I’ve been reading since I was 4. I began reading my mom’s romance novels at 10. By the time I was a pre-teen I was ravenous for literature, almost anything. During that time, I read 13 of the following:
- Nancy Drew Files by Carolyn Keene (It was my goal in life to have all of them at one point.)
- White Squaw by E.J. Hunter (I only read a few of these.)
- White Indian by Donald C. Porter (See a theme starting here?)
- Wagons West by Dana F. Ross (Read all of them at one time.)
- Everything written by Victoria Holt
- The Hardy Boys by Franklin Dixon
- Little House on the Prairie
- Apache by William James
- The books were the teens are dying or their parents have died.
- Chose your own Adventure
- Stagecoach by Hank Mitchum
- The Gunsmith by J.R. Roberts
- S.E. Hinton’s books: especially the Outsiders
Precocious little bugger weren’t you?
By: Rosie on March 13, 2008
at 12:31 am
Rosie- If it could be read and was fiction, I read it. The librarian quit trying to direct me at an early age.
By: scooper on March 13, 2008
at 12:52 am
I read the Little House books—the whole series—and all the Nancy Drews I could get my hands on, but I don’t know the others. Loved those, though.
Mine:
13 Hearts
By: damozel on March 13, 2008
at 1:42 am
oh yes i remember many of these…i need to direct my 12 yr old to a few of these authors.
GREAT T13…mine is up come have a look-see!
By: HolleeAnn on March 13, 2008
at 2:56 am
I read a lot of Nancy Drew and Little House, too. Oh, and I read the books about the teenagers dying by Lurlene McDaniels (I think that’s her name). Why in the world did I like them?
My T13: 13 Old Lessons I’m Still Learning
By: Ronnica on March 13, 2008
at 8:41 am
I read a few of those myself. Great list and Happy TT.
By: Lori on March 13, 2008
at 8:48 am
I started reading romances at about the same age! I love Nancy Drew. I loved reading and putting them in order on my bookshelf. I still love to read.
By: beeker on March 13, 2008
at 4:00 pm
OMG, I thought for sure we’d have more in common, but we only have Little House. And I read a few of those books where people die and blah blah — but never really liked them. Too much melodrama and situations I couldn’t relate to.
By: Susan Helene Gottfried on March 13, 2008
at 6:19 pm
I never read any of those. Different country, different sex.
By: Nicholas on March 13, 2008
at 7:44 pm
Although I haven’t read any of those, I did see the film version of “The Outsiders”. I also really enjoy the Nancy Drew movies from the late 1930s. They show them on TCM from time to time.
When you mentioned books about teens dying, it made me think of Lurlene McDaniel. I remember from my days working in bookstores that her novels were fairly popular.
By: Malcolm on March 13, 2008
at 8:16 pm
I didn’t start reading as you as you but by the time I was in my teens I was reading many of the books you’ve listed on your TT. Happy TT.
By: pussreboots on March 13, 2008
at 10:32 pm
Mine was the Black Stallion! Ah, memories.
By: fullbodytransplant on March 14, 2008
at 7:51 am
Ditto for the Nancy Drew series. I really wanted to collect the whole series and actually came close but then grew out of them. I felt almost as passionate about the Hardy Boys and Laura Ingalls books.
Thanks for the walk down memory lane!
By: FantasyGirl on March 17, 2008
at 4:06 am
Oy…you’ve been reading a lot longer than I have. The last book (or series of books) that I remember reading in my kid/pre-teen days was Hank the Cowdog. They always had me do these reading tests after I read them, and because they were longer books (in those days, at least), I always failed the tests. But I did enjoy that cowdog.
By: T.C. Robson on March 19, 2008
at 1:31 am