Yes folks, I’m talking about Sweet Valley High, the original Sweet Valley series.
For the uncultured or male readers (or perhaps, merely too cultured), this series of books was centered around two sixteen year old twins, Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, residing in Sweet Valley, California, identical, yet different. The series followed the adventures of them and their friends, dealing with more realistic stories such as drugs, alcohol and racism, to the lesser-so, such as werewolves in London and crazy face-stealing murderers!
These books were all the rage, back in the day, leading to spin-offs such as Sweet Valley Kids, Sweet Valley University and Sweet Valley Twins, SVT being the main rival to the Babysitters Club. Yes, the books were mostly poorly written, gave out bad messages and got more unrealistic as the series went on, but how we all thrived upon them. BSC and SV had hundreds and hundreds of different books and I think it’s a shame that kids today haven’t got them to read.
Or, have they?
The first four books in the SVH series have been re-issued. I have not read them, as they are not available in the UK, although I am tempted to hit up Amazon. However, the lovely people at the 1bruce1 community on Livejournal have been recapping them and I have to say, the re-issues are a disapointment.
First of all, gone are the cute, hand-drawn eighties style covers and in are photographs. The new covers are colourful and bright and I actually like them. But, Sweet Valley they are not. For me, my biggest annoyance is the modernisation of these books. I agree, to appeal to today’s audience, they need to make modern references and I have no problem with the use of cell phones, pagers, computers and internet. But, do we really need this slammed in every single sentance? Whereas before the clothing descriptions never named specific designers, Roxy now seems to be the label of choice. How very Californian. The school paper is now a blog. And gone is 1bruce1, Bruce Patman’s Porsche. Lila’s lime-green Triumph, Bruce’s 1bruce1, the school newspapers are all seemingly small things which made Sweet Valley so very Sweet Valley. By removing these from the equation, the essence of SV has gone. Now, by all accounts, it just appears to be another generic teen series. No wonder they haven’t re-issued beyond book 4.
Perhaps they should have taken a leaf from the pages of the BSC (pun intended) and re-issued as graphics novels. I have invested in two BSC graphic novels and they are quite awesome. The original fans will buy them for nostalgic purposes, girly comic-book fans will like them as they are well done and who knows, they may appeal to a new generation. SV in comic form could have been effective.
I personally feel they should have pushed ahead on Sweet Valley Heights, the reunion series of the original characters, now aged in their thirties and left the originals well alone.
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