It wasn’t a book; it was a series.
They were called the The Magical Treehouse. I say series because I don't remember which one I picked up, I just know I did, and at some point, I'd finished half of them and couldn't stop. Looking back on them now, they seem very corny, but back when I first read them I couldn't get enough. They were my first escape, holding adventures that made me dream and inspired my imagination. Even back then, when kids hadn't learned to draw boundaries, to form cliques, and push out those who didn't fit the mold, I was an outcast. I was different-I didn't fit in perfectly/seamlessly and I knew it. It hurt me and frustrated me to no end, but in those books I found sanctuary. They made me feel safe, warm, protected, happy-a special blend of emotions I(at that point) only associated with being in my mother's arms. I felt that nestled in between bookshelves, sitting on a bean bag until my eyes got blurry from reading and my legs went numb. I reveled in that feeling, in the fact that a mess of paper, ink, and magic could make me feel so much, in finding somewhere I fit. That's where/when I fell in love.