Inspired by the thread on horsey fiction: a thread on teenage fiction from the 70s and 80s

[Bookridden]

I loved the nostalgia of reading the pony books thread. I graduated onto teen reads at about 13/14, and wondered if anyone remembers these:
Sweet Dreams romances (American, mass produced, total hokum but strangely addictive)
The British version of Sweet Dreams, which I think was called Heartlines. The setting was a bit less glamorous but the basic idea was the same.
A trilogy by Francine Pascal about a selfish, bitchy girl called Caitlin (think her bf was called Jed)
Sweet Valley High - obviously.
And then there were individual titles that stood out :
A Fortunate Few by Tim Kennemore
Second Star to the Right by Deborah Hautzig
The best little girl in the world by Steven Levenkron
The Cool Boffin by Pete Johnson

So many more. Great times for teenage readers.

Flambards KM Peyton. I loved that book at about 13. I was thinking I might try and get a copy and see if it's as good as I remember.

I remember the details of quite a few short stories published by Just Seventeen - no chance of ever finding those again I would think!

Anything by Paula Danziger and Judy Blume.

This has brought up a memory of a book I loved about 35 years ago ish, so early eighties. I was sure it was by Phil Redmond, it was about a teenage girl who’s mum suddenly leaves, she’s left with her dad. I remember the mum had stocked the cupboards with three of everything (jars of coffee, boxes of tampons etc.). I don’t remember much more apart from her loneliness. There may have been a boyfriend in similar circumstances. Google gives me nothing.

Loved Judy Blume, earlier a series of books about a young girl called Gemma who’s mum was a famous actress, Gemma had to go and stay with her cousins and they formed a theatrical act.

The Gemma books were by Noel Streatfeild I think. Author of Ballet Shoes.

My absolute favourite teen book was The Changeover by Margaret Mahy. Also those Veronica at the Wells books about a ballet dancer with mean cousins. And A Ring of Pure and Endless Light by Madeline L’Engle, I think there were other books about he Austin family too. I seemed to read a lot of books about girls who suffered life changing injuries - I remember one where she became paralysed by diving into a rocky pool without checking how shallow it was. Maybe it was an update of What Katy Did.

Point Horror

Here's one from my preteen/teen years

If anyone recognises it I'd be so thrilled as I have neither a clue about the title or author

First book I read with the word Fuck in

American

A teenage girl buys all her family identical Dream Books for Christmas, blank journal types, but each person deciding upon and pursuing their individual dream leads to the collapse of her parents marriage and the disintegration of the family unit as a whole.

Obviously when you try and search for it, all you get is recommendations for Dream Journals

Sue Barton nurse books. Loved them.

I loved the Sue Barton nurse books and Malcolm Savilles Lone Pine mystery books when I was a teen. Sadly looks like they are all out of print now.

We, The Haunted by Pete Johnson, and Stranger With My Face by Lois Duncan. Loved them both so much!

Cross posted with Attila

Roll Of Thunder Hear My Cry

and

Let The Circle Be Unbroken

Made a MASSIVE impression on me, read both several times

Think they were set texts at one time

The Best Little Girl In The World was one of my favourite books when I was about 13. The main character seems to have more obsessive compulsive disorder than anorexia on re reading it.

Also loved Point Horror. Twins was my favourite, for some reason.

Was it the same in your schools that everyone had a morbid fascination with Flowers In The Attic

@deareloise

I LOVED Twins

One was sent to boarding school and felt rejected but it was because the other one was evil?!

My preferred Point Horror was Freeze Tag

I loved many of the books already listed.

The best little girl in the world was probably my introduction to anorexia.

There was a series of books about Cheerleaders - maybe by someone called Caroline B Cooney.

Books by Jean Ure - One Green Lead very sad. Also the plague trilogy, play nimrod for him and various others.

I read many Sweet Dreams books. And also Sweet Valley High.

There was a beautiful book called something like Please Don’t Go about a girl who went to France on an exchange visit and various things that happened to her on another visit there as well.

Books by Michelle Magorian - Back Home and A Little Love Song being my favourites.

I read a lot of (and still do 😊) school story books - Chalet School, Abbey Books, Antonia Forest’s Kinsgcote books to name but a few.

Judy Blume - still have many of them very well read

Cynthia Voigt - my favourite is Come a Stranger.

The Sadlers Wells books

Books by Dorothy Berlie - Granny was a Buffer Girl and Dear Nobody to mention a couple.

I’m sure there are many more - will have to see what other people mention.

@MirandaWest

Yes to Cynthia Voight!

And I LOVED Back Home, I actually still have a copy. They did a good version for telly with Sarah Lancashire as the Mum.

And my favourite Caroline B Cooney was Among Friends

I still have most of my childhood books - DD has some of them but most are for me

YY to all of Antonia Forest and Tim Kennemore's The Fortunate Few. Wall of Words and Changing Times were other excellent Tim Kennemore books. Wall of Words was dedicated to Antonia Forest and you can clearly see her influence. I always wondered if Tim Kennemore was called Thalia.

The Pigman by Paul Zindel. Also, My Darling, My Hamburger by the same author.

Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt

Red Shift by Alan Garner. I read it over & over.

Can anyone point me to the horsey fiction thread please. I'm a massive silver brumby fan and still am! Thanks

Does anyone remember this book? 2 sisters lived above a newsagents that their strict dad ran. They used to read the books he sold and deliberately break the spine so they could keep them. Oldest sister gets a boyfriend but is so broke she embroiders flowers on her school shirt for an outfit. She uses her watercolours for eye make up. She steals some white stilettos from the playgroup dressing up box when she's on work experience. She may or may not have run away with the boyfriend. The youngest sister gets shut in a department store over night, I think on purpose, but it's really scary. Think the mum may have been obese.

Aagh! Meant of course I WAS a massive silver brumby fan...!