By Kate Irwin, Fiction Editor & Blog Editor ~
Illustration by Mary Engelbreit
“When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.” I’ve always agreed with this quote from Kathleen Kelly, owner of a children’s bookstore in the Nora Ephron movie, “You’ve Got Mail.”
To reminisce, I’ve asked some Penn State students about their favorite books growing up — so, prepare for some major nostalgia for those lovely Scholastic Book Fairs, which could only be likened to a slice of heaven in elementary school.
“Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery
I’ll have to start with my own, as the charming redhead on Prince Edward Island has had a piece of my heart from the moment I met her. The entire Anne series remains one of my absolute favorites to this day. I was delighted by Anne’s mishaps with dyed green hair and cracked slates, and I was incredibly moved by her friendships, her relationship with Marilla and Matthew and her blend of dreaminess and ambition. Gilbert Blythe was my first literary crush, and I was ready to forgive him way before Anne did. These books also introduced me to words like “cordial” and “gingham” at a young age which…is a good thing, right?
The “Junie B. Jones” series by Barbara Park
This series about the misadventures of a young girl always took a comical turn, something Reagan Hornberger said she particularly liked.
“I loved them so much because I felt like she was so relatable to me, so I read all of them when I was in first grade,” she said. “They made me laugh and laugh and laugh, and I like a good book with random bits of humor. She was also such a relatable main character, and I still gravitate toward books that are super relatable.”
“Little House in the Big Woods” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The entire series about the homesteading and pioneering adventures of the Ingalls family in the 19th century has been beloved by many generations and has inspired many young girls to become lifelong readers. For myself, as well as Emma Stockham, the Little House books were shared with us by our mothers.
“My mom read all of these books to me when I was little, but the first one was my favorite,” she said. “It always reminds me of the holidays because we would read it in the winter under blankets, and it was just so cozy. I still like books that are based on true events, and I think that stems from Little House.”
The “Nancy Drew” series by Carolyn Keene
The smart, stylish young detective was always either slipping on a pearl necklace over her tennis dress, visiting her boyfriend Ned Nickerson at college or solving complex crimes with her friends George and Bess with apparent ease. Lily Najjar said the series still influences parts of her reading taste.
“I’ve always loved mystery novels, and I just thought she was just so chic with her little magnifying glass,” Najjar said. “I still enjoy reading guilty pleasure detective novels, and I loved Nancy’s girl power.”
“The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton
Alex Toth chose the coming-of-age tale about the greasers and the Socs, told from the perspective of one of the most memorable literary names — Ponyboy.
“I read it in middle school in class, and I thought it was just a great story,” Toth said. “I had never read anything like that before, so it was memorable for me.”
“The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein
Claire Williams declared this heart-wrenching, illustrated classic as her favorite childhood book and said the author even influenced her current reading and writing.
“I liked the illustrations and the style it was in, and I also just really loved the message — I thought it was really powerful, even as a kid,” Williams said. “Shel Silverstein wrote a lot of poetry, too, and I am an English major and I specialize in poetry, so I definitely read more of Shel Silverstein because of The Giving Tree.”
“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
It’s the classic that is often revered as the quintessential great American novel — and for excellent reason. Clare Brdar enjoyed it so much that she said she didn’t mind reading it twice in school.
“It was a nice story, and I liked Atticus Finch,” Brdar said. “He was a good father figure, and he stood up for what he believed in, and I just found that to be really cool. I read it in seventh grade in Catholic school, and then I read it again my freshman year in public high school.”
The “Percy Jackson” series by Rick Riordan
A wry sense of humor, fantastically hilarious chapter names and Greek mythology was the blend that appealed to so many middle schoolers in the 2010s, including Sean Thurston.
“It was different, and I really enjoyed the fantasy stuff,” Thurston said. “I read the books when I was about 12 and the main character, Percy Jackson, was also about 12, so that made them more relatable to me.”
“The Little Engine That Could” by Watty Piper
The fictional train determinedly working his way up a hill created an incredibly memorable mantra for many. For Phoebe Cykosky, it’s a mantra she’s implemented into her own life for years.
“During tennis growing up, whenever I was down, my parents would say, ‘I think I can,’ to hype me back up,” Cykosky said. “That was such a constant, so now I mentally say it to myself. It literally sticks with me to this day.”
The “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling
I wasn’t surprised that this magical series was mentioned as a favorite by numerous students, including Jeremiah Hassel. For more than 20 years now, readers of many different ages have been caught up in the wizarding world and have sped through the thick novels with astonishing swiftness.
“Harry Potter was my introduction to the magic the real world has to offer,” Hassel said. “The similarities between the Harry Potter books and real life are striking in a lot of ways, and the books show that humanity and simply being human transcends all the power in the world.”
What’s your favorite childhood book? Let us know in the comments!
Kate is a junior at Penn State majoring in public relations and minoring in English, history and digital media trends & analytics. She is serving as the fiction coordinator and blog editor at KLIO this semester. She also works as an account executive for Happy Valley Communications, serves as the director of programming for the Public Relations Student Society of America, writes for the Daily Collegian and tutors students in writing. Kate enjoys exercising, reading, having dance parties and is almost always listening to music.