This week, skimming through articles on Odyssey and thinking about what I wanted to write, I read an article about a book I'd read back in grade school. I found myself feeling nostalgic, and thinking back to simpler times; times when the biggest book we had to do a report on was 50 short pages when we had time to read for fun, just basically, the good ol' days. Here are the best books (in my opinion, at least!) from your childhood:

"Junie B. Jones"

The ultimately relatable preteen.

"Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret"

By far my favorite coming-of-age book.

"Captain Underpants"

Boys and girls alike could enjoy these!

"Goosebumps"

If you were into creepy and scary stories, these books were for you.

"Tale of Despereaux"

I didn't see the movie of this book because I cherish it so much, I didn't want it to be ruined.

"The Outsiders"

This movie, on the other hand, was amazing. So was the book. I never felt more emotional in a junior high English class than when I was reading this book.

"Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing"

The whole Fudge series has a special place in my heart -- mostly because the quirky brother reminded me (fondly, of course) of my own.

"Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"

Do I really need to give an explanation?

"Because of Winn Dixie"

This book revolves around a dog. Again, do I need to explain more?

"Bridge to Terabithia"

You're lying if you say you didn't cry at least once while reading this.

"A Series of Unfortunate Events"

There was drama and suspense laced on almost every page in all of these books, so you got hooked, and stayed hooked.