Were you more of a Jessica or Elizabeth Wakefield? The choice was obvious, based on you as a person. If you were kind of a stick in the mud, but super smart, you were obviously an Elizabeth. If you liked cheerleading and being a little bit obnoxious all the time, you identified with Jessica. They were basically the Mary-Kate and Ashley of their day, only with less singing, and they didn’t end up marrying hundred year old men.
If you came of age in the 90s, there were multiple Sweet Valley series to get involved with. It was like Netflix binging, before that was a thing. Once you started reading about their PG-rated drama, you just couldn’t stop, and suddenly you were at the library daily waiting for the next installment in their saga. If you were a true fan, you might have even started reading all of the oldies.
If you were even more hardcore, you probably watched the truly terrible television show. If you were this far gone, you also read the sagas that chronicled the lives of the Wakefield family for decades.
You probably started with Sweet Valley Junior High, because it was exactly in your age range. It starred the girls as eight graders, rezoned to a new school full of brand new characters. There are actually 30 Sweet Valley books, so it’s unclear if you made it through the series. If you did, you’re probably still reading them today. The splashy covers made you want to turn into a Wakefield twin overnight.
After that, you obviously moved onto Sweet Valley High Senior Year, which made you feel like you were such a grown-up. (Spoiler alert: you weren’t.) It was basically a WB show, only even better. There were break-ups, make-ups, cheating scandals, and the girls were finally getting down and dirty — even the always boring Elizabeth.
Even if you’re done reading the books, the twins will always have a special place in your heart… and on your bookshelves. Let’s be honest, hiding covers like that are what Kindles were made for.
