SOLVED. Older MG book - part of the plot is the mc getting her first period (LOL) [s]

[Laina]

I believe the book was part of a series. I only really remember weird details, like how there was an ice cream barn thing where they ordered something called a Brown Cow. And then later in the book, one of the big plots is the girl gets her first period. I remember especially her having a lot of adventures with the pads - sticking 'em to her leg hair is a good one - and then later having to buy them, standing staring at the aisle of the boxes and then running into a boy she knew and hiding the box behind her while being just mortified. Also she may have been a runner or swimmer - maybe runner and part of the plot was a big race?

I think part of the series was that they alternated between the different girls and thinking about that made me remember something like the main girl has a fight with one of her friends, and makes a new friend but eventually makes up with her old friend.

Would have been read between the very late 90s and early 20s, but could be slightly older because I believe it was secondhand. Probably not earlier than 90s, though.

(edited to separate books)

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Laina, you do need to separate this into two requests otherwise it gets way too confusing. Also please add plot details to your headers - more people will read them then.

[Laina]

Lobstergirl wrote: "Laina, you do need to separate this into two requests otherwise it gets way too confusing. Also please add plot details to your headers - more people will read them then."

Okey-dokey, I just didn't want to spam! I'll edit :)

[Tab]

Laina, do you remember anything about the cover?
Time period/location the story takes place?
Tone: serious, humorous, etc?

[Library Lady 📚]

Not Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret?

[Laina]

Nope, not even close. Margaret's a lot about religious searching, too, and they only put disposable pads in for later reprintings, as it was published when they used belts :P Much older!!

[Laina]

Oh, and I *think* there may have been a girl running on the cover? I think she was a runner, and a big part of it was her racing. I think it had humourous moments, but wasn't entirely comedy. Kind of slice-of-lifey, maybe?

[Laina]

Bump

[N]

Could this have been one of Marilyn Sachs's books, maybe Thirteen Going on Seven? My memory of this is pretty dim, I'm afraid, but the descriptions I've found mention that Dezzy gets her first period and goes jogging with her father, although I don't remember if she was a runner, really. Not sure if this was part of a series or a stand-alone, but many of Sachs's books follow related characters.

[Laina]

No, none of hers, sorry!!

[Sophie]

Maybe one of the Alice books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor?

[Laina]

Nope, I know those and definitely not!

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

The Long Secret? Probably too old. Harriet the Spy and her friends discuss menstruation.

[Laina]

Yeah, too old, and I'd remember (Harriet the Spy fangirl XD)

[Laina]

Any new guesses?

[Laina]

*bumps*

[Cat]

Maybe one of these two

[Laina]

Nope, I actually own both and just read them like a year ago. Thanks anyways!

[Tab]

Dagmar Schultz and the Green-Eyed Monster, maybe? I skimmed a review and the main character gets her first period. It's part of the Dagmar Schultz series (it's not marked as such on Goodreads).

Or, The Secret Life of Dagmar Schultz.

The other books in the series are Dagmar Schultz & the Angel Edna and Dagmar Schultz and the Powers of Darkness

[Laina]

No, there was nothing for magic in it. Straight contemporary.

[Laina]

*gentle bumping*

I thought perhaps I could clarify a bit what I mean by "series" here? In this particular case, I don't mean solely a series of books, but a packaged series from that time, along the lines of Baby-Sitter's Club, or like the Campy Sunnyside books, or other books where they were packaged as a series, sort of.

Or at least that's what I remember!

[HeavyReader]

oh, this book seems familiar to me, but I can't come up with a title. Sorry. I'll keep thinking.

[Laina]

AT LEAST I DIDN'T IMAGINE IT.

That helps, it really does XD I have another floating around I swear I made up, lol.

[HeavyReader]

I remember the Brown Cow and the scene where she is trying to decide which pads to buy and running into the boy. Of course, those plot points may have been in many books aimed at young teenage girls in the 80s.

Good luck! If you find it, maybe I'll get to add it to my shelf too.

[Laina]

It seems so specific to me, though, LOL. Here's hoping someone knows it!

[Tab]

A stretch, but The Miraculous Makeover of Lizard Flanagan

[Laina]

Ha, I've read a couple of her dork books... Unfortunately, that's not it. No beauty pagent angle at all! Thanks anyways! :)

[N]

Maybe I'VE LOST MY BEST FRIEND in Megan Howard's Diary S.O.S. series? I don't have the book on hand to check, but Google Books reveals both Brown Cow and period/pads.

[Laina]

YES. It sounded SO familiar and then I checked Amazon and I know that cover http://www.amazon.com/LOST-BEST-FRIEN... !!!!!

Now I just need a rich benefactor to buy it for me XD