Summary
A handful of standalone books and book series defined the childhoods of millennialsdue to their timely themes or popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. Theseclassic kids' books from the 90s are still worth readingfor their literary merit as well as nostalgia for the time. Some books were defining cultural moments for young millennials because of their reception when they first came out. Others were released earlier, but are still important to this generation as they are still required reading material and demonstrate some resonant themes.
Some of these books areassigned school reading books people would pick up today, due to genuinely enjoying the book they read for class.These books reflect themes that were important to the millennial generation:idealized independence, undertones of fun horror, and a dose of existential dread. Some of these books completely transformed their genres in their time, and the legacy of millennial literature is still seen today.
9 Popular ’80s & ’90s Kids Books That Have Aged Poorly
Kids of the 1980s and 1990s are nostalgic for the popular books they read during this time, but some of these may not read as well in the modern age.
10Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark
By Alvin Schwartz
Scary Stories to Tell in the Darkis the perfect example of the morbid fascination with horror aimed at kids in the 1990s, the decade that saw the release ofThe Nightmare Before Christmas. This title might be counted alongsidetransitional movies and TV shows to introduce kids to horror.The illustrations drawn by Stephen Gammell are a huge part of the appeal ofScary Stories to Tell in the Dark,providing kids with thrills and scares through a medium arguably utilized specifically for them.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Darkwas also a cultural phenomenon in the 1990s because of how much it was challenged by parents,demanding it be banned from school libraries. Although the first volume was released in 1981, the following era is when this really picked up; theAmerican Library Associationnamed it the most contested book of the decade. However, this would have only madeScary Stories to Tell in the Darka more classic example of 90s rebellion.
Release date
1981
1984
1991
9Charlotte’s Web
By E. B. White
AlthoughCharlotte’s Webwas already a few decades old by the time millennials were reading, it was still a formative classic for this generation, perhaps being counted among thebooks that traumatized millennials.The premise ofCharlotte’s Webis simple but provokes philosophical thinking,showcasing the perspective of barnyard animals who are aware of their value to humans. It also explores themes of the natural circle of life and death, concluding with the title character’s death and three of her daughters taking her place in the barn.
Charlotte’s Web is still a staple of introducing children to literature, but it was more popular in the 1980s and 1990s.
Charlotte’s Webis still a staple of introducing children to literature, but it was more popular in the 1980s and 1990s. Maybe the subpar movie adaptations in the 2000s ruined the effect. However, with millennials coming of age at the beginning of a new millennium (hence their name), the generation was inherently about one thing ending and another beginning.Charlotte’s Webreflects this same theme through the lens of personified animalstrying to save one of their friends while accepting the loss of another.
1952
8The Boxcar Children
By Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Boxcar Childrenfirst hit bookstores in 1924, was reissued in 1942, but only picked up as a series from the 1950s onward.The first 19 books were written by first grade teacher Gertrude Chandler Warner,but the series was carried on by other authors. It still publishes new titles today, now totaling more than 160 books. The series follows four orphaned siblings who create a home for themselves in an abandoned boxcar, solving many mysteries along the way. They are later adopted by their wealthy grandfather, who has the boxcar moved to his backyard.
The Boxcar Childrenbooks were popular throughout the decades,only tapering off in the 2000s with the rise of other children’s series, although still selling enough copies to warrant its continuation. Stories about independent children going off and having their own adventures will always appeal to younger readers, but this would be especially true of millennials, arguably the first generation to have helicopter parents.The Boxcar Childrendemonstrates some of the most popular tropes of children’s literature, making it an easy sell.
Book (written by Warner only)
1924; reissued in 1942
1949
1953
1958
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
Mystery in the Sand
1971
1973
1974
1976
7Roald Dahl’s Books
By Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl’s career also predates millennials,but his corpus was standard reading material for children in the 1990s and 2000s. WhileCharlie and the Chocolate Factory,Fantastic Mr. Fox, andJames and the Giant Peachare from earlier in his career, some of his most famous titles were published within millennials' birth years. This includesGeorge’s Marvellous Medicine, The Witches, The BFG, andMatilda, now also a Broadway musical phenomenon. His books are mildly disturbing yet wonderfully imaginative, speaking to young readers across the years.
The movement created by Dahl in literature might have gone on much longer,but the author passed away in 1990. His depictions of cruel adults and freethinking children capable of outsmarting them are also widely appealing, encouraging readers to think for themselves. It is mainly due to his career ending and no new material coming out that the children of the 1980s and 1990s are more defined by Dahl — but his books are still popular today.
Book (novels only)
1943
1948
James and the Giant Peach
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
1972
Danny, the Champion of the World
1975
1978
1979
1980
1982
1983
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me
1985
1988
1990
6The Secret History
By Donna Tartt
The Secret Historywas more suited to millennial teenagers than children, but is still a defining moment of 1990s literature. The book almost single-handedly kickstarted the dark academia genre, although its characteristic supernatural elements would come later.WhileThe Secret Historywas mostly praised by critics with some negative reviews when it was first released, it was immensely popular among readersand would have been the BookTok phenomenon in its time.
The Secret Historyalso plays into some other popular genres of the 1990s, namely grim mysteries and classical-gothic aesthetics. High school students would have turned to this for something entertaining as well as intellectual. With other dark academia standalones coming out in the 2000s and bigger fantasy series taking over at the end of the 1990s,the bulk of the decade belonged toThe Secret Historyalone.
1992
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5Goosebumps
By R. L. Stine
The only series that has a bigger presence in the horror genre for millennials thanScary Stories to Tell in the Darkis R. L. Stine’s famousGoosebumpsseries, also comprising many nightmarish standalone adventures.The full collection ofGoosebumpsproperties is astounding,including the original series of 62 books, a spinoff series, a series of short story anthologies, and various adaptations and tie-ins. After a low-key reception to the first book, word gradually spread aboutGoosebumpsand a massive phenomenon began to take shape.
Every millennial was fascinated byGoosebumpsand kept returning to the novels for more terrifying tales.Iconic characters like Snappy the Dummy became famous in pop culture,whileGoosebumpsdoubtlessly contributed to the proliferation of children’s horror in 1990s. The combined movements ofGoosebumpsandScary Stories to Tell in the Darkshaped a vibrant and terrifying subgenre within millennial youth culture.
Book(s) (original series only)
Welcome to the Dead House, Stay Out of the Basement, Monster Blood, Say Cheese and Die!
The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb, Let’s Get Invisible, Night of the Living Dummy, The Girl Who Cried Monster, Welcome to Camp Nightmare, The Ghost Next Door, The Haunted Mask, Be Careful What You Wish For…, Piano Lessons Can Be Murder, The Werewolf of Fever Swamp
1993
you’re able to’t Scare Me!, One Day at HorrorLand, Why I’m Afraid of Bees, Monster Blood II, Deep Trouble, The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight, Go Eat Worms!, Ghost Beach, Return of the Mummy, Phantom of the Auditorium, Attack of the Mutant, My Hairiest Adventure
1994
A Night in Terror Tower, The Cuckoo Clock of Doom, Monster Blood III, It Came from Beneath the Sink!, Night of the Living Dummy 2, The Barking Ghost, The Horror at Camp Jellyjam, Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes, A Shocker on Shock Street, The Haunted Mask II, The Headless Ghost, The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena,
1995
How I Got My Shrunken Head, Night of the Living Dummy 3, Bad Hare Day, Egg Monsters from Mars, The Beast from the East, Say Cheese and Die—Again!, Ghost Camp, How to Kill a Monster, Legend of the Lost Legend, Attack of the Jack-O'-Lanterns, Vampire Breath, Calling All Creeps!
1996
Beware, the Snowman, How I Learned To Fly, Chicken Chicken, Don’t Go to Sleep!, The Blob That Ate Everyone, The Curse of Camp Cold Lake, My Best Friend Is Invisible, Deep Trouble II, The Haunted School, Werewolf Skin, I Live in Your Basement!, Monster Blood IV
1997
4Holes
By Louis Sachar
Coming out towards the end of the 1990s and therefore being enjoyed by younger millennials as children,Holesis a uniquely disturbing mystery and adventure book that is a staple of 2000s standalone literature.It follows a teenager who is falsely accused of a crime and sent to a juvenile detention camp where the boys spend all day every day digging holes. Although they don’t know it yet, the cruel warden is after a treasure that is foundational to the mystery of the story.
Through the lens of children’s literature, Holes is a well-crafted look at a corrupt justice system.
Through the lens of children’s literature,Holesis a well-crafted look at a corrupt justice system. The relationships among the boys, both in how they bully and defend each other, comprise an emotional an resonant story.Stanley and Zero slowly uncover a history of exploitation at Camp Green Lakewhich led to the circumstances they are in and reveals how they can escape it. Along the way, the reader gets to know some underrated, iconic characters brought to life by A-list actors in the movie adaptation.
1998
3The Baby-Sitters Club
By Ann M. Martin
The Baby-Sitters Clubshowcased self-sufficient and business-savvy endeavors for younger millennials to aspire to, while delving into various different experiences of childhood including divorce, blended families, moving, illness, and losing family members.An original group of four friends formed the BSC, a babysitting servicefor the residents of their fictional suburban town in Connecticut. The roster of babysitters changed over the years, allowing the series to explore new dynamics among the club, their families, and their clients.
Along the way, the members of the BSC have typical coming-of-age experiences like first crushes and petty rivalries. In summary,The Baby-Sitters Clubis a depiction of a normal teenage suburban experience that crams in a lot of varieties of this upbringing,released right in the middle of millennials' birth years. The original author Ann M. Martin wrote the first 35 books consecutively but is said to have written more, while several ghostwriters were brought in to carry on the series.
Book(s) (written by Martin only)
Kristy’s Great Idea, Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls, The Truth About Stacey
1986
Mary Anne Saves the Day, Dawn and the Impossible Three, Kristy’s Big Day, Claudia and Mean Janine, Boy-Crazy Stacey
1987
The Ghost at Dawn’s House, Logan Likes Mary Anne!, Kristy and the Snobs, Claudia and the New Girl, Good-Bye Stacey, Good-Bye, Hello Mallory, Little Miss Stoneybrook …. and Dawn, Jessi’s Secret Language, Mary Anne’s Bad Luck Mystery, Stacey’s Mistake, Claudia and the Bad Joke
Kristy and the Walking Disaster, Mallory and the Trouble with Twins, Jessie Ramsey, Pet-sitter, Dawn on the Coast, Kristy and the Mother’s Day Surprise, Mary Anne and the Search for Tigger, Claudia and the Sad Good-Bye, Jessi and the Superbrat, Welcome Back, Stacey!, Mallory and the Mystery Diary
1989
Mary Anne and the Great Romance, Dawn’s Wicked Stepsister, Kristy and the Secret of Susan, Claudia and the Great Search, Mary Anne and Too Many Boys, Stacey and the Mystery of Stoneybrook
2Harry Potter
By J. K. Rowling
Harry Potteris the biggest cultural event of a generation, which also came out at the end of the 1990s, when millennials were coming of age. As a coming-of-age story itself,Harry Potterwas perfectly timed for a generation also heading into the scary world of adulthood.Interestingly,Harry Potteractually takes place during the 1990s rather than mostly after it, with its starting point several years before its release date. Because the Wizarding World is somewhat divorced from Muggle culture, Harry and his friends are both typical 90s kids but have no sense of what defined the decade.
On the other hand,the fact thatHarry Potterwas just the most popular series in the world at the time made it a defining moment for millennials,rather than any thematic elements that specifically spoke to them. Things were slower for the first few books, which were the most popular in the UK. However,Harry Potterbegan to expand into something completely unprecedented in the early 2000s. The whimsical yet grim aesthetics of the Wizarding World overtook a generation and has remained popular.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone(Sorcerer’s Stonein the US)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
1999
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2000
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2003
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2005
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
2007
10 Things That Happen In Every Harry Potter Book
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter book series includes ten events or tropes that occur in one way or another in each of the seven iconic books.
1Where The Sidewalk Ends
By Shel Silverstein
On the other hand, the works of Shel Silverstein are thematically in tune with Y2K, offering a distorted version of Dahl’s literary repertoire.“Where the Sidewalk Ends” is a vivid and enigmatic poem that promises a scary but exciting adventure into the unknown,with an inevitable end coming soon. Meanwhile, many of the poems inWhere the Sidewalk Endsalso exhibit themes of questioning authority, something that was important to youth culture from the time it was released up until millennials came of age.
Its rebellious attitude is also one of the reasons it was a highly contested book, as well as the satire being used to address mature subject matter (viaBanned Books Awareness). However,Where the Sidewalk Endsalso saw re-releases for its 25th and 30th anniversaries,the timing of which demonstrates its impact on millennials. It’s fanciful yet serious nature is exactly what would have spoken to millennial children, who sought out similar books that slotted into current cultural trends.
