  Well, how does one classify that?  I grew up as a voracious reader -- read the Thornton W. Burgess animal books, 'Tom Corbett, Space Cadet' series,  'Chip Hilton' books, 'The Hardy Boys' series and then branched off into history.  

But for my first Favourite book, I think I'll have to go with Frank Herbert's 'DUNE'.  I came upon it when I was 18 and I think it is the first book that I reread often.  I've read it at least 15 times (once in German as I studied that language).


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## originalgrissel (Mar 5, 2010)

As crazy as it probably sounds, my first favorite book was "The Great Pie Robbery & Other Mysteries" by Richard Scarry. I must have been all of about 3 when my mom first read it to me, but it was one I wanted to read again and again and it looked pretty sad and raggedy by the time all was said and done. My dad was in the Air Force and during one of our moves the book (along with a few others I loved) was lost but when my son was born I scoured the internet looking for a copy only to find that it was out of print at that time. I did manage to find a used copy though, so my kids did get to enjoy it. It seems to be available in print again, so hopefully lots of little kids will have a chance to make it their first favorite book as well.


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## SimonWood (Nov 13, 2009)

Mine was STIG OF THE DUMP.  A children's classic in the UK for nearly 50yrs, but is totally unknown in the US.


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## Kristan Hoffman (Aug 6, 2009)

Anne of Green Gables, hands down no question.

After that, probably Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts. Lol talk about a jump...

Kristan


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## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

Little House on the Prairie, Little House in the Big Woods, when I was a little girl.


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## Wisteria Clematis (Oct 29, 2008)

gajitldy said:


> What a great nostalgic thread. I loved soooo many that have been mentioned. I am probably going to date myself, but does anyone remember the Trixie Belden series? Her rich neighbor Honey who owned a horse.....I was so jealous. Also Cherry Ames,student nurse? Have loved books forever!
> Diane


I totally forgot about the Cherry Ames nursing series! And--OMG. I just looked and they are in the kindle store.


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## drhetal1 (May 23, 2010)

this is a lovely thread.. it makes me sit back and recall what i used to read as a kid.. my first books were mostly in my mothertongue - gujarati. my english novel reading started when i first registered in library at age of 16.. most of the books in library were thick .. i was hesistant to pick them up coz it seemed like a lot of work  so i didnt go for them... then i came across a series of rather small and cute books with lovely couple on the cover page.. yes you guessed it right.. i started with mills and boons and ever since i read atleast 10 mills and boons a year and if my mood is not getting better i buy more of them.. i also read sydney sheldon and nancy drew.. but to date mills and boons is still my favourite..


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## TC Beacham (Nov 23, 2009)

Don't know if I can recall my very first favorite, but I remember loving HARRIET THE SPY and PIPPI LONGSTOCKING as a kid - both colorful characters!


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## Shandril19 (Aug 18, 2009)

Several books were dear to me as a child - Secret Garden, Chronicles of Narnia (at least Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe), an illustrated encyclopedia of Greek mythology that I checked out the library over and over, etc....

But my first FAVORITE is still one of my favorites today - Alanna by Tamora Pierce.  I reread the entire series at least once a year plus whenever I need a little strength/motivation/comfort.  And for my 32st birthday I received personalized autographed copies of the first and last book.  Two of my most prized possessions.


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## Gabriela Popa (Apr 7, 2010)

Hand Christian Andersen - Fairy Tales, for sure my first favorite book.  It still is one of my favorite books (!)  The Little mermeid,  The Emperor's New Clothes, The Real Princess...good stuff!
Gabriela


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

Mine was Anastasia Krupnik. I read that book sooo many times, plus all the ones that came after it. Even now I think of Anastasia like an old friend from my childhood!


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

RhondaRN said:


> Little House on the Prairie, Little House in the Big Woods, when I was a little girl.


You know, I don't remember reading those books myself but I do remember a teacher (maybe 4th grade?) reading those to the class and I did love hearing them.


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## MinaVE (Apr 20, 2010)

lib2b said:


> In 6th-7th grades, I was obsessed with Christopher Pike books. My favorite was one that I think was called _Witch_. I can almost picture the cover, but I can't really remember the plot.


I loved Witch. For a time I went around saying that this was my favorite book.  I hope my copy survived the termites and floods of 2009.


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## HelenSmith (Mar 17, 2010)

I loved The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, too. Another series (as well as the Narnia books) that I loved was The Borrowers series.

I read and reread Tom's Midnight Garden and Monica Dickens' Worlds End books. I remember loving Enid Blyton's Secret Seven books but one of the heroes in it was called Fatty so goodness knows how it would read these days. I wonder if they have changed his name? I seem to remember the character as being tall and plump and very clever but a bit arrogant - sort of Orson Welles without the charm!

I loved Anne of Green Gables.

Then, as now, I couldn't really choose one favourite book.

After childhood books I went on to Agatha Christie - she's still a hero of mine.


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## Blanche (Jan 4, 2010)

> Little House on the Prairie, Little House in the Big Woods, when I was a little girl.


How could I have forgotten that series? One of my grade school teachers read us "Little House in the Big Woods" and I was hooked. I loved the entire series of "Little House" books and re-read them constantly through grade school and well into middle school as the mood hit me. I think "Farmer Boy" was my favorite but couldn't say for sure. I am willing to bet that the entire series is still setting on the bookshelf in my old room at my parents house.


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## karencantwell (Jun 17, 2010)

*Are You There God, It's Me Margaret*, by Judy Blume. I read that book in the sixth grade and thought, "This woman knows ME!" The bust exercise never worked, but she sure did make me laugh. I became an avid reader after that book. Thanks, Judy!


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## Genaro Zamora (Jul 6, 2010)

Chocolate Fever
by Judy Bloom

I really enjoyed it.


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

My first favorite book was either John Bellairs *The House with a Clock in its Walls * or Wilson Rawls *Where the Red Fern Grows * - I just can't remember which one I read first!

Joel Arnold


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

First I remember really loving is Madeline L'Engle's Switftly Tilting Planet.  It is the third book in the series that started with A Wrinkle in Time.  I liked A Wrinkle in Time but I loved A Swiftly Tilting Planet.


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## libbyfh (Feb 11, 2010)

This is going WAAAYYY back... "Plink, plink, plink..." What was it? None other than










Absolutely loved that book. I made my mother get it at least a dozen times from the library!


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

_The Spaceship Under the Apple Tree _ by Louis Slobodkin.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

@ HelenSmith

I loved _The Borrowers _! When I was seven, I was convinced that borrowers lived in my house. I even set a trap so I could meet one and prove to my mom they existed. I took a giant margarine container (Shedd's Spread, I think) and greased the insides. Then I glued a Cheeto in the bottom for bait. No self-respecting borrower would ever have fallen for such a silly trap, but I really liked Cheetos and thought they would too. It says a lot for Mary Norton's vivid descriptions and characters that they made such an impact. I still blame the borrowers sometimes when small items go missing . . .

Also I loved _The Chronicles of Narnia_, _Anne of Green Gables _ and all the sequels, and Madeliene L'Engles's _Time Quartet_ and _Meet the Austins_. Books read in childhood leave such a lasting impact.


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## HelenSmith (Mar 17, 2010)

Karen, I'm so glad you said that!  They had such a profound effect on me, too. Weren't they wonderful? I love the idea of your cheeto and margarine trap.


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## soesposito (Jun 12, 2010)

arshield said:


> First I remember really loving is Madeline L'Engle's Switftly Tilting Planet. It is the third book in the series that started with A Wrinkle in Time. I liked A Wrinkle in Time but I loved A Swiftly Tilting Planet.


Yep! Me too. Her books actually inspired me to write my very first novel when I was 9 . After that, my favorite books were James Herriot, All Creatures Great and Small, etc. I can't wait until my boys are old enough to read those.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

HelenSmith said:


> Karen, I'm so glad you said that! They had such a profound effect on me, too. Weren't they wonderful? I love the idea of your cheeto and margarine trap.


Thank you! Pod, Homily, Arrietty, Spiller . . . I especially enjoyed Spiller and Homily's horrified yet motherly reaction to him . . . and Arrietty's imagination and longing to be free of the confines of a borrower's lot . . . and Pod's talent for invention. I could go on and on--I can't pick a favorite book from the series because they're all enchanting in different ways. The borrowers are real people to me, even if they are only 5 or 6 inches tall.  My only sadness is that there are no more books after _The Borrowers Avenged _.


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## HelenSmith (Mar 17, 2010)

You make me want to go back and read them all, Karen.

I have them somewhere in a boxed set. I might look them out this weekend...


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## Groggy1 (Jun 21, 2010)

Mack Bolan - The Executioner - Don Pendleton

LOL My Dad didn't care that I was reading an adult violent book series, it was that I was reading.  I think I was 8.


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## HelenSmith (Mar 17, 2010)

Shannon

I loved the James Herriot books, too - I just thought they were the funniest things ever. They have been mentioned quite a few times in various threads here - or they were when I first joined in about March.  I almost dread going back and reading them in case I don't laugh so much.  His wife was called Helen, I think. Obviously they were pseudonyms.

At about that time I also read two books by Monica Dickens about her experiences as a) a hapless local reporter - One Pair of Hands and b) a nurse - One Pair of Feet.  I modelled myself somewhere between her and some of Agatha Christie's feistier heroines (in not the Marples or the Poirots but the standalones). 

Oh I loved reading so much when I was a child - it seems we all did. My daughter was lukewarm about it though, unfortunately.


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## wrtzblk (Jul 11, 2010)

Absolutely "Christine" by Stephen King.  Still my favorite of his, but not my favorite book.  "Contact" by Carl Sagan.


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## Lori Brighton (Jul 10, 2010)

The first books I remember rereading over and over were the Anne of Green Gables series and The Chronicles of Narnia. I loved those books! Still do.


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## cherylktardif (Apr 21, 2010)

My very first favorite book was Nancy Drew #1.  Nancy Drew hooked me, got me reading and kept me in suspense. Literally.

After that it was The Mists of Avalon. I still have that one, and it's still an all-time favorite, along with Misery (Stephen King) and a few more.


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## Guest (Jul 14, 2010)

My first favourite book was _The Hobbit_, which staid at the top of the list until I read David Gemmell's debut novel, _Legend_ in 1984. It was knocked off the top in the early 2000s by Mary Doria Russell's _The Sparrow_ but I no longer have an absolute favourite. Stephen Pressfield's _Gates of Fire_ came pretty close (pretty easy thing to do as it dealt with one of my favourite battles from ancient Greece).


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## Alice Y. Yeh (Jul 14, 2010)

I seem to recall regularly rereading Katherine Patterson's _Jacob Have I Loved_, though there are also many fond memories involving Brian Jacques' Redwall series.


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## Danielleqlee (Jun 21, 2010)

When I was 16, I received a copy of Jurassic Park for Christmas. My entire family went sledding for the day and I spent the day engrossed in that book. Finished it that day too!


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