Since Grade School, I have always been a fan of Sweet Valley. I remember eating my lunch as I could so that I could go to the library and read the misadventures of Jessica and Elizabeth. I would save money to get the latest copy of their book, or badger my mom to buy 3 books for me. Whenever I read their stories, I felt like I'm part of it. Sometimes, I wish that I could be one of the twins, either Jessica or Elizabeth. I grew up with them. I share their experience. I learned more about teenage life because of the twins and their friends.
When the publishers of Sweet Valley High came up with the secret diaries or Jessica and Elizabeth, I remember buying all the three parts of Jessica and Elizabeth's secret diaries. It's because not all of the copies of Sweet Valley High could be found on the Grade School Library, and there was no copy at all at the Day High School Library. I assume that the College Library and the Graduate Studies Library have a copy of it. I also enjoyed reading the Saga series, which tells the story of Sweet Valley and the families who lived there. Too bad, I was only able to read the Patman Saga and the Wakefield Saga. I was not able to buy the Fowler Saga since I didn't have money that time, and I was not able to find a copy of the other Wakefield Saga. I tried to complete the Sweet Valley University series and the Sweet Valley Senior High series, but I wasn't able to do so. I proudly display my Sweet Valley collection on our bookshelf. I have always thought that my collection was priceless.
I use to read the books while waiting for the school bus to leave the school premises, when I'm bored, when I'm waiting for my lil sis, when I needed to do a book report or book review in our English class. I used to share opinions about a certain copy of Sweet Valley to my fellow classmates, who are as addicted as I am. I borrow books from my classmates whenever they got a new copy of SVH. I even watched the TV Series, but it didn't impress me much since the story line is different from what I have read in SVH.
What I didn't liked about SVH, is that the timeline and the plots are quite... uhmmm.... impossible and unrealistic. Who, tell me, who in their right mind would stay in Junior High for more than 10 years? How can all the stories happen when there are only 12 months a years, and 10 months in a school year? It's a little bit weird that I was reading about Jessica and Elizabeth, who are in their junior year, when I was in Grade 5, and yet, I'm still reading about Jessica and Elizabeth who are still in their junior year when I'm already about to start my senior year! Weird! I can't believe a lot of things happen to them during their junior year, and yet, only a few interesting and exciting things happened to me when I was in third year high. I was glad that after the traumatic earthquake that hit Sweet Valley, Jessica, Elizabeth and the gang were able to move to another level. I only got to read the first series of SVH Senior High, since I felt that reading these books is a bit to childish. Right after I graduated from High School, and before I start college, I decided to clear my bookshelf and keep the Sweet Valley books in our "bodega".
Last Wednesday, I found out that most of my Sweet Valley books, together with the other novels and books that I have bought way back in high school, were eaten by termites. The only thing left are small pages and cover, and somewhat unreadable pages. My precious Sweet Valley series collection is gone. For a while, I wanted to cry. I was saving those books for my little Chloe Reese, or for my cousin. Too bad... together with Sweet Valley, a bigger part of me was also eaten by termites - my childhood memories, my past, and my dreams. It was because of Sweet Valley that I desired to be a novelist. I remember before, I tried to write a series of stories just like Sweet Valley, but I was to lazy to finish it. But I guess, it's better that way. I stashed SVH before, hoping that I could finally move on and grow up, but then those books are the only links I have with my past...
That reminds me... I remember I put a love letter between the pages of one of my books... I hope that letter's got eaten by the termites too!
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