Elevenses

Description
In honor of LibraryThing's 11th birthday, staff have gathered 11 of our favorite books from when we were (approximately) 11-year-olds ourselves. Add yours to the list! What were you reading as a tween?
3
107,339 members
1,303 reviews
½ 4.3
17 Members
tardis, conceptDawg, Booksrme, reading_fox, foggidawn, paradoxosalpha, thorold, Cecrow, krazy4katz, buk1968, SylviaC, EMS_24, souloftherose, dksthomson, ahef1963, kristilabrie, Tinuvia
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: It was assigned reading in fifth grade, though I think it was a re-read for me.
4
45,477 members
1,039 reviews
4
5
42,111 members
612 reviews
4.1
6
33,183 members
473 reviews
4
13 Members
Booksrme, TeresaInTexas, Morphidae, rarm, craso, charl08, Cecrow, SylviaC, souloftherose, dksthomson, Dilara86, ahef1963, Bettesbooks
Explanations
Morphidae: I reread this several years ago not expecting to like it as much. What I surprise I got! I rated it 9/10 stars. An amazing book.
7
27,744 members
368 reviews
4.1
12 Members
gwernin, Booksrme, TeresaInTexas, Gateaupain, reading_fox, libraryman_76021, KimarieBee, Cecrow, dksthomson, al.vick, ahef1963, quondame
Explanations
gwernin: I've actually owned this book since I was about 5!
Gateaupain: Who doesn't have it and love it. I still quote from it today - Pale waifs in the woodland wet" - "as I loose the snare you shall see me there".....
8
4,482 members
95 reviews
4.1
9 Members
tardis, ablachly, Booksrme, reading_fox, charl08, thorold, buk1968, souloftherose, elkiedee
Explanations
tardis: I can't recall exactly what I loved at age 11 (it was a long time ago!) but I have loved Swallows and Amazons since I first read it, which was at least that long ago.
reading_fox: Read all of them over the years, but haven't been back to re-visit them. The new film is actually pretty good too.
thorold: Sailing, codes, exploring, pirates - how could this be improved?
9
7,360 members
157 reviews
3.8
10
9,570 members
243 reviews
4.1
9 Members
paradoxosalpha, libraryman_76021, Cecrow, ErlendSkjelten, merrystar, SylviaC, souloftherose, elkiedee, ahef1963
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: I'm pretty sure I read this long before the age of eleven. But it has a conspicuously 11-year-old protagonist.
ahef1963: I didn't read this series until I was in my late 20s, but I was and still am mesmerized by them.
11
8,066 members
129 reviews
4
12
18,092 members
240 reviews
4.1
10 Members
Booksrme, Morphidae, mldg, Cecrow, elenchus, SylviaC, elkiedee, Dilara86, ahef1963, quondame
Explanations
Morphidae: Several in this series get high marks from me, even now.
13
21,381 members
231 reviews
3.9
14
41,420 members
1,069 reviews
4.2
8 Members
Booksrme, dara85, Morphidae, elenchus, al.vick, ahef1963, gendeg, quondame
Explanations
Morphidae: Another book that remains a delight to this day.
gendeg: Subversively dark and hopeful at the same time. Brilliant.
15
9,588 members
70 reviews
4
16
14,353 members
175 reviews
3.9
17
7,777 members
103 reviews
4.1
18
40,824 members
489 reviews
3.8
19
19,457 members
305 reviews
4.1
8 Members
mldg, Cecrow, elenchus, SylviaC, elkiedee, al.vick, ahef1963, quondame
Explanations
mldg: I remember discovering the Little House books in my school's very tiny library.
20
4,678 members
49 reviews
3.8
7 Members
Morphidae, KimarieBee, SylviaC, dksthomson, al.vick, ahef1963, CindyAmrhein
Explanations
Morphidae: Loved this as a kid but the suck fairy got a hold of this BIG time. What a disappointment.
21
19,565 members
300 reviews
4.2
6 Members
ablachly, Morphidae, foggidawn, SylviaC, elkiedee, ahef1963
Explanations
Morphidae: Loved this book back then and it has held up over time.
ahef1963: This was my favourite book as a child, and I still re-read it every couple of years.
22
3,885 members
98 reviews
4.1
23
9,023 members
162 reviews
½ 4.3
24
56,876 members
496 reviews
½ 4.5
25
20,296 members
472 reviews
½ 4.3
26
31,286 members
281 reviews
3.9
27
8,884 members
260 reviews
3.8
28
3,997 members
80 reviews
4.2
29
14,811 members
366 reviews
4.1
30
12,681 members
157 reviews
4
31
2,425 members
37 reviews
½ 3.6
32
9,950 members
97 reviews
½ 3.5
33
11,983 members
110 reviews
4.2
34
26,197 members
523 reviews
½ 4.3
5 Members
Booksrme, SimoneA, charl08, ahef1963, lorannen
Explanations
lorannen: Technically, I read this for the first time when I was nine, but I re-read it often!
35
7,367 members
90 reviews
3.8
36
153,780 members
2,215 reviews
½ 4.3
37
49,347 members
584 reviews
3.9
5 Members
bw42, Booksrme, Cecrow, dksthomson, ahef1963
Explanations
bw42: I know it was my favorite when I was eleven because it was my favorite from when I first read it at 9 or 10 until I was 13 or 14. I read it at least once every summer for that period
38
5,847 members
64 reviews
4
39
937 members
24 reviews
4
40
2,766 members
23 reviews
3.8
41
14,500 members
162 reviews
4
42
13,311 members
187 reviews
4.2
43
13,860 members
251 reviews
4.1
44
29,688 members
494 reviews
4.1
5 Members
Booksrme, Morphidae, charl08, elenchus, ahef1963
Explanations
Morphidae: This is the first book I thought of when I saw the list and I was really surprised no one else had it down.
45
1,410 members
26 reviews
½ 3.7
46
21,579 members
325 reviews
3.9
47
18,313 members
232 reviews
4.2
48
1,703 members
16 reviews
½ 3.7
49
3,349 members
45 reviews
4
50
231 members
5 reviews
3.9
3 Members
Booksrme, thorold, paulmdh
Explanations
thorold: I've no idea why I liked these terrible books so much back then!
51
5,929 members
178 reviews
4.2
4 Members
Booksrme, thorold, southernbooklady, ahef1963
Explanations
thorold: I'm sure this can't be as funny as I remember it being...
52
10,232 members
133 reviews
3.9
53
5,321 members
67 reviews
3.9
54
1,483 members
25 reviews
½ 3.4
55
3,075 members
52 reviews
4.1
3 Members
Gateaupain, avatiakh, merrystar
Explanations
Gateaupain: It was in the family revolving book-case and it is only later that I realised its social significance. I didn't even know it was set in America. I still have the bookcase 75 years later
56
89,889 members
1,559 reviews
½ 4.4
3 Members
ShellyS, btuckertx, ahef1963
Explanations
btuckertx: A parent asked me to wait a few years before reading TKAM, but...
57
11,104 members
87 reviews
4.1
58
17,540 members
264 reviews
½ 3.7
59
2,035 members
43 reviews
4
60
10,443 members
79 reviews
4.1
3 Members
TeresaInTexas, inge87, ahef1963
Explanations
inge87: My hands-down favorite Little House book growing up. I got my copy from the Scholastic book club when I was 10 or 11.
61
12,694 members
142 reviews
4.2
62
67,891 members
1,017 reviews
4.2
63
1,700 members
38 reviews
4
64
1,018 members
19 reviews
4
65
239 members
1 review
½ 3.5
3 Members
Booksrme, reading_fox, charl08
Explanations
reading_fox: A great series of adventures featuring wildlife and plucky heroes.
66
4,061 members
64 reviews
3.8
67
25,886 members
739 reviews
4
68
215 members
1 review
½ 3.4
69
12,881 members
225 reviews
4
70
9,731 members
134 reviews
3.9
71
4,944 members
96 reviews
3.9
2 Members
.Monkey., lorannen
72
8,412 members
239 reviews
4
73
1,843 members
32 reviews
3.9
3 Members
rosalita, Morphidae, SylviaC
Explanations
Morphidae: Totally forgot about Trixie Belden until Sylvia added it!
74
1,127 members
39 reviews
4.1
2 Members
EMS_24, kjgormley
75
50,570 members
806 reviews
½ 4.3
2 Members
paradoxosalpha, DeusXMachina
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: I remember reading this one when I was ten, in fact. I have vivid memories of reading it in my grammar school library, although I had checked out the book (in a sturdy old library hardcover) from the public library.
76
2,396 members
79 reviews
4
77
340 members
5 reviews
4.1
78
1,967 members
31 reviews
4
3 Members
ABVR, Booksrme, charl08
79
6,895 members
51 reviews
4.2
80
6,683 members
149 reviews
½ 4.3
81
6,470 members
161 reviews
4.2
82
26,317 members
652 reviews
4
83
9,083 members
69 reviews
3.9
84
6,156 members
79 reviews
3.8
85
344 members
12 reviews
½ 4.3
86
4,258 members
71 reviews
3.8
2 Members
Booksrme, ShellyS
87
8,303 members
204 reviews
4.1
88
2,079 members
43 reviews
3.8
2 Members
seeword, inge87
89
1,369 members
71 reviews
3.8
90
13,544 members
245 reviews
4.1
91
754 members
6 reviews
3.8
92
5,139 members
88 reviews
3.8
2 Members
kgriffith, Cecrow
93
11,742 members
140 reviews
4
94
818 members
12 reviews
3.8
95
3,002 members
42 reviews
4
96
45,539 members
1,124 reviews
½ 4.3
2 Members
ahef1963, gendeg
Explanations
gendeg: Ender's realization at the end at what he'd done and how he'd been used was too much for my 11-year-old self to handle. Masterfully wrought and devastating.
97
18,174 members
578 reviews
3.9
98
11,066 members
114 reviews
½ 3.6
99
1,580 members
25 reviews
½ 3.6
2 Members
ahef1963, rikaploo
100
13,454 members
122 reviews
3.9
2 Members
Cecrow, al.vick