12 Books You Read as a Gen Z Kid... And Totally Forgot About

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1. The Magic Tree House

   

   
   

I used to adore The Magic Treehouse.  I remember learning so many random history facts from them. If you haven’t read it, it’s basically Doctor Who, but exclusively time travel, and with two kid siblings. They usually explored different times in history, which made learning so much fun. Fun fact: did you know McDonald’s once included entire audiobooks of The Magic Treehouse on CDs as Happy Meal toys? It definitely made me keep nagging my parents.

2. Geronimo Stilton

   

To be completely honest, I barely even remember what this series was about, but it made such a strong emotional impression on me. I spent hours the other day looking for “the book with the yellow cover and the mouse” until I finally found it. Funny enough, that search is exactly what spawned this blog idea.

3. Flat Stanley

I don’t think I could ever forget Flat Stanley. The story is about a kid who gets a bulletin board that falls on him, making him as flat as paper. As a weird little kid, I wanted nothing more than to fold myself up and get mailed in an envelope too.

4. The Chocolate Touch

   

I don’t think I ate chocolate for weeks after we read this in class. The Chocolate Touch is basically the kid version of the Midas touch—everything he touches turns to chocolate. The thought of drinking from the water fountain only for it to be chocolate was my last straw.

5. The Tail Emily Windsnap

   

This one might not be as well known as the others, but I had to include a personal favorite. I loved mermaids as a kid and still do as an adult. I’ll read anything with a mermaid in it. This series has a solid plot, compelling characters, and fun mysteries. 10/10.

6. Rainbow Magic (Daisy Meadows) Books

   

For all the girlies out there, this was a popular series. I only read a couple of them, but the covers were iconic and still vivid in my memory.

7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

This one is a given. Every time the book fair rolled around, kids fought to get the new one off the shelves. Don’t get me started on trying to borrow it from the library—it was always checked out or on hold. This series is still ongoing, but I’ll always be partial to the first few books.

8. Dork Diaries

   

Of course I couldn’t include Diary of a Wimpy Kid without including Dork Diaries. This was the “girl” version, full of drama and misadventures. The series is still ongoing, and OMG what did they do to the art style in the new books? I’m just gonna move on.

9. Junie B. Jones

Omg, it’s my girl Junie B. Jones! I vividly remember one book where she goes to school in multiple layers of clothing because she didn’t want to change out of her pajamas. I definitely tried the same as a kid…before my mom stopped me.

10. Amelia Bedelia

As a kid, I always thought Amelia Bedelia was so silly for taking everything literally. Then I learned the hard way that “honk if you like pizza” bumper stickers do not mean you should honk if you like pizza.

11. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

These books were iconic in kindergartens everywhere. I can’t think of a single person I’ve met who didn’t read them. Among my friends, the book title even became a turn-of-phrase: “Well, when you give a mouse a cookie…”

12. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

Last but not least, the old lady who swallowed a fly. If you don’t remember, it’s about a lady who keeps swallowing more and more things as a result of the first—bird to eat the spider, spider to eat the fly, and so on.

I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane as much as I did. It’s hard to imagine that some of us have already started families! If you need some books to read to your kids, these are all great picks.