Kidlit of 1975
I’m celebrating my 50th birthday this year, so I thought it would be interesting to explore what children’s books — middle grade and young adult — were published 50 years ago in 1975. Children’s literature looked pretty different back then. It was a much smaller world, with fewer clear divisions between age groups and a lot less diversity in authors and characters.
When I looked back at what was published in 1975, I found a lot of familiar books and authors. So many favorites from my childhood! Here are some that I found notable and memorable.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (1975)
This fantasy YA by Babbitt could be seen as a precursor to the dystopian trend that took over the age group decades later. Winnie Foster discovers the secret of the Tuck family — they drink from a stream that grants them immortality. An exploration of the gifts of mortality and a long life.
Forever by Judy Blume (1975)
I read and loved tons of Judy Blume books growing up. She is such a great voice for children. Forever is one of her books geared toward teens, and this one was super memorable to me because it had SEX in it! Actual SEX! Thanks, Judy, for giving us books to read about real kids and real life, and even SEX.
Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary (1975)
Beverly Cleary books filled my bookshelf when I was a kid. And Ramona was a favorite because she got into and out of trouble. I will always remember Ramona’s father telling her: Once is funny, twice is silly, three times is a spanking. I haven’t applied that to my parenting, but I have certainly felt like it some days! In Ramona the Brave, her mother is getting a job (shocking!), they are building an addition onto the house (exciting!), and Susan at school is annoying (maddening!).
The Grey King by Susan Cooper (1975)
This Newbery Award winner is the fourth book (of five) in The Dark Is Rising high fantasy series. Drawn from the folklore of the British Isles and Norse mythology, the series tells of magical beings called the Old Ones who wield the power of The Light in an epic battle against The Dark. Some of the business of the books is the search for the Things of Power, which will aid The Light in their fight. (Tell me you don’t love Cooper’s names for things.) In The Grey King, Will Stanton, a seventh son of a seventh son, is recuperating after an illness when he meets the son of King Arthur.
Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl (1975)
I’ve already expressed my affection for Roald Dahl’s crazy creations on this blog. In Danny…, the protagonist lives in a caravan and fixes cars with his dad. Their antagonist is the beer magnate Mr. Hazell. Danny’s father poaches pheasant on Mr. Hazell’s land and gets into a number of scrapes. Danny’s relationship with his father and the stories told are the delight of this book.
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger (1975)
Ooh, I loved Danziger books when I was a teen. The kids felt real and their stories meaningful to similarly suburban me. In The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, Marcy is frustrated by her weight and her overbearing father. Her English teacher, Ms. Finney, opens her eyes to a new way of thinking and being. When Ms. Finney is suspended for her unorthodox teaching methods, Marcy organizes a protest in support, causing an uproar at school and home.
The Tattoed Potato and Other Clues by Ellen Raskin (1975)
I have to admit that I didn’t read The Tattoed Potato… until recently, but Raskin’s books, especially The Westing Game, were a big part of my childhood. This book is a set of six short mysteries solved by Dickory Dock. When Dickory becomes a painter’s assistant at 12 Cobble Lane, she discovers a series of puzzles within.
Dragonwings by Laurence Yep (1975)
Moon Shadow moves to the United States when he is nine and meets his father for the first time there. Set in the early 1900s, Yep’s book depicts the challenges Chinese immigrants faced in America. Moon Shadow and his father dream of becoming aviators and flying like dragons in the stories they love. Dragonwings won a Newbery Honor and was the first in a series of historical fiction books by Yep.