My first book of the new year is The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit. This book caught my eye in a roundabout way: I went to the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio and saw an exhibit of picture book art on loan from the Mazza Museum. One of the pieces on display was one of Paul Zelinsky's illustrations for an edition of this book -- a beautifully detailed picture of a hedge maze, with a lake and a castle and a pavilion in the background. It was one of my favorite pieces from the exhibit, and I was intrigued to read the story that went with it.
I have read and enjoyed other books by Nesbit, so it's no surprise that I liked this one as well. Nesbit is one of those authors that I wish I could recommend to my younger self, because I think I would have loved her books when I was a child. What about you, readers? Are there any books that your childhood self would have loved, but you only discovered them in adulthood?
(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)
I read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry for the first time as part of my banned books week challenge last year; I know it would have been a really powerful read in my youth.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, Misti!
ReplyDeleteYes, there are two youth books I read as an adult I wished I'd read as a youth... but enjoyed all the same...
"Red Badge of Courage" and "Where the Red Fern Grows"