Books of my Childhood: Stand Alone Edition

This is part two of my Books of my Childhood posts (Part 1 can be found HERE)  These are the books that made me a reader, the books that kept me up at nights and the books that I read and re-read until I could see them printed on the inside of my eyelids!

1. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodson Barnett: What little girl doesn't love the story of a magical garden all their own.  I always imagined that one day I would stumble my own secret place and I still harbor dreams of creating a garden with that wonderful balance between cultivation and wildness.  This is truly a book that stands the test of time and one that I am sure I be reading to my own children one day.




2. Fog Magic - Julia L.Sauer:  Fog Magic is a magical book about a little girl who discovers an entire village from the past that emerges and disappears with the fog.  It captures that mysterious sense of wonder that a foggy morning can bring.  It is such a sweet story and I recall checking this one out of the school library so many times that, at one point, the checkout card was filled and all of the names were mine!

3. Something Upstairs - AVI:  I recall this book as being the first one that made me want to stay up all night to finish it and then, upon finishing, turn right back to the start and read it again.  I am sure that if I were to re-read it now, I would find it tame but, at the time, my little girl mind was blown with the incredible sense of suspense in this story. 

4. Tuck Everlasting - Natalie Babbitt:  The first time I read this book, it was the assigned class novel study for my grade 6 class.  By this point I was already a big reader, but I recall that ALL the students in my class liked this book, which is a pretty impressive feat to accomplish.  Again, this has a magical element that really appeals to young readers.

5. Charlotte's Web - E.B. White:  I don't think any children's list could be complete without the heartwarming and heartbreaking tale of a pig and a spider.  I distinctly remember discussing this book with my 1st grade teacher and I think that was the moment that my parents and my teachers realized that I was well on my way to becoming book obsessed.