It’s Thursday, so we’re looking back into the archives for some nostalgic fun!

I recently had a birthday and decided to treat myself to a few of my favorite old books from childhood — meaning, I went on a bit of a purchasing spree and ended up significantly enhancing my Baby-sitter’s Club collection. But I was also on the hunt for another oldie-but-goodie I loved as a kid: the Sleepover Friends series.

Just to recap: Written by Susan Saunders, Sleepover Friends followed four fifth-graders — Lauren, Kate, Stephanie, and Patti — as they (you guessed it) hosted sleepovers every weekend and dealt with the dramas that pre-teendom can bring. The series spanned 38 titles in the late 80s and early 90s; I outgrew them somewhere around title 10, but when I re-read book 1, Patti’s Luck, it felt like I was right back in my old bedroom, my twin sister on the bunk bed below me, imaging how cool it would be to be able to host sleepovers every weekend. (Of course, as an adult, I wonder: didn’t these kids ever have family obligations? Vacations? Houseguests? Too much homework?)

What I remember: Considering how I could have probably drawn the cover of Patti’s Luck from memory, I’m surprised by how few details I actually remember from this book. I knew Patti was new in town and in this book it would be decided whether she should join the sleepover crew, and I definitely remembered the incredible amounts of food the characters were described eating. Their sleepovers were all about taco dips and barbecue chips and sodas and old movies. (Which, I mean, isn’t far off, as someone who’s been to a sleepover or two in my life.)

After revisiting: Wow! There was a lot in here I’d forgotten about, and so much of the book takes place during school hours rather than just at the sleepovers. The short version: at Patti’s first sleepover, Kate jokingly casts a spell on her as they watch a witch movie. Suddenly, Patti is faced with bad luck everywhere she turns (including a memorable rain-soaked bike trip and an oversize dog who accidentally gets loose). She’s convinced she’s cursed, and only Kate — normally so level-headed and serious — can break the “spell.” So she does — at a sleepover, of course — and all is well with the gang again.

I have seven other Sleepover Friends books to re-read (I told you, I splurged!), and Patti’s Luck has me excited to see what else I can remember from them! (I’m fairly certain there was one about a haunted camp…) How about you? Were you a Sleepover Friends fan back in the day?