I promised myself that this wouldn't turn into an E/N page (although lately they have been a great source of amusement: see 665 and Things I Hate), but I don't care.

My childhood wasn't a good one. This is true for most geeks. I doubt most average people's childhoods are phenomenal, but mine were horrible. It was mostly family and friends who got me through. Family, friends, and books. The reason I'm a geek is because, I think, I spend much of my formative years reading instead of playing during recess. For this reason, I am highly nostalgic when it comes to books from my childhood. I have read hundreds, but most were forgettable. After researching, I have picked what I would call 'comfort books'. Sadly, many are out of print. This was primarily written so that some of you might recognize a title or plot line and think to yourself excitedly, "I remember that!". And frankly, if you still enjoy the occasional Young Adult book (and who of us really doesn't?), it's hard to go wrong with these. The presentation is not that great, but the truth is, I really don't care. Maybe I'll fix it up. Probably I won't. Here they are, in alphabetic order:

• Alien Child
      Pamela Sargent
  This story is something of a cross between science fiction and a coming-of-age story. Nita is the only hu man on earth, raised by an alien in a completely automated research institute.
  
  
• Blair's Nightmare
      Zilpha Keatley Snyder
  This is one of the first real books i read, in fourth grade. Blair is deathly afraid of a large dog.
  
  
• Boy Who Reversed Himself, The
      William Sleater
  This is one of Sleater's trademark higher-learning-disguised-as-fantasy. When Omar helps Laura by getting her paper from her stuck locker, he return s a mirror image of it to her. He admits that he retrieved it by entering the fourth dimension, where it got reversed. This engaging fantasy provides a very accessible model of the n-dimensional space. Seriously.
  
  
• Castle in the Attic, The< br>    Elizabeth Winthrop
  A fantasy on the order of Indian in the Cupboard. A boy finds a dollhouse/castle guarded by a tiny knight and uncovers a mystery.
  
  
• Christine's Ghost
      Betty Ren Wrigh t
  Probably the first 'horror' story I ever read. Not all that scary, but a fun romp.
  
  
• Computer That Said Steal Me, The
      Elizabeth Levy
  A young boy wishes he could buy a a computer chess game and devise s a plan to steal it. Introduced me to D&D.
  
  
• Dollhouse Murders, The
      Betty Ren Wright
  Amy moves in with her aunt and discovers a dollhouse with dolls that pantomime a horrific murder with the purpose of revea ling a deadly secret from her family's past. This book scared me to the point that I couldn't walk downstairs to my room so I slept on the couch.
  
  
• Do I Have to Say Hello? : Aunt Delia's Manners Quiz for Kids and Their Grownups
   &nbs p;  Delia Ephron
  A very tongue-in-cheek book on manners.
  
  
• General Butterfingers
      John Reynolds Gardiner
  Walter's mother is a housekeeper in a house willed to three WWII soldiers who saved the pr evious owner's life. The previous owner's nephew wants the house. It's up to Walter and the three soldiers to claim what's theirs.
  
  
• House of Stairs
      William Sleater
  This is another higher-learning-disguised- as-fantasy book by Sleater. It's the story of a group of kids who find themselves in a place full of stairs and landings as far as the eye can see, and realize that they are being observed and manipulated. The book provides an easy-to-understand mod el of psychological conditioning. It certainly explained it better than my Intro to Psych prof.
  
  
• Howliday Inn
      James Howe
  Frankly, I don't remember much about this book other than the fact that I enjoyed it im mensely.
  
  
• Invitation to the game
      Monica Hughes
  In this futuristic dystopian society, a small cadre of people living together in a seemingly hopeless existance are given an invitation to participate in a VR ga me that promises to help them escape society.
  
  
• Jason and Marceline
      Jerry Spinelli
  A touching coming-of-age love story about friends Jason the athelete and Marceline the bookworm, and Jason's desire to further the relationship. I would just like to say for the record that I called it while reading its predecessor, Seventh Grade Space Station.
  
  
• Magic Book, The
      Willow Davis Roberts
  A young boy tormended by a bully finds a book at a rummage sale with his name in it that he hopes will be able to solve all of his problems once and for all.
  
  
• Maniac Magee
      Jerry Spinelli
  A parable about a boy who can outrun dogs and untie an y knot that teaches a town racial tolerance.
  
  
• Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, The
      E. L. Konigsburg
  An independant girl and her brother run away to live in a museum and work to uncover the mystery of the origins of a statue.
  
  
• Not So Great Place, The (Mr. T and Me)
      Charlotte Graeber
  This is probably the hardest to find and most nostalgic for me. It's the story of a boy with leukemia and depression who gets a visit from Mr. T, who eats 4 hot dogs. I'm not making this up.
  
  
• Number the Stars
      Lois Lowry
  Touching story of Jews in Nazi-Controlled Copenhagen
  
  
• Pinballs, The
      Bets y Byars
  A sad but rewarding tale of three foster children who despise their situation but feel helpless to change.
  
  
• Phantom Tollbooth, The
      Norton Juster
  This fantasy tale is less sci-fi than most on th is list; it is almost reminiscent of Chronicles of Narnia. In it Milo is a rather depressed boy who finds a tollbooth in his room that leads to a magical world.
  
  
• Planetoid of Amazement, The
      Mel Gilden
  Maybe the first great book I ever read, it's a very bizarre book about a boy with superhero parents who embarks on an interstellar voyage replete with bizarre individuals and situations.
  
  
• Scared Silly
      Eth Clifford
  A light-hearted book about two sisters and their father as they wander through a truly strange house investigating the theft of a pair of priceless shoes.
  
  
• Someday Angeline
      Louis Sachar
  Louis Sachar is best kn own for his Wayside School books. Angela is an 8-year-old genius who finds herself in 6th grade but just wants to be normal. Like Matilda, but with a loving father.
  
  
• Something Upstairs
      Avi
  Different than th at typical Avi fare, this murder mystery is about a boy who moves into a house haunted by a mudered slave boy wo wants help finding his murderer.
  
  
• Summer of the Swans
      Betsy Byars
  This touching story is about Sara and her mentally disabled brother and the importance of family.
  
  
• Support Your Local Wizard
      Diane Duane
  A fun fantasy book about a girl who discovers a book about becoming a wizard. Quite a bit better read than Harry Potter.