Books that made me feel all tingly

There are certain books that will always stay with you.  Not necessarily because of any literary value, but because of the way they made you feel when you read them (or had them read to you). 

I just wanted to share with you some books that I really can't find the right words to describe how they made me feel, how they make me feel every time I read them.  Magical, yes.  Warm and fuzzy, yes.  Instant classics, of course.  Shoot, even some international blockbusters.  But those words don't seem like enough.

They just made me feel all tingly inside when I read them.

~Charlotte's Web by EB White~

My first grade teacher, Mrs. Flora, read this aloud to us.  It was our first CHAPTER book!  Just the other day, I looked at the picture on (or around) page 10 of Fern holding Wilbur and the look on her face is just so sweet, it gets me every time.  Every time I read it, I get lost in White's descriptions of the barns and the animals.  I laugh at the goose.  I hope that maybe this time Charlotte will live...

(side note---I got my very own copy of this for my birthday the summer between 1st and 2nd grade and would you believe not a week later but my sister drew in it.  IN PEN!!!  I think that's why I have issues lending books to people...)

~Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

Again, this was introduced to me through a read aloud.  My 3rd grade teacher read this to us.  She'd sit there, with her copy (marking out the bad words).  I loved following along (and of course, marking out the bad words).  We watched the movie when we were finished---not a dry eye in the house.

Oh Billy and Old Dan and Little Ann.  You showed me that if you worked hard at something, you'd eventually get it.  You also showed me that love was selfless.  (and dang if I'm not tearing up just thinking about Old Dan and Little Ann)

~The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

This was one of the first "kids" books I read when I got my job teaching 3-5th graders.  I wanted to keep up on the "cool" books.  I remember thinking (before I read it), "Oh cute.  A book about a mouse."  Oh, it was sooooooo much more than that.  Its about courtly love, righting wrongs, fighting the good fight.  And more.

~The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

 Harry Potter first came out when I was at an age where I didn't think reading a "kids book" was cool.  I was 20ish and in college.  My bad dawg, my bad.  I don't remember why I first picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, probably because my little sister was reading it, I didn't have anything else to read and my mom wanted to make sure it was appropriate.  Whatever lucky star it was that made me first read Harry Potter gets a big thank you almost every day.

I told my husband the other day, "The only two men I've loved longer than you, is my dad and Harry Potter."  I do hope he takes it as a compliment. 

And just this past week, I had the privilege to add two more books to this list:
The Invention of Hugo Cabret (by Brian Selznick), Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes (by Jonathan Auxier) and Wonder (by RJ Palacio).  While totally different books, they both gave me that tingly feeling.

These are all books that I am honored to have in my classroom and am very thankful that I am able to share with readers.  They didn't earn a place in my heart because they were "popular" at the time.  These are books that I will be sharing with all my kids (students and eventual---because my students are my kids) because of that "tingly" feeling for years to come.