We used to die laughing over Silverstein's poems. They were unique and silly and fun. I should read some of them to my kids - they'd probably love them, too.

Thanks for coming by, Cheri!

Creating this list brought back a lot of warm memories for me as well :) I know not all of the old books translate well for today's kids, but man, I loved them when I was a kid!

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Such fun books! I haven't revisited Amelia Bedelia as an adult. I wonder what I would think of her now?

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I'm sure there were a lot of un-PC things about the Little House books, but I didn't notice any of that back in the day. I just loved the stories. Same with Nancy Drew. I don't know how I'd feel about the books today, but back then I could not get enough of them!

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Sam!

There were a lot of books that are un-PC now that seemed totally normal in the day. That doesn't mean we can't say we enjoyed them at the time. And read them with open eyes now, they can still tell us a lot about the times.

At least it's a "dry" heat :) Texas humidity probably makes the heat a million times worse. Ugh. I basically hibernate in the summer - that's how much I hate the heat!

Same here on the mysteries. I adored Encyclopedia Brown.

Thanks for stopping by, Ethan!

I had some of his poems memorized, too! Lots of them are short and funny, so it's no wonder we enjoyed having them in our heads!

Thanks for coming by, AJ!

Me too. When I was writing about the series, I realized I couldn't remember a thing about it except that I ADORED it. I'll have to do a reread as well. I wonder what we'd think of it as adults??

Thanks for stopping by, Alicia!

I've seen her on lots of lists today! She's a popular gal :)

Thanks for coming by!

TTT is definitely the highlight of my Tuesdays! Honestly, I haven't done much else today. The dishwasher isn't going to load itself, so I should probably get on that ...

I'm glad the brighter days are helping you feel better. I never understood SAD until I had a college roommate who had it. Winters in Utah were super rough for her. I'm glad you're feeling better. I hope that continues :)

I'm waiting for a new swimsuit that I ordered to come. If this heat continues, I might just jump in fully clothed.

Thanks for coming by, Lydia!

Thanks! I keep thinking of more I should have added :) Even though we didn't have as many books to choose from back then, I feel like there were some really good ones available and I'm glad I was able to read them as a child.

Thanks for stopping by, Deanna!

What?? I have never heard of this series. The Goosebumps books were after my time, but I loved ghost stories when I was a kid - a CYOA Goosebumps book would have been right up my alley!

Thanks for coming by, Jess!

Honestly, this list could have been at least double as long as it was. Once I started thinking about books I enjoyed as a child, others kept popping into my head!

Shel Silverstein was a treasure, wasn't he? I've never been big on poetry, but I loved his. It was perfect for kids - short, quirky, and funny.

Thanks for coming by, Leslie!

It's supposed to cool down a teensy bit toward the end of the week. After that, it will be heat, heat, heat until November when it will finally start cooling off again. Central Arizona weather is rough on a heat-hater like myself :(

I agree on the Little House and AB books, although none of my kids ever showed any interest in reading the former. My 11yo just watched the LH t.v. show for the first time and she liked it, so there's hope for her yet :)

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Pike wrote thrillers and horror, which I loved as a teen. I'm not so much into the latter these days, but you know I still love the former!

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Helen!

That reminds me how different it was to find recipes before the Internet! It's so easy these days to find recipes and cooking instructions as well as reviews. Cooks these days are so spoiled!

Sounds we liked a lot of the same books as kids. No wonder - they're great ones.

Thanks for stopping by, Rachel!

SO nostalgic! It's been fun to look at other people's lists today and see so many fun old children's books. Not gonna lie - it's made me feel really old, though :)

Thanks for coming by, Lectrice!

Me, too. Mysteries are probably my favorite genre these days. My love for the genre definitely came from my parents and the mysteries I read as a kid.

Thanks for stopping by, Cheryl!

I liked her books more when I was a kid, but I still appreciate the fact that she writes clean mysteries that are appropriate for all ages. At one point, I was reading her books as a teenager, my dad was reading them as a middle-aged man, and my grandma was reading them as a senior citizen. I love that all of us could read them and enjoy them.

Thanks for coming by, Angelique!

Right? This topic has taken me on such a fun trip down memory lane. I love it!

Thanks for stopping by, Verushka!

He was a crowd pleaser! I remember his work being a big hit with my teachers and friends.

Thanks for coming by, Lindsey!

You should definitely read Silverstein's poetry collections. His poems are short, funny, and upbeat. You could read through a collection of them very quickly.

Thanks for coming by, Nushu!

Right? Those CYOA books were the best. Quick, exciting, fun to read - what more can a kid ask for?

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Lark!

I agree! If we still remember them all these years later, they must have been good :)

Thanks for coming by, Jaime!

I don't remember being into Trixie Belden. It could just be my failing memory because I loved mysteries and would definitely have looked for more Nancy Drew-ish books. It seems weird that I would have missed out on those books ...

Thanks, as always, for stopping by and commenting, Carla!

R.L. Stine started publishing when I was a young teenager, so I never really got into his books. I'm sure I would have if I'd been a little bit younger because I've always been a sucker for a good ghost story :)

LOL. I took piano lessons as a kid, too, and it was torture. My teacher didn't have books to choose from, but she did have a cute son that made going to lessons a *little* bit more fun :)

Yep, someone definitely should have brought up the driving yourself to the library perk! We lived about a mile out of town, so if I wanted to go anywhere I had to hoof it or beg someone for a ride. Being able to drive meant FREEDOM. I didn't even care (much) that I was driving a big, blue station wagon or that I was constantly running errands for my mom. I was just glad to be able to get places ALL BY MYSELF :)

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting!

Ahh, the good ole days! I know Dr. Seuss is still popular today and the Amelia Bedelia series has been continued by the author's nephew, but you don't hear much about Silverstein these days. That's too bad. He was a treasure.

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Nancy Drew was the best! I never got into the Babysitters Club, but I know they were super popular back in the day.

Thanks for coming by, Leslie!

LOL. The good thing about the CYOA books was that it was easy to cheat and look ahead to learn your fate so you wouldn't choose wrong! LOL.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Katherine!

How sad that you didn't have a library! Ours was teensy, but it was possible to "order" books from the regional library - you had to look the books up on microfiche, then fill out a form, and the book would be sent to your home in the mail. It's crazy how easy it is to request books from the library now.

I forgot about the Bobbsey Twins! I loved them, too.

Thanks for coming by, Marilyn! Do you have a blog I can check out?

I do not have a blog. I do have a twin sister that is why I liked The Bobbsey Twins.
Marilyn

I don't think I ever read the Hardy Boys books. I probably considered them "boy" books and stayed away. So sexist!

Thanks for stopping by, Greg!

I'm glad some of these "oldies but goodies" have endured to be enjoyed by the next generations :)

Thanks for coming by, Marianne!

Always a pleasure, Susan. Have a good day.

An hour? Yikes! I'm glad you had books at home then. Books are so much easier to acquire these days and obviously, I have TONS at my house. Anytime my kids say, "I don't have anything to read," I say, "Gee, I wonder how you could possibly solve that problem in THIS house." LOL.

My oldest was a toddler when the first HP book came out. I remember sitting on the floor of his room reading it while he played :) I agree - I would have loved growing up with Harry Potter.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Carole!

This was such a fun, nostalgic topic! I had fun reading through everyone's lists this week, although I was reminded, once again, of how OLD I am. LOL.

Thanks for coming by, Suzanne!

I hope your kids enjoy Silverstein as much as we do :)

Thanks for coming by, Lindsi!