Rereading Childhood Books offers a rich and sophisticated account of the many ways in which our reading lives are woven into our regular daily existence, not just at any particular moment but over a reading lifetime…[Waller's] evocation of the reading scene, the life space, and the affective traces that allow a childhood book to resonate throughout a lifetime is potent and persuasive. Her argument that children's literature (using the term broadly to include that paracanon as well as the masterpieces) may resonate throughout a lifespan, through both memory and re-engagement in multiple readings, is highly significant and demonstrates the intellectual value of talking with readers as well as engaging with the texts…This is a volume that I am very glad to add to my shelf.

Professor Margaret Mackey, University of Alberta, Canada in Children's Literature Association Quarterly

Waller's is an open-ended exploration, a qualitative dipping of toes into a vast, virtually unmapped, and elusive territory. Benjamin's depiction of memory work as a 'cautious probing of spade in dark loam' […] is an apt description of Waller's own highly commendable undertaking. She tackles the subject through well-informed discussion of underlying concepts illuminated by teasing glimpses of personal memory.

Gillian Lathey, International Research in Children's Literature 2020 13:2, 350-353

In this fascinating study, Waller examines memory, emotional attachment (both positive and negative) to books, and lifelong learning through the lens of rereading favorite childhood books in adulthood … A must-read for any bibliophile or educator, this is a delightful examination of the ramifications of rereading. Summing Up: Essential.

CHOICE

[Waller] tackles the subject through well-informed discussion of underlying concepts illuminated by teasing glimpses of personal memory.

International Research in Children's Literature