20+ Redditors Talk About the Books That Made Them Fall in Love With Reading

Harry Potter is the most read book series in history, having sold more than 500 million copies. It made a whole generation read day and night, but it’s not the only book that was life-changing. Someone on Reddit recently asked people to remember which book made them love to read, and users recalled so many wonderful books, that we’re about to start a new marathon.

Take a look at this list of books that Bright Side has prepared for a flashback to your childhood. And we guarantee you’ll grab some of these to read to your children ASAP.

• The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner. I got sick a lot as a kid, and I remember my grandmother taking me to the library where we would just check out EVERY Boxcar Children book they had. So many days spent in bed with just a stack of those books beside me, devouring them one after the other. captain_asparagus / reddit
• The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner. This brings back memories of 7-year-old me getting in trouble for reading at like 10 PM. God I loved those books. jeffbeezos123 / reddit

• Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne was my favorite series as a kid, I still have all of them and I'm hoping to pass them on to my kids one day. fausyy / reddit

• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. This is such a good book. I was always a huge reader as a kid, but my older brother wasn't. This is one of the very few books he ever recommended to me and I remember I dropped everything to read it right away because I thought if he liked it, it had to be amazing. girlcalledgus / reddit

• I read The Giver by Lois Lowry in 7th grade and it changed my life! That book raised so many questions and made me think outside the box. Dpg2304 / reddit
• The Giver by Lois Lowry. I remember reading the next 3 books and writing a fifth for this one. Of all the things 12 year old me could have been obsessed with... Rad-Isk / reddit

• The Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin. When I was in grades 6-8, I was homeschooled and had no friends, so books were my life. I got so obsessed that I made a little notebook with profiles of all the girls, with various facts about them. I literally SENT it to Ann M. Martin and forgot about it after a few months. About 6 months later, the book came back in the mail with a signed picture of Ann M. Martin. And then I opened the notebook and she had HANDWRITTEN NOTES ABOUT THE GIRLS and even made some corrections! sarahmeisinger / reddit

• Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. I absolutely loved this series. My 8th grade year we had to write a standardized essay recommending a book that should be adopted into the curriculum, and I chose this series. The following year, The Lightning Thief became required reading. So I'm not saying that I totally persuaded my school to read The Lightning Thief, but... smythology_ / reddit

• Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. I didn't know a book could touch you like that. I was in 5th grade when I read it, and it wrecked me emotionally. Still a favorite though... unknown / reddit

• The Junie B. Jones books! Started reading this series in kindergarten, my first real chapter books. By the end of 2nd grade, I could proudly say I had read every Junie B. Jones book in the library, about 25-30 total if I remember correctly. Those books are what started my insatiable appetite for reading and I still sometimes think about the librarian who showed them to me. E-macularius / reddit

• A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. When I was a kid my mom forbade me from reading those books (too dark and violent) and I read them anyway and never regretted going behind her back. I’m now an adult and my mom recently revealed that she knew I was doing that all along and figured she’d just let it be. I love that series so much, but it’s a constant reminder that I'm not good at being sneaky. geothermalantlers / reddit

• The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster is my favorite book, bar none, and I reference it multiple times a week, lol. It made me not only love reading, but also, the use of language in general. sandwichjuice / reddit

• Redwall by Brian Jacques. I DEVOURED these books. It started with my mom reading them aloud to my brother and I, and by the time I could read more complex stuff by myself, I was done. One summer in elementary school I blew through like a book every couple days until I ran out and I literally cried. Marble_Narwhal / reddit

• The first book I ever read all the way through was a Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon book I got from the book shelf in 4th grade. I don't remember the book, being that it was 30 years ago, but I remember being very proud of having read the whole book all the way through. It started me on a lifetime of reading, just like my dad, and to this day I read for enjoyment. All because of that one book. Smokedmeathead / reddit

• Holes by Louis Sachar. IT BLEW MY MIND! Before that, I didn't know that you could have 2 different stories going at the same time that slowly interweave with each other. I just had no idea that stories didn't have to be linear, and it opened eyes to the fact that there are sooo many different ways to tell a story. Dionysus19 / reddit

• The Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan. I read these books when I was 8-12. My parents never read any books, it was my grandma who got me into reading. She would always read all the books I read. When a new book of Ranger's Apprentice was released, I would buy it immediately and she would constantly ask me to read it, so she could follow it too. It was when I was older, that I realized that all this time she had been reading a book which was too easy and probably a little boring, but she did it for me. After reading the books, we would discuss what happened in the books for hours. She is, to this day, an important influence in my life. KassassinsCreed / reddit

Which book started your journey to the world of reading? Which one is your favorite? Please share with us in comments below and let's find our book buddies!