Allowance Busters: Sweet Valley High, Babysitters Club, and other YA serials

[Homily]

From the interview with Pascal: "That’s the best thing that happened [with Sweet Valley]. That and money."  I love her honesty!  

[Minneapple]

16 hours ago, Black Knight said:

EW has a new interview with Francine Pascal, complete with a portrait of her done by the illustrator who did so many of the SVH book covers.

That is a great interview! I want to have a book club with Francine, complete with wine and dessert and lots of gossip in between the book talk.

I find it so amusing that back in the '80s the networks were like, "Nah, a teen soap is too girly." Not even 10 years later Beverly Hills 90210 became a hit.

[Snow Apple]

Good article but they didn't mention the Caitlin series.

I have a confession to make. In high school, I never returned the copy of Hangin Out With Cici to the library 😯. I brought the sequels though. I was so mad when they got thrown away without my knowledge.

Edited August 21, 2019 by Snow Apple

[festivus]

On 8/18/2019 at 3:20 PM, Black Knight said:

EW has a new interview with Francine Pascal, complete with a portrait of her done by the illustrator who did so many of the SVH book covers.

I knew she had ghostwriters for Sweet Valley, but I actually didn't know that she never wrote a single one of the books herself. I assumed she'd written the first few and then had ghostwriters take over.

It's an extensive interview in which she covers not only SVH (including the current movie developments) but her other books - books she actually wrote herself.

I just read that a few days ago. I never knew either that she didn't write the books or at least when they first started.

Here's my SVH story. I used to buy those books back in the 80s. I probably had 20 to 25 of them. I generally thought they were terrible but I kept buying them anyway. (Kind of like I did The Vampire Diaries although I finally wised up there) Well anyway, one day about I don't know like 15 or 20 years ago I decided to sell them in a yardsale. Sold the whole box for $5 to this old lady that was so happy to get them for her granddaughter. So you know I still feel good that they went to somebody that would love them but.... I kinda wish I had them back now. Not to read mind you, to sell on ebay!

Also sold all my V.C. Andrews books except My Sweet Audrina, which I kind of regret. I did keep all my Christopher Pike and Lois Duncan ones though. And S.E. Hinton.

[Mondrianyone]

2 hours ago, festivus said:

Sold the whole box for $5 to this old lady that was so happy to get them for her granddaughter.

So this means I made slightly more money off those books than you did!  Just slightly.  ✍️

[catlover79]

Claudia may have been the most relatable of all the Babysitters. Her handwriting in her journal entries is barely legible, and there are often spelling mistakes. She struggled in school and to make things worse, had a genius older sister that people would unfavorably compare her to. But Claudia had her artistic skills and she had Mimi. Mimi reminded me a lot of my own grandmother. 

Am I remembering wrong, or was there a character in BSC who was autistic? I think knowing what we know today, Claudia might well be on the higher functioning end of the autistic spectrum.

[catlover79]

On 11/20/2018 at 7:39 PM, starri said:

Someone from Penguin Random House was reading this thread.

And one early Festivus present coming right up.

I never would have learned about Paperback Crush if not for this thread. I made a mad dash to one of the local libraries that happened to have it in stock. I am loving it so far...it's definitely taken me back to the late 80s/early 90s. I still have so many fond memories of the book fairs at school held every year...*SIGH*

[Was-MArsenault]

I used to love reading The Babysitter's Club when I was younger.

I remember at my local library that there was a whole shelf full of those books.

[Starleigh]

Does anybody know when the new BSC series on Netflix is scheduled to be released? I'm hoping soon!

I read Paperback Crush a couple of weeks ago. What a stroll down memory lane. So many random books that I'd forgotten about came back to me. I was probably most shocked to hear how now famous authors like Rhys Bowen cut their literary teeth by ghostwriting 80s girl series. Oh, and I was also surprised to find out the the author Fran Arrick was a pseudonym for the children's author Judy Angell (of Dear Lola fame). Totally different writing styles!

[catlover79]

1 hour ago, Starleigh said:

I read Paperback Crush a couple of weeks ago. What a stroll down memory lane. So many random books that I'd forgotten about came back to me. I was probably most shocked to hear how now famous authors like Rhys Bowen cut their literary teeth by ghostwriting 80s girl series. Oh, and I was also surprised to find out the the author Fran Arrick was a pseudonym for the children's author Judy Angell (of Dear Lola fame). Totally different writing styles!

I had forgotten all about those Choose Your Own Adventure books. Remember the Scholastic Book Fairs at school every year? Getting one of those circulars and placing an order with your teacher? It was always a happy day when those books came in. ❤

[Annber03]

6 minutes ago, catlover79 said:

Remember the Scholastic Book Fairs at school every year? Getting one of those circulars and placing an order with your teacher? It was always a happy day when those books came in. ❤

Oh, yes :). Always so happy to see those books on my desk. 

Then of course I'd be sitting there wanting to read them right then and there, but I couldn't, 'cause class and everything :p. 

[catlover79]

2 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Oh, yes :). Always so happy to see those books on my desk. 

Then of course I'd be sitting there wanting to read them right then and there, but I couldn't, 'cause class and everything :p. 

Thankfully, my teacher in 7th grade knew the meaning of willpower...she always waited until the end of the class period to pass out the books. Then I just had to suffer through the next couple of classes until study hall or lunch - whichever one came first. 😳😝

[andromeda331]

On 11/13/2019 at 12:42 PM, catlover79 said:

Claudia may have been the most relatable of all the Babysitters. Her handwriting in her journal entries is barely legible, and there are often spelling mistakes. She struggled in school and to make things worse, had a genius older sister that people would unfavorably compare her to. But Claudia had her artistic skills and she had Mimi. Mimi reminded me a lot of my own grandmother. 

Am I remembering wrong, or was there a character in BSC who was autistic? I think knowing what we know today, Claudia might well be on the higher functioning end of the autistic spectrum.

I liked all the girls but Claudia was the most relatable to because her family was so similar to mine. My parents and brother were so similar they had so much in common, My brother had similar interests with both parents. He loved the outdoors, cars, camping and fishing like our dad and football, early riser and did chores and stuff similar to Mom. I was the odd one out. I'm not outdoorsy, hate camping, fishing and getting up early. I loved books, history and writing. I'm a night owl and always put off chores until the last moment. I always got them done but later. I've just always been so different from them it was hard at times to connect or feel left or that they were more interested in my brother's interests then mine because they understood his and didn't really understand mine. They didn't have any interest in talking or hearing me talk about Ancient Greece or Rome, Tudor England or different planets, talk about books I was reading or read because they found history boring and didn't like reading.  My great-grandfather was my Mimi growing up. He shared interest in history, we'd spend hours talking about different periods, or him talking about growing up. We talked about the Bible and different religions. Astronomy and so many other things. Its was so nice to have one person in my family that shared my interests and I could talk to. I learned so much from him and wanted to be just like him. Eventually my dad and I bonded between Star Wars and military history and my mom with movies and TV shows. 

The autistic you mentioned was Susan in Kristy and the Secret of Susan and I think she popped up in one of the later Super Specials I think the Europe one but it might have been another one.

Edited November 15, 2019 by andromeda331

[Was-MArsenault]

And I also remember my local library having a shelf of Sweet Valley High books too.

[Minneapple]

5 hours ago, MikaelaArsenault said:

And I also remember my local library having a shelf of Sweet Valley High books too.

I checked out "Playing With Fire" from my local library. My mom saw the cover and she was Scandalized. I was also Scandalized by Bruce untying Jessica's bikini strings in the lake and the water touching her boobs. That was super Scandalous for 11-year-old me.

[CountryGirl]

And then there was SVH Book #5 - ALL NIGHT LONG (and now Lionel Richie is in my head).

Just the title alone but then we have porn-stauche older man Scott with Jessica in his embrace.

[catlover79]

13 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I liked all the girls but Claudia was the most relatable to because her family was so similar to mine. My parents and brother were so similar they had so much in common, My brother had similar interests with both parents. He loved the outdoors, cars, camping and fishing like our dad and football, early riser and did chores and stuff similar to Mom. I was the odd one out. I'm not outdoorsy, hate camping, fishing and getting up early. I loved books, history and writing. I'm a night owl and always put off chores until the last moment. I always got them done but later. I've just always been so different from them it was hard at times to connect or feel left or that they were more interested in my brother's interests then mine because they understood his and didn't really understand mine. They didn't have any interest in talking or hearing me talk about Ancient Greece or Rome, Tudor England or different planets, talk about books I was reading or read because they found history boring and didn't like reading.  My great-grandfather was my Mimi growing up. He shared interest in history, we'd spend hours talking about different periods, or him talking about growing up. We talked about the Bible and different religions. Astronomy and so many other things. Its was so nice to have one person in my family that shared my interests and I could talk to. I learned so much from him and wanted to be just like him. Eventually my dad and I bonded between Star Wars and military history and my mom with movies and TV shows. 

The autistic you mentioned was Susan in Kristy and the Secret of Susan and I think she popped up in one of the later Super Specials I think the Europe one but it might have been another one.

What a beautiful post, @andromeda331. Thank you for sharing. I don't know if you are "on the spectrum" as I am, but I am also a night owl who prefers to do chores and other things in the wee small hours. I too am the one who doesn't quite fit in compared to the rest of the family. I'm glad that you had such a wonderful and special person to bond with in your great-grandfather. 

I may have to check out the BSC books that have Susan in them. I had basically aged out of the series by that point, and obviously much more about autism has been learned since then.

Am I the only one who was bothered by how all these girls could have so many adventures and wonderful vacations yet no one ever aged? HA!!

[Dr.OO7]

19 hours ago, MikaelaArsenault said:

And I also remember my local library having a shelf of Sweet Valley High books too.

I went crazy whenever my library got a new shipment of them.

7 hours ago, catlover79 said:

Am I the only one who was bothered by how all these girls could have so many adventures and wonderful vacations yet no one ever aged? HA!!

Them and Sweet Valley High. I guess because there was a demographic they wanted to consistently appeal to and knew that they would lose them if the characters aged.

What I did find ridiculous was the No Periods, Period trope. No one in this group of 13 year old girls has started menstruating yet? One or two or even half of them not having started is plausible, but there's no way none of them have.

I was surprised and impressed that Sweet Valley Twins averted this--first with a friend of the girls, then with the girls themselves.

Edited November 16, 2019 by Camille

[Black Knight]

On 11/14/2019 at 7:43 PM, catlover79 said:

I had forgotten all about those Choose Your Own Adventure books. Remember the Scholastic Book Fairs at school every year? Getting one of those circulars and placing an order with your teacher? It was always a happy day when those books came in. ❤

I remember the monthly catalog at my school. My then-best friend and I bought so many of the books every month. Our teacher earned a lot of points thanks to us and I'm sure missed them when we were gone. And would you believe, after all these years I'm still mad about the one month I missed buying the books? Among other things, it meant missing an installment of one series, called Couples, and so I never knew exactly how Brad and Brenda got together...

A couple of the Choose Your Own Adventure books have been turned into tabletop games that can be played on your own or as a cooperative game with multiple people. I got the first one, which is based on House of Danger, possibly the most batshit book in the entire series. It's really fun! They add D&D elements that really enhance the choices you make. So I plan to get the second as well, and hopefully they'll adapt more books.

[Starleigh]

23 hours ago, Camille said:

I went crazy whenever my library got a new shipment of them.

Them and Sweet Valley High. I guess because there was a demographic they wanted to consistently appeal to and knew that they would lose them if the characters aged.

What I did find ridiculous was the No Periods, Period trope. No one in this group of 13 year old girls has started menstruating yet? One or two or even half of them not having started is plausible, but there's no way none of them have.

I was surprised and impressed that Sweet Valley Twins averted this--first with a friend of the girls, then with the girls themselves.

I remember my mom clipping a NYT interview of Ann M. Martin at the height of the books' popularity. I  think I was 11 or so, so maybe in 1988 or 89? Anyway, I remember distinctly her quoted as saying that the editors wanted a very wholesome and innocent book series and that there were many topics they just weren't going to include, such as the girls getting periods. I think the closest they got to it was Mary Anne getting her first bra.

Edited November 17, 2019 by Starleigh

[Dr.OO7]

On 11/14/2019 at 10:43 PM, catlover79 said:

 I had forgotten all about those Choose Your Own Adventure books. Remember the Scholastic Book Fairs at school every year? Getting one of those circulars and placing an order with your teacher? It was always a happy day when those books came in.

Indeed it was. 😊 I LOVED getting that catalog and I loved it when the books came. That's how I built my collection.

[Dr.OO7]

3 hours ago, Starleigh said:

Anyway, I remember distinctly her quoted as saying that the editors wanted a very wholesome and innocent book series and that there were many topics they just weren't going to include, such as the girls getting periods

I did hear something to that effect, but it's still illogical considering the demographic the books were geared to. Plus, it insinuates that there's something improper about a girl's completely natural and inevitable development. Why bother with brief allusions to breast growth if you're not going to bother going further? If Mary Ann needs to buy a bra and Stacey has "filled out the top of her bikini", as she brags in one book, then puberty has clearly begun and they are highly likely to reach menarche any day now.  And they often discussed and gossiped about bras, so never mentioning menstruation--again, especially at that age--makes no sense.

And if she wanted it to be "wholesome", why bother tackling major issues like illness, death, and racism? These are okay, but a girl starting her period isn't?

Again, that's why I was impressed that the "Twins" series averted this.

Edited November 17, 2019 by Camille

[Starleigh]

They probably wanted to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, especially age wise. Thinking back on it now they made the setting as 1950s as possible in good ole Stoneybrook, and 1950s girls book did not even mention things like bras (or rather, brassieres lol). I think they just didn't want any controversy. Which I think is ok, their main audience wasn't really the age demographic that were dealing with periods of anything more intense than a training bra, probably.

Anyway, iirc, SVT had just one book referencing periods, I think that was the one about the "tomboy" finding her feminine side, lol. 

The only preteen series I can think of that really got into any detail about periods was The Fabulous Five  by Betsy Haynes, I think. 

Edited November 17, 2019 by Starleigh

[scarynikki12]

The only time I remember Sweet Valley Twins referencing periods is when Elizabeth got hers, assumed that meant that Jessica did as well, Jessica played along because she didn't want to admit that she wasn't as "mature" as Elizabeth, something about having spaghetti for dinner caused Elizabeth to have cramps, and then Jessica finally admits her shameful secret only to get her period by book's end. I feel like this was one of those books that included a visit with their cousins but I may be conflating this with another.

[Starleigh]

Interesting, I guess I missed that SVT one, or I had stopped reading the series by then....

An interesting point brought out by Paperback Crush was that all of the fluffy, sweet etc girls books of the 80s was a backlash to the gritty, realistic YA trend of the 70s. So it makes sense that they were specifically trying not to be the next Judy Blume type books (and interestingly enough, according to Paperback Crush, Blume barely published anything in the 80s. Her groundbreaking books were in the 70s).

Edited November 17, 2019 by Starleigh

[Dr.OO7]

2 hours ago, Starleigh said:

Anyway, iirc, SVT had just one book referencing periods, I think that was the one about the "tomboy" finding her feminine side, lol. 

That actually made more sense, as the girls were sixth graders. It was more plausible that the majority of them hadn't started yet. 

[andromeda331]

3 hours ago, Starleigh said:

They probably wanted to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, especially age wise. Thinking back on it now they made the setting as 1950s as possible in good ole Stoneybrook, and 1950s girls book did not even mention things like bras (or rather, brassieres lol). I think they just didn't want any controversy. Which I think is ok, their main audience wasn't really the age demographic that were dealing with periods of anything more intense than a training bra, probably.

Anyway, iirc, SVT had just one book referencing periods, I think that was the one about the "tomboy" finding her feminine side, lol. 

The only preteen series I can think of that really got into any detail about periods was The Fabulous Five  by Betsy Haynes, I think. 

Possibly but its part of the "wholesome" that doesn't make any sense. Its okay to mention bras, and Stacey filling out her bra. But not periods. Its okay to show to have books about racism or the girls chasing after criminals but periods is a no-no. Especially since the girls who are going to be reading are the age when they start getting their periods. They could have done a lot with that. SVT's had one book but with Elizabeth getting her period first and then Jessica a couple days later. The BSC could have approached it similar. Not all girls are going to get it at the same time. Show one getting it at the right age, maybe one of the girls early, or one being the last? Or maybe someone who doesn't want it like Kristy. Its really stupid they can't put that in. I remember the SVT's one because it dealt with it. Well, that and the dumb one where the tomboy suddenly stops being one cause you know period plus her parents just had a baby boy so she's now the girl they also think its a great idea to name the baby William and have him go by Billy, when that's their daughter's nickname Billie. 

One thing that was really weird in both Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley Twins was girls having crush on much older guy or an adult guy and no one gets creeped out by it. I don't know if times change really counts I remember reading Stacey's Crush with her crush on her substitute teacher and her friends encourage her on it. Only one mentions he's kind of old. Not one points out that's illegal. She for some reason completely thinks they'll be together and half way through the book things their secretly together when its clear its not. But also illegal. Claudia had a crush on a college guy in another book but never told him her age he seems to think she's sixteen.  She has a crush on her ski instructor who is an adult.  Jessica and Elizabeth visit college campus in middle school for a weekend or something and Elizabeth falls for a college guy and he crushes on her. She's twelve. Again also illegal and hard not to think he's a pervert. It was the 90s when each one came out. It was illegal then.  I know girls have crushes on older guys. But its really weird that no one ever mentions it and they never think of it.  No jokes or remarks about jailbait. That Stacey's teacher could go to jail as could Elizabeth's and Claudia's college guys. Both series never act like its wrong for girls to date or want to date guys who are so much older then them or that there's anything wrong for a college guy to want to date a thirteen or twelve year old.   

Stacey crushes over a eighteen year old lifeguard and Dawn crushes on a sixteen year old friend of Kristy's brother. The lifeguard (Who hilariously is named Scott Foley) uses Stacey to get sandwiches and drinks. She never once puts that together not even after she sees him making out with a girl his own age that he was just using her. Dawn's crush is even more creepy he comes by her house despite her never giving him her address, he shows up at her school to take her to the mall and buys hair accessories and tells her what he thinks she should do with her hair, when she learns later he's got a girlfriend she thinks he led her on but none of her friends seem to think so because he never asked her out. But he was leading her on and trying to convince her to change parts of her body. He comes off really creepy and like he's grooming her which never comes up. Also weirdly his girlfriend knows about Dawn and doesn't find it odd or creepy he's buy gifts for a 13 year old girl.

Edited November 17, 2019 by andromeda331

[catlover79]

1 hour ago, scarynikki12 said:

The only time I remember Sweet Valley Twins referencing periods is when Elizabeth got hers, assumed that meant that Jessica did as well, Jessica played along because she didn't want to admit that she wasn't as "mature" as Elizabeth, something about having spaghetti for dinner caused Elizabeth to have cramps, and then Jessica finally admits her shameful secret only to get her period by book's end. I feel like this was one of those books that included a visit with their cousins but I may be conflating this with another.

That sounds more like one of the chapters of Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret - which is the earliest YA book I know of that dealt with periods. Still, I've never read all the Sweet Valley books, so I couldn't say for sure.

[Starleigh]

I agree with you on the older boy crush thing. But it didn't seem weird then:(

I actually was just rereading the Anastasia Krupnik series by Lois Lowry. Still funny & sweet to read, but I was cringing at the one where Anastasia takes a modeling class and after a transformative makeover, her 13 year old friend was getting stares and whistling from adult men.

[Black Knight]

Anastasia Krupnik! I love the one where her mother is away and the household falls apart, culminating in a disastrous dinner party. Anastasia's many revised schedules throughout the book never fail to crack me up.

Re: the period discussion, I wonder if it's really just that Martin didn't want to write about it if she couldn't write the truth, and nobody seemed allowed to write the truth in a YA book back then (I don't know about now) - hence her comment about how the BSC books were supposed to be "wholesome." I mean, Judy Blume's "grittier, more realistic" book presented it as something thrilling to look forward to - and I'm irritated to say that my pre-teen self drank that shit right down. I was thrilled to be the second girl in my class to get my period, and of course I ended up wishing I had been the last. I still haven't entirely forgiven Blume for that. Where was the YA book that talked about the inconvenience, the accidents, the side effects (aside from "being emotional" which is the one thing about periods that men don't mind talking about because it plays into convenient stereotypes about women), and so on? I understand not wanting to scare girls or make them excessively negative about a natural biological event, but even if you go in with a totally positive view as I did thanks to Blume, the novelty wears off fast and the reality sets in.

[catlover79]

23 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

Re: the period discussion, I wonder if it's really just that Martin didn't want to write about it if she couldn't write the truth, and nobody seemed allowed to write the truth in a YA book back then (I don't know about now) - hence her comment about how the BSC books were supposed to be "wholesome." I mean, Judy Blume's "grittier, more realistic" book presented it as something thrilling to look forward to - and I'm irritated to say that my pre-teen self drank that shit right down. I was thrilled to be the second girl in my class to get my period, and of course I ended up wishing I had been the last. I still haven't entirely forgiven Blume for that. Where was the YA book that talked about the inconvenience, the accidents, the side effects (aside from "being emotional" which is the one thing about periods that men don't mind talking about because it plays into convenient stereotypes about women), and so on? I understand not wanting to scare girls or make them excessively negative about a natural biological event, but even if you go in with a totally positive view as I did thanks to Blume, the novelty wears off fast and the reality sets in.

I bought into it, too. Yes, the hype wears off very fast. 😱😝😂

[Minneapple]

16 hours ago, catlover79 said:

That sounds more like one of the chapters of Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret - which is the earliest YA book I know of that dealt with periods. Still, I've never read all the Sweet Valley books, so I couldn't say for sure.

I mean, something similar might have happened in Are You There God, but it's definitely a plot in a Sweet Valley Twins book.

[Dr.OO7]

On 11/17/2019 at 1:30 AM, andromeda331 said:

Possibly but its part of the "wholesome" that doesn't make any sense. Its okay to mention bras, and Stacey filling out her bra. But not periods. Its okay to show to have books about racism or the girls chasing after criminals but periods is a no-no. Especially since the girls who are going to be reading are the age when they start getting their periods. They could have done a lot with that. SVT's had one book but with Elizabeth getting her period first and then Jessica a couple days later. The BSC could have approached it similar. Not all girls are going to get it at the same time. Show one getting it at the right age, maybe one of the girls early, or one being the last? Or maybe someone who doesn't want it like Kristy. Its really stupid they can't put that in. I remember the SVT's one because it dealt with it. Well, that and the dumb one where the tomboy suddenly stops being one cause you know period plus her parents just had a baby boy so she's now the girl they also think its a great idea to name the baby William and have him go by Billy, when that's their daughter's nickname Billie. 

Exactly

[Black Knight]

I was in Barnes & Noble looking for gifts for my younger niece today, and saw that the Choose Your Own Adventure series is being re-released! The cover designs have been updated, but still use the same cover art (I think) as the originals. The bookstore had the first two.

My niece is a little young for those as yet, so I got her the 40th anniversary edition (I can't believe it's been 40 years) of Bunnicula. This edition has a red velvet cover and is just adorable, you guys! I plan to re-read it before wrapping it up for my niece, haha. It's been so long since I've read it, but I always loved the Bunnicula series.

[Annber03]

Oh, my lord, 40 years?

Wow. 

I loved that series, too, when I was a kid. 

[Dani-Ellie]

Similarly, I ended up buying my nephew a current (!) copy of Wait Till Helen Comes off the shelf (!!) at Barnes & Noble. He's 9 and wants to watch all the horror movies so I figured he could try reading an age-appropriate ghost story and see how that goes. That book was my absolute favorite when I was his age (*cough* almost 30 years ago *cough*). And if he likes it, I can recommend many, many more; Mary Downing Hahn and Betty Ren Wright took up a huge chunk of my bookcase from elementary school through junior high.

(I actually still have my old paperback copy of Wait Till Helen Comes ... it's from the late 80s/early 90s and looks it.)

[catlover79]

3 hours ago, Dani-Ellie said:

Similarly, I ended up buying my nephew a current (!) copy of Wait Till Helen Comes off the shelf (!!) at Barnes & Noble. He's 9 and wants to watch all the horror movies so I figured he could try reading an age-appropriate ghost story and see how that goes. That book was my absolute favorite when I was his age (*cough* almost 30 years ago *cough*). And if he likes it, I can recommend many, many more; Mary Downing Hahn and Betty Ren Wright took up a huge chunk of my bookcase from elementary school through junior high.

(I actually still have my old paperback copy of Wait Till Helen Comes ... it's from the late 80s/early 90s and looks it.)

Mary Downing Hahn was one of my favorite authors growing up. I've never really been a supernatural fan, so I preferred her other titles such as Daphne's Book, Following the Mystery Man, Tallahassee Higgins, December Stillness, Stepping on the Cracks, etc. Just last year, I wrote to her and she sent me a lovely letter back as well as autographing a photo. ☺

[LBS]

17 hours ago, Dani-Ellie said:

Similarly, I ended up buying my nephew a current (!) copy of Wait Till Helen Comes off the shelf (!!) at Barnes & Noble. He's 9 and wants to watch all the horror movies so I figured he could try reading an age-appropriate ghost story and see how that goes. That book was my absolute favorite when I was his age (*cough* almost 30 years ago *cough*). And if he likes it, I can recommend many, many more; Mary Downing Hahn and Betty Ren Wright took up a huge chunk of my bookcase from elementary school through junior high.

(I actually still have my old paperback copy of Wait Till Helen Comes ... it's from the late 80s/early 90s and looks it.)

I reread it a couple years back and was pleasantly surprised about how well it held up! It's still scary!  I also have my old paperback copy and I'm slightly ashamed that I also had that awful sweater that Heather wears on the cover.  The late 80s weren't kind.  

[Black Knight]

I re-read Bunnicula last night and am pleased to say that it also holds up well - it's fun for adults, too!

I was impressed that even though it was written 40 years ago, the mother is an attorney. (The father is a college professor.) Also, I did not know that Deborah Howe, one of the co-authors, had terminal cancer during the writing of it and passed away shortly thereafter. Her widower, James Howe, submitted the book for publication later on. There is a lot of humor in the book, and James mentions in his foreword that he and Deborah used the writing of the book as a much needed escape from what they were going through.

[Dani-Ellie]

5 hours ago, LBS said:

I reread it a couple years back and was pleasantly surprised about how well it held up! It's still scary!  I also have my old paperback copy and I'm slightly ashamed that I also had that awful sweater that Heather wears on the cover.  The late 80s weren't kind.  

I've reread it a few times as an adult, too, and I still love it to pieces. It's written for kids but it's not dumbed down, which I appreciate. (That's amazing about the sweater! The late 80s were certainly a time, haha.)

Edited November 22, 2019 by Dani-Ellie

[catlover79]

On 11/20/2019 at 7:30 PM, Black Knight said:

I was in Barnes & Noble looking for gifts for my younger niece today, and saw that the Choose Your Own Adventure series is being re-released! The cover designs have been updated, but still use the same cover art (I think) as the originals. The bookstore had the first two.

That's so cool. I guess everything does come back around!! ☺

[SnarkySheep]

On 11/16/2019 at 6:49 PM, Starleigh said:

I remember distinctly her quoted as saying that the editors wanted a very wholesome and innocent book series and that there were many topics they just weren't going to include, such as the girls getting periods. I think the closest they got to it was Mary Anne getting her first bra.

See, that's what bugs me...why can't they touch on these subjects, yet still be considered wholesome books for kids? Simply mentioning things that are happening to kids during adolescence is not exactly like them talking about various sex acts, for heavens' sake.

On 11/13/2019 at 2:42 PM, catlover79 said:

Claudia may have been the most relatable of all the Babysitters. Her handwriting in her journal entries is barely legible, and there are often spelling mistakes. She struggled in school and to make things worse, had a genius older sister that people would unfavorably compare her to. But Claudia had her artistic skills and she had Mimi. Mimi reminded me a lot of my own grandmother. 

IMO Claudia started off relatable, but then they turned her - like the others - into caricatures of themselves, where Claudia seemed too dumb to tie her own shoes. They should simply have kept her an average student - never going to be on the honor roll, but also perfectly capable of functioning - simply because loads of kids are just like that, and can relate.

[Starleigh]

Good points. That said, I think of these books as escapist preteen lit, if you will. They were never meant to be gritty, growing up type YA such as Judy Blume. It simply wasn't the focus of these books and honestly the target audience was young enough that it would have been forced and not very organic to start putting in stuff about periods. It just wasn't the right medium. YMMV.

[Sarahsmile416]

You are all my people.  I can’t believe it took me so long to find this thread.  I grew up reading SVT, SVH, and some SVU and I still remember when I got my first Baby Sitters Club book.  I used to copy down Stacey and Claudia’s outfits and do my best to recreate them.  I did poorly.  My favorite line, “Sheep,” Claudia replied witheringly, “Are in” 🤣 

In all seriousness, I can truly thank AMM and the character of Stacey for recognizing the signs of Diabetes when I was 27.   I remembered everything Stacey described and kept insisting to my family that I had diabetes, and nobody listened to me.   Including my sister and stepfather who were a nurse and a doctor respectively.   Meanwhile, by the time i was diagnosed I was 89 pounds and was starting to develop neuropathy in my feet.  I checked myself into an eating disorder clinic and thank goodness I did because they were the ones who figured out I was Diabetic.  I remember asking my endocrinologists years later if I was a brittle Diabetic and they were impressed I knew the term.   Thank you, Stacey McGill!

[Annber03]

Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry that you went through all of that, @Sarahsmile416! That sucks that nobody believed you for the longest time. I'm glad you were able to finally get the necessary help you needed, though, and that these books proved so helpful in you figuring out what was wrong with you, too! I hope things are better for you now :). 

[Sarahsmile416]

10 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry that you went through all of that, @Sarahsmile416! That sucks that nobody believed you for the longest time. I'm glad you were able to finally get the necessary help you needed, though, and that these books proved so helpful in you figuring out what was wrong with you, too! I hope things are better for you now :). 

They are, thank you! I’ve had two daughters with amazing blood sugars throughout the pregnancy.  This quarantine is doing a number on me but I can’t complain - still miles better than where I started.  
 

Stacey’s Emergency is one of my favorites- and one that I understand AMM wrote herself (not one of the ghost-writers) and now as a diabetic I find it incredibly relatable, even as an adult.  Just a fabulously written book. AMM was very underrated as an author.

[Annber03]

Very glad to hear things are better for you overall (though I sympathize with the quarantine stress and such) :). Congrats on the two daughters, too! 

Funny you mention that one, I think Stacey's Emergency was the first book of that series I actually read, and I learned a lot reading it, too. That series was also where I first learned about autism. I don't remember how accurate the book was on that subject, though-probably would look very outdated in many respects today with what we know now, I imagine. But still, it's interesting to see how many topics and issues that series was willing to touch on and cover. 

[Sarahsmile416]

6 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Very glad to hear things are better for you overall (though I sympathize with the quarantine stress and such) :). Congrats on the two daughters, too! 

Funny you mention that one, I think Stacey's Emergency was the first book of that series I actually read, and I learned a lot reading it, too. That series was also where I first learned about autism. I don't remember how accurate the book was on that subject, though-probably would look very outdated in many respects today with what we know now, I imagine. But still, it's interesting to see how many topics and issues that series was willing to touch on and cover. 

My oldest daughter has ASD and unfortunately her portrayal of Susan relied mostly on stereotypes as I recall...and Kristy wanting to “fix” her kind of bothers me in retrospect.  However, I do admire her for touching on the subject and having the characters try to include Susan in things - in that respect, I think it was excellent.  So, maybe a mixed bag all in all lol.  
 

I also appreciated her willingness not to back away from subjects - like divorce, blended families, racism, etc.  

[Annber03]

3 minutes ago, Sarahsmile416 said:

My oldest daughter has ASD and unfortunately her portrayal of Susan relied mostly on stereotypes as I recall...and Kristy wanting to “fix” her kind of bothers me in retrospect.  However, I do admire her for touching on the subject and having the characters try to include Susan in things - in that respect, I think it was excellent.  So, maybe a mixed bag all in all lol.  

Ah, yeah, now you mention that, I do seem to recall that bit about Kristy wanting to "fix" her. That is a shame, yes. But indeed, the fact that Susan is such a memorable character is nice in and of itself. And if the story did prove helpful in some way, then yay for that, too.

Quote

I also appreciated her willingness not to back away from subjects - like divorce, blended families, racism, etc.  

Oh, yes, I remember the books where Jessi faced some discrimination upon moving to town, and then the one where that one mom wouldn't allow Claudia, or some of the other BSC members, to babysit her children. I think they even got into talking about the discrimination Japanese-Americans faced during WWII along the way. Pretty heavy stuff for elementary school age kids to read, but also very educational. 

[Starleigh]

32 minutes ago, Sarahsmile416 said:

My oldest daughter has ASD and unfortunately her portrayal of Susan relied mostly on stereotypes as I recall...and Kristy wanting to “fix” her kind of bothers me in retrospect.  However, I do admire her for touching on the subject and having the characters try to include Susan in things - in that respect, I think it was excellent.  So, maybe a mixed bag all in all lol.  
 

I also appreciated her willingness not to back away from subjects - like divorce, blended families, racism, etc.  

Just to add to the list, remember Jessi's Secret Language and her learning ASL to communicate with a child who was deaf? Also pretty intense for a paperback book series! 

BTW, since you guys were discussing the topic of diabetes in children's books, I know it's not a series, but have you ever read Sugar Isn't Everything by Willo Davis Roberts? Published around the same time but up to date with diabetes medical stuff for the times. I grew up with a diabetic brother and it bugged me that Stacey would talk about testing her urine for blood sugar levels, when it should have been pricking her fingers for a blood test in the late 80s!