NOTE: This post contains discussions of Harry Potter. Neither BookSmack nor I support the bigotry and anti-trans rhetoric that She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (JK, it’s Rowling) willingly spreads. Two things can co-exist: we can look fondly back on a series that once held a lot of magic for us as kids, while also noting that its problematic creator is one that we can no longer support (especially when that author is a TERF hypocrite who embodies the same hatred as her main antagonist 😊).

Honourable Mention: Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan

3. Vampirates by Justin Somper

Justin Somper’s Vampirates series charts the adventures of the Tempest twins, Connor and Grace, whose lives get turned upside down after their father’s passing. Soon, they find themselves separated from each other and entangled with new lives that link unexpectedly to their own.

The series merges two of fantasy’s best entities, vampires and pirates! Not only that, but the six books are well-paced and contain something for every book reader, from romance and danger to loss and grief. Even the more questionable of plotpoints (I’m looking at you, Sidorio!!) are easily overlooked due to the intricate yet intimate world Somper builds. More than anything, Vampirates is a dynamic coming-of-age story of the Tempest twins who have to get lost at sea to find themselves, navigating adolescence in a chaotic and authentic way that resonated with me a lot as a kid (minus the cool vampirates!).

Plus, I just really loved vampires and longed to be a pirate as a kid! Oh, and Lorcan and Grace will always be my first OTP ❤

2. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

The Harry Potter series doesn’t need an introduction or summary. It was the most popular series when I was growing up, and I was not immune to the hype. Nor did I want to be – there was something so powerful, so magical to these books and their characters. Hermione, especially, was so inspiring to me, with her nerdiness and love of academics constantly saving the day – I even named my first email address after her!

On the surface, it was a series about the Chosen One and his magic-filled adventures. Its true messages, though, were so much deeper than that. Albus Dumbledore depicted the complexities of people, with even the ‘greatest heroes’ carrying their share of mistakes. The Order of the Phoenix captured the nuances behind grief, such as how the kindest people (like Luna Lovegood) carry it in ways that aren’t noticeable to others. Tom Marvolo Riddle (aka Lord Voldemort) taught us that tyranny, hatred, violence, and discrimination are things we must actively fight against.

What terrible irony it is that the author seems to have forgotten that last message herself. (I wish she’d have shown her true colours before my three HP tattoos!) My feelings for Rowling complicate my current relationship with the series, so I cannot, in good conscience, contribute to the series’ profit. (Perhaps you can look forward to a “5 Ways to Enjoy Harry Potter Without Giving Profit to Rowling” piece soon!)

But I know I will carry the lessons and magic of Harry Potter with me forever, at the forefront of which is the following:

“We’re all human, aren’t we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving.”
― Kingsley Shacklebolt, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

1. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events was the most influential book series I read as a kid. As someone who moved around a lot, the Baudelaires’ lack of a permanent home and longing for stability was something I related to quite well. On top of that connection, I found the children to be so endearing – I imagine I’d have been friends with them if we had met as kids! Violet, with her knack of invention, Klaus’ love of reading, Sunny’s chef skills… they really were the ultimate trio. And the series’ creative storytelling through “Lemony Snicket” was another important part of its brand, as iconic as the thirteen unfortunate chapters in the Baudelaires’ lives.

But the villains! Not only Count Olaf and his henchpeople, but the countless adults who failed the children! I re-read it as an adult, and the series was equal parts comedic and charming as it was a horror story of three neglected siblings. The books shed insight to the many nuances that play in to being “good” or “evil,” and there are many quotes that leave me emotional as an adult. As a child, though, I could only see the Baudelaires’ determination, which grew with each novel, as did my vocabulary thanks to Snicket!

A Series of Unfortunate Events is not only a captivating series, but also an important literary work that introduces children to new words well before they may otherwise learn them (I still remember learning “unfathomable” from these books!). It treats children as the bright and capable beings they are, encouraging them to find themselves reflected in the strengths of the Baudelaires’ and learn valuable words and lessons along the way. All these years later, it’s still a series I can re-read anytime of the year and leave with the same sense of comfort as it gave me when I was first gifted The Bad Beginning.

Despite its despair, there are many moments of uplifting within the series, proving that A Series of Unfortunate Events can still lead to a happy conclusion – an important reminder that gets the reader through the series. If nothing else, I’d suggest giving it a read solely for Snicket’s odes to Beatrice at the beginning of each book!

“For Beatrice,
I cherished, you perished,
The world’s been nightmarished.”
― Lemony Snicket, The End

What 3 book series defined your childhood?