The Case of the Alien Princess

Sweet Valley Kids Super Snoopers #7

by Francine Pascal (Creator), Molly Mia Stewart, Ying-Hwa Hu (Illustrator)

The Sweet Valley Gang is whisked off to the planet Venn to find the missing Princess Zari before the evil Nards can take control over the planet.

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens

89 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

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

[Tara Calaby]

This was an odd venture into speculative fiction for what is usually not at all a speculative series. Most of the characters appear in little more than name and the aliens and their world were not as exciting as they could have been for small children. And then, of course, there was the 'it was all a dream...or was it?' trope. I think the snooper editions where they solve real world mysteries are much more engaging.

[Ruvi Perera · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay book about the group visiting another planet.

[Chloe Virtue · Rating 5 out of 5]

First “chapter” book I ever read back when I was 7 ❤️

[Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. Hmmmm… I’m not sure what I just read, but I’m going to say this is officially the weirdest Sweet Valley book written. The last Snooper case too, my guess is they were struggling for good mysteries… (see second pic 😂) Okay. Andy calls the Snoopers down to Secca Lake because he swears he saw an alien there (again). They go down and search and find some blue sand and fall asleep. When they wake up, they’re beamed up into a spaceship. Two aliens have taken them back to their planet because they ‘need the best detectives on Earth to help find the missing Princess’. They learned Earthling in a day (not just English) because their brains are eight times the size of ours. This is also why they don’t have the ability to search for the Princess Zari themselves… as her Aunt, the acting Regent explains. Apparently she needs to be found before sundown the next day or their enemy, the Nards (they’re the Zards) will attack. So the snoopers get to work (side notes - the air feeds them, the planet is walkable in one day, and the Princess has a loyal zebra/cat pet). They soon start to suspect the Princess ran away, and that her Aunt Gazeal is trying to take over. With the help of some of Zari’s friends, they’re led to the Nard city while Gazeal is preparing for war between the two races (whose only difference is different coloured eyes). Of course the pet Zebcat leads them to Zari who explains the Nards are peaceful and moved over after the sister planet they came from froze. The snoopers lead Zari back, she stops the war, sentences her aunt to 5 years on the ice planet and us crowned Queen. Did I mention she’s 8? Then she takes the snoopers home. They fall asleep and wake up back in blue sand on Secca Lake (sand with some sort of chemical component that causes naps was my thinking) and it’s all a fuzzy dream - then Jess finds Zari’s necklace.
My rating - 4/10 - Look... it was crazy. It made no sense and yet… it was enjoyable 😂