CRP's Blog

With back-to-school on the brain, the CRP staff decided to go back to school in our own way, by compiling our favorite books from childhood. Check out the books below and reminisce with us. Let us know what your favorite childhood read is in the comments below or on twitter (@ChiReviewPress).

We had a lot of “old” books floating around my house, mostly inherited from my grandmother, who had been a teacher. One of those was The Pink Motel.  It was a hardcover (pink, of course), but missing the dust jacket—until today I had never Googled what that might have looked like. I am not disappointed. I also loved checking out Christina Katerina & the Box from the library as a kid. —Meaghan Miller, Senior Publicist

I was completely hypnotized by The Giver by Lois Lowry. I first read it sometime in elementary school, but I can’t remember exactly when. As my first foray into dystopian fiction, it haunted and fascinated me, but I could never bring myself to read the other books in the quartet. (In fact, to this day I have no idea how closely the stories are related.) It seemed important to preserve the uncertainty of the book’s ending. The sled . . .  —Ellen Hornor, Project Editor

I loved that James and the Giant Peach used the word “ass” . . . three times! As a kid, I found that very empowering, and hilarious. —Jerome Pohlen, Senior Editor

I was never a quarter as audacious as Ramona as a child, but her adventures navigating the sometimes-intimidating realm of the classroom resonated with me from Beezus and Ramona on through Ramona Forever. And I’d be surprised if Matilda doesn’t show up on every book lover’s list of childhood favorites. I think we all see a little of ourselves and a little of our wishes in this magical little girl. —Michelle Williams, Managing Editor

I remember first reading Dragons of Autumn Twilight and the rest of the Dragonlance Chronicles series in elementary school, again in middle school, and once more around 10^th grade. I was big on story as a kid, and Dragons was easily one of the best yarns I came across. In class, I loved The Giver, but c’mon, who didn’t? —Geoff George, Publicist

“It’s not news to anyone that Calvin and Hobbes  is one of the best, if not the best, comic strip ever created. As a child, something about Calvin spoke to me. I, too, hated school. I, too, loved stuffed animals and would have been so thrilled for any of mine to come to life. The mix of the real and the imaginary (Spaceman Spiff, Stupendous Man, the dinosaurs) thrilled me and gave me my first glimpse into the power of books to engage and excite, thus beginning my love affair with literature.” —Lindsey Schauer, Project Editor

We had a set of Sesame Street books when I was growing up and my favorite was The Monster at the End of this Book—silly Grover.  I have very vivid and fond memories of reading Night of the Twisters in third grade. Living in the Midwest, tornadoes were a part of life, and the book made them more thrilling than scary for me. It wasn’t until after I was out of college that I discovered that the book isn’t as widely read as I thought. Also Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is as wonderful to the adult-me as it was to the younger me. “Some days are like that. Even in Australia.” Perfect. [See Mary’s re-creation of one of her favorite books on Instagram.] —Mary Kravenas, Marketing Manager

Additional favorites below:

Fun fact: Last Monday, 40% of the CRP staff wore striped shirts. Check out the picture on Instagram!