Barnyard Battle

Sweet Valley Twins #59

by Francine Pascal (Creator), Jamie Suzanne

High stakes ...

When Ms. Shepard becomes the student teacher in Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield's social studies class, school becomes a lot more exciting. Ms. Shepard organizes a weekend field trip to a pioneer farm where the sixth graders will have to live just as the pioneers did—with no modern conveniences.

The boys bet that the girls won't be able to survive without their hair dryers. The girls insist that the boys can't live without TV and junk food. The battle of the year is on, and both sides are determined to win!

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult

131 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1992

About the author

Francine 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.

Reviews

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

The battle is on, and both sides are determined to win! When Jessica and Elizabeth's social studies class spends a weekend at a pioneer farm without benefit of modern conveniences, the boys say the girls can't live without hair dryers, and the girls insist the boys need their TV and junk food.

Really amusing read. Kids trying to live in a barn without modern technology. I really enjoyed this book!

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book a lot! They go on a cool trip!

[Sheila Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember the cover but just not the story.

[Nader Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and nostalgic read. The farm setting added a nice cozy vibe, even though surprisingly a lot of the events happened outside the farm, the first half of the book actually.
The characters were their usual likable selves, and I appreciated how the story stayed connected from beginning to the end.
Some parts did feel a little slow, but it didn’t ruin the experience. If you’re into light, cozy childhood drama with a bit of that vintage 90s feel i recommend check this one.
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Verdict
(6.5/10)

[Sara Habein · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5)

Read this (possibly a reread?) for a "Childhood Fav" category in a reading challenge I've been doing this year. I read every Sweet Valley book I could get my hands on in elementary school, and these characters still felt quite familiar 30+ years later. Lila sucks as a friend! The boys have early 90s misogynistic ideas! Jessica is a bit of a brat! I had also completely forgotten they have an older brother.

Read it all in about 90 minutes. Not a terrible way to spend an evening.

[Madison Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and lighthearted, this was a pleasant childhood book to revisit! The twins had better characterization in this story than many others, and the Unicorns weren’t as sociopathic as usual. It’s a thumbs up from me!

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a really strange one, mostly because everyone just seemed very out-of-character.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book