Books we read in school as a kid in elementary

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DumberBlonde@reddit

Grammar school for me was K-4. I was reading comic books, Mad, and Cracked. Middle school 5-7 I got all into Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, and so... My final answer is: Where the Red Fern Grows

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Relative_Soil7886@reddit

I was reared on “The 5 Chinese Brothers “, “The very hungry caterpillar”, “Caps for sale”, “Tikki Tikki Tembo”among others.

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jackieO2023@reddit

I frequently out of the blue will recite “ Tikki Tikki Tembo no surendo….”! lol

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time2sow@reddit

Hell yes to the 5 chinese brothers i can still feel the wonder of looking at... a dry seabed? I wasnt quite reading on my own then but i was on my way

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DrKlahnsRightHandMan@reddit

I loved any survival book. My Side of the Mountain, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Hatchet, etc. Definitely Sign of the Beaver. Just seeing that cover brought back a ton of memories.

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My Side of the Mountain and Island of the Blue Dolphins - love those books. I still have my copy of My Side of the Mountain.
I’ve never heard of Sign of the Beaver, but I still love reading survival books so I’ll look for that even if it’s a kids book. I recently read Hatchet and series of the same character. Also a kids book but I liked most of them

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SlutForDownVotes@reddit

Check out Henry Mazer. My two favorites of his books are Snowbound and The Island Keeper.

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DearGabbyAbby@reddit

Will do, thanks for the recommendations!

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DrKlahnsRightHandMan@reddit

I recently bought a battered copy of My Side of the Mountain for 2 bucks so I could reread it.

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youngkpepper@reddit

The true story of Island of The Blue Dolphins is incredibly sad.

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Gera1976@reddit (OP)

I loved island of the blue dolphins it’s forever engraved in my memories

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Full_Mission7183@reddit

"My Side of the Mountain" was my favorite book for years.

I've wanted my own falcon since reading it.

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Annonnymee@reddit

Old Yeller.

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Ngdawa@reddit

Who's "we"?

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time2sow@reddit

Not at all. It went from from cat in the hat to flowers in the attic, carrie, interview with a vampire by way of beverly cleary and judy blume and kids horror and world myths

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TwistinInTheWind@reddit

I've never heard of any of those

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Southern_Common335@reddit

I still have my copy of Brighty!

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Better_Power_9913@reddit

I was among the last of the boomers and don’t remember any of those. I was too busy reading Encyclopedia Brown, the Hardy Boys, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Three Investigators

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darth-vagrant@reddit

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Negative-Appeal9892@reddit

Read this in 9th grade (assigned reading) and then went on to read all of Zindel's work.

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Legion1117@reddit

I think this book was responsible for more student trips to the giant dictionary our teacher kept at the front of the room.

If we didn't understand a word and asked what it meant she'd make us go up to the dictionary, look it up and read the definition out loud for the entire class.

(Mine was "slaked," which I suppose is some kind of proof that making us look the words up rather than just telling us the meanings made them stick in our heads longer since it's been more than 35 years and I still remember the word and the definition. lol)

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blueberriesnburdock@reddit

That’s so weird! I just remembered a bit of that book a couple days ago and had to Google to find the title. I hadn’t thought about it in decades before that.

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CityCabCat@reddit

I did not read any of these

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Dan-68@reddit

Same here.

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Boo-Boo97@reddit

I think I was in third grade when I came across a copy of Bridge to Terabithia. I was NOT old enough for that book. But then 20+ years later the movie comes out and everyone is so upset about how it ends. All I could think was, didn't you read the book?

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Hellvira138@reddit

Island of the Blue Dolphins and When the Legends Die

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Boo-Boo97@reddit

I loved Island of the Blue Dolphins. I wonder if I still have a copy?

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One-Earth9294@reddit

Yeah I read Brighty in 6th grade!

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Beneficial-You3416@reddit

Deenie and Tiger Eye. They were a little bit older than elementary school but I was an advanced reader.

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im-just-meh@reddit

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DearGabbyAbby@reddit

Yes 🙌 great book! I still have my childhood copy

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SGFCardenales@reddit

Never play with fireworks with your friends

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Bibliophilewitch@reddit

This one messed me up. 🥲 I actually have a copy of it on my bookshelf now.

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Gera1976@reddit (OP)

I read that in high school i totally forgot about this book

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DearGabbyAbby@reddit

Ditto

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KK1998Pgh@reddit

All the Jim Kjelgaard books

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HelicopterDiligent55@reddit

Thank you! I remember reading all these dog books as a child but couldn't remember the author for the life of me!

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KK1998Pgh@reddit

I kept them all and passed them on to my kids.

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Mistervimes65@reddit

Another children’s book where a child dies. I was not ready.

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MarchOk5420@reddit

How did the kid die?

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Mistervimes65@reddit

Allergic reaction to blackberries iirc

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HermioneMarch@reddit

Omg this book scarred me.

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Mistervimes65@reddit

Same.

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Sallydog24@reddit

I had brighty, read it to my son too

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Sibby_in_May@reddit

I had the Misty and the Brighty books and horses. The books went missing in a military move 😡 I had passed them on to my kids. A LOT was stolen in our last move. I also had many of The Black Stallion book series in paperback and I had my mom’s hard cover horse books like The Black Stallion, King of the Wind, and I had the Billy and Blaze books. Uncle Wiggly’s Airship, Little Women, The Three Musketeers, some amazing illustrated fairy tales books. Trixie Beldon (they are on Libby now), Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, the Bobsey Twins.

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Gera1976@reddit (OP)

I’m sorry they went missing

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Sibby_in_May@reddit

Thanks.

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Absynth421@reddit

Bunnicula

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Gera1976@reddit (OP)

Omg the vampire bunny that would suck the carrots and they would turn white

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-Morning_Coffee-@reddit

Just finished this with my first-grader. That dog uses many unusual (old-fashioned?) words.

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alayeni-silvermist@reddit

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Maverick-Mav@reddit

I cried at the end. Was thinking why is this a children's book?

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youngkpepper@reddit

This book, The Yearling, Old Yeller, The Red Pony...all penned by authors who thought the Journey To Adulthood needed the brutal death of a beloved pet to be complete.

There was a sequel to Old Yeller, Savage Sam. In that one the dog lived but the kid's horse got shot out from under him by Indians, leaving 10 year old me to conclude that the author hated animals.

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SamHandwich0@reddit

Yeah- school was all about trauma in the 80s...now it's all about avoiding trauma.

I dont think either approach is correct

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b-lincoln@reddit

I picked this up at Barnes and Noble and went to that chapter. 40 years later, I had to set it down as it still brought the tears. Trauma for 11-22 year olds the world over.

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this_kitty68@reddit

Ugh. This book broke me.

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andyr072@reddit

Huh huh, you said beaver.

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Ttthhasdf@reddit

My son is 22 now, so this happened 17 years ago. When he was in kindergarten, the class was making paper mache animals for a forest diorma. My son was assigned the beaver. Do not ever, ever sit down with your spouse and kindergartner in front of a computer and say "let's find some pictures to start with" and type "pictures of beaver" into google.

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jfrankparnell85@reddit

“Ward… don’t you think you were a little hard on the Beav?”

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andyr072@reddit

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BlownCamaro@reddit

Not a single one.

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BlueGreenRust@reddit

The title of the third one sounds like he's starting up a rap-battle to the cat.

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AdditionalTip865@reddit

Newbery medal? Uh oh, that cat's probably a goner

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AdditionalTip865@reddit

Looked it up: surprisingly, it sounds like the cat lives

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JoyousZephyr@reddit

A cat dies, but not That Cat.

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IDunnoReallyIDont@reddit

Boxcar children! The Indian in the Cupboard!

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Shoddy_Tour_7307@reddit

Lizard Music

The Cay

Where the Red Fern Grows

Summer of the Monkeys

The Boy from the UF0

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Full_Mission7183@reddit

Shocked to not see anything by Tolkein listed here. No mentions of the E.B. White (I was forced to read the "Trumpet of the Swan" in second grade and it pretty much killed any enthusiasm for reading I might have had. No one even referenced the Chronicles of Narnia, which were must reads for me and my friends.

I remember the short story "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury making an impression.

And based on geography we all remember the tale of King the Leprechaun Pony.

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im-just-meh@reddit

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NotARobotDefACyborg@reddit

That one was wonderful. Marguerite Henry was such a good storyteller, and you could tell she truly loved horses and other equines.

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FairBaker315@reddit

Wesley Dennis did such fantastic illustrations for the books too!

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NotARobotDefACyborg@reddit

They were so detailed, and clearly drawn with an equal affection for the subject!

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FairBaker315@reddit

The full color one in "King of the Wind" when Sham is first born is my favorite.

I confess, I'm an adult and have collected just about all those books in hardcover. They're timeless.

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NotARobotDefACyborg@reddit

That one and the original cover of “Misty” are the best two, imho.

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whateverhappensnext@reddit

Good old Sex Ed. They don't teach it like they used to...

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Big_Accountant_1714@reddit

Julie of the Wolves made a huge impression on me. I still have a copy of it somewhere.

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Big_Accountant_1714@reddit

I just reread Brighty last fall 😊. I was crazy for anything Marguerite Henry wrote.

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vin4thewin@reddit

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Hellvira138@reddit

Yessssss. I still have this one and I love it so much. I wish they would make it into a movie

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xxxbrimstonexxx@reddit

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mom2ajs5@reddit

Island of the Blue Dolphins. I was obsessed with it! I read it countless times as a kid. When my daughter was assigned to read it, she was like, eh. 😭

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EducationalOutcome26@reddit

I remember some hardy boys books, and wanted my own junkyard to have a hideout in.

and a series of christian themed outdoor adventure mystery books, the thing i remember most was the father figure lived on a boat, thats about all I have for a memory of those, cant ever remember a single character's name. and alvin the inventor book series. alvin and his younger sister along with a sidekick solving mysteries.

those are some of the few happy memories i have from that time, life at home was not good then, most memories of those days are buried and should stay there but theres a few happy one involving books that remain.

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Just-Finish5767@reddit

The junkyard hideout is from the Three Investigators series. I loved that part of it, too!

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HermioneMarch@reddit

Middle school book studies: Bridge to Terabithia. The Cay. Summer of my German Soldier.

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mckenner1122@reddit

The Cay!

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nickfree@reddit

This be that outrageous cay, eh Timothy?

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toooldforlove@reddit

I was a reader but I was also a nerd. I read mom's encyclopedia set, at the library I got on history and science books.

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OrangeMustangGal@reddit

My favorite along with the Little House on the Prairie books.

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tanhauser_gates_@reddit

I read a different version of this book.

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this_kitty68@reddit

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

I read a lot of books as a child, but this one I remember was for school. At home it was the Narnia books, Judy Bloom, a Wrinkle in Time and all of Madeline L’Engle’s books.

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itaintme1x2x3x@reddit

Ehhh, I got the boot from elementary school and then again in middle school, and well, high school—don't judge me. They didn't exactly have the same sympathy for difference back then like they do now. But I do remember one thing from high school called "Walk About." The book was okay, but the movie had a quirk: the 14-year-old lead was completely naked. I'll tell you, that got shut off really quick. Of course, this was freshman year, so we enjoyed it—at least it wasn't too pervy for us, since we were also 14.

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this_kitty68@reddit

That was the first movie I saw as a child. I think I was 4. My mom thought I would sleep through it. Nope. She said I stood with my hands on the seat in front of me for the entire movie. I watched it again recently. It’s very “artsy” and a little hard to follow. Many things are left out and left to the imagination. Other things should have been left to the imagination. The naked girl borders on child porn. I’m no prude, but it’s definitely pervy.

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thonnard42@reddit

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mckenner1122@reddit

Oh gosh I loved these books!!

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Maverick-Mav@reddit

Yes!

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BMisterGenX@reddit

There was a huge cultural obsession with Native Americans in the 70s. Lasted a little bit into the early 80s also.

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Consistent-Bee9738@reddit

This was one of my favorites as a kid. Reading about kids who had a hard life made mine seem a little more bearable.

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MineAllMineNow@reddit

Don’t recall any of these!

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Square-Wing-6273@reddit

Me either.

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hesathomes@reddit

OMG Brighty!! I loved that book.

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WattDeFrak@reddit

Yes! That just unlocked a memory, I’d completely forgotten about that one.

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ResidueAtInfinity@reddit

Same. Mrs. Phillips read it to us in our grade 1-3 combined class, circa 1981.

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Apprehensive_Judge_5@reddit

Ramona Quimby series

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rharper38@reddit

My 4th grade teacher LOVED Ramona. We read Ramona ALL year.

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Intrepid_Practice956@reddit

We didn't read that one by Speare, but I loved Witch of Blackbird Pond. Inspired my love/hate of Puritans.

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MidnightBlueSilk@reddit

Journey to Topaz

The Endless Steppe

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Sitka_8675309@reddit

The Endless Steppe!! Indelible memories. I still have my original, falling-apart copy.

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heldaway@reddit

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MoeKneeKah@reddit

Core memory right here

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Beneficial-You3416@reddit

My Side of the Mountain. I loved that book. It was so adventurous.

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Legion1117@reddit

I was thinking about this book last week!

LOVED it!!

I think I need to go find a copy and read it again.

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sumthymelater@reddit

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Phildagony@reddit

The Outsiders, Where the Red Fern Grows, Old Man and the Sea.

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kaynkayf@reddit

The red pony

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Thatwasunpleasant@reddit

My kiddo read Sign of the Beaver with her class this year!

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OtakuTacos@reddit

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Prior_Two1814@reddit

I Heard the Owl Call My Name.

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EarthenMama@reddit

I have on my bookshelf "Nuclear Experiments YOU can do" from the 1970's. Fan-TASTIC.

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Fiver43@reddit

Anyone else remember The Silver Crown? That was a weird story, but I loved it.

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Haunt_Fox@reddit

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Plane-Fan9006@reddit

insert over-used phrase here.....(m_m__y un__k_d!!!)

But seriously....Brighty??? I was instantly flashed back to 1st or 2nd grade, sitting on really thin orange carpet, surrounded by cutouts of The Letter People, and having Brighty in the classroom bookshelf.

Freaking mental DeLorean....wow. Thanks OP!

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Gera1976@reddit (OP)

I also i was about same grade i forgot the name of the book but never forgot the murder and the burro

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pariah76@reddit

I read Sign of the Beaver. Not for school, though

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warrenao@reddit

I read that first one! Though I think it was an article in Penthouse.

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nv-erica@reddit

Does anybody else remember “The Egypt Game?”

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dawnyaya@reddit

OMG lifelong interest in Egyptology sparked

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nv-erica@reddit

Same. I kind of feel like that particular book would be banned in libraries nowadays.

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LadyNorbert@reddit

I read Brighty! The murder horrified ten-year-old me. I was a sucker for the Misty of Chincoteague books by the same author, so I wasn't expecting death.

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Gera1976@reddit (OP)

Yes i do remember the murder i also was in 4th grade

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strugglinfool@reddit

I enjoyed reading Matt Christopher around 3rd or 4th grade. His books all involve sports in some way. Hard Drive to Short is one I remember doing a book report on.

I didn't get into The Hardy Boys, but my sister read every Nancy Drew book written.

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