Sunday, February 25, 2007

A Series to Remember

Have you guys noticed how many YA books come in series? I used to love series. When I was into a character, I couldn't get enough of them. I would wait anxiously every month to see what new book came out and immediately get it from the library. For my birthday, if I ever go a boxed set of series book, hoo-boy, was I ever a happy girl. I was a nerd :)

1) The Little House series...I think this is actually considered middle grade, but who cares? I can sit and re-read ON THE BANKS OF PLUM CREEK any day of the week. These were the first chapter books I read after moving to the U.S. and learning English. I devoured the first book LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS at least 45 times, before discovering the rest of the series. Loved them all. Still do.

2) Anne of Green Gables series. Loved Anne. Loved Marilla. Loved Gil. This is another series that I can sit and read anytime. The characterizations in the books are so excellent that I can, to this day, imagine what each of those characters would do in a specific situation. My favorite of the series was ANNE OF AVONLEA, when she goes to college and falls in love with Gil. Who doesn't love a story of a "horrid little girl" who finds her place in the world in a sleepy little town?

3)Little Women. This was my earliest "girl power" book and I've read certain chapters of this a hundred times. Jo March is one of my all-time favorite female characters. I didn't care much for JO'S BOYS or LITTLE MEN much though...

4)Babysitters Club Series. Yeah, I know. But still, they were such great stories. Excellent characterizations. I remember, I wanted to dress like Stacey, do my hair like Claudia, play sports like Kristy and be sweet like Mary Anne. When I go into the YA section and see rows of these lined up, I still get misty.

5)Sweet Valley Series. Okay, I admit it. I like the sleaze involved in these stories...especially Jessica's Journal and Elizabeth's Diary. When I go into the YA section, I can't help but pick up the latest of these books to see what the twins are doing nowadays...

What are some series you guys liked as teens?

Dona Sarkar-Mishra
-------'----,----@ @----,-----'-------
HOW TO SALSA IN A SARI - January 2008 from Kimani Tru
dona@donasarkarmishra.com
http://www.donasarkarmishra.com
http://donasarkar.blogspot.com
http://booksboysbuzz.com

6 comments:

TinaFerraro said...

Little Women was definitely a favorite. And I loved the books by Beverly Clearly, even though they were already dated at the time. I read quite a few Babysitter's Club with my niece and daughter some years back, and liked them, as well!

Tina

Lisa Asanuma said...

I definitely loved Anne (almost as much as I loved Gilbert) and Little Women, though I still get frustrated that Jo doesn't end up with Laurie. Le sigh.

My favorite YA series to date, though (and this is going to age me as very young. lol) is the [unfortunately incomplete] Fingerprints series by Melinda Metz (who also wrote the Roswell High books). It's not amazingly written, but the concepts were brilliant and the character of Rae Voight was so clearly developed and so much someone who I wanted to know and be around. It's a little paranormal, which I don't usually read, but I really loved it, and I still do, though reading it kind of bums me out since it was supposed to be a ten book series and was cut off at seven.

stephhale said...

I liked Nancy Drew and anything Beverly Cleary. I was also quite enamored with the Sweet Valley High twins! :)
xo,
Steph
www.stephaniehale.com

Little Willow said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Little Willow said...

I love The Baby-Sitters Club!

Lisa Asanuma said...

I also read Trixie Belden, who was the less-popular more tomboy version of Nancy Drew. Good stuff.