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
95,107 members
1,194 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
39,773 members
963 reviews
4
5
35,721 members
561 reviews
4.1
6
26,684 members
402 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
23,953 members
330 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
3,903 members
84 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
6,617 members
139 reviews
3.8
10
8,513 members
228 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
15,723 members
229 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
18,207 members
208 reviews
3.9
13
36,339 members
1,027 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
7,054 members
122 reviews
4
15
8,048 members
58 reviews
3.9
16
10,408 members
148 reviews
3.8
17
6,873 members
99 reviews
4.1
18
34,359 members
439 reviews
3.8
19
16,376 members
289 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
3,932 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
16,404 members
280 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
3,466 members
85 reviews
4.1
23
7,943 members
138 reviews
½ 4.3
24
50,647 members
452 reviews
½ 4.5
25
17,599 members
425 reviews
½ 4.3
26
26,730 members
240 reviews
3.9
27
7,742 members
241 reviews
3.8
28
3,533 members
72 reviews
4.2
29
11,276 members
143 reviews
4
30
2,128 members
30 reviews
½ 3.6
31
8,850 members
90 reviews
½ 3.5
32
10,193 members
96 reviews
4.2
33
22,265 members
480 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
7,086 members
118 reviews
3.8
35
134,651 members
2,065 reviews
½ 4.3
36
43,287 members
520 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
5,035 members
57 reviews
4
38
873 members
23 reviews
4
39
2,401 members
20 reviews
3.8
40
12,005 members
148 reviews
4
41
11,283 members
170 reviews
4.2
42
12,182 members
229 reviews
4.1
43
25,211 members
454 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
1,302 members
25 reviews
½ 3.7
45
18,241 members
299 reviews
3.9
46
15,935 members
215 reviews
4.2
47
1,415 members
14 reviews
½ 3.7
48
12,537 members
338 reviews
4.1
49
2,947 members
35 reviews
4
50
218 members
6 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
5,287 members
152 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
8,534 members
126 reviews
3.9
53
4,605 members
56 reviews
3.9
54
1,320 members
18 reviews
½ 3.4
55
2,698 members
46 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
78,946 members
1,434 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
9,253 members
76 reviews
4.1
58
14,976 members
230 reviews
½ 3.7
59
1,834 members
35 reviews
4
60
8,940 members
65 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
10,818 members
120 reviews
4.2
62
59,399 members
924 reviews
4.2
63
1,504 members
31 reviews
4
64
857 members
17 reviews
4
65
211 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
3,767 members
56 reviews
3.8
67
21,219 members
680 reviews
4
68
210 members
1 review
½ 3.4
69
11,197 members
209 reviews
4
70
6,861 members
113 reviews
3.9
71
4,153 members
87 reviews
3.9
2 Members
.Monkey., lorannen
72
7,515 members
207 reviews
4
73
1,618 members
26 reviews
3.9
3 Members
rosalita, Morphidae, SylviaC
Explanations
Morphidae: Totally forgot about Trixie Belden until Sylvia added it!
74
1,029 members
36 reviews
4.1
2 Members
EMS_24, kjgormley
75
42,948 members
695 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
2,027 members
71 reviews
4
77
320 members
4 reviews
4.1
78
1,752 members
27 reviews
4.1
3 Members
ABVR, Booksrme, charl08
79
5,903 members
44 reviews
4.2
80
6,163 members
138 reviews
½ 4.3
81
5,789 members
148 reviews
4.2
82
21,980 members
611 reviews
4
83
7,876 members
60 reviews
3.9
84
5,605 members
72 reviews
3.8
85
328 members
9 reviews
½ 4.3
86
3,799 members
64 reviews
3.8
2 Members
Booksrme, ShellyS
87
7,583 members
193 reviews
4.1
88
1,811 members
37 reviews
3.8
2 Members
seeword, inge87
89
1,193 members
70 reviews
½ 3.7
90
12,757 members
242 reviews
4.1
91
638 members
4 reviews
3.8
92
4,441 members
86 reviews
3.8
2 Members
kgriffith, Cecrow
93
9,265 members
124 reviews
4
94
743 members
11 reviews
3.8
95
2,563 members
37 reviews
3.9
96
41,389 members
1,051 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
15,356 members
548 reviews
3.9
98
9,650 members
106 reviews
½ 3.6
99
1,367 members
22 reviews
½ 3.6
2 Members
ahef1963, rikaploo
100
10,776 members
119 reviews
3.9
2 Members
Cecrow, al.vick