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??

[YoungBritishPissArtist]

I distinctly remember one of the first things I ever searched on the Internet was gold lavalier necklace

[MidnightAura]

MrsJoeyManyard with the BSC was that the one where Dawn lost Buddy?

I think the reason the club didn't suffer was because that was the fault of the client. She forgot her husband was meant to have the kids, he came by and saw one of them outside and grabbed him. Dawn was changing the toddler and she phoned the police.

It was silly that so many parents let 13 and 11 year olds babysit their children. There's a book where Maryanne. and Mallory babysit 7 children overnight. I don't know any parent comfortable with that!

The funniest thing was in the the book where they disband the club, parents are devastated, one of the clients even offers them money to stay together!

[MrsJoeyMaynard]

Yes, the mix up over Buddy going missing was the mum's fault - but you can just imagine, a similar thing happening here and now, the mum would also be getting it in the neck for leaving her 3 young kids - including a baby - in the sole charge of a 13 yr old kid.

[KatoPotato]

So of course I activated a kindle unlimited trial! Just started reading this beauty... it's all a bit seedy, Stephen was a perv!

[SamanthaBrique]

A perv and also her big brother!!

[MaryPoppinsPenguins]

Kato I did kindle unlimited and started that same book last night!

[scarednoob]

Have you seen this? Hilarious reviews "reading SVH in my 30's". Pick your favourite book and go!

thedairiburger.com/the-full-list/

[EverySongbirdSays]

Yes, it was The Class Trip! They go on a ride and end up a Fairy Tale Land

[HelenaDove]

Agree Samantha I didnt much like the SVH tv series. It bore no resemblance to the books.


I liked Nicholas Morrow I really wanted Liz to leave Todd for him.

It would have made more sense to me if Liz had ended up with Nicholas in Sweet Valley Confidential rather than Bruce Patman.

[MidnightAura]

Is that book excerpt from Kidnapped? Think I've read that book on kindle unlimited too.

I can't believe Bruce and Liz ended up together!

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

I let my Kindle Unlimited subscription lapse too - but if the Prom Thriller and the sequels are on it then I have to renew it. What about the one with Nora, Margo's long lost twin? Or the amazing cheerleader ones starting with Jessica Quits the Squad. Todd, Ken and Winston cross-dress at the end of that trilogy, plus it features Heather who liked diet coke with a straw

[HelenaDove]

Roger Barrett who had a crush on Lila but she didnt want to know because he was poor.......

then he turned out to be Bruce Patmans long lost half brother.

[SamanthaBrique]

No no, Roger was Bruce's cousin. From the wrong side of the tracks and then BAM suddenly wealthy.

[HelenaDove]

Yes you are right He turned out to be his cousin. He was referred to as Roger Barrett Patman after that.

[SamanthaBrique]

Lila tried to steal him away after she found out he was rich (his mum was the janitor at SVH, I think?) but he ended up with Olivia, who was arty and "alternative".

[HelenaDove]

Oh id forgotten Olivia. I remember Penny Ayala was the editor of The Oracle.


And the Patmans were "old money" and the Fowlers were "new money" The two families didnt really get on with each other.

[laylabelle]

I think Rodger died as well! Just got a mention briefly..then Olivia came back from the dead in one of the university books..must be because sweet Valley is just magical!

[SamanthaBrique]

I didn't know he died! I think I stopped reading SVH after book 60.

[SamanthaBrique]

And to go back to my OP for a moment - Mr Collins was about 28, IIRC. But still shouldn't have hung out with 16yos so much!

[OnceThereWasThisGirlWho]

In defence of the BSC (!) Jessi did have a personality, or at least about the same amount as the others. Being a black ballerina would have been more of a thing then. Better than her being the one from a large family who like reading. Also, Kristys softball just wasnt in the same league as a hobby as Jessi's dancing - Jessi had loads of lessons, was planning to be a ballerina, had the basement converted into a small studio to practise etc.

I know she didn't exactly have a personality trait mentioned like some of the others - but Stacey was much worse. Her "thing" was being a "sophisticated" New Yorker and a diabetic. What were her hobbies supposed to be? Mallory also doesn't have personality traits mentioned specifically, her "thing" is being from a large family and enjoying reading.

The book with the racist/everythingist family refusing most of the babysitters was specifically meant to be about pointless discrimination. Clumsily done because, well, look at the series... but the point was it was them reacting to the discrimination, not endorsing it. I rememeber reading it and checking the publishing date because it seemed a bit far fetched/old fashioned (I lived in a fairly multicultural area, with left wing inclusive influence from all sides, had black friends etc) but sadly grew up and discovered racism still happened. And I don't know what the situation was like in 1980s USA...

Totally with you on the age of the babysitters though! And baffled at the success of the club. Who would call a babysitters club if they could only do so on three days a week for half an hour? (I know some people called outside these times but most of them didn't!)

I fancied Logan too. Much better than the motley collection of childish boys at my school.

[MidnightAura]

Mallory loves writing- she goes to boarding school late in the series I think to do creative writing or something along those lines. She also goes on strike when she enters an essay competition.

Stacey's hobbies? Erm shopping? Boys? There was always mentions in books where New York featured that she liked musicals so I guess the going to the theatre?

[SamanthaBrique]

And Claudia's thing was art and kooky dressing. There is actually a blog about it What Claudia Wore. Dawn's thing was um, being from California?

[MrsJoeyMaynard]

Wasn't Dawn a hippyish Eco-friendly vegetarian as well?

[Redglitter]

If you have kindle unlimited treat yourself to a few SVH books they're hilarious

[SamanthaBrique]

Are they the original books or the revamped ones from a few years ago, where the author updated everything so that the twins were now a size zero, drove a more modern car and used social media etc?