Hosted by KidLitFrenzy, Classic Children's Books, Mymcbooks & I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
I have taken a dive back into my past, digging up timeless classics that transcend age. I hope I've picked some books you haven't read before and I really, really hope I've picked some books you'll feel richer for reading at any age!!
Watership Downby Richard Adams
Yeppers... a book about rabbits. It's also a saga, a search, a triumph, a bloody war, a deep friendship, and where I learned the meaning of Respect. If I talk about it any more, I'll have to reread it. Again. (Which will mean buying a new copy 'cause mine is so worn, the last page has gone missing and I NEED the last page!)
Eight Cousinsby Louisa May Alcott
Have you read this?! Lousia May Alcott, right?! Little Women!! Well, I like Little Women, ok, but I really, really like Eight Cousins... 'cause the cousins are all BOYS! And Rose is the only GIRL and she whips all her cousins into shape and then they all grow up and everyone starts falling in love and it's just... so cute!! It doesn't get "grown up" 'til the next book, Rose in Bloom... where there's lover's quarrels and all sorts of mix-ups. To get to there, though, you gotta get to know all the characters first, including Phebe who sings like a bird!
The Princess and the Goblinby George MacDonald
Before the Lion in Narnia, there was the grandmother in The Princess & the Goblin. I will be raving about George MacDonald again 'cause his books lurk in the shadows behind all the other classic authors I can't get enough of. He was a contemporary of the Bronte sisters, so the writing style is from another age. I found him when CS Lewis mentioned him. He wrote fantastical books like this one plus lots, lots more. Follow Irene as she learns to trust and be brave and follow that string wherever it leads.
The HobbitJRR Tolkien
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.
The Little Princeby Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
How many times have I read this little gem?! I can't even count 'em. There's humor, youth, wisdom, persistence, faith. I suppose this little book is the reason I love multiple layers of meaning and it hides behind simplistic innocence. Everyone should have it in their library. It's a good place to go when I take myself too seriously!
Seven Daughters and Seven Sonsby Barbara Cohen, Bahija Lovejoy
This book is steeped in culture, it drips of another world, another culture, another age. People travel on camels and the business of trading rules. Women are confined behind veils and curtains. Buran, one of seven daughters, is not content to hide when she can help her father and her family. She does the impossible and surprises everyone, becoming a legend and folktale, "how could such a thing be kept secret?"
The Blue Swordby Robin McKinley
And my favorite for last... don't even tell me if you don't like this book. I'd rather not know!! Lol. The beginning starts carefully, as Harry has controlled her emotions unconsciously since bad things happen when she loses her temper. Everything changes when she sees the yellow-eyed king Corlath and he gazes too long, unable to break eye contact. Anyone who's ever found themselves immersed in a foreign culture will find solace in this book. Or... I did. Never mind it has the best horses in literature or the most amazing country, Damar, that leaves me aching to actually find it, it's so real.
I think of these books as ageless.. although I've noticed my impressions have changed over time. I'm not sure if these books would have been AS wonderful if they weren't the first ones I ever fell in love with. You know? I feel very protective of these ones, like growly... I don't think I could review 'em with a critical eye if I tried. These were my first trips to other worlds... where I cried to return to real life and attempted to read them multiple times to get back, only to find the story repeats itself.
We all have books like that don't we? One of those priceless life-changing books that transformed us forever to something different, effecting our lives forever. I will honor your treasures... please share!!
What book was your first favorite?
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