SVH

I came across the word Palisades just now (from people.com) and memories of my teenage years flash back. Palisades High was one of the school features in the Sweet Valley High pocketbook series.

If you were born in the '80s, that makes you a teen by the '90s, you surely did not miss reading at least one Sweet Valley High pocketbook. Who does not know Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield? And Todd and Ken, their high school sweethearts? Or Lila Fowler, the rich bestfriend/close competition of Jessica when it comes to boys? One simply identifies with either or both the twins.

Elizabeth was always described as the tamer twin. She was a classic blonde and did well in school, writing in the school paper etc. Jessica on the other hand was more into cheerleading than studies. She loves clothes and boys.

I remember that the books come in three, with Part 1, 2 & 3 forming one story. There were also the Special Editions like Elizabeth's and Jessica's Diaries among others. And then it became a TV series due to popularity. I think that was the time the cover of SVH had pictures of real people in place of colored sketches. And the Daniel's twins become the Wakefield twins themselves (I find them fitting for the role, they are equally beautiful and blonde). There were other versions of SVH, the Sweet Valley University, Sweet Valley Jr, the Unicorn Club to name some.

We had quite a collection and I would like to think we had at least half of the total published. We arranged them by number to make it easy to search for the next part. I was still studying in the province at that time and there was always eagerness and excitement when I knew my sisters would come home for their school break in Manila (where they were taking their secondary education) and I was sure they would be bringing new SVH books with them.

Some of my favorite stories was when Jessica dated someone from Palisade who later died from a gang fight (or was it a car crash?). That was when the emotional side of Jessica showed that she is not just your typical blonde cheerleader. I also liked it when they had their high school prom (oh, I wish I had one!) and the time when Elizabeth and Jessica went abroad for internship and dated royalties.

I am not sure when I stop reading pocketbooks- was it Francine Pascal did less follow ups on the lives of the Wakefield twins or did it end when my young heart found something else to take interest in?

Images from www.soundtrackcollector.com and www.thehiddenbookcase.com