The First Series I Loved:
The Sunfire Romance Series put out by Scholastic.
Here's what Wikipedia had to say about them.
The Sunfire books contained two themes: history and romance. Each book featured a teenage girl who experienced a particular period or event in American history. At the same time, with very few exceptions, the girl was torn between two potential lovers.
The girl was typically ahead of her time in ideas and actions and the suitor she almost always chose was the one who approved of or accepted her actions. The cover art always featured the main character flanked by her two potential lovers, along with scenes from the historical event or period that was the setting for the book.
The books were written by a group of authors, Vivian Schurfranz (9), Jane Claypool Miner (6), Candice F. Ransom (6), Mary Francis Shura (6), Jeffie Ross Gordon (2), and Willo Davis Roberts (3).
Let me share of picture of my favorite three titles so you have a visual. Seeing the covers might also jog some memories out there.
I loved these books! I remember getting so wrapped up in wondering what boy she would choose. Would she get to do what she wanted? The girls were always on some sort of adventure, and she always seemed so brave and strong. These girls never had plain, dull, boring lives like I felt I had when I was 12.
A few years ago I was recovery from surgery. My friends gave me some gift cards. I remembered these books, so I used the money to buy as many of the books in the series that I could. I have no where near all 32 books, but I will at some point!
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The Second Series I Loved:
Sweet Valley High
Now I don't mean Sweet Valley Twins. I mean the original ones. I would check out the bookstore everytime we went to the mall to see if the new book was out. I think they came out like once a month or something. I remember the excitement of getting the new books and having it in the crinkly orange B. Dalton's bag. I'd tear into it when I got home, having it done by the next day for sure. Then of course I reread them over and over. I wanted to be Jessica or Elizabeth. Oh and I wanted a lavalier necklace just like them. I still don't know excatly what their laviler necklace was, but here's what I found when I Googled it.
Again from Wikipedia:
A lavalier is a type of jewelry, consisting of a pendant with one stone, suspended from a necklace. It is named for the type of pendant popularized by the Duchesse de la Vallière, a mistress of King Louis XIV of France. Within the fashion world, the name was eventually shortened to "lavalier(e)".
Just recently I got a copy of the first book: Double Love. I started to reread it. I'll finished it soon, but I think somethings are better left to memories!
Here are some of the covers form the orignial series.
So, what series do you remember reading when you were much younger?
OMG I use to LOVE Sweet Valley High!
ReplyDeleteI devoured almost all of the SVH series growing up... but skimming through them now... oh my. The blast from the past is fun, though!
ReplyDeleteSweet Vallley High - wow that takes me back.
ReplyDeleteThose are both series I used to read when I was younger. I also read The Babysitters Club, Christopher Pike, and I wish I had a better memory so I could remember more.
ReplyDeleteI adored SVH as well. I was a huge Nancy Drew fanatic. I also remembered a few days ago that I loved the Boxcar Children books. And there was also Baby Sitter's Club. Thanks for this fun trip down memory lane.
ReplyDeleteI read the Sunfire books. I also read Nancy Drew Files, Sweet Valley Twins-I didn't like the SVH ones because they were older than me. I also read the Sweet Valley Kids because I could finish them in an hour and it made me feel like I was a fast reader. In elementary school, I was hooked on Babysitter's Club. Then one day I realized they weren't that great and stopped reading them.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there where books from SweetValleyHigh. I only remember the tvshow and me and my sister watching them. Loved it. :)
ReplyDeleteI cant really remember a series that i loved to read when I was younger, but I do remember that i really loved all books written by R.L.Stine. I was a real hororfan, don't know what happend trough the years cause i am seriousley am not now! :)
I LOVED Nancy Drew and the Babysitter's Club. I don't think I would reread them now, though. Some things are better left to memory =O)
ReplyDeleteBTW, the pay it forward gift arrived this week. So fun and cute, thank you! I'll be posting about it soon.
I'm thinking maybe you and are from the same generation... :)
ReplyDeleteOh, how I loved Sweet Valley High, and oh how I wanted to be the lovely and level-headed Elizabeth...
ReplyDeleteI was too old to get caught up in Sweet Valley High and I have never even heard of the other series. I see a number of familiar names of authors. Did they write these before they went off and did their own things? My series were Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden.
ReplyDeleteI NEED that Caroline book! Oh, wow. I'm going to search for it!
ReplyDeleteI read The Baby-Sitters club a lot. I still do. I'm so excited about the upcoming prequel!
Oh, Sweet Valley High! But I also read Sweet Valley Twins... and Sweet Valley University... and did you know Francine Pascal also wrote an action/suspense/romance series called Fearless? Yes, I was a little obsessed. I have lots of series love. :)
ReplyDeleteOh Sweet Valley -- how I miss you and your melodramatic themes...I read them all, from sweet-valley girl *is that what it was called? all the way to university...also loved nancy drew and babysitter's club...those books were so tame compared to the series that are out for young girls today!
ReplyDeleteSweet Valley Kids (that is the series when the twins were younger, right?), The Babysitter's Club, and the Boxcar Children.
ReplyDelete