National Read a Book Day - My Top Childhood Memories!
September 6th is National Read a Book Day and who am I to miss an opportunity to do just that? These days my genre of choice is definitely a crime thriller - I love to be caught out by an ending I just didn’t see coming. As a proofreader, I am always reading something, whether knowingly or subconsciously checking it for errors so, to mark this year’s Read a Book Day 2024, I thought I’d think about the books that I grew up with. What are the books that shaped your imagination as a child?
Here are 10 books that are firmly cemented in my mind from my own childhood - did you read any of them yourself?
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - I grew up with the Harry Potter series, literally. I was 10 when the first couple of books came out and 18 when Harry was in his final year. Like many Millennials, there’s no doubt these books have impacted my life greatly! Book 3 is the one I always loved the most.
Nancy Drew The Clue of the Black Keys by Carolyn Keene - my mum bought me my first Nancy Drew teen mystery book from a charity shop and, ever since, I’ve been searching for the rest of the series in charity shops up and down the country. I now have a rather large collection but with many more to go!
Enid Blyton’s Famous Five - another iconic mystery series and one I was very proud to have completed as a child. I remember checking them out the library, one by one, until I’d read every Famous Five going. I’ve still never had potted ham, though.
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown - a book from primary school, read to us by our class teacher, Flat Stanley has been ingrained on my brain ever since. I often reference it in daily conversation and I’m not sure anyone knows what I’m talking about…
Lady Daisy by Dick King-Smith - another one my mum got me in the charity shop for when I came in from school. This story is about a talking Victorian doll that a boy called Ned finds in his attic. Sounds terrifying but I promise it was great.
The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. Nesbit - I think this might be where my fascination with phoenixes came from, long before Fawkes in Harry Potter. This story was really magical and I read it several times as a child. It even inspired my very first computer password as a young teen - no one could ever spell it correctly so my MySpace account remained 100% un-hackable.
The Suitcase Kid by Jacqueline Wilson - one of her lesser-know books, but just as traumatic as the rest, I remember this one quite vividly because of a description of a mulberry tree in the garden. Funny how specific parts of books just stay in your mind, even 20 years later!
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans - a classic children’s book and one I think we all know the beginning of, whether we want to or not… “In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines. Lived twelve little girls in two straight lines….”
Krindlekrax by Philip Ridley - it took me a long time to find out what this book was called, as all I recall from it are the sound effects! This book was read out loud to me at school and I remember, so vividly, the descriptions of the drain ker-klunking and the toaster popping and Corky the caretaker. Truly brilliant.
Stig of the Dump by Clive King - a book all about making friends, language, tidying up rubbish and going on adventures, what more could you want? I really enjoyed the story of this book and have fond memories of reading it at primary school.
What are your childhood book memories? Do you remember any of the ones I’ve chosen? #NationalReadaBookDay is a great opportunity to re-read an old favourite, even if it’s from many moons ago!
