11 of the Best Throwback Books Every '90s Kid Loved
1/13When you weren’t old enough to drive and Instagram didn’t exist yet, you spent a lot of your time reading books. (And hey, we still do...or at least, try to, in between papers and tests and work assignments.) It's easy to forget as we get older that reading is a pleasure, not a requirement, but as children, we were able to block out soccer practice and broccoli, all thanks to our favorite book series. No one knows better than '90s kids what it’s like to get lost with their favorite characters and let their imaginations run wild, and it’s all thanks to these 11 series:
2/13The Baby-Sitters Club
Reading about a lovable group of hardworking girls from Stoneybrook, Connecticut was enough to make you want to be a little nicer to your babysitter when your parents went out for a night on the town. Teaching lessons of life, love, and friendship, the Baby-Sitters Club series was one an all-time fave. It was easy to latch onto one girl as your favorite (wassup, Claudia) and when America finally wised up and made the books into a movie, who wasn't ecstatic?! No one, that's who.
3/13Harry Potter
The seven novels that make up the Harry Potter series were released over the course of 10 years, but every time a new book was set to go on sale at midnight, it was imperative that every '90s kid drag their parents down to Barnes and Noble to get their sticky hands on a copy A.S.A.P. We grew up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and still consider the trio to be some of our most faithful friends.
4/13The Bunnicula Series
Told from the perspective of the Monroe family’s dog, Harold, Bunnicula chronicles the tale of a vampiric rabbit who instead of sucking blood, drains the life out of vegetables. Whose mom didn't throw a salty side eye their way when they refused to finish their brocooli? Better yet, who didn't fervently wish that Bunnicula was real and would take care of their greens for them? Alas, you had no bunny, only a lackluster turtle.
5/13Captain Underpants Series
TRA-LA-LAAA! Captain Underpants soared through the air with the greatest of ease, and made us wish we had super powers of our own. Set up in the style of a comic book, Captain Underpants followed the exploits of two elementary school pranksters, George and Harold, as they hypnotized their meddling teacher and accidentally convinced him that he was a tighty-whitey-wearing wonder.
6/13A Series of Unfortunate Events
Daniel Handler a.k.a. Lemony Snicket shook up children’s literature with the creation of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Using 13 novels to tell the story of the orphaned Baudelaire children — Violet, Klaus, and Sunny — and their search for the truth, these stories were fresh, exciting, and kept you on the edge of your seat. Who knows, Count Olaf could still be out there lurking in disguise…
7/13Sweet Valley High
Although this series technically began in the '80s, it was published all the way until 2003. The hijinks of Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield captivated every girl and made us all wish desperately for a twin sister. Most of us, unfortunately, had to resort to making a little brother and/or dog pretend to be our twin, to the chagrin of mothers everywhere.
8/13Goosebumps
In third grade you thought you were old enough to handle Goosebumps. You were wrong, so wrong. To this day, thinking about R.L. Stine’s spooky tales sends a shiver down your spine. Even though the chapter books terrified you, you did learn some valuable lessons, like never go into a basement alone, stay away from ventriloquist dummies, and never touch mysterious goo.
9/13A Light in the Attic
Although not technically a series in its own right, A Light in the Attic was a collection of poems that made young minds feel curious and creative. With lessons and quips on everything from how to make drying the dishes fun to embracing your inner weirdness, this book supplied you with enough food for thought for a lifetime.
10/13The Wayside School series
Originally published in 1978, Sideways Stories from Wayside School was a known commodity with '90s kids because of its follow-up stories, Wayside School is Falling Down (1989) and Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger (1995). Featuring a mysterious classroom on the 30th floor, evil teachers, and students who all have something slightly unusual about them, the Wayside School series made you feel like maybe your elementary school wasn’t so bad after all — or that interesting.
11/13Ramona
Whether you were a little sister or a big sister, you could relate to Ramona Quimby. Spunky, inquisitive, and always hot on the trail of her older sister, Beezus, there was a piece of this lovable protagonist in all of us. Beverly Cleary wrote tons of books about the clever younger sister, and she was always finding her way into shenanigans (like getting duped into eating cow tongue by her mom).
12/13Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Even from a young age you knew there was something deeply disturbed about the writing of Alvin Shwartz. The three-book series played upon urban legends to haunt your dreams, and keep you up late into the night asking your mom to rub your back until you fell asleep. It was recently announced that the series will be adapted into a movie by Guillermo del Toro, meaning your childhood fears can now be revisited. Don’t worry, you have plenty of time to schedule a back-scratching sesh with your mom before you see it in theaters.
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