5 Of The Most Dramatic Sweet Valley High Book Covers

They’ve been perpetually perfect since 1983 and, to this day, we still love them. Yes, Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield (those lovely California blondes with stunning size six figures, blue-green eyes and matching dimples) drove their jeep of drama into our hearts decades ago and left it there. And when we say drama, we mean DRAMA. Here are five of our favourite theatrical SVH covers.

1. All Night Long

While we were used to seeing Jessica in the arms of random boys as long-time SVH readers, this was no boy. Scott Daniels, college student, had a moustache. As if that wasn’t enough to cement his older man status, he lived in a frat house and drove a red Firebird. Between the face lace, the precarious positioning of Jessica’s shirt and the sexually loaded title, we couldn’t turn these pages fast enough.

2. Dangerous Love

Quelle surprise, Jessica’s at it again. This time on the back of a motorcycle with … wait … hold up … Elizabeth? Is that you? Apparently it was opposite day at Sweet Valley High HQ and, for once, Jessica was the voice of reason as Elizabeth paid no heed and hopped on the back of Todd’s forbidden motorcycle. Lots of drama ensued, naturally.

3. Dear Sister

Given the book before this one ended with a motorcycle crash and Liz in a coma, we took one look at this cover – and its tagline – and presumed the worst. The blurb on the back of the book didn’t do much to alleviate our fears, so when Elizabeth woke up on page 12, we felt a little cheated. Nevermind, the drama deficit was paid in full when we realised the crash had turned Liz into a more reckless and ruthless version of Jessica.

4. Kidnapped!

No sooner than Elizabeth’s out of her coma, she’s kidnapped by an orderly she works with at the hospital. In this vein, while the tagline reads ‘Elizabeth’s nightmare is about to begin ...’, it should probably read ‘Elizabeth’s second nightmare is about to begin ...’ Because being in a motorcycle crash induced coma is pretty nightmarish, isn’t it? Anyway, we digress. Orderly Carl (that’s his hand there on the cover) claims to be deeply in love with Liz and plans to hide her away in a remote cabin in the woods, where nobody will ever find her. Just as the jacket promised, it was pretty gripping stuff.

5. Crash Landing

This cover was a little deceptive. Elizabeth wasn’t actually there when secondary character George crashed a plane on his first solo flight with girlfriend Enid. Nor was Enid unconscious. She was actually struggling through the debris to save George’s life, injuring her back and becoming paralyzed in the process. But a plane crash is a plane crash. Drama city! This was only intensified by the problems poor George faced in the aftermath. How can he break up with Enid when her life has effectively been ruined by saving his? Urgh. He has the worst luck.