Tuesday 25 January 2011

Wonderful Wednesdays #1 (Childhood Books).

So here it is, my first attempt at creating a meme.  Bear with me and please join in! :)

The meme is called Wonderful Wednesdays and it's all about spotlighting and recommending some of our most loved books, even if we haven't read them recently.  Each week will have a different theme or genre of book to focus on.

This week's theme: a book you loved as a child.
 We all have a book that we read over and over again as a child and still think of fondly as an adult.

 One of my favourite books as a child was A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  I remember my parents got it for me one Christmas when I was about 10 or 11 and I have read it over and over again since.  For those not familiar with story, it centres around Sara Crewe who comes to England from India.  Her father finds her a place at an exclusive boarding school and lavishes her with gifts, turning her into a show pupil.  On her eleventh birthday news arrives that her father has died and Sara is transformed from show pupil into low class servant.  She isn't given enough food, forced to work all hours of the day and has to wait on the very pupils that once looked up to her.  Sara retreats to her imagination in order to survive.

The main reason I love this book is that it was the first one I read that showed me it was OK and indeed a good thing to have an imagination.  I was a daydreamer as a child and always felt that this was a bit of a bad thing, that reality should be preferred to fantasies.  A Little Princess and Sara Crewe taught me that it could be a strength, and that there is something to be said for having an active imagination.  I also enjoyed how Sara was a bit flawed - she flew into a temper easily and thought a bit too much of herself.  It made her much more real and relatable.  All of the characters were well developed and I also loved the historical feel of the book.

I went on to read all of Frances Hodgson Burnett's books and whilst I liked them all, A Little Princess always remained my favourite.

How about you?
I want to hear all about your childhood favourites!  If you want to take part, grab the button above and make a post in your blog.  Then link up your blog below, so I can come, read and comment on all of your entries.




I would love to have lots of participants :)

16 comments:

  1. Fabulous idea for a new meme Sam! I love The Little Princess too and I've read it twice now although not for a year or more. It's one of my favourite classics. It's definitely one that every young girl should read. I'll join in and post my pick tomorrow :)

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  2. Yes, good meme idea. I'd join but I don't think I remember many of the books I read as a child . . . I'd have to think on this. What I could contribute are the books I wished I had read as a child. There are so many that I am just discovering now . . .

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  3. Stephanie, look forward to your entry. I'm a little early posting mine but wanted people to have a bit of advance notice :)

    Trish, please do post those. I'd be interested to read about them.

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  4. I loved the Shirley Temple movie & the modern remake on the cover of the book you posted, but never read the book. This sounds like fun! I'll get my post up tomorrow :)

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  5. Sounds like this'll be fun...interestingly i'd actually just written a post about my fave book as a kid which i'm currently rereading!i'll definitely get that up tomorrow

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  6. I feel like I read this but can't remember most of the plot. It sounds very familiar, and I feel like I really enjoyed it. Meme is a great way to remember books from your past that could easily be forgotten! :)

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  7. Okay, I'm in.

    http://desktopretreat.blogspot.com/

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  8. I'm in too:

    http://dreamsareforheroes.blogspot.com/2011/01/wonderful-wednesdays-favourite.html

    :) thanks for hosting!!

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  9. This is a great idea. I limit myself to one meme per week, so I'll try to participate next week. I haven't read A Little Princess yet, but I intend to read it this year. It sounds lovely. :)

    I love that you mentioned Sara's flaws. I've heard a lot about the character, and she's usually portrayed as perfect or close to it.

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  10. Thanks to all that have taken part!

    Darlyn, Sara is definitely not perfect. She is a massive know-it-all at first even though she has lots of other qualities. Looking forward to reading your entry next Wednesday :)

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  11. I also remember loving the Shirley Temple movie and then years later I watched another version of the book and liked it. But...I have never read it. :(

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  12. Mine was probably The Hound of the Baskervilles. I was fascinated by Sherlock Holmes and the English moors.. in fact, I cannot wait to have a little trip there, maybe in my honeymooon although it is not the most romantic destination for many!

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  13. Hi Sam,
    Great idea for a meme. I've never read A Little Princess but I think it was a Shirley Temple movie. Have a great day!

    Sherrie
    Just Books
    http://sherriesbooks.blogspot.com/2011/01/wonderful-wednesdays.html

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  14. Great I idea for a meme. Sorry I didn't join in this week.

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  15. I'm your newest follower! As a child I loved the Richard Scarry books, and the Ed Emberly drawing books. The first novel I really cared for was The Outsiders! Read mostly nonfiction books until I was eleven.

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  16. i love THE LITTLE PRINCESS and THE SECRET GARDEN...sigh...:D

    here's my post for this, i did it because i didn't see one posted for this week! :)

    http://smhasty.blogspot.com/2011/02/wonderful-wednesday-on-thursday.html

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