This summer, I have been exploring with my kids one of my favorite hobbies, reading. As my kids’ interest in reading has grown, their literary journey has gotten me to think about books from my childhood and their significant impact in fostering my love of reading. It is fascinating to recall ways that a handful of stories unexpectedly influenced my hopes, dreams, and life goals.
The timing of my writing of this post was additionally influenced by the passing of one of my favorite childhood authors, Francine Pascal. On July 28, she died at the age of 92, leaving us with generations of stories. Francine Pascal was the author of the Sweet Valley series. I grew up loving her characters, Jessica and Elizabeth (characters I especially enjoyed given the fact that my best friend, Elizabeth, and I shared their names). I spent many evenings cuddling with my mom before bed as she read to me Sweet Valley Kids, where the girls navigated elementary school. I spent hours in my room devouring Sweet Valley Twins as they made their transition to middle school. Then, Jessica and Elizabeth went with me to high school where I read Sweet Valley High, Sweet Valley Senior Year, and Sweet Valley University. While I was in high school, Francine Pascal started a new series, Fearless. Her main character, Gaia, possessed a fearlessness that inspired me through several of my own teenage years transitions. Whenever I dabble with writing fiction, I always think of Francine Pascal. I imagine what it would be like to write a story for a new generation of young readers, to write characters they could grow up with, the way I grew up with hers. Not only did she foster my love of reading, she influenced my love of writing. She continues to be an inspiration to me decades after I first read her books.
For my son’s birthday this year, our neighbor surprised him with a birthday present that included the starter pack of The Hardy Boys! I felt instant nostalgia as I flipped through the books, recalling my own memories of reading The Hardy Boys. But, what I most enjoyed was how she excitedly explained her love for the series. She said she had spent her elementary years resisting reading because she found all of the required books “boring.” Then she found The Hardy Boys. She credits these mystery and adventure-filled books with changing her perspective on reading and turning her into the voracious reader she is today. I was delighted to hear about her experience and to watch her introduce these books to my son.
As I recollected my own experience reading The Hardy Boys, I was instantly reminded of my very first Nancy Drew books. When I was young, my mom shared two bright yellow hardcover Nancy Drew books from her childhood with me. I am already looking forward to the day I can share them with my daughter to nurture another mystery-loving reader. Nancy Drew and Harriet the Spy are the two female sleuths who paved the way for the love of my current favorite genre of books, cozy mysteries.
Not long after his birthday, my son received his first Boxcar Children book. When I sat with him to read the first few chapters, I was immediately transported to my elementary school library where the librarian first introduced me to the Boxcar Children series. I can still picture the corner of the library that housed the series and the joy I felt checking them out. In addition to my excitement to reread the series, my husband happily shared that he, too, loved the Boxcar Children. This was a surprising fact because he rarely talks about loving books. It has been a fun series for us to introduce together with our son.
When I was in 4th grade, my mom took my good friend and me to a local bookstore to meet a real, live AUTHOR! As a child, I was already interested in writing and had doodled in my journal about writing books when I grew up. Meeting an author in person was a big deal in my young life! We bought two books to share and the author autographed them for both of us (I never did share my book because it ended up being my favorite.) I don’t know if it was the fact that I was able to shake the author’s hand or that I had found the book at just the right time, but this was the first book I remember reading that I connected with beyond simple entertainment. It was this book that planted the seed for me that I was excited for college. And, it was this book that really shaped my understanding of the impact that fiction books could have on readers. As I pulled the book off the back of my shelf and saw the tattered cover and yellowed pages, I felt a bit emotional…If the young girl that held this book nearly 30 years ago could see me now…
Thank you for joining my walk down literary memory lane. I would love to hear about the books that impacted you as a young reader and the books you are most excited to share with children in your life.
Jessica is a wife, mom, social worker, and writer. She is co-author of the blog The Unexpected Ever Afters.
Photo credit: personal photos
the unexpected ever afters 