Sweet Valley University Books In Order

Publication Order of Sweet Valley University: Thriller Editions Books

Publication Order of Sweet Valley University: Super Thriller Books

Publication Order of Sweet Valley University Books

Sweet Valley University is a series of children’s novels written by Francine Pascal which follows the exploits of identical twin sisters who must adjust to new lives in college.

+The Story

It has been argued by some that Sweet Valley High was the greatest series of books ever written for teens. No one can deny the fact that Francine Pascal set the bar really high with the novels.

And it wasn’t even their literary quality that set them apart but the fact that they introduced a cast of young characters with whom teenage readers could relate.

Pascal produced several dozen books in the Sweet Valley High series. During that time, readers were treated to stories about the Wakefield twins as they maneuvered the social complexities of high school.

But time is a cruel master, and it stops for no one. The twins couldn’t stay in high school forever. And after telling innumerable stories set in the halls of Sweet Valley High, a time came when Pascal had to finally write a graduation story for her cast, pushing them to the next stage of their lives.

The Sweet Valley University series is that next stage. The books basically pick up where the Sweet Valley High series left off and follow Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield as they attend Sweet Valley University.

Elizabeth and Jessica’s relationship was always contentious and that doesn’t change when they get to University. The twins might be identical in every way physically, down to the dimple on their cheeks, but their personalities couldn’t be more different.

In high school, Elizabeth was kind, sensitive and caring. She was popular but for all the right reasons, and she never let the attention get to her head. Jessica, on the other hand, only ever cared about her image and her ability to snag the richest, most handsome boy in school.

Jessica wasn’t always like that. She was once a sweet, innocent young girl, and Elizabeth’s best friend. But Middle School changed her and the two have been at odds since then.

The Sweet Valley University series finds Elizabeth and Jessica falling into their old habits from high school. Jessica only cares about the boys. She spends a considerable amount of time running across campus and checking out every piece of male meat she encounters, determined to find that one alpha male that deserves her attention.

Elizabeth has always wanted to be a journalist. She’s also loved Todd Wilkins for as long as she can remember. So while her sister parties, she sets about injecting herself into the journalism scene even while taking every step possible to keep her relationship with Todd, who chose to attend SVU for her, strong.

However, Sweet Valley University is not Sweet Valley High. And even though the twins don’t want to believe it, everything has changed.

Todd can no longer afford to make Elizabeth the center of his world, not when he’s a rising star athlete with far greater opportunities than he ever had in high school.

Elizabeth is all alone. All of her friends are moving on and she doesn’t know if she has what it takes to create a whole new identity at SVU. Jessica realizes that SVU is a far bigger place than her high school ever was and that getting what she wants is no longer a certainty.

Then there’s Winston Egbert whose attempts at reinventing himself keep ending in disaster, not to mention Enid Rollins who is no longer content to be Elizabeth’s sidekick and, thus, strikes out on her own with a whole new persona.

The Sweet Valley University series was written to be edgier than its predecessors. And when it was first released, that was indeed true. However, the mild sexual content is unlikely to shock anyone that was born after the 80s and 90s.

The books are still written with teenagers in mind. The writing is very simplistic and is unlikely to present a challenge for any readers. Pascal attempts to use this series to explore the realistic challenges that face young people as they transition from high school to university.

The Sweet Valley University series is not quite as melodramatic and unrealistic as the Valley High books. The stories Pascal tells are a little more grounded.

+The Author

Francine Pascal was born in 1938. Her birth name was Francine Rubin. Born in Manhattan, New York, she took the ‘Pascal’ name when she met John Pascal while at New York University and then married him in 1965.

The two were an amazing writing team that worked together on a number of projects. John was a journalist when he met Francine Pascal. She credited him for helping her gain a footing in the publishing field.

Pascal wrote television scripts and even stage plays for a while before finally sliding into literary fiction. She set her sights on the young adult genre but her first couple of books didn’t do that well.

She didn’t even expect the Sweet Valley books to succeed as well as they did. When she finally got the first few stories sold, she decided to use ghostwriters to get them produced.

She was happy to outline the stories but she didn’t think she could relate to young readers well enough to write the characters in her stories appropriately.

+College Girls

The Wakefield twins are finally in college. Jessica has been looking forward to her chance at freedom for a very long time. And now that she finally has it, Jessica cannot wait to go after all the cute guys on campus.

Elizabeth loved high school and she isn’t afraid to admit that she wants college to be just as amazing. That means keeping the spark burning in her relationship with longtime boyfriend Todd Wilkins, though that particular task is easier said than done.

For Enid Rollins, SVU is an opportunity to escape the shadow of her best friend. No longer content to be Elizabeth’s sidekick, Enid reinvents herself as Alexandra and becomes one of the popular girls.

+Love, Lies, and Jessica Wakefield.

Jessica thought that getting Mike McAllery to love her would be enough. But now that the thrilling and wealthy man has taken a liking to Jessica, she realizes that she will have to go even further to keep him.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth doesn’t know how to handle a scandal at SVU she brought to light because it could destroy the life of the man she loves.

Todd Wilkins has everything he could ever want as a star athlete. But he doesn’t know if the treatment he’s getting is legal.