READATHON HOUR 2 MINI-CHALLENGE: OUR BOOKISH CHILDHOODS
If you’re like me, you can’t remember what life was like before you learned how to read. (And you probably don’t want to.) We bookworms have been doing this so long it’s as natural as breathing. Some of us learned young, others learned later in life, but we all have one thing in common: someone read to us when we were growing up and kicked off our lifelong love of reading and books. Some important person in our lives took the time to sit with us and enunciate and turn pages and laugh and generally bond over a book. No matter how long it’s been, these are precious memories for most of us.
For this mini-challenge, I thought it would be fun to take a stroll down memory lane and link our TOP 5 BOOKISH CHILDHOOD MOMENTS with the PEOPLE and the BOOKS that made them so special! It’s pretty simple, as long as you’ve got your memories! I will start things off with my own TOP 5 BOOKISH CHILDHOOD MOMENTS as an example you can follow. I hope it doesn’t take any time at all for the childhood memories to come flooding back and re-ignite the young reader in everyone! (By the way, don’t worry about linking your titles; just type a quick post with your top 5 books/moments if you are pressed for time.) UNFORTUNATELY, I CANNOT OFFER A PRIZE FOR THIS MINI-CHALLENGE BUT NEVER FEAR, THE AWESOME PEOPLE BEHIND THIS EVENT HAVE PRIZES FOR YOU TO CHOOSE FROM IF YOU CLICK THIS LINK: 24hourreadathon.com.
1) My first memorable book experience surrounded The Poky Little Puppy. I remember my mother reading it to me and me reading it later on. I still have a well-read Little Golden Book copy of this childhood classic, and I still smile when thinking about it.
2) Charlotte’s Web…that is all!
3) Another book experience was being about seven or eight years old and really loving the entire series of The Babysitter’s Club. Once I learned to read, I was all about these little-girl books. (I can’t remember my favorite character…was it Claudia? Mary-Anne?)
4) Growing up and entering puberty I was all about the blonde sisters of Sweet Valley High. I only read and owned a few titles but man did I enjoy them!
5) I grew up during the awesome days of Nickelodeon and much of my reading revolved around TV shows on that network, including: The Secret World of Alex Mack, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Goosebumps, Fear Street, and so many others that won’t fit into a mini-challenge post!
What about YOU? Can’t wait to relive our bookish childhoods with everyone!
AND NOW ON TO HOUR 3! HAPPY READING!!!
{ pages for breakfast } 
Unfortunately, I grew up in a household that didn’t encourage and foster a love of reading. I don’t remember ever being read to ad a child.
My love for reading came later, as a pre-teen, because I was often alone and needed something to do other than play video games to keep occupied. Stories like The Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter sparked the flame that would turn into a full fledged passion for reading. I suppose my teachers at school read to me, so that probably slowly encouraged me to read, though it took some time.
So I do have stories from my younger days I remember fondly, but they were ones I had to discover on my own.
Anyway, I’m excited for the readathon! Lol. I will be doing some light reading but mostly cheerleading.
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We all come to this Book World from different places. Glad you’re one of us lol. “See” you tomorrow for the ‘thon!
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Thanks for linking up!
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I started reading somewhat later in life (teen years) and never stopped since. My favorites were Nancy drew, Hardy Boys. 😀
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Nancy Drew!
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My parents didn’t read to me, not that I can remember. But mom always encouraged me to do it myself. I remember the first “big” book I fead and couldn’t put down was Harriet the Spy! Loved her!
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I didn’t read Harriet the Spy but was aware of it. Good on ya Mom for encouraging your child to read!
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1) Being read to by my parents – I can’t remember a time when we didn’t have books in the house or in my bedroom.
2) The Harry Potter series was the first series I read all by myself, all the way through. I devoured those books!
3) I used to listen to audio books to go to sleep, and I always loved checking out “The Farthest Away Mountain” from the library to listen to at night. I think I listened to it twenty or thirty times!
4) There was a time when I was obsessed with the Goosebumps and Fear Street books. I even saw R.L. Stine when he came to my local bookstore and he was just as creepy as his picture in the back on his books.
5) Judy Blume. What more do I have to say?
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Good memories and thanks for sharing. HP is on almost everyone’s list! Goosebumps and Fear Street were some of my favorites as well. I missed out on Judy Blume somehow when I was younger…
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1. I remember my Great-Grandma reading me “You’re in Love, Charlie Brown” at her house. When she passed away it was the first thing I asked to have.
2. I remember reading a children’s book over and over that was letters secretly left in a mailbox. I don’t know the title but I still love books with letter today.
3. I remember joining the library summer reading program and reading as much as I could right away.
4. I remember checking out a book on tape to learn how to speak French. I check it out so much and then ended up taking French in high school 4 years. Still a goal to get to Paris.
5. I remember admiring all the pretty books whenever I went to someone’s house. I loved beautiful books!
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Link to answer on Facebook group:
https://m.facebook.com/groups/1005896992823845?view=permalink&id=1012070405539837
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Thanks for sharing your memories, all good reading milestones!
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I wouldn’t say I have 5 exact memories… but I know for sure I loved when my dad read to me. I’d even love it right now and I wish he’ll do it again. He has such a good voice for reading to children!! He should do this as a job 😀 ❤
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I didn’t grow up in a house hold that read. However, I had a special reading teacher that had a bathtub in her room and you could read in it.
I loved the Babysitters Club, Sween Valley High, and R.L. Stine before goosebumps.
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My parents and elementary teachers read to me and sometimes I read Guideposts to my parents. My favorite young childhood books were Mercer Mayer and Eric Carle. Over time my top book of all time would be Bridge to Terabithia. Just watched the movie not too long ago to remind me why I love the story so much. Everyone needs an escape. Books are my escape!
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Oh this is so nostalgic
1. I dont remember this all too well, just a few flashbacks but my mum told me that as a toddler I used to grab my picture books, and walk out to the front porch and ask her to “tell the story” every single day.
2. When I was six, I picked up The BFG and Matilda and there started my Roald Dahl phase. He is still one of my favorite people ever!
3. HARRY POTTER
4. In middle school I got in to Eva Ibbotson’s stuff like Journey To The River Sea and Star of Kazan cause for me back then the whole historical fiction thing was really cool
5. Definitely went through a major Jacqueline Wilson and Cathy Cassidy phase when I was 12 years old. This went on for a few years…haha
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So, my first isn’t so much a memory as a memory of being told the story…
~ When I was really young, my parents threw me a family birthday party. Extended family drove several hours to visit, that kind of thing. Apparently, not long into everyone being there I decided I was done and I disappeared to my room….to read.
~ Finishing Clan Of The Cave Bear for the first time.
~ Realizing my husband was The One when we sat next to each other on the couch reading our respective books.
~ Sweet Valley High when they go to France? It’s probably 90% responsible for my taking French instead of Spanish in school.
~ Testing as “post high school” reading level in 7th grade and having the teacher basically say, “Read whatever you want, just log enough points to make the grade.”
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I put mine up on my blog! 🙂
http://thebookmonsters.com/12903-2/
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I became a reader 2 years ago, at the ago of 26, so reading wasn’t a part of my life before this, BUT somehow I was easily able to come up with five things:
1. I remember asking my mom to read Disney’s novelization of Sleeping Beauty (with pictures!) when I was a little girl, still in Poland. She must have been reading it to me in Polish. I always fell asleep during the first pages, but I liked that my mom was doing something like mom’s did on TV.
2. Somehow my dad memorized a short audiobook (in Polish) of Ali Baba and the Cave of Wonders story, and he told it to me sometimes in his dramatic opera voice.
3. I was in the 5th grade the first time I read an actual novel. It was The Diary of Eric Von Bloodaxe or something. I felt so proud of myself for reading an “actual novel”. Before, during, and a long time after this, I thought books were too long for anyone to ever really be able to finish one.
4. I was given A Wrinkle In Time as a gift from a friend during junior high school. She said that the book was weird like me so that I’d probably love it. I read it and loved it then and re-read it and ADORED it this year.
5. I read a lot of manga throughout my life. I remember especially during my time as an undergrad, I read as many long shoujo manga series as my heart could handle.
This was fun! Thank you for the walk down memory lane. 🙂
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TOP 5 BOOKISH CHILDHOOD MOMENTS
1. Receiving the first Harry Potter from my mum for Easter and entering this wonderfully magical world.
2. Starting and finishing a book (sorry, can’t remember the title but it was short) in one day for the first time when I was about 8 or 9.
3. Reading a ‘choose your own adventure’ book with my brother and mum at night time (again, sadly don’t remember the title).
4. Entering my godparent’s living room for the first time and seeing 100s of books in one place.
5. The smell of our local library.
Thanks for a great mini challenge!
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I will give my top 3, the ones that stayed with me strongest. Most are connected to my father, a wonderful man that opened this world to me before I started school. He is in the next room now, supporting this event too.
3. Riders of the Purple Sage, Z. Grey. The first and the last romantic book that shook me to my bones. One day my dad came back from the library with it, just saying “try it”. And so I did.
2. Winnetou, also my father’s recommendation. I remember carrying the last book of the series with me for a while after finishing it, not being able to let it go.
1. This is the reason I only wrote 3, because this one here has at least 10 titles in it. When I was 7-13, my teacher had us in a drama class and we would perform their works for authors that would visit local library. Later we could ask them questions and just hang out with them. Nothing compares.
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Luckily I did grow up with a love of books, though my mom got increasingly angry with me that I would be in my room reading instead of doing chores. Here are my favorite book memories:
1. Goodnight Moon – This is the only book I really remember my parents reading to me.
2. Seuss’ Hop on Pop (and Berenstain Bears books) – My older brother read this book to me and made me laugh for hours.
3. Little House on the Prarie Series – My mom gave me this collection when I was young. I am going to reread the first book in this series “Little House in the Big Woods” today.
4. Cam Jansen Mysteries – I was obsessed with this series when I was very young that led to my love of mysteries.
5. My love of mysteries continued into young adult life by reading Nancy Drew and Murder She Wrote books. I also read a lot of Fear Street novels.
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https://thewickedbookworm.squarespace.com/news/2016/4/23/our-bookish-childhoods
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I started reading somewhat late (teen years), but have not stopped since. Some of my early favorites we’re Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys.😀
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1) Reading and collecting all of the Bearenstein Bear books as a young child. Loved them!
2) Alternating chapters of The Little House on the Prairie with my mom on our back porch swing in the summer when I was 5-6
3) The Baby-Sitters Club. Soooo obsessed with them when I was 7 and 8 (and on until I was much older!)
4) R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike in late elementary school. Loved to be scared by them!
5) Caroline B. Cooney’s The Face on the Milk Carton. Must’ve read that a thousand times in my early teens!
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Great memories of childhood!
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Ohhh… I can’t remember all the books I read during my childhood, but books like, “Dystopia” by Dennis Jürgensen, “Beetles fly at dusk” by Maria Gripe and “Smilla’s Sense of Snow” by Peter Høeg was the reason for my love for reading. 🙂
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My top five bookish moments of my childhood:
1) The Pokey little Puppy. I made my mom read that thing so many times
2) Creating a fort in my closet and reading Narnia when things got rough at home
3) Goosebumps and Babysitters club became my get away
4) The magical smell of Scholastic BOOK fairs.
5) Watching Wishbone, Goosebumps, and the Babysitters club movies/tv shows and then re reading the books!
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Yes to ALL of these!
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All I did was read as a kid. I read everything realistic fiction, did not like fantasy,except maybe the Wizard of Oz. I received a gorgeous copy of that book when I was 7 and living in Venezuela. Still have it, 40 years later. Other fond book memories- reading and rereading the Little House series, loving Nancy Drew and other mysteries, scholastic book orders, spending hours with my younger siblings and the Richard Scarry books. I could go on, but we did read a lot in our house. Luckily mom is a reader. 🙂
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I forgot about Richard Scarry, yes! It’s always a blessing when a parent is a reader themselves.
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1. My Dad reading “The Monster at the End of this Book” in Grover’s voice (which is quite good). I must have asked him to read that hundreds of times and if he ever tired of it, he never let me know!
2. My Dad finding me reading Genesis in the Bible & trying to convince me to read some parts that might be more interesting to my 8yo self (stories, etc.), but me insisting that I start at the beginning! Lots of “begats”!
3. My mom introducing me to Little Women. It remains my all-time favorite & I am blessed to own my late grandmother’s well-worn copy.
4. Narnia. I still have my childhood set.
5. Like so many girls, Little House on the Prairie & Anne of Green Gables.
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All of these memories are wonderfully expressed.
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I always remember sitting on my bed at my Nana’s house and she would read classic Disney stories to my sister and me. She read them so much we learned all the words before we could read. My nana has now given me these books for my classroom.
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I simply grew up in a reading family, and loved it, including the stories how my granddad brought so many books for him and my mother on holidays, that if my grandmum didn’t watch out the whole trunk would be packed with books xD
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1-The Serendipity books. They were the first books I ever owned.
2-Hank the Cowdog- When I was in 2nd grade most students could only select books from a certain part of the library but the top 5 students (myself included) got the full range of choices. This was the first book I ever checked out.
3-Nancy Drew- My favorites in 3rd and 4th grade to read.
4-Star Wars books- first discovered these in 6th grade. I knew of the moves but never knew there were books that went beyond them. I fist fell in love with the young Jedi Knights books and it grew from there.
5-Sweet Valley HIgh and University.-Like you I grew up with them, And adored the books. Even had the board game!
Thanks for hosting this fun challenge to get my mind working to wake up and a comfy stroll down memory lane!
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Thanks for sharing!
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My top-five childhood bookish memories. Such a fun idea! Thanks for hosting!
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Do I just leave my link in the comments? Here it is anyway!
http://musingsofabookshopgirl.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/deweys-24-hour-readathon-hours-0-4.html
What a lovely first challenge of the day. 🙂
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1. I was a big fan of the Babysitters Club in elementary school too! The extra long Super Specials were great. Currently I am enjoying the graphic novel adaptations illustrated by Raina Telgemeier!
2. Another favorite series was Anne of Green Gables. I’d love to visit Prince Edward Island someday!
3. Loved my worn out copy of Harriet the Spy!
4. The works of Roald Dahl such as Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory captured my imagination!
5. Reading my first fantasy novels as a kid. One of my favorite ones is still Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
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Lovely memories!
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hmm.. 5 bookish moments?
I remember my mother reading books to me before going to bed. Apparently she could not modify even one sentence because I would have called out on it haha. She had to read it exactly as it was.
I remember that I had LOTS of tapes with stories on it. Heidi and the such. And I would listen to it all the time. I had days that I would listen to a tape on repeat all day – my repeat music habit must have been consolidated back then.
I remember this awesome detective book about a black umbrella – I read it so many times!
My favourite childhood book was the Cat Muri. I have a black cat and her name is Muri, too. (I did have one back then, too – black and named Muri).
I still remember the poster in elementary school with a flower under your name, where the teacher would colour it (one piece) for each book you read. When you filled the whole flower she would add petals to it to colour it. Now that I think of it – it was a pretty awesome idea!
And wow, this was a great challenge. I thought 5 was a lot, but once you get going memories just pop up! So cool!
Happy readathon and good luck! 🙂 🙂 😉
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Thanks for sharing! Great memories, all.
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I’m not sure I have five separate reading memories. My mom read to me all the time. It was an activity we did just like playing hide-and-seek or building Lego houses or riding our bicycles together. It wasn’t something reserved for bedtime or when I was sick. It was an all-the-time, anytime activity so the memories have blurred together for me.
I do have one distinct memory of bringing a book to my mom when she was sick in bed and asking if she could read to me. She said she couldn’t and she was sorry. So I read to her in my halting, I-don’t-quite-know-that-word childish way. She says it’s one of her favorite memories from my childhood to this day.
Another is my kindergarten teacher’s astonishment that I could read at an ‘intermediate’ level on the first day of school because my mom taught me to read before I started school.
And probably a fourth, and the final one I can think of, is discovering the school library. I grew up in a rural area with the nearest library we could borrow from at least fifteen miles away. The books my mom read to me are books she bought for me. The first time I walked into the school library and saw hundreds of books on the shelves, I remember deciding I would read them all. As it turns out, I’m a bigger fan of re-reading than comprehensive reading. The school librarian once gave me a “prize” for checking out a single book (Dear Mr. Henshaw) more times than anyone had ever done that before. Maybe we’ll count that as a fifth and separate memory.
Also posted on my blog: http://afieldofheather.tumblr.com/post/143265731001/childhood-reading-memories
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These are wonderful memories, thanks for sharing. I especially love the one where you read to your mother when she wasn’t feeling well.
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I posted mine to my blog but here is a copy:
1) Growing up, I really do not remember my mom reading me books but I do remember getting my first copy of the Boxcar Children at a young age and starting my love a reading mysteries.
2) After reading many of the Boxcar Children that my cousin and I both owned over time, I came across some of my mom’s old Nancy Drew books.
3) I never was a fan of horror books but I also remember getting some of the Goosebumps choose your own adventure books and all I ever did was end the book early before it got too bad.
4) My brother one year received the first 4 Harry Pottter books for Christmas giving me the chance to fall in love with reading all over again in High School.
5) Last but not least finding friends who liked the same books as me, someone I could talk to share book with and get suggestions on what I should read next.
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Thanks for sharing your memories! I love number 3, how you didn’t get to the end to get too frightened!
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Here is mine: http://jaynesbooks.blogspot.ca/2016/04/readathon-hour-2-mini-challenge-our.html
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1. [book:My Little Golden Book About God|1763874] – The first book my mother ever bought and read to me.
2. [book:Matilda|39988] – When I was 10 my best friend suggest I read this. I was a late bloomer and this was the first book I read myself that wasn’t a picture book.
3. [book:The Hobbit|5907] – My best friend introduced me to my first fantasy novel when I was 12. Thus, began my love for the genre.
4. Goosebumps and Fear street series – following Matilda I gorged myself on these two series. Once again introduced by said best friend.
5. [book:Written on the Body|15054] – My english teacher introduced me to this because she thought the writing style was something that would appeal to me. I still think it’s such a beautiful read to this day.
Cross posting on Dewey’s site. 🙂
Thanks for hosting this hour!
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Thanks for sharing your memories!
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My top 5 bookish memories are here—https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/18076585-sarah-s-reading-revels.
Thanks for the walk down memory lane!
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Here is a link to my post on this topic! I love this idea so much. 🙂 Books were such a big part of my childhood. They helped me become who I am today and I am so grateful for that. Thank you for sharing part of yours with me! Happy Reading!
http://hesaidbooksorme.blogspot.com/2016/04/deweys-2-hour-mini-challenge.html
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‘Tis my Response (I kinda have a poor memory, though, so……*Sweating*):
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What a great idea! I also have some bad experiences from childhood, but I tried to focus on positive ones for the challenge. http://ahavah.livejournal.com/389937.html
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Yay, what a fun challenge! I’ve added my list of bookisch memories on my blog: http://www.nerdymommy.nl/live-deweys-read-a-thon-post/
This is a live post that I continually update so it will move down a bit during the readathon. Just so you know 🙂
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1. My dad picked me up from school on the first day of second grade (for some complicated reasons, it was my first full year of school). In the footwell of the passenger seat was a paper grocery sack. I asked what was in the bag (since it was taking up all the space for my feet), and he grinned and told me to open it. Inside were the FIRST ELEVEN Nancy Drew mysteries, with the shiny yellow covers and gorgeous cover art. I was instantly hooked. And major props to my dad for knowing that one or even two books would last me barely a day, and planning accordingly. 🙂
2. Anne of Green Gables and the rest of the Avonlea series. I read them all when I was sick in bed one weekend, and they’ve been favorites ever since.
3. The Illuminati by Larry Burkett. Obscure choice, I know, but I try to explain why this book was so awe-inspiring to me here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/442313162
4. The Monster at the End of this Book. I have memories of being obsessed with this book, and reading it over and over again in the nursery at church. I was probably 4 years old, and it was absolutely fascinating.
5. The Little House series. The Long Winter was one of the first books that absolutely transported me to another place entirely. I got very cold reading about the heavy snows, and had wrapped myself in a blanket to ward off the chill. My mom pointed out that it was summer, the back door was open, and it was at least 80 degrees outside…
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Awesome bookish memories! I especially love number 5, where you were transported so completely to the story that you started to feel cold–in the middle of summer!
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Yeah to Fear Street, Goosebumps, & Charlotte’s Web! ^_^ I remember that I had a few Babysitter’s Club & Sweet Valley High, too, but I don’t think I got around to reading them (whoops!).
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YES to all of these!
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I have so many!
1.I grew up with a mom who read to me while I was still in utereo! Whatever Vctoria Holt novel she was reading I heard.
2. I remember mom taking me to the bookmobile and letting me pick out as many books as I wanted! I always had a stack.
3. I remember finding my first bookworm friend. She and I would read and talk about books very seriously starting in first or second grade. She loaned me The Secret Garden when we were in third grade. And we read Little Women and argued about which of us was Jo that same year! Great memories.
4. Reading the Little House books out of order (I had to take what was available on the bookmobile) and reading the over and over again. these were the first books that learned that it was okay to reread beloved books.
5. Getting so much praise from my teachers because I loved to read and could read and understand books above my grade level. Most of the kids in my elementary school were not readers. Or at least not a reader like me.
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Thanks for sharing! I think one is destined to become a bookworm when their mother reads to them in the womb! Props to Mom 🙂 I love these memories so much!
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My top 5 bookish childhood moments.
1. My Aunt Kathy always gave my sister and I books for Christmas. My favorite one from her has always been a perfectly lovely copy of Beauty and the Beast illustrated by Mercer Mayer.
2. “There is a Monster at the End of this Book,” starting Grover from Sesame Street. I know my cousin, Michelle, loved this one, too.
3. Reading “How to Eat Fried Worms” in the third grade and suffering through eating fried worms with my classmates. (Actually clam strips) Well-played, Mrs. Lusignan.
4. My love of Ramona Quimby.
5. I had a picture book of three different Disney-versions of stories: Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp and Snow White. Whenever I woke up with a bad dream, I would read that so I could dream about happy things. (Also, I always yawned when the book introduced Sleepy, it helped me get back to sleep.)
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Sweet memories of childhood! Thanks for sharing.
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I hope it’s okay to just type it in here? 🙂
In no particular order:
1) I remember being naughty and being sent to my room. My mom told me to stay there until I could behave and controle myself. I ended up starting – and finishing – a book. It was the first time I ever read a book in just one day. I don’t remember the book anymore though, but I just have this clear image of my mom trying to punish me, but I ended up enjoying my time in my room.
2) My mom always read The Little House on the Prairie series to me as a kid. I still have the same editions of that series and I absolutely love it!
3) My favorite book as a small child was a book with actual letters in it. I still have the book, and I’m definitely going to read it to my own kids one day. It’s about a teddy that gets lost and travels the world and sends letters from all the places he go (Paris, Rome, London etc.).
4) Being from Denmark, I grew up with Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytales.
5) I liked to draw pictures of the stories that were read to me. I wish I had some of them, that’d have been fun.
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Thanks for sharing, Irene! Glad you enjoyed your “punishment” lol.
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My 5 bookish memories
1) The first time I stayed up late to read books was reading the Warrior Cat series by Erin Hunter. They switched POV back and forth between different two characters every chapter and the chapters usually ended on a cliff hanger so I had to read the books in one sitting. I’m pretty sure I was in 5th grade when I read these and had to stay up until 3 am to finish
2) Also in 5th grade (woo look at 5th grade Beth) was the first time I read a sex scene. My mom would leaver her books in the bathroom so I picked it up to read once and really liked it so she got it out of the library for me. This author usually didn’t have those things and I was reading it faster than my mom. When my mom got to the scene she told me to skip chapter 9 but had already read it.
3) My mom used to read to us before we went to bed. She read the A-Z mysteries, the Box Car Children, all the Ramona books, the Junie B. Jones books …
4) When I was reading through the Narnia series (because I was obsessed), I would play my Littlest Petshop game on the Wii and listen to the book on tape. I did actually read the series too, but specifically for the Last Battle, I remember book on tape and Littlest Pets.
5) My 3rd grade teacher used to read to us and we went through the Spiderwick Chronicles series as a class. We finished book 4 right before school let out for the summer, so we didn’t have time to finish the series with book 5. I remember as soon as school let out going to the library and getting book 5 to read. Still one of my favourite series.
Those are some of my bookish memories! I read so much when I was younger. I remember series like the Blog On series, the Sophie’s World series, Babysitters Club, Millie Keith series, Animal Ark books, Judy Blume … and sooo many others.
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So many great memories, Beth, but you made me laugh with that sex scene memory!
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The first book I can remember reading is Goodnight Moon, I loved looking for the mouse in each picture and would do it over and over.
Then I remember my dad reading Be’er Bear and Be’er Rabbit to me and how he use to do different voices for them all.
Then I remember my love for the unusual in Bunnicula and that would be my first dip into vampire type books. 🙂
Around 12 I read my first Stephen King book, Pet Semetery and was hooked on horror.
Then when I was about 15 I took a sneak peek into one of my mothers romance novels and got hooked on romance. (I can’t remember the title but I know it was a harlequin.)
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Very wide-ranging memories, love it!
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Great challenge, Allison – Thanks for hosting!
Find my 5 Childhood BOokish Memories HERE
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Great memories, thanks for sharing!
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We’ve got some books in common! https://booksbeyondmeasure.wordpress.com/2016/04/23/hour-2-mini-challenge/
Happy reading!
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We DO have some books in common! Thanks for sharing.
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This was so fun to write a response to. Thank you!
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Glad you liked it!
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Thanks for sharing your bookish childhood memories!
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1. I grew up in a very religious home. I learned to read very early (about 4 yrs old) from the bible and bible books. My earliest reading memory is a little pink book called Listening to the Great Teacher that I would read with my mom.
2. Kindergarten Mrs. Deabreu. We had little yellow and red readers with Titles like I See Sam.
3. When I was 9 my mother allowed me to read her Doubleday book club selections. I read The Thornbirds and felt so grown up!
4. When I was about 13 my aunt stored all her books from college in our basement. I read Dune first then Les Miserable. I thought and still think she was the most well read person I’ve ever known. She stored about 15 boxes of books.
5. In those same boxes of books was Flowers for Algernon. It’s the first time I remember being really angry with a book.
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Great memories, thanks for sharing!
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Great Mini challenge. My parents pushed books on me as soon as I could read. I love a little walk down memory lane!!! Thanks for the walk. Have a great day!
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1) “The Kissing Hand”
My mom used to always read this book and the second one to me when I was little, it was like the best thing ever back then.
2) “Beezus and Ramona” I bought this at my first school book fair and proceeded to read it over and over again.
3) “Harry Potter”
I read these cover to cover in elementary school.
4) aaand the memories aren’t coming to me so I’ll just do three.
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This is the second time lately I’m hearing about “The Kissing Hand.” It’s now on my TBR! Many readers are mentioning Beverly Cleary and Harry Potter!
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My parents and grandparents definitely fostered my love of reading. I have so many memories of visiting my grandparent’s apartment and going to the library. I especially liked when my grandpa read to me because he would get so into the story and read with lots of enthusiasm.
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I love that our memories are so intricately linked to special places and people! That’s what this challenge is all about. Thanks for sharing.
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LOTS of entries for this challenge submitted at 24HourReadthon.com on the hour 2 post if you want to include those!
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1) One of my favorite bookish memories is when I learned to read The Foot Book by Dr. Suess with my mom! I use to read it every night with her. It was my favorite book of his.
2) I remember my mom reading “Goodnight Moon” to me a lot and telling me about how much the memories will mean to me when I got older. She was right! We always use to bond over books and still do.
3) I use to stay up late at night in 1st and 2nd grade to read books to my stuffed animals. My favorite book to read to them was one about A Bug’s Life. I can’t remember the title though D:
4) I stole quite a bit of my brother’s books. He’s 9 years older than me and didn’t mind, but looking back I find it funny. I’d take books from his room (he’s my half brother and mostly lived with his mom) and ask my dad to read them to me. One in particular I remember is about a dog sailor. Again, I can’t remember the name. It was so long ago!
5) My love for reading wasn’t as strong as it is now in 3rd and 4th grade. I use to go to the bathroom 2 times when it was reading time, and stayed at the bookshelves for as long as possible, reading the first page of each book and pretending that I’d read all of it. I’m so glad I got over that, but its funny to think that there was a time when I cheated out of reading.
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I love hearing how other people sometimes “fell” into their love of reading at some crucial point in their lives. Thanks for sharing your (funny) bookish memories. I’m sure your brother didn’t mind and IMO there are always worse crimes than lifting books! Like not reading them at all!!! 😜
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1: Adventures of Noddy by Enid Blyton My mum passed on her love and books of Noddy
2: Aussie KidsSeries (can’t think of correct name) Living in Malaysia as my dad was in the RAAF and the school library had this series of books about Australian kids and life. It was a bit of home.
3: BFG By Roald Dahl As an avid reader my school librarian Mr Nichols got me into Roald Dahl and my favorite is the BFG.
4: Sweet Valley High series : I had a lot of older friends in Malaysia and because of this I started reading the series in primary school.
5: So much to tell you by John Marsden I had to read this in high school and loved it. My mum remembers me sitting in the backyard and heard me scream out NO because I finished it and wanted more LOL.
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Thanks for sharing your memories with us!
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1. The bookmobile. Whether it was walking with my grandma or riding my bike to the stop, I fondly remember visiting it.
2. Buying The Babysitter’s Club and Sweet Valley Twins at my school’s book fair. I was in 4th grade and they were new series. I was hooked!
3. Lying about my youngest sister’s age so she could ride the bus for free…so we could go to the public library. Did this often!!
4. Reading books under the desk at school. I can’t recall when I started this habit, but it lasted throughout high school.
5. Adding to #4, checking out a book at lunchtime and finishing it before the end of the school day. Nearly every day of 7th and 8th grades.
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Wow! So much library love going around. Bookmobile?! No fair lol
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So many to pick from!
First, hands down, Harry Potter. We even LARPed before LARP was a thing. I’m still a huge potterhead today and will be forever.
Local favourite, Ciresarii. That’s THE BOOK to go to if you’re a child in Romania. Right up there with La Medeleni, romantic country novel.
Little Vampire. I loved that one so much although I never saw the films! Right up there with Goosebumps (terrified me!)
Anything by Dahl. The BFG and Matilda were my go-to anyway.
Last but not least, although a bit old for it to be childhood, Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. Lovely one.
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Thanks for sharing your memories with us!
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1) Define “childhood”. I don’t at all remember the first time I picked up a Harry Potter book, but damn, speak of life-changing moments. I vividly recall the Book 7 release party, but I was eighteen by then…
2) One time I was in a library and reading while walking and there were stairs I didn’t see because the book was too close to my nose. This is how we discovered tiny!me needed glasses.
3) Gods I miss being able to read Narnia uncritically, with the eyes of a child seeing only the wonder of the story and not the “…holy shit Lewis could your Christ allegory be any more heavy-handed” or the “okay, how did the Beavers come by a sewing machine, and this abundance of food, a hundred years into the Witch’s winter?”
4) Anne McCaffrey, too. Dragonflight was my first science fiction, I think. Mom was worried about my reading the sex scene therein when I was…ten? I, who’d already read it, hadn’t realized there was one. (Nota bene: There isn’t one. There is however a rape scene that pretends it’s a sex scene.)
5) The Hobbit might just stand the test of time without a Suck Fairy visit, though. I am however headcanoning half Bilbo’s companions as female, because reasons.
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Thank you for doing this mini-challenge!
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I’ve just uploaded my post about this to my blog https://cabbitcorner.com/2016/04/23/readathon-hour-2-mini-challenge-our-bookish-childhoods/
This was a trip down memory lane. May put some of these on my TBR list now for nostalgia!
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My favorite childhood books:
1) I love you Forever. This will always be a classic in my house. Always.
2) Old Turtle. This was my favorite book as a kid.
3) Animorphs. This was my first independent book series that I read and loved.
4) Babysitters Club. Never gets old when you’re a kid.
5) Sweet Valley High. My first love of teen drama.
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I’m not familiar with Old Turtle or Animorphs but yes to all the others! Thanks for sharing 👍🏼
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I put a post up!
http://pageafterpage-kim.blogspot.com/2016/04/mini-challenges.html
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Thank you for the mini-challenge! It was nice to think back on what started my love of books. Enjoy the readathon!
http://cerebralgirl.blogspot.com/2016/04/readathon-april-2016-our-bookish.html
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Love this! I’ve posted my five memories in my single RaT thread: https://thezenleaf.com/2016/04/23/readathon-april-2016/
Also, Pokey Little Puppy was the best!
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TOP 5 BOOKISH CHILDHOOD MOMENTS:
1. I have no memory of this but my parents and family friends love telling this story. I was always a tall kid, so one year-old me looked like a 4 year-old. Apparently, everyone who ever visited out house before I could read by myself would have to read books to me. They couldn’t cheat, or skip ahead, because I had the books memorized by the page! I also spent a lot of the time looking at those books and reciting them out loud (still couldn’t read), so people who visited our house for the first time would assume I was just actually reading the books!
2. Harry Potter.
3. Reading during class with the book under the desk, which my teachers used to point out at parent-teacher meetings. I would also read under the covers wayyyyy past my bedtime using a tiny flashlight I had taken from my dad. I was caught a bunch of times, but my parents never punished me for it. They were, and still are, my biggest enablers.
4. Whenever we visited people, I’d make a beeline for their bookshelf, pick up a book and read.
5. Our school library policy was to issue one book per week to students and only during the library period. Since the 5th grade, I was on first name basis with the school librarians and the library staff, was the only student allowed to sit at the “teacher’s table” in the library, and was allowed to issue books outside of library period because I read them too fast.
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Thank you for sharing such great bookish childhood memories! These seem like wonderful trips down memory lane.
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They were!
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My parents tell me that my first toy was a cloth book that I loved to chew on.
1. The first book I remember is Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr Seuss. I can still recite sections of it from memory. I bet my parents eventually hated that book.
2. My parents took me to the library on a very regular basis and I am so grateful. Even at a young age I loved The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. I love this book so much that I read it again just before starting this post.
3. I loved the post that Reading Rainbow did about revisiting the books that made you fall in love with reading. After I finished the book I was reading this morning before the readathon started (The Closers by Michael Connelly) I kicked off the readathon with Blackbriar by William Sleator. I didn’t remember much about it except that it was scary and I listened to Hotel California over and over when I read it in middle school. I am about 25% through it now.
4. The Trixie Beldon series of books got me addicted to book series and now I mostly read series.
5. Goodnight Moon. This one isn’t from my childhood but from my children’s. This was the book I read over and over to them along with the book about the bunny mom who told they little bunny how much she loved them. I don’t remember the name of that one anymore so if you know it. Let me know.
Thanks Mom and Dad for giving me such a love of reading. I can’t think of a better addiction.
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Such great bookish memories, thank you for doing this mini-challenge! How on earth did I forget to mention Shel Silverstein?!
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Oh! This was so fun to think about! This is what I’m going with…
1. Little Women. My grandmother bought me a beautiful edition (with the “gold” page edges and the ribbon bookmark attached) and I thought it was SO special and grown-up. I must have read it a million times.
2. The Phantom Tollbooth. It was one of the first books I read at school after moving to a new town. I was feeling scared and shy.. and it offered me a whole new world to enter for a while.
3. All the golden books. I’m not sure which were my favorites, but sometimes my mom would buy one at the grocery store and it felt like Christmas.
4. My Sister is Different. My uncle bought me this book and it was the first time I read about a child that was in a situation just like mine.
5. Choose Your Own Adventure books. I would read them through in every possible way, over and over… and then make my parents bring me back out for a new one. I think I spend a whole summer vacation with my nose stuck in these 🙂
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Love these sweet bookish memories! Thank you for sharing 👍🏼
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Hmm, five childhood memories ….
1) The Monster at the End of This Book … my mother read it to us all the time, and it was a favourite of mine. The tradition is continued with my nephews.
2) The Baby-sitters Little Sister books. I liked those ones so much better than babysitter books, which I never got into.
3) Discovering horror novels in my pre-teen years. Lots of Christopher Pyke and R.L Stine (though never goosebumps).
4) Discovering Harry Potter when I was 11! (Huge life event. Created a fan for life).
5) Being told we had to read a dozen books during our Grade 9 English class, and having read at least 30 by Halloween.
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I love all of your memories Debbie! I too remember The Monster at the End of This Book, and I’m pretty sure I still have the book! I don’t remember the Babysitter’s Little Sister books that well but definitely the Babysitter’s Club. Yes again to R.L. Stine and I’m just now hearing about Christopher Pike. Harry Potter, enough said! Smashing our school reading assignments doesn’t seem to trouble us crazy bookworms 🤓 Thanks for doing this challenge!
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FUN mini challenge!! I loved coming up with my 5 here! 🙂
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I typed my list up and it’s on my readathon post! https://inlibrisveritas.wordpress.com/2016/04/23/deweys-24-hour-readathon-april-2016/
Thanks for hosting!!
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My first book memory is about the Little Golden Book Classics Collection. We had the whole collection at my grandma’s house and I loved reading them over an over. I have many fond memories of sitting on the steps at her house reading.
Another fond memory is from the Babysitter’s Club books. I am not sure I need to say more about these.
Charlotte’s Web is another favorite. I read and read this book growing up. It was one of those that just made me want to read.
Sweet Valley High – many hours were lost in these books. I cant even imagine how many.
The Mr. Men and Little Miss series – these were just cute books. I enjoyed the blobby characters.
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I am familiar with most of these selections, except the Mr. Men and Little Miss series. Sounds cute though! Thanks for sharing your memories.
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great challenge her is my post :
http://fictionstateofmind.blogspot.com/2016/04/24-hour-readathon-mini-challenge.html?spref=tw
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I was skeptical that I’d be able to come up with five bookish memories from childhood, but it turned out to be easier than I thought! My list is at my blog, here: http://youbookmeallnightlong.com/2016/04/23/24-hour-readathon-spring-2016/
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Christina,
Sorry I’m just now getting around to these blog posts! I have been SLOWLY trying to catch up with everyone’s responses to the mini-challenge for Hour 2. I’m so pleased that you took the time to share some of your bookish childhood memories. I read through them all and am glad you participated and enjoyed the challenge! All good memories–all worth taking a trip down memory lane for sure! Thank you again. And I’m now following your blog, it’s great!
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I remember most Winnie the Pooh (the real one), the absolutely memorable and recently reread Wolves of Willoughby Chase, and every horse book (classics and not).
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Hey Janet. Winnie the Pooh, yes. I’m not familiar with Wolves of Willoughby Chase. Thanks for sharing!
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1.)The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree. I believe this was the first book I read by myself.
2. The Mouse and the Motorcycle. Loved this series growing up.
3. Choose Your Own Adventure… loved trying to choose every option possible
4. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,Alvin Schwartz, Stephen Gammell. Loved and hated this book at the same time.
5. Jules Verne and HG Wells. My first sci-fi authors I couldn’t get enough of.
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All fine selections, Michael! The Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books still haunt my dreams. Those creepy black and white illustrations, ugh. Lol.
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Top 5 bookish childhood memories
1) Getting up early to watch Reading Rainbow
2) BOOK-IT! (Books and pizza!!!)
3) Practically living at the library, which was within walking distance from my house
4) KILLING the summer reading assignment
5) Scholastic book fairs!
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BOOK-IT and Scholastic book fairs! YESSSSS…
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Top 5 Bookish Childhood moments:
1. Discovering Maud Hart Lovelace by reading Betsy’s Wedding which is the LAST book in the Betsy-Tacy series I fell in love with Betsy and her world instantly. I was obsessed with weddings at the time and I picked it up at the library because of the 1914 bride on the cover. (spoiler alert I am a wedding photographer 🙂 To this day Maud Hart Lovelace is my favorite author.
2. The best thing about being a kid was going to the library and my sisters and I would get giant stacks of books. Our librarians loved us and knew we would finish the books in two weeks and be back for more. I still get joy from going to the same library and seeing books I read as a child.
3. The times I bought books with my own money. I really didn’t get to buy books that often but I remember every time. I still have most of those books. I remember saving up and buying all the Anne of Green Gables books one at a time. I also remember buying the Margo books through a mail order catalog and the thrill of opening that box full of shiny, new books.
4. Every day at lunch my mom, four sisters and I would sit around our big farm house style table and read while eating.
5. I remember getting in trouble and having my books taken away as punishment.
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So many great memories! Thank you for sharing your Library Adventures as a child…sounds like you devoured stacks on stacks of bookish goodness. And no reading as punishment?! I bet you behaved more often than not 😛
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Like Read Diverse Books, I didn’t grow up in a household that fostered a love of reading and I can’t remember either parent reading a single book to me or my siblings. Luckily, I ended up loving books early on anyway, mostly thanks to my aunt taking me to her library during my summer visits and my elementary school librarian!
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Wonderful!
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Trying to keep my posts to a minimum but I couldn’t pass this up because I grew up with a love of reading all of my life. My parents always read to us and I’m happy to have left my kids with the same kinds of memories. My five:
1.) Tom Sawyer – my dad read this one to the three of us, curled up together on the floor in the hallway. I don’t remember it being uncomfortable there because I was so swept up in his wonderful, expressive reading.
2.) Yertle The Turtle – again, my dad, teaching us a lesson about how important every person is. We even acted it out overtime we read it.
3. Little Women – my parents gave me this book for Christmas when I was eight. It was one of the first books that was truly mine and I still cherish it.
4. Dick and Jane books – that’s how we learned to read when I was growing up. People mock them now, but I remember them fondly from school.
5. A Catherine The Great biography I checked out from the library – I loved trips to the library and hours spent there choosing books. This particular book really taught me that nonfiction can be fascinating.
Thanks! This was fun!
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I loved reading about your bookish childhood! Thank you for doing this mini-challenge 😉
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1. The first ever Scholastic book fair hosted in school.
2. Reading The Dark Hills Divide, which started my love for reading.
3. Reading on the floor during summer time.
4. Buying my first book from a bookstore
5. Being in the school library, reading during lunch time.
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All great memories, Kim! I fondly remember the days of the Scholastic book fair and the catalogues that we took home from school. I always had my selections circled well before I got home lol. Thanks for doing the mini-challenge!
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I loved Charlotte’s Web and Goosebumps growing up too, I may be biased but they don’t write them like they use too. My memories are here: http://www.firstimpressionsreviews.com/deweys-24-hr-readathon-april-2016/
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Great memories Whitney! HP and Goosebumps all the way. (I’m just discovering the HP series for myself as an adult.) Your parents had an interesting idea with the book/buck/beer test! You’re right, they don’t write them like they used to lol. Thanks for doing the mini-challenge!
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All wonderful bookish memories, thank you for sharing! Harry Potter has influenced a whole generation of readers, and will continue to do so. Hope you enjoyed the ‘thon and thank you for taking the time to respond to the mini-challenge!
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I love this challenge and it did bring back lots of great memories for me. Here is a link to my blog where I write up my Top 5. You’ll find it on the bottom of my catch-up post. 🙂
http://loisabductions.blogspot.ca/2016/04/dewey-day-post-2-1200pmast-break-and.html
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What great memories, thank you for sharing! So pleased to hear that your mother indulged you in your reading habit, that’s good parenting :-). All good selections, and thanks for taking the time to do the mini-challenge. Hope you enjoyed the ‘thon!
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I know this is too late, but I wanted to post a reply anyways! Here’s a link to my post: http://pleasepardontheinterruption.blogspot.com
This was a really great mini challenge, thanks so much for thinking it up and for hosting!
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Never too late to respond, Laura, thank you for stopping by and talking with us! I’m glad you liked the mini-challenge!
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Laura,
Thank you so much for sharing your bookish childhood moments with us. I like your blog and think I will follow you! I’m sorry I’m just now getting back to you.
V.C. Andrews was another of my favorites that I didn’t have room for in my original blog post.
Hope you had a great time during the ‘thon and it seems you got a lot of reading done! Congrats!
Allison
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