Sweet Valley Series

[Deleted]

Let us not forget that in the Midwest Spring Break book, a (gorgeous, naturally) guy pretends to be identical twins so that he can date both girls...

I never liked the Twins specials, and I won't read the last SVH books, with the evil twin crap and werewolves and God knows what else, but I love, love, love early SVH and SVT--and not even ironically, really. I just reread Double Love (SVH #1) for the umpteenth time, and it's only slightly less awesome now than it was when I read it for the first time 20 years ago. It has everything you'd want in an SVH: Jessica is disgustingly dishonest and Elizabeth is a doormat; there's a bar fight, a car chase, and a heroic rescue; the twins are gloriously described as paragons of physical perfection; they assume, based on the flimsiest evidence, that Steven is dating skanky addict Betsy Martin and Ned is having an affair with a "sexy woman lawyer"; Ned and said sexy woman lawyer save the school's football field from takeover by the selfish Patmans and greedy George Fowler; and Todd is introduced as the ultimate romantic hero. Ridiculous? Of course. But not OTT ludicrous like the end-of-series books.

[Deleted]

The midwest book is one that I got for my birthday because I lived in Kansas and it was a "kansas book." I hated it because there was some major discrepency/mistake that would drive me insane when I read it, something like a time line or the cover photo or something. I read it over and over but it always drove me nuts.
Straining to remember, I think what happened was the little paragraph on the back cover got the names wrong, switching one twin or one boyfriend name around and it would bug the crap out of me.

[dragonfly80]

If anyone is interested in any of the Sweet Valley Twins Super Chillers, Super Editions or regular series books please PM me. I'm cleaning out all my book collections and all are from a non-smoking home and have been kept in storage containers within an air conditioned room. I loved them but just don't need them anymore. I've also got a few Sweet Valley Highs and four of the Sweet Valley Universities. I'm selling them cheap + shipping.

[kostgard]

I just read that they are re-releasing some of the early books (and I do mean early, like the first 10 books), but will "update" them by including references to email, cell phones, etc.

I don't know how I feel about that. Part of the fun of going back through this series is how completely 80s they were. Will they update the references to the twins' wardrobe as well? Because those girls wore crap like silver lame. I realize that they are trying to bring in new readers, but they are taking away a good chunk of the cheese in the process!

All I know is they better not change the cars - I want the twins in that little red fiat. I want Lila in her lime green Triumph! And I especially want Todd in his crapola Datsun!

[dwanollah]

The last book of the series was a double (ha!) book w/Double Love, and they'd updated Liz's tuxedo shirt to a green shirt.

Why do I know crap like this?!

[Jibby]

I got a big box of SV books from a library sale, and since I can never remember which ones I already have, I ended up with some doubles. I figured I'd ask here and see if anyone wants any of them (either that or they sit around my bookshelves taking up valuable space!)

SVH:
#143 Party Weekend!
Super Edition: Jessica Takes Manhattan

SVU:
#33 Out of the Picture
#37 Breaking Away
#43 The Price of Love
#45 Don't Let Go

SVT:
#8 First Place

If anyone wants any, PM me!

[sugaree]

The updating is just wrong. If the publishers do that, they alienate a big chunk of the market for the existing books--grown women with sentimental fondness for the originals who want to share them with their daughters. They want new readers, they should commission a new series: Sweet Valley, 21st Century, using the kids of the original characters.

How far will this updating of books go? Will F. Scott Fitzgerald's tragic heroes lose everything because they can't keep their crystal meth habit in check? Will Huck Finn run away with African-American Jim, the totally free not a slave guy down the street? Will the Bennet family be more concerned about their daughters getting into a good college than contracting a respectable marriage, and will they learn that Lydia has run off because she left a message on her Myspace? Will Chaucer's pilgrims swap stories as they wait in line at the DMV? Will King Solomon resolve the custody dispute between the two mothers who both claim the same baby by ordering a DNA test?

[dwanollah]

*hands over a couple cookies, because I'm sure sugaree could eat all the cookies she wants and still maintain her perfect size-6 figure*

[marywebgirl]

I wonder if the twins will no longer be size 6s in the updated books? I'm pretty sure that's considered gigantic by today's high-school, A&F standards.

[kathy1977]

I wonder if the twins will no longer be size 6s in the updated books? I'm pretty sure that's considered gigantic by today's high-school, A&F standards.

So true. They will probably be bumped down to a size 2.

I wonder if Ned and Alice will still drive the Fiat and "rust brown" GTO. I bet they change Lila's Triumph to a Mercedes. I found the ugly as hell Fiat on Wiki,but I have always been curious to know what the hell a GTO and Triumph was.