Synopses & Reviews
Review
“A nostalgic and hilarious tour through teen bookshelves and the Golden Age of YA literature.” Bitch Media
Review
“A history lesson, sociological study, and nostalgia trip in one.” Hello Giggles
Review
“A researched and nostalgic look back at what made the genre so successful, from cover art and feminist themes to fan favorite authors and publishers.” Chicago Tribune
Synopsis
A hilarious and nostalgic trip through the history of paperback pre-teen series of the 80s and 90s. Every twenty- or thirty-something woman knows these books. The pink covers, the flimsy paper, the zillion volumes in the series that kept you reading for your entire adolescence. Spurred by the commercial success of Sweet Valley High and The Babysitters Club, these were not the serious-issue YA novels of the 1970s, nor were they the blockbuster books of the Harry Potter and Twilight ilk. They were cheap, short, and utterly beloved.
PAPERBACK CRUSH dives in deep to this golden age with affection, history, and a little bit of snark. Readers will discover (and fondly remember) girl-centric series on everything from correspondence (Pen Pals and Dear Diary) to sports (The Pink Parrots, Cheerleaders, and The Gymnasts) to a newspaper at an all-girls Orthodox Jewish middle school (The B.Y. Times) to a literal teen angel (Teen Angels: Heaven Can Wait, where an enterprising guardian angel named Cisco has to earn her wings "by helping the world's sexist rock star.") Some were blatant ripoffs of the successful series (looking at you, Sleepover Friends and The Girls of Canby Hall), some were sick-lit tearjerkers la Love Story (Abby, My Love) and some were just plain perplexing (Uncle Vampire ) But all of them represent that time gone by of girl-power and endless sessions of sustained silent reading.
In six hilarious chapters (Friendship, Love, School, Family, Jobs, Terror, and Tragedy), Bustle Features Editor Gabrielle Moss takes the reader on a nostalgic tour of teen book covers of yore, digging deep into the history of the genre as well as the stories behind the best-known series.
About the Author
Gabrielle Moss is the author of GLOP: Nontoxic, Expensive Ideas That Will Make You Look Ridiculous and Feel Pretentious (HarperCollins, 2016). She is a features editor at Bustle and her work has appeared in the New Yorker, Slate, GQ.com, the Hairpin, and many other fine publications. She lives in New York City.