Friday Five - while it's still Friday. I keep thinking it's Saturday and wondering why the normal weekend TV stuff isn't on - duh. Anyway, this one's on children's books - right up our alley.

1. What were your favorite childhood stories?
I really liked historical fiction in the WE WERE THERE books, like WE WERE THERE AT THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG, or WE WERE THERE AT THE FIRST AIRPLANE FLIGHT. I also loved the Hardy Boys (even before Sean Cassidy and Parker Stevenson) and had several original copies passed on from my dad. I read most of the Judy Blume SuperFudge books, as well as all of the John Fitzgerald Great Brain books. I remember having lots of Newberry Medal winners, especially in the boxed sets. Later, I read The Hobbit, but never quite got into LOTR until college or so.

2. What books from your childhood would you like to share with [your] children?
All of the above. Plus, I didn't read the Narnia books until I was in college, but we're sharing those, too.

3. Have you re-read any of those childhood stories and been surprised by anything?
I really haven't dug into any of them again, but hopefully soon. I think my son would like the Hardy Boys and WE WERE THERE books, and I'm sure there will be stuff that I didn't understand the first time around.

4. How old were you when you first learned to read?
I have memories of reading before I was in first grade, like street signs and stuff.

5. Do you remember the first 'grown-up' book you read? How old were you?
Hmmm... perhaps SHOGUN by James Clavell, after the mini-series showed on TV. It was a HUGE book, oer 1200 pages in paperback (but HP is still too big!). I also remember reading the SUPERMAN novel adaptation from the first Christopher Reeves movie, and I read GREASE in like one weekend.

UPDATE 07/05: We went to my folks' house last night, and I pulled out WE WERE THERE AT THE FIRST AIRPLANE FLIGHT and The Hardy Boys HUNTING FOR HIDDEN GOLD to bring home for my son to take a shot at. We read the first chapter of HIDDEN GOLD, and I think he actually enjoyed it - Frank and Joe are in trouble, though! We'll have to read chapter two to make sure they're ok!
- posted by Rick @ 17:33