Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: The Patmans of Sweet Valley Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-57023-4 Publisher: Bantam Lark Part of a Series: Sweet valley Saga Type of book: 1825-1972, potted American history,  Sweet Valley, wealth Year it was published: 1997 Summary: In 1825, sixteen year old Sophie, the Duchess of Edmonton, falls in love with Henry Patman, a dashing stable hand. But Sophie's sister, Melanie, has also fallen for Henry's rugged charm. And Melanie will do anything to keep Sophie and Henry apart. John Patman loses his heart to London actress Katherine Richmond. He's too poor to ask for her hand in marriage, so he swears he'll strike it rich in the oil fields of Texas. But how long will Katherine wait? Dr. Cassandra Vanderhorn meets wounded soldier Spencer Light in a World War II veterans' hospital. After he recovers, they marry, and he returns to the front. Then Cassandra receives a telegram bearing terrible news... Marie Vanderhorn has f...

Name of Book: The Fowlers of Sweet Valley Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-57003-X Publisher: Bantam books Part of a Series: The Sweet Valley Saga Type of book: 1773-1989, France, multi-generational saga, SV Year it was published: 1996 Summary: Discover the sweeping, romantic history of the men and women who made Lila Fowler who she is today! Beautiful sixteen-year-old Lili de Beautemps is rescued from guillotine during the French Revolution by a dashing young man--but he disappears before she can even thank him. Will Lili ever see him again? While working as a maid in the Marquis de Bocage's chateau, Celeste Chardin unexpectedly wins the love of the Marquis's son, Marc. Will Marc give up his family riches to be with her? Wild and reckless Rose de Bocage grew up with Pierre Oiseleur in the turbulent 1890s. But when Pierre declares his everlasting love for Rose, she tells him she'll never settle down. Will she regret that decision forever? Isa...

Name of Book: The Wakefield Legacy, the Untold Story Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-29794-5 Publisher: Bantam Skylark Part of a Series: Sweet Valley Saga Type of book: 1866-1970s, immigration, potted American history, journeys, Sweet Valley Year it was published: 1992 Summary: Follow the compelling stories of the women and men who came before Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield: Frontiersman Theodore Wakefield thought he'd lost his heart forever; will Dancing Wind make him love again? Turn -of-the-century beauty Sarah Wakefield marries against her father's wishes — only to become the mother of a fatherless child. Betrayed by his true love, Ted Wakefield must forget his past to find happiness with brilliant journalist Julia Marks. During World War II Robert Wakefield receives vital radio messages from P.O.W. Hannah Weiss and vows to find her when the war ends. Ned Wakefield struggles against injustice In the idealistic sixties, then fights for th...

Name of Book: The Wakefields of Sweet Valley Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-29278-1 Publisher: Bantam Books Part of a Series: Sweet Valley Saga Type of book: 1866-1973, immigration, potted version of American history, lost love, unrequited love, soul mates Year it was published: 1991 Summary: Follow the riveting stories of the women who came before Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield: Alice Larson, a bold sixteen year old from Sweden, arrives alone in America to start a new life- but with a broken heart. Headstrong frontier tomboy Jessamyn runs away to join the circus, leading her sensitive twin Elisabeth, into a desperate search that ends in tragedy. Spirited twins and rivals Samantha and Amanda battle for the love of the same boy during the glamorous Roaring Twenties. Marjorie, stranded in France during Word War II, becomes a heroine of the Resistance. Alice Robertson, child of the tumultuous sixties, makes a painful romantic choice she will hide forev...

Name of Book: Elizabeth's first kiss Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-15835-x Publisher: Bantam Skylark Part of a Series: Sweet Valley Twins and Friends Type of book: Sweet Valley, California, 1985, boys, growing up Year it was published: 1990 Summary: Elizabeth Wakefield has known Todd Wilkins since kindergarten, but she's never noticed how cute he really is, until she sees him dancing with her sister, Jessica. Now Elizabeth cant' stop thinking about him- and everywhere she goes, Todd turns up, to. Could he actually like her as much as she likes him? Elizabeth wishes she knew more about boys. But when she finally asks her twin for some advice on the subject, she makes a terrible discovery: Jessica has a crush on Todd, too! How can Elizabeth fall for a boy that her sister already likes? There's only one honorable thing to do: forget Todd and never let Jessica know she cares. But that's not going to be such an easy thing to do... Character...

Name of Book: Jessica's Secret Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-15824-4 Publisher: Bantam skylark Part of a Series: Sweet Valley Twins and Friends Type of book: 1985, teens, menstruation, California,  growing up Year it was published: 1990 Summary: Jessica Wakefield has always prided herself on being the more sophisticated twin, but suddeny it's her sister, Elizabeth, who's blossoming. Overnight, something wonderful has happened to turn Elizabeth into a young woman. And now Jessica's sure that if anyone- especially her sister- finds out that it hasn't happened to her, she'll die of humiliation. Then the twins get permission to travel to San Diego by themselves to visit their cousin Robin. It's the perfect opportunity for Jessica to prove just how grown-up she really is. But will acting older than hera ge get Jessica into more trouble than she can handle? Characters: The characters, although they had to learn the lessons from the...

Name of Book: Lila's Secret Valentine Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-48280-7 Publisher: Skylark Part of a Series: Sweet Valley Twins and Friends specials Type of book: Specials, valentines, intensity, emotions, California, Sweet Valley, 1985 Year it was published: 1995 Summary:  Lila Fowler is dreading Valentines Day. She has no valentine, and she's determined not to let her friends in the exclusive Unicorn Club know. So she tells everyone that she does have a boyfriend and sends herself flowers and candy to prove it. Her valentine's name is Gray Williams, and he's rich, cute, and completely made up. The Unicorns are totally impressed, and Lila is thrilled- until her friends pressure her into bringing Gray to the Valentine's dance. How can she bring a date that doesn't exist? Characters: This book explores more about Lila, although Elizabeth and Jessica are also thrown in. I can't imagine the characters changing in any shape o...

Name of Book: The Unicorns go Hawaiian Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-15948-8 Publisher: Skylark Part of a Series: Sweet Valley Twins and Friends specials Type of book: Sweet Valley twins, California, curses, unicorn club, secrets, 1985 Year it was published: 1991 Summary: Just when Jessica Wakefield becomes bored with Sweet Valley, she wins a trip to Hawaii! She brings five of her best friends from the exclusive Unicorn Club, and they're ready to have the time of their lives. But things don't turn out the way they had planed: Jessica has a streak of bad luck, Janet Howell is convinced that she is a Hawaiian Princess, and Mandy Miller, Mary Wallace, and Ellen Riteman find out a secret that they must keep from Lila Fowler. The girls don't understand why their trip to paradise is turning out to be the worst vacation ever...until they discover the curse of the Hawaiian volcano goddess! Characters: The characters are very naive and absurd. Jan...

Name of Book: Evil Elizabeth Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-48283-1 Publisher: Bantam Book Part of a Series: Sweet Valley Twins and Friends Super Chiller Type of book: Sweet valley, 1985, Halloween, moon, evil mask, supernatural, evil, mystery Year it was published: 1995 Summary: Everyone thinks of Elizabeth Wakefield as the nice twin. That's why she loves her Halloween mask-it's so scary that no one can believe Elizabeth is behind it. But her appearance isn't the only thing that changes when Elizabeth puts on the mask-little by little it makes Elizabeth act evil...only Elizabeth doesn't know it. It's up to her twin sister, Jessica, to destroy the mask...before Elizabeth does something she'll regret forever. Characters: Once more the characters require no explanation and they are explained right at the start and all that. (Hmm, I wonder how many Halloweens in the canon do the twins experience; in Super Chillers I'm reading, ...

Name of Book: The Secret of the Magic Pen Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-48282-3 Publisher: Bantam book Part of a Series: Sweet Valley Twins and Kids Super Chillers Type of book: 1985, Sweet Valley, summer camp, mystery, supernatural, plagiarism, young adult Year it was published:  1995 Summary: Summer vacation is here, and Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield and their friends have just arrived at sleep-away camp! On a hike through a dark, eerie cave, Elizabeth finds something incredible- a glowing pen! She can't wait to use it to write an article for the camp newspaper. But as she writes, Elizabeth is astonished to find herself composing a mystery full of scary twists and turns. And to her horror, little by little the mystery seems to be coming true! THis isn't just an ordinary pen. Could it be haunted? Characters: The characters are self explanatory and there's nothing special about them. There are a few new characters that I doubt will make th...

Name of Book: The Haunted Burial Ground Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-56404-8 Publisher: Bantam skylark Part of a Series: Sweet Valley Twins and Friends Type of book: Sweet Valley Twins, super chillers, Native Americans, supernatural, mystery, horror, 1985 Year it was published: 1994 Summary: The Unicorn Club is throwing the best Halloween party Sweet Valley Middle School has ever seen! Lila Fowler's dad has lent the girls a run-down shack in the woods-a perfectly spooky place for the party. But as the Unicorns are fixing the shack, strange and scary things happen: Ellen Riteman discovers a human skull, Jessica Wakefield gets lost in a cave full of bats, and a mysterious girl appears out of nowhere to relay ghostly warnings. Rumors are flying that the shack was built over an ancient Native Ameriacn burial ground. Could the shack really be haunted? Or are the Unicorns the victims of a terrifying Halloween trick? Characters: The characters are the ty...

Name of Book: The Curse of the golden heart Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-56403-x Publisher: Bantam skylark Part of a Series: Sweet Valley twins and friends super chillers. Type of book: horror, Sweet Valley, young adult, 1985 Year it was published: 1994 Summary: It's spring break, and identical twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield are taking a scuba diving course at Pirates Cove. On their first dive the twins discover the remains of an old pirate ship, and half a golden heart buried in the sand. Soon the twins receive spooky chain letters demanding that what was taken from the sea be returned. Jessica continues the chain; Elizabeth doesn't. Suddenly terrible things start happening to Elizabeth. She finds threatening notes in her room and a live scorpion in her lunch bag. Can Elizabeth discover the secret of the golden heart before the curse destroys her? Characters: This one tries to get more involved by including the twins' brother an...

Name of Book: The curse of the ruby necklace Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-15949-6 Publisher: Bantam Skylark Part of a Series: Sweet Valley twins and friends super chillers Type of book: horror, mystery, death, Sweet Valley, supernatural, young adult, 1985 Year it was published: 1993 Summary: Identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are thrilled when they land small parts in a movie being made in Sweet Valley. The film is based on the true story of the mysterious death of twelve-year-old Lillian Keller, and it's being filmed at the creepy old Keller mansion. One stormy afternoon, Jessica finds an old necklace on the beach near the mansion. She puts it on, and that very night she has a terrible nightmare about a girl falling to her death. She becomes convinced that someone-or something-is trying to tell her that the mystery of Lillian Keller's death is far from solved. But can a necklace really hold the secret to a murder? Characters: The cha...

Name of Book: The ghost in the bell tower Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-15893-7 Publisher: Bantam skylark book Part of a Series: Sweet valley twins and super chillers Type of book: 1985, Sweet Valley twins, Sweet Valley, young adult Year it was published: 1992 Summary: When the Wakefield kids are invited to their aunt Helen's country inn, Steven and Jessica are determined to use the eerie old mansion to scare their sister, Elizabeth, into believing in ghosts. But no matter what Steven and Jessica do, logical Elizabeth always figures out their tricks. Then things start happening that even Elizabeth can't explain, and all the Wakefield kids are afraid that the inn really is haunted. Will they make it through the summer sharing their vacation with an unfriendly ghost? Characters: As always the characters do not carry the changes into other books and they basically remain the same. In this one though, at the end, the girls aren't frightened as t...

Name of Book: The Carnival Ghost Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-15859-7 Publisher: Bantam Part of a Series: Sweet Valley Twins and Friends super chillers; prequels; the christmas ghost, the ghost in the graveyard; sequels; the ghost in the bell tower, the curse of the ruby necklace Type of book: Sweet Valley Twins, ghost, carnival, 1980s Year it was published: 1990 Summary: A traveling carnival is on its way to Sweet Valley, and Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield can't wait to ride the roller coaster, have their fortunes told, and try their luck at the games. But when they get there some odd things happen to the twins. A fortune-teller warns Jessica to stay away from the carnival. And a mysterious girl named Claire seems to appear out of nowhere and suddenly becomes best friends with Elizabeth. Elizabeth is strangely drawn to Claire. She begins to ignore her friends, her chores, and even her sister to spend time with her new friend. It's as if she's...

Name of Book: The ghost in the graveyard Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-15801-5 Publisher: Bantam Part of a Series: Sweet Valley Twins Super Chillers: #2 (Prequels the christmas ghost, sequels: carnival ghost, ghost in bell tower, curse of ruby necklace, etc.) Type of book: Sweet Valley Twins, 1980s,  young adult, Year it was published: 1990 Summary: Strange things have been happening to Sam Sloane ever since he moved from San Francisco to Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield's neighborhood in Sweet Valley. He can't figure out why everything in town looks so familiar—or why he's mysteriously drawn to a crumbling old mansion in town. When he visits a cemetary in the dead og night and sees a ghost who looks just like him, he tumed to Elizabeth and jessica for help. At first the twins think Sam is imagining things. After all, who believes in ghosts? But the more the girls get to know their new friend, the more they feel he's telling the truth. Something...

Name of Book: The christmas ghost Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-15767-1 Publisher: Bantam Part of a Series: Sweet Valley Twins and Friends Super Chillers; The ghost in the graveyard, the carnival ghost, next. Type of book: Sweet valley twins, kid to young adult, Dickens' christmas carol parody, moral, 1985 Year it was published: December 1989 Summary: Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are looking forward to the most glorious christmas ever. The tree is trimmed, the presents are wrapped, and movie star Beau Dilon is coming to town! THe actor, who'll be in Sweet Valley to publicize his new movie, has agreed to help Elizabeth raise money for the children's wing of hte local hospital. BUt when the teen star arrives at the Wakefields' house, it's Jessica, not Elizabeth, he meets. What's the harm in pretending to be your twin? No harm, Jessica thinks-until strange things start happening and three ghostly visitors appear. Is Jessica's i...

Name of book: The return of the evil twin Author Name: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-57002-1 Publisher: Bantam Type of book: Young adult, contemporary Year it was published: 1995 Summary: Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield have no idea that their world is about to be turned upside down-again. Last christmas, Margo-a girl who looked, talked and dressed exactly like Jessica and Elizabeth-arrived in Sweet Valley to take what she considered her rightful place in the Wakefield home. On a dark winter's night, Margo fell to a violent death, and the Wakefields thought their nightmare was over. But they didn't know about Nora, Margo's own twin sister. Nora, separated from Margo at birth, is outraged when she discovers that the sister she'd never known is dead...and that California's picture-perfect twins are to blame. Now Nora wants revenge-and she's capable of evil beyond anything Margo could have ever dreamed Characters: The characters were unrealistic...

Name of book: The Evil Twin Author Name: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-29857-7 Publisher: Bantam Type of book: Young adult, contemporary Year it was published: 1993 Summary: Margo's monstrous plan is complete. She came to Sweet Valley to find a new life, and discovered identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield and their "perfect" family. If only Margo can get rid of one of them, she can take her rightful place in the Wakefield home. Now the moment Margo has been waiting for has arrived. The twins aren't speaking to each other. Sweet Valley is in chaos. Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield are out of town. Margo has just enough time to do what she needs to do. Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are in mortal danger. Characters: One dimensional characters, although I have to admit that Margo is very creepy. The twins, as I have mentioned previously, don't learn from their mistakes and I constantly rolled my eyes at the things that were happening to them....

Name of book:  Sweet Valley Confidential Author Name:  Francine Pascal ISBN:  0312667574 Publisher:  St. Martin's Press Type of book:  Adult, attempt at contemporary Year it was published:  2011 Summary: Now with this striking new adult novel from author and creator Francine Pascal, millions of devoted fans can finally return to the idyllic Sweet Valley, home of the phenomenally successful book series and franchise. Iconic and beloved identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are back and all grown up, dealing with the complicated adult world of love, careers, betrayal, and sisterhood.   Characters: Elizabeth Wakefield: She's the "bad" girl of the book who turns somehow into Jessica. She apparently has multiple sexual partners and also became devious with a plan to make Jessica fall in love with a friend she will bring from New York. While I have never read the main body of Sweet Valley series, I did read what I call "fr...