Happy Tuesday!
Top Ten Tuesday is a Bookish Meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, and this week’s theme is BOOKS PUBLISHED BEFORE I WAS BORN!
I thought this week’s topic might be difficult, but it turns out I have actually read and enjoyed fourteen books published before I was born! I think most (but surprisingly, not all!) of them were books I read for school, but I’m excited to show you ten books that were published before I was born (that I enjoyed)!
And now without any further ado, here’s this week’s Top Ten Tuesday!
The Giver by Lois Lowry Published on April 26, 1993 by HMH Books for Young Readers
Genres: Middle Grade, Dystopian
Pages: 208
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The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community.
The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson Published on August 6, 1993Genres: Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance
Pages: 362
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The Morning Gift is a beautiful, classic romance from much loved author, Eva Ibbotson.
Ruth lives in the beautiful city of Vienna and is wildly in love with Heini Radik, a brilliant young pianist. But her world is about to change forever.
When Hitler's forces invade, Ruth's family flees to London, but she is unable to get a passport. Quin, a young professor and friend of the family, visits Ruth and, in an effort to bring her back to London, he offers a marriage of convenience. As Ruth throws herself into her London life, Quin begins to fall desperately in love with her. Things are further complicated by the arrival of Heini . . .
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter Published on January 1, 1979 by Penguin Books
Genres: Adult, Retellings, Fantasy
Pages: 128
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Angela Carter was a storytelling sorceress, the literary godmother of Neil Gaiman, David Mitchell, Audrey Niffenegger, J. K. Rowling, Kelly Link, and other contemporary masters of supernatural fiction. In her masterpiece, The Bloody Chamber—which includes the story that is the basis of Neil Jordan’s 1984 movie The Company of Wolves—she spins subversively dark and sensual versions of familiar fairy tales and legends like “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Bluebeard,” “Puss in Boots,” and “Beauty and the Beast,” giving them exhilarating new life in a style steeped in the romantic trappings of the gothic tradition.
Sideways Stories From Wayside School by Louis Sachar Published on January 1, 1978 by Bloomsbury Children's
Genres: Middle Grade, Contemporary, Fantasy
Pages: 300
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There was a terrible mistake - Wayside School was built with one classroom on top of another, thirty stories high (The builder said he was sorry.) Maybe that's why all kinds of funny things happened at Wayside-especially on the thirteenth floor.
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Published on October 21, 1977 by HarperCollins
Genres: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Pages: 128
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Jess Aarons' greatest ambition is to be the fastest runner in his grade. He's been practicing all summer and can't wait to see his classmates' faces when he beats them all. But on the first day of school, a new girl boldly crosses over to the boys' side and outruns everyone.
That's not a very promising beginning for a friendship, but Jess and Leslie Burke become inseparable. Together they create Terabithia, a magical kingdom in the woods where the two of them reign as king and queen, and their imaginations set the only limits.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien Published on January 1, 1971 by Aladdin Paperbacks
Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Pages: 240
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Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, must move her family to their summer quarters immediately, or face almost certain death. But her youngest son, Timothy, lies ill with pneumonia and must not be moved. Fortunately, she encounters the rats of NIMH, an extraordinary breed of highly intelligent creatures, who come up with a brilliant solution to her dilemma.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt Published on January 1, 1975 by Farrar
Genres: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 139
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Doomed to - or blessed with - eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less a blessing that it might seem. Complications arise when Winnie is followed by a stranger who wants to market the spring water for a fortune.
Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl Published on February 1, 1970 by Firebird
Genres: Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 304
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Elana is a member of a supremely advanced interstellar civilization, on a mission to the medieval planet Andrecia. To her shock, she becomes the key to a dangerous plan to turn back an invasion by an aggressive, space-faring "Youngling" species. How can she possibly help the Andrecians, who still believe in magic and superstition, without revealing her alien powers?
Apprentice Medical Officer Jarel knows that the Imperial Exploration Corps doesn't consider the Andrecians to be human, and he has seen the atrocious treatment the natives get from his people. How can Jarel make a difference, when he alone regrets the destruction his people bring?
Georyn, son of an Andrecian woodcutter, knows only that there is a dragon on the other side of the enchanted forest, and he is prepared to do whatever it takes to defeat it. To him, Elana is the Enchantress from the Stars who has come to test him, to prove his is worthy....
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis Published on October 16, 1950 by HarperCollins
Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Pages: 206
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They open a door and enter a world
NARNIA... the land beyond the wardrobe, the secret country known only to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy... the place where the adventure begins.
Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first, no one believes her when she tells of her adventures in the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund and then Peter and Susan discover the Magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves. In the blink of an eye, their lives are changed forever.
Macbeth by William Shakespeare Published on 1600 by Cambridge University Press
Genres: Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 280
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One night on the heath, the brave and respected general Macbeth encounters three witches who foretell that he will become king of Scotland. At first sceptical, he’s urged on by the ruthless, single-minded ambitions of Lady Macbeth, who suffers none of her husband’s doubt. But seeing the prophecy through to the bloody end leads them both spiralling into paranoia, tyranny, madness, and murder.
This shocking tragedy - a violent caution to those seeking power for its own sake - is, to this day, one of Shakespeare’s most popular and influential masterpieces.
What books have you read (and enjoyed) that published before you were born? Let me know in the comments and have a splendiferous week!
I also went back to my school days and Literature class for my picks this week! I hope you can stop by:
https://collettaskitchensink.blogspot.com/2021/02/top-ten-books-written-before-1978-222021.html
Colletta
Oh, I love Eva Ibbotson, too! Great list!
Dedra @ A Book Wanderer recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Epic Romances Written Before I Was Born
I think I’ve also read the majority of these! I remember half the class being in tears during Bridge to Terabithia. And of course I’m a Shakespeare nerd, though Much Ado About Nothing is my current fave.
Such good choices. Can’t go wrong with The Giver, Narnia, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMB, and the Bridge of Terabithia. Here is my list: My TTTlist
The Giver was such a great read.
My post.
Lydia recently posted…Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: A TV Show That Influenced My Life
The only one of these I’ve read is The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, which I really enjoyed, though I never could get into any of the other Narnia books.
Jo recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday #301
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and Bridge to Terabithia are two of my favorites. Great choices!
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
The Giver was the only book I was made to read in school that I actually enjoyed! Here’s my post if you’re interested: https://www.howdidthatbookend.com/ttt-february-new-releases/
There are so many good books here! The Giver, Bridge to Terabithia, and Wayside School are ones I really love.
Holliehocks @ My Thing About Books recently posted…TTT: Books I Love That Were Written Before 1990
I have The Giver and Tuck Everlasting on my tbr 🙂
Read With Katrin recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Books Written Before I Was Born
I’ve only read one Eva Ibbotson book (A Song for Summer), but I loved it, and it’s awesome that you got to read one of hers for school. This one looks really good too.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School is amazing and it holds up in all its ridiculous glory. Tuck Everlasting is amazing for different reasons, but equally enduring — I’m really glad you enjoyed that one.
RS recently posted…Top 10 (or maybe more!) Books Written Before My Mom Was Born