SVH 2008
Here’s a chance to recap and discuss the “updated” versions of the books, released in 2008.
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I went out and bought the books yesterday and I’m not quite halfway through the first one.
I think I don’t like it. It’s just not the same without the obvious 80’s-ness! And for some reason Jessica comes off as way more of a bitch to me than she ever did in the originals.
When Jessica said that her dad’s colleague Marianna West has the voice of one of those phone-sex girls I was shocked! My first thought was “you can’t say that in a sweet valley book!”
Also, the little changes just annoyed me because I didn’t think they were necessary.
So far:
*The twins share a jeep instead of a fiat (this one didn’t annoy me as much, because the twins did get a jeep later in the series)
*Apparently Liz takes Spanish instead of French (which just made me mad!)
*”Eyes and Ears” is now called “The Insider” (and of course The Oracle is a website instead of a newspaper)
*Enid’s hair is straight, not curly
*Rick Andover takes Jessica drag racing instead of to Kelly’s bar
*Todd is the star wide-receiver of the football team as well as star/captain of the basketball team (which I think is to help with the timeline issue by clearly making it fall)
That’s all I can remember for now. I can’t wait till I go home this weekend and can dig out my copy of the original to compare them!
I’ve read the second one (I preordered both from Amazon, and for some reason Secrets arrived in the mail first).
Overall, I didn’ t mind it so much. I like Leven Rambin (sp?) on the cover, as it helps me picture the twins as more modern and not Sears portrait 80’s icons.
The idea that Enid’s correspondence with George is in emails, and they end up on Liz’s computer MOSTLY makes sense. Although it was still kind of weird how she discovers that Jessica forwarded the emails to Ronnie Edwards. Does anyone who read this agree?
The Ms. Dalton/Ken rumor thing actually translates well to 2008, considering Mary Kay Letourneau and all the other issues with teacher/student relationships since 1983. I thought it made sense that the kids would be hyperaware of this kind of thing.
Here are some things that annoyed me:
*Two words: product placement. Seriously, I don’t need to know that Jessica’s sundress is Roxy or whatever. Too frigging obnoxious–if I want obvious product placement, I’ll read the later Gossip Girl books.
*They seem to be making Winston sort of hipster-ish. I thought that was cool and understandable (because those guys are sometimes kind of awkward in high school, and Jessica wouldn’t go for someone like that). Until the end, where he has broccoli in his teeth, a bad suit, and halitosis. Come ON! So now hipster guys are losers with bad hygiene? This may be a personal thing (my high school boyfriend was hipsterish, and he always dressed funky and smelled nice), but it really got to me.
*Why is the Oracle a frigging website? Schools still have newspapers, people!
*The dialogue was mostly fine, but at times it reeked of trying too hard.
*Janelle, I don’t get the Enid hair-change either. Girls still have curly hair.
*The dude on the cover is more how I pictured Ken. Couldn’t they have found a more preppalicious dude (with his shirt on) for Bruce?
It’ll really be interesting to see how these books sell. Yeah, there are nostalgia-hounds (like me and many of the other readers of this blog) who are buying them, but what about their intended audience? Even when the publishers are trying to punch them up, they’re still relatively innocent compared to Gossip Girl and the like.
Oh well. Still can’t wait to read Double Love!
(Note: I can’t really say how this compares to the original Secrets, as it’s been years since I read it. However, I do have Double Love at my parents’ house, so I’ll be sure to dig it up the next time I visit!)
What?! No Kelly’s bar???
I’m so annoyed–Amazon is taking for-freaking-ever to ship my SVHs. I wonder if demand exceeded supply.
Kelly’s bar does make a brief appearance at the end of Double Love 08.
I can’t wait to read these and compare them. No book store in my area is cool enough to carry them so I had to order them from amazon. I hope they ship fast!
I’m still waiting for my books from amazon…grrr. But I have an update from the NY Post:
” These days, the twins are a little different than their ’80s personas – like, totally different.
Now, Jessica says things like: “Then why do you keep looking at me like you’re a fat chick and I’m a fat plate of evil carbs?”; Elizabeth has changed her news medium from newspapers to a Web site and blog; and there are countless references throughout the books to BlackBerrys, Coldplay, Maxim magazine and even Prince William.”
Oh man. This sounds awful. Also, Enid now apparently shops at Juice Couture. You’d think if they were going to upgrade anything about Enid it would be, well, the name Enid.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/04082008/entertainment/sweet_sequel_105460.htm
“You’d think if they were going to upgrade anything about Enid it would be, well, the name Enid.”
HAHAHAHAHAH!!!
I went on the Random House website where it lets you read excerpts from the new Double Love and Secrets. I was right, I hated it. SVH without 80’s-ness does not compute. And I hate the airheaded tone the narration is given.
Enid is actually coming back in in hipster circles, believe it or not.
Does anyone–maybe some of the early twenties-aged posters–know or remember when SVH stopped being stocked on bookstore shelves? i.e. when it was officially no longer being distributed? My reading era was the B. Dalton/Waldenbooks 80s-early 90s, and they always had plentiful stock.
Somehow I cannot picture the line of pastel paperback spines on a Barnes and Noble or Borders shelf.
I know 2003 was when they released the last Senior Year, dealing with their graduation (20 years in the making). It was released in a special edition with the original Double Love.
Yes, I bought it. Yes, I will be obtaining it from my parents’ house the next time I visit.
maybe:
I’m embarassed to say I didn’t know about Senior Year until I visited this blog. But were non-Senior Year SVHs still being stocked that recently?! (I can find out the latest publication date online, but I’m interested to know when the main series–basically whatever would have come after the mid-90s Margo, Sue & Jeremy, etc. sagas– etc. died out on the shelves).
Where I live, they were still regularly on the shelves of shops until ‘98 – so, when the original SVH series finished. They weren’t so popular by then, though. And I live in the UK, so it might have been slightly different here, not as many people read them.
And, just to add, the Senior Year series was given virtually NO publicity over here. I didn’t know it existed until a couple of years ago, either!
Magpie & others, were they fairly popular in Anglophone countries outside N.America or was it a teasing offense to be interested in the airbrushed California life? I remember when Melrose Place was popular in Britain whenever I’d visit, so I’d guess a lot of people were interested.
I’m guessing that the new SVH 2008 will make an even bigger splash abroad due to the globalization of pop culture, blogs, Myspace, Youtube, and other cross-cultural phenomena. From the bits of the new books others have posted, the new SVH’s updates will appeal to that demographic in countries from the Netherlands to Nepal.
Here is the Random House excerpt link for those who are interested:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780440422624&view=excerpt
I just started reading it and cannot believe they kept the lavalieres! Yet another generation is going to wonder what the hell those are…
This is just awful. Why would they change so much? It’s like rewriting a history book and having George Washington hit up Thomas Jefferson on his cell. Just not right! And really, do today’s teens want to read SVH? Gossip Girl, etc. are so much more edgy and less ridiculous. Well, less ridiculous in the sense that Blair wasn’t almost raped every book. Plus I highly doubt today’s teens are really going to believe Jessica’s a virgin.
Confession: I still don’t know what a lavaliere is.
The thing that is really perplexing to me is that I’m sure the (re)writers of these grew up with the originals, and therefore this is much more of a conscious, deliberative effort. It isn’t just about what the writers think of modern teenagers, but what they want these teenagers to think, what they want them to believe is cool or relevant — and that has got to be based in part on their own experiences of reading these books. So while we read SVH as kids and today kvetch about how lame the “size 6″ mantra was, they read the same thing and think, yes, how lame — let’s make it smaller!
As a 29-year-old with a daughter, I’m embarassed — first of all, to be writing on a SVH website, but seriously, what is our generation thinking? Why do we perpetuate this cycle? I’m not saying the writers should necessarily make the books any less fun/moronic, but when you have such a cut and dry opportunity to “improve” them, why make them far more materialistic and even more superficial than before? At least the vanity of the old SVH was of the vague, inimitable, Lisettean kind.
“Jessica got right up in her sister’s face.”
WTF is this? This is not only crappy writing/syntax, but is ridiculous in its attempts to be “street” and “hip.”
“First of all, I gained, like, five pounds since last week-all in my hips and butt,” she said, turning around and craning her neck to see her rear view in the mirror. Her perfect-size-four rear view.’
Is this a parody? No, really. This is f-ed’ up to the n’th degree. To Jessa Fields’s points, yes, the women editing these should know better, and I feel sorry for them if their jobs are on the line and they are beholden to some messed up corporate idea of what teens today want, but this is plain wrong. Like Bess Marvin (Nancy Drew’s) 5lbs of chub was not burned into our young brains aready. And what’s with the voyeuristic emphasis on the 16-year old’s ass?
Ladies and Gentlemen of this blog, I direct you to the Random House logo at the top of Jessa’s link:
“Bringing you the best in fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books.”
HAHAHAHA…ok, check out FranPac’s “author interview” on the Random House site. (She looks exactly the same as she did 20 years ago, only more sun-damaged, BTW).
“Q: Where do you get your ideas?
A: I get some of my ideas from watching my three daughters, but most of them come from my own memories of growing up.”
You mean your daughters rotated the same four or five hometown boys between them and, for sexual variety, f***ed or cockteased any and very other male between 16 and 18 they encountered on vacation, holiday, work, or internship?
You mean you or your friends personally experienced a paralyzing airplance crash, terminal cancer, seven or eight eating disorders, twelve to thirteen kidnappings by crazed psychos, two cult inductions, and an evil doppelganger who tries to take over your life?
Huh.
“I can remember how romantic I was, not just about love, but romance in the classic sense – the romantic ideals: of honor and truth, of loyalty, sacrifice and fairness. .. And that what I try to put in all my books.”
HAHAHAHAHAHA.
DISCLAIMER: my beef is not that the young women had multiple sex partners but that they swore/pretended monogomy while, without fail or conscience, running around with their own sisters’ boyfriends.
Can one apply “the classic sense” to ANYTHING in the Sweet Valley universe?!?
ok, I did go and read the excerpt on the website- Todd was “tall, dark, yum”. I just threw up my Casey’s hot fudge sundae.
Tall, Dark, and barf.
do kids really say these things?
“I just threw up my Casey’s hot fudge sundae.”
Congrats, you’re on your way to size four! Mission accomplished, Francine!
“Does anyone–maybe some of the early twenties-aged posters–know or remember when SVH stopped being stocked on bookstore shelves? i.e. when it was officially no longer being distributed? My reading era was the B. Dalton/Waldenbooks 80s-early 90s, and they always had plentiful stock.”
The bookstores in my area stopped carrying SVH when Senior Year came out.
Am I the only one who likes the new books? The first few SVH books were HORRIBLE! The writing, the plot, the characterization, it was all sloppy. The new ones will never replace the originals to me but I really liked them and I’ll read them again. The new ones have the characters in character, they reworked the plots so they make a little more sense, and there’s continuity. ^_^
Yeah, continuity…I noticed they skipped that whole scene in Secrets where Todd tells that story about his little brother on Halloween. No mention of the once mentioned little brother to be found…
my bo0okstore stopped after the evil twin. then we got a few SY and thats all folks…
“I don’t know why he didn’t call my cell. I’m sure he has the number.” WTF!?!?! cell fones – a whole new way for jess to be a whore………
“What was this, some kind of reality show prank?”
Alas, it is not.
Love the commentary on Francine, Bart Templeton. truth, honor, loyalty, sacrifice and fairness–in Sweet Valley? when the first few pages of your revised book show Jessica lying to her sister (twice!), staring at her a** in the mirror and using the word “sucks”?
Dear Francine, is “sucks” used in “the classic sense” too?
Sarah C. — You are entirely on FranPac’s wavelength. You *get* “classic,” girl.
Sorry for all the HAHAHAS, but I was reading the interview w/ FranPac while in the middle of a meeting, and I actually laughed aloud; got stares.
I feel the HAHAHA adequately represents my feelings on the subject.
I think in my area they continued stocking at least some SVH books through the end of the Senior Year Series. These were mostly the newer editions that had colored spines and everything! But yeah, they stopped carrying anything shortly after the entire series ended.
I think that I simultaneously love and hate the new books! I’ve finished the first one now and I agree that the continuity thing is nice to see, and I think that they did work cellphones into it nicely.
I still don’t like all the unnecessary changes though. For instance: NO DAIRI BURGER!!! I was shocked and disappointed at that! Also, Dana Larson apparently has dark hair now, instead of being blond, Winston seems to be more of an actual geek instead of just a geeky member of the cool crowd. I don’t like how Liz isn’t described as being popular at all, but instead seems like a bit of a geek herself!
I did like the things with Steven though, it actually makes him seem his age (19) and more of an actual person!
Aw, I thought that new chapter was just horrible; Cell phones; “Butt and hips”; “Suck”; all up in Liz’s face or whatever that hideousness was…wrong wrong wrong. I know it’s partly because I grew up with the originals and nobody likes change but please, Jessica sounds like more of a sociopath than ever and, oh, just yuck!
Thanks for the link to the NY Post article! I love how Francine is planning a book to follow the twins at age 26 and a SV Musical… did someone run out of money?
Deathy and Janelle, I’m enjoying them too. Yeah, not cool with some of the changes, but they could have been a LOT worse and for me, they’re still fun to read. Again, I don’t know how they’re going to fare with the teen-girl-squad set, should be interesting to see.
I read today somewhere that Bruce is now driving a Cadillac and doesn’t have the 1bruce1 vanity plate. This cinched it for me that the updated series is the suck.
http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2008/04/fugs_svh.html
Here’s the link with some other facts.
Oh crap, I’m a dummy who doesn’t read all the comments!
I don’t know where the best place to post this is, so I’m just gonna do it here! Maybe we should have just a general discussion page or something!
So I’ve seen tons of references in people’s comments about Jessica’s sociopathic tendencies! I wanted to offer a revision. In my psychopathology class we just covered personality disorders and there’s one that fits Jessica way better than Antisocial (formerly known as Sociopathy)– Histrionic Personality Disorder:
“A pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:
1. is uncomfortable in situations in which she is not the center of attention
2. interaction with others is often characterized by inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behavior
3. displays rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions
4. consistently uses physical appearance to draw attention to self
5. has a style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail
6. shows self-dramatization, theatricality, and exaggerated expression of emotion
7. is suggestible, i.e., easily influenced by others or circumstances
8. considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are”
—Taken directly from the DSM
so yeah, that pretty much describes our Jessica perfectly!
First off, as an 18 year old today, size four is not all that skinny. At least not if you shop at stores like AE, A&F, and Hollister. I’m not even considered all that skinny and I wear a zero or a two. Secondly, what’s with all the “hip” lingo? It makes them ultimately sound like a parody of themselves. But they’ll be easier to snark on, huh?
NO DAIRI BURGER?!?! WTF???? thats it – boycott. cant not have THE DAIRI BURGER
Bruce is now driving a Cadillac
NO
and doesn’t 1bruce1
NO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
next thing u know John P will be a SNAG and not a rapist….
Bruce… in a Cadillac? WTF. And no Dairi Burger? *sigh* Where else are the SVH gang supposed to get clam specials?
I just finished both of the updated books. I don’t like that they changed the Dairi Burger to Casa de Sol. Thats a dumb name.
Anyways, growing up reading all of the SV books, I was always more of an Elizabeth fan as I was more like her, quiet and liked to read, but i found Jessica mildly entertaining.
But in these new books, are they trying to make her completely unlikable? her character is so evil and bitchy, it seems like way more so than in the original books. Why would you want one of the main characters to be so horrible? It makes Liz look even dumber and more doormaty for forgiving her every time.
Kristin, I agree, Jessica seemed soo much worse to me than she ever did before. And they made Elizabeth much more of a nerd. They never even mention that she’s actually popular at school (at least not that I remember right now…).
And I hate that the Droids are now Valley of Death and Dana Larson all of a sudden has dark hair and wear too much eye-liner….
You know, “Valley of Death” is a fairly accurate depiction of the events to come in this series. Is this the ghostwriters’ attempt at foreshadowing, perhaps?
Calico Drive, your name reminded me of some of the things that they kept the same! For one thing, they still live on Calico Drive! Also, I thought it was interesting that they mentioned that the twins’ birthday had been in June, working on that whole continuity thing!
You know, I can understand changing some of the outfits and slang, but why are they changing the other stuff, like the Droids and the Dairi Burger and 1bruce1? There’s absolutely no reason to, since those things didn’t need to be updated to make sense to the teens today.
^Yeah, I actually think the name ‘The Droids’ fits into the whole retro-cool thing that is so popular right now. Except in SVH 2008 it would be ironic
Also, people still go to fast food places, so I don’t really understand why they changed the Dairi Burger. In Senior Year they did quite a good job of updating the SVH hangouts by introducing a Starbucks-style coffee bar, which meant they didn’t have the kids shoving junk food down their throats every single day. But they still went for burgers every now and then.
If it’s one thing I wish for the 2008 series, it’s that they adjust the continuity so things make more sense. Maybe they will be able to do this since they’re working with stuff that has already been written. The big mistake with the original series imo is that only like the first 4 books take place in the fall, but then for the next 20 books it’s spring. I guess we shall see…
If they were going to change The Droids’ name, why not make it Sweet Valley of Death? That would be even more accurate.
Also, Bruce drives a Cadillac? Is he the only character that has actually aged since the 80’s and is in his 30’s? I can’t imagine a teenager driving one of those.
They have updated the continuity a bit. It’s clearly football season and the dance they have has a fall theme!
if it aint porsche it aint patman.
OMG Sudden thought! when dear sister gets re written will Bruce replace his wine and paper cups with class A drugs of some kind?????
Janelle: it is like that in the original series as well. Jessica wants the crown to the fall dance in #2 Secrets, and in #4 Power Play it’s still clearly football season. But after that everything turns into the longest spring ever!
Hopefully they fix that.
“Bruce drives a Cadillac and doesn’t 1bruce1″
No porsche and no vanity place!?! Absolute BLASPHEMY.
“If they were going to change The Droids’ name, why not make it Sweet Valley of Death?”
*sporfle!*
Calico Drive: the porsche can go. To hell with 1Bruce1.
But oh, heck no, the wine ‘n’ paper cups stay.
They speak to the underlying chintziness of this smug proto-fratboy. Yet I can’t bring myself to hate him, WHY?
P.S. That was all bravado–your axiom “if it aint porsche it aint patman” is a truth for the ages.
Maybe I was just missing something, but I didn’t see as much label dropping as everyone else did. These books remind me of Senior Year in a different format; the tone is the same. Some of the changes are annoying, but the unintentional hilarity remains the same. No one else laughed at Olivia’s “oh my goddess” outburst, or at Lila having a martini party?
I’m wondering if they are going to re-release all of the SVH books. I wonder if they’ll do the Super Editions too?
I think right now they’re only planning to release either 10 or 12 books, I guess after that it’ll depend on sales.
Actually, I don’t find it that surprising that Jessica seems more evil than she did in the ’80’s.
That might be because I came out on the older end of the Gossip Girl era. The weirdest thing about the popularity of those books (and its imitators) is that most of the girls who read them don’t actually like the main characters. The characters are all kind of insane and unlikeable, on top of being a tad sociopathic (think Jessica Wakefield of latter days times 4,000). They don’t have a lot of relate-ability.
So I guess Random House is just trying to keep up with the kids of today?
These books are seeming to be too much like the Gossip Girl books. That’s just ridiculous… and Jessica is more of a bitch in these.
truth for the ages – thank you thankyou:)
I am surprised Elizabeth called Jessica “Nancy Drew” instead of some updated reference.
Yeah, in the re-release of “Power Play” they change Pi Beta Alpha to the Sweet Valley Beautification Committee (per the Random House website). That stings almost as much as the exclusion of 1BRUCE1. Well, nothing’s THAT painful, but since sororities in high school were painfully outdated in the 80s, what’s another 20 years?
My very favorite 80s YA memories are tied up w/ high school sororities, precisely because no high school in my area would ever have such a thing.
The Sorority Girls series was high school sorority gold.
And yet another gratuitous change that reinforces my belief that reading even one of these SVH 2008 will require blood-pressure lowering meds. Not good for my health.
No PBA!? WTH is this “Beautification Committee”? That sounds so lame!!
I remember one of my biggest disappointments upon reaching high school (in ‘93) was the discovery that there were no sororities/fraternities. Weren’t those in existence primarily way before the 80’s anyway?
We had sororities in high school, but not fraternities..and I graduated in 1990.
I agree, this SVH 2008 sucks! Even with the 80’s like feel, the old SVH was timeless. All these changes are not necessary. I graduated high school in 2003 and didn’t start reading SVH till 1999, and I thought the books were great. And really what’s so perfect about a size 4?
That’s cool Christopher, if you don’t mind me asking, which state are/were you in? I’m in Florida.
When I found out about SVH 2008 I couldn’t resist, as bad as I’m sure it’s probably going to be. I am still waiting for my order from Amazon so I can read them in all their cheezy 80s-free glory. From the comments I have read I’m sure I’m going to be throwing up ove the side of my couch…
I am in Maryland Amy. Sorry it took so long to get back to you!!
It’s OK, thanks for letting me know!
You’re Welcome
I just wonder if they’ll ever do an update of “The Evil Twin” and its BATSHITCRAZYAWESOME sequel “Return of the Evil Twin” and how they’ll get around the logistics set up in the original. Will 08Margo hack into Elizabeth’s Livejournal to read her innermost thoughts? Will 20thCenturyNora be able to purchase an iPod, Blackberry, and Marc Jacobs wardrobe that mirrors Jessica’s? Will anyone text Liz to see where she is right before the midnight countdown, instead of running around in circles at the Fowler Crest? Can the wicked Chappelle twins get through the Wakefield’s fancy security system in order to stalk and spy accordingly? Won’t Nora2.0 just be able to Google Margo2.0’s backstory before setting out across the country to find her beloved sister? And, come to think of it, wouldn’t the updated Wakefields have heard about the murdered EMTs and Margo’s missing body via the Internet or something?
These are the questions that keep up at night, as I pray for a “perfect size 4″ ass and aquamarine eyes.
I’m betting that mobile phones will suddenly be forgotten/non-existent when they become inconvenient to a psycho/stalker storyline…
Or maybe everywhere in Sweet Valley except the mall, beach, and school will have no cell phone reception…
Okay, I just got my copies of the SVH 2008 books. I have now read the first and I’m left pretty underwhelmed I must say. Where is the spunk of the original series? Why can’t Jess say 137 a hundred and thirty seven times?! Honestly, Jess seems like even more of a bitch this time around. And the Dairi Burger is no longer existent – how rude! I’m not dealing well with this Casa del Sol thing. And no 1Bruce1? Also, Todd being on the football team seems kind of wrong. I am still holding onto my images from the original SVH, thanks – football-free Todd, curly-haired Enid and all.:) (and without Juicy Couture gear, thanks!)
Has anyone heard anything about how well or not these re’vamps’ are selling?
I just read the updated Double Love this weekend. Agree that it was terrible; not only is Jessica nasty, and much less tolerable than before, but I also thought Liz was more obnoxious. It was like the 2 didn’t like each other all that much, so in the few moments where Liz was like, I could never stay mad at you Jess! it just seemed really unbelievable. Because the rest of the time they seemed borderline hostile towards one another. In the old ones Liz was definitely a doormat w/Jessica but she seemed to have her own satisfactory life, i.e., was popular and fun in her own nerdy way. Now she just seems kinda lame and loserish, but also bitter.
As for Casa del Sol, it took me a couple mentions before I was like…OH! this is the DB! This must be Francine et al’s nod to the diversity of SoCa??? Aigh.
To be honest, I havn’t read any of the new books! I was flipping through Power Play (book 4 of the old series) and I can’t imagine it set in the modern day world! The new version of Books 4 and 5 is out in August, so I might just have a peep then!
Despite my not having read the books, I’m shocked as to some of the changes made! Cara Walker, I totally agree about Todd and the football team, Todd’s place is basketball while Ken’s is ‘’star quarterback” of the football team. And Casa del Sol? Why, oh why? What have they done?
wow! I can’t believe all the changes that have taken place in the 2008 books, I don’t think I’ll be reading those…just from the reviews, it sounds like it’s not even going to feel the same!
I found the first two right off the bat, but #3 is nowhere to be found. Is it not out yet or are the stores not stocking them?
Referring to the article, I think the fact that Francine Pascal lived in New York and just imagined what California would be like explains A LOT!
Seriously, you’d think if you were writing a book about a place you knew nothing about you would at least do your research! Yes, this most definitely explains a lot, RollingStone! In a most disturbing manner…
I just started reading the SY books over again… (ya.. i have no life right now! haha) and i noticed that Liz said in the book that she couldnt move in with Enid (this is after the earthquake jr. year finale stuff) because Enid and her mom lived in a small apartment. So..how can Enid afford Juicy in the new books??? haha
I have to admit – my lame-ass self is still looking forward to the release of books 3 and 4. So very, very sad…
I just read on 1bruce1 that #3 and #4 are coming out tomorrow… and don’t feel bad, Cara Walker, I feel the same way. I’m dying to see how they’re going to convert “Power Play”.
Seriously.. in the randomhouse website there are profiles 4 liz and jess. and 4 enemies jess had- BOYFRIEND’ EX’S?
and liz (oh!this is hilarious) -NO ONE, EVERYONE LIKES LIZ. Dont u think being a goody-goody makes some people NOT LIKE YOU (like ur sister)
what car does lila own now? i’m pretty sure its not a lime green triumph.
in book 2 (SECRETS) they mentioned her having a LOUIS VUITTON Bag. That makes more sense than Enid’s Juicy!
im just wondering, what mean things will they do 2 robin in the mordernised ones?
will they be a lot meaner/
How come Enid could shop at Juicy? From what I remember, she and her single mother were scraping the bottom of the barrel! I wonder if the Pi Beta Alpha sorority will be in this?
Oh my god. The horrors. As a resident in Australia (which really may as well be the North Pole) or some equally remote place, where we HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON. I only foun dout about this today and have spent the past 4 hours trawlling the net trying to make sense of it.
Bruce isn’t driving a porsche! No more Dairi Burger! Or Droids! Winston is actually a nerdy! And apparently Jessica doesn’t have a soul!
I was offended enough reading the twins descriptions on the website (Did anybody else notice that before this 2008 release that website stayed the smae for nearly the past FIVE YEARS! No wonder I didn’t check it regularly!)
In her description Liz actually writes ‘duh’ I’m not the creator here but isn’t that so much more Jess-slang than Liz?!?! AND JESSICAS BEST FRIEND IS LILA FOWLER DAMMIT!!!!!!! Not Cara Walker! (No offense Cara) They have that love/hate/competitive relationship! ANd why the hell are the twins wearing keys around their necks! Hello check the diaries people! That is NOT what a laverlie looks like (though I always wanted one…still do:P)
ARRGGHHH. I just threw my caseys hot fudge sundae in a fit of rage! WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY SIZE 6 ASS ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH ANYMORE!?!?!?!
I think the new books are ok. They are more realistic than the origional books ever were. I mean in the origional everything seemed too perfect. Yes there were problems and deaths, but come on does everything have to have a happy ending? Many things that the origional characters do in many of the situations are just not believable anymore. Sure back then it could’ve been but not anymore. Yes it pisses me off that there are many changes in the new books, but overall they are not bad. I don’t now if people on this blog are teenagers or not, but I am. People do see themselves as having fat asses, having a perfect figure, and so on . I know lots of people who think those things. If a teenager today, like myself, were to read the old books they would think they’re lame (not me, I love those books) like my friends do because everything ends up being too perfect, but they like the news ones though a little less product placement would be way better. I like the new books but they would have been better if the writters would have stuck with the origional characters, places, and scenarios. I did think they needed to upgrade some of the personalities form the origional, which they did.
i was reading the excerpt 4 power play and playing w/ fire on the barnes and nobles website. robin’s dress is now muumuu instead of tent dress.
and liz and jess “Though Elizabeth and Jessica had been born with skinny genes (WHAT!), they had also been brought up on a healthy diet and knew how to eat and when to indulge. Thus, they’re perfect size-four figures and healthy glowing skin.” and something else 2 about dimples and all. But, WHAT THE HELL! “THUS THE PERFECT SIZE 4 FIGURE?” WHY PERFECT. HEALTHY GLOWING SKIN? when did that come in?
I am 34 years old nearly 35 and i have just found sweet valley again and i got the new books from amazon and i hated them and sented them back to them (they did have the right feel about them too!)and went on ebay and get lots of the old ones and they are a lot better than the new ones aand i can remember as a kid waiting for the new book to out in whsmith,i think they hated me cause i was alway asking if the new ones was out yet.
So I just finished reading the new #3 and have one main complaint to lodge!
The Droids have five members: Dana Larson, Emily Mayer, Max Dellon, Guy Chesney and Dan Scott. Valley of Death has only four- with no Dan Scott to be found. I have a sneaking suspicion that they eliminated him due to the One Tree Hill character of the same name….
I think they got rid of Dan Scott because he played the keyboard – doesn’t really fit the whole Valley of Death attitude. Plus, it sounds too 80s. Don’t know how the writers will alter the plot of #25, since isn’t this the one where Emily and Dan are supposed to get it on?
I looked on Amazon and the last two they mention are #5 and #6. Does anyone know if they will release others? I dont’ believe they are doing very well.
This halter top would look so hot with my red skirt,” Jessica said, flipping her hair off her face as she emerged from the closet. She held up a scrap of white eyelet fabric. “Can I borrow it?”
“Jess, that’s a scarf.”
“Yeah, but if you tie it like this, it’s a halter top!” Jessica replied, quickly knotting the ends behind her back, over her strapless minidress.
Excerpt from 2008 All Night long-priceless!
stacey, they are not releasing any more books cause the sales are not good.
P.S 2008 books make jessica look and sound like a slut
Okay, in my humble opinion, the most STUPID, UNNECESSARY change in the whole thing is renameing Bill Chase. He is now Will Chase. Because no one is named Bill anymore. Which harkens back to the Enid comment… they don’t change Enid, but they change Bill. *Rolls eyes*.
Also, they are releasing Dear Sister and Heartbreaker in the summer (release date according to Chapters is May 12, 2009)
I haven’t really read any of the revised versions, though I did open one at the bookstore, and that was enough for me. I mean, being 80s is part of what Sweet Valley is all about. Somehow, at least to me, they just don’t fit in with all the computers and cell phones, etc, but that’s how its supposed to be. Kind of the same way with movies, how you can watch a movie made in the 70s, and then a movie made ABOUT the 70s, and totally see a difference. I mean, they were written about teens in the 80s. So leave it be. After awhile, the storylines won’t make sense. I mean, with #10 Wrong Kind of Girl. I mean, maybe that was a big deal in the 80s. But now, tons of 16 year olds have sex. They have babies, it’s not such a big deal to make an issue over. The same with Steven dating Cheryl in #94.
And about Todd and the football/basketball team, is maybe football is more popular now than it was then and basketball is more of a sidelined sport? though in SVHSY it does talk about Todd being on the football team…
Who knows?
I can’t say I’m surprised to hear that the remakes aren’t selling well… there is no comparison with the originals. Yeah, the Will Chase thing annoyed me, too. Why couldn’t they have gotten rid of the name Enid, for goodness sakes?! Even by the release of SVU, Francine realised the name Enid was outdated (with Enid reinventing herself with her middle name, Alexandra).
“After awhile, the storylines won’t make sense. I mean, with #10 Wrong Kind of Girl. I mean, maybe that was a big deal in the 80s. But now, tons of 16 year olds have sex. They have babies, it’s not such a big deal to make an issue over.”
I think they could easily make a relevant storyline for this. It’s been some time since I’ve been in high school, but I’ll bet the whole thing of rumors going around that so-and-so is a slut is still occurring to this day.
So is it offical? They are not releasing 7&8? They are “ending” the series on a cliff hanger? Just cough out the extra money so the new fans are sitting there going “uh… now what?” weak.
I haven’t read any of the new books, other than to read the beginning of Chapter 1 in #1 at the store, but they just dont’ seem like Sweet Valley anymore. I mean, who cares that its the 80s? That’s the way it was supposed to be. It’d be like taking an old episode of Leave it to Beaver and throwing in a cell phone.
Hi, I just found this blog. I only read a few of these books, because ti was hard for me to get every single one! I was more into the Sweet Dreams series and have recently found a few of those old books at the Salvation Army. But hearing about re-writing these to modern times–wouldn’t that be like trying to remake “16 Candles” in this new era? Samantha would now want her own cell phone and that very funny scene where Jake calls her and her grandparents are sleeping her room and they answer the phone would be impossible to re-create! And the geek would be posting pictures Samantha’s underwear on MySpace or You Tube, and she would immediately know her friend’s brother was among the boys who saw it. Just not a good idea.
Beofre I was into teen romances, I read a lot of the Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume books and recently saw how Blume’s “Superfudge” was “updated” with references to CDs, MP3s, laptops and Cartoon Network. For example, Pe3ter now wants a laptop and CDs for Christmas. Originally it was albums and a stereo. He gets a gift certificate in both versions for the albums and CDs. In the original, Fudge tells him “I would have gotten you a stereo, but I don’t have that much money,” and Peter replies, “I didn’t expect a stereo. I was just kidding around.” The “new” book replaces “stereo” with “laptop” in this dialog. Fudge now watches Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon instead of “Sesame Street” and “The Electric Company.”
But it’s not completely “updated” as several outdated references are kept in the book:
Fudge covering Tootsie with trading stamps, wanting to trade her in for a two-wheeled bike. Umm, trading stamps went with out the 80s.
The neighbor handing out homemade cookies to the kids on Halloween. Even in the ’80s, kids were being told to not to accept homemade or unwrapped treats. Also, when they get home, Fudge is counting and reciting what treats he has received, and he has apples among his treats.
Reference like these just can’t go into a book that mentions CDs, laptops and MP3s
I think updates like that are really dumb. Who cares if a book takes place in the past because it was written in the past? So does every classic work of literature ever written, because in order to be considered a classic, a book has to be from the past! (Not that I’m suggesting that Sweet Valley High will ever be considered a classic, but you know what I mean.)
Another thing–I was jsut thinking about how in the book with Jade Wu Amy Sutton finds out that Jade’s family runs a Chinese laundry Amy goes hopping with her mother one Saturday and they stop at the laundry. Amy is eager to blab about this at school and she could (to quote from the book) “hardly wait got get home to call Lila [Fowler].” Now we know what she would be doing today–instantly blabbing via a cell phone.
Uh-oh, I meant Amy goes shopping…
In the new series Jessica and co have gone from Valley Girls to Paris clones. Jessica even says something on the lines of ‘that’s hot’ NOOO how can they get rid of 1bruce1.