For this week’s Top Five Wednesday, I’ll be reflecting on some of my favorite childhood reads. I read very few Middle Grade novels, so I think it will be fun to go back in time and think about the books that made my love for reading grow.

The Inkworld series by Cornelia Funke– Besides Harry Potter, the Inkworld trilogy was the first fantasy series I picked up when I was younger. I remember getting the first book, Inkheart, at my school’s Scholastic Book Fair (PSA to have these in college) and carrying it back and forth to my 5th grade classroom everyday. Meggie basically lives every reader’s dream, or nightmare in this case; her father can read book characters to life, while her mother disappeared into the story. Apparently, there’s been another book in the works for this series, which means I need to get to rereading soon!

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry– Number the Stars is one of my all-time favorite books that I’ve ever read in school. In 137 pages (definitely recommend if you’re into short books), Lois Lowry tells the story of two young girls living in World War II era- Copenhagen. When the Jews of Denmark start being taken away, Ellen must pretend to be part of Anne Marie’s family.

A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass– I first read A Mango-Shaped Space for summer reading in middle school, and since then, it’s still a book I love to revisit and reread. The story is told by thirteen-year old Mia, who has a not-so known condition called synesthesia. Mia can see sounds, smell colors, and taste shapes, which often causes a lot of misunderstand between her and her family and friends.

The Baby-sitters Club Graphic Novels by Raina Telgemeier and Ann M. Martin– The Baby-sitters Club books were among my favorite series growing up, so I was more than excited when they came out with graphic novels of the first few books. I loved (and still do) Raina Telgemeier’s artwork and how she brought Kristy, Stacey, Claudia, and Mary Anne to the comic pages.

The Nancy Drew Mystery Series by Carolyn Keene– I really enjoyed reading Nancy Drew and I remember doing a few book reports about her (one was an awesome haunted house about The Secret of the Old Clock). I would love to do a Nancy Drew cosplay one day!

Top 5 Wednesday is a collaborative group of book bloggers from various platforms who love sharing lists on Wednesdays. The T5W group can be found here on Goodreads.