A secret door into a world where animals talk, an evil witch threatens and four children have the responsibility to save everyone? Plus a majestic talking lion who cheats death?! SOLD! I read and reread this series, reveling in the adventure, the magic and the quests - my love of epic fantasy (Wheel of Time, I'm looking at you) can be traced back to this enchanting story. This was definitely one of those books/series I wanted to climb into as a kid...
I did not, however, ever catch the religious subtext back then, as I've always been a bit blind to subtext. And theme. I just went delightedly along for the ride. :)
My earliest and clearest memories of a library are of the one in my elementary school and of my goal to read EVERY Nancy Drew Mystery in the library (early indicator of my occasional bouts with mild OCD?). I must have done it, as I remember moving on to the Hardy Boys, but those bright yellow hardcovers are what stick out in my mind. I still love mysteries to this day, and love a smart female lead character, though nowadays I prefer them a bit more feminist than feminine...
Sigh. I did not want to read this book, and I especially did not want to check it out from the library on my card all by myself, but that's exactly what my mother made me do when it was time for me to learn about this 'birds and bees' business. Sent me alone to the checkout desk, this book and library card in hand, face burning, to check out the most embarrassing book EVER. And now that I think of it, perhaps part of the reason I became a librarian was because that library clerk was so kindly matter-of-fact about my obvious embarrassment...um, thanks, mom?
Clearly, the book and the experience scarred me...well, mostly just the experience, as the book handles the subject matter quite well, despite the awkward cartoons. So, of course, when it was my brother's turn, I laughed and laughed and laughed...
I adored this series - a younger brother telling of his hero worship of his clever (and sneaky) older brother Tom, whose adventures were exciting, funny and often dangerous. Making his stories all the better was the fact that the writer based them on his childhood enduring and barely surviving his brother's great ideas. I credit J.D.'s accounts with my love of historical fiction, for those glimpses into what life was like in a different time (the late 1800s, in this case). I also think Tom's brilliant yet sneaky mind got me liking clever and mischievous men, both in fiction and in real life... :)
This is also one of those titles that comes up often at work: library users needing help finding a book they vaguely remember, a book set in Utah, about brothers, one of whom charges the neighborhood kids to flush his family's toilet, as it's the first and only 'water closet' in town...
Ah, Bunnicula. This is not only a book that shaped my life as a reader, but one of my absolute favorite books of all time. Why?
A) It's 'written' by the family dog, Harold.
B) Harold's best friend is the family cat, Chester, who is not a little bit crazy.
C) A baby rabbit found in a movie theater showing Dracula might be a vegetarian vampire. Maybe.
D) Chester the cat is SURE that the evil bunny is out to murder his family and so takes drastic steps to stop him, such as draping himself in garlic.
E) Alan Daniel's illustrations are hilarious (check the book for the awesome 'Chester draped in garlic' image.)
This book kept me both laughing and wide-eyed with suspense, and Chester as a amateur detective definitely urged me down the love-of-mysteries road. However, the biggest influence this book had on me is that this is the book that started my fascination with vampires, which then lead me onto nearly all things supernatural. And if you've checked out my LibraryThing's tag cloud, you'll see that 'supernatural' is a subject that pops up often in my reading adventures!
So...
As I've reread this, I've noticed something else about these titles (beyond my clear preference for series): I've used and pushed these books at kids for years. I still have my personal copies of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (spine broken by my little brother 20 years ago, yet he STILL has yet to replace it), The Great Brain (pages brown with age), and Bunnicula (whose book jacket is torn and wrinkled and still handled with care), and I've nudged my daughter toward them more than once. I once did a library program around The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and I've used both Nancy Drew titles and Bunnicula in my summer book discussion group (in fact, I'm doing Bunnicula again this summer, as my daughter will finally be old enough to join!). Every time I pass the reproductive section of the nonfiction collection at work, I flash back to that moment of checking out Where Did I Come From, and I've recommended The Great Brain so many times over the years to soooo many kids and parents looking for funny historical fiction, books with boy appeal, 'gentle' reads for homeschooled kids...
What are the books that have most influenced you?
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