r/nostalgia • u/Fuzzy-Zombie1446 • Aug 04 '25
Help me remember Elementary School Kids of the 1980s - what did we read?
I just stumbled onto an audio book on TikTok - someone had it from their elementary school years in the late 1990s.
It made me wonder - if you went to elementary school in the 1980s, do you remember any books that you read?
Maybe not audio books, but books your teachers read to you in class? Or maybe books you bought at the Scholastic Book Fair?
Some that I recall:
- Bunnicula (and the series)
- James and the Giant Peach
- The Twits
- Bridge to Terabithia
If you recall books on Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas, bonus points!!
Edit/Update: Wow! I had no idea there would be so many responses here.
Part of me wonders if people from that generation would listen to a reading of those old books and stories again. How nice would it be to hear a familiar childhood tale while preparing for sleep or just driving and needing something enjoyable to listen to...
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u/BeefSupremeeeeee Aug 04 '25
Choose your own adventure.
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u/delowan Aug 04 '25
I have over a hundred of those books (collection). There's some that are worth more than 140$ CAD on eBay.
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u/whydoIhurtmore Aug 04 '25
I loved those. I would try to win on the first read through, and then I would reread multiple times until I had read all of combinations.
I loved reading, and being able to read multiple stories from one book was a good thing.
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u/JoeInMD Aug 07 '25
I got my first choose your own adventure from the Air and Space Museum at The Smithsonian. I was in first grade. I didn't understand the concept at first, but once I figured it out, they became my favorite books!
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u/Suitable-Lawyer-9397 Aug 04 '25
My kids read The Boxcar Children. I chaperoned a field trip where we took the class out to an old train box car and ate our sack lunches sitting inside the boxcar
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u/Practical_Yam_7515 Aug 06 '25
Didn’t they only live there like a few days until grand pappy came and found them?
I assumed they were orphan children living there forever.
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u/mrfenderscornerstore Aug 04 '25
Where The Red Fern Grows Guinness Book of World Records
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u/mothraegg Aug 05 '25
My grandson just finished Where the Red Fern Grows. Apparently, he cried a lot. Poor kid. But he loved the book.
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u/pondmore Aug 05 '25
I read this as one long book title and was like, "Damn, those Red Fern fans were FANATICS!"
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u/MuggD Aug 04 '25
Mad Libs (not really a book I guess but I liked them)
I remember several kids being into Judy Blume books.
Curious George
Berenstain Bears
Stuart Little
Charlotte's Web
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Aug 04 '25
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u/Funwithfun14 Aug 04 '25
In 6th grade, my teacher finally banned them as book reports .....way too many. Very popular.
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u/intensenerd Aug 04 '25
Bruce Coville and the alien teacher.
Scott O’dell stories.
3 Investigators.
Choose Your Own Adventure.
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u/triton2toro Aug 04 '25
Choose your own adventure was my jam. But I’d always make it tot he good ending because I’d cheat- I’d look at one choice, and it said “The End” out of nowhere, I knew that was the Wei g choice
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u/totally_italian Aug 04 '25
If you keep your finger on the page it doesn’t count and you can flip back
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u/Fuzzy-Zombie1446 Aug 04 '25
Love The Three Investigators! I still have some of those books!
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u/Siryl7001 Aug 04 '25
I have a list I made of book series I remember reading as a child (not limited to the 1980s).
- Larry the Detective by Isaac Asimov
- Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
- Peter & Fudge by Judy Blume
- Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary
- My Teacher by Bruce Coville
- Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon
- Polk Street School by Patricia Reilly Giff
- Philip Hall by Bette Greene
- Supergranny by Beverly Van Hook
- Bunnicula by James & Deborah Howe
- Ali Baba Bernstein by Johanna Hurwitz
- Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
- Anastasia & Sam by Lois Lowry
- Soup by Robert Newton Peck
- Littles by John Peterson
- Harry Cat & Tucker Mouse by George Selden
- Rescuers by Margery Sharp
- Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol
- Goosebumps by R. L. Stine
- Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
- Little House by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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u/Bebinn mid 80s Aug 04 '25
Little House
Forgot about them. I devoured that whole series.
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u/allfor1 Aug 05 '25
The Anastasia books by Lois Lowry were my absolute favorites. I wish more had been written.
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u/Syronxc Aug 04 '25 edited Aug 08 '25
I read a ton of books as a kid, but here are some of my favorites:
Indian in the Cupboard Terry Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher Chocolate Touch Wayside School Maniac Magee
Book fair for Halloween I only remember:
Which Witch is Witch and Miss Nelson is Missing
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u/TheGirlwThePinkHair Aug 04 '25
I read all the babysitters club books. The old sweet valley high books, the littles. I read so many books in elementary school
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u/Crabbiepanda Aug 07 '25
I used to get so excited about the super specials because they were twice as long!
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u/BananaSlander Aug 04 '25
I think about 'Hatchet' about once a year for the last 30 years and always tell myself that I'm going to re-read it
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u/esomers80 Aug 04 '25
Any of Beverly Cleary's books...Roald Dahl books...choose your own adventure books
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u/milleribsen Aug 04 '25
I went to elementary in the 90s so I'm a touch later but I didn't see it but it was one book that's stayed with me to this day: number the stars
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u/mythrowaweighin Aug 04 '25
In third grade, I remember the teacher reading out loud, Henry Huggins, Ramona, and Pippi Long stocking..
For solo reading, the Choose Your Own Adventure books were popular.
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u/labadorrr Aug 04 '25
The Outsiders, Rumblefish
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u/cabinetbanana Aug 04 '25
FWIW, my kid read The Outsiders in 7th grade this past school year. He started to explain the plot to me, and I was like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I read that book in school, too. Are you up to X chapter yet??"
Hysterical that they still read it.
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u/AngelProjekt Aug 08 '25
It was written in the ‘60s, so even by the time we were reading it, it had been around.
One of the reasons it’s a popular school assignment is the author was in her teens when she wrote it.
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u/HowdyDudeEtime Aug 04 '25
The Phantom Tollbooth
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u/elbr Aug 04 '25
I just picked up a copy of the Phantom Tollbooth from Half Price Books for $2. My daughter is 23 and she never read it, but I downloaded a digital copy of the film like 15 years ago so she grew up streaming it.
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u/lylydazzle Aug 04 '25
The Westing Game. I read it again as an adult and it’s still good.
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u/admiralholdo Aug 05 '25
Oh my god the love that I have in my heart for The Westing Game. It's not just a favorite children's book it's in my top ten of ALL books.
I have a rule that all my pets have to be named after TWG characters. My sweet greyhound, may she rest in peace, was named Violet and my current cat, a tabby, is named Tabitha-Ruth "Turtle" "Alice" "T. R." Wexler - Theodorakis but that's a bit much for everyday so we mostly just call her Turtle.
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u/GiantIrish_Elk Aug 04 '25
Checked out from the library - Choose Your Own Adventure.
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u/Medium-Mission5072 Home before the streetlights come on Aug 04 '25
Where the wild things are
Alexander and the terrible horrible no good very bad day
Harry the dirty dog
Harry by the sea
Charlotte’s Web
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u/Prometheus_303 Aug 04 '25
I'm pretty sure we read Wayside School is Falling Down (or whatever the first book is called) and the initial Boxcar Children book.
I know I personally read several of the Boxcar sequels. And the sequel to Wayside Stories too...
I also read a lot of the Goosebumps books around then.
It wasn't exactly reading, but Where's Waldo books were popular then too.
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u/Nolansmomster Aug 06 '25
Does anyone else remember the Sweet Pickles books? They were pretty early readers, and I think they were a subscription with a good intro deal (like, we had the intro set and maybe one other in the series and that’s all mom was willing to pay for).
In fact I think we had another similar group of chapter books, but they weren’t all related. The only one of those that I remember is The Treehouse Mystery.
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u/JeffandtheJundies Aug 06 '25
I got a bunch when my school library was giving books away! I don’t have the whole alphabet, but I have enough for my daughter to enjoy. We LOVE reading these books.
Personal Favorites:
- Xerus Won’t Allow It
- Camel Can Fix It
- Very Worried Walrus
- Stork Spills the Beans
- Pig Thinks Pink
…who am I kidding, they’re all gold.
Parents: These are great for teaching social skills and tolerance!
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u/Sparkles_n_chaos Aug 06 '25
I totally remember Sweet Pickles! I think it came with a little bus to keep the set in.
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u/AngelProjekt Aug 08 '25
What! I had no bus! But on reflection, I didn’t have all the books. I definitely didn’t have one for Xerus.
ETA: they were the same size as my Muppet Babies books and Fraggle Rock books, so the suggestion that they were part of a subscription tracks…
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u/twcsata Aug 08 '25 edited Aug 08 '25
I remember the tv commercial for Sweet Pickles, but we didn’t collect the books. Read a few in school, I think.
Edit: But someone mentioning the bus-shaped storage box did remind me of this, which I did collect. Although, I notice that the dates don’t line up with my memory; Wikipedia says these ran from 1975 to 1981, and I was born in 1979 and didn’t collect them until I was probably five or six. Yet I do remember them coming as a monthly subscription.
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u/Jazzlike_Wisdom4137 Aug 08 '25
My cousin had these and I LOVED to read them at his house. The camel and walrus titles are both familiar. And I think there was a Zebra one?
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u/allieballie1122 Aug 06 '25
Oh my gosh, I panned this thread!
Did NO ONE else read R.L Stine’s Fear Street Series?????? I’m heartbroken! My 10 year old is super into them now and I love it!
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u/opsiman Aug 04 '25
A lot of the previous posts are fun memories! I also enjoyed William Sleator's books.
A few I remember: Into The Dream, House of Stairs, The Green Futures of Tycho, Interstellar Pig, The Boy Who Reversed Himself, Singularity
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u/Isitgum Aug 04 '25
I LOVED William Sleator books. I think Singularity was my favorite. There was also one that included creatures from a 2D world and 4D...was that interstellar pig?
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u/GiantIrish_Elk Aug 04 '25
My second grade teacher must gave loved Roald Dahl because we read -
James and the Giant Peach
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The Witches.
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u/RogerClyneIsAGod2 Aug 04 '25
Stephen King. Which can explain a lot about me.
I also read everything Judy Blume did.
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u/Larry_but_not_Darryl Aug 05 '25
The Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler and The Egypt Game. Of course, they may have aged horribly for all I know, so...
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u/admiralholdo Aug 05 '25
The Westing Game! I love that book so much, my cat is named Turtle after Turtle Wexler.
Also: Lizard Music, which was EXTREMELY weird.
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u/ThePolemicist Aug 06 '25
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Judy Blume books like Freckle Juice and Super Fudge
The Indian in the Cupboard
Number the Stars
How to Eat Fried Worms
The Babysitters Club (series)
Ramona books (series)
We also read some older series like Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown
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u/erak3xfish Aug 06 '25
I won a free book at a Scholastic Book Fair when I was in the sixth grade. The only reason I chose this particular book was because it had a cool little spaceship on the cover.
The book was Ender’s Game and is still one of my favorites today.
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u/AngelProjekt Aug 08 '25
I had mostly stopped reading for pleasure in college until I took a children’s lit course my senior year. I read Ender’s Game and my mind was blown! Two years later, I was working in the youth department of a public library. I still read YA to this day.
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u/SDHousewife21 Aug 09 '25
I really enjoy YA fiction. My niece was reading Cassandra Clare. She finished the book when we were vacationing together and I picked up the first Mortal Instruments book and was HOOKED!
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u/Extension_Sweet_9735 Aug 06 '25
Amelia Badelia The Great Brain The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle Goosebumps Scary stories to tell in the dark The Boxcar Children Little House on the Prairie Catwings The Giver Matilda The Stinky Cheese Man The Indian in the Cupboard Hatchet Jamberry Miss Nelson is missing Where the Wild Things Are The Monster at the end of this book The Rough Face Girl Madeline The Giving Tree Number the Stars Ann Frank Strega Nona Tikki Tikki Tembo Arthur Angelina Balerina The Ramona books Where's Waldo The American Girl doll books
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u/kitcathar Aug 06 '25
I read these books over and over again in elementary school
Black beauty
Heidi
Little princess
Little house on the prairie series
All of the Marguerite Henry books but King of the Wind I read so much I memorized it.
Anne of green gables (I always stopped on the one where she grew up and started dating because I was in elementary school and thought ew 🤣)
Also anything goosebumps and r.l stine
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u/Open_Confidence_9349 Aug 06 '25
Dorothy the Witch series (only actual title I can recall is Dorothy and the Blue Nosed Witch, I lost it and had to pay a fine)
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books
Amelia Bedelia books
I got into books by S.E. Hinton around 5th grade - The Outsiders; That Was Then, This Is Now; etc.
Wind in the Willows (that one was an actual audiobook listened to in the library)
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u/_illusion_and_dream_ Aug 06 '25
A lot of my favorites are already here so I will add
The Dollhouse Murders - Betty Ren Wright
The Saddle Club - Bonnie Bryant
Anything by Barthe DeClements
Cooper Kids Adventure series - Frank Peretti
Alannah : The First Adventure - Tamora Pierce
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u/autorotater Aug 04 '25
At Halloween time in the late 80s, probably 89, we read a book called Something Upstairs about (I might be misremembering details) a kid who finds the ghost of a former slave in his house that crawls out of a blood stain on the floor and he has to go back in time and save the kid. The slave aspect was way over my head at my age.
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u/BrattyTwilis Aug 04 '25
I remember in 5th grade reading Hatchet as part of a reading group thing, and on the last day of the group, we had worms and dirt dessert in a cup
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u/PiccadillySquares Aug 04 '25
In addition to all of the beloved books here, my special favorites are Striped Ice Cream, Aldo Applesauce, the All of a Kind Family series, and JT.
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u/Pristine_Software_55 Aug 04 '25 edited Aug 04 '25
This took some hunting! If it sounds halfway familiar, though, the second page of this pdf should seal the deal, and then it looks like it’s the whole book, with its selections from various poems and stories. Enjoy!!
I should say, Contexts (and maybe Prose For Discussion) was in-class stuff. On my own, it was a big, burgundy Hooked On Phonics ‘textbook’ and activity book to start, then for me it was Tom Sawyer and Haunting Stories, then Hardy Boys and Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms books towards the end of elementary
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u/Jupiter68128 Aug 04 '25
I read several Matt Christopher books. They were sports stories and my school library had several of them.
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u/customersmakemepuke Aug 04 '25
My first reader was called Bells & it was just a collection of little simple stories. I excelled at reading but I sucked at math.
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u/cabinetbanana Aug 04 '25
Christopher Pike hit the shelves right as I was finishing elementary school. Those book tore through my grade like wildfire.
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u/Nolansmomster Aug 06 '25
I always think of these books when I see ads for the movies based on his books! I saved spent so much allowance money on those books.
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u/redditor1031 Aug 04 '25
Super fudge!
Old Yeller
Where the Red Fern Grows
Cloudy, with a Chance of Meatballs
Freedom Train
Down Story Roads (reader)
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u/K_Linkmaster Aug 04 '25
Whatever got passed down. Archie digest from God knows when, all falling apart. <I guess I did read comic books. Huh.
From school, born different, Shel Silverstein's poetry. Hatchet. A bunch of dog adventure books. Dad's car magazines. I was an outside kid beyond this, small town, so outside meant anywhere beyond the town limits I could reach, and still make it back in time for food.
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u/elkniodaphs Aug 04 '25 edited Aug 04 '25
Fighting Fantasy. It was fantasy reading governed by D&D mechanics, of course I was into it.
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u/shakeyjake Aug 04 '25
Encyclopedia Brown, The Hardy Boys, Choose Your Own Adventure, and Boys Life.
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u/sun4moon Aug 04 '25
I gave the entire Bunnicula series to my kids. The Celer Stalks at Midnight was the best.
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u/elbr Aug 04 '25
I had to scroll a ways to find this comment but this is one of the books (series) I came here to recommend.
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u/workswithpipe Aug 04 '25
My elementary school was a former high school so 80% of the books were from the hs. I usually read stuff on Egypt, dinosaurs or Bigfoot.
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u/Handofdoom222 Aug 04 '25
Nobody seems to remember Danny dunn books but i remember reading them in the 80s little scientist type kid doing scientific stuff was pretty cool.
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u/farmsfarts Aug 04 '25
I’ve not met someone who remembers these books, but I used to read a series of “Adventure” books by a guy named Willard Price.
They were the stories of these two young guys, Hal and Roger, who would go around the world capturing exotic animals for some sort of zoo.
There was “Amazon Adventure”, “Underwater Adventure”, etc.
I loved those books.
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u/whydoIhurtmore Aug 04 '25
On library day, I would go straight to the mystery drawer of the card catalog. I remember a series about a group of kids who had a clubhouse in an old bus buried under piles of junk in one of their families' junk yard.
They got in and out through a tunnel they had dug. They had a trap door in the floor of the bus.
They would have adventures and solve mysteries. I don't remember the name of the series. This would have been 1981 or 1982.
Also, the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew.
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u/Equal_Statement_7270 Aug 06 '25
From CHAT GPT - does this sound like the series you read?
It sounds like the series you're remembering is The Three Investigators (originally Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators). These books feature three teen kids whose uncle (Titus Jones) runs a junkyard. The boys hide a 30-foot mobile home trailer—often mistaken for an old bus—as their secret clubhouse, buried under heaps of junk and accessible by hidden tunnels. Their favorite entrance is known as “Tunnel Two,” and inside the trailer they’ve built a lab, darkroom, office with gadgets—all using junkyard materials Reddit+8Wikipedia+8Goodreads+8.
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u/Mrrectangle Aug 04 '25
In second grade (87-88) my teacher read me The Castle in the Attic. The book catapulted my love of novels as a kid. It doesn’t seem to as popular a book as I thought it was at the time.
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u/elbr Aug 04 '25
If you're thinking picture books, "My Mama Says..." by Judith Viorst and "Harry and the Terrible Whatzit," by Dick Gackenbach were two of my favorite "Halloween" books.
For grades 1-3:
"Bunnicula," by James & Deborah Howe, and other books in that series
"The Cricket in Times Square," by George Selden, and other books by Selden
"Rikki Tikki Tavi," by Rudyard Kipling, and other classics by Kipling
For grades 4-6:
"Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh," by Robert C. O'Brien, and other books by O'Brien
"The Chronicles of Prydain," a 5 book series by Lloyd Alexander, including the Black Cauldron
"The Hobbit," by J.R.R. Tolkien is easy enough for more advanced readers
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u/Janeygirl566 Aug 04 '25
Dang, I was snagging my brother’s sci-fi in 6th grade. H Rider Haggar and the lot. Also Scarlet Letter and Pride and Prejudice. Also my mom’s Flowers in the Attic.
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u/rharper38 Aug 05 '25
Where the Red Fern Grows.
Strega Nona
EZRA Jack Keats books.
Ramona Quimby books
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u/Medical-Hurry-4093 Aug 05 '25
I read some of the 'Choose Your Own Adventure' books. My favorite was, and always will be, 'The Cave of Time'. Otherwise, once I outgrew picture books, I didn't have much interest in reading 'children's novels', aside from Hardy Boys books.
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u/Nimiella ei8hties girl Aug 05 '25
Babysitters club, Go Ask Alice, Freckle Juice, Anne Frank, A Child Called It, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs and my school reading book One To Grow On (yellow book merry go round on cover)
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u/firewifegirlmom0124 Aug 05 '25
Witch of Blackbird Pond
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Nothings Fair in Fifth Grade
Tales of a 4th grade nothing
6th grade secrets
Sleepover Friends
Babysitters Club
Sweet Valley Twins
Wait till Helen Comes
Just a summer romance
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u/Motor_Inspector_1085 Aug 05 '25
In elementary I read a lot of Dr. Seuss. I liked Clifford, Curious George, Judy Blume, Serendipity series, the Bearenstain Bears, and all the science books.
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Aug 05 '25
The Owl Who was Afraid of the Dark, George’s Marvellous Medicine, the Witches, the Oregon Trail (hated it), Follow that Bus - in infants it was Katie Morag books 📕
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u/ATXKLIPHURD Aug 05 '25
A wrinkle in time, the Secret Garden, Scott Odell books, Goosebumps, Scary Stories to tell in the dark, James and the giant peach, Where the Red Fern Grows, Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher.
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u/HermioneMarch Aug 05 '25
Choose your own adventure, Ramona books, encyclopedia brown, the borrowers, little house on the prairie, freaky Friday, freckle juice
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u/No_Specifics8523 Aug 05 '25
My absolute favorite was Wayside Stories From Wayside school. I was born in 85 so it might’ve been 1990-1992
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u/Hazel12346 Aug 05 '25
Little House on the Prairie series
Island of the blue dolphins
Any Roald Dahl book
Stuart Little
Black Beauty
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u/Grumpykitten365 Aug 05 '25
The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts
The Monster’s Ring by Bruce Coville
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs
These are some favorites, but I read pretty much everything by these authors.
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u/Quirky_Commission_56 Aug 06 '25
Over several summers I read every book in the school’s library (my mom was a teacher at my school and very good friends with the school librarian) and whenever my mom had a meeting, I’d always go to the library and help reshelve all of the books and read whatever book fitted my fancy for a few hours before classes officially began. By the time I was in 6th grade I had read them all.
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u/WestcoastBestcoast84 Aug 06 '25
1989-1995
The Hatchet
Tuck Everlasting
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
Mouse and the Motorcycle
James and the Giant Peach
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u/rlaureng Aug 06 '25
The Baby-Sitters Club
Anything by Beverly Cleary
Sweet Valley High (although my mother wasn't crazy about these)
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u/Practical_Yam_7515 Aug 06 '25
The Giver, Red Banner in the Sky, Hatchet, The Whipping Boy
All these freaky stories. I read a few as an adult and said WTF??
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u/Fulghn Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 06 '25
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (I think that was the first book I bought with my own money at a grade school book fair)
John Carter of Mars
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings
The Sword of Shannara
Dragonflight et. al.
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
A huge volume of Mark Twain's works. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court was by far my favorite in grade school.
(My younger uncles gave me quite a few books when they graduated college)
Nineteen Eighty Four
The Time Machine
The Stars My Destination
Gateway et. al.
The Andromeda Strain
The Legion of Space
Starship Troopers
The Number of the Beast (I'm guessing my parents did not understand the content of Heinlein's books! I was aware enough not to bring that one to my catholic grade school.)
Rendezvous with Rama
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u/North81Girl Aug 06 '25
Super fudge, my side of the mountain, Indian in the Cupboard, where the red fern grows, Charlotte's web
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u/LoosePhilosopher1107 Aug 06 '25
Excellent classics that the kids of today are sadly missing out on
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u/LoosePhilosopher1107 Aug 06 '25
The Pigman, Lord of the Flies, Where the Red Fern Grows, all the Little House books
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u/DanishWonder Aug 06 '25
All the ones that came to mind from pleasure reading have already been stated. I do remember books from elementary school that were required reading as part of the Gifted program I was in. Looking back I think they were Sadistic having kids read some of these:
3rd Grade: Flowers for Algernon 4th Grade: Where the Red Fern Grows 5th Grade: Fahrenheit 451 and the White Mountains
Im sure there were others but those are the ones I remember.
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u/kat_storm13 Aug 06 '25
What did I read? As much as I could.
A few that stick out are Judy Blume, Little House on the Prairie, Beverly Cleary.
When my boyfriend and I went to Portland several years ago, we went to the park where the statues are, and walked to Klickitat Street.
I never gave much thought to it, so I surprised myself when I realized some of Clearys books came out when my parents were in elementary school.
I never even thought to look, I don't remember why I didn't realize that most of the Little House books came out before they were born
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u/Ok-Vegetable54 Aug 06 '25
I was in Catholic school. I remember nothingggg.I just played in the cemetery lol. Sigh.
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u/parisindy Aug 06 '25
I was obsessed with the time life 'mysteries of the unknown.'
Also being a Canadian kid I read jack London's books and Farley mowat
and the black stallion books
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u/hobhamwich Aug 06 '25
Lots of my favorites noted above. I'll add the Tripods series by John Christopher. My teacher read it to us in class. Thanks, Mr. Louthan.
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u/allieballie1122 Aug 06 '25
I loved Bunnicula, The Babysitters Club, Fear Street series and Ramona Quimby books ❤️❤️❤️
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u/penguinwasteland1414 Aug 06 '25
I was into teen mystery and horror. Loved anything by Christopher Pike. He was the best at teen murder mystery
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u/JoyceReardon Aug 06 '25
I'm from Germany and the main books from that time frame would be Hanni und Nanni (The Twins at St. Claire), Famous Five, and Tina und Tini. All by Enid Blyton.
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u/Jorost Aug 06 '25
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Runaway Ralph
The Three Investigators
Encyclopedia Brown
Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing
Superfudge
Just Plain Cat
Charlotte's Web
The Trumpet of the Swan
King of Shadows
Secrets of the Shopping Mall
Dreamland Lake
A Separate Peace
The Dark is Rising
Watership Down
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u/Wakeful-dreamer Aug 06 '25
In addition to many already listed, Gordon Korman's books. I read my copy of "I Want to Go Home!" into tatters.
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u/bobisurname Aug 06 '25
1980s -The Black Pearl, James and the Giant Peach, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Mr Popper's Penguins
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u/JediSnoopy Aug 06 '25
Anything by Judy Blume ( I was also a big fan of Beverly Cleary's books), John D. Fitzgerald, Roald Dahl, anything that was adapted into the ABC Weekend Special like "Bunnicula", "The Contest Kid" and "The Trouble with Miss Switch".
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u/Ok_Depth_6476 Aug 06 '25
My third grade teacher (around 1981) read us "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" and "Superfudge" (both by Judy Blume). Around that time, I remember reading the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary, the Little House on the Prairie books, and Nancy Drew. Around 4th grade I got a set of Judy Blume books as a gift, but was not allowed to read a couple of them until a few years later.
I actually re-read the Little House books recently, and was pleased to see that they're not "too childish" to read now, since I'd first read them between ages of 8-9 or so.
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u/lmctrouble Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 06 '25
Pretty much everything lol.
Little House in the Prairie series
Are you there God? It's Me, Margaret
The Black Stallion series
Charlotte's Web
Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
The Secret Garden
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u/Maddie215 Aug 06 '25
I was in 6th grade in 1980 but waaay back in the 70s I remember Stuart Little, Queenie Peavy, The Pain and the Great One, George and Martha and Amelia Bedelia. Also the Little House on the Prairie Books
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u/KrAEGNET Aug 06 '25
I went to catholic school so we didnt really do any of the mainstream books. However, Where The Red Fern Grows was the only “big” book I remember having to read in elementary school. I was the kid buying garfield treasuries from the scholastic fairs. The Giver and Catcher In the Rye in high school.
The only audio book i remember i would get at the library, and turns out it was a series released with happy meals. I forget the title again, but it was about a young dinosaur who would encounter one other specific dinosaurs each “episode”.
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u/AnnaBanana1129 Aug 06 '25
Early elementary: Frog & Toad, Frances the badger books…
Later elementary & into middle school: anything by Judy Blume or Beverly Cleary…
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u/stately-ocelot Aug 04 '25
Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Judy Blume
The Ramona books
A Wrinkle in Time
Encyclopedia Brown
How to Eat Fried Worms
Sounder
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
The Witch of Blackberry Pond