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.

Just to add to the anti-Daddy-Long-Legs theme, there’s a kind of sequel to it, Dear Enemy, which is simply a eulogy to eugenics.

Oh... lovely Pennington. If Ruth was my dd, I’d be shrieking about red flags (and her mum does), but, gosh, he was sexier than any boy band pinup.

Lois Duncan definitely. Locked in time was the right combination of scary and brilliant. I remember one about a girl who played tennis having to go into witness protection. Was that stranger with my face? I also remember a book about a girl called Jo going on an exchange visit to France, absolutely hating the girl she stays with and getting sent home for shenanigans with a French boy.

Stranger With My Face is the astral projection one. The witness protection one is Don’t Look Behind You. The boarding school one is Down A Dark Hall.

As a pre-teen I really liked a book where there was a character called Lucy and she became enmeshed with a Victorian ghost who was possibly called Alice. It was gripping and slightly terrifying. The Lucy character was staying with some people she didn't know very well. There was also something about ghost contacting her through mirrors maybe?

I recently found a free PDF of Locked in Time online but alas it was only half the book!

Christopher Pike is another one I used to read as a teen - Remember Me, narrated by the spirit of a girl who died but finds out she was murdered, was a favourite.

Loved the Gemma books - Noel Streatfield.
However, my fave teen book was ‘New Patches for Old’. Young girl and family move to Australia, she has a tough time (and even starts her period, I’d never read it in a book before). Really great book.

Yes, Maddie, she starts her period on a day out at the beach, I think, and a boy wraps a towel around her and is really sweet.
I remember that book so well, including the bit where the dog gets run over and the girl sets the airport security alarms off because she has his lead tied around her waist.
As for Break in the Sun, I managed to get that from the library a couple of years ago and it struck me what a powerful book it was, and in many ways ahead of its time in dealing with some very gritty issues. I emailed the author afterwards and said how much I’d enjoyed it and he was delighted.

Who read Judy Blume's Forever and had the name Ralph forever tarnished for them?

Forever was passed round, furtively, at my school. When it got to me I was somewhat disappointed. It was hardly the shocking sex novel that everyone had whispered excitedly about. But by then I’d already read Riders. And Angelique. Anybody else remember that? ‘Twasn’t teen fiction. But I’d hazard a guess it was mostly read by teenagers. Much like Flowers in the Attic, I guess.

I loved Flowers in the Attic as a teenager. Reread it a couple of years ago and thought what a load of rubbish it was!

@38weather4caster.. Me too! I used to pretend to be Thowra as a child and my dogs were my mares!! Elyne Mitchell was an exceptional writer. I've just re-read the whole series after 37 years apart from the last one which i couldn't find (the only ones were unaffordable) but reviews said don't bother with the last one. Read the Colt at Taparoo instead. Reading them again felt strange and i cried in many places but I'm glad i did.

Fabulous thread thank you - evoking so many memories! New Patches for Old was a huge favourite. The one with the Victorian ghost just mentioned a few posts above rings a bell but I can’t think of the title. The astral projection one is with me still.

Sadlers Wells / Veronica books likewise. I was entirely in love with Sebastian! They must have been around earlier as my aunt, born in the 50s, has the middle name Veronica, chosen by her big sister, my Mum!

Not really YA, a bit younger, but I loved Charmed Life and other Diana Wynne Jones books.

@Papergirl1968 yes that’s right. He was her ‘boyfriend’ and the brother of her nemesis at school. There was also the problem with the milk, she used to hide it in the classroom cupboard as it was too warm to drink and I think she had a little Sat job at a garden shop, potting the plants. The dog got ran over before they left the UK and a Grandparent died too.
I last read it over 40 years ago and remember it so well.

I think the Victorian ghost book is Come Back Lucy, Pamela Sykes

Archer’s Goon is brilliant.

@38weather4caster.. Rambling on i forgot to say thanks for the info on the fb page. Yes the photography is stunning. I'm a member of that one and another brumby group too, Save our Brumbies. Really felt for them with the wildfires.

EmmaGrundyForPM you’re describing Come Back Lucy I think!

I was obsessed by a book called Easy Connections by Liz Berry. I’ve just bought the sequel online from America.

I also read a book series about 4 sisters, each novel was titled with a name. The series was American. One sister was bookish, one a tomboy etc. Would love to find them!

I was obsessed with American books - Judy Blume, Paula Danziger, Caroline B Cooney, etc. Sweet Valley and Babysitters Club.
The Babysitters Club is baffling to read now. These were essentially very young girls (a couple of them were just 11) being left in charge of amounts of kids that would be totally against any childminder ratios!!
Anyone remember this one - a girl of about 12 has her parents split up and she has to move from her private Catholic school to a state school. She is obsessed with her dolls house and plays with it all the time which worries her parents. Possibly set in New York and the dolls were maybe cowboy/pioneer based.
Any clue anyone?

Jacques Sisters was by Marilyn Kaye I think. Youngest sister was Phoebe.

I enjoyed the Flowers in the Attic series but really loved Andrews' Heaven series. After she died the ghost writers took over and the books became very formulaic.

bookmum08

You star! YES! Thank you

I have had a bit of readers block lately and thought I should re read old favourites. I was eyeing up Flowers in the Attic in the library the other day. I shouldn't do it should I? I just know I will be disappointed!

@JacquesHammer
Yes I remember the 4 sisters books, I used to love them. Phoebe, Daphne, Cassie and Lydia I think

Also loved the Kevin and Sadie NI books.

Another favourite was set in East Berlin about a teenage star athlete who has a glittering career ahead of her but her family's past has the potential to ruin it for her. Bury the Dead it was called. As a teen I was fascinated with Eastern Europe and what lay behind the iron curtain.

I’d forgotten the hiding of the milk, Maddie!