Mrs. Granata, Olentangy Liberty’s journalism teacher, reads the book “What Would You Do With a Chance?” to her students every year. This picture book, although simplistic, has a strong message to kids that is easy to understand and impactful. This is similar to the impact that childhood books or series had on us growing up. Childhood books hold a special place in our hearts, even after years of advancing to chapter books and novels, and a few classics will always be remembered for how much we loved them. 

“The Land of Stories” is one popular book many of us read as a kid. Whether it was in elementary or middle school, this book was entertaining and magical. Chris Colfer wrote this series in a way that allowed us to feel like we were experiencing what the main characters were. Alex and Connor took us on adventures in fairytales we read about as little kids, and now furthered this imagination in a world that you could only dream of.

Raina Telgeimer’s graphic novel series including “Smile” and “Sisters” gained a lot of popularity with kids. The graphic novels are an enjoyable way to get into reading and relate to some of the experiences the main character had. Visuals were a great way to hook us into the series and continue reading more graphic novels like this, including one of her later books, “Drama”. 

“The Magic Treehouse” was infamous for its historical attribute in a children’s book. The two main characters, fictional, voyaged to historical events/sites and “experienced” them as if in real-time. The description and storytelling were appealing and perfect for kids while educating them about important events. 

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” was another popular series, and rather than the popular dystopian books, Jeff Kinney made the book realistic and humorous, enticing to a wide age range. The books involved storytelling of strange and funny situations the main character experienced, appealing and relatable to a lot of kids.

While there are many more classics, the impact these books had on us is unforgettable and will be memorable for years to come.