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Sweet Valley Kids #40
Robin in the Middle
Identical twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield can't wait for their cousin Robin to come for a visit. But when Robin arrives, both twins like her so much that they don't want to share her—even with each other. Soon they're fighting for Robin's attention. Can the three girls ever learn to play together?
- GenresChildrens
69 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1993
2 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,148 books1,853 followersFrancine 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.
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May 19, 2025Robin in the Middle
Liz finds some balloons under her bed. She gives Jessica a green one but she wants a pink one (it’s her favorite color). They then have a balloon blowing up contest and they finish at the same time. After their done, they tie them to the lamppost outside so their cousin Robin, their uncle Kirk, and their aunt Nancy will know where they live. Stacey (whose 3 and Robin’s sister) will also be coming. Jessica thinks it’ll be a drag to share a room with Stacey. Liz says they’ll still have fun. Jessica says true. She can’t wait to show Robin her dollhouse. Liz says they can do that for a little while but she wants to show Robin a head butt. Todd taught her. Jessica says how does she know she’ll even like soccer. Liz asks how does she even know she’ll like playing doll house. Jessica says she liked it last time. But then they both start to wonder if Robin has changed.
They don’t have time to think about it long before their green station wagon pulls up. After Steven says hello to everyone, he goes back to his room (saying there are too many girls). Stacey shows Jessica her doll (Mathilda). It’s naked, dirty, and has ratty hair. Jessica says she and Liz use to have one like it when “they were little”. Jessica shows Stacey her doll (Suzzane) and she says now their dolls can be twins like Liz and Jess.
Robin gives the twins a gift. Liz gets a cool comic book. Jessica gets a pink, satin, hair ribbon. She also has one for Steven. IT’s a pen. She tells him to try it and it squirts purple ink all over his shirt. He gets mad but then sees it’s nothing there. It’s disappearing ink. Angry he kicks them all out of his room. The twins think how great this weekend will be with Robin there. Back in their room, the twins talk about how angry Steven was. Jessica was like he deserves it and then explains he’s always playing tricks on them so.. Stacey says Robin gets in a lot of trouble for playing tricks. Robin tells her she hears their mom calling and when she leaves, she says she’s gotten in trouble for putting thumbtacks in a boys chair but the teacher sat on it. There was another prank that she did with glue.
Jessica asks if they can play another prank on Steven. Robin asks what he likes to do. The twins say eat and ride his bike. So, they go into the basement and let the air out of his tire. When he comes down and sees it he looks for the pump and can’t find it. When he goes upstairs they pump the tire back up. When he goes to tell his mom he’s leaving they take the air out again. Liz laughs and he catches them. He tells them they’re getting on his nerves.
At dinner, Robin, Jessica, and Liz prank Steven again by putting hot sauce on his hamburger. Their uncle calls them “The Three Musketeers” He tells Robin no more tricks. Jessica asks are they in trouble. Their mother says no but they’ve teased Steven enough. Steven tho says he can’t wait to get back at them. Since they can’t trick Steven they ask Robin what she wants to do. Jessica wants to play dollhouse. Liz wants to go to the park. They end up going to the park.
Robin tells Liz she might play soccer. Liz tells her about the team she’s on. She asks Jessica if she’s on the team. Jessica says no she doesn’t like soccer. Liz offers to teach Robin. While they’re playing they get into a mud fight because the field is muddy from the rain. Jessica stands on the side but gets tag teamed by Robin and Liz and gets hit in the chest by Robin when she tries to run. Jessica is mad. Liz thinks Robin is so much more fun than Jess.
When they get back the grownups make them hose off. Jessica doesn’t want to but Alice says she has to. Then they take a bath. That night, Liz says Robin can sleep with her. Jessica wants her to sleep with her, but Robin says she’ll sleep in her room tomorrow. Stacey says she’ll sleep with Jessica. She tells her she can get her own bed when she’s 4. Robin says that won’t be for a while. Stacey says Robin’s birthday tho is coming up. Robin says she’ll be 7 next week. She says yes, they’ve already sent out invitations in San Francisco to her friends. Jessica says they had a party. Their mom made a cake. Robin says they’ll probably order hers from a bakery. Her mom isn’t good at baking. Jessica says maybe they can have a pre-party for her and their mom can bake her a cake. Liz thinks it sounds like a great idea. Jessica is happy because even tho she’s a little mad at Liz she’s not mad at Robin. They were going to do something for her favorite cousin and it was her idea.
The next morning, Jessica gets her wish and Robin plays with the dollhouse. They’re so into playing they don’t want to brush their teeth and put clothes on. Liz wants to go outside. She leaves them to it and goes downstairs. Her mom and aunt are in the kitchen making banana pancakes. Liz tells them they want to do something special for Robin’s birthday and their mom says to think of what they want to fix and they’ll have a special dinner. Liz is able to get them to come downstairs by saying their having banana pancakes. (Jessica’s favorite). She hopes that after they eat they won’t want to play dollhouse anymore. It works. Jessica says she doesn’t want to play with the dollhouse, but instead she wants to play dress up. Robin is excited over all the clothes they have in their dress trunk. Liz can’t believe Robin would rather play dollhouse and dress up. How can she like both of those and soccer. Isn’t she like her?
Jessica invites Amy over later hoping that she’ll hang out with Liz and she’ll get Robin to herself. Of course, Liz again wants to go to the park, but Jessica wants to show Robin her Barbie clothes. Robin, suggest they go to the park and then when they get back she can show her. Liz says Robin’s sick of dolls and Jessica argues she isn’t. Then they talk about Robin’s party. Jessica says she wants hamburgers. Liz says they had that last night. Robin doesn’t want that again. Robin says if that’s what everyone else wants.
Amy says why don’t they have root beer floats. Jessica says she hates root bear and it’s a terrible idea. Liz says she lvoes them and doesn’t make Amy feel bad. It’s not her party and they’ll have what Robin wants. (Interestingly they haven’t asked Robin anything at all.) Jessica says she wants cake and ice-cream and they can’t have that and root beer floats. Jessica says she wants yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Liz says she wants chocolate cake with white icing. Robin tries to change the subject to Amy’s socks, but the twins keep arguing.
Jessica says yellow cake is boring. Keep up ghostwriter. She just SUGGESTED yellow cake. Liz is the one who wanted chocolate cake. Liz says she just wants everything her way. She says Liz is just trying to control Robin’s party and she won’t let her because Robin’s party is going to be perfect because Robin is her very best friend. When they get to the park, Amy asks Robin what’s going on with the twins. Robin says at first they were all having fun but now they just argue. She thinks it’s her fault. Amy says it isn’t and they’ll make up soon. Then she runs off when she sees Eva.
Jessica wants them to play jump rope with Lila. Liz wants them to play tag with Todd and Kisho. Robin says what if they play tag first and then jump rope. Liz is happy because it’s the second time Robin put her suggestion first. Jessica says no. So, Robin is like fine. We’ll play jump rope first and then tag. Liz says but the tag game will be over. Robin tells them it’s not that big a deal. Amy comes up and asks if anyone wants to swing. There are two open. Robin says she loves swings and runs off with Amy.
Liz and Jessica blame each other and then sit down on opposite sides of a tree. Kisho asks Jessica if she still wants to play tag. Liz says she doesn’t feel like it. Lila says they need someone else for jump rope. Jessica says she doesn’t feel like it. Robin comes over to them and says Amy wants to stay but she’s not having fun and they aren’t either. They should just go home.
On the way there Liz says she doesn’t get it. At first, Robin wanted to do everything she wanted to do. Then she started to play with Jessica. Jessica asks her who she likes better. She says she likes them both. They’re the Three Musketeers. Jessica says she thinks they broke up. When they get home, Jessica sits on her bed and Liz sits on hers. Stacey is playing with Mathilda and Suzzane. She asks if they’ve gotten in a fight. Robin says no. She asks if Robin is said and she says yes. She gives back Jessica’s doll and says twins don’t have any fun. When Liz says that’s not true, she asks then why don’t they play together. It gets dark. Noone says anything about dinner. When they walk downstairs no one is cooking and there aren’t any decorations. Mrs. Wakefield says they never told her what they wanted to eat.
So, quickly the twins decide barbeque hamburgers, but it’s too late to bbq. Alice suggests spaghetti and meatballs. There’s a cake in the fridge (angel-food-cake) that says Happy Birthday Robin. They fooled them and Steven says it was his idea. So, they go get Robin and tell her to come down to her party. She asks did they make up and Liz says just because they made a new friend doesn’t mean they’re old ones are less important.
My Thoughts:
What’s weird about this book is they never really ask Robin what she likes. They throw suggestions at her and she tries to be accommodating but not once do they say Robin what’s your favorite food. Or do you want cake and icecream. Maybe she would have wanted cupcakes and ice-cream? Or what kind of cake she wants. Maybe she didn’t want yellow or chocolate. She might have wanted an ice-cream cake from Baskin and Robbins. Or a coconut cake. And for this to be their *favorite* cousin they really don’t seem to know anything about her and do NOT get me started on the subject of people who “CLAIM” they “LOVE” you soooo much but don’t know not one thing about you personally. Then the same with Alice? Why did she have to ask the twins what Robin liked? Couldn’t she have asked her sister? I was gonna say she should have asked her niece but it was a surprise dinner. Or should we take it that her favorite food was spaghetti? I don’t know I just keep thinking VERY BAD COMMUNICATION in this one.
Rating: 5
Liz finds some balloons under her bed. She gives Jessica a green one but she wants a pink one (it’s her favorite color). They then have a balloon blowing up contest and they finish at the same time. After their done, they tie them to the lamppost outside so their cousin Robin, their uncle Kirk, and their aunt Nancy will know where they live. Stacey (whose 3 and Robin’s sister) will also be coming. Jessica thinks it’ll be a drag to share a room with Stacey. Liz says they’ll still have fun. Jessica says true. She can’t wait to show Robin her dollhouse. Liz says they can do that for a little while but she wants to show Robin a head butt. Todd taught her. Jessica says how does she know she’ll even like soccer. Liz asks how does she even know she’ll like playing doll house. Jessica says she liked it last time. But then they both start to wonder if Robin has changed.
They don’t have time to think about it long before their green station wagon pulls up. After Steven says hello to everyone, he goes back to his room (saying there are too many girls). Stacey shows Jessica her doll (Mathilda). It’s naked, dirty, and has ratty hair. Jessica says she and Liz use to have one like it when “they were little”. Jessica shows Stacey her doll (Suzzane) and she says now their dolls can be twins like Liz and Jess.
Robin gives the twins a gift. Liz gets a cool comic book. Jessica gets a pink, satin, hair ribbon. She also has one for Steven. IT’s a pen. She tells him to try it and it squirts purple ink all over his shirt. He gets mad but then sees it’s nothing there. It’s disappearing ink. Angry he kicks them all out of his room. The twins think how great this weekend will be with Robin there. Back in their room, the twins talk about how angry Steven was. Jessica was like he deserves it and then explains he’s always playing tricks on them so.. Stacey says Robin gets in a lot of trouble for playing tricks. Robin tells her she hears their mom calling and when she leaves, she says she’s gotten in trouble for putting thumbtacks in a boys chair but the teacher sat on it. There was another prank that she did with glue.
Jessica asks if they can play another prank on Steven. Robin asks what he likes to do. The twins say eat and ride his bike. So, they go into the basement and let the air out of his tire. When he comes down and sees it he looks for the pump and can’t find it. When he goes upstairs they pump the tire back up. When he goes to tell his mom he’s leaving they take the air out again. Liz laughs and he catches them. He tells them they’re getting on his nerves.
At dinner, Robin, Jessica, and Liz prank Steven again by putting hot sauce on his hamburger. Their uncle calls them “The Three Musketeers” He tells Robin no more tricks. Jessica asks are they in trouble. Their mother says no but they’ve teased Steven enough. Steven tho says he can’t wait to get back at them. Since they can’t trick Steven they ask Robin what she wants to do. Jessica wants to play dollhouse. Liz wants to go to the park. They end up going to the park.
Robin tells Liz she might play soccer. Liz tells her about the team she’s on. She asks Jessica if she’s on the team. Jessica says no she doesn’t like soccer. Liz offers to teach Robin. While they’re playing they get into a mud fight because the field is muddy from the rain. Jessica stands on the side but gets tag teamed by Robin and Liz and gets hit in the chest by Robin when she tries to run. Jessica is mad. Liz thinks Robin is so much more fun than Jess.
When they get back the grownups make them hose off. Jessica doesn’t want to but Alice says she has to. Then they take a bath. That night, Liz says Robin can sleep with her. Jessica wants her to sleep with her, but Robin says she’ll sleep in her room tomorrow. Stacey says she’ll sleep with Jessica. She tells her she can get her own bed when she’s 4. Robin says that won’t be for a while. Stacey says Robin’s birthday tho is coming up. Robin says she’ll be 7 next week. She says yes, they’ve already sent out invitations in San Francisco to her friends. Jessica says they had a party. Their mom made a cake. Robin says they’ll probably order hers from a bakery. Her mom isn’t good at baking. Jessica says maybe they can have a pre-party for her and their mom can bake her a cake. Liz thinks it sounds like a great idea. Jessica is happy because even tho she’s a little mad at Liz she’s not mad at Robin. They were going to do something for her favorite cousin and it was her idea.
The next morning, Jessica gets her wish and Robin plays with the dollhouse. They’re so into playing they don’t want to brush their teeth and put clothes on. Liz wants to go outside. She leaves them to it and goes downstairs. Her mom and aunt are in the kitchen making banana pancakes. Liz tells them they want to do something special for Robin’s birthday and their mom says to think of what they want to fix and they’ll have a special dinner. Liz is able to get them to come downstairs by saying their having banana pancakes. (Jessica’s favorite). She hopes that after they eat they won’t want to play dollhouse anymore. It works. Jessica says she doesn’t want to play with the dollhouse, but instead she wants to play dress up. Robin is excited over all the clothes they have in their dress trunk. Liz can’t believe Robin would rather play dollhouse and dress up. How can she like both of those and soccer. Isn’t she like her?
Jessica invites Amy over later hoping that she’ll hang out with Liz and she’ll get Robin to herself. Of course, Liz again wants to go to the park, but Jessica wants to show Robin her Barbie clothes. Robin, suggest they go to the park and then when they get back she can show her. Liz says Robin’s sick of dolls and Jessica argues she isn’t. Then they talk about Robin’s party. Jessica says she wants hamburgers. Liz says they had that last night. Robin doesn’t want that again. Robin says if that’s what everyone else wants.
Amy says why don’t they have root beer floats. Jessica says she hates root bear and it’s a terrible idea. Liz says she lvoes them and doesn’t make Amy feel bad. It’s not her party and they’ll have what Robin wants. (Interestingly they haven’t asked Robin anything at all.) Jessica says she wants cake and ice-cream and they can’t have that and root beer floats. Jessica says she wants yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Liz says she wants chocolate cake with white icing. Robin tries to change the subject to Amy’s socks, but the twins keep arguing.
Jessica says yellow cake is boring. Keep up ghostwriter. She just SUGGESTED yellow cake. Liz is the one who wanted chocolate cake. Liz says she just wants everything her way. She says Liz is just trying to control Robin’s party and she won’t let her because Robin’s party is going to be perfect because Robin is her very best friend. When they get to the park, Amy asks Robin what’s going on with the twins. Robin says at first they were all having fun but now they just argue. She thinks it’s her fault. Amy says it isn’t and they’ll make up soon. Then she runs off when she sees Eva.
Jessica wants them to play jump rope with Lila. Liz wants them to play tag with Todd and Kisho. Robin says what if they play tag first and then jump rope. Liz is happy because it’s the second time Robin put her suggestion first. Jessica says no. So, Robin is like fine. We’ll play jump rope first and then tag. Liz says but the tag game will be over. Robin tells them it’s not that big a deal. Amy comes up and asks if anyone wants to swing. There are two open. Robin says she loves swings and runs off with Amy.
Liz and Jessica blame each other and then sit down on opposite sides of a tree. Kisho asks Jessica if she still wants to play tag. Liz says she doesn’t feel like it. Lila says they need someone else for jump rope. Jessica says she doesn’t feel like it. Robin comes over to them and says Amy wants to stay but she’s not having fun and they aren’t either. They should just go home.
On the way there Liz says she doesn’t get it. At first, Robin wanted to do everything she wanted to do. Then she started to play with Jessica. Jessica asks her who she likes better. She says she likes them both. They’re the Three Musketeers. Jessica says she thinks they broke up. When they get home, Jessica sits on her bed and Liz sits on hers. Stacey is playing with Mathilda and Suzzane. She asks if they’ve gotten in a fight. Robin says no. She asks if Robin is said and she says yes. She gives back Jessica’s doll and says twins don’t have any fun. When Liz says that’s not true, she asks then why don’t they play together. It gets dark. Noone says anything about dinner. When they walk downstairs no one is cooking and there aren’t any decorations. Mrs. Wakefield says they never told her what they wanted to eat.
So, quickly the twins decide barbeque hamburgers, but it’s too late to bbq. Alice suggests spaghetti and meatballs. There’s a cake in the fridge (angel-food-cake) that says Happy Birthday Robin. They fooled them and Steven says it was his idea. So, they go get Robin and tell her to come down to her party. She asks did they make up and Liz says just because they made a new friend doesn’t mean they’re old ones are less important.
My Thoughts:
What’s weird about this book is they never really ask Robin what she likes. They throw suggestions at her and she tries to be accommodating but not once do they say Robin what’s your favorite food. Or do you want cake and icecream. Maybe she would have wanted cupcakes and ice-cream? Or what kind of cake she wants. Maybe she didn’t want yellow or chocolate. She might have wanted an ice-cream cake from Baskin and Robbins. Or a coconut cake. And for this to be their *favorite* cousin they really don’t seem to know anything about her and do NOT get me started on the subject of people who “CLAIM” they “LOVE” you soooo much but don’t know not one thing about you personally. Then the same with Alice? Why did she have to ask the twins what Robin liked? Couldn’t she have asked her sister? I was gonna say she should have asked her niece but it was a surprise dinner. Or should we take it that her favorite food was spaghetti? I don’t know I just keep thinking VERY BAD COMMUNICATION in this one.
Rating: 5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2024
The twins have house guests! And Robin is good at playing tricks. So they play a lot of tricks at Stevan, twins brother. Both Jessica and Elizabeth finds Robin to be their best friend and they fight to win Robin... And Robin doesn't like it. In the end they resolve the issues that they have. Honestly I can relate to this as well. It's an issue I think that's there in every family with cousins.
November 30, 2025
re reading my childhood favourites as breathes after over 20 years and loving it.
December 5, 2021
Cousin Robin (and Stacey) is coming to visit! She’s like a third twin but with a bob. Each twin is so sure she’ll be exactly like her, and want to play what they want to play. At first Robin is happy playing soccer and pranks on Steven, and Jess feels left out. Then Robin wants to play dolls and dress up and Liz feels left out. The twins start fighting over who Robin likes more, putting her pre-birthday party in jeopardy. 4 year old Stacey saves the day by convincing the adults to pretend to forget the party (?) and the twins make up.
My rating - 3/10 - Robin was cool and I get the twins fighting over threat cousin, but I’m not sure the solution made any sense 🤷🏼♀️
My rating - 3/10 - Robin was cool and I get the twins fighting over threat cousin, but I’m not sure the solution made any sense 🤷🏼♀️
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March 17, 2023This was a fun one. At first, it's about the twins and their cousin Robin playing tricks on Steven, but then the focus switches to the twins both wanting Robin to like their favourite activities. I think the feelings are portrayed realistically, and the book does a good job of showing that Robin is feeling uncomfortable with being in the middle of the twins, despite the fact that it's told only from Jess and Liz's perspectives. I did, however, find the ending a bit abrupt.
July 26, 2012
I liked this one b/c my name is Robyn. I liked it when the 3 of them played pranks at the beginning of her visit.
June 22, 2013
I remember the cover but just not the story.
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