Favorite Chapter Books/Series from My Tween and Teen Years
I've been an avid reader all my life. And while I know I have forgotten more books than I'll ever remember there are some books and series that really stand out in my mind from my childhood that I just LOVED. I honestly can't remember what years I've read most of these but I feel confident in saying it was mostly middle and high school... though I also remember reading lots and lots of Danielle Steel books in my high school study halls too.
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The Babysitter's Club: my girlfriends and I actually looked into start our own babysitting club (as we often babysat in pairs anyway; particularly if we didn't know the family well). We'd each take turns buying and swapping the books.
Sweet Valley High: Another one my girlfriends and I used to swap. It was like the drama of the Beverly Hills 90210 high school saga in paperback format. We could not get enough of these twins and their high school antics.
The Gymnasts-- I would buy so many books through the school's Scholastic book program and found lots of great series to love like this one that centers around a group of competitive gymnasts.
Little Women- While I liked and read quite a few of Louisa May Alcott's book, Little Women was by far one of my favorites. We had a large, illustrated, hardback edition that I was always thumbing through.
The Secret Garden-- Another book that my grandmother bought me in a beautiful hardcover edition with gorgeous illustrations. In fact I remember painting one of the scenes for art class! I loved this story of a girl who helped bring the old manor garden back to life and in the process helped heal her friend.
Heidi-- I had a beautifully illustrated hard cover edition of this book and loved the sweet story of the grumpy grandfather that opened his life and his heart to this precocious young child.
Choose Your Own Adventure books-- I loved these books so much and each book lasted me a good long while since once I reach the conclusion of one story line I would go back and follow the other paths not taken to see how the story would/could have changed.
Flowers in the Attic-- I can actually remember reading LOTS of V C Andrews books but this one sticks out the most probably because it was one of the first gothic novels I had ever read.
Flowers for Algernon-- I remember reading this book as part of a freshman high school reading assignment and just loved it. It was about a guy with some sort of mental disability that undergoes an experimental surgery to make himself smarter.
Island of the Blue Dolphins-- I really enjoyed this book based on a true story of a Native American girl who was left alone on an island for 18 years.
R L Stein books-- I enjoyed these suspenseful books so much I started trying to write books like it on my own! Weirdly I only remember reading the Fear Street ones and never Goosebumps probably because they were made for a more mature audience and I remember reading them in 8th & 9th grade.There were teen romances as well as deaths and suspense.
Sleepover friends-- Going back to my younger middle school years I remember LOVING this series about a group of 4 friends who love to have sleepovers. Such a simple premise but a really cute series.
Animal Ark-- I really enjoyed this series of books that followed along with a family's veterinary practice.
Animal Inn series-- This series was very similar to the Animal Ark but instead of a vet's office it's a pet hotel.
Black Beauty- An autobiography of a horse written from the perspective of a horse. Like so many middle school girls I went through a phase when I was crazy about horses and unicorns.
Pollyanna-- A beloved book about a girl who sees the best in everything and everyone who has to go live with her cranky aunt. When tragedy strikes her cheerful outlook is tested.
Anne of Greene Gables-- Another sunny orphan living with some cranky relatives on Prince Edward Island; following her adventures and winning over the town with her personality.
The Sweet Dreams books-- This series of book was my first ever introduction to romance novels! Teen romance novels that deal with high school drama, first loves, and heart break. I loved them!
Anything by Judy Blume- Even her more controversial books like Are You There God? It's Me, Margret. I found some of her younger series to love when I was in 3rd or 4th grade and felt like her books grew with me as I aged!
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit--Marcy is 13, knows she's never going to be a thin beauty queen, and is unhappy both at home and at school, until she hits it off with a wonderful English teacher. But when that English teacher is suspended Marcy knows she has to take a stand.
You've Been Away All Summer-- I loved this book about 12 year old best friends that spend one summer apart and end up growing apart as a new girl moved into town and the friend that stayed behind made a new friend the one that left comes back only to feel left out.
Couples series-- Another teen based romance series.
Alex the Life of a Child-- I still remember our 5th grade teacher reading this book aloud to us and I cried like crazy over the ending. A memoir written about Alex who had cystic fibrosis and died at age 8.
Nothings Fair in the 5th Grade-- Jenny is so upset when the whole class gets punished for something the new girl did and now Jenny has been assigned to be her guide at the school. But soon Jenny learns that Elsie is more than just the fat new girl (sorry books were NOT politically correct back then!) and actually helps Jenny learn fractions.
6th Grade Can Really Kill You-- Helen expects 6th grade to be wonderful but she ends up with Mrs. Lobb. Helen decides to live up to her nickname as bad Helen and has lots of fun being the bad girl until she learns she might have to repeat 6th grade.
Do you remember any of these? Did you have a favorite book or series growing up?
I loved those scholastic book fair days and scholastic paper flyers. I was so lucky that my mom and grandparents encouraged my reading and never put any constraints on what I could read.
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I am familiar with so many of these books. Your copy of The Secret Garden sounds wonderful. And find me a young girl who didn't devour Judy Blume's books!
ReplyDeleteRight? Her books are the best.
DeleteI read a few of these! I didn´t read Flowers for Alergnon until I was an adult and read about it on a list of classic books to read. I loved Chose Your Own Adventure when I was young!
ReplyDeleteThose were so fun!
DeleteAhh! I remember reading The Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley High books and I loved anything by Judy Blume too! These brough back so many memories.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad!
DeleteThe only ones I did here were Sweet Valley and Flowers in the Attic. I think you are a bit younger than I am so I missed some of those series. I absolutely loved The Box Car Children. I acted it out with my friends in my neighborhood. I think I had to read Flowers for Algernon in school and then we saw the play. I read all the Judy Blume books. I always had my nose in a book. I could read in the car, too. We took tons of road trips.
ReplyDeleteI read through The Boxcar Children with my boys but I had never read or listened to them myself.
DeleteAww I loved reading as a kid and teen! These are some great ones! Did you ever read the Nancy Drew series? I loved those books!
ReplyDeleteI read a couple here and there but I don't remember being as huge of a fan of that series.
DeleteI loved Little Women and Anne of Green Gables so much, and Heidi was also a favourite.
ReplyDeleteYour list brought back sweet memories.
Aw, I am so glad!
DeleteI had Nothing's Fair in 5th Grade! I read the Sweet Valley and Babysitter's books and many of those Apple Paperbacks. I wonder if i could write a similar post! Did you read the American Girl books? They are coming out with an adult version for Samantha!
ReplyDeleteI never read any of the American Girl books; those were published when I was in high school.
DeleteI do not remember many of these books. But the Babysitter's Club...those were super popular! I would read the Anne of Green Gables books even now:)
ReplyDeleteI have reread a few of these in recent years-- The Secret Garden, Heidi, Little Women and they held up real well even as an adult.
DeleteI read Little Women., Heidi, Pollyanna, and Black Beauty- which are classics. Judy Blume is my age so her books were not around when I was young. I did know one of her original boyfriends and met her at her store in KeyWest and talked about her first (love) boyfriend.It was fun.
ReplyDeleteOh that does sound like fun!
DeleteThis is fun. I read a few of these. Flowers in the Attic was so creepy but I did end up reading other books by VC Andrews. I loved Little House On The Prairie books.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching The Little House series religiously but I don't think I have ever read any of the books.
DeleteYou've included so many classics that I've read and so many series that I recognize. I remember reading E.B. White's books, Nancy. Drew and the Betsy-Tacy series (the ones when Betsy was in high school and older) as a teen as well as many classics. What a fun trip down memory lane!
ReplyDeleteI think I only ever read Charlotte's Web by EB White.
DeleteI have read Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, The Secret Garden, and of course Heidi. I have heard of some of the others, but I'm not sure we even had those here.
ReplyDeleteOur game books were from the Fighting Fantasy series (I had to look that up, they didn't have a name as a series here).
We read a lot of Enid Blyton - which doesn't seem to be that well known in the US - and other European and of course German authors.
So many good books here, AND so many that I remember from my childhood and teen years.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh flowers in the attic... I remember that so well.
ReplyDeleteAnd all of judy bloom's books were high on my list.
Did you ever read the boxcar children?
Xoxo
Jodie
My daughter loved the babysitter's Club as a pre-teen! She was thrilled to meet the author at a book signing at our local Walden's Books store. I also read all the classic books your showed! I'll always remember reading Robinson Crusoe the summer I turned 10. It took me all summer to plow through it but I was so happy to have read it.
ReplyDeleteI read several of these books. My daughter loved the Babysitters Club books. I loved the VC Andrews books and even watched the shows based on them. I loved Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm so much that's how I came up with my daughter's name.
ReplyDeletehttps://marshainthemiddle.com/
I started a comment, but my computer closed unexpectedly and it was lost. I'm an older generation than you. I read all the classic books you named plus lots of series that are gone now. I read all the old Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton, the Hardy Boys, and a lot of older books my big sister brought home like Exodus and Auntie Mame to name two. I read all of Pearl Buck books in 9th grade. I read Les Miserables the summer before 9th grade. I've read a few of the new series you named but should read more of them.
ReplyDelete