Childhood Favorites Reading Challenge

I recently came across the “22 Books You Should Read Now, Based On Your Childhood Favorites” article on BuzzFeed and loved reading through it.  I also had a moment of horror when I realized that I missed out (or can’t remember) some of these childhood classics.  As I read through, and kept adding to my “want to read” list, I decided this would be a good reading challenge for 2015!  After all,

“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.”

— C.S. Lewis

The challenge will be to read the matching pairs of books and then to discuss!  This should be nice since it will alternate between quick reads and more in depth reads.  As a bonus, the books cover a wide spectrum of genres so there should be something for everyone!  This would be a fantastic family reading adventure as well. So without further ado…

Rules/Notes:

  1. Read the BuzzFeed article.

  2. Books are to be read before the end of 2015.  Feel free to join for one pair, six pairs or all twenty-two!

  3. Sign up for the challenge by leaving a comment here and leave a link if you’re going to keep track on a blog, Facebook note, Goodreads, Twitter etc.  Also include how many pairs you are hoping to read.  You certainly don’t have to sign up, but I’d love to keep in touch!  

  4. I/You have to read the children’s book BEFORE you read the adult book (unless you’ve already broken that rule before starting the challenge).

  5. If you can’t remember the book, it doesn’t count!

  6. Check in on Twitter by using #R2DChallenge, I’ll be using that hashtag when I am working on one of the pairs.   - and/or -

  7. Comment on the page for each pair (linked on the list below) to keep in touch and see what other people are thinking.

Prize:

At the end of the challenge, I will plan on having a chat session and have a giveaway for participants!  TBD on what the prize will be, but I will brainstorm something fun.

The Books

  1. “The Giver” by Lois Lowry & “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro

  2. Redwall series by Brian Jacques & A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin

  3. “Sideways Stories From Wayside School” & “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller

  4. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling & “The Magicians” by Lev Grossman

  5. “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery & “The Country Girls Trilogy” by Edna O’Brien

  6. “Ramona Quimby, Age 8” by Beverly Cleary & “I Was Told There’d Be Cake” by Sloane Crosley

  7. “Holes” by Louis Sachar & “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Diaz

  8. “Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson & “The Interestings” by Meg Wolitzer

  9. “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card & “Neuromancer” by William Gibson

  10. “The Devil’s Arithmetic” by Jane Yolen & “Kindred” by Octavia E. Butler

  11. “Walk Two Moons” by Sharon Creech & “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

  12. “The Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster & “Stardust” by Neil Gaiman

  13. “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien & “Gentlemen of the Road” by Michael Chabon

  14. “Harriet the Spy” by Louise Fitzhugh & “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” by Muriel Barbery

  15. “A Wrinkle In Time” by Madeline L’Engle & “Swamplandia!” by Karen Russell

  16. “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” by Judy Blume & “The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing” by Melissa Bank

  17. “James and the Giant Peach” by Roald Dahl & “Kafka on the Shore” by Haruki Urakami

  18. “A Series of Unfortunate Events” by Lemony Snicket & “The Orphan Master’s Son” by Adam Johnson

  19. “Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen & “Once Upon A River” by Bonnie Jo Campbell

  20. “When Kambia Elaine Flew In From Neptune” by Lori Williams & “Sula” by Toni Morrison

  21. “The Westing Game” by Ellen Raskin & “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan

  22. “Goosebumps series” by R.L. Stine “Harbor” by &  John Ajvide Lindqvist