OMG I was obsessed with Sweet Valley High as a pre-teen in the Eighties!
I saw this the other day & just had to share it here too. James L Mathewuse, the artist who did over 250 Sweet Valley High covers, takes commissions! I want to be painted like one of the Wakefield twins!!!!
Seriously, though – you can view the artist’s site HERE and a good article about it all HERE. But now I need to reminisce…
Yeah, I read the above three books. I think I stopped at book number thirty-something (I did outgrow them eventually). I wrote to Francine Pascal, the creator of the series, when I was about 12. This was for a school project, okay?? I wasn’t quite nerdy enough to write fan letters in my spare time. 😉 I thought it was really cool when I got sent an audio tape of the first book, though.
I’ve had a lot of fun just now Googling images of the original cover art. It’s shocking how they all came back to me as I looked at the covers! I can remember my favorites based on the artwork. Double Love, Playing With Fire, Power Play, Kidnapped! Those were awesome. How embarrassing… I was briefly very girly.
After Sweet Valley High, I moved onto YA “horror” instead. Christopher Pike’s books were my favorites. Remember Me, Chain Letter, Spellbound… This kind of thing was way more “me” (and my gateway to Stephen King). I really wish I still had those books with their original artwork – I’d love to be able to pass those on. Hell, I’d probably read all the Christopher Pike books again to see if I still thought they were great or if they can only truly be enjoyed by Young Adults.
I’ll shut up now. But I’d love to hear from other Sweet Valley High or Christopher Pike lovers! Jessica was such a bitch, though. I always identified more with Elizabeth. 😉
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I watched the odd episode of the tv show. From what I remember the one who played the sweeter nicer one was naughtier in real life and vice verse. Trivia of sorts ha.
Ha! That’s funny. Even I didn’t watch the show! (But that’s only because I’m so old – I was too old for it by the time they made the show) ; )
You know you’re never too old. One of them was in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia for a few episodes. As a brunette!!!
Hmm. Oh yeah! I’ve finally watched a little bit of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia! About three episodes. I think I may like Freaks & Geeks more, though (one episode in). : )
No worries. The humour isn’t for everyone.
Those are SO cool! Brilliantly retro 🙂
I know! Brings me back to my youth. 60 years ago… 😉 lol
60 years ago?!!!!!! Don’t tell me yo have a free bus pass already?!!! 🙂
I wish!!!! Those buses are bloody expensive. ; )
They are expensive and round where I live they don’t even turn up sometimes! My sister relies on the bus to get to work every day and at least once a week it just “doesn’t appear” – thanks bus service!!! Grr 🙂
And the bus driver I had the other day was a total wanker to me so now I walk two extra stops to take a bus from the rival bus company. lol!
Just look at this! I read some SVH books when I was a rugrat, and then moved on to Pike, and then to King! xD This is such a cool post man, made me all nostalgic and stuff!
Yay! Fellow SVH & Pike readers!!! : ) I was all nostalgic looking up all the covers online. I kind of want to read this shit again! Well, not SVH so much. ; ) But Pike!
This is hilarious.
Ha! I know! It would be hilarious to have the artist actually paint people all dramatic like a Sweet Valley High cover. : )
OMG!! I was only mildly obsessed and read thru the college years of Sweet Valley, hahaha. I still have a ton of the originals too (though I did pass some on). And I TOTES got the whole “Sweet Valley Confidential” series that came out a couple of years ago. It’s like, everybody is pretty much the same, except there are CURSE WORDS. *gasps* 😉
Was a huge Pike fan as well (though I had to sneak them around and hide them bc my very religious mother thought they were the devil’s work, haha). Still have the entire “Remember Me” series that was my fave. He came out with a book a few months ago actually. My book club read it (except me bc I had no time). There’s been talk of a Pike book club, purely to re-read all his works though, lol.
And I should stop now bc I will just keep babbling about these subjects forever, haha! This is really wicked cool though – thanks for sharing! ☺️
Haha – YES! I love this comment! Sorry I fell so behind on replying! Wow – I think you’re an even bigger fan than I was. ; ) I don’t even know this Sweet Valley Confidential. I actually didn’t know that any SVH stuff continued much beyond 1987/88 (yeah, I’m really really old). ; ) Guess I missed out in the later years. OMG – I want to be in your book club & read Christopher Pike books! Lol. THOSE I’d actually love to read again whereas I don’t think I’d be able to get into SVH now. I didn’t even know he was still writing! Silly me – I didn’t think to look him up nowadays. I absolutely loved Remember Me – I know that was my favorite. Dammit – I’m so annoyed that I no longer have those books! I had them all. And you’re welcome for sharing! It’s funny – I actually expected no comments on this post for some reason but it looks like there are a lot of SVH & Pike fans. And a comment from another artist who did SVH cover art. That’s awesome. SVH & Pike Fans Unite! : ) 🙂 🙂
I
NEED
THIS
IN
MY
LIFE
Seriously, I was such a big fan of these books! SO MUCH DRAMA!!
Lol! I’m surprised at how many SVH fans there are! I actually expected no comments on this post. Love it! I was so obsessed with those books at the ages of 12/13. : )
I was also ridiculously obsessed! I might even read them again at some stage!
I wonder if my daughter will read that kind of stuff… Although, I’ll admit I’d rather she was a Christopher Pike fan. ; )
Wow, I designed many Sweet Valley covers as a young Art Director in the early 90’s. I worked very closely with Jimmy Mathewuse on Sweet Valley High and Sweet Valley Twins books. I even appeared on a few books (SVTwins #91 DEADLY VOYAGE was my fave). I was immortalized by him as a bad guy hijacking a ferry LOL. Wish I had that painting, who knows where it ended up. I felt horrible we took Jimmy off the cover art assignment, but we wanted a new look for a new era. But it’s nice to know that he is still doing well and still creating those beautiful pastel illustrations. They were really one-of-a-kind. Glad to see that there is still love for SVH out there.
Really?? That’s awesome! : ) Now I want to go find the cover of Deadly Voyage… Lol. I didn’t read any SVH past probably 1988 or so (got too old!) but I’ll always have very fond memories of those first books. And the cover art. I had a lot of fun looking up old covers when I put this post together. Ah – the good old days… Great to hear from someone involved in something that was such a big part of my pre/early teen years! : )
I still work in publishing, designing covers for Mass Market thrillers and mysteries. Some of the younger women in the offices got a real kick out of the fact that I was involved in the Sweet Valley universe. I was always on the covers when they needed a grown-up man in the background. I was also crazy freddy, and a gang member somewhere in the 120s. It was a great way to learn the business and the art of cover design as a young man.
Yeah, I can imagine the women loving you being involved with Sweet Valley High! It was such a big thing for me & some of my friends when younger. And now I feel like I’ve had this super cool brush with fame! Lol : )
You and I have exactly the same reading history. I was such a Sweet Valley High fan and then I was obsessed with Christopher Pike.
Ha! This is great. I didn’t think there’d be so many other SVH & Pike fans. But there are! Love it. : )
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