What are the books that made you want to be a reader? (These are not necessarily books appropriate to dole out in a school, I'm just always curious.)

The earliest books (2nd grade, maybe?) I remember loving were The Babysitter's Club books. I read every single one of them I could find.

When I was a little older, fifth and sixth grades, it was all about Steven King. I can remember reading The Tommyknockers, Pet Cemetery, The Shinning, Carrie, Christine, Skeleton Crew (the short stories), and Different Seasons (another short story book) around that time. Those books scared the crap out of me, and I loved it. (I was in early high school when I read It and The Stand.)

After that I read Evergreen in 6th grade, and started reading John Grisham books for a while.

The first book I remember reading in school that I feel in love with was Where the Red Fern Grows in 7th grade.

I was an avid reader as a kid, and now I have two boys of my own (9 and 5). As a kid I loved all the Judy Blume books, and yes, I've read a lot of them with my older kid. I'll make him read "Are You There God, It's Me Margaret" this year sometime (I'm sure that will come up in therapy down the road).

Right now we are reading "From the Mixed Up Files of Ms. Basil E. Frankenweiler". It's that book about the kids that run away and hide in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Of course we read the first 4 Harry Potter books but couldn't get through the Order of the Phoenix.

There are some great new series. Our all time favorite is the Lemony Snickett series. The writing is amazing, and will help develop a sharp wit. For younger readers, the Magic Treehouse series is pretty engaging. For younger still, there's always Shel Silverstein. Even though "Bone" is a comic book, it's pretty cool.

As a pre-teen I loved all the SE Hinton books (The Outsiders, That Was Then, This is Now, My Darling My Hamburger). The subject matter is a little heavy..which seems to be the case in general. Every time I rent a PG movie for my kids from my youth, it's always loaded with sex, alcohol and drug use, and violence...which I find pretty refreshing, considering how sterile things can be today. (Ah...more material for therapy!)

Could someone post the order of the Harry Potter book here? I was trying to find the first one for a student the other day and it suddenly occured to me I didn't know which was the first book, not having read them myself.

While I can't tell you what my first book was, I can tell you what my first chapter book was, A Little Princess. I read and reread this book so many times that I would correct my parents and would watch the WonderWorks film and say the lines right along with the actors.
Madeline L'Engle and the Murry family were close companions of mine, as well as Zilpha Keatley Snyder and the Stanley family.
I don't know anyone girl my age that didn't read either The Babysitters Club or Sweet Valley High series, but they are not acedemic in the slightest. Just good reads that gets girls going. Judy Blume is a must for young adolesent girls, and I recomend them to my friends' daughters.
As I got older, I tore through the Fear Street by R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike as well. Pike especially so, and his adult novels are bautifully written as well.
Books from primary school that I fell in love with were The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Johnny Tremain, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Old Yeller.
Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew are also musts. As was Mrs Piggle Wiggle a classic in our house. They just get kids rolling, and the new classics like Enclyclopedia Brown and Choose-Your-Own-Adventures are ones to add to your library as well. Louis Sachar's Wayside School is Falling Down made me laugh and laugh while Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark would make me tremble with fear.
Kipling, Dahl, Milne, Lewis, Carrol, Burnett
Alcott, the Bronte sisters, Austin
Poe, Hawthorne, Lovecraft, Shelly
Melville, Twain, Dumas, Swift, Sabatini, Defoe
...all authors children dive into.
Just because some of them are explored in deeper depth in secondary school does not mean that younger kids can't adore them. It is only this last generation that Robinson Crusoe and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn were considered older student reading material.

My 11 year old son loves fantasy adventure and has read the Droon books by Tony Abbott, the Deltora series by Emily Rhodda, the Spiderwick books, Rangers Apprentice and most recently Eragon and Eldest. He is not interested in reading Harry Potter even though he loves the movies. I am not going to push him though as I think he will want to read them when older and also Lord of the Rings.

My 13 year old son on the other hand is not at all interested in the above books but does like spy stories and is currently reading the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz.

I used to love anything Enid Blyton, Donna Parker and poetry books.

Reply to Andrew

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/ Philosopher's Stone
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

My book that really got me going was Cheat The Moon by Patricia Hermes and the Harry Potter saga of course. Maybe even Doc Suess.

When I was in the 4th grade a teacher gave me a copy of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, I still have it. I have read it every year since.