Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Authors from my Childhood
Top Ten Authors from my Childhood
Shockingly
I don’t really pay all that much attention to author’s these days. Sure, if a
book is really, really good I’ll file the person’s name down somewhere but
otherwise . . . eh. I know it’s wired and all but it’s true. However, when I was
a kid I read the same books by the same authors over and over again because, let’s
admit it I wasn’t very good at moving on. So, since I’m author blind these days here we
go. On a side not I will try to link the authors to their page on Goodreads but if they don't have one I'll just direct you to one of their books.
I know she’s obvious which is why she’s at the very
beginning. But what can I say? I literally grew up during the Harry Potter
craze. In fact, my family and I read these together, we’d all gather together
in the living room and Dad would read them aloud to us. It was amazing. So yeah
J. K. Rowling literally my childhood.
Y’all need to know about this series called Deltora. They
were like tiny, middle grade Lord of the Rings. Seriously! There was a Dark
Lord dude and a chosen hero
and all these awesome riddles and puzzles all of
which I remember because they exploded little Kat’s mind. I’m not kidding! There’s
a riddle from these books that I bust out every time I get the chance. Yet I haven’t
found a lot of people who have read which is a real shame.
I’ll admit the last two or three books were a little . . . weird.
Still the first ones were awesome! Sure, there’s a good bit of special
snowflakes going on (are you seeing a pattern here yet?) and probably a bit of
cheesiness but I personally liked the worlds, the magic, the characters and
again the puzzles. Fun fact John Peel wrote some of the classic Doctor Who
episodes. Who’d-a-thunk he’d start writing fantasy books for children.
Two Princesses of Bamarre was my favorite for at least four
months! I finished this book, then immediately reread. Like I mean read last
page, flipped back, began first page. I know she’s famous for Ella Enchanted
which I totally get but I always preferred this one. The sisterly love, Addie’s
shyness and artistry, Meryl’s brashness and boldness the freakin’ dragon! I loved
it.
Who doesn’t like the Knights of the Round Table? As a kid I loved
King Arthur and Gerald Morris told these stories and legends in a funny and
interesting way. Kind of the way Disney told fairytales or Percy Jackson told
myths. It helped that there were fairies and wizards and dragons and giants!
I do like this lady but I also have to question who let me
read these books as a kid? Not that I can blame my parents, they couldn’t keep
up with all the things I read. I moved up to the teen section of the library at
ten? Eleven? Because the child’s section couldn’t keep my attention. Then came
the Lioness Quartet which was about a girl who disguised herself as a boy to
become a knight. There was magic, monsters and a really sassy black cat.
Also a
lot of “adult content”. Seriously. I went back an reread these books as a
teenager and was shocked at the . . . PG13 stuff. Woops.
Two words. Dragons Slippers. Most unexpectedly awesome books
ever! A girl who sews, a dragon who collects stained glass windows, an adorable
little romance and magic shoes. I love this book! The characters were so sweet
and on the higher end of the middle grade spectrum. But they’re still in the
middle grade area, there’s good and evil and it’s clear who is who so it’s not
as deep as some people might like. Still It’s clever, clean and simple fun.
Her book the Goose Girl was what really hooked me. Despite
the fact that the real Goose Girl fairytale is completely messed up. If I recall
correctly the antagonist ends up either stuck in a barrel full of nails and
rolled down the road until she dies or forced to dance in red hot iron shoes
until, again, she dies. Hale’s version was, I think, more child friendly. Like
Gail Carson Levine I know Hale is best known for her Princess Academy book but I
found it a bit boring as a kid. The Goose Girls tales of elemental magic and
speaking with animals coupled with, I believe, a royal coup d’état was much
more interesting.
Another author that I read when I was way too young to be
reading. In fact, if I’m remembering correctly Graceling was quite violent
featuring morbid execution and sharp fighting that was realistic in that it
talked a good bit about broken bones. I guess teeny bopper Kat was less
squeamish then kinda-sorta-not-really-adult Kat. Still the world and characters
were lovely and you must admit that the magic system was unique if a bit nonsensical.
The king of childhood story’s! I have lost count of how many times I have read
Narnia and even though the movies aren’t perfect they’re just as capable of
making me bawl like a baby on a regular basis. There’s really nothing else to
it. If you haven’t read these books through at least once you have certainly
missed out and I will personally fight anybody who said otherwise.
Thanks for putting up with my confused ramblings. And thanks again to the ladies at the Broke and the Bookish for starting Top Ten Tuesdays you can check them out here if you're interested.
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