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Sweet Valley Twins #27
Teamwork
Spending money is one thing the Wakefield twins are very good at, but earning money isn't that easy. Especially earning $87.50 in just three weeks. That's how much Jessica and Elizabeth need to take a bus trip to visit their great-aunt Helen. Mr. Wakefield has told the twins that they must be responsible for earning their own bus fare. Elizabeth's idea of dogsitting is the perfect solution, especially since their friend Ken is helping them. But that's when Joe comes along. The poor dog has been abused and the three suspect Joe's owner is the guilty one. If Jessica, Elizabeth, and Ken keep quiet about Joe and collect their pay, the twins will have all of the money they need. But what's moe important-the trip or a dog who needs help?
104 pages
104 pages
104 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 1989
3 people are currently reading
290 people want to read
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,139 books1,844 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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November 7, 2023Teamwork
It’s a rainy day and Jessica is looking at an ad for crystal glassware. Liz is looking at a French cookbook. Jessica is wishing she can dress up like the people in the picture. Jessica wants to do something different. Liz says they can make chicken breast wrapped around cheese and ham and chocolate mousse. Then Jessica gets an idea. They can have a dinner party. They can use their mom’s best china and crystal goblets. Liz agrees it might be fun. So, they immediately go and ask their parents. They are *NOT* excited about this idea and tell the twins it's too big, it's not appropriate, and itll cost too much. Mrs. Wakefield suggests they have a cookout instead, nut Jessica says everyone has those. They go back to Liz’s room upset. There’s a four-day weekend coming up and Liz thinks of their great aunt Helen’s birthday coming up. They talk about how fun it was to visit her at Sandy Harbor. They then return to ask their parents. They ask if they can go alone. Their father makes them look up the tickets and it’s twenty dollars both ways (Eighty dollars total). Their father gives them the money doesn’t grow on trees speech and their mother says they just come up with things and don’t think. Their father says if they can earn their own money they can go.
Jessica suggests Liz make four orange cakes and sell them for twenty dollars. But their mom says the bakery sells them for ten. She’d have to sell sixteen cakes (considering she’s have to buy the ingredients). So, that idea is out. They consider taking on some jobs. She sees some people out walking dogs and then she has an idea. Liz thinks they can walk dogs. Jess thinks about how bad it was when she took care of Sally. Liz says it’ll just be for two weeks. They need to walk dogs 10 days and walk 4 a day and charge 2 dollars a dog. They need money for the photocopies advertising their services so they go to Steven and he charges them fifty cent interest and a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
The next day they go to make copies at the school library. Lila reminds Jessica of the Unicorn meeting that afternoon. She reluctantly tells her she can’t come. Liz covers for her and says they have to run errands since Jessica doesn’t want to admit to Lila they have to work to earn the money. But Lila makes her come with her to tell Janet. Liz tells Ken about the dog walking and he admits he wants a dog but his parents don’t think he’s responsible enough. Liz says she knows the feeling. They see a lady with a poodle and offer her a flier, but she turns it down. She accepts a flier anyway. They see another dog and its owner. The man says he doesn’t think they can handle “Buster”. Jessica wants small dogs but they only give out five fliers after walking up and down the street. They stick the rest of fliers on cars. Then they head home.
At dinner a lady named Mrs. Foster calls and asks if they’ll walk her dog on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then they get another call from the man with the dog named “Buster” (who’ll be busy this week). He needs them Tuesday-Friday. By the end of the week, they’ll have twenty dollars. They’ll have to find a lot more dogs in order to make the trip and pay back Steven.
The first woman’s dog is a cocker spaniel. The next is Buster (who seems to like Jessica). While Jessica is fixing her hair Bitsy gets loose. Luckily she doesn’t go far. Wednesday comes. Jessica has to walk both Bitsy and a York Terrier,. Their both small but Jessica whines and gets on Liz’s nerves so she says they can go window shopping while they walk the dogs. Jessica sees an outfit in one of the windows and gets Liz to hold all three dogs. She stays in the store at least twenty minutes. Then all the dogs start to drag Liz in different directions. Liz of course isn’t happy with Jess when she finally comes out.
At school, Amy invites Liz with her, Julie, and Nora to the rink on Saturday. Surprisingly, Jessica meets her after school on time. Jessica asks if she can skip the dog walking and go to a Booster practice. So she agrees but says it’s just this once. The next day, Jessica is late. Ken says he saw her headed for Casey’s. Ken says maybe she just forgot. Liz knows better. Then she remembers she has three dogs. Ken says he’ll help and then he says she doesn’t even have to pay him. Liz likes walking dogs more with Ken than with Jessica. He actually likes Buster (and plays with him). One of the owners asks if they can keep the dogs at their house Saturday and Sunday and they’ll pay them twenty dollars. Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield have their doubts about this but Liz convinces them. When Jessica gets home, Liz tells her about watching the dogs over the weekend. She then tells her she’ll be going rollerskating.
Jessica starts to protest, but Liz reminds her she hasn’t been doing her share. Jessica is watching the dogs when Lila and Ellen come by and ask her to go to the mall. But she knows she can't go or leave them there like Lila said because Liz will tell. Ken comes by and offers to watch the dogs for her. When Liz comes home, she finds Ken with the dogs. He tells her where Jessica went. Liz gets mad and says Jessica doesn’t deserve to go on the trip. She blames herself for always taking up for her. Then Jessica comes back and she lets her have it. The twins are about to get into the middle of an argument when a man in a sports car pulls up and gets out with his dog and one of their fliers. He says his name is Quincey and needs a place to keep his dogs while he’s away on business. They say they have to ask their parents but he doesn’t have time. He has to leave for the airport. He offers to pay them forty dollars. So, they say it’s fine. He says the dog's name is Joe and then he leaves.
Liz makes Jessica promise to do her share of the work. Ken tries to pat the dog but he backs away. Ken tells them there’s something sad about the dog. Then they notice he’s unkempt. So they feed him. He’s hesitant but he wolfs down the food. Then they give try to bathe him, but he’s terrified. hHe’s also scared to be touched. When they push back his fur there’s a cut. Then they find more cuts and bruises. They ask Ken what he thinks but he just hugs the dog. He cleans up to be a beautiful dog. Ken says someone been abusing him. They wonder what they should do. Telling their parents is out. They said no complaining. Ken says he’ll take care of him all that week. They all agree to show him all the love they can.
The next day, Ken brings over some dog toys, a soft brush, and some food. He also brings over some medicine. Jessica actually comes home early from Lila’s to see Joe. Ken starts to teach Joe some tricks. One day they give him another bath and notice the cuts are healing nicely. He’s not scared anymore of the water. Liz says Mr. Quincey will be coming back in two days. They all agree they have to think of a way to keep Joe from Mr. Quincey. They come up with a plan to take him to the animal shelter and die his fur black so if Mr. Quincey comes looking for an all-white dog they’ll shay they haven’t seen him. Then they decide to cut his hair short. Then they tell Ken they should take Joe and introduce him to his parents. So they take him over but Mrs. Matthews says maybe next year. Nothing he says will change her mind. So Ken comes up with a plan to take Joe to his cousin Fred’s ranch and give him to Fred.
The twins go to the ranch and agree it’s perfect for Joe. Fred agrees to keep him if he can get along with his German Shepherds. And they do. Ken is happy but depressed when they have to say goodbye. They hope that either Mr. Quincey won’t come back or won’t care that the dog is gone, but he is PISSED. He makes them look for the dog and when he leaves he tells them if they don’t find his dog he’s going to sue them. Ken tries to say it’s his fault. He left the gate open, but the twins parents blame them because the dog was their responsibility. Now Jessica says not only will they not get twenty dollars he might take the other twenty back.
The next morning, Ken tells Liz Joe ran away from the ranch they go to Kens but his parents won’t let him go back to the ranch to look for him. It’s too far away to go out and search and it’s raining. Liz says they have to confess to their parents what Mr. Quincey did. When they walk in the front door of the Wakefields, there is Joe. He’s white again. The rain washed off his dye. By then the parents have called Mr. Quincey. He says they aren’t getting the extra twenty. Mr. Wakefield comments the dog doesn’t seem too happy to see him. Then Ken refuses to let the dog go and says that he’s been abusing hi,. Ken says he has proof but Mr. Quincey runs for the dog. Mr. Wakefield calls him out. He says he was costing him too much money anyway and walks out after Mr. Wakefield says he better never see him with another dog. Then Ken and the twins tell their parents the whole story. Because Ken was so responsible his parents let him keep the dog. The Wakefields decide that saving the a dog's life is worth a reward and he gives them twenty dollars.
My Thoughts
This man “Mr. Quincey” got off WAY too easy. He should have gone to JAIL/ I’m not sure how long but when he got to jail he sound have gotten two cell mates. Then when the lights were off they could have beaten him and gave him sores and bruises just like he did that poor dog. The guard should have just looked the other way. THEN he would have known EXCACTLy how it felt. That just really did not make any damn sense. There was this dog that was outside the place where I get my hair done. Dogs always scare me, but this dog looked like it was on its last leg (so I heard because I wouldn’t come near it). The man upstairs had to put it up before I’d come out. (I had a real bad experience where I was almost attacked by a dog so I pretty much try to stay clear of ALL of em. And this was unprovoked) But this day I heard was just like Joe only I heard it had been used to fight and there were signs of this. I just think that’s cruel. I don’t blame Ken, Liz, and Jess for doing what they did. Joe really did sound like a sweet dog. If I had to have a dog I would have liked one like Joe. I’m so glad that in the end he got ken and this had a happy ending. It was just really sad to think that there are abusive people like this to animals.
Rating: 6
It’s a rainy day and Jessica is looking at an ad for crystal glassware. Liz is looking at a French cookbook. Jessica is wishing she can dress up like the people in the picture. Jessica wants to do something different. Liz says they can make chicken breast wrapped around cheese and ham and chocolate mousse. Then Jessica gets an idea. They can have a dinner party. They can use their mom’s best china and crystal goblets. Liz agrees it might be fun. So, they immediately go and ask their parents. They are *NOT* excited about this idea and tell the twins it's too big, it's not appropriate, and itll cost too much. Mrs. Wakefield suggests they have a cookout instead, nut Jessica says everyone has those. They go back to Liz’s room upset. There’s a four-day weekend coming up and Liz thinks of their great aunt Helen’s birthday coming up. They talk about how fun it was to visit her at Sandy Harbor. They then return to ask their parents. They ask if they can go alone. Their father makes them look up the tickets and it’s twenty dollars both ways (Eighty dollars total). Their father gives them the money doesn’t grow on trees speech and their mother says they just come up with things and don’t think. Their father says if they can earn their own money they can go.
Jessica suggests Liz make four orange cakes and sell them for twenty dollars. But their mom says the bakery sells them for ten. She’d have to sell sixteen cakes (considering she’s have to buy the ingredients). So, that idea is out. They consider taking on some jobs. She sees some people out walking dogs and then she has an idea. Liz thinks they can walk dogs. Jess thinks about how bad it was when she took care of Sally. Liz says it’ll just be for two weeks. They need to walk dogs 10 days and walk 4 a day and charge 2 dollars a dog. They need money for the photocopies advertising their services so they go to Steven and he charges them fifty cent interest and a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
The next day they go to make copies at the school library. Lila reminds Jessica of the Unicorn meeting that afternoon. She reluctantly tells her she can’t come. Liz covers for her and says they have to run errands since Jessica doesn’t want to admit to Lila they have to work to earn the money. But Lila makes her come with her to tell Janet. Liz tells Ken about the dog walking and he admits he wants a dog but his parents don’t think he’s responsible enough. Liz says she knows the feeling. They see a lady with a poodle and offer her a flier, but she turns it down. She accepts a flier anyway. They see another dog and its owner. The man says he doesn’t think they can handle “Buster”. Jessica wants small dogs but they only give out five fliers after walking up and down the street. They stick the rest of fliers on cars. Then they head home.
At dinner a lady named Mrs. Foster calls and asks if they’ll walk her dog on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then they get another call from the man with the dog named “Buster” (who’ll be busy this week). He needs them Tuesday-Friday. By the end of the week, they’ll have twenty dollars. They’ll have to find a lot more dogs in order to make the trip and pay back Steven.
The first woman’s dog is a cocker spaniel. The next is Buster (who seems to like Jessica). While Jessica is fixing her hair Bitsy gets loose. Luckily she doesn’t go far. Wednesday comes. Jessica has to walk both Bitsy and a York Terrier,. Their both small but Jessica whines and gets on Liz’s nerves so she says they can go window shopping while they walk the dogs. Jessica sees an outfit in one of the windows and gets Liz to hold all three dogs. She stays in the store at least twenty minutes. Then all the dogs start to drag Liz in different directions. Liz of course isn’t happy with Jess when she finally comes out.
At school, Amy invites Liz with her, Julie, and Nora to the rink on Saturday. Surprisingly, Jessica meets her after school on time. Jessica asks if she can skip the dog walking and go to a Booster practice. So she agrees but says it’s just this once. The next day, Jessica is late. Ken says he saw her headed for Casey’s. Ken says maybe she just forgot. Liz knows better. Then she remembers she has three dogs. Ken says he’ll help and then he says she doesn’t even have to pay him. Liz likes walking dogs more with Ken than with Jessica. He actually likes Buster (and plays with him). One of the owners asks if they can keep the dogs at their house Saturday and Sunday and they’ll pay them twenty dollars. Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield have their doubts about this but Liz convinces them. When Jessica gets home, Liz tells her about watching the dogs over the weekend. She then tells her she’ll be going rollerskating.
Jessica starts to protest, but Liz reminds her she hasn’t been doing her share. Jessica is watching the dogs when Lila and Ellen come by and ask her to go to the mall. But she knows she can't go or leave them there like Lila said because Liz will tell. Ken comes by and offers to watch the dogs for her. When Liz comes home, she finds Ken with the dogs. He tells her where Jessica went. Liz gets mad and says Jessica doesn’t deserve to go on the trip. She blames herself for always taking up for her. Then Jessica comes back and she lets her have it. The twins are about to get into the middle of an argument when a man in a sports car pulls up and gets out with his dog and one of their fliers. He says his name is Quincey and needs a place to keep his dogs while he’s away on business. They say they have to ask their parents but he doesn’t have time. He has to leave for the airport. He offers to pay them forty dollars. So, they say it’s fine. He says the dog's name is Joe and then he leaves.
Liz makes Jessica promise to do her share of the work. Ken tries to pat the dog but he backs away. Ken tells them there’s something sad about the dog. Then they notice he’s unkempt. So they feed him. He’s hesitant but he wolfs down the food. Then they give try to bathe him, but he’s terrified. hHe’s also scared to be touched. When they push back his fur there’s a cut. Then they find more cuts and bruises. They ask Ken what he thinks but he just hugs the dog. He cleans up to be a beautiful dog. Ken says someone been abusing him. They wonder what they should do. Telling their parents is out. They said no complaining. Ken says he’ll take care of him all that week. They all agree to show him all the love they can.
The next day, Ken brings over some dog toys, a soft brush, and some food. He also brings over some medicine. Jessica actually comes home early from Lila’s to see Joe. Ken starts to teach Joe some tricks. One day they give him another bath and notice the cuts are healing nicely. He’s not scared anymore of the water. Liz says Mr. Quincey will be coming back in two days. They all agree they have to think of a way to keep Joe from Mr. Quincey. They come up with a plan to take him to the animal shelter and die his fur black so if Mr. Quincey comes looking for an all-white dog they’ll shay they haven’t seen him. Then they decide to cut his hair short. Then they tell Ken they should take Joe and introduce him to his parents. So they take him over but Mrs. Matthews says maybe next year. Nothing he says will change her mind. So Ken comes up with a plan to take Joe to his cousin Fred’s ranch and give him to Fred.
The twins go to the ranch and agree it’s perfect for Joe. Fred agrees to keep him if he can get along with his German Shepherds. And they do. Ken is happy but depressed when they have to say goodbye. They hope that either Mr. Quincey won’t come back or won’t care that the dog is gone, but he is PISSED. He makes them look for the dog and when he leaves he tells them if they don’t find his dog he’s going to sue them. Ken tries to say it’s his fault. He left the gate open, but the twins parents blame them because the dog was their responsibility. Now Jessica says not only will they not get twenty dollars he might take the other twenty back.
The next morning, Ken tells Liz Joe ran away from the ranch they go to Kens but his parents won’t let him go back to the ranch to look for him. It’s too far away to go out and search and it’s raining. Liz says they have to confess to their parents what Mr. Quincey did. When they walk in the front door of the Wakefields, there is Joe. He’s white again. The rain washed off his dye. By then the parents have called Mr. Quincey. He says they aren’t getting the extra twenty. Mr. Wakefield comments the dog doesn’t seem too happy to see him. Then Ken refuses to let the dog go and says that he’s been abusing hi,. Ken says he has proof but Mr. Quincey runs for the dog. Mr. Wakefield calls him out. He says he was costing him too much money anyway and walks out after Mr. Wakefield says he better never see him with another dog. Then Ken and the twins tell their parents the whole story. Because Ken was so responsible his parents let him keep the dog. The Wakefields decide that saving the a dog's life is worth a reward and he gives them twenty dollars.
My Thoughts
This man “Mr. Quincey” got off WAY too easy. He should have gone to JAIL/ I’m not sure how long but when he got to jail he sound have gotten two cell mates. Then when the lights were off they could have beaten him and gave him sores and bruises just like he did that poor dog. The guard should have just looked the other way. THEN he would have known EXCACTLy how it felt. That just really did not make any damn sense. There was this dog that was outside the place where I get my hair done. Dogs always scare me, but this dog looked like it was on its last leg (so I heard because I wouldn’t come near it). The man upstairs had to put it up before I’d come out. (I had a real bad experience where I was almost attacked by a dog so I pretty much try to stay clear of ALL of em. And this was unprovoked) But this day I heard was just like Joe only I heard it had been used to fight and there were signs of this. I just think that’s cruel. I don’t blame Ken, Liz, and Jess for doing what they did. Joe really did sound like a sweet dog. If I had to have a dog I would have liked one like Joe. I’m so glad that in the end he got ken and this had a happy ending. It was just really sad to think that there are abusive people like this to animals.
Rating: 6
March 6, 2020
In this one, Elizabeth and Jessica try to prove to their parents that they are responsible lil miniature adults by earning money from walking dogs. Jessica is a HATER OF DOGS, providing further evidence to her sociopathic tendencies
December 9, 2018
If you enjoy the book review below, visit www.therunningbibliophile.com?utm_sou... to read our thoughts about other books.
Teamwork (Sweet Valley Twins, # 27) created by Francine Pascal is a story about twin sisters, Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, deciding they want to visit their great aunt, but their parents decide that the girls need to learn a lesson about money and earning the bus fares themselves. Determined to show their parents that they know the value of money and being responsible, they decide to start their own dog walking business, which quickly expands to dog sitting. Taking on a second client for dog sitting, the girls and their friend, Ken Matthews, quickly learn that the dog has been abused and take matters into their own hands to keep him safe.
Sweet Valley Twins is the series that made me an avid reader, and now, that I'm rereading the series as an adult, I love the fact that it teaches kids valuable lessons about serious issues and how to deal with them as a kid. I know some adults might say that Teamwork glossed over the issue of animal abuse, but we have to keep in mind that the target age group of the book series are for kids between the ages of eight and twelve, so you can't go into too much detail about the issue so as to not upset or scars kids for the rest of their lives.
Why didn't the girls and Ken just tell Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield that they thought the dog named Joe was being abused? Well, the girls had been told by their parents that they needed to handle things themselves and not to come to them with complaints, so Jessica and Elizabeth took that as they couldn't come to their parents with such a serious concern because they didn't want to be seen as irresponsible. I actually think that many kids would have done the same thing . . . However, as a kid, I would've immediately gone to my parents if I thought someone was abusing an animal.
This is a perfect book to teach your kids about animal abuse in a gentle way and that they should always go to a trusted adult if they think any animal is being abused by their owner. I gave Teamwork (Sweet Valley Twins, # 27) five stars out of five stars.
If you enjoyed this book review, visit www.therunningbibliophile.com?utm_sou... to read our thoughts about other books.
Teamwork (Sweet Valley Twins, # 27) created by Francine Pascal is a story about twin sisters, Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, deciding they want to visit their great aunt, but their parents decide that the girls need to learn a lesson about money and earning the bus fares themselves. Determined to show their parents that they know the value of money and being responsible, they decide to start their own dog walking business, which quickly expands to dog sitting. Taking on a second client for dog sitting, the girls and their friend, Ken Matthews, quickly learn that the dog has been abused and take matters into their own hands to keep him safe.
Sweet Valley Twins is the series that made me an avid reader, and now, that I'm rereading the series as an adult, I love the fact that it teaches kids valuable lessons about serious issues and how to deal with them as a kid. I know some adults might say that Teamwork glossed over the issue of animal abuse, but we have to keep in mind that the target age group of the book series are for kids between the ages of eight and twelve, so you can't go into too much detail about the issue so as to not upset or scars kids for the rest of their lives.
Why didn't the girls and Ken just tell Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield that they thought the dog named Joe was being abused? Well, the girls had been told by their parents that they needed to handle things themselves and not to come to them with complaints, so Jessica and Elizabeth took that as they couldn't come to their parents with such a serious concern because they didn't want to be seen as irresponsible. I actually think that many kids would have done the same thing . . . However, as a kid, I would've immediately gone to my parents if I thought someone was abusing an animal.
This is a perfect book to teach your kids about animal abuse in a gentle way and that they should always go to a trusted adult if they think any animal is being abused by their owner. I gave Teamwork (Sweet Valley Twins, # 27) five stars out of five stars.
If you enjoyed this book review, visit www.therunningbibliophile.com?utm_sou... to read our thoughts about other books.
December 29, 2013
Despite how awesome Sweet Valley normally is, it is raining and Jessica is bored. She is flipping through a magazine and decides she wants to have a fancy dinner party. Liz goes along with her idea because, well, it's Liz, but Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield say no and claim that the twins aren't responsible enough. So they go away for all of five minutes before Jessica schemes again. She seems to have given up on the fancy dinner party idea and instead wants to visit Great Aunt Helen in Sandy Harbor. Jessica calls the bus company to find out the price of a ticket to Sandy Harbor, and she tells their parents it's $20. Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield tell the twins that is only a one-way ticket, and that roundtrip for both of them will be $80. They agree that the twins can go visit Helen … IF they earn the money themselves. If you guessed that what follows is a scheme involving dogs, Jessica leaving Liz with the responsibility to hang out with the Unicorns, and Liz getting pouty because her sister has no compassion for people, then congratulations! You have guessed the first 50 pages of the plot.
But you know this book can't just be about Liz doing work and Jess not doing work, right? After all, that's what all the other Sweet Valley books are about, anyway, so we don't need more of the same. So the ghosties inserted a sad-sack dog plot to give this book some pep. When the action picks up, Ken Matthews, who has always wanted a dog but is not allowed to have one, is caring for two terriers in the Wakefields backyard that Jessica abandoned to visit the mall with Ellen and Lila. Liz comes home and rants about this to avail. A creepy old man walks into the Wakefields backyard at this moment, because apparently the Wakefields have no security system to speak of (durr). He demands that Jess & Liz care for his dog right then and there. He offers them $40, the rest of the money they need to make it to Helen's. He doesn't have dog food, so he gives them money for some. He storms away, shifty blue eyeballs and all. Joe is a beautiful but frightened white dog. Ken takes an immediate shine to him, but the dog continues to remain afraid. Jessica comes home, and they are able to coax Joe to eat some food. Jessica, of course, notices how smelly Joe is (remember how she hated Mrs. Bramble's dog?). Ken gives Joe a bath and notices cuts and bruises on the dog in the process. It doesn't take Jess, Liz, and Ken very long to realize that Mr. Quincy has mean eyes for a reason. Ken buys ointment for Joe and fixes him up. The dog becomes less frightened as the day goes on.
Instead of confiding in an adult, which would be a very crazy and wildly inappropriate thing for a Sweet Valley book, Jess, Liz, and Ken decide they must help Joe on their own. To prove they are responsible enough to handle animal abuse, I guess. Jessica, Grand Schemer on High that she is, decides that they must dye Joe's hair and take him somewhere else so that when Mr. Quincy comes back he cannot recognize his own dog. They use human black hair dye (Margo's?), assuming it is safe for dogs. Joe doesn't really care about the dye job, seeing as how he is used to being abused. Ken and the twins haul Joe over to Ken's house. Ken makes a last-ditch attempt to convince his parents to let him have a dog. But since Joe has a bad haircut and dye job courtesy of Jessica, he looks like a mangy mutt. His parents refuse, so they decide to take Joe to Ken's cousin Fred's farm. Miraculously, the timid Joe gets along with Fred's German Shepherds. Until…
It rains, Joe's dye washes out, and he runs home to the Wakefields to be with Ken. So I guess he has his own sort of Homeward Bound journey all the way back from the farm. He arrives to an irate Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield and Mr. Quincy, who was threatening to sue over the loss of his dog. It would seem he has no other punching bag? I thought it would turn out that Mr. Quincy didn't do it, but, alas, he is an animal abuser. Before Joe was Homeward Bound, the twins stalled and said that Joe had run away and they'd been looking for him all day. I guess this still wasn't a good time to tell the truth. But finally Mr. Quincy leaves, Ken's parents come over, and they all tell the truth. Suddenly Ken's parents grow a heart and let him keep the dog, and Ned and Alice tell the twins they were supreme dumbasses for thinking they didn't need to tell an adult about the abuse of Joe. They call Mr. Quincy back over, and he honestly tries to pry a whimpering Joe straight out of Ken's arms. Mr. Wakefield threatens Mr. Quincy, who denies all abuse. But he knows he's a horrible, devilish person, so he finally gives up the dog by saying Joe costs him too much in dog food. Ken has a dog, the twins have proved themselves responsible, and Mr. Quincy remains free to abuse other animals. D'oh.
Next up: Jess has a plan for April Fools that doesn't involve a twin switch. That'll be the day.
Alternate Title : "Mean Men are Dog Abusers"
Tagline: "Can the twins prove that they're not babies anymore?"
On a Scale of 1-10, How Annoying is Elizabeth?: 0
On a Scale of 1-10, How Sociopathic is Jessica? 0
The Big Deal: The twins have to earn money for a trip to Sandy Harbor to see their Great Aunt Helen
Lingering Questions: I mean, did Mr. Quincy get away with it? Did the Wakefields honestly not report him for the way he treated Joe?
Cover: Good or Bad?: Eh, in between. That's Ken, Liz, and dog Joe chillin' in the Wakefields backyard. This scene is in the book. Joe is beautiful; Liz, not so much.
Quotes from the Book: "'I just don't want Lila to know I have to work to get money,' Jessica hissed."
"And as much as this man gave her the creeps, there was Sandy Harbor to think of."
This is probably the reason Jess & Liz encounter so many psychos in their teens.
"Jessica was gazing dreamily at the twenty-dollar bill in her hands when Elizabeth deftly grabbed it from her. 'I'll put this away,' she said. She wasn't about to let her sister loose in Sweet Valley with a twenty dollar bill."
Heh.
Moral of the Story: Ken Matthews is awesome!
Final Rating: Three stars. Any story about dogs is automatically guaranteed to be a tearjerker at some point.
But you know this book can't just be about Liz doing work and Jess not doing work, right? After all, that's what all the other Sweet Valley books are about, anyway, so we don't need more of the same. So the ghosties inserted a sad-sack dog plot to give this book some pep. When the action picks up, Ken Matthews, who has always wanted a dog but is not allowed to have one, is caring for two terriers in the Wakefields backyard that Jessica abandoned to visit the mall with Ellen and Lila. Liz comes home and rants about this to avail. A creepy old man walks into the Wakefields backyard at this moment, because apparently the Wakefields have no security system to speak of (durr). He demands that Jess & Liz care for his dog right then and there. He offers them $40, the rest of the money they need to make it to Helen's. He doesn't have dog food, so he gives them money for some. He storms away, shifty blue eyeballs and all. Joe is a beautiful but frightened white dog. Ken takes an immediate shine to him, but the dog continues to remain afraid. Jessica comes home, and they are able to coax Joe to eat some food. Jessica, of course, notices how smelly Joe is (remember how she hated Mrs. Bramble's dog?). Ken gives Joe a bath and notices cuts and bruises on the dog in the process. It doesn't take Jess, Liz, and Ken very long to realize that Mr. Quincy has mean eyes for a reason. Ken buys ointment for Joe and fixes him up. The dog becomes less frightened as the day goes on.
Instead of confiding in an adult, which would be a very crazy and wildly inappropriate thing for a Sweet Valley book, Jess, Liz, and Ken decide they must help Joe on their own. To prove they are responsible enough to handle animal abuse, I guess. Jessica, Grand Schemer on High that she is, decides that they must dye Joe's hair and take him somewhere else so that when Mr. Quincy comes back he cannot recognize his own dog. They use human black hair dye (Margo's?), assuming it is safe for dogs. Joe doesn't really care about the dye job, seeing as how he is used to being abused. Ken and the twins haul Joe over to Ken's house. Ken makes a last-ditch attempt to convince his parents to let him have a dog. But since Joe has a bad haircut and dye job courtesy of Jessica, he looks like a mangy mutt. His parents refuse, so they decide to take Joe to Ken's cousin Fred's farm. Miraculously, the timid Joe gets along with Fred's German Shepherds. Until…
It rains, Joe's dye washes out, and he runs home to the Wakefields to be with Ken. So I guess he has his own sort of Homeward Bound journey all the way back from the farm. He arrives to an irate Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield and Mr. Quincy, who was threatening to sue over the loss of his dog. It would seem he has no other punching bag? I thought it would turn out that Mr. Quincy didn't do it, but, alas, he is an animal abuser. Before Joe was Homeward Bound, the twins stalled and said that Joe had run away and they'd been looking for him all day. I guess this still wasn't a good time to tell the truth. But finally Mr. Quincy leaves, Ken's parents come over, and they all tell the truth. Suddenly Ken's parents grow a heart and let him keep the dog, and Ned and Alice tell the twins they were supreme dumbasses for thinking they didn't need to tell an adult about the abuse of Joe. They call Mr. Quincy back over, and he honestly tries to pry a whimpering Joe straight out of Ken's arms. Mr. Wakefield threatens Mr. Quincy, who denies all abuse. But he knows he's a horrible, devilish person, so he finally gives up the dog by saying Joe costs him too much in dog food. Ken has a dog, the twins have proved themselves responsible, and Mr. Quincy remains free to abuse other animals. D'oh.
Next up: Jess has a plan for April Fools that doesn't involve a twin switch. That'll be the day.
Alternate Title : "Mean Men are Dog Abusers"
Tagline: "Can the twins prove that they're not babies anymore?"
On a Scale of 1-10, How Annoying is Elizabeth?: 0
On a Scale of 1-10, How Sociopathic is Jessica? 0
The Big Deal: The twins have to earn money for a trip to Sandy Harbor to see their Great Aunt Helen
Lingering Questions: I mean, did Mr. Quincy get away with it? Did the Wakefields honestly not report him for the way he treated Joe?
Cover: Good or Bad?: Eh, in between. That's Ken, Liz, and dog Joe chillin' in the Wakefields backyard. This scene is in the book. Joe is beautiful; Liz, not so much.
Quotes from the Book: "'I just don't want Lila to know I have to work to get money,' Jessica hissed."
"And as much as this man gave her the creeps, there was Sandy Harbor to think of."
This is probably the reason Jess & Liz encounter so many psychos in their teens.
"Jessica was gazing dreamily at the twenty-dollar bill in her hands when Elizabeth deftly grabbed it from her. 'I'll put this away,' she said. She wasn't about to let her sister loose in Sweet Valley with a twenty dollar bill."
Heh.
Moral of the Story: Ken Matthews is awesome!
Final Rating: Three stars. Any story about dogs is automatically guaranteed to be a tearjerker at some point.
November 30, 2025
Aww I liked this one! The twins want to prove how grown up they are and start a dog walking business so they can go on their own (I know, I know bad parenting strikes again) to visit their great aunt Helen.
One of the dogs is mistreated, so with Ken Matthew's help they save the dog from the awful owner, and Ken gets to keep the dog. Yay! Even Jess was kinda nice (if not her usual selfish self) in this one.
One of the dogs is mistreated, so with Ken Matthew's help they save the dog from the awful owner, and Ken gets to keep the dog. Yay! Even Jess was kinda nice (if not her usual selfish self) in this one.
August 4, 2017
The one was a little tough for me to read. I wasn't expecting dog abuse in a Sweet Valley book! Since it IS Sweet Valley, though, everything turns out okay for poor Joe in the end.
March 17, 2018
I completely forgot about this book. It was actually one of the better novels in the Sweet Valley Twins series as it had an important message for kids.
December 15, 2023
Super cute book
September 17, 2016
Jessica and Elizabeth want to visit their aunt but they will have to earn the money for bus fare first. They consider several possibilities but finally decide on a dog-walking service.
As can be expected, Jessica gets out of as much of the work as she can. A boy they know named Ken helps out (doing far more work than Jessica). The main problem is when the find out that one of the dogs has been physically abused.
They do what they can for the dog but they will still have to face the owner who is ultra-nasty and quick with threats.
As can be expected, Jessica gets out of as much of the work as she can. A boy they know named Ken helps out (doing far more work than Jessica). The main problem is when the find out that one of the dogs has been physically abused.
They do what they can for the dog but they will still have to face the owner who is ultra-nasty and quick with threats.
Read
June 4, 2009JEAR3-Pas
August 10, 2009
This book was ok. I think it is really sad. But it was good.
October 24, 2010
I so enjoyed the way that my troubles seemed to be their troubles. It made me feel almost important even as a 10 year old.
May 6, 2021
Loved these books as a child
June 22, 2013
I remember the cover but just not the story
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