Everyone I grew up with read avidly through elementary and middle school, but nowadays any conversation I have about reading ends with a groan and the express desire to have the time to read. Friends who used to go through three books a month are now struggling to read one in two months. Although I used to be known throughout middle school as the girl who constantly carried around no less than four books, the only books I carry with me now are the ones required for class.

In between school and work and the other daily mundane activities forced onto us by adulthood, it’s ridiculously difficult to find the time and energy to read like we used to. Yet the books we read have influenced us and our love for reading has not diminished; it only takes a walk through the children’s section of a bookstore to remind us of that. Some of the books I’ve come across in my recent walk will hopefully inspire the same nostalgia that they’ve inspired within me.

1. "Magic Tree House"

This is the earliest series I can remember falling in love with, and probably the beginning of my lifelong inclination of growing obsessed with books and films. Jack and Annie prompted my interest in the Titanic and the volcanic eruption in Pompeii and the Olympics of Ancient Greece. The letter I once wrote to the author of the series is probably long gone but her response to it still lingers on my bedroom wall. “Keep reading stories,” she told me, “and maybe try writing some of your own.” Thanks, MPO – I did.

2. "Junie B. Jones"

There’s a lot of value in children’s stories where the children are allowed to be just that – kids. As a kid, I read a lot of fantasy novels about kids saving the world and Junie B. Jones was the perfect break from that. She reminded her readers that it was okay to feel the jealousy and energy that came with being a kid, and of course, that the B stood for Beatrice but she only liked B and that’s all.

3. "Geronimo Stilton"

I probably would relate to Geronimo’s anxiety way better as an adult, but his reluctance for adventure was interesting to read about even as a child. I think if you can make an adult character – even if he is a mouse – appealing to kids, you’re a hell of a writer.

4. "Where The Red Fern Grows"

There’s a loud sound of protest every time I mention this book around people who’ve read it. My most vivid memory of reading it is sitting in my grandparents' bed after school and sobbing as I read from middle to end. As far as I remember, this was the very first book I’ve ever cried from while reading. Be warned.

5. "Island of the Blue Dolphins"

This book goes back to old elementary school memories of characterizing books by what “level” they were on. The alphabetizing system we had rated this one as a V in difficulty and I was so proud of being able to read it since everyone in my class was still around level S. I’m long past the pride that comes with a level V book but I still occasionally stumble upon this book and can’t help but read it.

6. "The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles"

This is perhaps the strangest book I’ve read in my childhood, full of whimsical adventures and made up creatures. I occasionally venture back to it just to once again soak in how wildly strange it is — the perfect representation of the hazy, strange memories of childhood.