Can I start a thread about nostalgic Young Adult/Children's books we used to read in the 80s/90s?

[guineaholic11]

I love going to second hand bookshops or charity shops and browsing the children's sections to see if I can spot any books I used to love reading then?

I used to love anything by Jean Ure, (anyone remember the Peter High school series she wrote?) Anne Digby's Trebizon series, Noel Streatfield, Antonia Forrest's school books with the Marlowes, and endless pony books by Patricia Leitch (anyone remember Jinny and her Arab horse Shantih?) Also went through a serious Sweet Valley phase...goodness knows why, looking back those books were full of fat shaming and bitchiness!

I loved PS I Love You, Perfume

Oooh I remember Sue Barton! I loved Playing Beatie Bow too. And Flambards, and the awful Flowers in the Attic.

I still love David Eddings and frequently go back to Mercedes Lackey's Heralds of Valdemar books. The Box of Delights, The Children of Green Knowe and anything by Dianna Wynne Jones, I recently found a copy of Ursula Moray Williams 'Bogwoppit' which I loved, and Dear Shrink by Helen Cresswell.

There was one in the school library that left a big impression, Second Star to the Right, about a girl with anorexia whose family were still dealing generations later with the aftermath of the holocaust.

What a lovely nostalgic thread! It is bringing back so many beloved stories to me.

I was particularly obsessed with the Pan Horizon books which had red and blue rectangles (like the Studio Line pots) in the logo. These few below, which have always stuck with me, I will be tracking down for my daughter along with every word Judy Blume ever wrote and the massive stash of SVH books currently hoarded under my bed:

Night Kites
Hey Dollface
Second Star to the Right

Jinx, Buckets!

Coffee I just found Second Star to the Right! It's by Deborah Hautzinger. I haven't read it in 30 years but remember it so vividly.

Hey Dollface and Second Star to the Right are brilliant. I can picture the covers of my editions now!

I loved all the Judy Blume and my mum hated me reading them. She confiscated on book, called wifey, not sure who wrote it. I do remember it being racy! She hid it in the wardrobe though so I finished it

Also loved sci fi. There was a great book called urn burial again don’t recall who wrote it

And loved the point horror. giraffe yes I do remember that book with the caves and acid. I’m going to have to google it

I Think it was scavenger hunt by Christopher pike

Gosh, all of these! Did I do anything else other than read crap books?

Point Horror was the best. I still remember April Fools. Girl is involved in car accident. Girl is then employed to tutor somebody who was burned in same car accident. Girl keeps running out crying x 500. Book ends.

Loved Jean Ure (still do: she's underrated as a writer.)

Jinny was fabulous, although I think Patricia Leitch may have been smoking a little of what Ken had in the pottery house for some of them I love the character of Jinny to this day though. Fabulous role model, looking back. Galloping around the moors alone, not giving a shit about makeup or clothes or any of that crap. Hope she married Ken.

I was still a pre teen at the end of the 90's but I loved the Kevin and Sadie series too.

Also Dear Nobody by Berlie Doherty and A little love song by Michelle Magorian were favourites.

Lots of these bring back great memories - I also loved the Nancy Drew Mysteries, Judy Blume, Point Horror, Christopher Pike and the fantasy choose your own adventures.

As a teen, I remember reading books from the Sweet Dreams series (teen romance) but I also raided my parents' books. Catherine Cookson, Jilly Cooper, Jackie Collins and then I graduated into adult horror/fantasy too like Stephen King, Anne Rice, Dean Koontz.

I don't remember there being so much marketed as specifically for young adults compared to now.

There definitely wasn’t the range of books for older kids and teens that there is now, Boldly. By 13 or 14 I was raiding my mom’s collection too - Catherine Cookson, Danielle Steel etc.
Somehow Judy Blume passed me by. I don’t ever recall reading any of hers.
I also loved and still reread the Little House on the Prairie Series.

That's really cool, Buckets. I'll be honest, I'm kind of sitting on my hands to stop myself hitting Amazon for them all.

I can picture them all too, bookworm. Right down to where they were on my bookcase!

Night Kites had a really vivid description of a fringed leather jacket with a car crash painted on it. For years after I used to turn whenever I saw a swing of fringe just in case Nikki's distinctive style had made it to the real world

Talk of Second Star to the,Right has reminded me of another- I never promised you a rose garden. Jewish American girl is in a psychiatric hospital, and her therapist is German (set in the 50s) very heavy but also strangely uplifting.

Oh my goodness, I remember Stranger with My Face, but not what happened in the end! My friend had it, and also quite a sad book about a teenage swimmer who was teased about being gay, though she wasn't.

Also remember SVH, Judy Blume and Virginia Andrews doing the rounds.

@Ridingthegravytrain Urn Burial is by Robert Westall, a great author of many children's classics. I must reread some!

Was Dance on my Grave part of the Pan Horizon series? It was about homosexuality.

Sati by Christopher Pike is the sole reason I studied Philosophy and am now a philosophy teacher. I loved all of his books. Also loved The Changeover by Margaret Mahy, SVH, Virginia Andrews (The Heaven saga in particular), Garth Nix and Phillip Pullman.

Lots of lovely nostalgia on this thread!

I remember being obsessed about a series of books about a ballet dancer called Adrian by Jean Estoril. Loved them!

Not Adrian! Drina! Stupid autocorrect ruining my nostalgia!

Anyone remember Ramona Quimby?

My sort of thread!

Loved Lois Duncan.

Anyone remember a post nuclear war series set in the US? A teenage couple I think, walking across state. Absolutely loved it but never got to finish the series.

BroomstickOfLove
How old is your DD? Was thinking of getting a set of Tamora Pierce books for my DN for Christmas - she's 13, is that about right? I loved those books but can't remember how old I was when I read them.

Did anyone read ‘the fortunate few’ where gymnastics is the number one sport? Loved that book.

Love this thread! Caroline akrills eventers trilogy was one of my favs, along with trebizon and point horror-still remember some with a shiver!

The ogre downstairs I also loved!