Thank you Francine, for all the teenage reading hours I spent happily absorbed in your pastel, sunshiny world.
Your books established my love for ‘relationship’ stories – the never-ending friendship and boyfriend dramas – and also that a day by the pool can ease a lot of problems.
Read what others have said about Francine here and here. My past posts about her legacy are here, here, here, and here.
I absolutely loved her books. I learned valuable lessons too! I learned how very serious TSS is, and then also the shocking death of Regina!!! I am pretty sure that book worked better than the DARE program for me. Now I want to reread these books. So much nostalgia and so many summer days reading them!
So sad to hear that she passed away this weekend, 92 though!
I suspect that the ‘legacy’ of writers of these kinds of books is often overlooked (similarly, the Jackie Collins and the Judith Krantzs of the world), so I was pleased to see the very genuine and considered articles about how Francine changed YA publishing.
I really liked her books about Victoria – I think there were three. She’s remarkable with what she achieved!
Interesting that they were called Victoria in England. I think the series you refer to were called Caitlin in Australia?? I loved them as well.
Sad to say I never read any Sweet Valley High books (I was a Trixie Belden devotee, I’m afraid), but what a remarkable legacy she left behind.
I read a bit of Trixie (and Nancy Drew) but I reckon that was when I was younger than my SVH years. Fairly sure the progression was Trixie/Nancy, then Sweet Dreams, then SVH.
I reckon I was 12 or 13 when I got into TB. The books were 95c from the supermarket 🤣
I remember buying Nancy Drew at the supermarket as well!
My absolute favourites. These books defined my early teenage years.
These and Sweet Dreams romances.
Oh god yes. There was one called PS I Love You which I read over and over again!
They teach you a lot about life.