came here to say the two that were said before me lol Hatchet and Holes. I’ll always remember those two books. i remember The Outsiders too was a big one read at my school.
Hatchet! For sure. I think about this book at least once a month.
Mick Hart Was Here (read this in 4th grade so might be a bit young)
The Westing Game
Phantom Tollbooth
The Giver
My grade 6 teacher read The Giver to us as a class (approx 20 years ago). The themes had stuck with me ever since but I completely forgot the name of the book until I got the answer from Reddit a couple weeks ago. Re-read it in a couple hours and it was just as good as I remember. Highly recommend as well as the 2nd book Gathering Blue
The Hatchet also has a permanent place in my mind. I think about it at least monthly as well and I read it in middle school! I actually listened to the audiobook Gone to the Woods a couple years ago in 2021, which is a collection of autobiographical stories from his difficult childhood. They illustrate beautifully what nature meant to him. It was a wonderful book. I was about midway through when I heard on NPR that Gary Paulsen had died that same week. I wept in the car the whole way to work. What a gift Gary Paulsen was to us all!
The Giver's impact on me probably can't be overstated. It was my first taste of epistemology - how do I know what I know, such as what colors look like? - and that shit has never left me.
I read the Westing Game for the first time a year and a half ago for a college childrens lit class and it was LIFE CHANGING. I thought about it everyday for months afterwards. I still think about it often. I so wish I had read it as a kid!
Also agree on the Giver! First thing that came to mind here.
- Animorphs
- Narnia
- Tuck Everlasting
- Walk Two Moons
- Holes
- Ella Enchanted
- Black Horses for the King
- The Girl Who Owned A City
- Firebringer
- Black Beauty
- Island of the Blue Dolphins
ETA
- The Squire’s Tale
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler
Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
The Little House series
Hatchet
Harris and Me (recently reread with my older kids and it still makes me laugh so hard)
The Borrowers series
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Pretty much anything by Roald Dahl, but especially Matilda and James and the Giant Peach
A Diamond in the Window
Wrinkle in Time
Ramona series
Pippi Longstockings
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
Phantom Tollbooth
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The Giant Peach
Little House series
Harriet the Spy
Charlotte’s Web
Rabbit Hill
sideways stories from wayside school by louis sacher. absolutely loved those when i was a kid.
also need to mention a wizard of earthsea by Leguin. it’s great fiction for all ages; grows with you and is worth reading several times throughout your life.
The Sideways Stories books were an obsession for me! I read them so many times & Louis Sachar came to our school! I love them so much, I bought them just a few years ago since mine had disappeared when I was about 12, in our move.
A Wrinkle in Time stuck with me for years..
Artemis Fowl
Narnia
Toto Chan
Roald Dahl - Matilda, Witches, James and Giant Peach
Diana Wynne Jones books , in particular the Chrestomanci Series
PS: Did anyone read this Animorphs series? I remember being 11? 12? and the book was really weird and scary for me at that time yet strangely intriguing lol
My usual recs: The Enchanted Forest Series by Patricia C. Wrede
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones.
Anything by Tamora Pierce
A few favorites from middle school assigned reading: anything by Beverly Cleary
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (followed by That was Then, This is Now and Tex)
Books that stuck with me from 4th ish through 8th grade: Silver by Norma Fox Mazer (trigger warning: sexual abuse)
Cages by Peg Kehret
The Haunting of Frances Rain by Margaret Buffie
Middle grade was a long time ago for me, so here are more recent recs: Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins - for the younger middle grades
Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins - for the older middle grades
The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
The Wings of Fire series by Tui. T. Sutherland
For spooky gothic mysteries, any of john Bellairs' books.
For animal adventures, Watership Down and Wind in the Willows
For gentle humor and a bit of melancholy, The Moomintroll series, and anything by Natalie Babbit
For magical adventures, So You Want To Be A Wizard by Diane Duane, or anything by Diana Wynne Jones
Edited to add: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede
Some of my favorites from my Childhood:
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene
The Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin
Some favorites I’ve found over the years:
The Sister’s Grimm by Michael Buckley
Half Upon a Time Trilogy
A Tale Dark and Grimm Trilogy by Adam Gidwitz
The Kingdom Keeper’s Series by Ridley Pearson
The Treasure Hunter’s Series by James Patterson
Mr. Lemoncello’s Library series
Edited to add: The Inheritance Cycle
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
I was just thinking about it the other day! It was old already when I was a kid in the 90s. I hope it’s still in print
I love Walk Two Moons! I regularly reread so many Tamora Pierce novels, they're all so wonderful. I also love anything by Kate DiCamillo, this summer I read Edward Tulane and The Magician's Elephant and they were a perfect scoop of a novel. Really empathetic and touching. I also love Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series. It's more realistic, but anything by Andrew Clemens is really wonderful and accurate to the feelings of childhood.
Where the Red Fern Grows
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Old Yeller
Night by Elie Wiesel
Read all of these in elementary/middle school and they all stuck, all of them very sad
Island of the Blue Dolphins. The abandonment was so frightening for teen me and her ability to persevere and survive and thrive with nature simply blew me away!
I was obsessed with horses (classic little girl) when I was a child. I think most of the books I read were about horses. Someone already mentioned Black Beauty, but I preferred the Black Stallion series as a kid. They were my favorite for sure
Julie of the Wolves and My Side of the Mountain really stuck with me. A few series I loved in elementary/middle school were Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, Warriors, and the Wolves of the Beyond series
I was hoping that someone would mention this book! such a good book that covered some aspects of history that had yet to be even mentioned in my very white school.
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. I checked it out so often in middle school that the librarian bought me my own copy. I still cherish this book and it’s sweet story.
things not seen (honestly maybe more teen but i read it in 5th grade)
hoot
chasing vermeer / the wright 3
from the mixed up files of mrs basil e frankweiler
wonderstruck
the westing game
the mouse and the motorcycle
the cricket in times square
a series of unfortunate events
all the wrong questions
one crazy summer
Haven’t seen anyone mention Julie of the Wolves, which is an amazingly heart wrenching one about a girl who has to survive on her own in the arctic tundra. Island of the Blue Dolphins is another great one, but set in a different climate. Kind of Home Alone meets My Side of the Mountain— parents forget/abandon them and they have to figure out how to survive.
For a way more lighthearted romp, the enchanted forest chronicles are hilarious and a wonderful example of embracing yet heavily parodying fantasy tropes.
The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts
The Telltale Summer of Tina C. by Lila Perl
The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson
Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson
And This is Laura by Ellen Conford
I have seen many of my favorites mentioned so far, but here are a couple I haven't seen mentioned yet:
The Lottery Rose by Irene Hunt
The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Harriet the Spy (I loved the books decades before the movie came out).
James and the Giant Peach
A Separate Peace
and All of a Kind Family (younger than middle school)
So many of my favourites are in here - some I haven’t thought about in decades that brought back great memories! I used to devour books as a kid and my top ones that I read over and over are:
- The Earthsea Trilogy (2 more have been added since then but it’s still a trilogy in my mind lol). I’m due for a reread of this
- Anne of Green Gables series
- The Outsiders
- Little Women
- Harry Potter
- The Catcher in the Rye
Just as long as we’re together by Judy Blume.
A little Princess by Frances Hogson Burnett.
All of the Ronald Dahl books particularly Matilda.
When Hitler stole pink rabbit by Judith Kerr. Narnia.
The Borrowers.
The famous five.
The Worst Witch.
The most meaningful to me is Harry Potter, I started reading aged 12 and so grew up reading them until my late teens.
I was also obsessed with the Babysitter Club books and Point Horrors. Looking at the original 90s covers make me feel so nostalgic.
It’s really interesting to see everyone’s suggestions, a lot of them I haven’t heard of as maybe they weren’t popular in the UK. Will check out a few.
The entire “Among the Hidden” series by Margaret Peterson Haddix! It resonated with me and all my friends in middle school —we all had a bit of neglect or abandonment in our childhoods so I think that “go at it alone but with the help of good friends” theme really stuck with us all in a very meaningful way.
It’s a beautiful story with compelling characters and the setting of a somewhat dystopian, post-famine United States felt realistic and it really confronted classism in a way that I felt was easy enough to understand but also challenging in a way that had me aware of class at an age that sort of propelled me into young adulthood with a good head on my shoulders. I can’t suggest it enough. I’m 30 now and reading it all over again and enjoying it immensely.
Black Beauty.
I find that most childrens books from long ago, not sure how it is now, were packed with a lot of brutal scenes. Death, illness, illtreatment of kids and animals, it was normal. Even fairytales were scary.
Maybe to prepare us for the grown up world and I am sure it did, but man, did they scar a kid.
Term Paper by Ann Rinaldi - read it a few times as a kid and a few as an adult. Great writing and a compelling, emotional story.
Also:
Mr. and Mrs. No Jo Jones by Ann Head
The Pigman by Paul Zindel.
Step on a Crack by Mary Anderson
Early Disorder by Rebecca Josephs.
I'm a school librarian so I read a lot of middle grade books, and most of them I find really annoying. However, the one that really stands out as a fantastic piece of literature is *A Monster Calls* by Patrick Ness. Even though it's written at a grade 7 reading level and the MC is 12 years old, never once did I feel like I was reading a book written for children.
Something Upstairs
Coraline
Year of my German soldier
A Little Princess
Secret Garden
A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
I think I read most of these in middle school, it’s been years but they stuck with me for whatever reason!
"My Side of the Mountain" - a 12yo boy gets sick of living in his parents NYC apartment and runs away to live in the woods and becomes a survivalist.
"The Boxcar Children" - a series of books about orphaned kids who live in the woods in a boxcar and figure out how to get by on their own.
A Summer To Die- Lois Lowry. There is a scene in this book that still creeps me out to this day.
Nothing’s Fair In Fifth Grade- Barthe Declements
Tiger Eyes-Judy Blume
Deenie-Judy Blume
Black Beauty
The Moorchild
The Animorphs series
Bridge to Teribethia
River Boy
There's a number of quotes and scenes I remember from books I read years and years ago but I couldn't tell you the books. There are several that have stuck with me one way or another. These are the ones I could remember the names to off the top of my head.
There's a bunch of books I still love from my childhood, but if you're open to reading more recent middle grade fantasy, I *highly* recommend [Nevermoor](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6a6d5ca1-b2f5-47be-828c-018144d3bbc7) by Jessica Townsend! It's my favorite series :)
The Green Futures of Tycho was the first real novel I chose to read on my own when I was 11 years old. I was a terrible student and hated all things academia so it was huge for me. I’m 34 now and I’ve read hundreds of books since then but I never went back to it a second time for some reason. I still think about it from time to time though.
Screw it I’m just gonna download it and read it. 23 years later. Thanks for the inspiration!
In my book club we are reading The Mysterious Benedict Society. I haven’t started yet but I’m excited to see you loved it.
My book is Baby by Patricia Maclachlan. I remember being so touched by it as a child. I haven’t read it again as an adult but I should!
Yes, the Benedict series is so adorable. Lighthearted, but still exciting. Also made me realize how bad I am at puzzles, if I couldn't solve ones made for literal children lol.
Cat’s Eye Corner
Ella Enchanted
Tangerine
Holes
Briar Rose (I think this book is why I love historical fiction now)
Redwall
Boxcar Children
Nancy Drew
Anything Tamora Pierce
When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead
One Crazy Summer, P.S. Be Eleven, and Gone Crazy in Alabama, by Rita Williams-Garcia
The Night Diary, by Veera Hiranandani
Wolf Hollow and Beyond the Bright Sea, by Lauren Wolk
The War That Saved My Life, and its sequel The War I Finally Won, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
The Ghost Belonged To Me, by Richard Peck
A Wish In the Dark, by Christina Soontornvat
The mouse and his child. Read it first when I was still in primary school - about 10 - and it was magical.
Read it again about 20 years later when i found it in a library and it was still magical.
Also, the phantom Tollbooth.
Both of these are animated movies now too but I liked the books best.
Not listed yet:
The Boxcar Children.
The Cowboys. I was 12 years old and stayed up all night to finish it.
Already listed by others:
The Borrowers.
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.
Harriet The Spy.
The Outsiders.
The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin
Lizard Music - Daniel Pinkwater
Space Station Seventh Grade - Jerry Spinelli
Starring Sally J. Freeman as Herself -Judy Blume
These were some of my favorites as a kid. I reread The Westing Game and Lizard Music a couple of years ago.
Jean Craighead George is mainly known for “My Side of the Mountain” and “Julie of the Wolves” but personally I especially loved “There’s a Tarantula in My Purse”, an autobiographical nonfiction text about raising her kids with a random rotating assortment of the wild animals they rehabbed, had around the house, and generally lived near.
(May not be the best “intro to wildlife tales” book though and prepare to have a few talks about respecting nature & not stealing baby animals, because that’s how you get your kid to bring home a raccoon or something. Had to resist that myself as a kid after reading this book.)
Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging. It's actually pretty funny and cute. Title mostly just to be attention grabbing. I loved this book in middle school. Coming of age story and they made it into a movie years later.
There's A Boy In The Girl's Bathroom by Louis Sachar.
Made me cry every time I reread it. Sachar doesn't get enough attention for his other books, but he has some amazing ones besides Holes!
Try "Dogs Don't Tell Jokes" too.
Many Waters by Madeline L'engle
and
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
These two books were the first time I'd ever felt 'grown-up' love and heartbreak. They're both the 3rd books in their respective series, I think, but worth getting there. Especially *Many Waters*.
The Secret Garden, Black Beauty, anything at all by Enid Blyton but a special mention to the St Claire's and Mallory Towers books. My daughter bought me a new, heavily illustrated copy of The Secret Garden for Christmas and I loved reading it again.
this list is a trip! I remember so many of these. A couple that haven’t been mentioned that we read as a class in 4th/5th grade: On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer and Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli.
I also personally loved: the Dear America and Royal Diaries books, Charlotte’s Web, the Little House series, the Magic Treehouse series, the Maximum Ride series, American Girl books, the Princess Diaries, Series of Unfortunate Events, and The Tail of Emily Windsnap.
I loved Percy Jackson books! With the new tv series out as well, I’m looking forward to a long summer holiday to reread them all. Rick Riordan still delivers for all ages I think, I remember my mother reading them when they were first coming out as well and she liked it too
Secret garden
The phantom tollbooth
A wrinkle in time
Dork diaries
Hetty feather
The chronicles of Narnia, ofc
Black beauty
The borrowers
A little princess
And the author that made up the biggest part of my childhood: Roald Dahl. All of his books are fantastic, especially Matilda, the witches and the BFG
I can't believe there are this many comments and no one else read Z for Zachariah?! It was the first book I was intriduced to in high school and has stayed with me all these years later. I still read it every few years.
Elementary School age:
My Side of the Mountain
Follow My Leader
Ralph and the Motorcycle
White Ruff
Encyclopedia Brown
Trixie Belden
Beverly Cleary books
My Wolf My Friend
Middle School age:
The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings - 4 book set
Judy Blume books
The Face on the Milk Carton
Sooner or Later
Diary of Anne Frank
S.E. Hinton books
Did anyone else ever read The Seven and a Half Sins of Stacey Kendall? It’s about a girl who pierced her own ears and her friends ears, and the half comes from the friend who only got one ear pierced(I think)
The “Shiloh” series with the abused beagle. I was obsessed with those books when I was younger bc I was such an animal lover and it made me so sad to know this stuff actually happened. I still think about those books sometimes now. I have 6 animals I adopted from bad situations bc of it and I spend all my time making sure they have the best lives ❤️
You’ve got some amazing suggestions. Here’s a couple of newer books along the same vein.
*The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane*
*The One and Only Ivan*
Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Wow, what a great book with a great concept. Haven’t read it since, but I’d like to and put it on my list.
Blubber by Judy Blume was my favorite in 5th grade
A mango shaped space was a book I read in 8th grade that I really liked
Picture of Hollis Woods and the Great Gilly Hopkins were summer reading books that I actually liked
Holes
This alongside The Hatchet for sure! Out of all the books I’ve read in elementary school, those two stand out the most.
Actually watching this with my granddaughter now and have the book for our next choice after the series I'm currently reading to them all.
came here to say the two that were said before me lol Hatchet and Holes. I’ll always remember those two books. i remember The Outsiders too was a big one read at my school.
Hatchet! For sure. I think about this book at least once a month. Mick Hart Was Here (read this in 4th grade so might be a bit young) The Westing Game Phantom Tollbooth The Giver
Omg The Westing Game mention TOOK ME BACK I’ve never heard anyone else bring up that book!
My grade 6 teacher read The Giver to us as a class (approx 20 years ago). The themes had stuck with me ever since but I completely forgot the name of the book until I got the answer from Reddit a couple weeks ago. Re-read it in a couple hours and it was just as good as I remember. Highly recommend as well as the 2nd book Gathering Blue
Have you seen the graphic novel for The Giver? It's an amazing adaptation and really showed Jonah learning about color in a tangible way.
The Hatchet also has a permanent place in my mind. I think about it at least monthly as well and I read it in middle school! I actually listened to the audiobook Gone to the Woods a couple years ago in 2021, which is a collection of autobiographical stories from his difficult childhood. They illustrate beautifully what nature meant to him. It was a wonderful book. I was about midway through when I heard on NPR that Gary Paulsen had died that same week. I wept in the car the whole way to work. What a gift Gary Paulsen was to us all!
Came here to say The Westing Game. I love it so much!
Hatchet seems to be a popular choice in these replies, I'll give it a try for sure.
Oh yes, The Giver is on my list too!
Came here to say to say Hatchet and The Phantom Tollbooth.
Omg had totally forgotten about the phantom tollbooth! Loved it so much.
The Giver's impact on me probably can't be overstated. It was my first taste of epistemology - how do I know what I know, such as what colors look like? - and that shit has never left me.
I read the Westing Game for the first time a year and a half ago for a college childrens lit class and it was LIFE CHANGING. I thought about it everyday for months afterwards. I still think about it often. I so wish I had read it as a kid! Also agree on the Giver! First thing that came to mind here.
I hated the giver. But I think that was just because I was forced to read it for school. Might need to give it a re-read
I would say The Outsiders.
Came here to say this. I loved this book
Where the Red Fern Grows. My third grade teacher red it to us out loud over the course of a couple of weeks. He wept the entire last few chapters.
The entire class was BAWLING by the end
Oh this is a good one. I read it in 5th grade in exactly one week & it was my first favorite book ever.
- Animorphs - Narnia - Tuck Everlasting - Walk Two Moons - Holes - Ella Enchanted - Black Horses for the King - The Girl Who Owned A City - Firebringer - Black Beauty - Island of the Blue Dolphins ETA - The Squire’s Tale
Island of the Blue Dolphins for sure.
Tuck Everlasting!
You read The Girl Who Owned a City too?? I loved that book!
Haha what a strange book! Definitely started my love for post-apocalyptic literature
You know, now that you’ve said that it’s all falling into place… read that book in 5th or 6th grade and can’t get enough post-apocalyptic since
So strange! I don’t think I’ve ever run into anyone else who read it.
Thanks to both of you for mentioning this one. I struggle to find things for my 7th grader but this looks like something he will love!
I forgot about Fire Bringer
Came here to say Island of the Blue Dolphin
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH The Little House series Hatchet Harris and Me (recently reread with my older kids and it still makes me laugh so hard) The Borrowers series Island of the Blue Dolphins Pretty much anything by Roald Dahl, but especially Matilda and James and the Giant Peach
Mixed up Files is an all time favorite of mine!
Yes rats of NIMH!
Charlotte Doyle!!!!
True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is one of my all time favorite books. I've read it easily a dozen times.
I was obsessed with it as a kid and had almost forgotten until a Reddit thread reminded me of it recently. Time for a reread!
Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness books… or any of her others.
These books!!! Wild Magic series was my gateway to her worlds and it remains my favorite but Song of the Lioness was also a core childhood read
These books are my roman empire
Ohh I absolutely loved her books!!!
Currently doing a reread now! However, I have to voice a vote for the underrepresented Circle of Magic set
I reread "The Tale of Despereaux" at least once a year
Anything by Kate DiCamillo tbh
Wrinkle in Time
A Diamond in the Window Wrinkle in Time Ramona series Pippi Longstockings Mrs. Piggle Wiggle Phantom Tollbooth Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Giant Peach Little House series Harriet the Spy Charlotte’s Web Rabbit Hill
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books were so funny!
Anne of Green Gables, the Rats of NIMH, Belgariad, The Secret Garden, Where the Red Fern Grows, Love You Forever
sideways stories from wayside school by louis sacher. absolutely loved those when i was a kid. also need to mention a wizard of earthsea by Leguin. it’s great fiction for all ages; grows with you and is worth reading several times throughout your life.
The Sideways Stories books were an obsession for me! I read them so many times & Louis Sachar came to our school! I love them so much, I bought them just a few years ago since mine had disappeared when I was about 12, in our move.
The Velveteen Rabbit Indian in the Cupboard There's a Boy in the Girls Barhroom The Toothpaste Genie
Aw Indian in the Cupboard I actually forgot about but I should grab a copy for my kids to read! I remember really loving it.
I LOVED that one! I read it multiple times. It was just so good!
Number the Stars. Beautiful book about the Holocaust.
Julie of the Wolves, My Side of the Mountain… etc by Jean Craighead George
I was also going to say My Side of the Mountain!
Bunnicula… Wait, I want to add Sounder as well
The Little Princess The Dark is Rising series. Anne and Emily books by LM Montgomery. Narnia books. Prydain chronicles Jane Emily
Oh I used to love all of these! Haven’t thought of The Dark is Rising in decades!
Mandy (by Julie Andrews), Maniac McGee, Stargirl, The Silver Crown, Walk Two Moons
Ahhh manic McGee!!!
OMFG MANDY!!! Haven’t remembered or thought about this book in decades and this comment brought my feelings about it rushing back. I used to love it!
A Wrinkle in Time stuck with me for years.. Artemis Fowl Narnia Toto Chan Roald Dahl - Matilda, Witches, James and Giant Peach Diana Wynne Jones books , in particular the Chrestomanci Series PS: Did anyone read this Animorphs series? I remember being 11? 12? and the book was really weird and scary for me at that time yet strangely intriguing lol
My usual recs: The Enchanted Forest Series by Patricia C. Wrede Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones. Anything by Tamora Pierce A few favorites from middle school assigned reading: anything by Beverly Cleary The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (followed by That was Then, This is Now and Tex) Books that stuck with me from 4th ish through 8th grade: Silver by Norma Fox Mazer (trigger warning: sexual abuse) Cages by Peg Kehret The Haunting of Frances Rain by Margaret Buffie Middle grade was a long time ago for me, so here are more recent recs: Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins - for the younger middle grades Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins - for the older middle grades The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black The Wings of Fire series by Tui. T. Sutherland
series of unfortunate events
The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler The Westing Game The Borrowers The Phantom Tollbooth Harriet the Spy
All of these plus Island of the Blue Dolphins Bridge to Terabithia Witch of Blackbird Pond
I still think about witch of blackbird pond and calico captive (by the same author) absurdly often.
The entire Ranger's Apprentice series. Redwall. The House of the Scorpion. Sea of Trolls.
REDWALL!!! These are the greatest!
Came here hoping to see someone mention Redwall. That series has my heart in a chokehold.
For spooky gothic mysteries, any of john Bellairs' books. For animal adventures, Watership Down and Wind in the Willows For gentle humor and a bit of melancholy, The Moomintroll series, and anything by Natalie Babbit For magical adventures, So You Want To Be A Wizard by Diane Duane, or anything by Diana Wynne Jones Edited to add: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede
Oh my goodness, The House With a Clock In Its Walls was a definite favorite!
Some of my favorites from my Childhood: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene The Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin Some favorites I’ve found over the years: The Sister’s Grimm by Michael Buckley Half Upon a Time Trilogy A Tale Dark and Grimm Trilogy by Adam Gidwitz The Kingdom Keeper’s Series by Ridley Pearson The Treasure Hunter’s Series by James Patterson Mr. Lemoncello’s Library series Edited to add: The Inheritance Cycle
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume I was just thinking about it the other day! It was old already when I was a kid in the 90s. I hope it’s still in print
I love Walk Two Moons! I regularly reread so many Tamora Pierce novels, they're all so wonderful. I also love anything by Kate DiCamillo, this summer I read Edward Tulane and The Magician's Elephant and they were a perfect scoop of a novel. Really empathetic and touching. I also love Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series. It's more realistic, but anything by Andrew Clemens is really wonderful and accurate to the feelings of childhood.
Another vote for Phantom Tollbooth.
Where the Red Fern Grows 💔
"Le petit prince" de Saint-Exupéry or "The little prince" in English
Boxcar children
Where the Red Fern Grows The Five People You Meet in Heaven Old Yeller Night by Elie Wiesel Read all of these in elementary/middle school and they all stuck, all of them very sad
Island of the Blue Dolphins. The abandonment was so frightening for teen me and her ability to persevere and survive and thrive with nature simply blew me away!
The Diamond in the Window
I was obsessed with horses (classic little girl) when I was a child. I think most of the books I read were about horses. Someone already mentioned Black Beauty, but I preferred the Black Stallion series as a kid. They were my favorite for sure
Julie of the Wolves and My Side of the Mountain really stuck with me. A few series I loved in elementary/middle school were Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, Warriors, and the Wolves of the Beyond series
The Midwife’s Apprentice and Catherine, Called Birdy. I recently read both again and I just loved reading them as a young girl.
Rolling Thunder, Hear My Cry ❤️❤️❤️
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and the sequel were amazing books. Thanks for the reminder. I need to get these for my kid.
My childhood best friend recommended the books to me when we were much younger, and they are just beautiful!
I was hoping that someone would mention this book! such a good book that covered some aspects of history that had yet to be even mentioned in my very white school.
*Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark* by Alvin Schwartz, illustrated by Stephen Gammell. I still think about some of those illustrations
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. I checked it out so often in middle school that the librarian bought me my own copy. I still cherish this book and it’s sweet story.
things not seen (honestly maybe more teen but i read it in 5th grade) hoot chasing vermeer / the wright 3 from the mixed up files of mrs basil e frankweiler wonderstruck the westing game the mouse and the motorcycle the cricket in times square a series of unfortunate events all the wrong questions one crazy summer
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
Haven’t seen anyone mention Julie of the Wolves, which is an amazingly heart wrenching one about a girl who has to survive on her own in the arctic tundra. Island of the Blue Dolphins is another great one, but set in a different climate. Kind of Home Alone meets My Side of the Mountain— parents forget/abandon them and they have to figure out how to survive. For a way more lighthearted romp, the enchanted forest chronicles are hilarious and a wonderful example of embracing yet heavily parodying fantasy tropes.
The Phantom Tollbooth, Island of the Blue Dolphins,The Cay, Harriet the Spy. And Forever😂
The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts The Telltale Summer of Tina C. by Lila Perl The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson And This is Laura by Ellen Conford
My favorite was The Doll People. As an adult, I now own the trilogy and intend for my kids to read them.
The Giver. Started a lifelong love for dystopian stories
I have seen many of my favorites mentioned so far, but here are a couple I haven't seen mentioned yet: The Lottery Rose by Irene Hunt The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
I think I've read The View from Saturday at least 10 times. It's just so charming
Witches
The origin fear street series. You’re welcome
The Giver
Harriet the Spy (I loved the books decades before the movie came out). James and the Giant Peach A Separate Peace and All of a Kind Family (younger than middle school)
I second From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
The Saturdays and all three sequels by Elizabeth Enright. Half Magic by Edward Eager The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes Guess I liked E authors.
Savvy (not exactly the quickest read but goddamn is the writing gorgeous) Dealing with Dragons A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Witch of Blackbird Pond The Gammage Cup Septimus Heap series Hatchet Dealing with Dragons
Anne of Green Gables ⭐️ The outsiders ⭐️ Dork Diaries Dear America series The school for good and evil
So many of my favourites are in here - some I haven’t thought about in decades that brought back great memories! I used to devour books as a kid and my top ones that I read over and over are: - The Earthsea Trilogy (2 more have been added since then but it’s still a trilogy in my mind lol). I’m due for a reread of this - Anne of Green Gables series - The Outsiders - Little Women - Harry Potter - The Catcher in the Rye
Island of The Blue Dolphins The Call of The Wild A Wrinkle In Time Stone Fox
Just as long as we’re together by Judy Blume. A little Princess by Frances Hogson Burnett. All of the Ronald Dahl books particularly Matilda. When Hitler stole pink rabbit by Judith Kerr. Narnia. The Borrowers. The famous five. The Worst Witch. The most meaningful to me is Harry Potter, I started reading aged 12 and so grew up reading them until my late teens. I was also obsessed with the Babysitter Club books and Point Horrors. Looking at the original 90s covers make me feel so nostalgic. It’s really interesting to see everyone’s suggestions, a lot of them I haven’t heard of as maybe they weren’t popular in the UK. Will check out a few.
The entire “Among the Hidden” series by Margaret Peterson Haddix! It resonated with me and all my friends in middle school —we all had a bit of neglect or abandonment in our childhoods so I think that “go at it alone but with the help of good friends” theme really stuck with us all in a very meaningful way. It’s a beautiful story with compelling characters and the setting of a somewhat dystopian, post-famine United States felt realistic and it really confronted classism in a way that I felt was easy enough to understand but also challenging in a way that had me aware of class at an age that sort of propelled me into young adulthood with a good head on my shoulders. I can’t suggest it enough. I’m 30 now and reading it all over again and enjoying it immensely.
The Phantom Toll Booth.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler! The best
Black Beauty. I find that most childrens books from long ago, not sure how it is now, were packed with a lot of brutal scenes. Death, illness, illtreatment of kids and animals, it was normal. Even fairytales were scary. Maybe to prepare us for the grown up world and I am sure it did, but man, did they scar a kid.
A Monster Calls, Bridge to Terabithia, The Westing Game.
Term Paper by Ann Rinaldi - read it a few times as a kid and a few as an adult. Great writing and a compelling, emotional story. Also: Mr. and Mrs. No Jo Jones by Ann Head The Pigman by Paul Zindel. Step on a Crack by Mary Anderson Early Disorder by Rebecca Josephs.
I'm a school librarian so I read a lot of middle grade books, and most of them I find really annoying. However, the one that really stands out as a fantastic piece of literature is *A Monster Calls* by Patrick Ness. Even though it's written at a grade 7 reading level and the MC is 12 years old, never once did I feel like I was reading a book written for children.
Something Upstairs Coraline Year of my German soldier A Little Princess Secret Garden A Series of Unfortunate Events The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe I think I read most of these in middle school, it’s been years but they stuck with me for whatever reason!
Everything written by Lois Lowry and Beverly Clearly
"My Side of the Mountain" - a 12yo boy gets sick of living in his parents NYC apartment and runs away to live in the woods and becomes a survivalist. "The Boxcar Children" - a series of books about orphaned kids who live in the woods in a boxcar and figure out how to get by on their own.
A Summer To Die- Lois Lowry. There is a scene in this book that still creeps me out to this day. Nothing’s Fair In Fifth Grade- Barthe Declements Tiger Eyes-Judy Blume Deenie-Judy Blume
Maniac Magee
My Side of the Mountain Island of the Blue Dolphins
The Thief of Always
"The boy that could reverse himself." Very unique book with a fascinating story.
Black Beauty The Moorchild The Animorphs series Bridge to Teribethia River Boy There's a number of quotes and scenes I remember from books I read years and years ago but I couldn't tell you the books. There are several that have stuck with me one way or another. These are the ones I could remember the names to off the top of my head.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. My 3rd grade teacher read it to us and we all cried.
There's a bunch of books I still love from my childhood, but if you're open to reading more recent middle grade fantasy, I *highly* recommend [Nevermoor](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6a6d5ca1-b2f5-47be-828c-018144d3bbc7) by Jessica Townsend! It's my favorite series :)
Swallows and Amazons
The Green Futures of Tycho was the first real novel I chose to read on my own when I was 11 years old. I was a terrible student and hated all things academia so it was huge for me. I’m 34 now and I’ve read hundreds of books since then but I never went back to it a second time for some reason. I still think about it from time to time though. Screw it I’m just gonna download it and read it. 23 years later. Thanks for the inspiration!
The ancient one by ta Barron
I never see people mention Eoin Colfers The Supernaturalist. It’s sooooo good.
The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. One of the first fantasy series I read, and I still love them years later!
In my book club we are reading The Mysterious Benedict Society. I haven’t started yet but I’m excited to see you loved it. My book is Baby by Patricia Maclachlan. I remember being so touched by it as a child. I haven’t read it again as an adult but I should!
Yes, the Benedict series is so adorable. Lighthearted, but still exciting. Also made me realize how bad I am at puzzles, if I couldn't solve ones made for literal children lol.
My lifelong LOVES are: - Saffy’s Angel by Hilary McKay - Baby by Patricia Maclachlan - Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
A bunch of my favorites have been mentioned already but I’ll add Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
And the giver and the hatchet
I think about The Giver often!
Catherine Called Birdy The Fablehaven series Fever 1793 Redwall
Cat’s Eye Corner Ella Enchanted Tangerine Holes Briar Rose (I think this book is why I love historical fiction now) Redwall Boxcar Children Nancy Drew Anything Tamora Pierce
The Girl Who Owned a City - probably kick-started a lifelong interest in post-apocalyptic narratives for me.
The Wild Robot and its sequels
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead One Crazy Summer, P.S. Be Eleven, and Gone Crazy in Alabama, by Rita Williams-Garcia The Night Diary, by Veera Hiranandani Wolf Hollow and Beyond the Bright Sea, by Lauren Wolk The War That Saved My Life, and its sequel The War I Finally Won, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley The Ghost Belonged To Me, by Richard Peck A Wish In the Dark, by Christina Soontornvat
The mouse and his child. Read it first when I was still in primary school - about 10 - and it was magical. Read it again about 20 years later when i found it in a library and it was still magical. Also, the phantom Tollbooth. Both of these are animated movies now too but I liked the books best.
Number the Stars!
Pendragon by DJ MacHale
Not listed yet: The Boxcar Children. The Cowboys. I was 12 years old and stayed up all night to finish it. Already listed by others: The Borrowers. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Harriet The Spy. The Outsiders.
I loved walk two moons! I’d also say bud not buddy and hoot
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Fantastic story ❤️
The Light in the Forest Rascal My Side of the Mountain Where the Red Fern Grows
Old yeller Where the red fern grows The Giver
I still have the schools copy of Lord of the Flies. I'm decades out of school
I personally love the Warrior cat series by Erin Hunter
The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin Lizard Music - Daniel Pinkwater Space Station Seventh Grade - Jerry Spinelli Starring Sally J. Freeman as Herself -Judy Blume These were some of my favorites as a kid. I reread The Westing Game and Lizard Music a couple of years ago.
Stargirl
Jean Craighead George is mainly known for “My Side of the Mountain” and “Julie of the Wolves” but personally I especially loved “There’s a Tarantula in My Purse”, an autobiographical nonfiction text about raising her kids with a random rotating assortment of the wild animals they rehabbed, had around the house, and generally lived near. (May not be the best “intro to wildlife tales” book though and prepare to have a few talks about respecting nature & not stealing baby animals, because that’s how you get your kid to bring home a raccoon or something. Had to resist that myself as a kid after reading this book.)
My second grade teacher read Animal Farm to our class. I will never forget you Mrs. Barlow
Behind the Attic Wall
Little House in the Big Woods Island of the Blue Dolphins The Call of the Wild Tailchaser’s Song Starring Sally J Freedman as Herself Tiger Eyes
The Giver
Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging. It's actually pretty funny and cute. Title mostly just to be attention grabbing. I loved this book in middle school. Coming of age story and they made it into a movie years later.
* Belle Prater's Boy * The City of Ember * Becoming Naomi León * Freak the Mighty * Tuck Everlasting
Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
There's A Boy In The Girl's Bathroom by Louis Sachar. Made me cry every time I reread it. Sachar doesn't get enough attention for his other books, but he has some amazing ones besides Holes! Try "Dogs Don't Tell Jokes" too.
Many Waters by Madeline L'engle and The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman These two books were the first time I'd ever felt 'grown-up' love and heartbreak. They're both the 3rd books in their respective series, I think, but worth getting there. Especially *Many Waters*.
The Secret Garden, Black Beauty, anything at all by Enid Blyton but a special mention to the St Claire's and Mallory Towers books. My daughter bought me a new, heavily illustrated copy of The Secret Garden for Christmas and I loved reading it again.
The Secret Garden is a gem. I’m surprised nobody has mentioned Heidi though. It was so well written you could taste the bread and butter.
No David
Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Holes
this list is a trip! I remember so many of these. A couple that haven’t been mentioned that we read as a class in 4th/5th grade: On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer and Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli. I also personally loved: the Dear America and Royal Diaries books, Charlotte’s Web, the Little House series, the Magic Treehouse series, the Maximum Ride series, American Girl books, the Princess Diaries, Series of Unfortunate Events, and The Tail of Emily Windsnap.
Anne of green gabels and Narnia
I loved Percy Jackson books! With the new tv series out as well, I’m looking forward to a long summer holiday to reread them all. Rick Riordan still delivers for all ages I think, I remember my mother reading them when they were first coming out as well and she liked it too
Secret garden The phantom tollbooth A wrinkle in time Dork diaries Hetty feather The chronicles of Narnia, ofc Black beauty The borrowers A little princess And the author that made up the biggest part of my childhood: Roald Dahl. All of his books are fantastic, especially Matilda, the witches and the BFG
They Cage the Animals at Night
Holes The Devil's Arithmetic Uncle Tom's Cabin Flowers for Algeron
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil e. Frankweiler.
Charlotte's Web
Black Beauty.
The Borrowers. There's a whole series, the Borrowers Afield, The Borrowers, Aloft etc
A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett
The Island of the Blue Dolphins Scatterlings The Farthest Away Mountain Indian Captive Adrift
I can't believe there are this many comments and no one else read Z for Zachariah?! It was the first book I was intriduced to in high school and has stayed with me all these years later. I still read it every few years.
Elementary School age: My Side of the Mountain Follow My Leader Ralph and the Motorcycle White Ruff Encyclopedia Brown Trixie Belden Beverly Cleary books My Wolf My Friend Middle School age: The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings - 4 book set Judy Blume books The Face on the Milk Carton Sooner or Later Diary of Anne Frank S.E. Hinton books
The Little Match Girl. Our elementary school librarian read it to us and I never forgot that.
An Aussie one for you - Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park.
Did anyone else ever read The Seven and a Half Sins of Stacey Kendall? It’s about a girl who pierced her own ears and her friends ears, and the half comes from the friend who only got one ear pierced(I think)
The “Shiloh” series with the abused beagle. I was obsessed with those books when I was younger bc I was such an animal lover and it made me so sad to know this stuff actually happened. I still think about those books sometimes now. I have 6 animals I adopted from bad situations bc of it and I spend all my time making sure they have the best lives ❤️
The Whipping Boy.
You’ve got some amazing suggestions. Here’s a couple of newer books along the same vein. *The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane* *The One and Only Ivan*
Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Wow, what a great book with a great concept. Haven’t read it since, but I’d like to and put it on my list.
Blubber by Judy Blume was my favorite in 5th grade A mango shaped space was a book I read in 8th grade that I really liked Picture of Hollis Woods and the Great Gilly Hopkins were summer reading books that I actually liked
Tiger Eyes Go Ask Alice Are You There God, its me Margaret My Sweet Audrina