80's Teen Books: A Comprehensive List
To all the 80s teen paperbacks I loved growing up and for those who are nostalgic for their local library’s collection of bad teen dramas, I’m dedicating the entire month of August (For the past ten years of this blog, August has always been dedicated to nostalgia content) to 80s and 90s teen lit.
Edi Marchen, the writer behind my favorite nostalgia blog did an incredible job archiving the material on her bookish website, Cliquey Pizza. I’ve copied the series I read and loved from her site, so I want to make sure I give her full credit for all her work in research and cataloging the material. All text below my intro is credited to Edi.
This is part one of a six post series.
Take a walk down memory lane and rediscover the good, the bad and even bizarre lit of 80s teen fiction.
All that Glitters
Published by Bantam in 1987, All That Glitters had a promising package with dazzling covers and a salable premise but rather ho-um writing from Kristi Andrews who may or may not have been a pseudonym for a collection of writers , given the continuity flaws. The series gimmick hinged on teenagers who were soap star actors. For all it was worth the reader saw only tail ends of soap scenes and the glamorized lifestyle of being a teenage star was watered down. Though the characters were famous, they hung out in new-wave clubs flashing with laser lights , dated guys with their own apartments , the lack of having to deal with any issues that this sped up lifestyle would fling at them was woefully absent. All in all , wooden writing and ultimately unbelievable. (8 Books in Total)
The Baby-Sitters Club
The grand Pooh-bah of all 80’s series right up their sharing the crown with Sweet Valley High.
For it’s thirteen year reign it was the apple of Apple paperbacks eye, spawning off a few spin offs like Little Sisters and California Dreams. And though by the time the series ended the characters should have been searching for babysitters for their own children , only a year had passed them from seventh grade to eighth grade , from twelve years old to thirteen. The formula was genius – Four girls seeing a demand for childcare in their neighborhood start their own babysitting business , they call themselves the Babysitters club. Now the characters were of the standard variety though every fan will have her favorite – Kristy Thomas is the anal , bossy president of The BSC who clings to her tomboy ways , Claudia Kishi is the American-Japanese ,stylish artist who struggles with school and loves junk food , Mary Anne Spier is the shy, kind, club secretary who loves animals and is the first in the group to land a steady boyfriend while Stacey McGill is a trendy, ex-New Yorker who battles diabetes. Ann M. Martin wrote some of the books before giving the series over to ghost writers in 1990. As the club expanded to include laid back, California sunshine girl Dawn Schaffer , ex-charge young , bookish Mallory Pike and best friend , African-American ballerina – Jessi Ramsey the antics began. First Stacey left in a divorce plot, was brought back, Dawn contemplated moving to California , became Mary Anne’s step sister in a rather old-hat plot devise and then actually did move to California. By then they replaced her with a rather boring character called Abby Stevenson who was a bit of every character rolled into one. The series was best when it developed naturally but worsened when due to the constraints of being thirteen forever it exhausted all possible plots not even having the charming dayglo descriptions of Claudia’s circa 80’s fashions for distraction. The original BSC series total was 36 books with four super mysteries and fifteen super special as well.
Best Friends
Minstrel started this series in 1988 and it had all the trappings for success - bright, bold, colorful covers, a simple theme clearly stated in the series title and stories that tied Sleepover Friends for quickest reads ever! None of the books were much longer than 80 pages almost too thin for the quickly burgeoning cast of characters. However crisp writing by Susan Smith kept everyone in line. The theme was exactly as stated – a group of 12 year old girls that were best friends – sophisticated Sonya Plummer , sporty Terri Rivera , shy and tiny Dawn Selby and plump but outgoing Angela King. The girls often battled their classmates snotty Celia Forrester and her two sidekicks in plots that ranged from weight issues, Halloween dances , tempers , school plays , crushes and rumors. This series did reasonably well lasting 16 books and perhaps only folded when juvenile horrors came out. Quirky and refreshing. How can anyone not like a series that put one of it’s characters on the Family Feud?! (16 Books in Total)
Caitlin Series
Published by Bantam in 1985 with a big build up of pre-advertising in Sweet Valley High because both series were created by Francine Pascal. The books were, rather than a numbered series, three sets of trilogies covering the glamorous life of Caitlin Ryan, an outrageously rich, well bred sixteen year old girl born and raised in Virginia. Starting out when Caitlin is lonely and residing in an exclusive boarding school and leaving off with her in the delivery room. Most of the stories revolve around her on-going romance with handsome , sensitive Jed Michaels. The plots are packed with horseback riding, fund raising and the kind of day-soap cliff hangers as secrets – who is the real person responsible for a hit and run accident? What are the real motives of Caitlin’s college boyfriend? Dangerous life threatening operations , and a saboteur in Caitlin’s newly inherited mining company – Alexis Colby eat your heart out – all are sandwiched with clean , clear writing featuring romantic picnics where brie is served. Not much more than Sweet Valley High , though pretends to be Dynasty. (9 Books in Total)
Camp Sunnyside Friends
One of those sure-fire hit series put out by Camelot in 1989 and written by Marilyn Kaye. Camp Sunnyside featured the never fail theme of sleepaway camp ( a theme which kept the other series afloat in Super editions ) focusing on the antics of the five girls from Cabin six who have been going to camp for years. This year however as the girls are turning 12 they learn their camp will have more involvement with the boys camp across the lake, a decision that throws the girls for a loop. There is bossy and often selfish Katie Dillion, organized and kind Trina Sandberg, daydreaming Megan Lindsay who manages to pull her heads out of the clouds for tennis, plump book-lover Sarah Fine, rich, and snobby and fashionable Erin Chapman. The plots featured the usual camp activities - color war, horseback riding, scheming to get out of swimming lessons, populated with, disagreeable campers, snobby older girls and loyal counselors. There was usually a lesson to be learned hidden behind the happenings but nothing overpowering. A well written, bouncy series. (18 Books in Total)
Campus Fever
A relatively successful series released by Signet Vista. Written by Joanna Wharton and aimed for older teens , Campus Fever was about a group of Boston College roommates discovering life on their own is far from easy. The characters were believable and had the typical ‘adult’ college dilemmas – sex , drugs , suicide attempts , like Roommates they reached for mildly taboo subjects but managed to resolve their pulpy plots with some satisfactory solutions. Each story focused on a girl at the college before eventually branching off from the four main girls – Cathy Thomas – sporty and friendly she comes out of her shell and manages to attract sexy John Wickland. Amy Trevlyn is a smart mouth punk with a soft center and finds herself absurdly attracted to a conservative! Leslie Schaeffer – described as a mouseburger, shy and introverted she attempts suicide and decides to get her act together. Paula Heil is a sophisticated and computer savvy brain whose not apposed to using her hacking abilities for dangerous reasons. Well written but as usual offers a very skewed view of college life. (8 Books in Total)
Caprice came out in 1982 published by Ace Tempo ( changed to Tempo Ya Fiction ). The photos offered pretty girls in gumball bright backdrops, wearing contrasting outfits, offering cover art that now represented the airy feel of the stories. Themes such as glee club tryouts, ice skate dancing competitions, getting tutored by a sexy hunk, finding the perfect dress, joining the track team, singing in a rock band, becoming a camp counselor, even family ski trips all were boiled frosting to the cake of a heroine finding her dream boy. Scintillating series with many dazzling authors in the bunch. (83 Books in Total))
Caroline B Cooney's Saturday Night
Put out by Point fiction in 1986 – the dance book series was one of those non numbered series in the 80’s that deserves some recognition. Written by the queen of Teen Lit, Caroline B. Cooney , the series featured four girls attending four special school dances. The characters were Katherine ‘Kip’ Elliot an organized, bossy but somewhat lovable headstrong girl, Anne Stevens an ‘it’ girl, golden girl admired, envied and about to be thrown an incredible decision to make when she discovers she’s pregnant, Beth Rose Chapman, shy, insecure, but kind and braver than she thinks, Emily Edmundson smitten with her lovable boyfriend Matt O’Conner who provides a safe haven from her troublesome family. Crisp writing offers up the most gorgeous dress descriptions, episodic vignettes from each character over the course of one night / one dance with lots of inner dialogue, eviscerating the most troublesome characters – such as Anne’s often flaky but beautiful boyfriend – ‘Con’ Conrad Winters and resident bad girl – Molly whose dresses are downright perverse! (4 Books in Total)
Cedar River Daydreams
Put out by Bethany House publishing in 1988 by Judy Baer. This was an amazingly good series and don’t let yourself be put off by the Christian theme , the lack of ( even the mention of ) church in any of the popular fiction makes this series a welcome event. The stories centered on Alexis ‘Lexi’ Leighton who is sixteen and her family has just moved to Cedar River over the summer, hampered by loneliness and wanting to fit in she’s offered a spot in the snobby, exclusive Hi-Five clique but will she compromise her faith to fit in and keep silent about her sweet little brother who has down syndrome? Absolutely not! Lexi is an independent, non conformist who even manages to get new friend Jennifer to drop out of the club thereby making one powerful member of Hi-Five, the cruel Minda Hannaford, a permanent enemy. Series tackled tough issues none of the other series would so much as whisper about and did not shy away from things that needed to be said instead of the usual sensationalistic action – abortion , suicide , drugs , aids are just a few. (28 Books in Total)
Center Stage
Put out by Fawcett Girls Only in 1990 and written by Ellen Ashley this was a bright but short lived series about several attractive teens – Barri Gillette, the ambitious but likeable main girl, her best friend Melanie Todd who drives a silver Mustang and resembles Meryl Streep, Joel Amberson who thinks he’s the next Neil Simon – who all have their hearts set on careers in the stage, theater or movie business. The plots revolved around acting gigs, and the drama that sparked when things went wrong – like Melanie stumbling around with one contact lens rather than putting on her horrid glasses. (6 Books in Total)
Charisma Inc.
Put out by a slightly obscure publishing company – Pageant books in 1988 the series was created by Ruth Glick & Eileen Buckholtz who have an extensive list of young adult books under their belts and featured a theme more seen on t.v. then in print. Amber Carson a southern debutante who is fed up with her controlling parents decides at the age of 18 to join an undercover detective agency – ala Charlie’s Angels and makes friends with her co-workers Samantha St. James and Kelly Ryan. The girls are sent on often glamorous assignments , flirting , snooping and evading danger. The prose fluctuated between flat and interesting depending on the author making some books out shine others in the series. All in all an interesting series – good to see that the boys didn’t have all the action. (10 Books in Total)
Cheerleaders
This series put out by Scholastic in 1985 was a hit. It continued on for three years with a succession of various authors and readers all hungry for more antics about the co-ed Cheerleading squad. Mary Ellen was the top golden girl harboring the fact that she comes from the wrong side of the tracks and fudging that she buys earrings at Woolworth’s, Nancy Goldstein a sexy Jewish girl , Angie Poletti feisty and little, bad girl Vanessa Barlow who taunts Mary Ellen for being attracted to muscular Patrick Henley who works with his father picking up garbage while nice guy Walt Manners talks rich and bored Preston Tilford into joining the squad. Filled with competitions , romance and even exciting action like kidnappings at gunpoint , avalanches , cruises not to mention even breaking the series taboo of dragging on a school year forever. Starting over says it all and while some students graduate and new characters move in , there was always a few favorites coming back into the scene as weekend visitors. (47 Books in Total)
Chrystal Falls
Scholastic’s hidden jewel , this series was published in 1985 and lasted only seven books. Though packed enough pulpy plotlines for much more. It featured a handful of writers and a theme reminiscent of the night soaps of the era. It was set in a seamy mill town, split in two by the children of the blue collar workers and the Chrystal’s, owners of the mill ( not to mention other important socialites ) and into this hotbed of class distinction comes Dawn Newhouse pretty and confident, with an older handsome and athletic brother who fall somewhere in between of having well-to-do relatives but not being rich themselves. Caught in the middle with harmlessly capricious Chelsea Chrystal and sullen wrong-side-of-the-tracks-bad-boy Peter Carter, Dawn often finds herself torn between loyalties. The plots were full of danger, mystery, shootings, car accidents, even teen pregnancy. Well done soap-like-series. (7 Books in Total)
Class of ‘88 & ‘89
Put out by Scholastic this was a non numbered series but was in a sense self numbered by the titles. Their were two sets of Class of books featuring the same high school but each with a separate set of students carrying them through until graduation. The stories have a slight feeling of Caroline B. Cooney’s dance books as each set features the hopes and dreams and antics of five friends for class of ‘88 and four girls for class of ‘89. Well written series by the team of Linda Alper & Kevin Cooney – writing as Linda A Cooney , the stories offer tiny but fruitful 80’s gems – like people who do the fad of wearing double Swatches – called pastel striped watchbands in the book and boys who practice guitar riffs and say things like – ‘let’s go scarf some pizza. ’Characters in class of ‘88 – wild Allie who wears Gumby barrettes in her hair and other oddities, beautiful Celia who longs for popularity, intelligent but as some might peg geeky Sean, Nick the golden athlete, Meg loyal and fiercely nice. Characters of class of 89′ – outrageously dressed go-getter Micki, gorgeous Page forced onto a pedestal, shy but artistic Laurel, comfortable Betsy a.k.a. Bets. More 80’s gems like – rattails , ‘jacuzzi feelings’, purple tennis shoes called purple tennies. (4 Books in Total)
Dear Diary
Apple PB, a division of Scholastic didn’t seem to worry too much over whether or not a series was successful they already had The Babysitters club and spin off Little Sister leading the way. Dear Diary was a short but interesting series which had the feel more of a continuing story - it featured Lizzie Miletti a young girl entering sixth grade who lives in a large family of five. Her father tests bizarre products for his frozen food company and her room is situated under the stairs in a small converted nook. Though she is often longing to grow up and be part of the cool kids at school run by the snobby Samantha Howard and her best friends Candace Quinn & Jessica Alderidge. Lizzie must endure life saddled with her loyal best friend Nancy who often appears as if she will never grow up. The stories are told in the first person and move along at a lively pace. A good little series written by Carrie Randall. (6 Books in Total)
Diana Winthrop
Published by Signet in 1983 Diana Winthrop Mysteries were very much like a rehash of Nancy Drew. Written under the pseudonym of Kate Chambers who gives our nosy heroine the picturesque background of living in a Brownstone nestled in artsy Greenwich Village rendering Diana Winthrop with a touch of 80’s savvy, charm. More tightly and succinctly written than Nancy Drew the series however came to a halt after only six books which had been panned out over a period of three years.(6 Books in Total)
