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I finally got a library card. There’s a cute little public library a few blocks away from where I live. I’ve been patiently waiting to go get a card, but I needed a piece of mail addressed to my apartment. (All of my mail has been going to my mailbox at the UPS store!)
The minute a piece of mail came with my name and my address… I was in line at the library. Of course, I love libraries in general for my own reading. But I’ve been dying to go because I need to start researching for my next project. I know… another project. This is more of a longterm project, and I’ll definitely be sharing more about it in the future. It’s something that has been churning in my head for just over six months and I’m really ready to get underway with it.
(As an aside: I went out to a bar with a bunch of friends from the rowing team last week. While I had so much fun catching up with the guys, I was reminded that I just really don’t like bars. I think I felt like I was “missing out” since I wasn’t “going out.” For better or for worse, I’d really much rather work at home… Sorry dad.)

So the next chapter, literally and figuratively, begins. But I would like your help and input If you’re only going to comment on one post…. please let it be this one!!! Let me know what your favorite books in elementary school were– especially series!
xoxo

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194 Comments

Fiona

I loved the Amazing Days of Abby Hayes and Junie B. Jones! I also loved The Baby Sitters Club, Cam Jansen Mysteries, and those MKA Two of a Kind books! Ahhh, memories..

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Jodi

I LOVED the Ramona Quimby series by Beverly Cleary. So cute and fun. 🙂 Also, the Little House on the Prairie series.

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kaity

Babysitters Club, Nancy Drew, and Little House on the Prairie were definitely my favorites! I was SO obsessed with Laura Ingalls Wilder – even dressed up as her for Halloween in third grade. 🙂 I also read a lot of Magic Tree House and Junie B. Jones when I was first learning how to read.

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littlemissbEl

Babysitters Club, Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jones, American Girl, Nancy Drew, Wayside School, Superfudge, anything by Judy Blume,and Samantha the snob.

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Chelsea Kabelsy

I loved the Babysitters Club, but I'm Australian, so in terms of Australian series I loved Teen Power Inc. That probably won't help out but thought I'd contribute anyway!

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The Modern Prepster

I loved Nancy Drew, I'm probably still obsessed! Carly, I swear if you write a children's book, I will preorder it now and save it for when I have little preppy babies. No joke! Good luck with your project, I know it will be incredible! xx

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mFw

I'm impressed!!! I loved Beverly Cleary books especially the Ramona ones. The American Girls books were also my favs! I loved Molly, Samantha, Felicity, and Kit. I read the others but those were the ones I reread! Good with your new project!

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dWa

Eloise and Amelia Bediliea, those were probably for younger kids but still amazing. Junie B. Jones was always a hit and I also loved all of Beverly Cleary's books!

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Alice

This post just made me smile to no end, Carly!
I absolutely love that you devoted an entire post to books and the library. Growing up, the library was basically one of my homes away from home so no matter what, it'll always have a special place in my heart.
Thinking back, there were so many books I loved as a kid. There was the Nancy Drew series, the Amazing Days of Abby Hayes, Junie B. Jones, Cam Jansen Mysteries, anything Rick Riordan, the A to Z Mysteries, Jigsaw Jones, and so many more!
There must have been billions and billions of books that I loved in elementary schools. If only I could remember them all now! Those were definitely good times 🙂

Hope you're having an amazing weekend! <3

~Alice
Ainfinitaire

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Nadia G

I can't believe no one has posted The Series of Unfortunate Events! Longest series EVER! But, AMAZING! I learned a serious amount of vocabulary from Lemony Snicket!

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Caroline

Series? I definitely loved the Boxcar Children, Amelia (American Girl), Molly (American Girl), okay, really most American Girl books! lol But those three have special places in my heart! <3

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Meagan

I loved reading as a kid and I love children's books. I am studying to become an Elementary school teacher and reading specialist! My favorite series were The Bailey School Kids, Amber Brown, the Baby sitters little sister, and Junie b jones!

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quincy

Amelia and Harry Potter and Junie B. Jones! In general, I think I really liked the interactive ones that sort of talked to me, you know? Like Amelia was my FAVORITE because it was in that cute notebook form and I got to see her life and it made me almost feel older than I was. Plus, the illustrations were so happy and fun!!

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Annie D

This post just reminded me to renew my own library card! As a kid I loved Nancy Drew and these Scholastic diary books that the name of is just slipping my mind, they were about about American history and had a series on princesses around the world. I loved them.

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Maureen

I loved Roald Dahl and the Babysitter's Club. Now as a 4th grade teacher, I am able to see my students' read and enjoy some of the same books that I loved. They love finding a book in my classroom library that used to belong to a younger me!

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Gabriela

I loved the EARLY Magic Tree House books (I think the author ran out of ideas after the first 20), as well as anything Dear America. And Harry Potter, of course!

Though it's not a series, I also agree with what Laura said about Sharon Creech above- she was one of my favorites!

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*the girl*

Little House of in the Prairie Series. Anne of Green Gables series. The Narnia series. And I also loved the Baby Sitters Club! And Sweet Valley High. That's all! 🙂

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eas

Babysitters club, nancy drew, ramona books, sweet valley high and little house books. Love childrens books and have so much fun going theough them with my four year old!

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Lizzie M.

The Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace is totally classic and I adored it as a kid. My mother had read them when she was younger as well and passed them on to me.

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Anne N.

I loved the Betsy-Tacy series, Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden mysteries. I enjoyed the Secret Garden and re-read it several times. I also liked Harriet the Spy.

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Kara

The Dear America series, Little House on the Prairie, and Nancy Drew were some of my favorites. I was constantly reading as a kid…can't wait to see what your new project entails!

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Amy Lauren

Babysitters Club, American Girl series… really anything historical. Also some classes, like Heidi, A Little Princess, Secret Garden, Little House :).

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Kate Jaffe

Anything by Judy Blume! Are You There God, It's Me Margaret, Blubbler, Fudge, Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing. Also LOVED My Side of the Mountain! I now teach Kindergarten and love seeing some of my faves become theirs!

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Amanda

The Wind in the Willows, Anne of Green Gables, James and the Giant Peach, Junie B Jones series, Boxcar Children series, American Girl books.

My sister is in 5th grade and one of her favorite series is Diary of a Wimpy Kid

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Jordan Price

Mine were definitely Thoroughbred, Nancy Drew, The Phantom Stallion, and Unicorns of Balinor. I had all of the Nancy Drew and Thoroughbred books, and a couple years ago, I actually gave them all to a friend who is an elementary school teacher to use for her classroom. I kind of miss seeing them on my shelf…but it means other kids get to enjoy them, so I guess that makes it worth it. lol

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ahb

I loved the Wrinkle in TIme series by Madeline L'Engle!
Also Anne of Green Gables, the Boxcar Children, Little House on the Prarie, and anything Eva Ibbotson.

Plus anything else I could get my hands on. Literally.
Its a wonder I have any social skills at all with the amount of time I spent with my nose in a book as a child.

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Elizabeth Calzada

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle… Matilda by Roald Dahl… the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine… Ferdinand the Bull by Munro Leaf… the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling… Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll… and the Grimm fairy tales 🙂 These were the books I would reread obsessively throughout my childhood for shear pleasure… 🙂

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Jaclyn

Harry Potter, The babysitters club, Abby Haze, Anne of Green Gables
Those history ones with the different girls in different time periods written like a diary.

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Mary M.

Anything by E.L. Konigsburg!!! "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" and "The View from Saturday" are both incredible books!!!

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Alyssa

In no particular chronological order: Berenstein Bears, Babysitters Club, anything by Judy Blume, Dr. Seuss, Anne of Green Gables, Sweet Valley series, and most importantly, Ramona Qumiby

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Sharona

Babysitters club, wayside school, ramona, all judy blume books (freckle juice, tales of a fourth grade nothing), so many more I can't think of right now!!

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Meredith

I read the Amber Brown series with my dad, and The Borrowers series with my mom. It gave me something to look forward to each night, and they rotated out every other night on who got to read with me before bed. I also enjoyed The Babysitters Club, Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jones, American Girl, and Harry Potter. I was a reading fiend as a child!

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hyejin

I loved Animorphs!! super nerdy, but I collected the entire series and I was really sad when I finally gave them away haha. I also loved the Babysitters' Club, Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley Kids.. and the Adventures of Mary Kate and Ashley. 🙂

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Jhaneel

I loved Amber Brown, Sweet Valley High (and various spin-offs) and Nancy Drew.. and Idk if this counts, but I was an Archie Comics fanatic! 😀

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Laura Moreno

Definitely Nancy Drew! You could NEVER go wrong with those books! Amelia Bediliea, The Magic School Bus!! Those books were awesome because I could read the books and then watch the tv show!

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Katrina

Babysitters Club for sure! I also LOVED Sweet Valley High, although I think I was way too young for those. I also ordered every single Dear America book from the Scholastic orders (you know the ones about girls during a poignant time in history)? Roald Dahl books were another favorite…The Twitches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda.

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Taylor

Loved the Ramona books, American Girl Books (Molly was my fave but I had the Samantha doll so I liked those too), and The Babysitter Club little sisters series about Karen.
There were two books that I also loved that were required reading for school… A Wrinkle in Time in third grade and Phantom Tollbooth in fifth grade; I couldn't put either of those books down!

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Alexandra

The Giver, and anything else by Lois Lowry, The Phantom Tollbooth, A Wrinkle in Time, and The Golden Compass. A lot of these books are appropriate for children but have serious themes that inspire thought. Sometimes kids aren't given enough credit for how well they can handle difficult ideas, and these books completely changed my worldview, even in third or fourth grade. The Golden Compass is actually still my favorite novel, and I can read it again and again and always discover new and beautiful things about it.

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Alexandra Steinmetz

I've been rereading The Baby-Sitters Club. My mom found a ton of them at a small used book store in Montana and sent them to me, and I think I've read 15 of them in the past month. It always reminds me of when life was simpler! Other than that I read a lot of Roald Dahl, The American Girl Books, Scary Stories, and Goosebumps.

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Nicole

For chapter books I mostly read Harry Potter, Series of Unfortunate Events, Goosebumps, and Magic Tree House. I also read two picture book series(Well, there were a bunch of these kids books…) Berenstain Bears, and Spot the Dog.

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Heidi

Oh man, I LOVE books, and always have.

My favorite books as a kid were The Babysitter's Club, and eventually Babysitter's Little Sister, The Saddle Club, Sweet Valley Twins, the Little Mermaid series, The American Girl books, all the Roald Dahl, Edward Eager's books (especially Half Magic), The Boxcar Children, and many, many more.

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Abby

I LOVED the Magic Tree House series, lol. I had like 20 books! Super entertaining (: I also enjoyed Nancy Drew, Roald Dahl and of course my American Girl Doll books! Ah, the memories….

Good luck with your new project!! <3

-abby

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Erin Murphy

I see an Amazing Days of Abby Hayes in your pile… I loved that series!

I also loved the Boxcar Children, Invisible Inc., The Babysitter's Club, Ramona, Amber Brown, Cam Jensen, anything by Judy Blume, and of course: Harry Potter!

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kindallblair

little house on the prairie books were my favorite. as corny as it sounds, i learned so much from those books. harry potter, nancy drew, and boxcar children were other favs. good luck!

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HappyAsiaGirl

American Girl books, Babysitter's club, Charlie and the Chocolate factory, Chartotte's web, Little House on the Prarie, Little Women, Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, Goosebumps

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JulianeRose

I loved The Babysitters Clubs, Bernstein Bears, Goosebumps, Amelia Bedelia, and American Girl. Now that I am a teacher I LOVE the Junie B. Jones series.

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hazelnutlatte

I loved author Gail Carson Levine, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Sweet Valley Kids/Jr. High/High/University, Dear America, American Girl, Goosebumps, Wayside School books, Shel Silverstein and bien sur, Harry Potter.

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Nina Fresa Fashionista

Book Series:
Dear America
Sweet Valley Twins
The Clique
It girl
A series of unfortunate events
goosebumps
captain underpants
bailey school kids

Authors:
Judy Blume
Meg Cabot
Beverly Cleary
Roald Dahl
Jerry Spinelli

Hope this helps.

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Devon

Oh dear, so many! I will try to keep it short and original!

Book series:
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
The Giver and connecting books (Gathering Blue and Messenger) by Lois Lowry
The Babysitters Club
The Boxcar Children
Harry Potter (of course!!!!)
Little House series (woods, prairie, by the lake, long winter, etc.)

Authors
Meg Cabot
Madeline L'Engle
Beveryly Cleary

I have so many more but these are the ones I can remember – so I guess the ones I loved the most!

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Heather

I really loved the Serendipity book series by Stephen Cosgrove. My mom used to buy me a new book in the series as rewards for accomplishing different goals 🙂

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Heather

I really loved the Serendipity book series by Stephen Cosgrove. My mom used to buy me a new book in the series as rewards for accomplishing different goals 🙂

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Megan Lucks

I was obsessed with "Is your mama a llama", "I'll love you forever", and "Where the Wild Things Are." But now being a full time nanny and aunt I love the Pinkalicious series, and my niece and the girl I nanny love them, I mean obsessed with them!

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Maia Price

Nancy Drew was FANTASTIC.
Junie B. Jones was great.
But, my favorite books were probably the Royal Diaries. They were princesses who had written fake "diaries" and was a great historical fiction piece for kids!

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Sara Frick

I love the magic tree house series. When I was super young I loved anything Dr Seuss. I also loved this one book called "Sand Cake" by Frank Asch, it had a few others in the collection. The later years of elementary school I was obsessed with the Amelia's Journal series. Also, it almost goes without saying, but Harry Potter!

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Heather

First thing that comes to mine is definitely Box Car Children. While working as a library helper in elementary school I spent a lot of time there and I'm pretty positive I read every one I could get my hands on!

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thenerdykatie

I love that you're apologizing to you dad for not going out to bars lol.

My faves were the bernstein bears, hank the cowdog and I was seriously obsessed with Go Dog Go (I think that was before elm school), I used to stare at the dog party at the end forever. I got pretty bored with kids books early, I shocked everyone by reading Jurassic Park in 5th grade and basically only read novels after that.

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Zoe

I liked Harry Potter, Junie B. Jones, Arthur, Captain Underpants, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Toot and Puddle, Magic Tree-house, Dear America, and anything by Dr. Seuss.

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Julia D.

Boxcar Children, Magic Treehouse…I think those were only children's book series I read. I had a penchant for reading above my age level, though I'm currently reading Harry Potter so maybe I'm making up for it.

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Kaitlyn Sykes

I loved Junie B. Jones, Ramona by Beverly Cleary, Harry Potter, Dr. Seuss, The Berenstein Bears, A Series of Unfortunate Events, the Jillian Jiggs series by Phoebe Gilman (also by her, Grandma and the Pirates, Little Blue Ben, and The Balloon Tree, all fantastic), Abby Hayes (though I see it’s in your photo!), the Little House on the Prairie Series, all of L. M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon, The Story Girl, etc.), Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (as well as many of her other books), The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, Clifford, The Magic School Bus, the Dear Canada series by Scholastic, anything Robert Munsch, Princess Prunella and the Purple Peanut by Margaret Atwood, Crysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, the Heartland series by Lauren Brooke, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka, Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Harriet the Spy, Stellaluna by Janell Cannon, Beatrix Potter’s books, Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry, Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, Jack London’s books, Ida B by Katherine Hannigan (such a fantastic message!!!), Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Tarzan, The Swiss Family Robinson, The Royal Diaries series, Pippi Longstocking, Black Beauty, The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr., Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott, Old Yeller by Fred Gipson, Mercer Mayer books, Franklin books… and many, many others.

I’m sorry for the gigantic list, but I was a voracious reader as a child and still love to read kid’s books… and I figured I might as well put them all down!

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Samantha

Oh my goodness I LOVED all of the "Amelia Bedelia" and "Madeleine" books when I was a little girl. When I was older, my favorite chapter book series were:

– The Babysitter's Club (and Babysitter's Little Sister… holla)
– ALL of the "Alice" books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
– American Girl series

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AEOT

Nancy Drew, Boxcar Children, Bobsy Twins, Babysitter's Club, and, as an adult, Harry Potter (didn't come out til I was in college). I cannot wait to read the Boxcar Children with my boys once they are bigger!!!

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The Aly Way

Grade School Favorites: Anne of Green Gables, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Boxcar Children, Judy Blume (Are You there God, It's Me Margaret)

If you are wanting to include any other Young Adult Series, please feel free to e-mail me!
I took a few YA classes during Undergrad and was exposed to some absolutely marvelous series.

Have a great day!

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lillies & lattes

What a fun question! book have always been my favorite. i desperately wanted to be Harriet the Spy when I was little, so I carried around a composition notebook!
Here are a few of my favorites – –
The Boxcar Children
Angelina Ballerina
Little House on the Prairie (still in love – The Wilder Life is currently on my to-read stack!)
Anne of Green Gables
Babysitter's Club
Ramona Quimby
the American Girl books

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Amanda

I LOVED Junie B. Jones- I would finish those books in a day as a kid.
I also liked the Baby Sitter's Club, and the Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing series.

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Bethany Griffith

I read Nancy Drew and the Babysitters Club! 🙂 Loved them! Oh! and a huge favorite when i was on the older end of elementary was the Inheritance Cycle and the Redwall series (which is seriously an amazing series for anyone!)

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Emily

I was (and still am) a horse-crazy girl in school… so the only series' I ever really read in Elementary school were "Thoroughbred", "Saddle Club", and "Riding Academy". 🙂 Haha!

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Charlee

Babysitter's Club, Harry Potter, not Young Adult but I read it when i was in elementary school: Agatha Christie's Poirot series, Nancy Drew, Anne of Green Gables, Sweet Valley High, The Giver Series by Lois Lowrey, Goosebumps (especially choose your own adventure! haha), Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series (The Golden Compass is the first book), Animorphs, Everworld series by Katherine Applegate, The Dark is Rising Series by Susan Cooper

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Anna Kate

I loved the Nancy Drew books growing up and The Boxcar Children. I am not sure what age group and/or grade level your question is geared towards, but I was an Early Childhood Education major and the most popular books (as of late) seem to be the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie + all related titles by that author and, of course, Eric Carle books are always a hit. Good luck with your new project!

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CB

I read the Little House on the Prarie, American Girl books, and just about anything else I could get my hands on. Black Beauty was probably my favorite overall book though. Can I count Harry Potter though if the first book came out when I was in first grade?

Best of luck on the new project!

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Libby

oh man, I wish I lived in nyc and could hang out at libraries with you!!
Harry Potter, American Girls, Little House on the Prairie, Sweet Valley High (!!), A Series of Unfortunate Events… the list goes on!

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Frida

I like Sweet Dreams Romance series by Bantam Books. I started reading it when I was 13 and though this series has stop producing, I still buy and read them whenever I can get hold if them. These days they can only be found on thrift book store and my eyes shines in delight whenever I see this series on the shelves 🙂

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Shrinking Violet

1) The Warriors Series by Erin Hunter. I was SO obsessed.
2) Beacon Street Girls
3) Animal Ark by Ben Baglio
4) Junie B. Jones
5) Magic Tree House
6) Katie Kazoo
7) Lunch Money by Andrew Clements

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Kaity

my favorites when I was little were Nancy Drew and Little House on the Prairie. I was OBSESSED with Laura Ingalls Wilder's life! I also loved reading the American Girl series of books – thinking about it now, I guess you could say I particularly enjoyed historical fiction. 🙂 I was (and remain) also really big into Harry Potter – but that came along a bit later in childhood.

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Julia R.

Nancy Drew, Magic Tree House, and I'm not sure if this was elementary or middle school but I loved the books by Joan Bauer, Hope was Here and Rules of the Road.

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