The Potty Mouth Granny

Today I learned that one of my favorite authors in the world died. Her name was Francine Pascal and she created The Sweet Valley High book series in 1983 which revolutionized the book industry. After her series was published, a whole new genre was established and it was so many book series for teenage girls on the market that it was a wonderful time for a bookworm little girl like me.

I discovered Sweet Valley High December 1983. I was shopping with my mother for a winter coat and afterwards, we went to Woolworth, I went to the book section, and history was made.

I became lost in the world of Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, beautiful identical twins from a small town in California named Sweet Valley. Elizabeth was the proverbial good girl and Jessica was the spoiled brat shit starter who kept her ass in some mess.

As a young Black girl from the inner city, I was utterly fascinated by the antics of these white teenagers and although I couldn’t relate, I was highly entertained. It was a teenage soap opera in the written form, complete with almost death experiences, an actual death and one of the main characters running away from home.

This series had 181 novels complete with super series, many spinoffs, and a television series that aired in the late nineties. Sweet Valley High was truly a cultural phenomenon for Generation X ladies and some Millennials.

When I learned about her passing, I broke down and cried because with her death, I was once again saying goodbye to a piece of my life. The life I had when I was a little girl and would call the bookstore every month to see if the latest book was available because her books were released monthly. That sweet child I used to be.

So rest in peace Miss Pascal. You wrote a book series for teenage girls that became one of the most popular book series in American history when you were 51 years old and you lived to be 92. You go girl🌺🌺🌺🌺💋💋💋🥰🥰🥰