pedestrian parallax

Here's my first LJ post. I've decided that my LJ will be just for lists, of which I make a lot. So here goes...

These are some children's / YA book series that I have enjoyed over the years. Some I collected, while others I only borrowed from the library. I read some of these faithfully, others only occasionally.

The Baby-Sitters Club. Definitely the most successful of any of these series, this one eventually grew to 364 books, including a few spin-offs. The basic story line was that a group of pre-teens who enjoy babysitting join forces so that parents can call one place and are pretty much guaranteed that someone will be available to watch their kids. They also kept a notebook in which they recorded what happened on each job so that the other members would be familiarized with their charges. Time advanced normally through the first few books (#1 takes place at the beginning of 7th grade, while #10 starts their 8th-grade year), then stopped entirely around #11. From that point on, everyone remained in 8th grade (except two younger members who remained in 6th) for the duration of the series. That didn't stop them from having several spring, summer and winter breaks, however.
Characters: Kristy, natural leader and occasional bossy bitch, whose mother marries a rich man and moves her to a fancy neighborhood. Mary Anne, who lives with her widowed father and is mousy and quiet until she undergoes a makeover some time into the series. Claudia, artistic Japanese-American who wears wild (often breathtakingly ugly) outfits and does poorly in school. Stacey, so-called sophisticated New Yorker with diabetes who falls easily for any boy that crosses her path. Dawn, health-conscious vegetarian (although in some books she eats chicken and fish for no apparent reason) Californian whose mother marries Mary Anne's father. Mallory, nerdy horse-obsessed future writer who is often stuck caring for her seven younger siblings. Jessi, African-American ballerina who encounters racism after moving to her small town. Logan, token male and sometimes object of Mary Anne's affection. Shannon, rich girl who Kristy meets after moving to her new neighborhood. Abby, asthmatic Jewish twin.
Most unrealistic aspect of the series: You mean besides time standing still? Well, probably the fact that they were trusted with so many young children, especially babies and kids with special needs (autistic, deaf, etc.). Also, they were completely single-minded in spending all of their free time with little kids.

Sleepover Friends. Arguably better story lines than the BSC, and definitely better covers, but the books themselves were shorter. Four friends got together every Friday night for a sleepover. Like the BSC, there was a lot of description of their clothing. Their storylines were fairly diverse: they entered contests, tried to earn money, pulled pranks on boys, etc. Lauren was the narrator of all of the early books (unlike the BSC, where the main character of each book narrated), but I believe at some point they switched to a rotating narrator format.
Characters: Lauren, a kind of levelheaded everygirl who was pretty much the glue of the group. Kate, a perfectionist with OCD who sometimes aggravated the other girls by being bossy. Stephanie, a spoiled and somewhat shallow girl who always dressed in red, white and black. Patti, smart and shy and often the one to hatch their better plans.
Most unrealistic aspect: They were able to get together every weekend, no matter what. Also, they listened exclusively to music from the 50's and 60's.

Fifth-Grade Stars. Five girls move into a new subdivision and start at a new school. They quickly get on the bad side of a nasty rich clique called the Clovers and decide to start their own club named after their school bus (Sugar Tree Acres Route). They were usually competing with the Clovers in some way, sometimes with the help of Matthew and Pete, two boys that lived in their neighborhood. One of the few series to mention actual songs of the period, most notably "You've Got to Fight For Your Right to Party."
Characters: Jan, the jock in the shadow of her football-player older brother. Beth, an outgoing, sloppy twin with red hair. Sara, Beth's twin sister who was constantly trying to forge her own identity rather than be lumped together. Karen, the quiet and smart one who tended to reside in her own world. Amy, the outgoing only child of a single mother who made her own outfits. [Side note: many people have posted on the various BSC sites that they coveted or imitated Claudia's clothes and accessories. I felt that way about Amy's, and have occasionally been inspired by her in my clothing.]
Most unrealistic aspect: the old house they find in the woods and are allowed to keep as their clubhouse by the town's historic council, or the fact that they are able to save up the money to restore that house.

Camp Sunnyside Friends. These are the adventures of a group of girls in a cabin at summer camp. They have been in the same cabin before, so they know each other in advance. Their camp was very different than the one I attended, and it had that plot device from every book or movie about summer camp: the boys' camp across the lake (which they sneak off to from time to time).
Characters: Sarah, the shy one who enjoys reading and hates physical activity. Trina, forced to be responsible at home for her immature mother. Katie, leader and very concerned with keeping everything as it has always been to the point of resisting when anyone tries to grow or do anything new. Erin, fashion-conscious, boy crazy and easily swayed by older girls who lead her down the wrong path. Megan, who I don't remember well except that she plays tennis - did she daydream a lot, or am I mixing her up with Sarah?
Most unrealistic aspect: Well, they were in camp for a long time (although I believe they went back to school after I stopped reading), so there's that time warp situation again. But the ultimate unrealistic moment, and what caused me to stop reading this series, happened in the Christmas Super Special. That's when  a doll came to life. Now, there are plenty of fine books with dolls coming to life, but those are fantasy-style books, not books that were realistic up until that point.

The Gymnasts. A group of girls trains in a gymnastic school. Their group is called the Pinecones, which I believe other teams made fun of at meets. Many storylines revolved around competing with each other or balancing their training with their other responsibilities. There were some Olympics tie-ins with the books.
Characters: Jodi, whose attitude problem and lack of focus in school frequently gets her into trouble. Cindi, whose height is problematic in the world of gymnastics. Ti An, who is Asian and so sweet she makes your teeth hurt, along with occasionally annoying the other girls. Lauren, who is more or less dragged along by best friend Cindi but grows to love the sport. Darlene, whose father is a famous football player (maybe she has the height issue too? I remember she and Cindi towered over the other girls on most covers). Ashley... there was an Ashley, right? I don't remember anything about her except that she was close with Ti An.
Most unrealistic aspect: I don't know enough about gymnastics to know if things were realistic or not, but they did deal with frustration, failure, eating disorders, long hours of training, etc. Probably the Olympic thing, because very few teens get to that level, but somebody has to go, right?

The Treehouse Times. After going on a field trip to a printing press, aspiring journalist Amy decides to start a neighborhood newspaper with her friends. They uncover and report upon instances of wrongdoing and injustice. Like pretty much any book / movie / TV show involving journalism (especially those revolving around young people), the series portrayed the life of a newspaper reporter as one full of excitement and mystery in which one consistently brought important truths to readers. What an adventure! Yeah, thanks a lot, Treehouse Times, for being one of the early influences for me to get a degree in journalism, which unfortunately is not all that these books make it out to be. However, I did like that they had to deal with some good ethical decisions. The other thing about these books that really stuck with me is that the Real Live Journalist that helps them out from time to time has scratches all over her eyeglasses. This is presented as being one of the qualities of a good journalist (she gets so involved with her stories that she doesn't realize she is scratching her lenses... okay).
Characters: Amy, editor and most serious about the project, sometimes irritated with the others if they don't put in enough effort. Leah, the artistic photographer. Robin, who never seems to have clean clothes (in at least one book she wears a swimsuit under her clothes to school because she has no clean underwear). Erin, who unfortunately I don't remember except that she had dark hair on the covers.
Most unrealistic aspect: As noted above, these 11-year-olds are consistently discovering controversies and solving crimes, all in the area that they can reach with their bikes. Now think for a moment about the sort of newsletter you might have been able to write at age 11.

Bad News Ballet. Several girls starting at a dance school naturally become friends due to not being very good. Their enemies are the Bunheads, a group of serious dancers who wear their hair in buns (like we were required to do in ballet class... just saying). This series kind of bugged me. If you like dance, you probably won't identify with these girls, and if you don't like dance, why would you want to read about it? Trivia: Jahnna N. Malcolm, the author, was actually a woman and a man with the first names of Jahnna and Malcolm, and they were the ghostwriters for some BSC books.
Characters: Mary Bubnick, the dumb one, who is always referred to by her full name. Zan, who is embarrassed about being tall. McGee, an athletic tomboy. Rocky, tough bad girl in a black jacket. Gwen, who is overweight.
Most unrealistic aspect: I'm going to go with the fact that these girls, who are newcomers and don't know the basics of ballet, are in the same class with the serious, more skilled dancers. Also, I think they get onto pointe pretty quickly, which is downright dangerous if you don't have the basic ballet skills down yet. Oh, and they have their hair down on the covers, which is a no-no in ballet class.

Satin Slippers. Now this is the series to read if you are interested in ballet. Leah is offered a scholarship to a prestigious ballet boarding school (like the one in the movie Center Stage) and must make the choice to leave her widowed mother to follow her dream in the first book. Subsequent books follow Leah as she adjusts to being away from home and the demands of dance at a higher level than she has previously experienced. Plots include competing with friends for parts, suffering injuries and balancing school with dance. Each book included a glossary of ballet terms in the back.
Characters: Leah was the main focus here. One of the main things that stuck with me about her character was that whenever she was stressed, she would count things, such as flowers on wallpaper.
Most unrealistic aspect: I'm not sure. Ballet terms were used correctly throughout, and the descriptions of practices and performances seemed realistic, although of course I've never danced at that level and cannot say for certain. If the author wasn't a dancer, she probably was close to someone who was. Also, Leah is not some Harry Potter of ballet who is consistently the best at everything, and there's not always a happy ending. So this one probably does better than the other series in general on realism.

Friends 4-Ever. In Book #1, Molly finds out that her family will be moving from Rhode Island to Kansas to care for her dying grandfather. Her friends rally around her and assure that they will keep in touch. That basically sets the tone for the rest of the books, in which they communicate with Molly through letters until her grandfather passes on and she moves back to Crispin Landing (which is where the series jumps the shark, because the plot device of writing letters is lost). They make a lot of friendship bracelets and such. The lasting impression of these books on me is that I finally found a term for things I keep in boxes that are valuable to me and no one else: "n'stuff." Oh yeah, and when I had an exchange student stay with me in tenth grade, she read these. Without any prompting from me, she began using the term "n'stuff" as well.
Characters: Molly, who is uprooted from the only town she's ever known to live in the midwest. Stevie (Stephanie), the athletic, tomboyish one. Meg, the smart one (but kind of embarrassed about it) with blond curly hair. Laura... I don't remember anything about Laura except that she had long brown hair. Was she maybe shy and bad at math?
Most unrealistic aspect: At their age, it's probably unlikely that they would have done so well at keeping in contact with Molly (especially in the days before e-mail). But that's not terribly off-the-wall, and it's sweet and optimistic to think that they would remain friends despite their distance.

Forever Friends (not to be confused with Friends 4-Ever, or the BSC Friends Forever spin-off series, or the series about a Christian youth group, or about a million other books with this unoriginal title). This is about a group of girls who run a party-planning business. They do the food, entertainment, decorating, etc. I only read three or four of these and didn't reread them like most other series, so the few details I remember might be mixed up with the unrelated book Not Just Party Girls. The plot of doing birthday parties for kids is way too close to the BSC theme, but these books weren't as good.
Characters: I don't remember. I also couldn't find these on Amazon to check.
Most unrealistic aspect: Parents would trust kids to plan other kids' birthday parties?

Girl Talk. Yes, the name and the cover design comes from the then-popular board game. Yes, that's why I originally picked up the first book. But the stories themselves have nothing to do with the game. The voice in the first several books is distinctive enough that it was noticeable when ghostwriters took over, but these were pretty decent until that point. Upon starting junior high, a group of girls become friends, occasionally uniting against a popular group of girls (led by the evil Stacy and her henchman Laurel) but more often just supporting each other and such.
Characters: Sabs (Sabrina), a twin (her brother Sam usually features in the story as a minor player) who blushes easily and believes in astrology. Katie, a perfectionist who fights for a spot on the boys' ice-hockey team and irons everything, even her socks and underwear. Randy (Rowena), a tough rock drummer with a leather jacket. Allison, whose Native American heritage is very important to her.
Most unrealistic aspect: I'm going to go with the carnival that they organize to raise money for the environment.

Nowhere High. A group of high-schoolers (of both genders - imagine that!) deal with problems and hang out in an old train station from time to time. Issues include teen pregnancy, attempted suicide, coming out of the closet, losing virginity, finding out you're adopted, living as an emancipated minor, etc.
Characters: T.J. (Theodore), whose charisma is a necessity due to moving every few years and having to make new friends. Caro (Caroline), who can be bitchy and kind of slutty but is really a good person underneath with a deep fear of anything that might hinder her independence. Marc, football player who is rarely given any depth. Alison, whose nickname "Mouse" pretty much sums it up. Darcy, who doesn't fit in with her high-class rich family (and later finds out that being adopted might have something to do with it). Josh, whose parents make him pay rent and generally treat him poorly.
Most unrealistic aspect: No one else seems to use the abandoned train station as a hangout. Also, there's not really much to hold these kids together, but I guess their friendship could happen in real life.

Girl Friends. Another one where you'll have to look beyond the awful name, this series generally had a more optimistic tone than Nowhere High. Issues include relationship violence, pregnancy scares, being biracial, jealousy, eating disorders and dealing with a boyfriend who doesn't share your vegetarianism. Set in the northwest, these books definitely show that they were written in 1993 and 1994. All the pop culture references that helped bring these stories to life would certainly date them now. Reminiscent of Degrassi in that problems are not always solved in a single book, and there is always something going on with every character (rather than each book being about one person with the rest just hanging around in the background). The publishing company did the unforgivable in 1994 - left us with a cliffhanger and stopped making more books. Now we'll never know if it was Cassandra's boyfriend who was killed in the drive-by shooting.
Characters: Maria, who starts a support group for girls who have been abused by their boyfriends. Janis, whose hippie family starts a home for HIV-positive children. Cassandra, the ballerina who meets her boyfriend while hospitalized for bulimia. Natalie, Cassandra's cousin with a chip on her shoulder about being half-black and half-white, not to mention being uprooted from South Central L.A. to live in the suburbs. Stephanie, who grows frustrated with her juvenile delinquent younger sister and her passive mother. Jesse, Maria's protective older brother who fronts a grunge band. Edan, Jesse's bandmate and Natalie's love interest; grows roses for his family's business. Cleo, Edan's sister and Jesse's bandmate who believes she gained psychic powers from her skiing accident.
Most unrealistic aspect: A group of girls just happens to become friends, and there is exactly one Latina, one Caucasian, one African-American, one of mixed race and one Asian? (I'm not counting the last three characters I listed because they are secondary and never featured on the back cover descriptions.) I'm not saying that people of different ethnicities don't get along, but I am saying that it would be unlikely to get exactly that diverse mix.

Junior High. Speaking of details that reveal exactly when a series was published: in one installment of this series, someone orders New Coke. I only read a few of these. My favorite was one where they all switched houses with their classmates for a week.
Characters: Tracy, the ditz. Susan, the bossy one. Denise, the rich snotty one with the famous brother. Jen and Nora, best friends. Steve, who takes love advice from bad sources. I'm a little fuzzy on the others... I think there was a punk girl named Mia? A guy named Mitch who always had a skateboard? A class clown named Jason? Anyone emember this series that can clear these up for me?
Most unrealistic aspect: As interesting as it would be, I don't think you'd get a bunch of parents to agree to letting their kids switch houses for a week. Also, even though it would be a major learning experience, I don't think too many schools would let students run the place for a week, either.

Shadow Children. In a society that only allows each family to have two children, Luke has two older brothers and therefore must be kept hidden from the government (and other citizens who might turn him in for the reward of food rations). Having lived his whole life without leaving home or meeting anyone outside of his immediate family, he suddenly discovers that there are others out there like him. This starts his adventure of taking on a fake identity and fighting the government with a group of other "shadow children" and some adults who are secretly on their side. Although relatively short, the books are packed with action and plot twists. Each title begins with the words "Among the."
Characters: The primary focus is on Luke (later renamed Lee), who starts out tentative and understandably afraid of the world but learns to be brave over time. A single volume focuses on Nina (who doesn't know her own real name after using a fake one her whole life), who was raised by her aunts and never knew her parents.
Most unrealistic aspect: Well, it <I>is</I> sci-fi, so we don't demand the same sort of realism. However, it must be said that the final book tidies up everything a bit rapidly. I was kind of disappointed in the final book, actually. But I won't talk about that too much because I'll be giving too much away for anyone who wishes to read it (it just came out recently).