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Sweet Valley High #71
Starring Jessica!
When TV talk-show host Eric Parker comes to Sweet Valley and announces a contest to find the perfect American teen, Jessica Wakefield vows to win the coveted spot as Eric's special TV guest. She's meant to be a star! Then Lila Fowler, Jessica's best friend, announces she's going to win the spot, and the contest becomes a battle of wills and wits. With the help of Bruce Patman, who has his own score to settle with Jessica's shot at stardom. Will Jessica have her moment in the limelight, or will Lila succeed in stealing the show?
149 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1990
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,152 books1,866 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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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 20, 2020
This is a twins-heavy book, which we haven't had in a while in this series. Jessica has auditioned to be the high school guest on some local TV show, and there are these weird propaganda-y speeches in this book a couple of times where Jess is waxing poetic about how awesome it is to be a teenager in America. It was just...really strange, as someone who came of age in the Reality Bites era, where even the cheerleadiest cheerleader wouldn't say some of the cheese that was spewed, I again was kind of amazed at the Leave it to Beaver+insane materialism of the 1980s nature of this series. While not as cringeworthy as the attempts to have "very special" episodes in these books, it was still filled with eyebrow-raising cringe. Lila and Jessica battle it out to win the tv show appearance, and with such sitcom-y trite arguments and revenge schemes, that those scenes were fun to read, while the subplot is about Liz signing up to be a junior ranger for Secca Lake after having her confidence in her (boring ass) writing shook when Jessica writes a surprisingly good article for The Oracle. And like, there was no drama working at Secca Lake- it was just a big time commitment and sometimes she had to work in the rain... but it was a very lame side plot. Not a good one, but not one of the worst, either. Two stars instead of one for Lila drama.
October 24, 2010
It became my mission to read and collect every single one of these...I don't think I have them all, but I loved every one of them that I read. I enjoyed all of the scandal, and fun. My very own Dynasty and Dallas rolled into one series.
October 15, 2022
Starring Jessica
The Eric Parker show is looking for someone for a segment called “Growing Up in America”, and one of the SV kids will get the coveted spot. (snorts) Since when is SV like America? Jessica, Winston, and Lila all want that number one spot.
Jess rushes home to fill out her application but finds it a little lacking. Her interest are tennis, dancing, the beach, and boys. Jess needs this to jump-start her television career. Liz suggests she try her hand at writing. Jess decides to write a piece called “The Worst Dates of My Life”. Liz thinks it’s good, but she warns her she might not want to call some of the guys out and use an alias.
Penny thinks it’s hysterical. Liz worries that the identities aren’t hidden enough and there will be backlash. Particularly by Bruce (but since when does she care about Bruce’s feelings?) who she says kisses like a jellyfish. Penny’s praise is so great for Jessica’s piece that she begins to worry that if Jessica’s so good at writing, then what does *she* really have. Yup, I have been there. Enid suggests Liz join her when she goes to sign up to be a nature guide at Secca Lake.
The kids gather to watch the Eric Parker Show, and Lila and Jessica bicker over whose application has more lies. We find out Eric himself is originally from SV.
Enid and Liz go to the meeting and meet Don the head ranger. He tells then that they have take a quiz and pass with 100 percent to be a junior ranger (which seems a bit steep).
It’s announced at school that six have made the preliminaries.: Jessica, Winston, Lila, Olivia, Patty, and Jim. Lila and Jess decide they’re the only two in the competition. Later for the others. On Frida, they have there interviews. Lila is first and Jessica is last. When Lila gets there, she finds out the interviews will be held in the gym. She then moves the sign that informs the others of the location change, just as Jessica arrives.
Jessica does make the interview but gets there late. She figures it out and pays Lila back by mentioning the hospital where she worked is owned by the Fowlers (showing Lila isn’t a typical American teen).
Liz and Enid pass the test, but Liz realizes that if she takes this job it’ll be a big commitment. I think she’ll have to give 2 after-school tours (maybe two days a week? Don’t quote me on that. Too lazy to look it up).
The winner is announced at an assembly. It’s Jessica (of course). Lila is the substitute. The article comes out also and Jessica is winning all around. But Bruce is pissed and blames John for not stopping the article. Bruce and Lila team up to get their revenge on Jessica. Interestingly enough she and Bruce have a moment.
Liz is about to help Jess with her interview when Don calls and she has to rush out to fill in for one of the junior rangers who can’t make it. By the time she gets home she’s exhausted, but holds up her promise and helps Jessica. Jess is a natural at answering the questions, and Liz realizes she still has that magic touch.
Lila fake apologizes to Jess the next day and convinces her to go with her to this out-of-the-way boutique to find something special to wear to the interview. While Jessica is trying on a outfit, Lila ghosts her. When she runs out the salespeople think she’s shoplifting. (They were eying her also earlier). It turns out Bruce called the shop pretending to be a police officer and informed them of a shoplifter fitting Jessica’s description. Lila and Bruce meet up to talk about how they’re plan went off without a hitch and they make out.
When the police arrive to question Jessica the salespeople tell them the name of the police that clued then in, but they say no one on the force that they know has that name. Jess calls Liz and cries. Liz just tells her to make it to the school as quick as she can. The police offers Jess a ride back to the school and believes her when she tells him what happened.
Don calls, but she turns him down and goes to Jessica’s room, and picks out an outfit. She shows up at the auditorium as Jessica and does the interview. Lila blames Bruce for not keeping Jessica away and tells Bruce he really does kiss like a jellyfish.
My Thoughts: Usually I don’t relate to Elizabeth (well other than the love or reading and writing), but here I actually do know what it’s like to think you have a special skill or gift, and then someone else comes along and can do it and it’s like “Well DAMN!” I have the unique skill of being able to interpret dreams (and awesomely if I might add) and in my own mind I was thinking “Oh I am GOOD!”. Until one day I had this dream, and I took it to my best friend. I hadn’t even tried to analyze it yet because I’d just kinda gotten over the disturbing image in it (it was a dog with an upside-down face) and he goes “Do you mind if I tell my other friend? She’s good at disturbing images. That really kinda took the wind out of my sails. I actually had a conversation with the friend and she was very cool. Still, it knocked me down a peg. You just do not feel the same after this realization. He did try to say that I was first and she was second in his defense for just knocking my lil Kool lade cup over.
But then, these SV kids are VICIOUS! When I was in HS, I don’t know maybe you talked ish about someone behind their back or in the worse case you fought them. Or cut them from something they were trying to join. But getting someone actually ARRESTED for shop-lifting? I was surprised that even Lila would sink that low. Considering WAY BACK in the earlier books SHE was arrested for shoplifting. (Well even though she actually DID shoplift). You would have thought she’d thought about how that felt. But no!
I was hoping that Lila and Bruce would continue. I know I’m not blanking and they do down the line end up as a couple in one of these books. But I guess it can still come to that.
Actually, this book was kind of silly. All this drama over a 15-minute spot on a television show. Lila is the SV Veruca Salt and she just strikes me as the kind of person that if she wanted a 15-minute spot on television for something her Daddy would find a way to make it happen (well if he was in town that is). She could probably do something extremely fabulous like host her own fashion show staring her and have a walkway full of custom-designed purple-inspired clothes that would totally outshine Jessica. It just wasn’t necessary to go to this extreme for a 15-minute spot for a guy who’ll probably forget them both by the time the lights dim and the planes in the air to his next filming location.
Rating: 6
The Eric Parker show is looking for someone for a segment called “Growing Up in America”, and one of the SV kids will get the coveted spot. (snorts) Since when is SV like America? Jessica, Winston, and Lila all want that number one spot.
Jess rushes home to fill out her application but finds it a little lacking. Her interest are tennis, dancing, the beach, and boys. Jess needs this to jump-start her television career. Liz suggests she try her hand at writing. Jess decides to write a piece called “The Worst Dates of My Life”. Liz thinks it’s good, but she warns her she might not want to call some of the guys out and use an alias.
Penny thinks it’s hysterical. Liz worries that the identities aren’t hidden enough and there will be backlash. Particularly by Bruce (but since when does she care about Bruce’s feelings?) who she says kisses like a jellyfish. Penny’s praise is so great for Jessica’s piece that she begins to worry that if Jessica’s so good at writing, then what does *she* really have. Yup, I have been there. Enid suggests Liz join her when she goes to sign up to be a nature guide at Secca Lake.
The kids gather to watch the Eric Parker Show, and Lila and Jessica bicker over whose application has more lies. We find out Eric himself is originally from SV.
Enid and Liz go to the meeting and meet Don the head ranger. He tells then that they have take a quiz and pass with 100 percent to be a junior ranger (which seems a bit steep).
It’s announced at school that six have made the preliminaries.: Jessica, Winston, Lila, Olivia, Patty, and Jim. Lila and Jess decide they’re the only two in the competition. Later for the others. On Frida, they have there interviews. Lila is first and Jessica is last. When Lila gets there, she finds out the interviews will be held in the gym. She then moves the sign that informs the others of the location change, just as Jessica arrives.
Jessica does make the interview but gets there late. She figures it out and pays Lila back by mentioning the hospital where she worked is owned by the Fowlers (showing Lila isn’t a typical American teen).
Liz and Enid pass the test, but Liz realizes that if she takes this job it’ll be a big commitment. I think she’ll have to give 2 after-school tours (maybe two days a week? Don’t quote me on that. Too lazy to look it up).
The winner is announced at an assembly. It’s Jessica (of course). Lila is the substitute. The article comes out also and Jessica is winning all around. But Bruce is pissed and blames John for not stopping the article. Bruce and Lila team up to get their revenge on Jessica. Interestingly enough she and Bruce have a moment.
Liz is about to help Jess with her interview when Don calls and she has to rush out to fill in for one of the junior rangers who can’t make it. By the time she gets home she’s exhausted, but holds up her promise and helps Jessica. Jess is a natural at answering the questions, and Liz realizes she still has that magic touch.
Lila fake apologizes to Jess the next day and convinces her to go with her to this out-of-the-way boutique to find something special to wear to the interview. While Jessica is trying on a outfit, Lila ghosts her. When she runs out the salespeople think she’s shoplifting. (They were eying her also earlier). It turns out Bruce called the shop pretending to be a police officer and informed them of a shoplifter fitting Jessica’s description. Lila and Bruce meet up to talk about how they’re plan went off without a hitch and they make out.
When the police arrive to question Jessica the salespeople tell them the name of the police that clued then in, but they say no one on the force that they know has that name. Jess calls Liz and cries. Liz just tells her to make it to the school as quick as she can. The police offers Jess a ride back to the school and believes her when she tells him what happened.
Don calls, but she turns him down and goes to Jessica’s room, and picks out an outfit. She shows up at the auditorium as Jessica and does the interview. Lila blames Bruce for not keeping Jessica away and tells Bruce he really does kiss like a jellyfish.
My Thoughts: Usually I don’t relate to Elizabeth (well other than the love or reading and writing), but here I actually do know what it’s like to think you have a special skill or gift, and then someone else comes along and can do it and it’s like “Well DAMN!” I have the unique skill of being able to interpret dreams (and awesomely if I might add) and in my own mind I was thinking “Oh I am GOOD!”. Until one day I had this dream, and I took it to my best friend. I hadn’t even tried to analyze it yet because I’d just kinda gotten over the disturbing image in it (it was a dog with an upside-down face) and he goes “Do you mind if I tell my other friend? She’s good at disturbing images. That really kinda took the wind out of my sails. I actually had a conversation with the friend and she was very cool. Still, it knocked me down a peg. You just do not feel the same after this realization. He did try to say that I was first and she was second in his defense for just knocking my lil Kool lade cup over.
But then, these SV kids are VICIOUS! When I was in HS, I don’t know maybe you talked ish about someone behind their back or in the worse case you fought them. Or cut them from something they were trying to join. But getting someone actually ARRESTED for shop-lifting? I was surprised that even Lila would sink that low. Considering WAY BACK in the earlier books SHE was arrested for shoplifting. (Well even though she actually DID shoplift). You would have thought she’d thought about how that felt. But no!
I was hoping that Lila and Bruce would continue. I know I’m not blanking and they do down the line end up as a couple in one of these books. But I guess it can still come to that.
Actually, this book was kind of silly. All this drama over a 15-minute spot on a television show. Lila is the SV Veruca Salt and she just strikes me as the kind of person that if she wanted a 15-minute spot on television for something her Daddy would find a way to make it happen (well if he was in town that is). She could probably do something extremely fabulous like host her own fashion show staring her and have a walkway full of custom-designed purple-inspired clothes that would totally outshine Jessica. It just wasn’t necessary to go to this extreme for a 15-minute spot for a guy who’ll probably forget them both by the time the lights dim and the planes in the air to his next filming location.
Rating: 6
May 12, 2025
The main plot is that there's going to be a television show done at the school where a guy will interview one student about growing up and there's major competition between Lila and Jessica with Jessica being picked.
This leads later to something which is extremely serious and could lead to a major legal problems for one of the girls. (As usual, though, this kind of thing never seems to be followed up no matter how serious it is.)
The second theme is Elizabeth pushing herself way to far, having to deal with too many things at one time and what effect that has on her.
The story does show how far Elizabeth will go to help Jessica.
This leads later to something which is extremely serious and could lead to a major legal problems for one of the girls. (As usual, though, this kind of thing never seems to be followed up no matter how serious it is.)
The second theme is Elizabeth pushing herself way to far, having to deal with too many things at one time and what effect that has on her.
The story does show how far Elizabeth will go to help Jessica.
November 4, 2021
Jess is determined to get the guests slot on a new talk show, but so is Lila. Lila teams up with a revenge seeking Bruce Patman (Jess said he kisses luke a dead jellyfish!) and they plot to get Jess arrested for shoplifting so that Lila can stand in for her. Luckily Liz does a twin switch and steps in for Jess, leaving Lila confused and furious, and yelling that Bruce does indeed kiss luke a dead jellyfish!!!!
April 12, 2020
It might just be because I’m so bored stuck in my house right now, but I REALLY enjoyed re-reading this one.
On the other hand, I do love a good “Lila and Jessica rivalry” story, so there’s a good chance I would have loved it no matter what.
On the other hand, I do love a good “Lila and Jessica rivalry” story, so there’s a good chance I would have loved it no matter what.
June 13, 2021
Starring Jessica
So it’s a bit meh. I feel like the series is starting to drag here, but maybe that’s because I’m waiting for Sam woodruff to appear? Might be being unfair but still probably meh
So it’s a bit meh. I feel like the series is starting to drag here, but maybe that’s because I’m waiting for Sam woodruff to appear? Might be being unfair but still probably meh
June 2, 2024
In which Jessica lets the whole world know that Bruce Patman aka Detective Tapnam kisses like a dead jellyfish!
June 21, 2013
I remember the cover just not the story.
August 6, 2014
The one in which Lila is awesome...No wait. That's all of them.
December 17, 2014
It's amazing what Lila has up her sleeve sometimes. This was not my favorite, but it wasn't the worst.
Read
April 10, 2015Sweet Valley High number 71, in which it rains for the forth time in the history of Sweet Valley (it clears up before Jess needs to go somewhere, phew).
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews