Gosh, that’s a hard question!

I’m not sure which of SVH vs BSC I technically liked better.

I will say that re-reading them now as an adult, I find the BSC eminently readable — the babysitting sections are a bit tortuous, but in general, they’re enjoyable. In contrast, SVH is like cruel and unusual punishment! I can’t believe I read so many of them (1 through 82 or so).

Also, even before re-reading as an adult, I remembered tons of details of characters and plots from the BSC and virtually none from SVH (the boob-touching scene in #3 ‘Playing With Fire’ and srsly that’s like it), so I guess I must have liked BSC better.

I remember reading a few of the Sweet Valley books. I didn’t really get into the kids ones — I think I actually just skipped right over that reading level. I didn’t read very many LS books either.

But I remember reading some of the Sweet Valley Twins books - I liked the Super Chillers and some of the regular series, but I don’t remember much of them at all.

I made an actual effort at the Sweet Valley High books — I remember joining a club where we got a few a month and I was trying to read the first ones from the library. I liked the newer ones but I was also getting into Fear Street and Christopher Pike at the same time. Jessica Wakefield and her crazy boyfriend drama seemed so trashy to me, and I was actually kind of embarrassed when I read some of the things that Jessica was doing.

Of course, that didn’t stop me from being totally facinated by the abortion/incest/death/murder/suicide plots of Christopher Pike.

I collect both, but all my SV books are in boxes - not enough shelf space. I deffo prefer the BSC, but probably because I only read two SVKids books when I was younger (my aunt accidentally bought those for me instead of LS books) so I don’t have the attachment to SV as I do to BSC. Although I do really enjoy the SVTwins series, still. BSC > SV

I read both as a kid. I liked my favorite Sweet Valley books more than my favorite BSC books, but I liked the BSC better as a whole series. This was mainly because of the *really* unrealistic books in Sweet Valley, like Liz going into a coma, psychopath stalkers, and the twins having psychic powers. I didn’t like those at all, and BSC kept away from that junk.

I have ALL the BSC books, but am just getting started on collecting Sweet Valley, and will probably never collect the later books.

Now that I am coming back to these web sites and blogs, I always think that I would have enjoyed Sweet Valley more, but I never got into them when I was younger. I guess I just always felt like the BSC were the best friends I’ll never have!

Oh, and WOOO! Greer’s back! I’ve been obsessively checking pretty much daily in your absense.

I read both, throughout all of their series (never read much of the Little Sisters/Kids in Ms Colman or whatever or the Sweet Valley Kids- was beyond that when they were introduced) and it’s really a tossup. In both, I prefer now the later entries, like Cali Diaries and Sweet Valley Senior Year. Then, I read them with equal abandon, but I have to say that BSC had the ups, because as noted above, I remember way too many BSC details and only remembered some stuff about SVH.

I have large collections of both BSC and Sweet Valley Twins. My older sister was really into SVT. Both of our collections from childhood are intact. She tried to get me into SVT but I wasn’t into it. I eventually read them all though. They always had trashier plots. I especially enjoyed the Unicorn Club. I’ve read a few SVHs but I’m not into them. I read a lot of SVH Senior Year, but they suck in comparison to most teen fiction. They tried to deal with issues but it seemed really lame.

I too have gotten into 1bruce1 snark. Since I didn’t read them as a kid, I can laugh and enjoy the SVH snark better than I can the BSC snark.

I also see where you are coming from with the BSC v. SVH debate. I never got into SVH like I did with the BSC- maybe its because they weren’t mini soap operas like SVH. And honestly if I wanted to watch a soap opera, I’d watch them with my mom.

As for spin offs and the such, even with the BSC it was regular, mystery, SS, Portrait and FF. I never got into Little Sister. But with my low thresh hold for stupidity, that might be a good thing.

I read an occasional SVH or SVT book when I was younger, but it was nothing like my BSC obsession. I do remember really enjoying the couple of books in the Magna series, about the twins’ ancestors. But generally, the BSC was more my speed. All the parties and drama and flashy cars and all that? I was not into fashion and wasn’t very popular, so I could identify much more with Mallory, Kristy, and Mary Anne than I ever could with Elisabeth and Jessica. (Of course, I can only put that into words now. When I was younger, I probably would have said, “They’re ok, but I’m not really into them.”)

I definitely was more into BSC than SV… and never really got into SVH… but the scene in #3 (which was the first SVH book I read) with Jessica’s boobs left an indellible impression on my memory but I didn’t really read any other SVH , at least not that I can remember. I stuck mostly with SVT… and even some of the SVK books. (What can I say, I’m a sucker for those kind of books) But I definitely was more of a BSC girl.

In my opinion, it is like Degrassi Jr. High vs Degrassi: The Next Generation. It is like someone tried alcohol for the first time and made a fool out of themselves at a dance vs. someone stole his stepfather’s credit card, trashed a hotel room in a bipolar rage and then announced to his girlfriend’s family at her gay father’s wedding they were engaged, even though they were like 15 at the time. BSC is so innocently hilarious and it reminds you of when every little thing was The Biggest Deal in the world. SVH is like the best episode of 90210 on crack! I heart both series and not even as guilty pleasures. I used to care about people seeing me indulging on the train/bus, now I just bust it out- so good!!!!!

fun site. I especially liked the “reader of the month” entries. I never read any of the Sweet Valley series but now I might have to check them out.

Coco, I used to be embarrassed, too, but more often than not, whenever some girl in the mid-late 20ish age range catches me, the reaction is invariably, “OMG THE BSC/SVH! I didn’t even know you could get those anymore. I used to love blah blah blah blah blah.” It’s like the universal currency.

Thanks Jenn! That is good to know!

Hey, you’re back

I was an enormous fan of BSC as a kid, less so of SVH even though I read heaps of them. I was pretty scandalised by some of the goings on - I thought 16 would be a pretty exciting time lol. I think I am fonder of the BSC series but the SV books are fun to read because they are so ridiculous. And I looove 1Bruce1 for allowing me to re-live them!

I was an obsessive BSC fan from about 5 - 11. I was a SV fan from about 8 - 14. I know religously collect both, and read both. I can’t choose, I love them both, although I was more of a BSC fan overall as a kid.