Raven: It wasn't really one book, but a series of books. I absolutely fell in love with the Nancy Drew books. I was an avid mystery reader as a child and pre-teen. I think I was about 8 or 9 when I read the first one, but couldn't tell you the title now.
Chip: My book was called Wake up to Spring, by Roger E. Lucas. it was signed by the author the day i was born, scribbled on by me a few years later, and in front of me now.
Matt: The Kama Sutra
J. Hooligan: Holy crap balls, I was 11 when I first read Harry Potter. But then, I think it came out when I was 10.
I think my first favorite book I really remember is The Giver. I was about 9 or so. It was also the first book I bought for myself with my own money.
Matt: I was 5 and very worldly for my age.
Chip: Did it have sex in it? maybe I'm thinking of a different book called The Giver
J. Hooligan: Chip, don't encourage Matt!
Raven: ::snorts:: And the mayhem begins.....................
Matt: He doesn't need my encouragement, he's a self starter. (I admire that)
Bob: The Ordinary Princess! Some girls were teasing me for being "ugly" because I didn't like dresses and make up (we were little, why would I need make up?!), and the teacher told me to read that. When we moved suddenly shortly after, she had to box up my things, and bought that book from the library and put it in with my stuff. I read it over and over and over again.
J. Hooligan: The Giver is by Lois Lowry. It's a dystopian. Buncha hoodlums.
Matt: Does Best of Penthouse Forum count? I read that concurrently. Real world application and all that jazz.
J. Hooligan: Sounds like you had a pretty great teacher, Bob.
Chip: I so thought you were going to say Matt there.
Bob: She was awesome, wish I could have had her for more than a few months.
J. Hooligan: I'm ignoring Matt and his shenanigans. Damn him and such!
Matt: ANYWAY! I can't really remember the first , but I loved Encyclopedia Brown , and The boxcar Kids when I was in grade school.
Chip: and you will still be surprised when Misadventures of a Mangy Platypire is published... interesting.
J. Hooligan: Ooooh... I remember my first! I was in first grade! The stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales. I loved the hell out of that book. Got my spawn every book I could find by that author.
Chip: There was a series I can't remember for the life of me, i wish i could. I was a librarian when i was in like 7th grade, the library was for younger grades than that.. and there were a bunch, maybe a dozen or more books about kids solving crimes, i seem to recall it was an english author. blah someday it will come to me. The first book I ever bought with my own money was Where the Wild Things Are.
Matt: I didn't read anything Jude did because she's smelly, and I'm not.
J. Hooligan: There's one book I loved in middle school that I cannot remember. The cover photo used is a famous painting. The story is about a girl from some kind of tribe. Something to do with wolves. She is captured or runs away or something because they're going to sacrifice her. Ends up being a maid to a teenage princess who is trying to cover that she was raped and impregnated by her cousin who is trying to steal the thrown from her. The wolf girl helps her hide the pregnancy and teaches her how to have a baby, like a boss, with no crying or screaming. And then they give the kid to a couple who have been wanting a baby for all the days. It's kinda medievalish. For the life of me, I cannot remember this book.
Matt: The three little pigs?
Shakuita: Where the sidewalk ends...not sure how old I was.
J. Hooligan: The True Story of the Three Little pigs IS by the same author of The Stinky Cheese Man.
We gave you a chance to water the plants
We didn't mean that way
Now zip up your pants
That was my favorite poem by Shel Silverstein when I was a kid. *mature*
Matt: 0_o
Raven: Chip, along with the Nancy Drew series, there was the Hardy Boys series and the Bopsy Twin series. All were kids solving crimes. I read them all. LOL
J. Hooligan: My mom had infinity bajillion Nancy Drew books and my uncle had the Hardy Boys.
S.L.: Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. I think I was 11
J. Hooligan: Ooooh man! Although I don't think I read that book until I was in my teens. I need to get that one for my spawn.
Sofia: I grew up low income so my school would get donated stuff. One year some organization set up a book fair at the school and every child was allowed to keep one brand new book. I got the first book in the Sweet Valley Twins series. I didn't read it then but a couple years later. That's when my book addiction started.
Matt: And THEN I went tru the requisite space, dinosaur, and classic monster phase. THEN I started reading Tom Clancy in middle school, which of course exploded my brain. THEN I didn't start really reading until after college when she who would be my wife got me into early James Patterson, which got me totally addicted to reading. There. Now you know the genisis of a wordsmith. You're welcome.
Chip: This was an oddball one and old, Raven, I want to say it was The (something) Five, or something like that.. it was only 40 years ago, i should remember.
J. Hooligan: Ooooh gawd. Sweet Valley a junior high. I forgot that series. My library acquired books too slowly so I had to spend my free time at a borders, when it was a thing.
Raven: Not familiar with that one, Chip.
Sofia: I hung out every week at bdalton and Walden book store. I was allowed to buy one book.
Matt: Sweet valley high! I'm so going to badger you for the rest of my days about that, J. Be prepared.
Raven: So, does anyone remember the readers from first and second grade with Dick, Jane, and Spot? I can still remember the sentence, See Spot run.
And to continue showing my age..................I was in my late 30s/early40s when the Harry Potter books were released.
Chip: Enid Blyton, the famous five, or the secret seven, she wrote hundreds of childrens books.
J. Hooligan: Pat the Bunny was my first book.
Raven: Is beginning to think she's the oldest one here. ::sneaky grin::
Chip: Run Spot, Run!
S.H.: I was an avid reader even as a child. The first book I read and loved was Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss and I was about 5 or so.
Chip: She is the oldest one here, no sneaky about it! (I do sneak up a little now and then but i never catch up)
S.L.: Ohhh, I did love Pat the Bunny and the Big Red Book of Riddles.
Katie: The first book I remember loving as a kid was 6 by Suess, but I hated The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. I didn't realize at the time that I could just skip that story to move on to the stories that I liked more.
J. Hooligan: Hahaha! Okay... I had a similar issue. I liked I can lick 30 tigers today but not the story after it. Can't remember which it was though.
Katie: I was only like 7 at the time...and I powered through that story a lot in order to get to Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories.
J. Hooligan: I just looked it up. It was an anthology with 3 books: I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today, The Glunk That Got Thunk, and King Looie Katz. I didn't like the second story.
Nely: Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss. 5 years old.
S.H.: Good taste in books there, Nely. (no pun intended LOL)
J. Hooligan: I keep reading that as 5 years ago, Nely.
Nely: You would be right J.
Chip: that makes Nely 10... I am amazed at your talent at this age, a little shocked at your content, i must say.
Nely: Haha! I'm still shorter than most of the kids my age though. :(
Bob: You're not short, you're fun sized!
Nely: I'm bite size.
Bob: Haha!
Chip: How am I supposed to write with that in my head?
Bob: Very carefully? or maybe by throwing caution to the wind entirely...hmmm
Chip: I'm busy torturing Carol, the last thing i need is pleasant thoughts.
Natalie: The Mitten by Jan Brett ...i was probably about 6 or 7.
Nicki: I can't remember how old I was but the book was Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe.
If you're interested in joining our discussions you can check out the group here: