As a journalist, author, and editor, I read constantly. Whether it’s conducting research for an article or proofreading a manuscript, my mind sees words all day. Sometimes, it’s nice to unwind with some lighter reading. Scrolling through a ‘growing up in the 1990s’ nostalgia page on Facebook one night in 2024, I stumbled upon a post on “The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids” book series.

I was embarrassed to note I hadn’t recalled reading them as a child. The series debuted in 1990, the year I was born, with “Vampires Don’t Wear Polka Dots.” The books were co-authored by Marcia T. Jones and Debbie Dadey, with John Steven Gurney serving as original illustrator.

The first book I picked up turned out to be one of my favorites I’ve read to date: “Aliens Don’t Wear Braces.” I’ve been binge-reading them ever since.

These tomes make for the perfect escapist read after a long day of tending to adult responsibilities, or this time of year, battling the winter doldrums. Short, with large type and filled with kooky drawings, the books center on four third-graders with wildly active imaginations and a general distrust of grown ups. Howie is book smart and the most logical; Melody is competitive and brave; Liza is the most sensitive and often is written as “whimpering” when scared; and Eddie is the class clown with red hair and freckles, with a tad of false bravado.

The premise is that the kids frequently encounter an adult, be it at school, a place of business, library, bus, summer camp, on a field trip, etc., whom they feel, based on circumstantial evidence, is a supernatural or mythical being. Some characters recur throughout the books such as homeroom teacher Mrs. Jeepers (the kids think she’s a vampire), or one and done characters that conveniently are never heard from again (clearly having returned to the mother planet, swamp, mystical kingdom, etc. where they belong). Alleged creatures who find themselves wandering into Bailey City include: aliens, vampires, ghosts, phantoms, ghouls, gremlins, dragons, werewolves, mummies, bogeymen, wizards, and witches, to more innocuous souls such as Santa, suspected as being the new school janitor, or Cupid, spending Valentine’s Day baking love cookies at Bailey Elementary School. The youngsters also believe elves, angels, unicorns, robots, and leprechauns have walked among them. Once, the gang thought a wrestler was a Viking and their friendly neighborhood dentist was Hercules. And of course, it doesn’t assuage concerns that the new swim instructor at Camp Lone Wolf isn’t the Loch Ness Monster when she herself is named Nessie MacFarland.