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Sweet Valley Twins Magna Editions #1
The Magic Christmas
Christmas girts they'll never forget...
When Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield's grandparents give them a pair of matching antique dolls for Christmas, they're a little surprised. Their grandparents should know they're too old to play with dolls! Then the twins learn that the dolls are a family legacy from a past generation of twins. But that's not all that's special about the dolls. Before they know it, Jessica and Elizabeth are thrown into the most magical adventure of their lives. And along the way they learn what being twins - and best friends - really means.
When Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield's grandparents give them a pair of matching antique dolls for Christmas, they're a little surprised. Their grandparents should know they're too old to play with dolls! Then the twins learn that the dolls are a family legacy from a past generation of twins. But that's not all that's special about the dolls. Before they know it, Jessica and Elizabeth are thrown into the most magical adventure of their lives. And along the way they learn what being twins - and best friends - really means.
247 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1992
9 people are currently reading
427 people want to read
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,139 books1,844 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 - 30 of 94 reviews
January 14, 2012
Okay, my much younger self gives this 5 stars. Five shiny, giant stars. Which is why when I traded in most of my Sweet Valley Twin series to a used book store (biggest mistake of my young adult life!), I kept this one (thank God!). Probably my older sister would have killed me if I gave away this one...I believe I recall her loving it too.
Anyhoodle, so I reread this at Christmas this year as a...twenty-something year old (none of your GD business), and wow, it still is one of the best Sweet Valley books, not just Twins, but all of the Sweet Valley books. Here's the gist: Elizabeth and Jessica get each other what they think are perfect presents, but oh noes, they think the presents are lame and selfish. (To be fair, Elizabeth's gift to Jessica is kind of lame. A short story? About them? On notebook paper? Bogus.) (Okay, so you're curious, Jessica got Elizabeth two bus tickets and concert tickets to the Save the Whales concert. This concert is soooo early 90s that it's HYSTERICAL, but dang, that took a lot of planning and moola, Jessica!) The girls get into a big fight that essentially ruins Christmas for everybody.
Their visiting grandmother gives them a pair of harlequin dolls, dolls their great-aunts Amanda and Samantha used to own (shout out to the Wakefield magna edition!). There's a mysterious riddle on the dolls' necklaces, and when the girls figure our the riddle at the same time that night, their dolls turn into boys? men? little man children? and Jessica and Elizabeth are accidentally sucked into a portal taking them to the dolls'/man children's world. And what a world it is! Magic! Bludrats! Mermaids! Traveling in the mouths of fish! By gigantic leaves through the air! But the fun thing is the girls are separated, each with a man child that more resembles their sibling than themselves, and have to get through these madcap adventures trusting somebody quite like their twin.
I won't give away all details because of course now you are completely intrigued and will find your own copy of The Magic Christmas to read next holiday.
My main problem with the book now, as an adult--Elizabeth and Jessica are twelve? They act more like fourteen. Which might seem nitpicky, but do you remember being twelve? Now do you remember fourteen? That's a big difference, my friend. Also, how old are their doll boys? Because they also act older, but I don't remember if their ages are said, so the whole time I felt creeped out by their budding romances. Being twelve and reading this, you don't care. Being a twenty-something, you feel confused and want to tell Jessica to "go to your room right now, young lady, and stop kissing that boy!" So that's why I had to take this down a notch and give it four shiny stars instead of five.
Anyhoodle, so I reread this at Christmas this year as a...twenty-something year old (none of your GD business), and wow, it still is one of the best Sweet Valley books, not just Twins, but all of the Sweet Valley books. Here's the gist: Elizabeth and Jessica get each other what they think are perfect presents, but oh noes, they think the presents are lame and selfish. (To be fair, Elizabeth's gift to Jessica is kind of lame. A short story? About them? On notebook paper? Bogus.) (Okay, so you're curious, Jessica got Elizabeth two bus tickets and concert tickets to the Save the Whales concert. This concert is soooo early 90s that it's HYSTERICAL, but dang, that took a lot of planning and moola, Jessica!) The girls get into a big fight that essentially ruins Christmas for everybody.
Their visiting grandmother gives them a pair of harlequin dolls, dolls their great-aunts Amanda and Samantha used to own (shout out to the Wakefield magna edition!). There's a mysterious riddle on the dolls' necklaces, and when the girls figure our the riddle at the same time that night, their dolls turn into boys? men? little man children? and Jessica and Elizabeth are accidentally sucked into a portal taking them to the dolls'/man children's world. And what a world it is! Magic! Bludrats! Mermaids! Traveling in the mouths of fish! By gigantic leaves through the air! But the fun thing is the girls are separated, each with a man child that more resembles their sibling than themselves, and have to get through these madcap adventures trusting somebody quite like their twin.
I won't give away all details because of course now you are completely intrigued and will find your own copy of The Magic Christmas to read next holiday.
My main problem with the book now, as an adult--Elizabeth and Jessica are twelve? They act more like fourteen. Which might seem nitpicky, but do you remember being twelve? Now do you remember fourteen? That's a big difference, my friend. Also, how old are their doll boys? Because they also act older, but I don't remember if their ages are said, so the whole time I felt creeped out by their budding romances. Being twelve and reading this, you don't care. Being a twenty-something, you feel confused and want to tell Jessica to "go to your room right now, young lady, and stop kissing that boy!" So that's why I had to take this down a notch and give it four shiny stars instead of five.
April 11, 2007
Ok, yeah, I'm a little embarrassed to be giving a Sweet Valley Twins book 5 stars, but this one was totally different. See, the twins, they got sucked into a fantasy universe! One of them flew on a gigantic leaf! There was Magic! I loved it when I was a kid, and read it around Christmas every year until I was FAR too old for it. I think my copy is still lying about in a closet somewhere gathering dust, but I'm not going to part with it.
December 28, 2015
Every year or two, I whip out this book around Christmastime for a bit of nostalgia. I've been an avid Sweet Valley fan since I was 9 years old, and this was always one of my favorites. I still think it would make an excellent movie, if they would stick to the story! It has held up well over the years. Love it!
December 22, 2025
Read this book every Christmas and have since I was a kid. I adore it! This year I wrote a post on Positively Present about what I've learned from it. You can check it out here: http://www.positivelypresent.com/2009...
January 1, 2025
December 2024: Sometimes it's okay to leave things in your childhood. (Not rating. Cough.)
Original Review: I must have read this hundreds of times. My copy fell apart. Five stars for nostalgia.
Original Review: I must have read this hundreds of times. My copy fell apart. Five stars for nostalgia.
July 15, 2010
This book definitely brings back memories when I was little. I used to read all the Sweet Valley twins books from each of the stages of life..College, High School, Middle School, and Elementary. This one though was my absolute favorite. I still have a copy of it, and I don't think I could part with it. I will definitely pass it on to my future children.
December 4, 2022
Just so much ridiculous fun.
I have fond memories of this book because it was a Christmas gift in 1992 and I most definitely spent the rest of the day ignoring my family, with my nose stuck in the thing.
When SVT goes wild fantasy, it really goes big (see: Super Special No1!) Dolls that come to life. Evil wizards. Unicorns. Mermaids. Magical clothing galore! It's fun, but like, so out of Sweet Valley's realm that it's hilarious.
A must-read.
I have fond memories of this book because it was a Christmas gift in 1992 and I most definitely spent the rest of the day ignoring my family, with my nose stuck in the thing.
When SVT goes wild fantasy, it really goes big (see: Super Special No1!) Dolls that come to life. Evil wizards. Unicorns. Mermaids. Magical clothing galore! It's fun, but like, so out of Sweet Valley's realm that it's hilarious.
A must-read.
April 4, 2013
I have read this book every Christmas Eve for 20+ years. This is not only my favorite Sweet Valley book, but one of my all-time favorites. The story never gets old, even though I could probably recite the book verbatim by now.
December 21, 2017
I first read this book 17 years ago and stumbled back across it the other day. Still a good sweet little read
December 31, 2022
i wish i could give this one 10000000 stars! this was my very first favorite book and probably the first fantasy i read. this book opened my eyes to portals and mermaids and sisterhood and all of that and it's just as good the 99th time as it was the first. this books feels like it was written just for me.
August 1, 2020
Definitely not going to leave a review for this one, it's just an old childhood fave. Realistically, it's not a five star book, but you definitely couldn't tell me that at twelve.
November 15, 2020
I have been wanting to find this book for years! I remember a few parts so vividly. This was one of my favourite books as a kid. Really want to re-read it.
November 26, 2023
A nostalgic read for the holiday weekend. A little silly, with some unexpected fantasy elements, but wrapped up nicely with good suspense and the ending was better than I expected.
December 9, 2023
This was one of my favorites as a girl (even though I was more BSC than SVH) and I was surprised how much of this I remembered. Some good and fun holiday nostalgia.
December 30, 2024
One of my favorite books from childhood that I still think about to this day. Re-read it after 25+ years and still loved it.
December 7, 2020
After 20 something years I FINALLY know what happened. My cousin started reading this to me when we were really little and had the audacity to not finish so she made it up to me this year and got it for me. Fantastic Christmas book for middle grade, so cute, can’t stand Jessica but she had such a *scandalous kiss* and Elizabeth’s story about their birthday is stupid but I love a writer in a book.
April 18, 2021
This was a book I checked out from the library so many times as a kid. Re-reading it now I can see why I loved it then! It's got adventure, magic, and a secret world. It didn't disappoint!
January 4, 2017
This one was like the first Super Edition when Liz travels to a different land. I have to admit, though, I was intrigued. It was much better than the usual monotony of Sweet Valley.
Liz and Jess get matching dolls for Christmas, and they end up in the Hidden Kingdom. Not a very original name, but I suppose the ghost writers had been cranking them out a lot at this point. Liz gets stuck with free-spirited Prince Adair, and they get attacked by bludrats, visit the wise man in the sky, and get stuck in a tornado as they float on leaves towards the castle. Jessica, along with serious Prince Dorin, escapes a serpasaur, is rescued by the Mermanon folk, and rides real Unicorns all the way to the castle.
Not much Christmas here- unless you count that the Magic of Christmas is found in the Hidden Kingdom. Jess and Liz are fighting because they are disappointed by the gifts they received from one another. I don't know why, because they've had at least five Christmases as sixth graders. But I digress. It was fun to read about this world- I was surprised by how much imagination the ghost writers had!!
Quotes:
Jess: "That'll give me time to go call Lila and tell her what an ingrate I have for a twin."
(Jessica knows the word ingrate?!)
Jess: My best friends and I have a club we call the Unicorns. It's for the most popular girls in school. And the prettiest.
Dorin: I can see why you're a member, then.
(Oh, barf!! In every alternate reality the twins enter, everyone is still in love with them. It's so sickening!)
[Jessica tried] her best to sound like Lila, who was the closest thing she knew to nobility.
(Lmao.)
Liz and Jess get matching dolls for Christmas, and they end up in the Hidden Kingdom. Not a very original name, but I suppose the ghost writers had been cranking them out a lot at this point. Liz gets stuck with free-spirited Prince Adair, and they get attacked by bludrats, visit the wise man in the sky, and get stuck in a tornado as they float on leaves towards the castle. Jessica, along with serious Prince Dorin, escapes a serpasaur, is rescued by the Mermanon folk, and rides real Unicorns all the way to the castle.
Not much Christmas here- unless you count that the Magic of Christmas is found in the Hidden Kingdom. Jess and Liz are fighting because they are disappointed by the gifts they received from one another. I don't know why, because they've had at least five Christmases as sixth graders. But I digress. It was fun to read about this world- I was surprised by how much imagination the ghost writers had!!
Quotes:
Jess: "That'll give me time to go call Lila and tell her what an ingrate I have for a twin."
(Jessica knows the word ingrate?!)
Jess: My best friends and I have a club we call the Unicorns. It's for the most popular girls in school. And the prettiest.
Dorin: I can see why you're a member, then.
(Oh, barf!! In every alternate reality the twins enter, everyone is still in love with them. It's so sickening!)
[Jessica tried] her best to sound like Lila, who was the closest thing she knew to nobility.
(Lmao.)
December 29, 2012
A friend recommended this book to me. She reads it every Christmas to get into the spirit, and this year she lent the book to me. It's a cute read. Even though I did read the Sweet Valley Twins books when I was a kid, I had never read this one.
Elizabeth and Jessica have a huge fight on Christmas Eve and refuse to speak to each other all day on Christmas Day. Their grandparents give them a set of harlequin dolls that belonged to their great-grandmother and her sister. Attached to the dolls is a riddle. Elizabeth and Jessica, unbeknownst to each other, solve the riddle, and the dolls come to life and seek the vortex to return them to the Hidden Kingdom where they came from, and Elizabeth and Jessica accidentally go with them. The rest of the story involves Elizabeth and Jessica and the twin princes (who were dolls before) trying to take the kingdom back from an evil sorcerer and get Elizabeth and Jessica to the Labyrinth so that they can return to "The Other World".
Obviously this book is not at all based in reality, but it's cute and fun for tweens. I probably would have enjoyed this book when I was ten or eleven.
Elizabeth and Jessica have a huge fight on Christmas Eve and refuse to speak to each other all day on Christmas Day. Their grandparents give them a set of harlequin dolls that belonged to their great-grandmother and her sister. Attached to the dolls is a riddle. Elizabeth and Jessica, unbeknownst to each other, solve the riddle, and the dolls come to life and seek the vortex to return them to the Hidden Kingdom where they came from, and Elizabeth and Jessica accidentally go with them. The rest of the story involves Elizabeth and Jessica and the twin princes (who were dolls before) trying to take the kingdom back from an evil sorcerer and get Elizabeth and Jessica to the Labyrinth so that they can return to "The Other World".
Obviously this book is not at all based in reality, but it's cute and fun for tweens. I probably would have enjoyed this book when I was ten or eleven.
December 30, 2012
I started reading this book when I was young and I loved it so much it became a tradition to read it each Christmas Eve. It's a cute, whimsical tale, and maybe just a tad corny. Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, of the Sweet Valley Twins series, are fighting on Christmas Eve, when their grandparents give them each a harlequin doll with a rhyme. When the girls solve the rhyme, they are transported to a magical world in which their harlequin dolls are cute, human boys. They proceed on an adventure, each set of twins traveling separately toward the castle to defeat the evil Medwin. There are mermaids (mermanons), wise, crazy old men, unicorns, and magic. How can you get better than this?
Reading this as an adult, I was more irritated at how ridiculous Jessica is. She is completely self-absorbed and acts like a selfish teenager, which is what she's supposed to be, but her tantrums come off as silly and extremely corny. Despite this, after reading this for the hundredth time, it still holds magic for me.
Reading this as an adult, I was more irritated at how ridiculous Jessica is. She is completely self-absorbed and acts like a selfish teenager, which is what she's supposed to be, but her tantrums come off as silly and extremely corny. Despite this, after reading this for the hundredth time, it still holds magic for me.
December 23, 2014
The 5 stars are for pure nostalgia, naturally.
I used to check this book out from the library every single Christmas when I was a kid. (This and The Evil Twin, of course. It's just not Christmas without Crazy Margo!) Unfortunately my library purged all the Sweet Valley books several years ago, so I haven't reread this book in probably 10 years. I happened to find it at Half Price Books last month, though, so Christmas clearly came early for me.
This book is all kinds of ridiculous and I love every minute of it. Dolls that come to life, a fairy world, mermaids, unicorns, evil sorcerers.... what more could you ask for? It also gives an awesome shoutout to the Wakefield Legacy books, which I still love to this day.
All in all, this left me with a smile on my face and with a peaceful, Christmas-y feeling. I'm so glad I finally own it! I found the third SVT Christmas book last year, so here's to hoping I can now find the second one because I've actually never read it.
I used to check this book out from the library every single Christmas when I was a kid. (This and The Evil Twin, of course. It's just not Christmas without Crazy Margo!) Unfortunately my library purged all the Sweet Valley books several years ago, so I haven't reread this book in probably 10 years. I happened to find it at Half Price Books last month, though, so Christmas clearly came early for me.
This book is all kinds of ridiculous and I love every minute of it. Dolls that come to life, a fairy world, mermaids, unicorns, evil sorcerers.... what more could you ask for? It also gives an awesome shoutout to the Wakefield Legacy books, which I still love to this day.
All in all, this left me with a smile on my face and with a peaceful, Christmas-y feeling. I'm so glad I finally own it! I found the third SVT Christmas book last year, so here's to hoping I can now find the second one because I've actually never read it.
July 4, 2008
since when is their sci fi fantasy in sweet valley. meh. BUT!!! the saving grace is the ridiculous tie-ins with the sagas. the wakefield legacy or whatever they were called. it's amazing! the twin's great grandma and her twin sister make an appearance, as does the wooden rose!!! eee!!! otherwise--- bad sci fi fantasy which i did not want, instead of bad teen cheesiness which i did.
December 14, 2009
Found this title searching for another but had to stop and review this one. OMG, I adored this book when I was in junior high. The dolls! The adventure! The boys! Great aunts Samantha and Amanda, showing up from the Wakefield Legacy books! I seem to recall mermaids and flying and princes (Adair?) and all sorts of magical things. (The twins ended up in a fantasy world, separated, after fighting at Christmas.) There was not one little bit of this book that I didn't find wonderful. (The stars come from my 12 year old self, clearly.)
October 12, 2007
I still read this book every year! Not because I'm emotionally stunted, but because this is a really great Christmas book that is heavy on the science fiction. A timeless classic (at least for any girl born in the '80s)!
May 12, 2016
This book was my everything when I was little. I carried it everywhere with me, read it when I got scared or when I couldn't sleep. In fact I'm staring at it right now on my book shelf right next to probably too many of SV books for a 28 year old. And I have no shame in that. At all
April 26, 2011
With the new adult Sweet Valley book coming out, I've been thinking a lot about Jessica and Elizabeth. This was my absolute favorite of the series!
December 30, 2017
Not my favourite festive Sweet Valley book, although I did love the magic elements (what's not to love about twin princes being trapped as dolls?!)
Don't think I've ever read this one before.
Don't think I've ever read this one before.
January 3, 2020
This was too much fantasy and not enough SVT sassiness.
Read
April 12, 2022COUSIN CHRISTMAS READ: How did it take us so long to see that this book is basically the Nutcracker? My fav book in elementary school and such a fun nostalgic holiday read!
December 30, 2022
I was reminded of this book and how much I loved reading (and rereading) it a few days ago. Dug out my old copy and oh man - the nostalgia!!!!
Of course, I now know what I didn't back then, which is that Jamie Suzanne - the credited writer of the Sweet Valley Twins books - is a portmanteau pen name for a host of ghost writers. No idea who wrote this particular book but kudos to them for the wit and inventiveness on display.
Effectively, the massive franchise that was the Sweet Valley books back in the day were like the MCU. Multiple titles in a shared universe, featuring the same characters. But these Magna Christmas editions went a step further - introducing a dash of fantasy or the supernatural to the series. (And now, in retrospect, tying everything together with the Sweet Valley Saga books released for an older market too.)
This is one of my favourites - after a huge argument on Christmas Day, Jessica and Elizabeth get magicked to a fantasy world where magic survives and mermanons thrive. It's a bit silly, but also gloriously earnest, and I'm glad that I was reminded of how clever this book actually is with this re-read.
I mean, it packs a LOT of drama and excitement and ideas into a very slim frame - just 250 pages, but the twins - separately, with another pair of handsome prince twins (because naturally) go from icy mountain to inky ocean depths, battling monsters and learning important life lessons.
It's insane, but also it's incredible. I LOVED these books, and I'm glad to say I still do. (Also, Sweet Valley Twins is superior to Sweet Valley High. I can't be the only one who thinks so?!)
Book is probably four stars REALLY but for the nostalgia and the magic - an easy five ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Of course, I now know what I didn't back then, which is that Jamie Suzanne - the credited writer of the Sweet Valley Twins books - is a portmanteau pen name for a host of ghost writers. No idea who wrote this particular book but kudos to them for the wit and inventiveness on display.
Effectively, the massive franchise that was the Sweet Valley books back in the day were like the MCU. Multiple titles in a shared universe, featuring the same characters. But these Magna Christmas editions went a step further - introducing a dash of fantasy or the supernatural to the series. (And now, in retrospect, tying everything together with the Sweet Valley Saga books released for an older market too.)
This is one of my favourites - after a huge argument on Christmas Day, Jessica and Elizabeth get magicked to a fantasy world where magic survives and mermanons thrive. It's a bit silly, but also gloriously earnest, and I'm glad that I was reminded of how clever this book actually is with this re-read.
I mean, it packs a LOT of drama and excitement and ideas into a very slim frame - just 250 pages, but the twins - separately, with another pair of handsome prince twins (because naturally) go from icy mountain to inky ocean depths, battling monsters and learning important life lessons.
It's insane, but also it's incredible. I LOVED these books, and I'm glad to say I still do. (Also, Sweet Valley Twins is superior to Sweet Valley High. I can't be the only one who thinks so?!)
Book is probably four stars REALLY but for the nostalgia and the magic - an easy five ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews