Those of you who came of age in the 1990’s probably remember the Scholastic book orders. Once a month, the teacher handed out those colorful little order forms that listed all of the books available to students that month (this was pre-Amazon, of course). I pored over all the options and saved up my allowance to buy Babysitter’s Club and American Girl books, most of which set me back $0.99 to $2.99.
If the desired book was more expensive, I could usually get Mom to write a check for the sake of literacy. Recently I found myself reminiscing about all the books I read back in the day (for those of you who have kids in school, do they still hand out book orders and if so, how much do Scholastic books cost nowadays?). Now if I usually hit up the library (and befriend book publicists) for reading material, because books have gotten very expensive. Yes, they last longer than a movie, but at the rate I plow through them, I rarely pay full price. What do you miss about your childhood?
Thursday, July 5, 2007
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9 comments:
I LOVED those Scholastic book orders! I used to order the adolescent equivalent of pulp fiction novels. Being a boy, there was no BSC, but there was Judy Blume and Goosebumps (which I think I actually bought from a real store) then I'd made a cardboard 'box set' to snuggly fit them, complete with foil. I had to make a new one every time but...
The other thing I have fond memories of (and was just thinking about trying to dig out of the attic) was the Scholastic books on tape from my elementary school days. I remember books like The Hungry Thing and various other clever stories that I'd listen to every night before bed. That was the best.
There's an anthology that just came out and features essays about how Judy Blume impacted people's adolescence.
Those were the days - my brother was obsessed with Goosebumps!
Yes, we had those in canada even in the 1970s!! I loved ordering the books I wanted from the little catalogue. I wish I had kept some of those books esp. the ones that had interviews with tv personalities of the day. I remember having one that had interviews from the cast of Little House on the Prairie, Diff'rent Strokes and What's Happenin' . I still have a couple copies of the other paperback books stored away (I dogeared copy of the "Witch of Blackbird Pond" and "Cat in the Mirror" by Mary Stolz.)
I have deemed you a Rockin' Girl Blogger - see my blog for details! :)
Oh Scholastic Books. Oh the Babysitters Club. Nothing better than a Club book and a packet of nerds by the pool during summer vacation.
Susan,
Funny you should post about this...I just found a book order at my sister's house, from my niece's preschool. I was ECSTATIC! I ordered one book, a picture book, for $2.99.
They had one .99cent special, and a few $1.99 specials.
I can't wait for my book order to come in!
Hope you had a great weekend!
truly,
Sylvia C.
Honey, I got excited about them when I got them and when my kids got them!! I can't say what they cost now, but about seven years ago, they were still awfully cheap ($3 to $6 for most).
I loved a few favorites from that list: The Snowy Day, The Carrot Seed, Little Bear, Ferdinand... my kids bought classics like The Church Mouse (hilarious book!); Amos, the Story of an Old Dog and his Sofa; Ferdinand and I talked them into Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.
Ah, the memories. :)))
April, sorry I'm a little late in responding. Thanks for the plug, and I'll post in the next few days!
Ah yes, I remember the Arrow Book Club & Scholastic Books growing up in New England in the 1960's. Being one of the "class nerds" & always having a book with me, I would devour the monthly order list. My favorites were "Helen Keller", "Patricia's Dream", "Snow Treasure", & "Escape From Warsaw". Also another book I remember vividly, but can't remember the title - story was about a young boy accidently blinded by friends playing with firecrackers. Anyway, the story stuck with me so even to this day I still remind my grown-up offspring every year around the 4th of July about the dangers of fireworks. Book prices were about 59 cents to $1.99 I wish I had saved some of those books for my kids to enjoy. I love your new template.
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