Chapter Books

They were the darlings of the school book fair and the yardstick for many a kid to measure their reading prowess by (“readers” were for babies!): the humble chapter book. And moms everywhere silently marked their kids moving from books with pictures to books with words as one more goodbye to childhood.

Popular 80s Chapter Books

Stuart Little – E.B. White
Abel’s Island -E.B. White
Charlotte’s Web -E.B. White
Stories from Grandma’s Attic
More Stories from Grandma’s Attic
Harriet the Spy
My Side of the Mountain
Choose Your Own Adventure books
Nancy Drew Mysteries
The BoxCar Children series
The Five Children and It
Babysitter’s Club Little Sister books- Ann M. Martin
The 100 Dresses
The Winnie the Pooh Books -A.A. Milne
SuperFudge – Judy Blume
FreckleJuice- Judy Blume
How to Eat Fried Worms – Thomas Rockwell
Lizard Music- Daniel L. Pinkwater
The Borrowers- Mary Norton
My. Popper’s Penguins – Florence Atwater
Mary Poppins- Mary Travers
The Jungle Book- Rudyard Kipling
Runaway Ralph– Beverly Cleary
The Betsy-Tacey books- Maud Hart Lovelace
Nate the Great Series
The Babysitters Club Series -Ann M. Martin
Sweet Valley Twins Series -Francine Pascal
The Mixed of Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler – E.L. Konigsburg
The Ramona Books -Beverly Cleary
The Mouse and the Motorcycle– Beverly Cleary
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory –Roald Dahl
The BFG -Roald Dahl
The Witches -Roald Dahl
Matilda -Roald Dahl
James and the Giant Peach -Roald Dahl
Fantastic Mr. Fox – Roald Dahl
Little House in the Big Woods –Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little House on the Prairie -Laura Ingalls Wilder
By the Banks of Plum Creek -Laura Ingalls Wilder
By the Shores of Silver Lake -Laura Ingalls Wilder
Farmer Boy -Laura Ingalls Wilder

These Happy Golden Years -Laura Ingalls Wilder
Misty of Chincoteague – Marguerite Henry
Sideways Stories of Wayside School – Louis Sachar
The Phantom Tollbooth -Norton Juster
“Alex” book series – Nancy S. Levene
Abracadabra series – Bantam
Animal Inn series – Virginia Vail
Bad News Ballet series – Jahanna N. Malcolm
Camp Sunnyside Friends series – Marilyn Kaye
“Collette” Series – Colleen O’Shaughnessy McKenna
Cranberry Cousins series – Christie Wells
Dear Diary series- Carrie Randall
Elsie Edwards books – Barthe DeClements
Fifth Grade S.T.A.R.S. series – Lisa Norby
The Forever Friends Club series- Cindy Savage
Friends Forever series- Deirdre Corey
Galaxy Gang mysteries – Milton and Gloria Dank
“Kobie” books – Candace F. Ransom
Peanut Butter and Jelly books- Dorothy Haas
The Pink Parrots series – Lucy Ellis
Pratt Twins books – Cynthia Blair
The Saddle Club series – Bonnie Bryant
Samantha Slade books – Susan Smith
Sleepover Friends series – Susan Saunder
The Treehouse Times books – Page McBrier
Three of a Kind – Marilyn Kaye
Always and Forever Friends – Carol C.S.Adler
Shelter on Blue Barns Road – Carol C.S. Adler
Goodbye Pink Pig – Carol C.S. Adler
Help Pink Pig – Carol C.S. Adler
Call Me Friday the 13th – Louise Bates Ames
The Journey of the Shadow Bairns – Margaret J. Anderson
Terry on the Fence – Bernard Ashley
Helen Keller- Lorena A. Hickok