B Movies Blog

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping some of the books I loved growing up into the ol’ VCR.

We’ve talked about this before, but we all know that Elliott is the bookworm of B Movies. However, as a kid, I was a voracious reader. 

I participated in every summer library reading challenge and sat in the top of the AR point earners (and earned myself a Razor scooter, I might add). 

That’s why I thought it would be fun to revisit some of my favorite books and series from when I was a kid. 

These are the series I would request from my local library or titles that KP would buy for me from the bookstore. 

I even made a calendar out of the quotes in The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes in Excel and Word. 

Yes, I’m serious. 

Alrighty, I think that does us for an introduction. 

Without further ado, here are six books and series I loved growing up: 

• The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes 
• Sammy Keyes 
• Fear Street 
• Define “Normal” 
• Heir Apparent 
• Anything Christopher Pike 

The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes

The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes is mostly comprised of journal entries from the title character, Abby Hayes. The series begins when Abby is in the fifth grade as she laments about having three siblings who seem to succeed at everything they do. However, Abby soon finds her passions and realizes her talent, all while juggling the trials and tribulations of being a preteen. 

The first book in the series debuted in August of 2000, and author Anne Mazer wrote the entire series, with the last book being published in 2009. I loved this series because a) I was a baby writer finding my voice and b) I felt like Abby got me. Also, there’s some dry humor throughout that I could even appreciate as a kid. 

Sammy Keyes 

Sammy Keyes is a mystery/comedy novel series wherein our title character solves mysteries all while dealing with a vapid, star-driven mother and dodging security at her beloved grandmother’s retirement community. The series was written by Wendelin Van Draanen and lasted for 18 books. 

Like Abby Hayes, I saw a lot of myself in Sammy Keyes. She was plucky and sharp and stood out. As someone who also stood out as a kid (I wore a suit to a Camp Fire award ceremony because I was in an Annie Hall phase), I felt a kinship with her. 

Fear Street 

Fear Street is the spawn of R.L. Stein, and each tells a different paranormal/supernatural/thriller-esque story set in the fictional town of Shadyside. The first book in the series was released back in 1989, and the series has continued, albeit on and off, since then. They also inspired Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy, which most of you know is one of my favorite horror trilogies of all time. 

I feel like this is probably one of, if not THE, least surprising section on this entire list. I spent many a summer afternoons as a kid and teenager lying out on my trampoline in Soffe shorts with my Zune reading an entire book at a time. KP had grabbed any Fear Streets she came across at Goodwill and garage sales, so we had at least one entire shelf dedicated to them. 

Define “Normal” 

Julie Anne Peters’ Define “Normal” was released in 2000 (which is 24 years ago, for those keeping count — WOOF), and follows two girls, Antonia and Jazz, as they participate in a peer counseling organization. Antonia is a prep on the surface while Jazz is our punk, but as their counseling progresses, they find they have more in common than they ever could’ve imagined. 

I grew up in early to mid-aughts, so, naturally, I loved a storyline with two foils on an enemies-to-friends track. I grew up in the time of Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8r Boi,” thank you. I was “punk,” aka I wore band tees and was a little funky, but I was also an overachiever, so I felt like I related to both Antonia AND Jazz. 

Heir Apparent 

Heir Apparent was written by Vivian Vande Velde and released in 2002. The story focuses on Giannine, who must complete the quest in a medieval VR game. The catch? Every time she dies,Giannine is taken back to the beginning of the game. 

This book was a BIG deal for a lot of peeps my age. I remember Heir Apparent being hard to get a hold of at my library, so KP just bought me a copy from the Scholastic Book Fair. I love Ready Player One so much; I think it’s a great double read with Heir Apparent. 

Anything Christopher Pike 

For those not familiar with Christopher Pike, he wrote books similar to the Fear Street series, with the first being published in 1985. While a lot of these novels were one-offs, Pike did write several series like Chain Letter, The Last Vampire, and Thirst. He’s also responsible for The Midnight Club, which was adapted into the Netflix series by Mike Flanagan. 

As with Fear Street, KP kept us stocked in Christopher Pike novels, and I can’t tell you how many I’ve read over the years.