At the beginning of this blog series, I talked about what I believe makes a reader passionate about books. In a follow-up, I challenged YOU to come up with the books that made you feel passionate about reading when you were a child. Thank you to all that participated in the discussion. Here is the list:
Betsy-Tacy Series, Maud Hart Lovelace
Harry Potter Series, J.K. Rowlings
The Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson
Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle
Running Out of Time, Margaret Peterson Haddix
The Trixie Belden Series by Kathryn Kenny.
Gone Away Lake, Elizabeth Enright
Return to Gone Away, Elizabeth Enright
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, Bette Bao Lord
Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter
Eldest Cycle (Eragon Books), Christopher Paolini
The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings Trilogy, J. R. R. Tolkien
Holes, Louis Sacher
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsburg
Hello, House, Linda Hayward,
Stinky Cheese Man, Jon Scieszka
Amelia Bedelia, Peggy Parish
Encyclopedia Brown (series), Donald J. Sobol
Sideways Stories from Wayside School (series), Louis Sachar
Sports Fiction Series, Matt Christopher
Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card
The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnet
A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnet
Sweet Pickles Series, Ruth Lerner Perle, Jacquelyn Reinach, and Richard Hefter
Rifles for Watie, Harold Keith
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s series
The Ramona Quimby books, Beverly Cleary
The Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series, Betty MacDonald
The Bobbsey Twins, Laura Lee Hope
Mandy, Julie Andrews Edwards
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series), Jeff Kinney
The Warriors (series), Erin Hunter
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (series). Rick Riordan
Bone (series), Jeff Smith
Babymouse (series), Jennifer Holm
A Series of Unfortunate Events (series), Lemony Snicket, aka Daniel Handler
Nancy Drew, Carolyn Keene
Little Witch. Anna Bennett
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret , Judy Blume (and really any other Judy Blumes!)
Nothing’s Fair in Fifth Grade, Barthe DeClements
The Westing Game , Ellen Raskin
The Babysitters Club, Ann Martin
Matilda , Roald Dahl (again, any book by Roald Dahl!!)
The Trumpet of the Swan and Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White
All of these books can be purchased at your local independent bookseller or if you must, places like Amazon.com. What really stood out as I read your comments, was how impassioned you were about these books–books I might add that you hadn’t read for many, many years. Let’s give this next generation of readers this same shot of passion about reading! Keep the suggestions coming and check-in for tips about building great readers over the coming weeks! Or even better, contact EEC and have us create a custom instructional seminar on building passionate readers for your school! Now, I’m off to read the new Newbery Medal winning book, “When You Reach Me” by Rebecca Stead.
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10:06 am on January 21st, 2010
My Novel Gone Away Into the Land is a book for adolescents and adults. It fits the mold for books that are good for reluctant readers. It has already made it into acceptance by two school boards and we are getting the book into the libraries without a problem. It just came out in November and already it is picking up bookstores and garnering good reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and other sites. It is a story that centers around a family in crisis – in particular a twelve year old boy who , with his mother, travel into a fantasy land like no other to reconcile their problems. Please read the reviews. ISBN 160860859X
I would be proud to be represented on a list such as the one you present on your site.
Thank you for reading.
Jeffrey Allen
11:30 am on January 21st, 2010
Thanks for sharing your novel, Jeffrey. I look forward to reading it! Please share our site with other authors you know!
7:38 am on February 1st, 2010
Thank you – I will do that.
Please post your review and could you list the book on the site. It is becoming a book that is being accepted by school boards for school libraries.
Thanks
Jeffery
11:22 am on February 17th, 2010
This book really blew me away! And, I’m not that big into fantasy but this book has made me a true convert. “GoneAway into the Land” by Jeffrey B. Allen, will be the next “Lord of the Rings,” I kid you not! The story starts out with a 12-year-old boy and his family who suffer the trauma of dealing with an abusive father and husband. The father is a beast and truly becomes one once they leave the World and end up in the Land, looking for John’s sister Marny, who has been abducted by the beast.
ZingZongLand is a land of confections. How cool is that? Any type of confection you can imagine. It seems like a paradise until greed and power of a few take over.
Allen’s wonderful art of description makes you forget you’re in a land of make-believe. Instead you are entrenched in this “candy land” of sorts. Of course, you are also entrenched in the horrors and battles because Mr. Allen so vividly describes them.
The Land and its civilizations are virtually destroyed in the process of fighting the greed and power. John and his mother are in the midst of it all as they search for Marny. And, during the process, they find another lost wonder. To tell more would be to give away the story and I enjoyed this book way too much to ruin it for someone else.
This is an easy read because of the lightness Allen keeps despite some of the horrors experienced by John, his family and the friends he meets along his journey. There are times you will laugh out loud! Personally, Albertson was my favorite character. I wanted to take him home with me.
You will be on the edge of your seat to the very last page. And, if you react as I did, you will be anxious for Allen to finish the sequel. I can’t wait to read “Into the World” and my guess is that we’ll be seeing a film version one day. I highly recommend this book for both young and older adults.
Great job, Jeffrey B. Allen! Keep up the good work!