I asked y’all on Instagram what you wanted me to post today and the response was overwhelmingly clear: what cringy books did my cringy self read in middle school?
My taste in literature hasn’t changed much considering I would still read most of these books, but I’ve definitely gained an appreciation for quality literature while still enjoying a trashy read every once in a while.
Here’s what thirteen-year-old Annie had on her bookshelf:
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
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I was that kid who participated in Battle of the Books, which is how I was introduced to Fever 1793. This book is about the outbreak of yellow fever in, you guessed it, 1793, and how protagonist Mattie and her family cope with the onslaught of disease. I remember reading this book and being fascinated with the idea that Mattie’s life wasn’t tied up in a nice little bow after the story ended. I also remember being totally grossed out at the concept of bloodletting.
The Gallagher Girls Series by Ally Carter
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Did you think I would write a blog post without mentioning Ally Carter? That’s cute. My friends and I were so obsessed with this series that we renamed all of our classes using class names from this series. But has anything changed? Am I still obsessed with these books? Do I still hold out hope that I’ll be a Gallagher Girl one day? Yes, yes, and yes.
The Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz
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Keeping with the spy theme, teenage spy extraordinaire Alex Rider from Stormbreaker was my first literary crush. In addition to renaming all of our classes, my friends and I spoke in English accents at lunch because Alex Rider was British.
The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
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The Hunger Games was the first book I remember being challenged by. I was used to flying through books at warp speed, but this book took me several weeks to finish not because I was dragging my feet, but because I wanted to soak in every word.
The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
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Before I was permitted to read Twilight, my mom insisted that she read it through to make sure it was appropriate. As she was reading, I went up to her every few minutes and asked if she was done yet. Eventually, she got so tired of me checking in that she gave up and just let me read it.
Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
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To this day, I maintain that this book deserved much more attention than it got. Flygirl is about a biracial girl in the 1940s who enlists as a pilot. I loved this book so much that when I finished it, I would start reading it all over again.
What books did you love in middle school? Did you read any of my favorites?
Related Post: Books Recommendations for Your Harry Potter House
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I remember the cover of Fever! I honestly don’t know if I ended up reading that book though. I also recently added Ally Carter to my TBR. I was telling someone I wanted more board school stories in my life and they mentioned her. I’m not sure if it’s the series you mentioned. Judging from the covers it looks like it could be since she is wearing a uniform. I am excited to read her books. I know people really like Ally Carter’s books. Better late than never.
Fever was definitely a hyped book ๐ and yes totally read Ally Carter!! I think Gallagher Girls (the series I mentioned) is my favorite so it’s definitely a great place to start!!
I just checked and it was the Gallagher Girls that I recently added to my TBR. I am so excited to read that series. I always remember seeing the books but I just never picked them up. Better late than never.
Yay so excited for you!! Hope you love them!!
I loved the Gallagher Girls series! My friend and I mainly read them because we were obsessed with spies and the author had the same name as me, and luckily we ended up enjoying them too haha
Ugh they’re the best!!
omg this is such a fun post! i had to read Fever 1793 for a class and my middle school made suuuuch a huge thing of it. we had a Fever Day and everything. so weird.
omg that sounds slightly strange but also the kind of thing I would’ve thought was super cool!!
I’m way old. I do recall my daughter actually READ the first Twilight book (memorable because she is not a reader). One book I really liked that deserves a re-boot is Where the Lillies Bloom. A gross one (one scene) was A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck. They eat the nuts they find in a squirrels stomach after they butcher it. BLECH.
i read twilight and thg during my middle school too! i didn’t really enjoyed thg, but i remember quite enjoying twilight ๐
Yes, Alex Rider & Twilight! I loved them in primary school!