Can you remember what your favorite book was when you were a child? In a recent survey, Mt. SAC Early College Academy (MECA) students and staff were able to describe the book that they were most fond of as a kid. From short stories to full-length novels, MECA students and staff found a wide variety of books nostalgic. Let’s dive into some of these memorable books.

Matilda by Roald Dahl

A young girl named Matilda Wormwood is extremely intelligent, but her family doesn’t treat her that way. In fact, they make her out to be a liar when she shows signs of her great intelligence and neglect to send her to school. Matilda is then sent to Crunchem Hall, where she meets the frighteningly hateful Ms. Agatha Trunchbull. Matilda meets her teacher, Miss Honey, that same day, who she greatly impresses with her intelligence. Later on, Matilda discovers that she has telekinesis, and using her powers, Matilda stands up to Ms. Trunchbull.

Andrea Pedroarias, MECA’s college and career readiness teacher said, “I really appreciated that the little person stood up to somebody of authority, and I liked the morals.”

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

One rainy day, Sally and her brother are visited by a mysterious talking cat with a red and white striped hat. The cat wants Sally and her brother to have fun, but despite his best attempts, all he can make is a mess. As the voice of reason, the kid’s pet fish warns the cat several times to leave before their mother comes home, but again, the cat refuses. At last, the cat appears with a red box made of wood. From out of the box comes Thing 1 and Thing 2, who cause even more chaos until Sally’s brother captures them with a net. Trudging back in, the cat places everything back where it belongs, leaving just before their mother arrives home.

“I really enjoyed reading a lot of Dr. Seuss,” said Spanish teacher Johan Cordero. “Those were always fun to read.” Cordero reminisced about how reading these books as a child brought about his sense of creativity, imagination, and faith in the world.

Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White

A young girl named Fern Arable saves a baby pig from being killed by Fern’s father, who lets her raise the pig. Fern names the pig Wilbur, and when he grows up, he is sold to Fern’s uncle, who owns a farm. Wilbur is lonely without Fern, but he makes friends with a spider named Charlotte. After Wilbur learns that he might be killed that winter, Charlotte promises him that she will save him, and by the end of the book, that’s just what Charlotte does.

“I also got to watch the movie. So I think that also probably had a part in why I liked that book so much,” said Sara Martinez, MECA’s Assistant Principal. Martinez noted how it stirred up fond memories that she had while reading the book, which were further solidified in her experience with the movie.

Junie B. Jones: Shipwrecked by Barbara Park

In this book, a spunky first grader named Junie B. Jones decides to try out for her first-grade class’s Columbus Day play alongside the rest of her class. But, to her dismay, the stomach flu is going around Room 1, and many kids come down with it. Will the students return back in time to be in the play? 

“I felt like I could relate to them because Junie was a little kid and I always felt like little kids are always doing mischievous stuff…I liked reading about her stories because she’s really quirky,” freshman Alemi Rivera said.

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

A mother sings a lullaby to her newborn son while rocking him back and forth: “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.” One day, the mother calls her now fully grown son, asking him to visit her because she is very old and sick. Once the son arrives at his mother’s house, he rocks his mother back and forth and sings the lullaby that his mother had sung to him. Upon her death, the man goes home and sings his mother’s lullaby to his baby daughter.

“This story reminds me of the love my parents have for me.” Nate Slaymaker, MECA’s principal, said. Now older, Slaymaker is inspired by the book to show the same love that the man showed his mother to his own parents.