We’ve covered our fair share of Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield’s high school hi-jinx on the podcast, but at long last, Alli and her guest turn their attention to a kinder, softer version of the twins: the middle school sub-series, Sweet Valley Twins. Episode 302 is all about The Curse of the Ruby Necklace, which chronicles the ~super chilling~ journey the twins take when they find their way to a local Hollywood film set and a decades-old family mystery. Guest Sally Franson is a superfan of the series and this book, and the episode is a rollicking good time that celebrates Jess and Liz as sixth graders with questionable detective skills.
Sally Franson is the author of Big in Sweden and A Lady’s Guide to Selling Out. Follow her on Instagram @sallyjf.
CHECK OUT THE SWEET VALLEY EPISODES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:
Episode 202: Tall, Dark, and Deadly (Sweet Valley High #126) (with Andie J. Christopher)
Episode 289: Alone in the Crowd (Sweet Valley High #28) (with Claire Lombardo)
CHECK OUT SALLY’S BOOKS:
CHECK OUT SALLY’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:
Swift River by Essie Chambers
Blood Test: A Comedy by Charles Baxter
Show Don’t Tell: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld
MORE READING:
“My Erotic Awakening in the Pages of ‘Sweet Valley High’” (The New York Times, 2024) <— written by our guest!
“The lasting power of ‘Sweet Valley Twins’: How my daughter and I are connecting over the series” (Today, 2024)
“YA Authors Reminisce About the Influence of ‘Sweet Valley High’” (Publishers Weekly, 2024)
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