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The Unicorn Club #1
Save the Unicorns
We'd finally made it to seventh grade, and it looked like the Unicorn Club was history. The trouble began when Jessica Wakefield and Lila Fowler started a dare war to decide who would be the next president. Jessica got caught for stealing the principal's hairpiece, and we all got sentenced to working thirty hours in a day-care center with ten screaming little brats. That was when the Unicorn Club started to change in ways you'd never expect. Life isn't all makeovers and gossip and boys, y'know. But just when we'd finally changed our ways, Mr. Clark, the principal, handed down the final punishment--the Unicorn Club was dissolved for good. I guess Mr. Clark didn't know that Unicorns never give up!
167 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
2 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,149 books1,854 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.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 17, 2016
I don't particularly care for any of the unicorns, because they are all conceited,snobby,stuckup,self centered,etc. But, I loved in this book how they learned how to care about other people then themselves. It taught them a lesson (even though it was fun) after doing a dare war to help out at the center. And Lila FINALLY started caring about other people (than herself). And I really liked the part how they had a HUGE storm and Jessica and Oliver went down to the basement to get flashlights, got stuck, the other unicorns went to break the window,got Oliver and Jessica out, Jessica saved Oliver and almost go electrocuted, and Jessica saved peppermint. (sorry for my tendency to blab, I'm only a kid). And I dislike Jessica, but what would we gave done if she had gotten electrocuted? It's like when you feel like you don't like someone, but you're sad when they are gone. Anyways, it was cool and nice how Lila set up a pool party for the daycare kids. And that was really sweet and nice of her to do that. And really sweet how she got all those toys for the daycare kids. And yes, FINALLY LILAS SOFTING UP. (I honestly don't know or care if SOFTING is a word or not). And in my opinion, Mr. Clark is VERY rude and strict. NO MORE UNICORN CLUB ONLY BECAUSE A PURPLE PAINT STRIPE??!
April 14, 2012
I read a few of these when I was younger, and didn't like them as much as I liked Sweet Valley Twins. Going back to them now though, I was pleasantly surprised. They allow for real character development, and more importantly, that development is consistent through the series (unlike in SVT, when Jessica would have a moment of insight and remorse in one book, then there'd be no mention of it whatsoever in the next one). Of course, that character development goes out the window for the SVH series, but that's neither here nor there. :P Anyway, these books really take the story in a new direction, and it's a more mature, thoughtful writing style. I found myself caring more and relating to the characters, which was a definite improvement over the SVT series - I reread a few of those recently too, and I was infuriated at Jessica in particular. I still love the old series, but this one is well-worth reading for any devoted fan. They're definitely aimed at slightly older readers, though, so keep that in mind. Oh, and I know what I've said here contradicts what I'm going to put next, but you should also try not to compare the two series - it's very obvious that they're written by different people, but both have their place, and both are enjoyable kids stories. :) It's great to get back to the old Sweet Valley crowd.
October 7, 2009
Oh. My. God. How could I have forgotten about The Unicorn Club? Yes, that obscure Sweet Valley High spin-off, Sweet Valley Twins spin-off. That's, like, 3 times removed from anything Francine Pascal actually wrote. (And I just know my horse-crazy 6th grade self WANTED DESPERATELY to be in a unicorn club, despite this club having nothing whatsoever to do with horses!).
November 3, 2023
Take me back to middle school when all one could ever think was about having a little bit of fun and dares and none of these adulting stuff.
Lila has always been my favorite character in the entire Sweet Valley universe. Sure she is spoiled, bossy, downright mean and a master manipulator but deep down she is truly a softie at heart. I guess it has a lot to do with her parents being divorced and all that - she has all the money in the world, her dad gives her everything but she is often alone. If Mrs. Pervis and the Unicorn Club hadn't been there for her, she would truly be sad.
I nearly cried when she decided to give toys to all the kids in the center and not just focus on Ellie. In one of her rarest moments of kindness, she shows that beneath that cool exterior she has a very generous heart willing to love 10000%. Her organizing that party for the kids and the trip to the zoo is actually very cute and un-Lila like. But that's who she is.
Now the Unicorn Club - when they were first introduced in Sweet Valley Twins, I kind of like them already even if they come off as a bunch of mean girls. When you think about it, they are truly loyal to one another and they are always there for each other. Their dares often gets them in trouble and sometimes, no scratch that, A LOT of times, they do not actually think of others and just well, only of themselves.
I always find it fascinating though how they can come up with new ideas to raise funds when right now as an adult, I do not even know where to look for an extra wad of cash. Sheeeeeh.
With Janet Howell out of the picture, it just made perfect sense that they move out of her shadow to discover who they truly are and what they want to club to be.
Loyalty didn't mean you said people were right even when they are wrong.
Loyalty was when you knew they were wrong and weren't afraid to tell them so
Individually they are all nice girls but when they do get together they're truly stuck up and obnoxious - but ain't we also like that even in adulthood?
Mandy as president makes the perfect sense because she is level headed and is actually the one person who does not want it in the first place. Though I do not agree with her inviting Elizabeth and Maria into the club. I mean, come on.
Also that demonstration/protest/rally organized by Elizabeth and Maria? UGH. The book could have done without that scene. It helped them with Principal Clark but it was icky.
Lila has always been my favorite character in the entire Sweet Valley universe. Sure she is spoiled, bossy, downright mean and a master manipulator but deep down she is truly a softie at heart. I guess it has a lot to do with her parents being divorced and all that - she has all the money in the world, her dad gives her everything but she is often alone. If Mrs. Pervis and the Unicorn Club hadn't been there for her, she would truly be sad.
I nearly cried when she decided to give toys to all the kids in the center and not just focus on Ellie. In one of her rarest moments of kindness, she shows that beneath that cool exterior she has a very generous heart willing to love 10000%. Her organizing that party for the kids and the trip to the zoo is actually very cute and un-Lila like. But that's who she is.
Now the Unicorn Club - when they were first introduced in Sweet Valley Twins, I kind of like them already even if they come off as a bunch of mean girls. When you think about it, they are truly loyal to one another and they are always there for each other. Their dares often gets them in trouble and sometimes, no scratch that, A LOT of times, they do not actually think of others and just well, only of themselves.
I always find it fascinating though how they can come up with new ideas to raise funds when right now as an adult, I do not even know where to look for an extra wad of cash. Sheeeeeh.
With Janet Howell out of the picture, it just made perfect sense that they move out of her shadow to discover who they truly are and what they want to club to be.
Loyalty didn't mean you said people were right even when they are wrong.
Loyalty was when you knew they were wrong and weren't afraid to tell them so
Individually they are all nice girls but when they do get together they're truly stuck up and obnoxious - but ain't we also like that even in adulthood?
Mandy as president makes the perfect sense because she is level headed and is actually the one person who does not want it in the first place. Though I do not agree with her inviting Elizabeth and Maria into the club. I mean, come on.
Also that demonstration/protest/rally organized by Elizabeth and Maria? UGH. The book could have done without that scene. It helped them with Principal Clark but it was icky.
November 13, 2023
In this book, Jessica and Lila are doing dares so the next president of the unicorns can be picked. They get in trouble with the principal and have to do community service hours at the daycare where Elizabeth and Maria volunteer. It doesn’t go well in the beginning, but it gets better once they got to know the kids and cared for them. Lila treated them to presents and a party. Just when things were going well, the principal found out it was the unicorns who painted a purple stripe on the lockers after seeing the paint can in one of their lockers. The principal wants to disband the group, but Elizabeth and Maria organize a rally to save the unicorns, and then all is ok. The two join the unicorns at last in this book, and Mandy is named president without any date wars. Sadly, this new unicorns only last for a few books and split into unicorns and angels
April 17, 2026
eh its fine, a bit boring and corny but it’s reasonable since this was published for uncs
July 15, 2022
The prank war is pretty dumb but I really enjoy the characters. I’d never read anything from Mandy’s perspective before.
August 27, 2013
I'm without any new books to read from the library and I should be unpacking, not reading anything super important anyway, so... I'm re-reading The Unicorn Club. Makes sense to me. :p
The Unicorn Club series starts off with the Unicorns dealing with the loss of Janet (the queen isdead off to SVH!) as well as about half the club. We're left with Jessica, Lila, Mandy, Ellen, and Mary. In true Unicorn fashion, Lila and Jessica wind up in a dare war to decide which of the two will be President of the club. Naturally things go south pretty quickly and the club finds itself on the verge of being permanently disbanded by the principal of the middle school with the full backing of all the parents of the club's members.
Save the Unicorns is narrated by Mandy Miller (the Unicorn best known as the one who had cancer) which is a switch from how both the SVH and SVT series were written.
Mandy finds herself wrestling with the fun she has with the Unicorns and the horrible behavior they seem to bring out in one another. It's one thing to declare a silly dare war, it's another to not have the sense to stop it before you're ruining the principal's toupee.
I'm not really sure what prompted the decision to soften the Unicorns at the time, though maybe it was simply that after awhile even the fun they seem to have is always tainted by the obnoxious way they behaved, usually in an effort to please or impress Janet. Without Janet, the club is left with an identity crisis. They quickly learn that for all they've believed themselves to be the prettiest and most popular girls in school, the moment they cross a line so obvious that the principal steps in, the rest of the school is cheering at the thought of the Unicorns being no more.
Which is pretty accurate, I'd say. The popular clique is somehow popular and almost universally hated by everyone (even if all the members of the club aren't) but still the cycle continues.
Mandy decides that for all the fun she has with the Unicorns, it's not worth saving the club if they're just going to continue being selfish and cruel, so instead she floats the idea that maybe the best club idea would be to bring out the best in one another.
This is massively helped by the community service they're sentenced to do at the children's center where Elizabeth Wakefield and Maria Slater also happen to volunteer.
I remember adoring these when they came out (a series dedicated to the Unicorns! And no freakin' Janet! And look, Elizabeth finally joins and the Unicorns can be pretty and purple loving without being overly cruel to everyone!) and they hold up pretty well today.
The only downside?
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
A
L
E
R
T
...
The knowledge that the kinder, gentler Unicorn Club lasts for about five books and then Kimberly Haver moves back and in record time destroys all the character development that took place prior to it. That's right, Kimberly deprives us of further Lila Fowler as a big sister awesomeness. That right there is reason enough to be glad she doesn't appear in SVH.
The Unicorn Club series starts off with the Unicorns dealing with the loss of Janet (the queen is
Save the Unicorns is narrated by Mandy Miller (the Unicorn best known as the one who had cancer) which is a switch from how both the SVH and SVT series were written.
Mandy finds herself wrestling with the fun she has with the Unicorns and the horrible behavior they seem to bring out in one another. It's one thing to declare a silly dare war, it's another to not have the sense to stop it before you're ruining the principal's toupee.
I'm not really sure what prompted the decision to soften the Unicorns at the time, though maybe it was simply that after awhile even the fun they seem to have is always tainted by the obnoxious way they behaved, usually in an effort to please or impress Janet. Without Janet, the club is left with an identity crisis. They quickly learn that for all they've believed themselves to be the prettiest and most popular girls in school, the moment they cross a line so obvious that the principal steps in, the rest of the school is cheering at the thought of the Unicorns being no more.
Which is pretty accurate, I'd say. The popular clique is somehow popular and almost universally hated by everyone (even if all the members of the club aren't) but still the cycle continues.
Mandy decides that for all the fun she has with the Unicorns, it's not worth saving the club if they're just going to continue being selfish and cruel, so instead she floats the idea that maybe the best club idea would be to bring out the best in one another.
This is massively helped by the community service they're sentenced to do at the children's center where Elizabeth Wakefield and Maria Slater also happen to volunteer.
I remember adoring these when they came out (a series dedicated to the Unicorns! And no freakin' Janet! And look, Elizabeth finally joins and the Unicorns can be pretty and purple loving without being overly cruel to everyone!) and they hold up pretty well today.
The only downside?
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
A
L
E
R
T
...
The knowledge that the kinder, gentler Unicorn Club lasts for about five books and then Kimberly Haver moves back and in record time destroys all the character development that took place prior to it. That's right, Kimberly deprives us of further Lila Fowler as a big sister awesomeness. That right there is reason enough to be glad she doesn't appear in SVH.
April 13, 2016
Having been a huge fan of the Sweet Valley Twin series as a child, I’m surprised I hadn’t come across The Unicorn Club books until recently. This series is one of many in the Sweet Valley collection, and a continuation of the Twins series with a move up to seventh grade.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It had the same feeling as the Twins series, but it was told from the viewpoint of Unicorn Club member, Mandy. It was fun to see things from a different character’s point of view.
After the Unicorns get into some trouble at school, they are sentenced by their principal to do some community service at a child care center. It was nice to see the transformation of the Unicorn members, especially Lila, as they complete their time. There was a maturity to the group that was nice to see, even if it doesn’t continue to hold true in the remainder of this series. (I haven’t read the rest of the series, so I don’t know.)
My only real fault with the book is that there are limited characters involved and I would have liked to have seen more from Elizabeth, especially. She’s barely in the book, and it felt a bit out of her character when she abandoned the Unicorn Club and kids at the day care to take some time off, when it was obvious they could all use her help. Elizabeth is normally thoughtful, caring, and responsible, and I can’t really see her just taking off on everyone. Obviously, her being around would have changed the entire situation, but the author could have had her leave in a more empathetic way.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It had the same feeling as the Twins series, but it was told from the viewpoint of Unicorn Club member, Mandy. It was fun to see things from a different character’s point of view.
After the Unicorns get into some trouble at school, they are sentenced by their principal to do some community service at a child care center. It was nice to see the transformation of the Unicorn members, especially Lila, as they complete their time. There was a maturity to the group that was nice to see, even if it doesn’t continue to hold true in the remainder of this series. (I haven’t read the rest of the series, so I don’t know.)
My only real fault with the book is that there are limited characters involved and I would have liked to have seen more from Elizabeth, especially. She’s barely in the book, and it felt a bit out of her character when she abandoned the Unicorn Club and kids at the day care to take some time off, when it was obvious they could all use her help. Elizabeth is normally thoughtful, caring, and responsible, and I can’t really see her just taking off on everyone. Obviously, her being around would have changed the entire situation, but the author could have had her leave in a more empathetic way.
November 10, 2007
No one has the right to complain about the mass influx of Sweet Valley books into their Goodreads homepages. HAHA. Seriously, this series was what made me love reading (not Harry Potter). And this book was probably one of three SV books that I still remember quite vividly, just because back then (I dunno about now, but definitely then) I remember them as having a lot of heart, so yea. Haha, I loved these books when I was younger. Sniff.
January 29, 2016
-The Unicorns Series is awesome!!
-I've read books 1-8, and then #s 14 and 20.
-Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are among some of my favorite female protagonists
-I love all the cover art for the Sweet Valley/Unicorn books too**
-I've read books 1-8, and then #s 14 and 20.
-Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are among some of my favorite female protagonists
-I love all the cover art for the Sweet Valley/Unicorn books too**
December 11, 2012
This is an amazing book and really well thought out I really suggest you read it because it is amazing and perfect for adults and kids!
October 23, 2013
Never really got into this series.
April 29, 2009
How long did this spin-off series last, anyway? I can't remember seeing many of the books around...
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews