Top Five Favorite Required Reading Books

Top Ten Tuesday new

It’s Top Ten Tuesday again!  It’s a weekly bookish list hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! This week’s topic is:

Favorite Required Reading Books

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday, was a freebie for anything back to school related.  I’ve decided to share share my favorite books that I’ve been required to read for school, because even though there’s been quite a few books I didn’t love, over the years, I’ve also read quite a few books that I actually did end up loving!  Also, because school actually started back up this week for me, I only had time for a top 5 today, because I’m still getting into the swing of things.

Alright, let’s get started:

Anne of Green Gables

anne of green gables

Many of you probably know about my love for all things Anne of Green Gables, but you may not be aware that the first time I read this book, it was for school!  I was in 5th grade, and I absolutely fell in love with this book!  I related to Anne so much, and I just loved everything about it.

Check it out on Goodreads!

The Secret Garden

the secret garden

Fifth grade was a really great year for me when it came to required reading.  The Secret Garden is another book I read that school year that I ended up loving, too.  The first time I read it, I do remember struggling with it a little bit, but eventually I fell in love with this story, and it has been a favorite of mine ever since!

Check it out on Goodreads!

And Then There Were None

and then there were none.jpg

I took a mystery literature course in high school, and one of the books we had to read was And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.  This book was so mysterious and compelling. I ended up absolutely loving it!

Check it out on Goodreads!

The Hound of the Baskervilles

the hounds of the baskerville.jpgAnother mystery novel I read for school that I adored was The Hound of the Baskervilles.  It was the first, and so far, only Sherlock Holmes novel that I’ve read, but I was so intrigued with this book from the beginning to the very end.  I read this one in the 8th grade, so it’s been a while since I’ve read it.  I’ve actually been wanting to reread it, so maybe I’ll do that soon! I’d love to see what I think of it now!

Check it out on Goodreads!

Island of the Blue Dolphins

island of the blue dolphins

I read Island of the Blue Dolphins way back in the 4th grade, so I’ll be honest, I don’t remember everything that happens in this book.  That being said, I remember loving this story so much!  It was one of those books that I was just completely captivated by.  This is another one that I would like to eventually reread, because I remember loving it so much, and I’d like to see what I think of it now!

Check it out on Goodreads!


That wraps up this week’s TTT!  Sorry this post was shorter, but life has been busy.  Hopefully I’ll be back to posting full Top Ten Tuesday’s soon!

What are some of the books you read for school that you ended up loving more than you expected?

Thanks for reading!


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24 Comments on “Top Five Favorite Required Reading Books

  1. I never had any of these books as required reading but as sad as it sounds, I’ve loved all the books I’ve studied at school, I just lov analysing books and learning about their backgrounds, this is a great post, I might have to do one of these posts soon xx

    Liked by 1 person

    • That’s awesome you’ve loved all the books you’ve read!! I think my biggest issue usually isn’t the book, but the fact that I had to read a specific chunk and a specific pace. I like to read at my own pace, so I can get the most out of it, and a lot of times, I just can’t do that with school books, unless I really connect with the characters and storyline very quickly. You definitely should! I’d love to see your favorites. ☺️

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  2. This is a great prompt idea! I didn’t like any of my school reading until senior year of high school (notablely Mansfield Park, The Catcher in the Rye, Gullivers Travels) and college. Sadly I haven’t read any on your list though! Hope you have a good semester!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks!! Ooh I haven’t read any of those, but I’ve been meaning to. Honestly, I feel like I missed out on so many different classics in high school. I went to an online school, and some of their required reading just felt all over the place, lol.

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  3. I have never had these as required reading in school. My required reading was a lot of Michael Morpurgo books and Lord of the Flies. Really creative blog post idea, I would’ve never have thought to share the books I read in school.

    Rebecca Elaine x

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    • I was homeschooled, and went to an online school, and I always felt like their required reading lists were different than other schools in my area, based off of what friends from other schools had to read. Thank you! ☺️

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  4. God it’s been so long since I was at school I don’t remember most of the books I was required to read apart from The Lord of the Flies which I HATED in school because of all the essays we had to write about it but I re-read it as an adult and it’s oretty good 🙂 xxx

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    • I think that’s the problem with required reading a lot of the time. We are forced to write so many essays and take so many tests, we stop thinking about the story and more about just passing a class. Reading books at my own pace really helps me to get the most out of a story. ☺️

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  5. I absolutely love Sherlock Holmes novels, they are so clever and keep me hooked even though I sort of already know the outcome from tv haha! We didn’t really get too much required reading but I always remember we studied Girl With a Pearl Earring which I absolutely hated during school, but really enjoyed when I re-read later. I think sometimes studying books takes the fun out of them!
    Beth x Adventure & Anxiety

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    • I would really like to read more Sherlock Holmes, I’ve just always been picking up other books instead. I agree with you! Especially when it comes to “classic” books, I always get so much more out of the story when I am reading it at leisure, as opposed to for a class where I will be quizzed on it.

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  6. This is the first time I’ve gone on a book post knowing some of the books, yay! And Then There Were None is my absolute FAVOURITE! Anything Agatha Christie I absolutely love. And the BBC did a wonderful series based on it too.

    Vicki | http://www.missviclb.co.uk

    Liked by 1 person

    • Haha oh good! Yes, Agatha Christie really wrote some incredible mysteries. I haven’t seen the BBC series yet, but I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it! I really need to make time to watch it soon. ☺️

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