As a child, I remember hours of car journeys with my dad playing a certain game called Top 5 Favourite. It was more interesting than Eye Spy and more exciting as I really believed my dad had made it up. It’s only in the past few years that he has admitted that he stole the idea from Nick Hornby‘s High Fidelity. However, I still love to play this game on long car journeys.

Recently, someone asked me why I loved to read so much and how they could get there child to love reading. I thought about it and came up with my Top 5 Book That Inspired Me To Read As A Child.

1. The Famous Five – Enid Blyton

I desperately wanted to be part of this gang when I was younger! I especially liked George and secretly thought that I made a better Tom Boy than her. These books are timeless. Children will always have time for reading about smugglers, caves, caravans and treasure.

2. Roald Dahl

Ok, so it’s not one book, but an author. It is so difficult to choose one particular book when it comes to this great author. My particular favourites are George’s Marvellous Medicine for being so outrageously rude about grannies, James and The Giant Peach for creating such a lovable group of characters and of course The Minpins for bringing to life the most frightening creatures imaginable and scaring me out of my wits!

3.  The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S.Lewis

These books are filled with magic and imagination. The idea of walking through a wardrobe into a different world is so appealing, that it still excites me. These books should be read when young enough to miss all the religious references. I read them all in a week while ill off school when I was nine, I loved every minute!

4. Northern Lights – Philip Pullman

A slightly more grown up fantasy book. Whereas Narnia was filled with obvious magic, the magic in His Dark Materials is much more subtle and even scientific. Also, religion is a lot more apparent in this series and not in a way I think C.S.Lewis would have appreciated. The main character, Lyra is a lot easier to relate to compared with innocent Lucy in Narnia. Lyra is a naughty, scruffy little girl who seems to find trouble wherever she goes. However she is brave and determined to get what she wants, even if it means danger to herself.

5. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase Series – Joan Aiken

A brilliant series set in a fictional Britain in the 19th century. The first book is about two orphaned children who run away from their horrible, plotting governess ‘Miss Slighcarp’, who is after Sir Willoughby’s money. On their journey they meet many friends who help them on their way and then pop up in later books. The books are well worth reading as the characters are all so unique and the stories are so enjoyable and adventurous!

What books most inspired you to read as a child?