By Haley Kim
I’ve owned and read plenty of books throughout my life but only few have had the honor of being read beyond repair. Growing up, I rarely enjoyed finding and picking up new books and would always prefer rereading my favorite ones over and over again until the spines broke and the covers became unrecognizable. Here are some of my favorite childhood books:
The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan:
Oh. My. Goodness. This is an absolutely god-tier series and I cannot tell you how obsessed I became with this book in elementary school (I still am). To this day, when I can’t find something to read, I’ll always know exactly what series would get me out of my slump. From the sarcastic humor, the ingenious twist to Greek mythology and character development, this series is absolute perfection. You can tell how well loved my copy of this book is.
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling:
I know this one’s kind of a must on everyone’s childhood reading list, but I cannot express how deep my love for this series is. I reread this series every single summer leading up to eighth grade. If you haven’t read the books and only watched the movies, you really need to step up your game.
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart:
I genuinely thought I was a mastermind while reading this series. Every single time they would use morse code or try to get out of an inescapable room, I would try to decode it before they did and I would never figure it out. This series was a masterpiece brewed with mystery and plot twists and awesome action. Constance will always be my favorite character with all her snarky comments and attitude.
The Witches by Roald Dahl:
Everyone says their favorite Roald Dahl book is either Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or Matilda. But nope. Mine will always be Witches. This is actually one of the scariest books I’ve ever read of all time and haunts me to this day. But so so good I always come back to read about vaporizing witches and boys turning into coat hangers.
The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler
I’ve always dreamed of becoming a mermaid. From watching shows like “Mako Mermaids” and reading amazing books like this one, I’ve always imagined myself as the one with the shiny fluorescent tail. This book sparked my imagination and brought me into the world of fantasy.
Of course, this list is only a fraction of all the amazing books I got to experience for the first time during my childhood but these ones definitely left a life changing impact and shaped me into who I am. That might sound dramatic, but once you delve into the world of cyclops, quidditch, bald witches and half mermaids, you’ll understand. These books paved the way into my reading journey which has become a therapy for me wherever I go. I hope this helped you either rekindle special memories of your childhood or inspired you to pick up one of these and give it a try! You won’t regret it.