Grover was the Elmo of my generation.

When I was in middle school, I read A Separate Peace, and it really blew me away. Not so much the story or the writing but the fact that it was about troubled adolescents and was a rather dark book. As a result, I read every novel I could get my hands on by John Knowles and Robert Cormier (who my teacher recommended as similar), which I suppose qualifies them as my first literary obsessions. I was especially fond of this book:

Liked dogs.

The first book I can remember really fucking me up was:



I think I was about twelve. It was boring and terrifying - got right under my skin to keep me up nights.

[img]http://spyguysandgals.com/images/covers/Death_Merchant10.jpg

In the spirit of the Executioner, I read about 25 of these commie-killing, terrorists gutting Death Merchants between the ages of 9 and 11 or so.


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I have always loved all of William Steig's work, especially Dominic, the story of a very brave dog.

I second or third 'The Monster at the End of this Book.'[img]

Also, this one:

burun wrote:When I was in grade school, he came to talk to all the students. It was years later when it dawned on me just why he came to our school: the principal of my school was Sendak's lover for many years.

And you saw one of the babies and the baby looked at you!

Shameless nostalgia? On an intarnets 4RUM? NEVAR!

I found a Hustler letters in the bushes at the park when I was like 8. I read that thing cover to cover about a thousand times. definitely my favorite.

I still live in the big creepy beautiful world this book made me see for the first time.




Lots of Nancy Drew.
I give old copies with bubble bath as hostess gifts frequently.

When I was a kid I had a bookcase full of these books, handed down to me from an older cousin. I couldn't get enough of them when I was like 5-8 years old, and used to read them all the time: