Favorite Books from School

Don’t we all have favorite books we read in school? From time to time, I did dislike the books we were forced to read, but there were plenty of books from school that I love to this day. Now that students have returned to school, I wanted to share my favorites.

In no particular order, here they are.

Bridge to Terabithia
By Katherine Paterson

My fifth grade teacher read this out loud to the class. I was spared listening to the sad ending in class because I was sick. My entire class loved the book so much and thought I should finish it, so it was given to me as a gift. I still have it on my shelf!

Angela’s Ashes
By Frank McCourt

I discovered this book by chance in high school, and I’m so happy I did. I was instantly mesmerized by McCourt’s ability to tell a story and the way he incorporated dialogue. I found it all so captivating. I read all three books and mourned his death.

Into the Wild
By Jon Krakauer

My outdoorsy aunt lent her copy to me when I was in high school. As with McCourt, I was fascinated by how Krakauer was able to make nonfiction so interesting. It wasn’t just the ridiculous story of Christopher McCandless that intrigued me. Since discovering this book, Krakauer has become one of my favorite authors.

To Kill a Mockingbird
By Harper Lee

I think you should have seen this coming, but I forgive you if you didn’t! I no longer really consider this one of my favorite books ever because it’s been so long since i‘ve read it, that I don’t remember it as well as I think  I should. Nevertheless, I still recall enjoying it a lot.

The Hobbit 
By J.R.R. Tokien

I felt oddly smug about having read this book when I was in junior high. First off, I really enjoyed it, but that’s not why I felt smug. No, the reason for that is because I was one of two who read it for a book report. My friend and I who also read it scored the highest in the class on our subsequent reports. I feel odd about the smugness because I didn’t go on to read The Lord of the Rings trilogy. They’ve always intimidated me. 

Daughter of Fortune
By Isabel Allende

I found a water-damaged copy of Daughter of Fortune in a Goodwill in high school. I loved this story, and like Krakauer and McCourt, reading this book started me on a life-long love of the authors’ works.

What were your favorite books from school? Have you reread them?

Claire at Three: Her Favorite Books

As I’ve made my way through the Little House series, Claire has looked at the illustrations on the cover (I ONLY read the books with Garth Williams’ illustrations), hopped into my lap and asked me to read her a story. So I’ve obliged her. In the first instance, I read a very detailed recounting of little Laura watching Pa make his bullets and clean his gun and also about how, you know, he could easily be mauled by a cougar or a bear in the Big Woods so he had to carry his gun with him. Surprisingly, Nick, who is a hunter, looked at me and asked if I really felt it was appropriate to read that to a three year old. “Of course it is. It’s Laura Ingalls Wilder!” I replied indignantly.

If you don’t think a three year old should be listening to a discussion about bears killing people or the sometimes casual and sometimes overt racism of the Little House series, I recommend Claire’s current favorite books. She’s still attached to some board books, but we’re starting to move on to longer story books.

Where the Sidewalk Ends 
By Shel Silverstein

Goodnight Moon
By Margaret Wise Brown

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
By Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury

Fox in Socks
By Dr. Seuss

There’s a Wocket in my Pocket!
By Dr. Seuss