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
93,757 members
1,185 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
39,133 members
957 reviews
4
5
34,948 members
551 reviews
4.1
6
26,256 members
396 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
23,480 members
329 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
3,848 members
83 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
6,543 members
140 reviews
3.8
10
8,400 members
227 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
15,407 members
227 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.
12
17,819 members
206 reviews
3.9
13
35,951 members
1,021 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.
14
6,937 members
121 reviews
4.1
15
7,870 members
56 reviews
3.9
16
10,143 members
147 reviews
3.8
17
6,788 members
96 reviews
4.1
18
33,680 members
429 reviews
3.8
19
16,056 members
285 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
3,848 members
47 reviews
3.9
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
16,053 members
279 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
3,415 members
82 reviews
4.1
23
7,800 members
135 reviews
½ 4.3
24
50,157 members
450 reviews
½ 4.5
25
17,337 members
424 reviews
½ 4.3
26
26,275 members
235 reviews
3.9
27
7,627 members
239 reviews
3.8
28
3,463 members
70 reviews
4.2
29
11,083 members
141 reviews
4
30
2,082 members
30 reviews
½ 3.6
31
8,690 members
90 reviews
½ 3.5
32
9,997 members
95 reviews
4.2
33
21,890 members
477 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!
34
6,920 members
112 reviews
3.8
35
132,851 members
2,041 reviews
½ 4.3
36
42,648 members
518 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
37
4,933 members
56 reviews
4
38
860 members
23 reviews
4
39
2,358 members
19 reviews
3.8
40
11,654 members
145 reviews
4
41
11,046 members
169 reviews
4.2
42
11,999 members
226 reviews
4.1
43
24,782 members
448 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.
44
1,281 members
24 reviews
½ 3.7
45
17,933 members
297 reviews
3.9
46
15,667 members
215 reviews
4.2
47
1,368 members
14 reviews
½ 3.7
48
12,230 members
339 reviews
4.1
49
2,889 members
34 reviews
4
50
215 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
5,227 members
150 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
8,351 members
125 reviews
3.9
53
4,533 members
56 reviews
3.9
54
1,291 members
18 reviews
½ 3.4
55
2,655 members
45 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
78,041 members
1,430 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
9,110 members
74 reviews
4.1
58
14,703 members
225 reviews
½ 3.7
59
1,802 members
35 reviews
4
60
8,760 members
63 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
10,639 members
116 reviews
4.1
62
58,574 members
912 reviews
4.2
63
1,477 members
30 reviews
4
64
839 members
17 reviews
4
65
207 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
3,735 members
54 reviews
3.8
67
20,817 members
672 reviews
4
68
205 members
1 review
½ 3.4
69
10,969 members
206 reviews
4
70
6,790 members
112 reviews
3.9
71
4,057 members
86 reviews
3.9
2 Members
.Monkey., lorannen
72
7,405 members
207 reviews
4
73
1,591 members
26 reviews
3.9
3 Members
rosalita, Morphidae, SylviaC
Explanations
Morphidae: Totally forgot about Trixie Belden until Sylvia added it!
74
1,016 members
34 reviews
4.1
2 Members
EMS_24, kjgormley
75
42,009 members
679 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
1,999 members
72 reviews
4
77
318 members
4 reviews
4.1
78
1,730 members
27 reviews
4.1
3 Members
ABVR, Booksrme, charl08
79
5,768 members
43 reviews
4.2
80
6,130 members
137 reviews
½ 4.3
81
5,713 members
148 reviews
4.2
82
21,487 members
603 reviews
4
83
7,713 members
58 reviews
3.9
84
5,531 members
72 reviews
3.8
85
319 members
9 reviews
½ 4.3
86
3,741 members
64 reviews
3.8
2 Members
Booksrme, ShellyS
87
7,540 members
192 reviews
4.2
88
1,782 members
37 reviews
3.8
2 Members
seeword, inge87
89
1,173 members
70 reviews
½ 3.7
90
28,137 members
512 reviews
4.1
91
623 members
3 reviews
½ 3.7
92
4,298 members
85 reviews
3.8
2 Members
kgriffith, Cecrow
93
9,086 members
122 reviews
4
94
731 members
12 reviews
3.8
95
2,510 members
37 reviews
3.9
96
40,912 members
1,044 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
15,068 members
548 reviews
3.9
98
9,528 members
105 reviews
½ 3.6
99
1,344 members
21 reviews
½ 3.6
2 Members
ahef1963, rikaploo
100
10,497 members
119 reviews
3.9
2 Members
Cecrow, al.vick