Books I Read as a Kid That I Still Think About
There are few things I’m truly proud of from my childhood, but my dedication to the Accelerated Reader program is certainly one major accomplishment. In case you’re unfamiliar, Accelerated Reader was a program where you took a test after reading a book. The test would ask you questions based on the book and you’d get points if you selected the correct answers. At the end of the year, those with enough points were allowed to attend a pizza party.
I was truly dedicated to attending that annual Pizza Party. Sure, sometimes I breezed through books just to get points, but I loved reading. I always had dreams of becoming an author, and reading really inspired childhood me to pursue my creative endeavors.
As I got older, I started reading less. It was only through TikTok and a friend that I recently resumed reading, and wow, I love it. I got back into reading via Sara J Maas’ A Court of Thorne and Roses, and it’s been true love ever since. Books are obviously way different than when I was a kid, but last night, as I got into bed at my perfect 9:30 bedtime, I thought back on some of the books I loved as a child. And wow, I am excited to take this trip down memory lane with you!
The Boxcar Children
From what I recall of this series, a group of children attempted to live on a boxcar train. At some point, they find a family member and move in with him, but for awhile, they’re just chilling on an abandoned train car. I think, when I read this, I thought that if I ever had to run away, I could rough it on a train like these kids.
Sideway Stories from Wayside School
Sideway Stories from Wayside School was an immaculate collection of tales about a truly bonkers school. I attended the most boring school ever in Western Pa., so reading the imaginary tales of a school, complete with a mysterious 13th floor, made for a captivating adventure.
The Care and Keeping Of You
I think about this book all the time. In fact, I once wrote something about it for NYLON. It was American Girls’ guide to your body, and while some of the advice was truly ridiculous, I genuinely learned a lot about bras, boys, and growing up from this very important book.
Dear America Diaries
The Dear America diaries were kind of sad, I think? I just remember them being kind of dramatic and kind of historically accurate. They were like the American Girl doll series, but more mature.
Twilight
Twilight is by no means a literary masterpiece. There are a lot of problems with the relationships in this book, but, I love it. The Twilight series resulted in a frenzied love of books among its fans, and I can still recall going to midnight release parties for its subsequent sequels.
Amelia Bedelia Series
God bless Amelia Bedelia. She was just a misunderstood lady trying her best to make it in the world. She was kind of kooky and cute, and just an inspiration to me.
Sweet Valley Twins
I think my grandma or mom found me the entire Sweet Valley collection at a flea market once. These books had me fully wishing for a twin sister and a hot boyfriend named Todd.
The A-List
The A-List came out around the same time as Gossip Girl and both series were fully scandalous to a young me. I should not have been reading these at the age that I was, but, wow, I loved them. It’s only $7.99 on Kindle, so tbh, might have to reread.
Before we depart, here is an album that I’m currently obsessed with.
Beef reminds me of that period of time in which I made Burger Records my entire personality. Unfortunately, that scene was filled with the worst people, and a lot of those bands are now unlistenable. Thankfully, Beef is here to fill that void. It’s a fast and fun record that almost makes me want to go to The Rock Room.