If I were to list all the books I loved to the point of obsession as a kid, this post would go on forever. Seriously. I was the kind of kid who couldn't sit down at the kitchen table, get in the car, or go out in the yard without a book.
I loved The Westing Game,* The Babysitter's Club, Sweet Valley High,** Nancy Drew, everything by Judy Blume (including Wifey, Smart Women, and Summer Sisters, which I read along with all her YA masterpieces), and the Alice books.
A lesser-mentioned book (lesser-mentioned by me, at least) I adored was Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons.
School Library Journal's blurb:
An engaging story of love and loss, told with humor and suspense. Thirteen-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle's mother leaves home suddenly on a spiritual quest, vowing to return, but can't keep her promise. The girl and her father leave their farm in Kentucky and move to Ohio, where Sal meets Phoebe Winterbottom, also 13. While Sal accompanies her eccentric grandparents on a six-day drive to Idaho to retrace her mother's route, she entertains them with the tale of Phoebe, whose mother has also left home. While this story-within-a-story is a potentially difficult device, in the hands of this capable author it works well to create suspense, keep readers' interest, and draw parallels between the situations and reactions of the two girls. Sal's emotional journey through the grieving process-from denial to anger and finally to acceptance-is depicted realistically and with feeling. Indeed, her initial confusion and repression of the truth are mirrored in the book. Overall, a richly layered novel about real and metaphorical journeys.I think I read and reread it dozens of time. Walk Two Moons is a beautifully told, heartbreaking but funny story with unforgettable characters. My mom took me to see Sharon Creech speak (I think at a CCBC event?) after I'd read it, and the lessons she imparted about writing and literature during her talk are still in my writer's toolbox. If you haven't read Walk Two Moons, put it on the top of your TBR pile.
*Post on Ellen Raskin's MS materials
**Guys, I am SO EXCITED for the SVH ten-years-later book.
Edited to add: Um, I totally forgot to bring up my obsession with historical fiction, like The Witch of Blackbird Pond and all of Ann Rinaldi's books (particularly The Fifth of March). Total history nerd then and now.
11 comments:
What's this about a SVH ten-years-later book?! I'm all over that! Judy Blume was my favorite. :)
I read Nancy Drew and Judy Blume too.
I came across Walk Two Moons in a library search recently...sounds like I need to check it out.
I don't know this one - will check it out! :)
The Westing Game--I LOVED that. It's been over a decade since I read it but I still remember the carpet that was so thick the woman's high heel sunk into it.
My daughter is like that and I LOVE it. Reads all. the. time. :)
I am ashamed to admit that I have never read The Westing Game - it's on my TBR list - I promise.
Great choices!
I was another Sweet Valley fan, of course Elizabeth was my favourite twin.
- Sophia.
I love a lot of your favorites. :) The Westing Game and The Witch of Blackbird Pond are both so great...
I just re-read Walk Two Moons recently, and I'm stunned how it just gets better every time I read it. There is so much to learn about writing and life from that book!
I've never heard of Walk Two Moons - *adds to TBR list*
I LOVED The Westing Game and The Witch of Blackbird Pond!
I loved Walk Two Moons, but had forgotten about it until now. Thanks for the reminder! And The Westing Game actually IS at the top of my TBR pile. So, great!
I adored nancy drew (and that explains a lot about my mystery-solving protag).
There is nobody like Judy Blume.I don't know Walk Two Moons, I will have to check it out.
Sounds like a great read and one I need to check it.
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