1. What book or books were special to you in your childhood?

The Anne books, by L.M. Montgomery; Adopted Jane; Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys; Eight Cousins; An Old-Fashioned Girl; The Peterkin Papers . . . are we seeing a pattern here? I read old books.

2. What was particularly special or memorable about those books?

I loved the strong families and the good values in the books. I don't know if I'd have identified it in those words then, but that was definitely what appealed to me. Things felt safe in those books, and I didn't feel particularly safe in my world.

3. Have you re-read any of them as an adult?

All of them, repeatedly.

4. If so, were the books as good as you remembered them?

Absolutely. I recognize Louisa May Alcott's moralizing now, when I didn't then, but then again, it makes sense to me now. I love all of those books as much as I did when I first found them.

5. What do you think about movies being made out of children's classics (like the Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of The Rings, etc.)?

I like it, if they are reasonably true to the spirit and intent of the book. I bought the DVDs of the LOTR movies and Narnia. Take the Anne books, for example. The PBS miniseries starring Megan Fellows was good. It didn't exactly follow the books, but it was true to the heart of the stories, and I loved it. There was a movie made of another of L.M. Montgomery's books, Jane of Lantern Hill, and it was absolutely atrocious!! The only thing it had in common with the book was perhaps the names of the characters. I loathed it. Not because changes were made; I realize that in the process of translating a book to a movie, things have to be changed. No, I loathed it because I felt they made the movie and put nothing of the characters that I loved so well into it.

Looking at some of the other books I've listed, I would dearly love to see movies made from them. They could be entertaining and enjoyable. The movies would never replace the books, but would be a good companion to them. Of course, I highly doubt that anyone would ever make movies of any of those books, but I can dream, can't I?