S is for Sweet Valley High

#ATOZChallenge @tkrimms

About a month ago I blogged about book series I loved as a kid. Sweet Valley High (or SVH) was on that list. Whenever I went to the library, I headed straight for the spinning rack that had all the Sweet Valley High books. Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield were the coolest teens I knew. I related more to the book nerd Elizabeth than the popular Jessica, and always rooted for Elizabeth more than her because I felt we were so alike.

I owned a lot of the series, and as I got older, eventually sold them to Half-Priced Books. I probably earned myself a shiny new quarter and gave up a ton of books. These days, I wish I still had them. While the story lines were probably a tad cheesy, they still resonated with me and at the age I was when I read them, were helpful to me.

I adore young adult books, and I miss those. These days the young adult books contain much riskier subject matter. I get it. It’s all a sign of the times. The world has changed significantly since I was a kid. My teen years are entirely different than those of a teen today. I miss the innocence of these books, when all you wanted was for Todd to kiss Elizabeth. Kissing was as far as many of these books went. And that was okay.

Slam Book Fever was one of my favorites. In grade school, we started a slam book, and I’m sure it was because of the book. The slam book ultimately was a bad idea, and many got detention, while others hurt feelings. So maybe not all good things came from reading this series … anyway …..

What books do you miss? Did you have a favorite as a teen?