When I was about ten years old, I wanted nothing more than to be a babysitter. I wanted to organize all my clients in an index card file box and earn a little extra cash. And the reason for this passionate desire was rooted solely in one of my favorite book series: The Babysitter’s Club.
The series by Ann M. Martin was one of my go-to options in my elementary school days when I wanted something new to read. I can’t even count how many different books in the series I owned, but there were lots of them.
They weren’t alone on my bookshelf. I had plenty of books in other beloved series: The Boxcar Children, R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps, Nancy Drew. (And yes, when I discovered that R.L. Stine was on Twitter last year, I had a total flashback fan girl moment.)
These are the the books that shaped my childhood and influenced what I would go onto read in my teens and into adulthood. That’s the magic of middle grade literature. These are the stories that capture our imaginations and spark a passion for reading as we grow up.
I’m not alone in feeling nostalgic about my favorite middle grade reads. When I asked friends on Twitter and Facebook, I received overwhelming responses. Here are some of the other beloved series you guys mentioned:
- Sweet Valley Twins & Sweet Valley High
- Nancy Drew
- Choose Your Own Adventure
- The Gymnasts
- Fear Street
- Black Cauldron series
- Anne of Green Gables
- Trixie Belden
- The Great Brain
- The Dark is Rising series
- Encyclopedia Brown
For the comments: What were YOUR favorite middle grade books/series? Tell us below!
Novel Novice 
I was obsessed with The Babysitter’s Club, Goosebumps, and Joanna Campbell’s Thoroughbred series. I also read some of the Boxcar Children and Sweet Valley books. Posts like this make me feel so old!
This is awesome. I have a nine year old who has many of these same books on her shelve, as she is an avid reader too. She also enjoys Judy Blume and writing her own stories. We read some current series together such as Cassandra Claire’s Mortal Instruments.
Loved The Babysitters Club
I loved the A to Z Mysteries. I almost read the entire series too, but by the time the author finished I had moved on.
Oh goodness, what child of the 80s/90s DIDN’T love the BSC?? SVT were a close second. And I loved Choose Your Own Adventure too! I distinctly remember loving (non series books) Libby on Wednesday and Glass Slippers Give You Blisters. Ah, memories 🙂
This is a fun topic for a post. I’m glad to see some favorites on the list, especially the Prydain Chronicles, the Dark is Rising, and anything by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Another favorite of mine was Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quartet (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, etc.).
I also enjoyed the Babysitter’s Club books and Choose Your Own Adventures. Alas, this shows my age. 🙂