DIANA RODRIGUEZ WALLACH

So I saw this article on important women of politics discussing their love of Nancy Drew. I think Sonia Sotomayor started the discussion, and it really got me thinking. You see, my mom used to own a volume of hardback Nancy Drew books that looked older than she was. And I never read them. I grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, I wanted shiny pink covers like The Babysitter’s Club and Sweet Valley High to go with my permed hair and stretch pants.

In fact, I don’t really remember any girls in my class reading Nancy Drew. But man, did we own those Babysitter books. I’m not really sure what happened to my mom’s set. Most likely, she gave them away. She gave away a lot of our books to coworkers who had younger kids, which was nice and all. But now as an adult, I really wish we still had those Nancy Drews so that, at the very least, I could see what everyone is talking about.

But alas, they’re sitting in someone else’s attic right now. Thanks, Mom! (Though in all fairness to her, she didn’t know I’d grow up to write young adults books. She saved my Barbies.)

But, sadly, off with the Nancy Drew set also went my Christopher Pike books.

I loved Christopher Pike. Like, seriously loved him. I wanted to eat his pages. Chain Letter, Remember Me, Fall Into Darkness, Sati, were just a few of my favorites. And now that my WIP is dipping into the YA mystery genre, I really wish I still had those books.

Now I know what you thinking. Go online and buy them.

And I could.

They’re available, some for less than $1 used. But most have these new Hollywood covers with teen actors who must have starred in TV movies based on the novels. Like, did you know that Fall Into Darkness was made into a movie? It starred Tatyana Ali (from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air) and Jonathan Brandis (who I just read died a few years back. So sad. I had no idea.).

But my point is, they’re not the covers I remember. If I really want the sensory experience of reconnecting with these books, I want the cover with Ann’s necklace on the rock. Not the cover with Jonathan and Tatiana.

Same with Twilight. As much as I love Kristen and Rob, why would anyone want this mass market cover over the iconic image of the hands holding the apple? Maybe it’s just me. But putting real actors on the cover takes some of the mystery out of the book. You can’t read it now without thinking of them. What do you think?

And now in belated, loving memory of Jonathan Brandis, who may have been one of my first teen crushes after he starred in Ladybugs with Rodney Dangerfield, here’s a clip of Fall Into Darkness.

POP CULTURE RANT: 16 and Pregnant

Am I the only one who hasn’t seen this show? I feel like the entire YA community is talking about MTV’s latest reality show featuring, presumably, teenagers who are pregnant and deciding what to do next. So I’ve succumbed to peer pressure. I just set the DVR to record three episodes. And because MTV runs this program at least 20 times a day, all these episodes will be recorded within the next 48 hours. I’ll let you know my thoughts afterwards—including my thoughts on Dr. Drew’s post-labor show with teenagers on the trials of breast-feeding.