Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books I Want My Children to Read

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic from the Broke and the Bookish is Books I Want My Children to Read.   I've always been a reader and I think that's been a valuable gift because it's something you always have with you.  When the outside world doesn't seem to be very nice, when your life isn't going quite the way you want it or when you just want a little entertainment there's always a book.  The biggest gift I think that I can pass on to my children is a love of reading and these are 10 books that I think can help do just that.

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George - I didn't discover this one until I was adult (and it wasn't published until I was an adult so it would have been hard to find when I was a child) but I absolutely loved it and can't even begin to imagine how much it would have pulled me in as a child.

Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery - I discovered this one when I got the box set of Anne books when I was 11 or 12.  I was highly dubious about this one before I started it because who was this Rilla person anyway?  I ended up loving it.  There's not many books that show what life was like on the home front during World War 1 through the eyes of a teenage girl and none with such a realistic feel.  This is my favorite Anne book to reread as an adult as well though I have been known to ugly cry through quite a bit of it.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - This complicated and fun mystery has a little something for everyone.  Besides the mystery there's all kinds of interesting characters and it a book that's easy to become involved in.

Summer of the Woods by Stephen K. Smith - This is for the younger set - think 2nd to 4th grade - but I think they'd really enjoy it.  There is a bit of history involved but it's mostly about a group of kids solving problems and having adventures.

Matilda by Roald Dahl -  I don't think I need to explain this one!  Somehow I didn't read this one until I was an adult and the bookworm child in me is very sad I didn't read it as a child.

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder - I remember being fascinated with Laura's life in this book.  It's so foreign from everything I know that I couldn't help but be captivated.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgens Burnett - The secret garden, the rambling empty house, making new friends and creating a world where you fit in.  What's not to love for a young (or adult) reader?

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming - This is just a straight up adventure story with gangsters and a flying car. 

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - While I didn't love all of this series as a child I adored this book and think it's probably the most child friendly. 

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Fowler - There's a rambling museum which the children have complete access too, a mysterious boy who is hiding from danger, and a very very evil woman hiding behind a beautiful mask.  It's a modern day fairy tale with an almost Gothic feel.

What children's books captured your imagination as a young reader?  What books would you want your children to read?