No matter how many books we read throughout our lives there will always be those occasional titles that have a profound and lasting impact on us. Those stories that really resonate and touch something indefinable within us and no matter how many years go by we can still call to mind the characters and the plot line with a surprising clarity. Our 50 Books that stayed with you (children’s edition) garnered a lot of interest and with over 100 titles mentioned and 700 plus responses it’s obviously not just me who remembers one or two titles with extra fondness.
Here are the top 50 Books that stayed with you according to our Social Media followers.
The Famous Five – Enid Blyton
The collected adventures of Julian, Dick, Anne, George, and their faithful furry friend Timmy were by far and away the most often mentioned tales from your childhoods that remained with you into adulthood. Friendship, bravery in the face of adversity, acceptance, and empathy were the lessons taken from Enid’s epic tales.
Watership Down – Richard Adams
This brutally detailed tale of a warren of displaced rabbits and their journey to find somewhere safe from the invasion of man is one that definitely stayed with me, and it seems I am not the only one as it is a very comfortable second in our poll.
The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S Lewis
Another classical series is in third place. I imagine there’s not one of us who hasn’t walked into an old wardrobe and hoped against hope that they too will feel the cold crisp air on their face, and the crunching of freshly fallen snow beneath their feet instead of the plain old backing boards of a non magical piece of bedroom furniture; then been inordinately disappointed when they hit the back without so much as a flake of snow in evidence.
Charlotte’s Web – E.B White
This most beautiful tale of friendship and sacrifice is one that definitely made a lasting impression on me; Wilbur and Charlotte were the first characters I remember making me cry and 28 of you agree with me.
Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
Louisa’s semi autobiographical novel of four sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March follows their passage from childhood to womanhood and although the world today may have changed, the trials and tribulations of the sisters still resonate with many of you today.
Anne of Green Gables – L. M. Montgomery
Although widely considered to be a children’s novel, Anne of Green Gables was in fact written for all ages. Eleven year old Anne’s new life with the Cuthberts is a lifelong love of 24 of you and is in 6th place.
Harry Potter – J.K Rowling
Harry Potter has been credited with instilling a love of reading in hundreds of thousands of people both young and old alike. J.K Rowling’s brilliant story telling had us all hooked and has birthed an entire generation of Potterites who are still patiently waiting for their letter from Hogwarts.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy – J. R. R. Tolkien
We all love the story of the underdog, the unlikely hero who finds strength in the face of adversity and who surprises everyone with their tenacity. Who would have thought a humble Hobbit could have completed such an epic task when we met him right at the beginning of Tolkien’s tale of Middle Earth.
The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank
Sometimes History books just cannot convey the horrors of the past, sometimes it needs the voice of a young girl, silenced before its end to really show us what it was like to be Jewish in Nazi Germany.
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Mr D’arcy and Elizabeth’s convoluted courtship and all the intricacies of proper behaviour that goes to make up Jane Austen’s guide to family honour is timeless in its allure. 21 of you consider Pride and Prejudice to have been a pivotal read in your youth.
11. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
12. The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
13. The Outsiders – S. E. Hinton
14. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith
15. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
16. The Giving Tree – Shel Silverstein
17. The Magic Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton
18. Matilda – Roald Dahl
19. Nancy Drew – Edward Stratemeyer
20. Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
And after the featured top 20, here we continue to include the top 50 books that left a lasting impression.
Little House on the Prairie – Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Witch of Blackbird Pond – Elizabeth George Speare
The Hobbit – J. R. R. Tolkien
The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
The Velveteen Rabbit – Margery Williams
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles – Julie Edwards
Lord of the Flies – William Golding
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
All Creatures Great and Small – James Herriot
The Adventures of the Wishing-Chair – Enid Blyton
The Red Pony – John Steinbeck
Trixie Belden – Various
Carrie – Stephen King
Percy Jackson – Rick Riordan
Heidi – Johanna Spyri
Mort – Terry Pratchett
Mandy – Julie Andrews
The Hundred and One Dalmatians – Dodie Smith
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
The Just So Stories – Rudyard Kipling
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain
A Kestrel for a Knave – Barry Hines
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole – Sue Townsend.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit – Beatrix Potter
Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë
The Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carrol
The Mitten – Jan Brett
The Happy Prince and Other Tales – Oscar Wilde
The Animals of Farthing Wood – Colin Dann
So many wonderful memories brought back by that list. Keep an eye out for the Adult Edition coming soon.
10 of 2024’s Most Anticipated Reads
The For Reading Addicts Book of the Year 2023
Are You Willing to Unite Against Book Bans?
Roald Dahl Censorship Creates Grotesque Versions of Classics
For Reading Addicts Book of the Year 2022
