To think Mr Collins from the Sweet Valley High books was a tad creepy?

[SamanthaBrique]

I found some SVH books in a free bookshop recently. I devoured them as s tween so thought I'd see how they stack up these days.

Apart from the twins being ridiculous (Jessica is a psychopath and Elizabeth sanctimonious) and the author's hatred of fat people, Mr Collins the English teacher was way too creepy. Why was he always hanging out with 16 year olds? Even at weekends he'd host picnics for them, he'd give up his free time to take them camping. Surely there was something dodgy going on??

I loved Sweet Valley Kids/twins/High growing up! (And the BSC)

In the series where the twins are all grown up (finally!) wasn't Steven gay?

I thought Mr Collins was weird. It was even weirder that Elizabeth used to go to his house and his students had his phone number. In the book where Elizabeth is kidnapped Todd calls his house looking for Elizabeth. Who has their English teachers number?

Omg the size 6 figures and the Spanish tiled kitchen! Hilarious! Loved these books back in the 80s!

I'm dieting and had a compliment the other day and just as everyo ther time I've dieted, Robin bloody Wilson comes to mind! 😂

Did bad boy Bruce die eventually? Didn't he hook up with the deaf girl?

Obviously in SVH world, the deaf girl was beautiful and "didn't seem deaf" as she understood tones and could lip read perfectly of course !! Ffs

He hooked up with the deaf girl but she died I think. He had a total personality transplant in the latest series to come out.

Lol of course deaf girl had to die!

I thought Mr Collins was weird. It was even weirder that Elizabeth used to go to his house and his students had his phone number. In the book where Elizabeth is kidnapped Todd calls his house looking for Elizabeth. Who has their English teachers number?

Tbh, if I was Todd and Liz disappeared, Mr C would be my number one suspect!

In the series where the twins are all grown up (finally!) wasn't Steven gay?

Yes, he and Aaron Dallas adopt a baby together.

I hate myself for knowing all this!!

OMG F, 1BRUCE1

I remember reading a BSC and it just have been Jessica's first book.

Mallory brings her home for dinner or something and when her mum sees jessi for the first time she stares at her then shakes herself out of it. Jessis mum does the same when mallory is brought round too.

Even my then 8 year old self was thinking WTF why put that in a book

I sat and read through all of the SVH and SVU (and then the Elizabeth series) of these the other day as a fun recap...
1bruce1.livejournal.com/322056.html
(Some very funny women on here. They'd fit right in on mn )

I haven't read the recap of the latest one as I want to read that properly...

You're right Random, that sounds familiar. I think my teens have missed the window for these (they're too busy reading dystopian apocalyptic young adult fiction...) What a shame

Elizabeth was kidnapped a few times in the series and for some reason Mr Collins was never suspected! Regina died of a drug overdose after falling in with the bad crowd after Bruce cheats on her.

The BSC always made a point of talking about Jessi's skin colour, there's one book where it's just bluntly announced and I remember thinking it was a strange way to describe her.

There's also a BSC book where they have a client that only wants blonde haired and blue eyed babysitters, they reject Claudia because she is Japanese and she is told not to babysit again, the client flat out refuses to let Jessi sit and there's a scene with the children and Mallory and she mentions she has seven brothers and sisters (in case we had forgotten since chapter 2) and one of the children says Mallory family must be catholic. That to me was weird.

I remember going into town to buy the latest SVH (were they once a month? Every two months?) and reading it on the bus on the way home

There was another series called Couples I think. Again a load of stereotypes - kooky singer Phoebe, preppy Brad, prom queen Chris her rebel step sister Brenda, sporty Ted etc etc. Quite enjoyable, and the kids who were juniors in the first books moved up to seniors and they bought in new younger characters. Unlike SVH where they had about six years of storylines (including Robin's weight loss, Liz's coma) and we're still 16 and in junior year.

I'm also a bit traumatised I can remember all this after around thirty years. The Couples book fizzled out after about book 25 but don't know if they carried on in the States. Remember Caitlin too (although can't remember there being three trilogies!) and another trilogy called Winners about cheerleaders

Wow, past blast!! Used to love the Sweet Valley High series, and read/owned loads of them!
I was always completely baffled as to how so much could happen to two twins and their friends in the space of one year though.
They were only 16 and in the space of being 16,

• Elizabeth fell off Todds bike, went into a coma and was in hospital

• also got kidnapped and held hostage by a hospital orderly worker

- their friend Regina died of a drug overdose - Jessica went up into the mountains to a party or something and nearly got raped and had to escape - Jessica was kidnapped (I think?) and held in a car boot - Stephen's girlfriend died from a disease

that's just a few off the top of my head.
Jeez Louise, talk about a crappy year. Plus, is it like the longest year EVER as how do they fit all that in?!

Wasn't Liz post coma more like Jess and ended up almost DTD with Bruce?

(my 12 year old self was sad she didn't!)

I love this! The Spanish tiled kitchen!

Was it Stacy in the BSC who had Diabetes? I loved the descriptions of their outfits!

Oh, and the twins big brother steven was ashamed of dating trashy Tricia Martin from the poor side of town? Really Classy Steve.

And later Steven dated Jessica's friend Cara but only when she'd matured due to her parents divorce so seemingly was worthy now of the annoyingly perfect master Wakefield. I didn't know he ended up with a bloke though

Used to lve svh too as everything was perfect. Didnt jessica and liz brother marry someone who died of cancer. I did read the update and very disappointed in it. Dont think the books will stand the test of time. Strangely enid blyton school series are being read by my niece at the moment.

I remember the Couples series, although I only read one or two of them. I have the one about shy Janey who clearly is built like a supermodel but hates herself for being thin and gawky and Henry who secretly designs dresses but his dad thinks he's a jock Woody the "class clown" was massively annoying and about as funny as chewing glass. Arf at the rebel being called "Brenda"

Woody. I was trying to remember the class clown character, he was another Winston basically. I loved that his eventual girlfriend asked him out and saw it as a feminist move I ssked a lot of men out in my late teens inspired by that

Does anyone remember the one where the rock stars daughter likes Angel hair pasta and Lila learns the marimba? I think the boy Andrea starts dating was Regina's brother.

I found some SVH books in a free bookshop recently

Where is this free bookshop that you speak of?

I never got past the first chapter of any SVH book as there was so much going on but I did watch the TV series. I assumed all American teens lived in a split level house with negligent parents and drove a Spider.

I never knew what happened to Billie, the girlfriend Steven lived with at university, she got pregnant and they almost got married but then she had a miscarriage and they didn't go through with the wedding. I think I stopped reading shortly after that one.

One really minor thing pissed me off. Lila's dad was called George Fowler. He is mentioned many many many times over the whole series of the books. Then Bruce Patman gets his trust fund from his uncle and his uncle thinks Lila is a gold digger and Bruce explains that Lila's dad is "Robert Fowler of Fowler enterprises". Stupid mistake but it really, pissed me off.

Steven suddenly being gay really didn't make sense. Sounds like it was thrown in just to bring it more up to date. Surprised they didn't randomly make him black and adopted.

Jessica lost her virginity to Mike McAllery before she married him.

What is a split level house? And a lavaliere? I never did know, despite them being mention 50 million times throughout the series.