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A Few Good Books…
For kids, at any rate…
There are some reading experiences that just stay with you no matter how long it’s been since you’ve read the book in question. I can still recall reading books as varied as whatever ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ was on offer, a fun time travel tale like ‘Max and Me and the Time Machine’, a novel as weird in concept as ‘The Indian in the Cupboard’, books like ‘Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing’ by Judy Blume or some of the ‘MacDonald Hall’ books by Gordon Korman.
I even recall reading a story about the Bell Witch Haunting, a folk tale from down south, that scarred the piss out of me. For years after, I would try to fall asleep, terrified that the Bell Witch was going to invade our home and start clawing at my bed covers. The real witch was the one the master bedroom downstairs, as it happens, but kids are kids and when superstitious nonsense gets into their heads, it doesn’t get out so easily.
That said, there are some excellent books that have stayed with me for very good, affirmative reasons. And even though these books are decades old, I dare say it would be good for kids to read them still. I’ll touch briefly on a few of them and what I took from the experience so that you can make an informed decision about whether the books are right for your child.
