This one took me a minute to really sit down and think about because so much of what I remember about reading is from my teenage years as those books launched me into a million franchises that are often still being dealt with. Going back to my single-digit years and trying to remember what I read had me thinking back to the old Scholastic flyers for the Book Fairs that used to come to the school twice a year and set up in one of the rooms with all kinds of delightful things. I would always be given a few bucks to buy something because reading was so heavily encouraged in my house, both parents being readers themselves, and I’d get the catalog and go over it with my mother days later and figure out what to order to have shipped directly to me. I loved those events.
There are a lot of books that come to mind from that time but the ones that stick out the most involve Judy Blume. She had the perfect writing style for me that was accessible and interesting and depending on the book helped you grow as a reader as well. It was easy to identify with the characters and I enjoyed a lot of what she put out, whether it was Superfudge or Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret as my mother made sure I wasn’t limited to just “boys” books in the late 70s.
But the one I read over and over, at least until that brand new hardcover came in for Superfudge, was Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. I was at the right age at the right time and while an only child, I could totally understand all of what was going on here with the feelings and emotions. These works resonate to this day and I keep thinking that I really need to revisit them once again just to enjoy the simplicity and innocence of it all.
