Books I should have read when I was a kid....

For the past few years, I've been on a kick about reading the books that, surprisingly enough, I did not read when I was a kid. (For those who don't know me, its surprising that I didn't read these books because I have always been an avid reader.) I've decided to include some books that weren't around when I was a kid as well. Here is a list of books that I have read recently or plan to read soon.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
I read this for the first time about 2 years ago. I bought it for my nephews for their birthdays.

A Wrinkle in Time
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
A Wind in the Door
Many Waters
by Madeline L'engle
Also bought for my nephews....the whole series.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
by Roald Dahl
Just purchased...will read this week.

Roverandom
The Father Christmas Letters
by J.R.R. Tolkien
Actually, I didn't know about these when I was a kid, but I'm a Tolkien fanatic, so I read these and enjoyed them very much.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
by Lemony Snicket
These are great books. I think I'm on book 10 now. I'm just waiting for it to be in at the library.

Ella Enchanted
The Princess Tales
by Gail Carson Levine
These are fun, easy reads....for girls anyway...probably not so much for guys.

Inkheart
by Cornelia Funke
This is a great book. It's thick though, so unless you're a fast reader, expect to spend some time on this one.

Eragon
Eldest
by Christopher Paolini
I read this one about a year and a half ago and am waiting impatiently for the second one in the series (which comes out August 23rd).

Persepolis
Persepolis 2
by Marjane Satrapi
These graphic novels give some great insight on what's going on the Middle East, particularly in Iran.

The Bark of the Bog Owl
The Secret of the Swamp King
by Jonathan Rogers
This is a neat retelling of the story of David. The second one in the series has just come out, but I haven't gotten my hands on it yet.

Artemis Fowl
The Arctic Incident
The Eternity Code
The Opal Deception
by Eoin Colfer
Mischevious little books. I like them a lot. Haven't read the last one yet.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by J.K. Rowling
I must say I am waiting impatiently for the 6th book to come out. I have it on preorder.


This is by no means an exhaustive list. If a book you think is worthy didn't make it, it may be because I actually did read it when I was a kid. Still post it to me though. I may have forgotten about it. If it's a newer release, I may not have heard about it yet. I'm always on the lookout for something new to read. Keep in mind that this list is pretty much only children's and young adult fiction. I'll probably eventually do a blog about adult fiction.