Tracking down a YA book series from the late 80s / early 90s
March 24, 2013 7:17 PM Subscribe
In my elementary school (circa 1989-1996, Ontario/Canada), there was a series of young adult novels that our library had. I've been trying to track them down, and Google hasn't helped with the scattershot info I remember about them. Here is what I have to go on...
Things I remember FOR SURE:
- Each book in the series had the same kind of cover: a studio photograph of a bunch of inanimate objects in a pile, set against a black background. The objects related to the plot of the book, so lightbulbs, brass knuckles, spark plugs, etc.. The title of the book was above the pile, in big bold solid coloured letters (bright blue, red, yellow, etc.) and in a font like Impact or something
- The subject matter was generally teens getting into trouble kind of deals. Skipping school, joining gangs, that kind of stuff. Very afternoon-special kinda stuff, nothing magical or supernatural
- The titles of the books were generally short and punchy
- The books themselves were pretty thin
Things I THINK I remember:
- I think two of the titles of books from the series were "GET REAL" and "NO WAY". Again, not positive about that. Google and Amazon turn up nothing
- I'm also pretty sure there were no recurring characters. Each book started from scratch - so it wasn't the adventures of a particular individual
- I think the books might have had illustrations in black and white pen sketches
- I don't remember if they were specifically Canadian, but they might have been
Hopefully that's enough to jog someone's memory. I was obsessed with these books as a kid, and would love to find them again to see how they compare today. Any help or hints would be greatly appreciated.
Things I remember FOR SURE:
- Each book in the series had the same kind of cover: a studio photograph of a bunch of inanimate objects in a pile, set against a black background. The objects related to the plot of the book, so lightbulbs, brass knuckles, spark plugs, etc.. The title of the book was above the pile, in big bold solid coloured letters (bright blue, red, yellow, etc.) and in a font like Impact or something
- The subject matter was generally teens getting into trouble kind of deals. Skipping school, joining gangs, that kind of stuff. Very afternoon-special kinda stuff, nothing magical or supernatural
- The titles of the books were generally short and punchy
- The books themselves were pretty thin
Things I THINK I remember:
- I think two of the titles of books from the series were "GET REAL" and "NO WAY". Again, not positive about that. Google and Amazon turn up nothing
- I'm also pretty sure there were no recurring characters. Each book started from scratch - so it wasn't the adventures of a particular individual
- I think the books might have had illustrations in black and white pen sketches
- I don't remember if they were specifically Canadian, but they might have been
Hopefully that's enough to jog someone's memory. I was obsessed with these books as a kid, and would love to find them again to see how they compare today. Any help or hints would be greatly appreciated.
Best answer: I have a guess: the Encounters Series. In particular, No Way seems like a good match.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 7:25 PM on March 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Monsieur Caution at 7:25 PM on March 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
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posted by mai at 7:24 PM on March 24, 2013