Favorite Books of All Time

As most of you already know, I updated my blog recently, and we have a new tab just for my favorite books. Any book I have read and loved is on this tab. This entire list is incredible! I am going to do a quick evaluation of each of these books, all in one post! I haven't posted in a few weeks because I have been working on this post. It took a while to collect all of the links and whatnot. Additionally, this is a long post, but bear with me because every single book on this list is worth it!

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle: This is among the very few books that I have read over and over again. Obviously, less so as a teen, but I'm telling you, as an early reader, this book is incredible. Ms. P.W. has magical powers to knock out bad habits in kids, turn houses upside-down, and even turn little boys into pigs!

The Wild Robot: There was a movie based on this book that came out recently. So, like... I just searched it up, and it was released in 2024, but still... that feels recent. I first read this book as a read-aloud that my mom would do every night. We read it when both my sister and I were quite young. I reread it probably somewhere around the 3rd or 4th grade and fell in love all over again. This book is about a robot, Roz, who falls out of the shipping boat and ends up on an island. Over time, Roz begins to develop nature-like patterns and starts to find "love".

Piggie and Gerald: I find this series so cute! If you have a little one just starting to read, this series is literally to-die-for. It is the stories of a pig and an elephant who learn unique lessons on their journey. One of the kindergarten teachers in my school has an entire shelf merely dedicated to Piggie and Gerald. There are cardboard cutouts of each one. It is 100% a total vibe.

The House That Wasn't There: This book was incredible. I remember loving it, but in full disclosure, I don't remember a lot about the plot and the book itself. Therefore, I searched up a little summary, and it refreshed my memory. Alder and Oak are two children in the same neighborhood who end up finding parallels through loneliness and magic.

Harriet the Spy: Literally a must-read for anyone in 3rd-6th grade. It's such an uplifting book, and while it's about a mystery, the book never gets too spooky or gory. I have found that it is quite hard to find in mystery books. For younger readers, it can be difficult to find good books if they don't get into one very specific series. This book breaks that barrier; it is just one novel, with a beautiful plot.

The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: I find this book so interesting because it has been banned in so many school districts for being "sexually offensive and immoral." Some claim that it encourages kids to run away from home. I'm not saying this to scare you away from this book. It is incredible. It is genuinely such a classic, and I couldn't imagine a blog post about my favorite books without a reference to this book. I read this book consecutively after Harriet the Spy, and I absolutely love that combo. This book is about two siblings running away from home and living and hiding in a department store. As a kid, this was such a fascinating idea, and I remember spending so much time thinking about it, but I disagree with the book ban in the way that it never encouraged me to run away. I would never have run away just because of a book.

The Giver: This is another book that I've read two times and gotten a completely different take. In my opinion, anytime a child reads a book for class, they will have a completely different take on it. This is simply because the class delves more deeply into deeper meanings. I read this in 2nd or 3rd grade and loved it. Oh my gosh! This book encouraged me to read so much more! Literally in love! I don't have a lot of natural reminders of how far ahead I tend to be reading, but this definitely reminded me because then, in 7th grade, my class read it. I already knew the ending and loved the book, but it is so fascinating how much deeper I was able to dive into what I consider an "easy" book.

Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret: This book is fabulous, and while I don't remember a ton about it, I do remember the beautiful message. This book explores a wide range of topics, including friendship dynamics, religious affiliations, societal expectations, coming-of-age experiences, self-identity, familial struggles, and more. As someone who is not religious, the book never leaned too heavily on any one religion. I never felt uncomfortable by that aspect of the book. I would recommend it, especially for young girls verging on puberty, because I do feel like it was important to hear the demonstration of another girl's thoughts. I'm aware that somewhat recently, there was a movie made on this book, and my position never shifts: The book was better.

Frankie & Bug: This was the first book my mom and I ever read together. Worth it. This book is so interesting and honestly not like anything I've read before. An unexpected friendship forms between a boy and a girl, who end up finding common ground. This is classified as an LGBT book, which was also my first time reading that genre. Honestly, this book was incredible, and I always love reading books with my mom! This is a must-read no matter what!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (5): I got really into the Harry Potter series for a long time. I think all of J.K. Rowling's books are very well written, but they're obviously not for everyone. Order of the Phoenix (a.k.a. the fifth book) was undoubtedly my favorite of all her books. Now... before you get mad at me, I do have to preface that the book is 912 pages. This is the longest of all the Harry Potter books. This would be among the few books on this list that I wouldn't say is a must-read. This is simply because you would have to read 1-4, and the entire 1,000-page book. Do I think it is worth it? Yes, 100%. Would I recommend it to everyone? No.

The Royal Diaries: Marie Antoinette, Princess of Versailles: I haven't read a lot of historical fiction books, such as this one. Honestly, it stuck with me for that reason. I wouldn't say that this book is necessarily amazing literature, like some of my other books on this list, but it is definitely an easy read worth your time. This book taught me quite a bit about the French Revolution. I would recommend. After five or so years, it has stuck with me, and honestly, I feel like that's what counts in a good book.

Ban this Book: Out of all of the books I read in this age range, this was by far my favorite (maybe with the exception of the next book on this list... maybe). This book explained power dynamics, elaborated on a girl's love for reading, and mentioned books that I had already read. This book talked a ton about The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which I personally enjoyed because I had loved that book as well.

Amber Spyglass: I wrote that last paragraph and then remembered something: this book is spectacular as well! This book is part of a trilogy: His Dark Materials. Every single one of the books in the series is fabulous, but this was by far my favorite. The Amber Spyglass had a lot of action and intensity. This is the third and final book in the series, so I also knew the characters the most. The series also has a series in which Lin-Manuel Miranda stars as Lee Scoresbee and a movie for the first book, which I don't think is quite as good. I tend to finish one of the books and then start that season in the series, so that while I'm reading the next book, I'm also being refreshed on what had happened. I genuinely wish that every book would do this because it was so helpful!

Linked: In my opinion, any book by Gordan Korman will be undeniably amazing for an age range from 9 to 13. His books aren't particularly girly or boyish for children who dislike that. At my school, we have to meet an AR goal for independent reading (which I will discuss more in later posts), but these books are so good for getting points in AR, as well! Linked dives deeper into the discovery of swastikas on school property and follows the story of three main students. It is very important to know that this book will explore intense topics such as racism and intolerance. Ultimately, this book was really moving and among my most recommended for kids in this age range.

Hunger Games: Most people know about this series, so I feel that there isn't much to say about it. In my opinion, the first book is probably the best and most iconic. I have talked to too many people who say, "Oh, yeah. I watched the movie, so I'm kinda done." No! This book is a beautiful piece of literature and became famous for a reason. The more recent prequels and such to the book are less important to read (although I have read every single Hunger Games book by Suzanne Collins). I will also say that the book itself never got too graphic for me (I was a really sensitive child when it came to gore). The movie is decently gory, but I do not believe that the book is too gruesome. You should know that it does deal with death and government corruption, though.

Remarkably Bright Creatures: This book has easily won its place on this list. I absolutely loved it along with my cousin, aunt, grandmother, and so many other people in my life. I will say, though, I have talked to two people who have said that the book is too slow and kind of boring. I believe that that is what made the book so amazing, there was so much character development and love. I loved this book, and if you agree with a lot of my other favorites on this list, I'm sure that you will love it as well! The premise is about an old lady, octopus, and young man who all get brought together to discover things that they were never meant to know. From that description, it sounds pretty cheesy, but I promise that it will not disappoint!

Atmosphere: This book made me ugly cry and laugh. It made me long for something to happen and hate that it did. TJR is such an incredible author. Obviously, I could say that about all of the books on this list, but this is my favorite of the favorites! The premise of the story is about a NASA astronaut finding love in the least expected places. Beyond the romance aspect, she finds a community that she never thought she needed. Beautiful. Perfect. Amazing. Stunning. Eloquent. Favorite book of all time. Take a bow.

The Midnight Library: Also, an incredible read! This book is much more philosophical than most of the other books on this list. Honestly, most of this list is in order of when I read each book (including this one), but I also feel like it has earned its place as the finale. The idea of this book is basically that after death, a woman is sent to a mental library to read about different decisions she could have made and different lives she could have lived. It was fascinating!

Oh my! This post has taken me several weeks of perfecting and editing, but it was all worth it! All of the books on this list deserve a special spot on your TBR (to be read). If you have other favorite books that you think deserve a spot on this list, feel free to comment below. All of these books can be found in my designated "Favorites: Must-Reads" section within my blog. Additionally, for all of the titles of the books on this list, I have linked a longer post associated with them. Thank you for your ongoing support of my blog, and next time you have a spare minute, please make sure to READ A BOOK!