Sweet Valley High

Updated on Dec 31, 2023

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Language English Publisher Random House Country United States of America		Published 1983-2003 Adaptations Sweet Valley High (1994)

Media type Print (hardback & paperback)AudiobookE-book Authors Francine Pascal, Kate William Genres Young adult fiction, Romance novel, Mystery, Thriller Books Double Love, Power Play, All Night Long, Dangerous Love, Dear Sister

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Sweet Valley High is a novel series created by Francine Pascal, who presided over a team of ghostwriters for the duration of the series. The books chronicle the lives of identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, who live in Sweet Valley, California, United States just outside of Los Angeles. The twins and their friends attend Sweet Valley High.

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The series began in 1983 and ceased publication twenty years later with 603 books to its name. Over the years, the books were written by many ghostwriters. The books are generally classified as young adult or kids' fiction and mostly belonged to the genre of soap opera, romance novel or fantasy-adventure. The series quickly gained popularity and spawned several spin-off series, including Sweet Valley Senior Year and Sweet Valley University.

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The novels Sweet Valley Confidential and The Sweet Life, which follow the characters as adults, were released in 2011 and 2012.

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Characters

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Ned and Alice Wakefield are the parents of a son, Steven, and identical twin daughters, Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield. Lawyer Ned Wakefield met interior-designer Alice Robertson while they were at college and flower-child Alice was engaged to conservative Hank Patman. After meeting Ned, Alice realize that she didn't love Hank and broke off their engagement; she wed Ned soon after. As they were said to have been married for 20 years when the series began, they would have married in 1963.

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They named their first child, Steven, after Ned's late college friend. Shortly after Steven's birth, Ned became a partner at his law firm. Two years later Alice gave birth to Elizabeth and Jessica, whom she named after her ancestors Elisabeth and Jessamyn. They were the third set of identical twin girls in her family in six generations.

Their children grew into spitting images of their parents. Blonde, youthful Alice is often mistaken for the twins' older sister.

Ned is a general-practice lawyer and the head of a prominent Sweet Valley firm. Alice works as an interior designer at one of Sweet Valley's major design firms. Although they are quite comfortable, they are not wealthy and have no intention of becoming so. However, they are close friends of heiress Lila Fowler's family, having become better acquainted with them when the Fowlers hosted the Wakefields after a massive earthquake ripped apart Sweet Valley. Alice has two sister: Nancy, who has daughters named Robin and Stacey; and Laura, who has a daughter named Kelly and is divorced from Kelly's violent, abusive father Greg Bates. Ned's parents live in Michigan and he has an older half-brother, Louis.

Steven Wakefield, the twins' older brother, is tall and dark-haired like his father Ned. Although he loves both sisters equally, he's partial to Elizabeth. He teases Jessica a lot, but ultimately he understands her more than any other member of their family. In the beginning of the series he dates Tricia Martin, whose family didn't have the best reputation. After Tricia dies of leukaemia he dates Cara Walker and they plan to marry until she decides to move to London. During the university books, Steven has moved in with Billie. In Sweet Valley Confidential, he becomes an attorney like his father and is married to Cara Walker, but he realizes that he's gay and in love with the twins' schoolmate, Aaron Dallas. He cheats on Cara, they divorce, and for a while he doesn't speak to Jessica, who had told Cara that he was gay.

Todd Wilkins, Elizabeth's on/off boyfriend, is tall, popular, handsome, and captain of the basketball team (as well as wide-receiver for the football team in the revised edition) and fraternity member. He has dark-brown hair and eyes. Todd is initially romantically pursued by both Elizabeth and Jessica, but is always more interested in Elizabeth, and they begin steadily dating in "Double Love". He shares many of Liz's intellectual interests and pursuits. He is a scholar and an athlete. He often plays the role of protective older brother to the sisters. Although he's often patient with his friends, he tends to have a short temper when there's danger and goes mad-hulk in dire circumstances. He also has a speech impediment. He even shares Liz's passion for creative writing—he starts falling so deeply into it that he begins to neglect basketball, much to his father's chagrin. He is a notably bad cook—making a mess of every meal he attempts, even when following a recipe. Todd and Liz break up when Todd's family moves to Vermont and Todd eventually becomes romantically involved with the terminally-ill Suzanne. On Todd's return to Sweet Valley, Todd and Elizabeth reunite. They break up again over Elizabeth's infidelity and later involvement with Devon Whitelaw at the end of Sweet Valley High, but reunite at the beginning of Sweet Valley University, only to break up again when Elizabeth won't sleep with him. He then loses his virginity to Lauren, a random girl he starts dating right after Elizabeth. Later he and Elizabeth's good friend Enid fool around while they're at the college when they are both looking for sanctuary and companionship. Elizabeth and Todd are constantly breaking up and getting back together as well as committing infidelity. Liz cheats on Todd numerous times (as does Todd on her, once even with a supermodel) and is later horrified to find out Todd's been having a recurring affair with Jess—and she discovers it only after having planned most of her and Todd's wedding! According to Sweet Valley Confidential, Todd eventually marries Jessica and they have a son, Jake. He eventually gets a successful job as a sports journalist and his column is picked up by several papers.

Enid Rollins is Elizabeth's best friend when they meet in a creative-writing class pre-series, until they grow apart in senior year. Enid is described as pretty, with curly brown hair and big green eyes. As a young teenager, Enid was a problem user of drugs and alcohol until she was involved in a bad accident; she has reformed and become a model student: quiet, sweet, and straitlaced. She is a member of the Pi Beta sorority, but joined only to lend Elizabeth moral support. In college, Enid reinvents herself and begins to use her middle name, 'Alexandra'. She immediately joins an elitist sorority and enters into a high-profile romance with big-shot college basketball player Mark Gathers. Life in the fast lane proves too much for Enid/Alex and she eventually suffers a re-occurrence of her substance dependence. She also has an affair with Todd Wilkins, even falling for him and becoming dependent on him when Mark abandons her. She does patch things up with Elizabeth, but never again are they close friends. In Sweet Valley Confidential, she becomes extremely self-centered and arrogant, becomes a well-respected OB/GYN, and has plans to run for City Council.

Maria Slater In late-series, Maria shares the title of Elizabeth's best friend with Enid. She is a beautiful former child actress and star reporter for the Oracle. Senior year sees her friendship with Elizabeth unravel as Liz makes new friends from the school merger but they eventually mend their relationship. Maria holds the distinction of class valedictorian, snatching it out from under both Liz Wakefield and Winston Egbert, who were each considered a shoo-in for the honor.

Lila Fowler, Jessica's best friend and arch-rival. She and Bruce Patman are bitter rivals, as her family (her father George owns a computer company) wants to modernize Sweet Valley; while Bruce's family wants to maintain the history of the town, from when canning was the main industry. One of the wealthiest people in town, she is a "poor little rich girl" stereotype. The Fowlers and the Wakefields are close friends and even Elizabeth, who usually doesn't move in the wealthier circles, is often friendly towards Lila. At first Lila is very snobbish and devious, but an attempted rape by John Pfeifer, plus her parents' remarriage, helped make her more sympathetic. In Sweet Valley Confidential, she is married to Ken Matthews and they're expecting.

Winston Egbert, the class clown, had a major crush on Jessica, mainly during the first few books. He dates a girl named Mandy Farmer, who later moves away, and then begins dating Maria Santelli, a popular cheerleader. In college, he starts going by the name of "Winnie" and clerical error leads to his placement in an all women's dorm, where he meets popular sorority girl Denise Waters, arguably the love of his life. Unfortunately, life after university sees Winston transform from a goofy, cheerful oddball into a mean, resentful businessman whose wealth from the dotcom boom can't cure his loneliness. After a night of drunken debauchery, he falls from a balcony to an untimely death.

Nora Dalton is a French teacher who once dated Lila's father, George Fowler. Later a romance bloomed between her and English teacher Roger Collins.

Roger Collins is an English teacher who serves as advisor to the school newspaper, The Oracle, and is one of Elizabeth's favorite teachers.

Mr. Cooper, Sweet Valley's somewhat stuffy Principal, nicknamed Chrome Dome because of his bald head.

Bob Russo, The sternest teacher at SVH, he teaches chemistry.

Bruce Patman is a rich, handsome snob. Considered to be a rival of the nouveau-riche Fowler family, as he and his old-money family want to preserve the town as it was when canning was the main industry. He once dated Jessica, which ended badly and made them bitter rivals. Later he dated Regina Morrow, who helped him become a bit more sincere, but after her death he fell back into his arrogant routine. Later he dated Pamela Robertson. Despite his arrogance, family means much to him and he becomes very caring toward his orphaned cousin Roger (once he gets used to this formerly-poor nobody actually being his own blood). His parents' deaths softened him and made him more sincere, and according to Sweet Valley Confidential, this leads to an eventual romance with his one true love, Elizabeth Wakefield. They move in together and things work out initially—until he professes to being in love with someone else.

Olivia Davidson is the arts editor of the Oracle and one of Elizabeth's best friends. She dies in the earthquake that hit Sweet Valley.

Nicholas and Regina Morrow, wealthy but down-to-earth siblings and close friends of Elizabeth. Elizabeth did not normally move in the wealthier circles of Sweet Valley, but the Morrows' down-to-earth nature won her over. Regina was deaf, but had radical surgery to restore her hearing; she dated Bruce seriously and helped change his personality for the better. Regina got in with the wrong crowd following her breakup with Bruce and experimented with drugs; she died after snorting a small amount of cocaine, which aggravated a rare heart condition. Nicholas once had romantic feelings toward Liz, but nothing came of it as she had a steady boyfriend, and they chose to remain friends. Liz helped Nicholas cope when his sister died.

Amy Sutton, Elizabeth's best friend in the Sweet Valley Twins books and then Jessica's good friend in Sweet Valley High. Amy returns in the Sweet Valley High books as a completely different character. Whilst she once shared interests with Elizabeth, such as working on the school newspaper, she returned much more like Jessica, a boy-crazy gossip. Later, she mellows and becomes enamored of Barry Rork.

Jeffrey French is Elizabeth's "preppy" ex-boyfriend, the handsome blond star of Sweet Valley High's soccer team who disappeared from the series following their breakup. They begin a serious relationship after Todd moves to Vermont, but break up shortly after Todd's return.

Cara Walker is Jessica's close friend. Early in the series she was a notorious snob and gossip, but her parents' split (in which she was separated from her brother) made her more mature and attracted Elizabeth's warm concern. She dated Steven Wakefield for a time and almost ran away to get married so they wouldn't be separated when her family moved to London, but they realized it wasn't practical. Years later they are reunited married, though unhappily. Cara bakes constantly, eating to hide her feelings of hurt at Steven's rejection as rumors of his cheating run rampant in Sweet Valley - and worse when the truth is revealed that he's actually involved with another man, former SVH soccer star Aaron Dallas.

Ken Matthews is a star quarterback and dater of several Sweet Valley ladies during the course of the series. In the first few books, he is called "Kenny" by his friends and teachers, though that nickname soon disappears. He is Jessica's steady boyfriend for part of junior year, and also secretly dates Elizabeth after Todd moves away. In Sweet Valley Confidential, he is a famous football player, husband of Lila Fowler, and - as he learns at the end of the sixth book - a father-to-be.

AJ Morgan is Jessica's first serious boyfriend. Jessica is instantly smitten with the redhead when he moves to Sweet Valley and becomes shy and demure when he is around, acting more like Elizabeth. Eventually she relaxes enough around him to be herself, and finds that he much prefers her fun-loving, outgoing personality.

Sam Woodruff is Jessica's second long-term steady boyfriend and a dirt-bike rider. Sam is killed in a car accident while riding as Elizabeth's passenger after Jessica spikes their drinks with alcohol.

Other characters

Chris Sanders is a handsome, harmless new guy and Elizabeth's crush. He was actually staring at Jessica like her twin sister and intensely crushing on her for years. The character was based on the director and illustrator of the same name.

Jeannie West is a cheerleader and a friend of the twins. She is best friends with Sandra Bacon. She dated Tom McKay, then began dating Scott Trost.

Sandra Bacon is a cheerleader who got the spot because of her friendship with Jeannie, despite her poor performance. She and Jeannie were best friends. She was a member of Pi Beta Alpha and initially tried to block her best friend from the sorority. She dated Manuel Lopez but their interracial relationship upset her conservative father, who eventually learned tolerance and acceptance from his daughter's example.

Caroline Pearce is the twins' two-doors-down neighbor. At first she was a catty gossip, only barely tolerated by Jessica and her friends because of her gossipy nature, but she changed for the better with help from Elizabeth. She has an older sister named Anita. In Sweet Valley Confidential, Caroline becomes a real-estate agent and survives breast cancer.

Manuel Lopez is Sandra Bacon's boyfriend. He was nearly arrested for an incident, but was saved by Elizabeth and Sandra.

Sally Larson is a cousin of Dana Larson of the Droids, who comes to live with her family after growing up in foster homes.

Susan Stewart is a friend of the twins; a target of one of Lila Fowler's rumor-spreading schemes and was later discovered to be the daughter of a famous film director.

Lois Waller is the chubby daughter of the school dietitian. Jessica enjoys excluding her and making fun of her, but Elizabeth is friendlier toward her.

Heather Sanford is Aaron Dallas' girlfriend, a dress designer who becomes Elizabeth's friend.

Julie Porter was Elizabeth's friend in sixth grade and in junior year. She is a talented musician.

Johanna Porter is Julie's older sister, also Elizabeth's friend; Elizabeth tutors her in English and she later discovers that math and science are favorite and strong subjects. Unintentionally made an enemy of jealous Amy Sutton when she was spending time with the object of Amy's affection, Peter DeHaven. Elizabeth defended her against the snide Amy and the oblivious Peter.

Peter DeHaven is one of the smartest boys in Sweet Valley High, who has been studying for awards and science most of his life. Was involved with catty Amy Sutton but went on a casual date with Johanna Porter which angered Amy. He ran afoul of Johanna's friend Elizabeth for treating her casually; Elizabeth scolded him for this disrespect.

Abbie Richardson, cartoonist for The Oracle (she draws the strip "Jenny"), former friend of Jessica and Lila who later becames Elizabeth's friend.

John Pfeifer is former sports editor for The Oracle, Jennifer's ex-boyfriend, and Lila's would-be rapist/tormentor, later dies in a fire when he resumes harassing Lila.

Tricia Martin is Steven's ex-girlfriend and Betsy's sister who died from leukemia, as their own mother had when they were younger.

Betsy Martin is Tricia's older sister who was a drug addict, Elizabeth's friend, and Jessica's nemesis. She moves in briefly with the Wakefields after her sister Tricia's death because Steven promised Tricia on her deathbed to take care of Betsy.

Aaron Dallas is a popular soccer player who dated Jessica throughout middle school, and a close friend of Liz's ex-boyfriend, Jeffrey French. Dealt with anger issues due to his parents divorce. Spends most of junior year involved with Dana Larson. In later years, he is revealed to be gay and becomes involved with Steven Wakefield.

Courtney Thomas is a character in the non-continuity Super Edition Perfect Summer. Courtney is the daughter of a friend of Bruce Patman's family. She is notoriously hellish to her single-parent father, entertainment agent Steve Thomas, especially with her drug dealing boyfriend, Nolan Ruggers. She joins the bicycle trip the Wakefield twins are on and immediately makes an enemy of both twins (marking one of the rare occasions that both twins had a mutual enemy). After she starts a fire by carelessly discarding a cigarette, Roger Collins sends her to her aunt's in New Mexico.

Rene Glize, Elizabeth's friend from Cannes, France. Wears "unmistakably" tight French jeans. At first hostile towards her and Jessica, due to their shared American heritage, he and Liz eventually become good friends; during her harrowing adventures in London he is her closest friend and comforter. He first appeared in the non-canonical book Spring Break, along with his mother Avery and his sister Ferney, but became part of canon whilst Liz and Jess were in London.

George Warren is Enid's, then Robin's, boyfriend. Robin and George fell in love while taking pilot classes together. They were hesitant to tell Enid the truth, as she lost the use of her legs temporarily while she was flying with George after he received his pilot's license.

Christian Gorman is Jessica's boyfriend who died in a gang-related fight between SVH and Palisades High.

Ronnie Edwards is Enid's boyfriend who had gambling problems; a jealous, scheming and selfish troublemaker who dies in the Sweet Valley earthquake.

Tom McKay is a handsome tennis player at SVH. He dated Jeannie West before he realized he was gay. He had a crush on Enid's cousin Jake. His best friend is fellow tennis player Barry Rork.

Barry Rork is Amy's boyfriend who volunteers at the teen helpline. Best friends with Tom McKay and was one of the first people Tom confided in about being gay, aside from Elizabeth.

Justin Belson, is a boy who used to go out with Molly Hecht. He and Regina became friends, incurring Molly's jealousy and indirectly had a hand in her death.

Molly Hecht is a reformed drug addict who used to be part of a bad crowd. She hosted the party at which Regina Morrow died from doing cocaine. Her best friend was Jan Brown, who had a boyfriend named Jay Benson; and she also knew a college-aged drug dealer, Buzz Jackson, who supplied the deadly cocaine.

Claire Middleton is SVH's first female quarterback.

Pamela Robertson is Bruce's beautiful girlfriend from a rival school who comes to SVH to escape her bad reputation.

Heather Mallone is Jessica's beautiful blonde rival who tries to steal the cheerleading squad out from under Jessica; she eventually becomes her co-captain and the girls are forced to tolerate each other although their rivalry and tension never really dissipates.

Devon Whitelaw is a wealthy boy from Westwood, Connecticut who falls for Elizabeth while she's still seeing Todd. She has an affair with Devon and leaves Todd for him, which turns out to be a huge mistake.

Conner McDermott is Elizabeth's senior-year love interest who has a brief romance with Maria Slater as well.

Bill Chase is a blond surfer who briefly dated Jessica because she reminded him of his late girlfriend Julianne. After he realizes Jessica was using him, he finds true love with DeeDee Gordon.

DeeDee Gordon is Bill's artistic girlfriend.

Rick Andover is the often drunk bad boy who took Jessica to a roadhouse, where she passed herself off as Elizabeth. He went on a few dates with the twins' visiting cousin Kelly.

Penny Ayala is the editor of the SVH school newspaper, The Oracle. Wants to be an editor of an international newspaper. One of Elizabeth's best friends

Maria Santelli is a politically savvy cheerleader, daughter of Sweet Valley's mayor, and Winston's girlfriend.

Roger Barrett Patman, Cousin of arrogant Bruce Patman. Initially very poor and working as a janitor to help support his mother, Roger was adopted into the Patman family when his mother died and he was revealed to be the illegitimate child of Bruce's deceased uncle. More friendly and sincere than his cousin, but loyal to him.

Annie Whitman is a sophomore whom Jessica wouldn't consider for the cheerleading squad because of her bad reputation, but after attempting suicide she was allowed to join.

Robin Wilson is co-captain of the cheerleading squad with Jessica until she moves away. At first very obese, she was cruelly hazed by the Pi Beta Alpha sorority, most notably Jessica, Cara, and Lila. Elizabeth befriended her and tried her hardest to help her fit in. After being blackballed she lost weight, snatched the homecoming-queen title from Jessica, and became popular instantly. Jessica and Robin still see each other for who they are. Robin eventually steals Enid's boyfriend George Warren and later develops an eating disorder.

The Droids is Sweet Valley High's resident band: Dana Larson (vocals), Guy Chesney (keyboards), Emily Mayer (drums), Max Dellon (lead guitar) and Dan Scott (bass guitar);

Sweet Valley Kids

The twins as seven-year-old second graders at Sweet Valley Elementary School. The series included several Special Editions and "Super Snooper" mystery books.

The books are:

Surprise! Surprise!
Runaway Hamster
The Twins' Mystery Teacher
Elizabeth's Valentine
Jessica's Cat (Peter) Trick
Lila's Secret
Jessica's Big Mistake
Jessica's Zoo Adventure
Elizabeth's Super Selling Lemonade
The Twins and the Wild West
Crybaby Lois
Trick or Treat
Starring Winston Egbert
Jessica The Baby-Sitter
Fearless Elizabeth
Jessica The TV Star
Caroline's Mystery Dolls
Bossy Steven
Jessica and the Jumbo Fish
The Twins go to the Hospital
Jessica and the Spelling Bee Surpris
Sweet Valley Slumber Party
Lila's Haunted House Party
Cousin Kelly's Family Secret
Left-Out Elizabeth
Jessica's Snobby Club
The Sweet Valley Cleanup Team
Elizabeth Meets Her Hero
Andy and the Alien
Jessica's Unburied Treasure
Elizabeth and Jessica Run Away
Left Back!
Caroline's Halloween Spell
The Best Thanksgiving Ever
Elizabeth's Broken Arm
Elizabeth's video Fever
The Big Race
Good-Bye Eva?
Ellen is Home Alone
Robin in the Middle
The Missing Tea Set
Jessica's Monster Nightmare
Jessica Gets Spooked
The Twins Big Pow-Wow
Elizabeth's Piano Lessons
Get the Teacher!
Elizabeth the Tattletale
Lila's April Fool
Jessica's Mermaid
Steven's Twin
Lois and the Sleepover
Julie The Karate Kid
The Magic Puppets
Star of the Parade
The Jessica and Elizabeth Show
Jessica Plays Cupid
No Girls Allowed
Lila's Birthday Bash
Jessica + Jessica = Trouble
The Amazing Jessica
Scaredy Cat Elizabeth
The Halloween War
Lila's Christmas Angel
Elizabeth's Horseback Adventure
Steven's Big Crush
And the Winner is... Jessica Wakefield!
The Secret of Fantasy Forest
A Roller Coaster for the Twins!
Class Picture Day!
Good-Bye Mrs. Otis
Jessica's Secret Friend
The Macaroni Mess
The Witch in the Pumpkin Patch
Sweet Valley Blizzard
Little Drummer Girls
Danger: Twins at Work

Super Snooper Editions

The Case of the Secret Santa
The Case of the Magic Christmas Bell
The Case of the Haunted Camp
The Case of the Christmas Thief
The Case of the Hidden Treasure
The Case of the Million-Dollar Diamonds
The Case of the Alien Princess

Super Special Editions

Trapped in Toyland
Easter Bunny Battle
A Curse on Elizabeth (Hair Raiser Super Special Edition)
Save the Turkey!
Elizabeth Hatches an Egg

Sweet Valley Twins

The Sweet Valley Twins series features the twins as sixth grade students attending Sweet Valley Middle School. Though the series focuses primarily on Elizabeth and Jessica, it also features stories of their friends and classmates. Some relationships from Sweet Valley High have changed, such as Amy Sutton being a good friend to Elizabeth rather than Jessica, as they are in high school. The series was succeeded by The Unicorn Club and Sweet Valley Jr. High.

The Unicorn Club

The Unicorn Club is a spin-off of Sweet Valley Twins, featuring the Unicorn Club introduced in the Twins series. The series takes place when the twins are seventh graders, still at Sweet Valley Middle School. This series focused on the club members in general, not specifically the twins.

Save the Unicorns - The Unicorns are ultimately forced to disband, thanks to a dare war designed to elect their new president. In the end, the ban is lifted, and Elizabeth Wakefield and Maria Slater join the Club. (narrated by Mandy Miller)
Maria's Movie Comeback - Maria is looking to audition for a role in a new movie, but shortly afterwards, she begins to lose confidence in herself and her acting abilities. Near the end, a sixth-grader named Evie Kim joins the Club. (narrated by Maria Slater)
The Best Friend Game - The Unicorns face the Eight Times Eights on the Best Friends game show, with disastrous results. (narrated by Elizabeth Wakefield)
Lila's Little Sister - Lila must convince a young girl named Ellie to return home, after Ellie thinks her mother is ignoring her. (narrated by Lila Fowler)
Unicorns in Love - Four of the Unicorns have found new love, resulting in the ultimate test of their friendship. (narrated by Evie Kim)
The Unicorns at War (Super Edition) - Kimberly Haver returns and competes against Mary Wallace for Student-Council President, resulting in half the club renouncing the Unicorns and founding a new club called the Angels. (narrated by Mary Wallace)
Too Close for Comfort - The Unicorns and the Angels are quarantined for German measles. (narrated alternatively by Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield)
Kimberly Rides Again - Kimberly takes the remaining Unicorns to a dude ranch, where they end up fighting over a cute stable boy. (narrated by Kimberly Haver)
Ellen's Family Secret - Ellen's parents are getting a divorce, and Ellen tries to convince them not to. (narrated by Ellen Riteman)
Mandy in the Middle - Mandy Miller finds herself torn in two when she starts hanging out with both the Unicorns and the Angels. She ultimately rejoins the Unicorns after hearing Lila had spent time with a boy Mandy was mentoring. (narrated alternatively by Lila Fowler and Mandy Miller)
Angels Keep Out - The Unicorns and the Angels hold separate parties on the same night, but must eventually make a compromise. (Narrated alternatively by Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield)
Five Girls and a Baby - Ellen and the other Unicorns are stuck baby-sitting for a family friend while she is out of town. (Narrated by Ellen Riteman)
Who will be Miss Unicorn - The Unicorns enter a beauty pageant being held in Sweet Valley, but only one of them can go home with the crown. (narrated by Mandy Miller)
Lila on the Loose - Feeling neglected by her father, Lila tries everything she can to get him to pay attention to her. (narrated by Lila Fowler)
Too Cool for the Unicorns - With Amanda Harmon leaving Sweet Valley, the Eight Times Eights must elect a new member and ask Kimberly Haver to join. (narrated by Kimberly Haver)
Bon Voyage, Unicorns - In a two-part story, the Unicorns go on a cruise, but Ellen feels that there is no room in her life for romance, until the Unicorns each fix her up with a boy that they think she'll like—only to find out that the boy each of them picked seems perfect for each of them. (Note: From this book to the last in the series, the story is not told by a specific book character.)
Boyfriends for Everyone - The Unicorns finally end their vacation with the boy each of them likes, while Ellen finally finds her soulmate in a boy named Curtis Bowman.
Rachel's in, Lila's Out - Lila's dad is selling Fowler Mansion to the family of a girl named Rachel Grant, but Lila plans on evicting the potential buyers. Rachel and Lila eventually accept each other as friends, and Rachel joins the Unicorn Club.
The Most Beautiful Girl in the World - The Unicorns meet Katherine Pierce, a model and spokeswoman for a local health spa, only to find that their idol is not all that she appears to be.
In Love with Mandy - In a "Cinderella"-esque story, Mandy Miller falls in love with a rich boy named Brandon Jones, but he thinks he is in love with Lila Fowler.
Snow Bunnies - During a vacation to a ski resort, Rachel has a temporary falling-out with the other Unicorns when she tries to come between Ellen and Curtis Bowman.
Jessica's Dream Date - Jessica wins a date with her musician idol, Johnny Buck, only to be disappointed by the fact that her musical "Hero" is really a zero.
Trapped in the Mall - The Unicorns are trapped in the mall after closing time, and eventually must get help when Ellen is badly injured. (Last book in the series)

Sweet Valley Junior High

This series occurs when the twins are eighth graders. Elizabeth and Jessica are rezoned to Sweet Valley Junior High, where a number of new characters are introduced. Elizabeth adjusts quickly to the new school and becomes popular among her peers. Jessica does not adapt to Sweet Valley Junior High as quickly as Elizabeth, especially as she struggles to establish some semblance of the popularity she enjoyed in middle school.

Sweet Valley High: Senior Year

Following the conclusion of the original Sweet Valley High series, the twins' final year of high school was depicted in SVH: Senior Year. After the devastating earthquake that claimed the lives of their friends and destroyed their homes, the damage to the El Carro High forces a redistribution of its students to local high schools in Sweet Valley and Big Mesa. Elizabeth and Jessica find their senior year to be as emotionally tumultuous as the last as new relationships are formed, old ones are changed, and they must look forward to life after high school.

Sweet Valley University

After graduating from Sweet Valley High, Jessica and Elizabeth attend Sweet Valley University, where they begin a new chapter of their lives.

Elizabeth

Chronologically the final chapter in the series and the only spin-off that did not feature Jessica directly. Continues from the plot that occurred at the end of Sweet Valley University; Elizabeth flees to London, intending to continue her schooling. The series has six books.

Sweet Valley Confidential

Sweet Valley Confidential was published on March 29, 2011. The story was entirely written by creator Francine Pascal, and is set 10 years following the conclusion of the previous novel. Prior to the novel's release, Pascal stated, "I can tell you that what you thought was going to happen to those people doesn't happen. Different things happen. Ten years, from 16 to adulthood, has made very different people. And I'm having kind of good time writing it, doing what I want to do with these people." Most reviews by professional critics have been especially negative. One review from Entertainment Weekly stated, "Make no mistake: This is a very bad book, bloated and silly and, worst of all, often quite boring." Fans of the series have given mixed-to-negative reviews, citing many inconsistencies and canonical errors. For example, near the beginning of the book, Elizabeth's ex-boyfriend Jeffrey French is mentioned as being happily married, while in the last "epilogue" chapter, he is "still unmarried and unattached." There are many other mistakes in the epilogue as well, such as what happened to Suzanne Devlin: "Suzanne was forced to leave Sweet Valley but returned 6 months later a changed person; unfortunately, she was ill with multiple sclerosis. She apologized to everyone, then crashed her specially equipped car after taking medication with champagne." Suzanne Devlin was mistakenly diagnosed with MS in the SVH magna edition "Perfect Christmas," but then finds out that she was misdiagnosed, and she and Todd fall in love. In describing what became of Roger Collins, Pascal states that after having been accused of molestation by Suzanne Devlin (book 11, "Too Good to be True"), he "felt too uncomfortable being a teacher and left to become a nonfiction writer." SVHC also says his son's name is "Sam," not "Teddy," as in all the SVH books. Another inconsistency is the way Jessica talks in the book, peppering her sentences with "So," and "like," which is a departure from the way she spoke in the SVH and SVU series. The reunion wasn't really how most followers of the saga wanted things to turn out and received negative reviews from fans and professional critics.

Plot

The story begins with Elizabeth in New York, where she is working on a magazine called "Show Survey," described as "a sort of Zagat for Off Broadway." Through flashbacks, we learn that Jessica and Todd had been having an affair off and on for the last 5 years, and that 8 months ago Elizabeth discovered their duplicity, and has not spoken to either of them since. A few characters from the original series pop up, most notably Winston Egbert, who invested in a dot-com venture with Bruce Patman (also a major character in this book, Bruce's personality changed dramatically when both of his parents died, making him a more caring, sensitive person). Time, unrequited love and other negative life-experiences have morphed Winston turned him into a bitter hateful Scrooge-like miser who womanizes and shows contempt for himself and all humanity. He no longer has any friends. He dies midway through the book from an "accidental" drunken fall from his 20-story balcony. Jessica and Todd still live together in Sweet Valley. Jessica has a very successful career for a cosmetics marketing company called "MYFACEISGREEN" and Todd is a successful sports columnist. They are very much in love, but haunted by what they have done to Elizabeth and by the vicious gossip that surrounds them.

The twins are expected to attend their grandmother's eightieth birthday party. Elizabeth is torn, not wanting to see her sister and Todd again, but wanting revenge for what Jessica has done to her. She goes to the party, bringing Liam, a handsome bartender she has met in New York. Liam is very attracted to Jessica and flirts with her during the party, causing a rift between Jessica and Todd, which escalates into a free-for-all between all the members of the family (including older brother Steven, who has recently discovered he's gay). Alice Wakefield, the twins' mother, desperately tries to keep the peace, repeatedly asking the staff to serve the cake, finally losing her cool and screaming to her husband, "Ned! Bring out the fucking cake!"

Later that night, lying in bed, Jessica realizes that in order to get her sister back, she has to give up Todd. She packs a bag and heads to New York to see her sister. Meanwhile, Elizabeth has been doing some serious thinking on the plane, and comes to the realization that she and Todd weren't going to make it work a long time ago, but was too much of a "commitment freak" to admit it to herself. Elizabeth finds Jessica on her doorstep, and at first is very unforgiving, but finally relents and the sisters hold each other, sobbing, and make up. The epilogue takes place at Jessica and Todd's wedding, which many of the characters attend. Bruce Patman professes his love for Elizabeth, and the two of them presumably live happily ever after.

Sweet Valley: The Sweet Life

The new series features six confirmed books and takes place a few years after the 2011's Sweet Valley Confidential. Elizabeth, Jessica and Todd are now thirty. Both Jess and Todd have a son as well. And the two have an affair and nearly divorce after their trial separation. They then get back together after they declare their love for one another. At the end of book six, Elizabeth is hoping that Bruce will propose, but instead he confesses to being in love with another woman.

TV series

A TV series based on Sweet Valley High ran for 88 episodes between 1994 and 1997. It starred real-life twins Brittany and Cynthia Daniel (formerly Doublemint Twin models) as Jessica and Elizabeth respectively. The twins also modeled for later editions of the book covers. The show ran for 4 seasons.

There were some notable differences between the television series and the books. New characters were created, such as Reginald "Shred" Patman and Renata Vargas, while other characters were removed, such as Ned, Alice, and Steven Wakefield. Also, while the books are classified in the romance, or fantasy/adventure genres, the television series was played out very light. The show was made into a juvenile sit-com in the tradition of Saved By The Bell more than anything else and most of the characters were made into silly comic-relief. Despite original creator Francine Pascal being credited as "executive producer" and "creative consultant," she remarked that none of her suggestions were accepted and the show didn't follow her books. She hated the show altogether and virtually disowned it. However, she praised the casting of the Daniel twins.

Only Season One of the show made it to DVD.

Merchandising

Many tie-in products were produced for this series (primarily the Sweet Valley High Run) including a series of puzzles, a board game, audio book versions of selected SVH books, commercially available VHS and DVDs of the SVH TV Series, a CD soundtrack for the TV show, dolls and doll clothing, a neon sign, at least one calendar (for the year 1989/90) and books that were not part of the series (including TV tie-in reprints, a trivia book, a behind-the-scenes book about the TV show, and a "Slam Book").