Note: Kristin reads and reviews both Christian and secular fiction on A Simply Enchanted Life. Out of respect for my readers, I am including a content review. This content review will help you decide whether this book is suitable for you.
Christian or Secular: Christian
ASEL Rating: Mild Rating due to disturbing instances of body shaming and bullying.
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Profanity: None
Sex: None
Violence: None
Drugs & Alcohol: None
Trigger Warning: Alarming instances of fat shaming and bullying.
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Power play by Francine Pascal
Series: Sweet Valley High #4
Published by Bantam on December 31st, 1984
Genres: General, Social Themes, Young Adult
Pages: 150
Elizabeth and Jessica in a tug of war…
Chubby Robin Wilson has been following Jessica around for months. First she wanted to be her friend — now she wants to join Pi Beta Alpha, Sweet Valley High’s snobby sorority.
When Elizabeth, Jessica’s twin, nominates Robin for the sorority, Jessica is furious. Robin may be friendly and smart, but she’s certainly not beautiful or popular enough to be a Pi Beta. Jessica’s determined to find a way to keep Robin out.
But Elizabeth is just as determined to make Robin a sorority sister. Soon the twins are locked in a struggle that develops into the biggest power play at Sweet Valley High…
This book infuriates me. I mean, really infuriates me. I don’t even remember this book from my childhood and in all honesty, it would have infuriated me then. I’ve never appreciated bullying! Jessica is such an evil, conniving, awful person that she makes Delores Umbridge look like a sweet old lady.
The fat shaming is beyond acceptable and I wouldn’t want my younger children to read this book. Basically, in Sweet Valley, being “fat” is social suicide. You know, I get it…people still fat shame even in today’s society. But, the author partakes in the fat shaming and gives the message that the only way for a “tubby” to find happiness is to shed a ridiculous amount of weight and become a cheerleader. She might as well have said that Jessica and her goonies were heroes of this book for making fat and ugly Robin get her act together and shed her weight. This book says to stop shoveling cheesecake and eat salad and run an unhealthy amount of laps so that the hottest guy in school will finally accept you.
Everybody at Sweet Valley High, even Elizabeth, gradually forgot that there had ever been a fat and ugly Robin. But Robin would always remember.
Just do yourself a favor. Unless you want to sit shaking in anger and want to force feed Jessica until she is obese so she’ll shut the heck up—skip this book in the SVH series.
What I rate this book now: 1 Star
What I would have rated this book in 1995: 1 star. I don’t see how anyone with a conscious could be okay with this book.
Check back next week for a follow up post about Power Play!
About Francine Pascal
Francine Pascal is the creator of the Sweet Valley High series and one of the world’s most popular fiction writers for teenagers and the author of several bestselling novels, My Mother Was Never A Kid (Hanging out with Cici), My First Love and Other Disasters, as well as the series Fearless. Her adult novels include, Save Johanna! and If Wishes Were Horses (La Villa) and the non-fiction, The Strange Case of Patty Hearst. Pascal is on the Advisory Board of The American Theatre Wing. Her favorite sport is a monthly poker game. She lives in New York City and France
It’s insane how much differently I seem to feel about each book. This one is definitely a kick in the teeth. Yikes!
I believe Francine wrote the first 8 books (or was it 16?) SVH books. I want to see if things even out a little bit when the ghostwriters take over.
I have no clue how many she wrote. I do wonder if we’ll be able to spot the first ghostwriter book.
I’ll try to do more searching tomorrow when I get home to figure it out.