The Unicorns Go Hawaiian

Sweet Valley Twins Super Editions #4

by Francine Pascal

When Jessica wins a free trip to Hawaii, she is able to bring along her friends in the Unicorn Club, a group of the prettiest and most popular girls in the school

Genres: Childrens, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fiction, Juvenile, Chick Lit, Teen

184 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1991

About the author

Francine Paula Pascal was an American author best known for her Sweet Valley series of young adult novels. Sweet Valley High, the backbone of the collection, was made into a television series, which led to several spin-offs, including The Unicorn Club and Sweet Valley University. Although most of these books were published in the 1980s and 1990s, they remained so popular that several titles were re-released decades later.

Reviews

[JH · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very cute. It was cool to see familiar characters in an unfamiliar setting. I really like Mandy Miller (more familiar with her from the Unicorn books) and it was nice to see her shine here. Lila is always a lot of fun to read more about, too. The dad’s girlfriend plot line was also really nice and not as predictable as it could have been.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book completely captured my imagination when I was younger. I spent hours using my Barbies to act out each character’s story line. It’s funny reading it now and seeing how simple the plot is, and frankly, how unlikable the girls are in it. But at the time, I loved how each character had a certain look and personality trait that was their own and that I could act them out. There’s nothing like being young and taking in new worlds for the first time 😊 It was fun revisiting this one.

[kylajaclyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

"A Curse is a Curse, Of Course"

Unicorns are dumb /
I wish the hot lava had /
Came and wiped them out

Quotes:

Mr. Fowler's "ground rules" (er, rule) for the Unicorns while in Hawaii: "To start with, I don't want you spending your money on inferior quality merchandise."

Lila: Besides, haven't you ever heard the law about finders, keepers?
Mary: That's not a law, Lila.
Lila: It is where I come from.

[I love Lila so much.]

Ellen's reaction to being told by Janet that she cannot leave the island because she (Janet) is Hawaiian royalty: "But the rest of us could leave, right? I mean, we could fly away while you stayed behind and got buried in lava, couldn't we?"

Lila: Stop poking your mole at people, Janet. You're scaring them.

[Have I mentioned how much I love Lila?]

Kenji: One more thing. You'll never tell a lie again, will you?
"Jessica hesitated, then shook her head. 'Never,' she lied."

[At least she's honest.]

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know I read this as a kid, but I remembered nothing about it whatsoever, which made it a lot of fun to re-read.

This was cute, as SVT books always are, but I find it hard to believe that Lila, Jessica and especially Janet were so easily fooled. I know they're only 12 (14 for Janet), but even at that age you wouldn't buy into all that nonsense so easily, would you?

Also, Bambi was awesome, and I wish she would have been featured in other books. I think she could have been good for Lila.

[Anna Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was great. But I had some issues with it.
1. One of the unicorns girls (forgot who) thinks she’s a Hawaiian princess. But she’s not Hawaiian and she didn’t even go to Hawaii!! Second I could tell the author never gone to Hawaii or hasn’t been there log enough to learn not Evreyone wears the same thing we wear sometimes ( for events something different maybe)

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun beach read! The unicorns are pretty dumb but it added to my enjoyment. I got secondhand embarassment from Janet ACTUALLY thinking she was Princess Keiko. I knew something was fishy when Kenji and Lono talked to Janet, Lila, and Jessica. Also…. Is no one talking about Bambi? She’s amazing and put Lila in her place. (For the time being.) Good book!

[Marian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you like your SVT where bad behaviour is punished? Do you enjoy seeing certain Unicorns being knocked down a peg or two? If so, you might enjoy this.

Jessica and Mandy enter a pineapple contest, only they make the most disgusting combination ever. I'm not really sure why only Jessica is listed as an entrant since it was Mandy's idea and she put in at least half (and let's be honest, you know Mandy did more than half) of the work. Whatever the case may be, Jessica wins and gets to take two friends to Hawaii. She originally plans to take Elizabeth and Mandy (though Lila's the one who lets Jessica know she's won in time for Jessica to claim her prize) but Liz would rather go skiing and see her grandparents since it's Christmas time. So Jessica invites Mary, someone who would likely never have a chance to go to Hawaii. Sometimes SVT Jessica is a sweetheart and I love her.

Lila's not thrilled because not only did she get shafted on the Hawaiian vacation, but her father is dating someone named Bambi and they're serious enough that he's having her over for Christmas. Lila only gets to see her father for one day a year (I don't really recall any Christmases without Mr. Fowler there for at least part of the day) guarenteed and now he's inviting Bambi? Yeah, I can understand the annoyance.

Anyway, Lila convinces her father to take her and the rest of the Unicorns (at least the ones we're remembering at this particular moment, I swear there's a revolving door on this club) to Hawaii at the same time.

While there, Jessica, Lila, and Janet all run into the same two boys who decide to mess with them. The boys convince Jessica that she's being punished for lying*, that Lila's found a bad luck ring that must be returned to Mt. Doom, and that Janet is a long lost princess who can never leave the island or Pele will drown the islands in lava.


I've never found Janet to be all that likable so I cackled each time she tried to convince her friends she was a princess. Only Ellen's sorta buying and even she's not all that invested in the idea, even once Janet explains she's stuck in Hawaii forever.

Lila's bad luck ring is a tacky souvenir that you'd think she'd have noticed everywhere but since Lila's a lot self centered and not interested in tacky souvenir shops, I guess I'll allow it.

Jessica, however, gets the lying explination after she does "embellish the truth" for the boys about why her vacation is merely okay. She's not exactly lying for what she thinks she's being punished for. Part of her prize is a tour of the pineapple company and they keep calling her Jessica Wakely. She's convinced that some poor Wakely person really won the contest and there's been a horrible mixup. Only she tells Mandy and Mandy is having a great vacation so why she buys the lie thing, I dunno. No mix-up, btw. Someone couldn't type and Wakefield turned to Wakely and apparently all the entries to the contest were the same (it's pineapple, guys, what do you expect?) and so they went with the absolute worst of the bunch.

Bambi is an actress who wants to win a role on Jessica's favorite soap opera and eventually she wins Lila over, too. Honestly, if it weren't for the Christmas timing, I'd just think that Lila's father enjoyed hooking up with a hot young thing and that it wasn't anything serious. But Bambi gets the part and is never seen or heard from again, so there's that.

Mary has a fabulous time and Ellen is only a little scatterbrained, so yay for them.

[PurplyCookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bored one afternoon, Jessica decides to enter a pineapple recipe contest that she has found in a magazine.A few months later she finds that she has won for having made the weirdest pineapple treat the judges have ever seen. The prize is not a lifetime supply of pineapple as she and her twin, Elizabeth, feared.It is a trip to Hawaii!

Excited,Jessica is soon heading to Hawaii with a handful of her many friends.But what none of them expected is for their vacation to be such an odd one. Janet finds out that she's the long-lost Princess Keiko, Lila finds King Kamehameha's ring and has a new stepmother, and Jessica finds out she really didn't win the pineapple contest.


More of Purplycookie’s Reviews @: http://www.goodreads.com/purplycookie


Book Details:

Title: The Unicorns Go Hawaiian (Sweet Valley Twins Super Edition #4)
Author: Francine Pascal
Reviewed By: Purplycookie

[Mariandrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really liked this book because i love traveling with my friends. i read this while i was in sixth grade.. i remember that once it was reading time so all of the class was reading and so quiet. i was reading as well but there was this part when they say their dad is getting married and i just went noo ! at the middle of the class and it was so embarizing. lol hahaha

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so cool because they go to Hawaii! I think this book is the best super edition yet!

[Madelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. It could be longer if you ask me, but I liked it.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reason I have a girly side, well hidden, but there.

[Sheila Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember the cover just not the story.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very good - read this book!

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the Unicorns. I'm not sure why since they could be really snobby and mean to people, but I wanted to be just like them.

[jeanette]

Exempt from stars because it's a Sweet Valley book and I am an adult. Stars would be unfair.