What was your favourite book growing up? November 4, 2009
Posted by Connie Chow in General.Tags: books, Childhood, children, inspiration, learning
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Books are magical. Last year, one of our Junior Mentors who was in 7th grade, was deemed by most of her teachers as inattentive if not disruptive in class, and likely to fail her grade.
She heard about rockets and became fascinated with astronautics and wouldn’t stop asking our staff and her mentors questions. We thought she might enjoy the book, Space Rocks: The Story of Planetary Geologist Adriana Ocampo.
She didn’t enjoy it. She devoured it. Even her cohort in Science Club was amazed that instead of being the joker that she usually is, she sat quietly in the corner and was transported to a different world–just like Adriana Ocampo was when she fashioned a rocket on the roof of her childhood home and travelled to space.
So please share and let us know what your favourite childhood or adolescent book was. How did it fire your imagination about the world, or about who you can be?
Science Club for Girls 
My favorite book growing up was The Giver, by Lois Lowry. It was the first time I can remember that a book elevated my consciousness… the first of many such reading experiences throughout my adolescence and into college. I think that I became addicted to the feeling of mind expansion… I eventually became a Philosophy major.
I am in awe of the ability of books to change the way you think about the world, and I think that this phenomenon is especially salient for young people.
My favorite childhood book was Oh the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. It reminded me then, and continues to remind me today that the world is as large as my scope of thought will allow. Anything is possible if you believe in yourself!
My favorite childhood book was Matilda by Roald Dahl. The passion that Matilda showed for her discoveries, even amidst her parents who simply could not understand the powers their daughter possessed, absolutely captivated me as a child. I loved that Matilda was smarter than adults and a girl! I thought it showed that kids don’t always get the credit they deserve, when sometimes a “little” perspective is all adults need.
Hmmmm – I would have to say One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish was one of my favorite youngster books. Getting older I liked the Dark is Rising series and also American Short Stories – In particular ‘You Can’t Take it With You’ and ‘The Most Dangerous Game’
But I would have to say that my all time favorite young adult book would be The Maltese Falcon – I liked the mystery and and the chase about it all, it is an excellent adventure!
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Reading was always a chore for me, not a leisure activity. With typically 20/20 hindsight, I now realize I have a slight case of dyslexia and some vision problems that were probably factors. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the first book I recall reading voraciously and enjoying for many reasons. It is a coming-of-age story about a young girl living in the city. Ironically, the Tree of Heaven is a metaphor for survival in the story. This tree is a non-native invasive, and I now dedicate a lot of my personal energy to educating people about invasive species!
Connie, I am the author of Space Rocks and happened upon your post. Wow. I’m so grateful to you for sharing this Science Club story! I hung out with Adriana Ocampo at JPL for a few days while researching the book, and I remain in awe of her achievements and positive, imaginative outlook on life. She’s now at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., still furthering the cause of space exploration with enthusiasm. To hear that her story has kindled the same fire in a young heart makes me smile.
(@Stephanie–I loved A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, too!)