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I’m obviously not the only bibliophile who reads a book and thinks, “Wow! I wish I’d read this when I was younger.” I know that I would have appreciated some books even more as a younger reader. I know that other books that speak to me now would have spoken even louder back then and maybe clarified some decisions and smoothed some paths. We’ll ignore the fact that many of these weren’t even published when I was younger. So here’s my list of the Top Ten Books for My Younger Self!
Fun Middle-Grade Books That My Younger Self Would Have Loved
Five on a Treasure Island (The Famous Five #1) by Enid Blyton
The Saturdays (The Melendy Quartet #1) by Elizabeth Enright
The Penderwicks (The Penderwicks #1) by Jeanne Birdsall, read by Susan Denaker
The Mysterious Howling (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #1) by Maryrose Wood, read by Katherine Kellgren
Bloody Jack (Bloody Jack #1) by L. A. Meyer, read by Katherine Kellgren
Books About Travel to Inspire My Younger Self to Explore More
Adventures in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella Bird–I remember being a single girl interested in taking a National Outdoor Leadership School course but I never got brave enough to do it. Isabella Bird traveled the world alone in Victorian times. Her story might have given me the encouragement I needed to put myself out there. My husband and I travel pretty extensively now but I sometimes think of how many more places I could have already visited if I’d started earlier.
Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach–Alice was traveling in more modern times but I still found her inspiring.
Books That Might Have Pushed Me Toward a Different Career Path
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok, read by Grayce Wey–I can be very guilty of choosing the easiest path. That’s how I ended up at my college, even though it wasn’t the right fit for me. The school offered me enough scholarships and grants and my boyfriend and oldest friend went there so I tagged along. There is a lot to love about Girl in Translation but one of the things that made it a 4.5-star read for me was the way that Kimberly forged her own path in her new country. My younger self could have used some of that inspiration.
Mama Makes Up Her Mind and Other Dangers of Southern Living by Bailey White–Like most readers, a lot of people who know me think that I should be an author. I’ve never felt particularly inspired to write anything, but one of my uncles did read this and tell me that this is the kind of book I should write. I think he’s correct. If I am ever inspired to start writing, I can see myself sitting down to write these same kinds of funny vignettes about everyday life. They’re the kinds of stories I love to tell so it makes sense that I would write what I know.
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly–I can’t express how much I related to Mattie Gokey, the main character in A Northern Light. She’s a beautiful writer with big dreams but she lives in a tiny town in the Allegheny Mountains. Throughout the book, she realizes that she might not be able to write about city people doing city things but she can write about what she knows. She can make those same city people care about farm girls who get married too young and die in childbirth, or the devastation that follows the loss of a farm animal when a farmer is barely feeding his family from one winter to the next. Mattie and I are probably separated by 100 years but I related to her so much.
That’s my list! Have you read any of these? Did they inspire you or make you laugh? Which books did/would you choose? Link up every Tuesday at That Artsy Reader Girl!
26 Comments
I loved the Famous Five books when I was a child, but I know I’d have loved The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place! Great list:))
I just read The Famous Five for the first time a few weeks ago! It seems that Enid Blyton wasn’t as popular here in the States. The Incorrigibles would have definitely been childhood favorites. I giggle madly listening to the audiobooks even now!
Wonderful selection of books. I think books are better now than when I was a child. My TTT list of books my teen self would have loved
I agree that kids have a wider selection of better books nowadays!
Yay for Famous Five! Are you going to read any more?
I’m sure I will!
A Northern Light sounds interesting! I would have thought about doing more middle grade but I don’t read much of it.
A Northern Light is so good!
Great list! I love how you gave an explanation for the different categories. I know I also could have used the career path example type of books, too.
I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up and I’m 42! I could definitely have used more guidance when I was a teen.
I think we all could! I’ve talked to very few people who felt they got sufficient guidance as a teen.
I had so much fun reading The Penderwicks with my daughter. I wish Iw ould have a read them as a kid.
The Penderwicks would have been right up there with Anne and Diana when I was younger. They have such a timeless feel.
Were we separated at birth?? LOL I dreamed of doing Outward Bound! I didn’t know anyone else still knew of Bailey White and Mama–my all time favorite Bailey White is “Computer School” too funny. If you like the Melendys and like the Penderwicks then read Hilary McKay’s Casson family series. I loved it so much I wrote the author and asked her to write an grown-ups novel on the marriage of Eve and darling Bill! GREAT POST!!
Oh wow! What a coincidence! We must have been separated! 😀 I’ll have to look out for the Cassons.
This is a great list! I’m always wishing I had read books sooner.
My TTT
Me too! But then I’m glad that I found them at all.
I really enjoyed reading this post, Here is my post-https://paigesofbook.blogspot.com/2020/09/top-ten-tuesday-books-for-my-younger.html.
Thanks for stopping by!
I loved the Faraway Tree books when I was a kid, but for some reason I was never interested in The Famous Five or The Secret Seven.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2020/09/08/top-ten-tuesday-280/
Someone else mentioned the Faraway Tree books recently. I just read The Famous Five, my first Enid Blyton, a couple of weeks ago. She doesn’t seem to be as popular in the States? Or maybe it was just my library.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she wasn’t as popular in the US, she was very big over here in the UK but obviously it was a long time ago that she was first published, I don’t know whether the crossover of markets was as big then as it is now.
I’m going to have to put Girl in Translation on my list.
It’s so, so good!
A Northern Light was such a great book! Fun list today!
A Northhern Light immediately earned a place on my top ten books of all time!