30 day book challenge – #6 Favourite young adult book

#6

I always had my nose in a book as a teenager. I loved reading about other people’s lives and found role models in all the books I read. This category did pose a dilemma for me because there were 2 series of books that I read over and over again. The Saddle Club series by Bonnie Bryant, was definitely my favourite as a 10-12 year old.

But I haven’t chosen a Saddle Club book. I couldn’t think of one book that I loved more than any other in that series. What I have chosen is a Sweet Valley High book –  the first Sweet Valley Saga. I can’t remember how I got into reading the Sweet Valley series – I think a friend of mine lent me a couple and I got hooked. They really were teenage trash books all about boys and American high school. I was younger than the characters in the stories so I think the attraction was in the expectation that my life could one day be like theirs (in case you are wondering, no, it never was thank goodness!) The books in the series were much of a muchness – but I really enjoyed the sagas.

The Sweet Valley series followed the lives of twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield – sweet sixteen and in their final year of high school. The saga stories traced back first the twins’ mother’s family and then their father’s. The books themselves were so much bigger than the series books and I love reading big books! The sagas had a lot more substance than the rest of the series. The characters were all very strong and determined, overcoming a variety of adversities including the big 1906 earthquake in San Francisco. The stories were still centred around love lost and love gained, but the history added a lot more excitement and interest. I only remember there being two saga books, but since putting “sweet valley saga” into google today I have learned that more were written about some of the other families of Sweet Valley. My interest is almost piqued.

I’m sure I still have my sets of Sweet Valley and Saddle Club books in the loft at my dad’s house and when he finally insists I remove the boxes from his attic and put them in my own – I may have to indulge in a little sweet valley reading bliss, just to see if they’re still good.

Illustrations are definitely popular for children’s and teenage books. Is it because young people respond better to fictional drawings and aren’t attracted to the reality of photography?