It’s happening. My daughter is now reading all the books I remember loving as a child. It’s great, I love it. I get to re-live the great reads of my girlhood vicariously through her. And isn’t that what kids are for?

The latest, greatest blast from the past is The Boxcar Children series, originally written in the forties by Gertrude Chandler Warren. We’re starting with all the old books and working our way up through the more recently published ones. I am pleased to see that they have aged well. The language, while somewhat dated in the earlier books, is not too archaic to be interesting. The plots are still exciting and the text is well-written.The stories are a nice length and the story arc is interesting without being too scary or suspenseful for younger readers.

The role of parents and adults in this series is something I particularly appreciate. For the most part they are peripheral characters, but still maintain a helpful and wise presence, available for counsel and advice. Contrast this to the typical bumbling, clueless and overbearing jerk portraying the parent-figure in way too many books for pre-teens today.

I enjoy getting her started on a series like this and then turning her loose to explore the more-than-a-hundred books over the next few months. And who knows, by the time she finishes reading all the now available ones, there might be brand new titles!

So, think back, what did you enjoy reading at the age your kids are now?

You might be surprised to see how many of those old characters and stories are being revived through new authors and illustrators. Drag out the old boxes in the attic! See what happens!
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photo credit: Voxphoto, via Flickr