Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd Like to Revisit

This week's topic for The Broke and the Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday is "Top Ten Books From My Childhood/Teen Years I'd Like to Revisit."  That's a mouthful, but it's a pretty interesting topic.  When I started to brainstorm about what books to put on this list, I was surprised by how many of them are considered to be classics, especially considering my adulthood general avoidance of such.  Here are ten books I remember fondly from my "youth" and would love to revisit, should the right opportunity present itself.

1. The Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder - I worshipped these books as a kid, and their TV show, too.

2. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - Likewise, with Anne.  I always wished I'd continued with the series.  I loved Anne and loved Montgomery's beautifully depicted Prince Edward Island.  Is there person out there who's read this book and doesn't want to vacation to Prince Edward Island?  Seriously?

3. The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene - This one gets a good honorable mention because it's among the few, the proud that I chose from a list of required reading options in English class and actually really liked.  I think I'd get even more out of it as a full-fledged adult.

4. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - I can only just remember this one, but I'd be super interested to revisit bookish Francie in her hardscrabble life.  I think this is the first book that taught me how to appreciate how real life can disappear when you're immersed in a good book.

5. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor - This is the sort of historical fiction that instructs about racism and civil rights better than any textbook could ever hope to.  I love historical fiction that makes history live and breathe and this book and the rest of its series did it perfectly.

6. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli - Oh Maniac Magee, all hometown legend and untying the big knot, and uniting a divided town.  Loved this book so much that I went to the author's undergrad Alma Mater for college.  Okay, maybe not on purpose, but it was still a happy coincidence.

7. The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen - I'm always talking about this book that set me on the path to being totally passionate about Holocaust/World War II literature.

8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Okay, I think I read To Kill a Mockingbird way too early in my life, and I'd like to revisit it for that reason alone.  I think my adult self would appreciate it waaaaaay more than my middle school self, and I'd love to find out.

9. Redwall Series by Brian Jacques - I had almost totally forgotten about this one when I spotted Jackie's review and it all came rushing back.  I discovered the Redwall books in middle school and loved, loved
reading about the animals' adventuring and their feasting and their everything at Redwall Abbey.  I still have a couple of these books on my shelves, and I'd loved to be immersed in this world again!

10. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell - Really, any of Scott O'Dell's books would do, this one just stands out in my mind because it's the more famous.  I think Scott O'Dell singlehandedly provided me with 95% of my knowledge of Native American history and culture, and made it just wicked enjoyable.


What books from your younger days are you nostalgic for?  Or do you have any that you didn't think much of then but are sure you'd love now?

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