1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
My fourth grade teacher read this book to us just before all the hype started, in 1999. I never got a good look at the book, since she was reading it to us, so I honestly didn't know at first that this book was about a boy wizard. Before Harry even met Hagrid, I was already in love and needed a copy of my own, since reading books in class takes forever. My parents took me to Chapters, but wouldn't buy me the book and expected me to wait until Christmas, which was 2 or 3 months away. When we got home, and I swear this is true, the book was in our mailbox. A friend of my mom's wanted to thank her for something, and decided to drop a book her kids liked for us to read.
2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Another book I read with my class in fourth grade! In third grade I had trouble finding books that I liked, but by fourth grade it was clear that fantasy was for me. I loved Lucy, and I even felt for Edmund. I read this book last year in children's lit, and my prof pointed out that if Edmund had read more books, he never would have eaten magical food. Everybody knows not to do that. I have one of the Barnes and Noble leather-bound copies of this book, and I love it to pieces.
3. The Gypsy Princess by Phoebe Gilman
I read this book in kindergarten and it's been my favourite picture book since. It's about a gypsy girl who dances with bears but yearns to live in a castle. When the Princess asks her to live with her, she gladly accepts. Although she is at first enchanted by the glamour of palace life, she soon finds herself missing the woods. When I first read this, you had to be in at least grade one to take books out from my school library. The librarian actually made an exception for me so I could read this.
4. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
My Dad and I read this book together when I was 8, and although I found it difficult, I loved it!
5. The Jolly Postman: Or Other People's Letters by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
My Dad used to read this book to my brother and I, and we loved the letters you could take out and read for the fairy tale characters.
6. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Another book I read in the fourth grade! When I was 18, I went to Green Gables in PEI and it was amazing. You can see my review for Anne of Green Gables here.
7. All the Blue Moons at the Wallace Hotel by Phoebe Stone
I've yet to meet anyone else who has read this book, but it's one of my favourites. It's about Fiona and her younger sister Wallace. The girls live in a decaying mansion, which used used to be grand before the death of their father. Fiona loves ballet and idolizes Eleanor Roosevelt, while Wallace spends her time dreaming of having a dog and a better name than Wallace Hopper.
8. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
I wish I could put every one of Roald Dahl's books on this list, but this one is my very favourite. A poor boy named Charlie wins a chance to tour Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. There, he sees Oopma Loompas, a chocolate river, the rudest children in the world and things greater than anything in his imagination.
8. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
One of the first chapter books I read on my own. This is my Mom's favourite.
10. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
While I admit that this series got repetitive in the later books, it started off brilliantly. The three Baudelaire children are all very clever and have a happy life with their beloved parents. When Mr and Mrs Baudelaire parish in a fire, the children are sent to live with Count Olaf, a distant relative. Not long after they meet Olaf, it becomes clear to the children that will do anything do steal their considerable fortune.