Molly's birthday is coming up

...and she informed me tonight that she wants books for her birthday. I asked her why she wants books as a gift when we go to the library every week, and she said that she wants me to get her books she would enjoy re-reading.

So I am soliciting suggestions. She's currently a big fan of Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. She's read The Wizard of Oz twice. I'm thinking about getting her a nice edition of Little Women, but other suggestions are welcomed. What did you read over and over and over as a kid?

The books I read over and over as a kid are mostly already on Molly's shelves. Some she's read and enjoyed (A Little Princess); others she's picked up and put down without reading very far (A Wrinkle in Time), and some she's ignored so far (The Westing Game, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Emily of New Moon.)

Cataloging Molly's Shelves

Many thanks to everyone who has suggested books that Molly might enjoy owning. Just so you know, her shelves already include:

* The Little House series (and yes, I was HORRIFIED when I read that they were doing away with the Garth Williams illustrations in the paperback editions -- this is clearly an attempt to screw over kids whose parents can't afford the harcovers. Those are some of the most beautifully illustrated children's books out there.)
* Half Magic, which she read and enjoyed.
* The Dark is Rising sequence, though come to think of it I don't think we actually have Over Sea, Under Stone. She hasn't picked this up (yet).
* Charlotte's Web, which Ed read to her back when she still let him read her bedtime stories
* The Narnia books, which Ed read to her back when she still let him read her bedtime stories
* The Secret Garden. She's read Little Princess but hasn't picked htis one up yet.
* Island of the Blue Dolphins (and someone liked this as a kid? I'm amazed, as I found it one of the bleakest and most depressing books I'd ever read -- nonetheless, I still have it, go figure)
* Some Enid Blyton, though not Famous Five or one of the other sets that everyone recommends -- I was a fan of the Girls of St. Clare series when I lived in England at age 13, and pieced together a set during family jaunts to used bookstores.
* Harriet the Spy, which she's read. It inspired her to carry around a memo pad for a week, scribbling things down mysteriously, but she was seriously hampered by the fact that she doesn't write fast at all.
* The Phantom Tollbooth, which she's read and enjoyed.
* The Westing Game, which I really should bring to her attention, as she might read it if she knew it was a mystery.
* Some Elizabeth Enright -- the Five-Story Mistake and I think also Gone-Away Lake. She's picked up Five-Story Mistake but I'm not sure she's ever finished it.
* The Wolves of Willoughby Chase plus some of the sequels. I LOVED Joan Aikin. I don't think Molly has picked this up.
* The Ramona books. Ed read them all to her back when she still let him read her bedtime stories. Oh! and I was extremely pleased to find out that there were a couple new Ramona books written since I'd quit regularly frequenting the juvenile section at the library. And they're great -- true to the spirit and style of the earlier books. * Bunnicula. She hasn't picked this up! I don't understand it! *sigh*
* James and the Giant Peach. Which she read and enjoyed. She also read and enjoyed The Witches.
* The Hobbit, which she hasn't picked up, though come to think of it, it's in the living room with the SF and not on her shelf. I should move it.
* Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. She hasn't read these yet. Through the Looking Glass is Ed's favorite book of all time.

Books she doesn't currently own:

* The rest of the Oz books (good though! our library has only a handful of these, and they're very tattered and not terribly inviting). Unfortunately, the cheap paperback Oz books of my childhood seem to be gone, replaced with much more expensive volumes.
* Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm -- another good thought, as she reads a lot of classic girls' books and enjoys them. She's read the Betsy-Tacy books up through "Betsy was a Junior."
* The Borrowers series by Mary Norton. Another good thought; she likes The Littles. I snubbed the Borrowers as a kid because I preferred the Littles, but maybe she'll have better taste than I did.
* Noel Streatfeild. GREAT idea there -- I tried to dig some up at our library and they weren't there or weren't requestable or some problem along those lines. I loved the Noel Streatfeild books as a kid, although those twerps kept changing titles and I kept having this problem where I'd check a book out of the library and then realize midway through that I'd read it already. Her books were similar enough in theme, tone, and characters that it usually took me until midway through to figure this out.
* Gordon Korman. You know, I saw his "Kidnapped!" series at the library and pointed it out to her and she passed it up. I have yet to really figure out what makes her pick up a book vs. snub it. I would've thought she'd find it right up her alley.
* Black Beauty. Molly refuses to pick up horse books, despite the fact that she very much likes riding Major. Go figure.
* Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.
* The Trumpet of the Swan
* The Chronicles of Prydain.
* The Moomintroll books by Tove Janssen
* The D'Aulaires books -- this is another particularly good thought. We had the Greek Myths one when I was a kid and I loved it. It wasn't until years later that I realized how useful it was to be familiar with all those myths.
* E. Nesbit
* Eve Garnett's One End Street books. I just looked these up, never having heard of them. They sound like books she'd love, but they're out of print.
* Scott Corbett's Trick series. Also out of print.
* Bubble and Squeak by Philippa Pearce. I remember reading this book as a kid.
* Swiss Family Robinson. Hmm. She'd probably get a huge kick out of it -- I mean, they build a TREEHOUSE to live in, IIRC, and she desperately wants an elaborate treehouse.
* The Story of King Arthur and his Knights by Howard Pyle
* The Mad Scientists' Club by Bertrand R. Brinley and Charles Geer. I had never heard of this book (/series) before but it sounds fabulous.
* The Shadow Thieves, by Ann Ursu. Again, never heard of it, but it sounds good. But she should probably read the D'Aulaires book first so she knows who the heck these people are.