Liesl Shurtliff Recounts Her 7 Favorite Books from Childhood
by Liesl Shurtliff
Liesl Shurtliff is the author of Brightly’s Book Club pick Red. Click here to learn more about the book, discover activities and tips for discussion inspired by Red, and join in on the reading fun.
I was a very picky reader as a child, as most children are, and so when I found a book I liked, I usually read it more than once and loved it more each time. As a writer, I’ve looked at these books to try to understand what made them so enjoyable for me as child, and how I might incorporate those techniques into my own writing. Here are the top seven books I read as a child and how they’ve influenced me as a writer.
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The Boxcar Children
Available from:I loved this book not only for the adventure, but also for the independence of the children. As a writer, this book showed me the importance of children striking out on their own and solving problems without adults.
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Wait Till Helen Comes
So spooky and realistic it gave me the chills. This book taught me so much about the power of a well-developed atmosphere.
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Matilda
Available from:Anything by Roald Dahl is wonderful, but Matilda is my favorite. Dahl taught me the delights of larger-than-life characters that jump right off the page, and how to mix the serious with the humorous.
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Sideways Stories from Wayside School
I still giggle when I read these. They taught me that wacky can work wonders for snagging a reader’s attention, and humor can explode like confetti out of completely ordinary moments.
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Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
This book spoke to my young tween girl heart. It taught me that some of the things we don’t want to talk about are the most important things to talk about.
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Grimms’ Fairy Tales
Available from:Of course, where would I be without the Brothers Grimm? I read these tales to death as a child, and the stories inform just about everything I write, fairy tale retelling or not.
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Where the Sidewalk Ends
The joys of silly poetry are endless, but again, silly and humorous don’t always mean shallow. Silverstein is a master of weaving important truths into funny poems. I believe my love of Shel Silverstein inspired Rump’s love of rhymes.
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By the Author:
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Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin
Also available from: Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood
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