These are stories I grew up on in no particular order:
[ul][li]A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L’Engle[/li][li]A Cricket in Time Square, George Selden[/li][li]Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain[/li][li]The original 19 Boxcar Children series[/li][li]Tom Sawyer[/li][li]To Kill a Mockingbird, Haper Lee (I read it at age 10 not knowing that I’d have to read it every year between 7[sup]th[/sup] and 10[sup]th[/sub] grade.)[/li][li]Maniac Magee, Jerry Spinelli[/li][li]Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dahl[/li][li]The Mixed-Up Files. . .[/li][li]Socks, Beverly Cleary[/li][li]Indian in the Cupboard, Lynn Reid Banks[/li][li]The Ramona the Pest series of stories by Beverly Cleary[/li][li]A bunch of stories by Bruce Coville[/li][li]Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Louis Sachar[/li]Island of the Blue Dolphin[/ul]
Every Astrid Lindgrin (sp?) book I could get my hands on. Pippi was great, but “Brothers Lionheart” and “Ronja the Robber’s Daughter” left more of an impression.
Three cheers for the Phantom TOllbooth.
I remember at least one other E. L. Konigsburg book- the title was a string of girl’s names and it was about becoming a witch.
I, too, remember Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. I remember trying to convince my parents that it was really worth their while to read those books.
“The Endless Steppe,” by Esther Hautzig. About a family deported to Siberia from Poland during WW2, told through the eyes of the young daughter.
One I can’t remember the title of: a boy who used to watch Walter Cronkite every night on TV stayed up late one night, past the time when they broadcast the national anthem, and out of the fuzz, the TV began receiving wierd signals. The next day he woke up in a parallel universe where everyone he knew and loved was the same, except one thing: they were all giant lizards (maybe dinosaurs.)
I also really enjoyed the Guiness Book of World Records. 1977 edition. I was a wierd kid.
I have new hardbound Pippi waiting for my daughter’s 5th birtday.
Like many Europeans, my favorite as kid was Walt Disney comic books. It came every week and if I was sick at home I would leave a door open to hear the mail drop through the slot and rush out to read it. I taught myself to read from comic books.
The Disney comic books can be ordered in the US from Bruce Hamilton/Gladstone in Prescott AZ.
Each one of the European countries that still carries it, sells more than the US.
Moomintrolls I also read in the comic albums, never the longer text.Tove Jansson and her brother Lars made both versions. She’s still alive, must be in her late 80’s or older.
Melatonin, thank you! You’ve reminded me of another book, but not the one you’re talking about.
(I don’t know what book you’re talking about.)
There was this book about (I think) a boy who learned to travel the fourth dimension (assume it’s a spatial dimension and NOT time).
The Boy Who Reversed Himself by William Sleator
The Westing Game! Oh my! I loved that book! It is funny that it got mentioned because I was just thinking about it the other day and I couldn’t remember the damn title. Have they really made it into a movie? If so, I know I will have to go see it! I love this thread.
I was particularly fond of the Danny Dunn series, Alvin Fernald, that other kid whose stories were written by Robert McCloskey. I even used to like Encyclopedia Brown, but the older you get the more contrived Encyclopedia Brown begins to seem.
But my absolute favorite all time writer was Daniel Pinkwater. I read Pinkwater book I could get my hands on. He seemed to have as good a sense as anybody in the world what it was like to be a smart, alientated kid growing up in the city.
Melatonin wrote:
Lizard Music by Daniel Pinkwater.
WOW, I really started something here! I posted at noon and thought, “Oh, I’ll check back after dinner for a look.” and when you have a toddler, there is something called a time warp and 10 hours and 65 responses later… It’s great to relive all the warm and fuzzy memories that the companionship of an excellently written character gives us.
Everyone’s lists ( partial or not) have brought back long forgotten memories of many dear books. I have printed this thread out and fully expect everyone to continue their contributions. ( Consider yourselves properly ordered 
)
**PLDENNISON ** Phil, I completely and totally forgot about Flat Stanley
( except when making jokes about someone fatter than whatever they are trying to squeeze through) until I was leafing through one of the purest joys of my childhood, The Scholastic Book Magazine. I spied Flat Stanley ( by Jeff Brown) and had to order it. With the exception of my sister in law, no one I’ve ever met has ever heard of this fabulous book. I thought maybe I made up this kid.
I had forgotten what a thrill it was to chose one or two books, order it, forget about it for a few weeks and THEN I WOULD GET MY BOOKS! My sister in law teaches 1st grade and lets me order from it and I relive this excitement all over again. Only it’s not one or two books, uh huh, it’s like 10 -25 books at a crack ( she gets several book catalogs) and I think my highest bill was something like $75. Today’s order that I just placed was whittled down from $62 to $33 and it just about killed me to have a book not make the cut.
I have really only one serious addiction in my life and it is books. My son’s (and TBA daughter’s) library is so loaded right now that I have the 1st grade on up books in storage in the basement and it’s just killing me to introduce them to them. It will go something like this:
“Books, meet Carsten and Baby X.”
“Baby X and Carsten, meet Books. The Books will be your friend no matter how grouchy, grumpy, sick, tired, crabby, dorky, lonely you feel. They just want to please you. They want to be read. They will comfort you when you are sick. They will make you laugh when you are crabby. They will give you everything and expect nothing in return except for you to treat them well and pass them along to your children.”
I have found a couple of great books for my kids that I found through the Scholastic Books Magazine or by chance browsing at the bookstore.
Chrysanthemum - A girl ( mouse) learning to love her odd name.
Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse - The excitement of a new purple plastic purse causes Lilly ( a mouse) in school and how she hates her teacher (that she just loved)for making her put it away until the proper time…( I think that’s the story line…it’s been awhile.)
Both are by Kevin Henkes.(He has great books, btw.) For 1st and 2nd grade readers.
Another book that is just wonderful and made me tear up the first time I read it was:
The Christmas Miracle of Johnathan Toomey. ( I don’t have the author handy.)
A little boy and his widow mom ask the grumpy village woodcarver ( a widower) with help to carve a nativity scene for XMAS which is only a few days away. The little boy tries to be good while helping out, but touches the dead wifes stuff and gets into trouble. The woodcarver gets less grumpy and it has a nice ending. A great book about healing, forgiveness and warm fuzzy stuff.
Where the Wild Things Are
The Scrubious Pip
The Digginest Dog
Oh, man, I almost went to bed before reaching this thread. Some of these have already been mentioned.
Jenny and the Cat Club series
Misty of Chincoteague
Stormy, Misty’s Foal
King of the Wind
101 Dalmations
Mary Poppins series
The Incredible Journey
James and the Giant Peach
Paddington books
Frog and Toad stories
White Fang
Socks
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Superfudge
Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great
A Wrinkle in Time
A Wind in the Door
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Many Waters
Where the Sidewalk Ends
A Light in the Attic
Kidnapped
Peter Pan (full version, not Disney version)
Bambi (ditto)
Bambi’s Children
The Westing Game
The Dark is Rising series
Henry? & Norma Fox Mazer novels
Oliver Twist
Jungle Book
Kim
Pippi Longstocking books
Bobbsey Twins books
Smokey the Cow Horse
Silver Chief
and one I do not remember about a witch and a bumblebee
I’m sure there are more, but that is enough for tonight.
Oh man, there’s some good stuff mentioned on this thread!
Some of my old faves, in no particular order.
A Wrinkle in Time
Space Cadet
Winnie the Pooh
Yertle the Turlte
The Jungle Book
The Hobbit
Lord of the Rings
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Pippi Longstocking
Old Yeller
The OZ Books (My dad read these to me and my sister beginning when I was about 5. Some of my fondest memories.)
Tom Sawyer (Huck Finn came a little later)
To Kill a Mockingbird
Any Dr. Suess book
And many others that don’t come to mind now. Thanks for the memories, everyone!
Ugly
I have a bunch I haven’t seen mentioned here…
Sir MacHinery. A scientist holes up in a Scottish castle to build a robot. Brownies (not the junior Girl Scouts) discover the robot and, seeing “machinery” printed on nearby crates, think he’s a knight of Clan MacHinery. Adventure ensues.
Though it’s for a somewhat-older child, I remember reading Space Station Seventh Grade before reaching grade 7…very humorous.
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned “The BFG” by Roald Dahl…heck, just about everything the man’s written is gold.
Also, I don’t recall anyone mentioning Shel Silverstein’s poetry books, like, “Where The Sidewalk Ends” and “A Light In The Attic.”
Anyone else remember books called “The Ape Inside Me”, “Do Bananas Chew Gum?”, “The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death”, “Gowie Corby Plays Chicken”, and “Sometimes I Think I Hear My Name”?
These are a mix of books I read as a kid & books my kid enjoyed. They’ve almost all previously listed:
Walter Farley - Black Stallion series, Island Stallion series, Man O’ War
Marguerite Henry - Misty series & many other stand alones
Madeleine L’Engle - Wrinkle in Time & others.
Sherlock Holmes - way cooler than Encyclopedia Brown…
Jules Verne
weird book called The Silver Crown, can’t remember the author - fantasy/mystery mix.
NOT Charles Dickens.
Good “transition” books (10-14):
Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit
Mary Stewart mysteries
Watership Down
Earth’s Children series by Jean Auel if you don’t mind the sexual content.
Dick Francis mysteries set against horse racing background if you don’t mind violence.
Xanth series by Piers Anthony if you don’t mind bad puns.
Sue from El Paso
members.aol.com/majormd/index.html
Shirley U: about Baby X and Carsten. Just don’t name baby X Bentley or any of those current fads. Does Carsten have a nck name? My rule for kid names is no more than two syllables.Otherwise they get a nick name anyway.
Sue, you’d recommend the Earth’s Children series to ages 10-14? I can’t get some of my adult friends to muddle through the long, meticulous passages on things such as flint knapping! And, yes, I do believe the sexual content is too mature for that age group. I highly recommend them for adults, however.
Great thread…unfortunatly, most of my favorites have already been mentioned. 
I’m a huge fan of the Tom Swift Series.These are the books that first grabbed me and made me interested in reading. I’m working on collecting the entire series, and those will be passed down to my children. As a side note, the series has actully been written by three generations. Victor Applenton the I, II, and III. I have some if the First edition by the original author dated around 1921.
The Black Stallion Series
The Hardy Boys
The 3 Investigators
Little House series
Robinson Cruso(sp?)
Swiss Family Robinson
Lad of SunnyBrooke
Call of the Wild
At the upper end of that reading scale is possibly the Xanth series by Piers Anthony
Tom Sawyer
Huckberry Finn
Mary Poppins
Dr. Sues
That’s all I can think of now…Think I’ll call my Mom and ask her what I read…
“Love thine enemies…it really pisses them off.”
-Anon
Where the Red Fern Grows
Old Yeller
Wow, it feels like I’m visiting old friends. . .
Don’t think I saw The Rescuers or any others in that series. . .
Anything by Madeline L’Engle rocked, the whole Wrinkle in Time series. . .
All of the Pern books by Anne McCaffrey, but of course Dragonsinger got me hooked. . .
Sterling North wrote several books that I loved as a kid, there was also a book (I forget who wrote it, My Side of the Mountain
When I was really young, I loved Richard Scary books. . .
But my all time faves: The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings Wow. This is a great thread. . .
“To be great is to be misunderstood” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wow, I haven’t thought of “The Three Investigators” in years! “Red Gate Rover, come over, come over…” I loved that series as a kid because I was a plump, bookish, too-smart-to-be-popular kid, and I would have given ANYTHING to be Jupiter Jones.
I can’t believe only one other person in this whole thread has mentioned “The Phantom Tollbooth.” I went out and bought a copy when I was in college and I’ve read it to my son.
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” of course. (How many of you have read the sequel, “Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator”?) Roald Dahl was the greatest.
I also read my copies of the Chronicles of Narnia, the Oz books, and the Lord of the Rings to tatters.
Live a Lush Life
Da Chef