Favorite book as a child or even now

[sampaguita]

I've always had a mad passion for books. I love how I can get lost within its pages, where I can be lost for hours and hours on end in someone else's world. At night, Ma would scold me because I would be reading in the dark, lying on the bed, and not doing my homework. But she still couldn't stop me from turning the pages! I'm sure a lot of you out there share this passions for books.

Do you have a favorite book that you related to when you were growing up? Was there one particular character who you wanted to be or saw yourself in? Is there one book that you can read over and over again without ever tiring of it?

A few of my favorite classics are:
"Little Women"-- Louisa May Alcott
"Anne of Green Gables"-- L.M. Montgomery
"Heidi"-- Johanna Spyri
"Island of the Blue Dolphins"-- Scott O'Dell
"Lord of the Flies"-- William Golding
"The Outsiders"-- S.E. Hinton
and
"Noli Me Tangere"-- Jose Rizal

Please feel free to share your favorites! :)

[This message has been edited by sampaguita (edited 02-09-2000).]

[BODACIOUS]

I've read and re-read "The Little Prince" , "Velveteen Rabbit", "Wizard of Oz."

[Ira]

When I was a child my parents got me this 2-volume hardbound book from Readers' Digest, titled "The World's Best Fairy Tales". It's the first book I've read with more words than illustrations, but the few illustrations it has are really beautiful. My copy is pretty well-worn, but I occassionally still bring it out of my bookshelf to read it. This book started my love affair with the written word.

[Blister]

Kamasutra/ Tantrasutra.. hehehehehh ;)
*Kidding*

[Lemon_ade]

i had one of those reader's digest hard bound books (i forgot the name of the book) too. it's one of my favorites. also one of the reasons why i love books now.

[RöttenMind]

i like the "wizard of oz" :)

counted ba yung "archie digest mag"?!? mukha pa rin namang book yun eh! ;)

[emilie]

Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Nancy Drew, A Wrinkle in Time, Alice in Wonderland. Also, I love re-reading the fairy tales.

[bugsbunny]

favorite book ko until now is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott...
next favorite book ko is Julie by Catherine Marshall...
u guys should read this, if you havent yet...
these are really excellent books! :)

[tr|n|ty]

i loved reading the velveteen rabbit and charlotte's web :)

[weye]

like most of u, i loved (and still love)wrinkle in time, nancy drew and the little prince. as for little women, well, i prefer the sequel - little men. somehow, i was more attached to those characters. my lola made me read other children's classics like black beauty, tom sawyer, rebecca of sunny brook farm, etc. and i'm thankful she did.

[Moiraine]

The first pocket book I read was Mr. Right by Sweet Dreams. Sobrang kinilig pa ako non. *snorts* Some of the books I really like: Wheel of Time series, Count of Monte Cristo, Dragonlance chronicles and legends, Shining, love stories which I won't mention here anymore (oo, kinikilig parin ako dito).

I've noticed that everybody likes fiction. Do any of you like to read serious stuff like say books entitled "Theory and Methods in Political Sciene" or stuff about the Cuban missile crisis etc? Yong tipong hindi required, pero you go out of your way to get that book and read it until the end for the *gasp* knowledge? My teacher's like that. She says there's nothing as wonderful as finishing a book, she calls it intellectual orgasm. If I can only read half as much as she does, I'll be more than happy already.

[Eterna]

hope for the flowers
little women

[Soleil]

C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia was my first venture into the fantasy genre. I love all of the seven books.

Other books I loved as a child: Little Women, Anne of the Green Gables series, and the 20+4 volume Walt Disney Encyclopedia.

[harley quinn]

Among the books I enjoyed in gradeschool were the Wishing Chair series, the author escapes me now. It brought me to fantasy land where chocolates and candies hung from trees and toys could talk and play. As a 7- or 8-year old, I had developed a love for the library! Geek, 'no, bata pa lang!

Also loved Alice in Wonderland and Heidi. Got hooked on Nancy Drew a few years later.

[sampaguita]

Peps: "A Seperate Peace" was great! A little of a tear-jerker but that's what makes it so good.

Ira: Fairy tales are a good way to escape from reality. I loved my Grimms' Fairy Tales. What was your favorite?

Others mentioned "A Wrinkle In Time" and "The Wizard of Oz", both great fantasy/sci-fi. Not to forget the Narnia Chronicles! And the Dragonlance series. Has anyone picked up any Star Wars novels? Or Shannara novels? They're good fantasy/sci-fi reads!

BODACIOUS, tr|n|ty: What's the "Velvetten Rabbit" about? sounds interesting.

Moiraine: lol... I snuck one or two romance novels under my bed before. VC Andrews anyone? :) And as far as reading non-fiction, I don't usually. But when a subject interests me I do pick it up. Most have to do with dreams and psychology and philosophy stuff. I have yet to reach that "intellectual orgasm" you speak of. Lemme know how it feels. :)

Rottenmind: I think the Archies comics would count. I'm guilty of having read them too! :)
Blister: tsk, tsk, tsk... must've been a naughty kid! :)

harley quinn: A lot people I know were scared of "Alice...". They think it's quite psychotic. Did you know that the author was supposedly inspired by some dream he had when he was high/drunk on some alcohol? Interesting to note. But I loved "Alice..." myself, Chesire Cat and Queen of Hearts and all. :)

Eterna: Tell me about "Hope For the Flowers". Just curious.

[This message has been edited by sampaguita (edited 02-10-2000).]

[This message has been edited by sampaguita (edited 02-10-2000).]

[Ira]

I loved Perrault's Cinderella, Andersen's Thumbelina, Grimm's The Goose-Girl, and the Mangyars' The Boy Who Kept a Secret. :)

[Moiraine]

sampaguita there's no shame in admitting you read romance novels... I've read one or two.. or three or four Dozen myself LOL
In fact my cousin just sent us a BOX (I can't believe it myself) and a big shopping bag full of books. I've only gone through the bag (the box is still tied) and all I saw were romance books. So I'll probably be reading them all throughout summer *sighs in bliss* I'm looking forward to reading mush and allowing my brain to atrophy.
As for that intellectual orgasm, if you want to know how it feels like, I better ask my teacher, I don't think I've ever REALLY read a serious book all my life!

[sampaguita]

Ira:
I didn't know there were other fairy tales out there besides Grimms and Andersens. That's a whole new world for me! :) What do you think of the Disney versions of some of the tales?

Moiraine:
lol... A whole box of romance novels, huh? My mother would be in bliss, too! I admit, I allow myself to dive in "trashy" novels, as my roomates call them. Have you ever picked up anything by VC Andrews, "Flowers in the Attic" author? She's pretty.. umm... lemme just leave that up to you to find out. :)

[Ira]

That's why I love the Reader's Digest 2-volume book. :) It's a very extensive compilation of all the best (kahit obscure) fairy tales made. I'm keeping these books para ipamana sa future kids ko. :) Regarding Disney, I think what they're doing naman is great. They may take a lot of liberties with the stories (e.g., The Little Mermaid), but they give the children wonderful entertainment--so who am I to complain, di ba?

[Moiraine]

sampaguita they are NOT "trashy" novels! From what I heard they can be described as soft-porn so you march to your friends and correct them! LOL

I've never read any book by VC Andrews, I thought she was a HE. What kind of books does she write? I always thought she belonged to the horror/suspense genre.

Wait... Flowers in the Attic, it sounds familiar, something about sisters, an evil mother? an attic, and a horrible secret? a

[sampaguita]

Ira:
I gotta me a copy of that Reader's Digest book! I guess you really couldn't complain abou Disney coming with their own versions of fairy tales. But I think I wouldn't want to get out of touch with the original tales and at the same time, would like to be updated on the newer versions. There was an older movie animation made of "The Little Mermaid" which was closer to the tragic original plot. I kinda liked it, inspite of her death. Did you get a chance to see that? Disney version is great, too, though. So I guess we really can't complain. :)

Moiraine:
Hmmm... maybe Andrews is a he. I dunno. I guess I just assumed that Andrews was a woman because all the novels are centered on females. Anyway, yes, I Andrews' novels are in the suspense/mystery genre, but you know, there's a lot of romance in there too. Sometimes I think there's a little too muchh, if you know what I mean. ;) (Which I'm sure you do, lol.) It deals with a lot incestry, which I think is disgusting. But then again, that's what makes it interesting.

"Flowers in the Attic" was made into a movie way back when. It deals with four siblings all locked up in the attic where they stay for quite some time. They're actually staying with their grandparents and their mother agrees to put them in the attic, because, you're right, of a terrible secret that if revealed, would unearth embarassment and pain. And yes, it deals with incestry. I suggest you go tackle it one of these days. :) If you don't get too grossed out about it. I think it may out-do the regular Harlequinn novels out there.

[Moiraine]

sampaguita what earlier "Little Mermaid" version did you see? I saw one that looked like it was drawn by the Japanese (big eyes, narrow faces) but I'm not sure. The girl DID die, I couldn't believe it!! I was still very young then, and I already felt betrayed by the cartoon makers LOL It was the first time I saw a cartoon that didn't end happily ever after.

I don't think I'll read VC Andrews anytime soon, I'm not eager to get into books like that, books which only make me feel sad or disturbed afterwards. I only like novels that leave me sighing and dreaming afterwards *wink*

[Cala]

books from growing up...

The Giving Tree
The Little Prince
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Chronicles of Narnia
Cathcher in the Rye


more recent ones...

Unbearable Lightness of Being
God of Small Things

[TWIX1]

1)Velveteen Rabbit
2)The Secret Garden

[uptowngirl]

I loved reading....

"Hope for the Flowers" - can't remember who wrote this one!
"The Little Prince" - Antoine de St. Exupery
"Are You There God? It's Me Margaret" - Judy Blume
Nancy Drew Books...(marami eh!) - Carolyn Keene
"Anna Karenina" - Leo Tolstoy

:)

[slurbrun]

"The Little Prince", it's enough to teach a child all there is to know about the essentials of life. to see the rose mirrored in one's being...what a thought!

This is the one book I'd like to take w me to those "what-if-u'll-be-stuck-in-an-island" situations.

Moiraine & Sampaguita, I saw that one too, imagine a child watching a tragic cartoon like that. But looking back, i like it, bec. it opened up my eyes early on that things cannot always be how we want them to be. And i like it too bec. it's faithful to Andersen's version.

[hAsh]

the charlie brown books

[sampaguita]

Will someone gimme a little summary of what "The Velveteen Rabbit"'s about?

Moiraine:
I believe it was that Japanese version of TLM that I saw. I cried my eyeballs out as well! So sad! And hmmm... yeah, I suggest you don't read VC Andrews. There was a point when I was addicted to them (just like I was once addicted to Anne Rice novels, not good). I knew how stupid they were but I just couldn't help it! Now I've recuperated, thank you very much! lol... :)

slurburn:
It's certainly rare finding movie versions that are true to the original script. Look at Disney. But I guess they wanted to explor other possibilities of the plot. Up to now, I don't know which I like better, TLM Disney version, or the sad one. They both present certain values that are equally important.

uptowngirl:
I love that Judy blume, too! :)

Anyone used to read the Bearstein Bears series? Of the Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley Twins? Share your opinions if you have. Thanks! :)

[This message has been edited by sampaguita (edited 02-25-2000).]

[*happy*phantom*]

I LOVE LITERATURE! Gosh, if I start talking about it...baka maubos ko ang space sa board. He he... So, I will just control myself and list down my the "books-that-have-a-large-impact-in-my-life"

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Children's Literature:

Wizard of Oz by Baum
The Little Prince by Exupery
A Wrinkle in Time by L'Eagle

Adult Literature:

The Alchemist by Coelho
The God of Small Things by Roy
The Road Less Travelled by Peck

[Moiraine]

slurburn and sampaguita, yes the Jap cartoon was faithful to the original, and most of the time I'd prefer it if the movie version was faithful to the book, but I have to admit, in the case of Disney, I like their versions better because I wouldn't want to watch a sad cartoon. However, when I have kids, I'm going to make sure that they watch the cartoons AND read the books, just so they don't grow up thinking that Phoebus and Esmeralda lived on happily ever after, or that Pocahontas and John Smith ended up together.
sampaguita I read Anne Rice's the Vampire Chronicles too. But that's about it. BTW... I have another message for you in the "Fantasy Books naman" thread lol

[bing2x]

There was an older movie animation made of "The Little Mermaid" which was closer to the tragic original plot. I kinda liked it, inspite of her death.

I have this tape. it was done in japanese anime. took years to find - am now looking
for "swan lake" ..

ira: where can I get the reader's digest book
I absolutely love fairy tales. n myths, too..

any suggestions.. :)

[Mister Dean]

I write children's literature, so it is very important to me to keep in touch with what's circulating and what remains canon in children's lit.

Among my own personal favorites for kids are:
"Bunnicula" by James Howe
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
"The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
"The Wizard of Oz" and the Oz series by L. Frank Baum
"A Wrinkle In Time" by Madeleine L'Engle
works by Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein

In contrast to *happy*phantom*'s suggestion, I think Exupery's "The Little Prince," while written in a child-friendly manner, actually contains material and implications that may be too much to handle for younger readers. (Sorry, butter bread! kwijibo!)

[Gandalf]

childhood books...

1. Dragonlance Saga
2. Belgariad by Eddings
3. Princess Bride
4. Shannara Saga by Terry Brooks
5. Where the Wild Things Are

...and a couple others that i just can't remember!

wow, they're all fantasy novels .. no wonder i turned out this way!!!

[sampaguita]

I love your selections *happy*phatom*, Mr. D & Gandalf! Hey, sci-fi are good reads! :P :)

"Where the Red Fern Grows" is also another classic that can't be missed!

[blue babe]

i love books. a few of my favorites:
1. wuthering heights. i've read this at least 4 times. and each time, i see new aspects to it. first time i read it was when i was 8. the last time i think, was last year.
2. les miserables
4. to kill a mockingbird
5. harry potter and the sorceror's stone
6. catcher in the rye
7. count of monte cristo
8. the good earth -- galing... a really interesting portrait of the chinese culture.

i was such a nerd when i was a kid. :) i've always loved classics.

[sampaguita]

blue babe:
I love "The Good Earth"! Very interesting! I was never given such a close to the Chinese culture as I was when I read that book! I love the romance classics! Ever read "Age of Innocence"? Grabe! It's pretty good... so is "The Scarlett Letter" and "Jane Eyre". Jane Austin is awesome when it comes to women and romance. Lemme know if you've had the chance to read them so we can make kwento. :)

[Tigger]

I love the Oz series when I was a kid, I think I read every one of them! I really love the Roal Dahl books!!! Especially Matilda! But now, I'm really into the Harry Potter books! I know they're supposedly for kids but it's really good! My mga twists pa sa story! So it doesn't insult the child's intelligence.

[exorsister]

Whoa! Another Roald Dahl fan! He's my favorite author of children's books, along with Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary. I enjoyed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The Witches, George's Marvelous Medicine, and The Twits. I hear that Rowling's Harry Potter books are just as twisted, I'll try getting them. Of late, I've been reading Dahl's adult stories, and his novel, My Uncle Oswald, thanks to Powerbooks. I've also bought his 2-part autobiography, Boy and Going Solo, but I have yet to read those.

The very first real novel I ever read was "The Little Prince" - not a bad start. ;) It turned me into a bookwormy kid, so I actually have a copy of most of the books mentioned above! Mostly I would borrow from the library though. Ahhhh, I love to read!

[jepz]

hmmm..ako fave ko is the Hobbit by JRR Tolkien...pati Lord of the Rings...also by
the same author..cool yun peeps...medyo mahaba lang nga sya...yung Lord of the Rings
is composed of 3 books ata...na super kapal...pero its good....sa mga adventure peeps who love fantasy and fairy tales...cool na cool..i think meron movie yung lord of the rings eh..cartoons ata..dunno =>;

[acridmouth]

Okay, here's mine:

1. Cousins by Virginia Hamilton(The first paperback novel I have read when I was eleven)
2. The afternoon with the Elves by Janet something (I forgot the surname)
3. Hitty:Her first 100 Years by Rachel Field
4. The Girl with the Silver Eyes (It's a great book!)
5. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder.
6. From the Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
7. ANgel by My Side

These are all Newbery-Laurel Leaf books(except for the last one)...and they're really fascinating. These were my favorites when i was a child.

And then I grew up into a fine young lady (hehe) and my taste of books changed. I no longer went for children books.

Here's my current list of fave books:

1. Noli Me Tangere
2. El Filibusterismo
3. The Diary of Anne Frank
4. The Iliad
5. Any books by Danielle Steel/Robin Cook?Nicholas Sparks
6. Tiger Eyes
7. Sweet Valley High/University
8. Fear Street (though they're not really actually scary)
9. To Kill a Mockingbird
10. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
11. Seven Days To A Brand New Me
12. Teen Angel Series
13. The Bible, of course
14. The Secret of the Holy Rosary
15. Dolly Parton:Her Autobiography
16. The Sketch Book (Washington Irving)
17. Pride and Prejudice
18. Farewell to Arms(Hemingway)
19. Tom Sawyer
20. Huckleberry Finn
21. Don't count on the Homecoming Queen

..and a lot, lot more.....!!!

[doink]

it would be " the little prince"

[christine]

"Sneetches are Sneetches" by Dr. Seuss
"The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein
"Like Water for Chocolates" by Laura Esquivel
"The Kitchen" & "Lizard" by Banana Yoshimoto
"The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks
"Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden
"The Class" by Erich Segal
"The Celestine Prophecy" by James Redfield
"Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse
"The Heart of a Woman" & "And Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou

[Lush]

Favorite books as a child (c. grade school):

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzugh
anything by Judy Blume
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory/the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl
Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe
The Secret of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
The Riddle and the Rune by Grace Chetwin
Below the Root by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Mostly Michael by Robert Kimmel Smith
Space Station Seventh Grade by Jerry Spinelli
Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner
The Princess Bride by William Goldman

[*keyah*]

The Little Prince
Alice in Wonderland

*okay*

[an]

as soon as i learned how to read, i was already amazed by all the classic fairytales like:
:flower: ALice in Wonderland
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
The Little Mermaid
Sleeping Beauty

when i was a little older, i loved reading:
*paw*Nancy Drew
Sweet Valley Twins
Christopher Pike's books
Fear Street

here are some unforgettable books for me as a child
:turncat:
Noli Me Tangere
El Filibusterismo
Little Prince
Odyssey
Iliad
The Road Less Travelled
:blowfish:

[shadowboxer]

ahhh... hehehe... Rudyard Kipling stuff! Rikki-Tikki-Tavi tsaka The White Seal from the Jungle Book...

tsaka yeah, The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum & Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland!

ok din collection of stuff ni Oscar Wilde - laluna yung The Happy Prince & (yep, tragic talaga!)
The Nightingale & the Rose.

pero i read more of Reader's Digest material - like word power enrichment books tsaka yung traditional zines. oh, & science encyclopedias, hehe.

[Idiosyncratic]

The Chronicles of Narnia!

[AshleyJaded]

Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume
Ellen Tebbits by Beverly Cleary
Pippi Longstocking, Pippi Goes on Board, Pippi in the South Seas by Astrid Lindgren
The Changeling by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Borrowers
Charlotte's Web
Bedknob and Broomstick

:D

[oui_oui]

NANCY DREW
was able to finish everything

COUNT OF MONTECRISTO
i read it at least once a year

[fountainpen]

1. Maurice Sendak's WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
2. Antoine de St. Exupery's THE LITTLE PRINCE
3. Frances Hodgson Burnett's A LITTLE PRINCESS and THE SECRET GARDEN
4. Jose Aruego's JUAN AND THE ASWANGS
5. Nick Joaquin's POP STORIES FOR GROOVY KIDS

I still like all of these books. I have other lists in other threads :)

[Triglyceride]

Originally posted by sampaguita
A few of my favorite classics are:
"Little Women"-- Louisa May Alcott
"Anne of Green Gables"-- L.M. Montgomery
"Heidi"-- Johanna Spyri

Please feel free to share your favorites! :)

[This message has been edited by sampaguita (edited 02-09-2000).]


I love those books *okay*

to add to that, my favorite books when I was growing up were:

Secret Garden-Frances H. Brunett
A Little Princess- Frances H. Brunett *tama ba spelling*
Little Men, Joe's boys - Louisa May Alcott
Pat of Silver Bush and Mistress Pat - L.M Montgomery
The Magic Faraway Tree- Enid Blyton and other E. Blyton Books I can't remember
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys :D
Little Peppers and how they grew-can't remember the writer's name
Sweet Valley Twins/High-Francine Pascal Creator
VC Andrews books


I've never outgrown Jane Eyre though, and I don't think I'll ever will :)

[hannah_li]

all-time faves:

the little prince
to kill a mockingbird
daddy-long legs
flowers for algernon
the secret garden
where the red fern grows

when i was in high school, pulit-ulit kong hinihiram sa library namin:
nancy drew
hardy boys
bobsey twins

[overbyte]

The Little Prince
Frederick by Leo Lioni
James & the Giant Peach and The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar by Roald Dahl

[mscrookshanks]

Si Inggolok at ang Planeta Pakaskas

by Rene Villanueva and Lem Garcellano *okay*

[one_song_glory]

Yeah, I was very much a bookworm as a kid...

started out with (what else?) the books by Dr. Seuss

after that, got hooked on books by Enid Blyton - I still love to read and re-read her books even if I'm now in my 20s...kakatuwa pa rin e! My siblings also never get tired of her books.

In case she doesn't sound familiar, she's a British author of children's books and wrote books with magic and fantasy, books about adventures or mysteries, and books about school life. Some examples of her books:

Famous Five Series - adventures of 5 kids
The Five Find-Outers Series - amateur sleuthing by 5 kids
Mallory Towers Series - school life in Mallory Towers
St. Clare Series - school life in St. Clare
Faraway Tree Series - fantasy about the adventures of some kids with a magic tree which leads to a different land at the top every week
Mr. Pink-Whistle Series - about a half-pixie half-man who went about the world setting things right

And lots and lots of short stories about brownies, elves, pixies, kids...

and also The Land of Far-Beyond, which has Christian undertones

I sure wish they would re-publish her books. Mahirap sila hanapin e...

[eydryth]

i spent countless hours in a the library as a child...my faves were:

the dr. seuss collection (hat, green eggs, thumb, :D)
charlotte's web
velveteen rabbit
the little prince
heidi (made me cry)
fairy tales (hans christian andersen, grimm brothers)
greek myths (the kid versions at that time)
golden books - the sesame street series of old, remember those?
ladybird or ladybug series
nancy drew/hardy boys
sweet dreams
bridge to terabithia
archie comics
frances had a bargain (?) - something about a tea party of sorts...
a wrinkle in time (all about the wallaces until many waters)

i also read tons of poetry (though i hardly understood them in grade school :))

as i grew older, this list of faves grows and grows and grows.... you all get the drift. :)

[^pusa^]

fear street
little women
christopher pike books
VC Andrews books
White fang
Archie comics
Sweet Valley

[Bad_Karma]

hardy boys
noli me tangere
el filibusterismo
:)