SOLVED. '80s or '90s Middle Grade series with elementary or middle school main characters. A plus-sized girl, maybe twelve years old, loses weight and attracts an older teenage guy she isn't ready for

[Nadine]

Hello!

I'm looking for a middle grade series or related books I read back in the early or mid-1990s. As I recall, both boys and girls are main characters in the series, and I think they're all students at the same elementary or middle school. (But it isn't one of those long series where the characters basically stay the same age for 30 to 200 books, like The Boxcar Children or The Baby-Sitters Club. 😄 )

In the one story I remember the most from the series, one of the characters, a plus-sized girl, has lost weight. But she also has womanly curves already, and after a makeover, she looks older than her age, which is probably twelve. She meets a teenage boy who doesn't know how young she is, and he wants to hang out with her.

(view spoiler)[When she does hang out with the teenage boy one day, she shows him around someplace or to some activity in her town or neighborhood, but he isn't really that enthused. Then she takes him up to her favorite tree house or something, and he approves, commenting on the privacy of the spot. She doesn't really know what he's getting at until he starts trying to make out with her, and she panics, finally confessing that she's only twelve, or whatever her younger age is. He's surprised, put off, and he cuts their date short, leaving her there by herself. (hide spoiler)]

The series' book covers had images of the characters: illustrations, I think, but with a realistic style. (Not a cartoonish look.) If I recall correctly, the particular book I remember about the curvy girl shows her on the cover after her makeover, with her possibly blond hair in a trendy short cut, and she's wearing lipstick, either magenta or red. Maybe she's wearing a green sweater? She's looking over her shoulder at a smiling teenage boy right behind her, who appears to have stopped her to talk to her.

It isn't a children's fantasy series, or wacky like the Wayside School books. I guess you could call the series pretty upbeat realistic fiction.

Any ideas about the title or author? Or the names of '80s or '90s middle grade series with kids handling realistic situations?

Thanks!

[Rainbowheart]

Dang, I should know this!

The Older Boy, Dawn and the Older Boy, The Boy-Oh-Boy Next Door, and Spring Break are all series books featuring crushes on older boys, but I don't think any of these have the weight loss aspect.

I've been through the Crushes in YA and Middle Grade Fiction list and didn't spot it, but you might want to have a look just in case.

[Nadine]

Rainbowheart wrote: "Dang, I should know this!

The Older Boy, Dawn and the Older Boy, The Boy-Oh-Boy Next Door, and Spring Break are all series books featuring c..."

Thanks for the leads! 😊

[Rainbowheart]

No problem, I'll keep looking as well.

Did you definitely read this before 1997?

[Nadine]

Rainbowheart wrote: Did you definitely read this before 1997?"

Yup, it was before '97. (Please pardon the late response! Don't know why Goodreads thought it was a great idea to stop sending comment notifications. 😅 )

[Rainbowheart]

No worries. Yeah, the lack of notifications are annoying!

Does anything on the 80s-90s Girl Groups list look familiar? I know you said there were boys and girls in the series, so probably not, but thought I should mention it just in case.

[Nadine]

Rainbowheart wrote: "No worries. Yeah, the lack of notifications are annoying!

Does anything on the 80s-90s Girl Groups list look familiar? I know you said there were boys and girls in the series, so probably not, but..."

No luck on that score—but more thanks! With almost my entire preteens flashing before my eyes on the lists, I did find some other long-lost books to add to my shelf. 😄

[Rainbowheart]

I'm sure we can track this down!

Stupid Cupid is a series book that has an overweight girl and a crush, but there's no mention of the boy being older. Trouble in Paradise involves dramatic weight loss, but the rest doesn't match.

[Rainbowheart]

Oh, wait, I think I found it!

The New, Improved Gretchen Hubbard

Formerly "Hippo Hubbard" of the sixth grade, Gretchen slims down but feels uncomfortable receiving compliments and attention from her classmates.

Same author, funnily enough, and it is part of a series, The Kids from Kennedy Middle School.

[Nadine]

Rainbowheart wrote: "Oh, wait, I think I found it!

The New, Improved Gretchen Hubbard

Formerly "Hippo Hubbard" of the sixth grade, Gretchen slims down but feels uncomfortable receiving compliments and a..."

Well, I'll be doggoned! You did find my needle in a haystack! My Nineties Nostalgia and I thank you a million for the help. 😀



The Kids from Kennedy Middle School Series by Ilene Cooper

[Rainbowheart]

You're super welcome, glad we were able to track it down!