My Favorite Childhood Book Series

Hi people! So, I’ve given middle and high school-age book recommendations on my blog, and now I’m thinking it’s time to reminisce and share some of my favorite elementary-age books with you!

To begin with, I was a pretty big American Girl fan. I am almost certain I read the entire series of Josephina, Addy, Samantha, Felicity, Kirsten, Kit, Molly, Julie, Caroline, and Marie-Grace & Cecile. (I could tell you with definite certainty I read certain ones of these series, but I’m pretty sure I read them all.) I also read the Melody and Maryellen books, as well as some Girl of the Year books. But the series I would actually recommend to young readers, the one I loved the best and read multiple times and even got the doll of was… CAROLINE!

The Caroline series is about a nine-year old girl living during the War of 1812, written by Kathleen Ernst. And looking at the covers just now is making me go “Ahhhh!” on the inside!!! (Or “eeekk!”) I loved these so much! And the covers are so good! There was so much that drew me into them, from liking the name Caroline, how she looked on the covers (lol), the time period, her family’s lifestyle, to the suspense, danger, and mystery these books provided, and probably other elements I’m not recalling right off at the moment. Reminiscing about them makes me want to read them again, although they might be a bit of a disappointment now that I’m very much older and they would seem much shorter and more juvenile to me now. Oh, and I also read the mysteries that aren’t included in the original series. I will put the Amazon link for the first book in the series along with the two stand-alone mysteries below so you can check it out!

(It’s pink!!)

Before we move on from the beloved American Girl books, I also want to mention again that I read a lot of the Girl of the Year books, my very favorite being the two Kanani ones! She lived in Hawaii, and I love summer, so no wonder I liked these ones!

Ok, moving on. Finally.

The next series I remember really liking was the Ellie’s People series by Mary Christner Borntrager. There are ten books in this Amish series. Again, I read these more than once because I liked them so well. Each one is about a different character, but I think they’re generally all related in one way or another. I haven’t read much Amish fiction as a young adult, but thinking back on these is making me want to reread them again too!

Next up: Grandma’s Attic by Arleta Richardson

(Are you sensing a theme here yet?)

So fun! I feel like I could really reminisce about the stories in these books with someone who has read them before if we got it going! Lol! Again, I remember these being so good too!! (Which is why they made it into this post, I suppose. (-;) I don’t really know what else to say about these books. I read them so long ago. Like, over a decade ago. That’s kind of sad. Writing this post makes me want to say, “take me back to my childhood!” with a crying face emoji. I’m feeling very sentimental right now…

Well, here are the first four I read as a child:

I know I read the rest of them again as a younger teenager. Here’s the next one, and I’ll list the rest of the titles below.

A School of Her Own

Wedding Bells Ahead

At Home in North Branch

New Faces, New Friends

Stories from the Growing Years

That’s all for now!

Ok, everyone. This was a delightful trip down memory lane. If you read and loved any of these books, please comment because now I feel like I need to talk about these books with someone who appreciates them as much as I do. I’m feeling really wistful and nostalgic now. These books were such big parts of my early years! I’m sure they helped encourage me along in my love for reading and in my biggest dreams!

The theme I previously suggested was 1800s Christian family and farm life, with the main character a girl my age who grows up to be a lovely woman. I don’t know if you have read my other book recommendation posts, but some of my other favorite series as I got older were the Little House books, the Anne of Green Gables books, and the A Life of Faith: Elsie Dinsmore, Violet Travilla, and Millie Keith books. So yes, there is definitely a theme going on. (-;

Books are also so educational! I learned so much as a kid just by reading- and not just about history and cultures, but also how words are spelled and used in various contexts and such, besides expanding my vocabulary. I’ve always loved reading, thanks in part to all these wonderful books and authors. And as you may be able to tell, I’m still passionate about books, writing, and learning!

Thank you for taking time to read another of my books posts, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reminiscing about these stories, or will even enjoy reading them for the first time! As C.S. Lewis said, “A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.”

Have a blessed day!

Note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if any purchases are made through them.