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Sweet Valley High #1: Double Love

(2008, Fiction - School, Written by Francine Pascal)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 10, age appropriate for kids over 13; suggested age 10.

  • Is it any good?

    2.0

  • Common Sense says

    Series revamp is the same mix of catty and cheesy.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 10–13

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Jessica's lying and scheming to get her man -- by stealing him from her own sister -- is extreme; she even lies about being "almost raped" by Todd because she feels jilted and knows her sister likes him. In the end, she barely gets a lecture, and someone plays a silly prank on her. All characters seem divided into "good" families and "bad" families; those in the bad crowd are drinkers, smokers, and girls with bad reputations.

  • Violence:

    A drunken car chase. Bad-boy Rick almost forces a kiss on Liz, resulting in a parking lot fistfight between teen boys.

  • Sex:

    Dramatic kisses. Some innuendo, including a joke about being a virgin and someone sounding like a "phone-sex chick." The Wakefield siblings think their father is having an affair.

  • Language:

    Mild, with the occasional "hell" and "this sucks" and plenty of variations of "oh my God."

  • Consumerism:

    Updated references are peppered throughout as an easy way to modernize the old series. Cars include the twins' Jeep Wrangler, plus Explorer, VW Eos, Jetta. Also mentions of Froot Loops, Botox, MTV, the movie The Fast and the Furious. Lots of talk of clothes and shopping, cell phones, camera phones, and blogs.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Bad-boy Rick drinks, smokes, and drives drunk. His bad-boy friends are all drinking before a show. Mentions of a girl's family members being in and out of rehab.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Sweet Valley High #1: Double Love

Parents need to know that this revamped series from the '80s says it's for teens, but, just like in the '80s, the simplicity and candy-coated quality of the stories will mainly interest tweens, especially those who like High School Musical. The iffiest thing that new readers of the series will find in the first book is a bad-boy drunken car chase with unwilling passengers, an almost-forced kiss, a fistfight, and some serious lying and conniving behavior from Jessica against her own sister -- with barely any consequences. To modernize the series, new brands are peppered throughout, especially cars. Alarmingly, the twins have also gotten skinnier in this iteration: size 6 in the '80s, size 4 today.

Read our full review by carriew

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about what makes a book feel contemporary. Is it modern references about things like blogging and cell phones, or is it the way the characters behave? What still seems old fashioned about this book? Why do you think they made the twins skinnier in 2008 than they were when the books were first written in the '80s? Are teen girls skinnier than they were back then? Or do you think there's more pressure to be thin?
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Bila
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 3.0

    Sweet Valley High is so sweet

    Sweet Valley High is a wondeful book series. Furthermore, it's not about blow jobs or killing people. So, parents you don't really have to worry.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
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  2. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Flygirl
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

    The best book for every teen

    I love Sweet Valley High. it is like totally awesome. Especially when the twins put killer ants on Todd because he's dating both of them. It's awesome.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  3. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Amelio
    Lives in Virginia
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 3.0

    Really stupid, but kind of fun.

    This series is a good series to read when you are incredibly bored. It's certainly not great literature, but it's mildly entertaining in a trashy kind of way.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
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