To panganay bookworms here, what’s your favorite read that’s so relatable to you and very close to your heart. Here’s some of my favorites, some are children’s books but would always make me tear up as an adult.

1. Matilda by Roald Dahl. If you think you’ve heard this one before then yes it was that movie we watched when we’re kids. It’s actually a book and follows Matilda, brilliant nine-year-old girl with telekinetic powers, who uses her genius to take revenge on her abusive parents, and later to fight back against the tyrannical principal of her school. Growing up this was one of my favorite reads, I think this was one of my early memories that portrayed that grown ups are humans too, that they are not perfect and will commit mistakes. It teaches to stand up for yourself even if the abusers are your parents.

2. A little princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett before the pun of peeling potatoes and the cartoon series you’ve watched on TV and the movie, A little princess is actually a novel. Set in London, around the late 1800’s it’s a story of Sara Crewe, an exceptionally intelligent and imaginative student at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies, is devastated when her adored, indulgent father dies. Now penniless and banished to a room in the attic, Sara is demeaned, abused, and forced to work as a servant. I personally teared up because of this book, even if I already know the ending. It’s amazing how Sara uses her wit and imagination to get through life’s difficult times. Spoiler alert, was really nice to read when the tables have turned again.

3. Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah. I stumbled across this book when I was in highschool. It’s a riveting memoir of a girl's painful coming-of-age in a wealthy Chinese family during the 1940s. Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to tell the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph and courage in the face of despair. Adeline's affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her. Life does not get any easier when her father remarries. All I can say was this book is really intense, maybe because I’ve always felt unwanted too. What I like about this one is since it was set during the second world war, it’s a mix of the author’s story and also China’s history. Out of all my book recommendations this one is the most heavy to read because it seemed hopeless and the further you read the sadder it gets.

Ikaw, what’s your panganay book read? I think these books are in a way therapeutic for me as it tells me that these characters fictional or not, had win over their own adversities. Happy Reading mga kapanganays. Drop your book recos here