Basically there's a list of of topics every Wednesday and you find five things that fit well for that topic. T5W is open to ANY kind of book reviewer (i.e. book blogs, booktube, bookstagram, booklr).
You can find the group here: Top 5 Wednesday
Let's get started...
#5 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Reading this story, as a kid, I never knew that it was
full of Christian allegory, but I definitely
still enjoyed the story. I honestly don't remember
too much about reading it when I was
younger, but I remember that I cried when Lucy and Susan stood guard over Aslan's body after he sacrificed himself. I also remember wanting
to try Turkish Delights, which I still haven't
had after all of these years.
I think what caught my attention the most was
mainly the magical world and the
mythical creatures, because that was always a favorite topic of mine.
"Well, sir, if things are real, they’re there all the time."
"Are they?" said the Professor; and Peter did not quite know what to say.
"Are they?" said the Professor; and Peter did not quite know what to say.
#4 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
This book was probably one of the most interesting
things I had ever read, as a child at least. Growing up
I was a full-time dreamer and this book did nothing,
but spark more imagination into my head. Every night,
after I had read this book, I remembered imagining
myself in Charlie's place—winning the golden ticket,
all of adventures within the factory, and
most importantly, eating all of the sweets.
I will admit, as I got older and read the story again,
Charlie's factory seemed more like a Carnival of Horrors, but that didn't make me like it any less.
“But there was one other thing that the grown-ups also knew, and it was this: that however small the chance might be of striking lucky, the chance is there. The chance had to be there.”
#3 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The summer before my freshman year of
high school, my cousin told me that I would
most likely be required to read this in my English class. My cousin refused to tell me what the
story was about, so my first assumption was that
it was a murder/mystery story, but I was pretty wrong. This is a great piece of literature and an
undisputed classic. There's so much to take in
from this story and it covered so many topics,
such as class systems, gender roles,
southern manners, and taboos.
I can definitely say I see this book as a required read for many generations.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
#2 Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
I love this book sooo much. I believe I was in
middle school when I first read this story and I
was just in awe. Ella was the character that I
yearned to be. She was witty, clever, intelligent,
and my inspiration. I also enjoyed the fact that
none of the women in this story were "helpless",
despite Ella's "gift" of obedience, she still thrived.
This was a fairy tale that I appreciated,
because it was relatable, in some ways, and
not overran with too much magical elements,
making it easy to read it with my mom,
who isn't such a big fan of fairy tales like myself.
“In that moment I found a power beyond any I'd had before, a will and a determination I would never have need if not for Lucinda, a fortitude I hadn't been able to find for a lesser cause.”
#1 Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Despite my fear of spiders, whether real or fictional, I absolutely loved this book as a child and I still love it today. The animals portrayed a lot of human characteristics, but behaved like the animals that they are. The noisy and silly geese, the sneaky and greedy rat, the kind and always hungry pig; the list goes on.
This story taught about friendship, loyalty, and even self-sacrifice,
which makes it my #1 favorite required read.
“Why did you do all this for me?" he asked. "I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you.'
"You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing.”
