What do you think?
Rate this book
Sweet Valley High #38
Leaving Home
Separate ways...
Elizabeth Wakefield has always dreamed of visiting the beautiful mountains of Switzerland, so she's thrilled when she has a chance to attend an exclusive Swiss boarding school. As much as she loves Sweet Valley, Elizabeth is positive the romantic, snow-covered Swiss countryside would provide the perfect inspiration for her writing.
The thought of losing her sister has Elizabeth's identical twin, Jessica, in a panic! How would she survive without her very best friend in the world? Jessica just can't Elizabeth go, so she devises a plan to make sure her twin won't leave Sweet Valley. Will Jessica's scheme to keep Elizabeth home work—or will it end up driving her away forever?
Elizabeth Wakefield has always dreamed of visiting the beautiful mountains of Switzerland, so she's thrilled when she has a chance to attend an exclusive Swiss boarding school. As much as she loves Sweet Valley, Elizabeth is positive the romantic, snow-covered Swiss countryside would provide the perfect inspiration for her writing.
The thought of losing her sister has Elizabeth's identical twin, Jessica, in a panic! How would she survive without her very best friend in the world? Jessica just can't Elizabeth go, so she devises a plan to make sure her twin won't leave Sweet Valley. Will Jessica's scheme to keep Elizabeth home work—or will it end up driving her away forever?
150 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1987
38 people are currently reading
425 people want to read
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,139 books1,845 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 31, 2021
Did you know the way to sabotage your twin sister's chance of winning a scholarship to attend a boarding school in Switzerland is to dress like a total FLOOZY and gush about how much you love MEN to Mr. Sterne (the scholarship rep)?
Also you gotta pretend you ARE your twin when Mr. Sterne visits your school and flirt madly with him (eww)!
And finally get your brother in on the action too by acting like a total freak when the rep comes by to meet the family.
***
Ultimately Elizabeth does get offered the scholarship, after Jessica and their brother Steven admit their dastardly deeds to the reps... but Elizabeth experiences an epiphany that home is where the heart is and decides not to go after all! Who needs the Swiss Alps anyway when you have the year-long sunny climes of Sweet Valley and your conniving, wack job twin Jessica around to incessantly screw up all your plans? 🤪
Also you gotta pretend you ARE your twin when Mr. Sterne visits your school and flirt madly with him (eww)!
And finally get your brother in on the action too by acting like a total freak when the rep comes by to meet the family.
***
Ultimately Elizabeth does get offered the scholarship, after Jessica and their brother Steven admit their dastardly deeds to the reps... but Elizabeth experiences an epiphany that home is where the heart is and decides not to go after all! Who needs the Swiss Alps anyway when you have the year-long sunny climes of Sweet Valley and your conniving, wack job twin Jessica around to incessantly screw up all your plans? 🤪
September 26, 2023
An extra half a star for when Jess is pretending to be Liz so she can convince Mr. Sterne that Liz isn’t exactly an ideal candidate for that fancy-schmancy Swiss boarding school. This is some of what she said to him:
Good one, Jess! 😂
“Oh, class,” Jessica pooh-poohed. “That can wait. I just realized that I’ve been forgetting to tell you one of the most important things in my entire life.” She batted her eyelashes at him. “Have I mentioned—at all—how very important I think men are?”
“‘Men’?” Mr. Sterne repeated blankly.
“You know,” Jessica cooed, tucking her arm knowingly thorough his. “Men.”
Good one, Jess! 😂
Read
February 19, 2015Elizabeth, a welll known douche nozzle, is curiously incapable of recognizing the douchiness of everyone in her entire life ever. Seriously, your friends and family suck so hard you should probably move to Switzerland - except you can't because your douchey sister wrecked your only chance.
August 8, 2024
This one has me shaking my head in disbelief. Elizabeth has the chance of a lifetime and her siblings act immature to try and keep her in Sweet Valley. In another storyline, Winston is faced with a moral dilemma. Neither of these storylines thrilled me and I think the Elizabeth one made me really angry.
Glad when it was over.
Goodreads review published 07/08/24
Glad when it was over.
Goodreads review published 07/08/24
May 20, 2016
Source: I read this book online via OpenLibrary.
Cost: Free
Title: Leaving Home
Series: Sweet Valley High #38
Author: Francine Pascal // Kate William
Overall Rating: One star
THIS BOOK MADE ME SO MAD. NO. NO. NO. JESS. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO YOUR SISTER? LIZ HAS THIS AMAZING OPPROTUNITY TO GO AND STUDY IN SWITZERLAND BUT YOUR SELFISH ASS HAS TO RUIN IT FOR HER. JESS CAN'T SEE ANY FURTHER THAN HER OWN STUPIDITY TO SEE HOW MUCH THIS COULD BENEFIT LIZ. IT'S ALL ABOUT JESS AGAIN.
LIZ IF I WAS YOU I WOULD HAVE MOVED BECAUSE EVERYONE AROUND YOU IS SO UNBELIEVABLY RUDE AND DOUCHEY.
Sorry for all the caps, I'm very angry.
Cost: Free
Title: Leaving Home
Series: Sweet Valley High #38
Author: Francine Pascal // Kate William
Overall Rating: One star
THIS BOOK MADE ME SO MAD. NO. NO. NO. JESS. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO YOUR SISTER? LIZ HAS THIS AMAZING OPPROTUNITY TO GO AND STUDY IN SWITZERLAND BUT YOUR SELFISH ASS HAS TO RUIN IT FOR HER. JESS CAN'T SEE ANY FURTHER THAN HER OWN STUPIDITY TO SEE HOW MUCH THIS COULD BENEFIT LIZ. IT'S ALL ABOUT JESS AGAIN.
LIZ IF I WAS YOU I WOULD HAVE MOVED BECAUSE EVERYONE AROUND YOU IS SO UNBELIEVABLY RUDE AND DOUCHEY.
Sorry for all the caps, I'm very angry.
November 28, 2019
Not a great SVH- this one is about Liz applying forna scholarship to a Swiss boarding school and Jessica's attempts to derail her sister from attending. Bizarre subplot about Winston Egbert winning the lottery- a whopping 25 thousand dollars- considering that wouldn't cover even a year of college these days, that didn't age particularly well. 1.5 stars rounded up.
January 12, 2020
Leaving Home
Plot: Elizabeth all of a sudden has an obsession with Switzerland, after talking to Regina Morrow who went there to have treatment for her hearing. She has the chance to win a scholarship to a Swiss boarding school to study writing where a great literary author will teach her. Only no one is excited for her. Enid isn’t. Jeffery isn’t. And especially not Jessica who can’t imagine her not there for their senior year. Steven and Jessica plot to damage Elizabeth’s chance when the director of the program comes out to interview her by making her family look not so wholesome. Going a step further they get her friends in on the plot. At school, Jessica does a twin switch and makes Elizabeth look flakey. Steve calls her up on the phone pretending to be different boys. She finds out and gets mad at them both. They realize they’ve gone to far and tell the director everything. They offer Liz the scholarship, but she turns it down because Enid and Jefferey start to spend more time together and Liz mistakes it as they’re hooking up behind her back. When they’re only making her a goodbye memory book. Winston in this one is convinced she’s going to win the lottery. At the store while he and Maria are shopping for the lottery ticket victory party he’s going to throw he accidentally picks up a man’s coat he sees that doesn’t have enough money to buy his granddaughter a doll. In the pocket of his coat is a lottery ticket. His lottery ticket wins. Winston goes back and forth about should he keep the money or return it to the man. In the end, he returns the money and is a hero in the town paper.
My Thoughts: These are the most SELFISH people! The parents aren’t excited for Elizabeth. Personally, if my child had have gotten the chance to study writing in a foreign country on a free scholarship, I’d find it a great opportunity. What is it about people in SV that they act like they can’t see leaving SV for more than a vacation? There IS life outside of Sweet Valley! That would be a reason for me to send my child someplace they WANTED to go. It’s good to expand your horizons and not just be so tied down to the place you're from that you can’t seize something new. Enid isn’t excited for Elizabeth. Jeffrey isn’t. Well in Jefferey’s case I understand. Elizabeth hasn’t even left yet and in the middle of thinking of how she could never break up with him, her thoughts turn abruptly to the cute Swiss boys she might meet. Making her not much different from her twin. Then Jessica and Steven. COME ON! REALLY? Liz didn’t say she wanted to MOVE to Switzerland permanently! She’ll be gone ONE YEAR! While she does something to further her CAREER! Can none of these people see that? Then Elizabeth is so dumb she herself gives up the chance to study the dream of hers for A GUY?!! Guys come and guys go. You CAN NOT put your dreams on hold just because you fear you’ll lose them. It took Jefferey TOO LONG to recognize his mistake and support his girl. The wreck my sister’s chances with a big opportunity because I don’t want her to leave by impersonating her and acting up plot device wasn’t new. I can’t tell you where I’ve seen it before, but it was predictable. And Winston. What Winston did was honorable. I can’t take that away from him. But I was thinking at least the old man was going to offer him some of the lottery money in return. He REALLY should have.
Rating: 6
Plot: Elizabeth all of a sudden has an obsession with Switzerland, after talking to Regina Morrow who went there to have treatment for her hearing. She has the chance to win a scholarship to a Swiss boarding school to study writing where a great literary author will teach her. Only no one is excited for her. Enid isn’t. Jeffery isn’t. And especially not Jessica who can’t imagine her not there for their senior year. Steven and Jessica plot to damage Elizabeth’s chance when the director of the program comes out to interview her by making her family look not so wholesome. Going a step further they get her friends in on the plot. At school, Jessica does a twin switch and makes Elizabeth look flakey. Steve calls her up on the phone pretending to be different boys. She finds out and gets mad at them both. They realize they’ve gone to far and tell the director everything. They offer Liz the scholarship, but she turns it down because Enid and Jefferey start to spend more time together and Liz mistakes it as they’re hooking up behind her back. When they’re only making her a goodbye memory book. Winston in this one is convinced she’s going to win the lottery. At the store while he and Maria are shopping for the lottery ticket victory party he’s going to throw he accidentally picks up a man’s coat he sees that doesn’t have enough money to buy his granddaughter a doll. In the pocket of his coat is a lottery ticket. His lottery ticket wins. Winston goes back and forth about should he keep the money or return it to the man. In the end, he returns the money and is a hero in the town paper.
My Thoughts: These are the most SELFISH people! The parents aren’t excited for Elizabeth. Personally, if my child had have gotten the chance to study writing in a foreign country on a free scholarship, I’d find it a great opportunity. What is it about people in SV that they act like they can’t see leaving SV for more than a vacation? There IS life outside of Sweet Valley! That would be a reason for me to send my child someplace they WANTED to go. It’s good to expand your horizons and not just be so tied down to the place you're from that you can’t seize something new. Enid isn’t excited for Elizabeth. Jeffrey isn’t. Well in Jefferey’s case I understand. Elizabeth hasn’t even left yet and in the middle of thinking of how she could never break up with him, her thoughts turn abruptly to the cute Swiss boys she might meet. Making her not much different from her twin. Then Jessica and Steven. COME ON! REALLY? Liz didn’t say she wanted to MOVE to Switzerland permanently! She’ll be gone ONE YEAR! While she does something to further her CAREER! Can none of these people see that? Then Elizabeth is so dumb she herself gives up the chance to study the dream of hers for A GUY?!! Guys come and guys go. You CAN NOT put your dreams on hold just because you fear you’ll lose them. It took Jefferey TOO LONG to recognize his mistake and support his girl. The wreck my sister’s chances with a big opportunity because I don’t want her to leave by impersonating her and acting up plot device wasn’t new. I can’t tell you where I’ve seen it before, but it was predictable. And Winston. What Winston did was honorable. I can’t take that away from him. But I was thinking at least the old man was going to offer him some of the lottery money in return. He REALLY should have.
Rating: 6
August 22, 2021
I hated this. Not only was it unbelievably messed up what Jessica and Stephen, and all their friends, did to Elizabeth, their parents didn't care about her wanting to get the scholarship either. Imagine having a kid with that much drive and ambition and being like, yeah but Sweet Valley...
It smacks of this obnoxious privilege that's an underlying thing in all these books, but it's SO much worse in this one. It's an scholarship for a free ride to an elite school, that she has a very good chance at winning, and these snotty assholes act like it's the least important thing in the world, probably because they never had to actually try to earn anything before. Man. Fuck this book.
It smacks of this obnoxious privilege that's an underlying thing in all these books, but it's SO much worse in this one. It's an scholarship for a free ride to an elite school, that she has a very good chance at winning, and these snotty assholes act like it's the least important thing in the world, probably because they never had to actually try to earn anything before. Man. Fuck this book.
January 23, 2025
Alright both twins are lost in their own selfish worlds. Elizabeth is dreaming of going to school in another country and when the chance arrives for a scholarship, she gets a bit to bossy and self-absorbed with her family and friends and goes about everything wrong. And then Jessica gets together with their big brother to stop it at all costs! I would have been beyond peeved if my siblings pulled what they did!! Another change of heart in an instant and it all started because of a boy. Figures.
April 20, 2019
This star goes to Jess’s outfit when she is trying to sabotage the meeting with the weird is guy. I don’t know why she wants Liz to stay, other than she probably doesn’t want to do the chores on her own! 😂
Elizabeth is so annoying in this book that it makes me want to push her off the top of a Swiss mountain.
Winston is pretty funny in this one.
That’s about it...
Elizabeth is so annoying in this book that it makes me want to push her off the top of a Swiss mountain.
Winston is pretty funny in this one.
That’s about it...
December 15, 2021
Liz decides to apply for a strict scholarship in Switzerland, Jess is equally determined to make sure she fails. Cue some twin switches that make Liz look like a man-eater, the Wakefields look like the most dysfunctional family outside the Addams Family, and some school pranks, Liz doesn't stand a hope in hell against the might of Jess Wakefield
November 20, 2020
Three things I learned from SVH #38:
1. The Wakefields are The Worst.
2. Winston Egbert is a shitty human being.
3. Sweet Valley is actually one of those Twilight Zone type towns that NO ONE is allowed to leave.
1. The Wakefields are The Worst.
2. Winston Egbert is a shitty human being.
3. Sweet Valley is actually one of those Twilight Zone type towns that NO ONE is allowed to leave.
November 30, 2022
OOF...I've been doing a re-read sparked by the Teen Creeps podcast and while these are generally okay enough, this one was just brutally dull.
July 2, 2024
Do you want to better yourself and get an education? No. Your family will literally sabotage you. Also a super weird b-plot about Winston winning the lottery by stealing a ticket.
December 19, 2024
This was quite funny. I would've disowned my family...but then, if I were the family, I'd have been relieved to see annoying Liz go!
May 17, 2025
Honestly, Jessica and Steven should have just let Liz go off to Switzerland. I'm pretty sure she would have quit and come home within a month anyway.
December 23, 2011
Elizabeth has decided that she wants to go to boarding school in Switzerland more than she's ever wanted anything. Her entire family is upset, but she goes ahead with her plans for a scholarship. I guess she got tired of the sameness that exemplifies the perfectness of Sweet Valley.
I can't say I remember much of the story of the book but it did leave me with the overwhelming impression that people in Liz's life can't bear to let her go primarily because of selfishness on their part. It's like it wouldn't be same without her putting her nose in other people's business every day. Never mind that she's being offered a prestigious scholarship and this may set the tone of her future life.
More of Purplycookie’s Reviews @: http://www.goodreads.com/purplycookie
Book Details:
Title: Leaving Home (Sweet Valley High #38)
Author: Francine Pascal
Reviewed By: Purplycookie
I can't say I remember much of the story of the book but it did leave me with the overwhelming impression that people in Liz's life can't bear to let her go primarily because of selfishness on their part. It's like it wouldn't be same without her putting her nose in other people's business every day. Never mind that she's being offered a prestigious scholarship and this may set the tone of her future life.
More of Purplycookie’s Reviews @: http://www.goodreads.com/purplycookie
Book Details:
Title: Leaving Home (Sweet Valley High #38)
Author: Francine Pascal
Reviewed By: Purplycookie
July 9, 2016
I liked the moral dilemmas in this one. Also nice to see Winston having a bit more airtime for once. The lottery ticket story was quite good, obviously considering its Sweet Valley quality, and the fact that Steven had a bit of a personality transplant as well made him interesting for once.
October 24, 2010
I love how the stories and the topics were always real. There was so much truth and honesty in this series.
Read
August 1, 2013Graded By: Erin
Read the drinking game and review here.
Read the drinking game and review here.
June 21, 2013
I remember the cover just not the story.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews