BEACON SENIOR NEWS
The books that changed my life By Amy Laundrie
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40 | FEBRUARY 2022 |
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urry up, Slowpoke” was one of the first books I was able to read myself. Simon Mouse is a slowpoke who lags behind his mother and sister and winds up having a fantastic adventure on his own. It was the start of my journey as a lifelong reader. I recently found a copy of it at a used book sale, probably the library’s, and snatched it up. The Boxcar Children series was a favorite when I was in elementary school. Again, part of the appeal may have been the freedom the Alden children had. Orphans Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny have to fend for themselves and have incredible adventures along the way. Looking at the books now, I feel a sense of wanderlust. I also marvel at the gender stereotypes—boys in short pants, girls with kerchiefs. Still, opening the book brings back wonderfully quaint childhood memories. The series encouraged my imagination, a gateway to becoming a writer. The Trixie Beldon mystery series was a favorite when I was in middle school. Trixie and her pretty (and rich) friend, Honey, put their lives at risk in books such as “The Mystery of the Whispering
Witch” or “The Mysterious Visitor.” Besides being page-turners, I loved being transported into exotic, unfamiliar settings such as haunted mansions. This series could have prompted my love of travel. The book that helped decide my teaching career was Catherine Marshall’s “Christy.” The young teacher taught in an Appalachian school amidst poverty and superstitions. As an idealistic young woman, I wanted to do the same. I’ve reread it several times and it continues to hold magic. Fascinating because of the Cutter Gap culture and superstitions, romantic because of the two men in Christy’s life, and suspenseful because of not knowing what choices she’ll make. Christy has it all. “Big Red,” “The Yearling,” “Old Yeller,” “Where the Red Fern Grows” and “My Friend Flicka” were favorite animal stories. The sadder the stories were, the more I remembered and cherished them. Bring on the tears! My admiration of these emotion-driven books may have helped me in my skill at writing animal characters. Books were deciding factors in naming my daughters. Heather conjures up images of the moors in the classic “Wuthering
