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Sweet Valley High #70
Ms. Quarterback
Ken Matthews has regained his sight, only to face another battle. Now that he's recovered, everyone assumes that Ken is sure to win back his old position as quarterback for the Gladiators. But Sweet Valley High is stunned when Ken's toughest competition comes from the shy new junior - Claire Middleton!
Terri Adams, Ken Matthew's girlfriend, sees Claire not only as threat to Ken's football career, but also to her own relationship with Ken. Can Terri find a way to get Claire off the field so that Ken can resume his rightful place on the team?
Terri Adams, Ken Matthew's girlfriend, sees Claire not only as threat to Ken's football career, but also to her own relationship with Ken. Can Terri find a way to get Claire off the field so that Ken can resume his rightful place on the team?
150 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
19 people are currently reading
378 people want to read
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,139 books1,847 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 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 17, 2018
I really like how independent Claire is. It broke my heart how everyone constantly tries to shake her confidence. Except Ken. Ken, whom I've always liked in the series is ready to take his spot back but this girl stands in his way. Does he hate on her for it? No. But his annoying girlfriend does. Terri seems sweet at first but she is too conniving in the end. And it isn't even for Ken's sake but her own which makes it worse! I was surprised the school didn't fight Claire playing football more. It is rarely allowed even today for sports to mix. Even more so when this was written. I liked that fact a lot.
March 3, 2017
Still sick, still re-reading the heck out of some Sweet Valley High.
December 3, 2022
Ms. Quarterback
Liz and Todd meet up at a pep rally and are gossiping about Scott Trost, the first-string quarterback, whose about to be kicked off the football team because he’s flunking. There’s some talk going around that the new quarter-back might be a girl. I’m trying to think what brought this on. I think in the last book there was an anonymous tip when they were all talking about what they’d change about the school from a girl that said girls should be allowed to try out for the football team.
Todd isn’t against it, but thinks the rest of the team might have a problem with it. The rumor is confirmed by Chrome Dome and announces the tryouts will be Monday.
An update is given on Ken. He lost his eyesight some books ago and now it’s sort of recovered, but he still has blackouts. He use to be the quarterback but got replaced by Scott. So, of course, he wants his old position back.
After the game Liz remembers she’s supposed to be interviewing the new student, Claire Middleton. Claire is pretty standoffish and Liz doesn’t get anything out of her other than she loves football. Claire tho must have made some kind of impression because Jess mentions she’s been thinking of asking Claire to join PBA. There have been complaints (due to the previous survey) that the PB’s are too exclusive so I guess Jess wants to include some more “common” girls.
During a date with John and Jennifer (and Terri and Ken) they all agree that there might as well not even be a tryout because all Ken will have to do is show up. Terri keeps her concerns to herself and just kind of agrees. But then Ken in a full-of-himself kind of way tells Terri now that he’s gonna be on the team again he hopes she doesn’t turn clingy. Oh, kinda like YOU turned clingy Ken when you lost your EYESIGHT and needed her for every little thing.
The next day she drives over to his house and he’s playing football with Winston. She does bring up her concern about the blackouts, but he turns cold on her (because he doesn’t want to show weakness in front of his male friend) ROLLS EYES.
At cheerleading practice, Jessica schemes on a way to get some random guys attention (the name isn’t important. It’ll be someone else by the next book) and she has this idea they’ll all come up with a new cheer, and the winner’s cheer they’ll all perform at the next game.
Jess tries to come up to Claire after a game, but she disses her and insults the cheerleaders. Lol, She actually tells them they’re ridiculous and all they do is jump around and try to look cute in their costumes. She should have gone to my HS games. She would have really thought them useless. They didn’t even jump around and scream. “Cheer? Are you CRAZY? Ain’t nobody here for that. I might get my uniform sweaty.”
But the gauntlet has been thrown down. CLAIRE IS OVER! Coach Schultz is kind of stunned, but amazingly (and I kind of liked him for this) doesn’t try to stop her. He warns her she’ll get some heat. Claire isn’t fazed. At the tryouts she’s GOOOD! Even Terri is kinda checking out her body (I think she have a little bi in her just a smidge).
After the tryouts Ken gives Claire props and then ditches Terri to go hang out with her. Terri gets upset. It doesn’t help when John informs Terri that the newspaper wants to do a piece on Ken and Claire. And to prove my point that Terri might be bi she just can’t stop noticing Claire and how she looks like her body is glowing. (She’s rather obsessive). However, interestingly enough this series can cover racial discrimination towards blacks, but it won’t touch sexual orientation. So, we’re going with “jealous”.
Claire again plays Liz’s attempt to “interview” (aka get all up in her personal business) off and dismisses her when she tries to do a follow up interview claiming she’s “tired”. I’m really starting to like Claire.
Jessica tells the rest of the cheerleaders about the conversation she had with Claire, and they’re all pretty outraged. Jessica comes up with a diss cheer, and they all eat it up.
Terri the next day, admits to Elizabeth she’s *jealous*. It sparks up again when she’s on a date with Ken and Claire walks in and Ken invites her to sit with them (only Claire turns it down).
Terri is just about fed up with Claire. She sees her the next day in the locker room crying over a picture of a handsome guy in a photo (in a football uniform). The photo is signed “To Claire. All my love! Ted” (So of course she jumps to the conclusion it’s her boyfriend).
Terri and Claire talk at the final tryout and she vents about pranks being pulled on her (courtesy of the cheerleaders), but she’s not letting all that nonsense stop her. Terri is convinced by now she’s going to take Ken as well.
Ken and Claire make the cut and will compete in a scrimmage to see who will be first-and second-string quarterback. Terri walks into the locker room and see Jessica and Amy bitching about the football team’s sorry pranks. Terri then tells them about the guy in the photo. So, they decide to use his name in a cheer-assuming it’s her boyfriend-. And it’ll end with “We know about Ted.”
Liz talks to Steve about Claire and he drops that he might know Ted. Well, his roommate might because they use to be roommates. But he’s dead.
The game starts Claire is out-playing Ken until the cheer starts. Claire storms off in the middle of the game. Liz confronts Jessica and tells her idiot that’s her BROTHER and he’s DEAD. Jessica is horrified. Amy blames Terri who forced them at gunpoint to do these lame, ass, cheer.
Liz asks Terri why she’d do such a thing and she confesses that she was jealous and didn’t know who Ted was. She goes to Claire’s house and apologizes. She forgives her and Terri convinces her to go back out there. She tells Ken about her part in it and he’s mad but he forgives her too.
Claire is made second-string quarterback. During a big game, Ken is out there and he starts getting black outs. Claire then fills in for him and wins the game.
My Thoughts:
As SV characters go, Claire was kinda awesome! She gives the cheerleaders shit because she thinks they’re all useless. She gives Liz shit and won’t let her get all in her business like every other character in this book that just seems to bow down to her saintliness. She isn’t *taken* by Ken and pretty much says PASS to having anything to do with him outside of the football field. Which is why I was thinking to myself oh Terri. Honey no one wants ol 1 dimensional Ken, but you. (And maybe Jessica and Amy who really don’t count because they want *every* damn thing with a piece that’s remotely attractive at SVH). And not only is he still like his name implies as flat as a plastic Ken doll, he’s still being a jerk. “I hope when I get back on the team you don’t turn into one of those girls that will get mad if I’m not all over you all the time.” KEN PLEASE! Why is Coach Schultz even letting Ken play anyway and he’s still having black-outs? Wouldn’t he need some kind of signed paperwork or clearance from the doctor that it’s safe for him to play? Does the doctor even know himself that Ken’s having blackouts? Or is Ken just like lying when he goes to the appointments? “Are you experiencing any kind of vision problems? Floaters? Blackouts? Flashes?” “Nope!” And really what is WRONG with these girls? I’m starting to think they’re all kind of slow. In this book, they learn that Ted is NOT Claire’s man, but in ROCKSTARS GIRL when Andrea comes to school and they hop right back on the “Oh that must be her man” train. I think they all just have one-track minds. You would think they’d learn from this book that it might be a FAMILY MEMBER!
Rating 7
Liz and Todd meet up at a pep rally and are gossiping about Scott Trost, the first-string quarterback, whose about to be kicked off the football team because he’s flunking. There’s some talk going around that the new quarter-back might be a girl. I’m trying to think what brought this on. I think in the last book there was an anonymous tip when they were all talking about what they’d change about the school from a girl that said girls should be allowed to try out for the football team.
Todd isn’t against it, but thinks the rest of the team might have a problem with it. The rumor is confirmed by Chrome Dome and announces the tryouts will be Monday.
An update is given on Ken. He lost his eyesight some books ago and now it’s sort of recovered, but he still has blackouts. He use to be the quarterback but got replaced by Scott. So, of course, he wants his old position back.
After the game Liz remembers she’s supposed to be interviewing the new student, Claire Middleton. Claire is pretty standoffish and Liz doesn’t get anything out of her other than she loves football. Claire tho must have made some kind of impression because Jess mentions she’s been thinking of asking Claire to join PBA. There have been complaints (due to the previous survey) that the PB’s are too exclusive so I guess Jess wants to include some more “common” girls.
During a date with John and Jennifer (and Terri and Ken) they all agree that there might as well not even be a tryout because all Ken will have to do is show up. Terri keeps her concerns to herself and just kind of agrees. But then Ken in a full-of-himself kind of way tells Terri now that he’s gonna be on the team again he hopes she doesn’t turn clingy. Oh, kinda like YOU turned clingy Ken when you lost your EYESIGHT and needed her for every little thing.
The next day she drives over to his house and he’s playing football with Winston. She does bring up her concern about the blackouts, but he turns cold on her (because he doesn’t want to show weakness in front of his male friend) ROLLS EYES.
At cheerleading practice, Jessica schemes on a way to get some random guys attention (the name isn’t important. It’ll be someone else by the next book) and she has this idea they’ll all come up with a new cheer, and the winner’s cheer they’ll all perform at the next game.
Jess tries to come up to Claire after a game, but she disses her and insults the cheerleaders. Lol, She actually tells them they’re ridiculous and all they do is jump around and try to look cute in their costumes. She should have gone to my HS games. She would have really thought them useless. They didn’t even jump around and scream. “Cheer? Are you CRAZY? Ain’t nobody here for that. I might get my uniform sweaty.”
But the gauntlet has been thrown down. CLAIRE IS OVER! Coach Schultz is kind of stunned, but amazingly (and I kind of liked him for this) doesn’t try to stop her. He warns her she’ll get some heat. Claire isn’t fazed. At the tryouts she’s GOOOD! Even Terri is kinda checking out her body (I think she have a little bi in her just a smidge).
After the tryouts Ken gives Claire props and then ditches Terri to go hang out with her. Terri gets upset. It doesn’t help when John informs Terri that the newspaper wants to do a piece on Ken and Claire. And to prove my point that Terri might be bi she just can’t stop noticing Claire and how she looks like her body is glowing. (She’s rather obsessive). However, interestingly enough this series can cover racial discrimination towards blacks, but it won’t touch sexual orientation. So, we’re going with “jealous”.
Claire again plays Liz’s attempt to “interview” (aka get all up in her personal business) off and dismisses her when she tries to do a follow up interview claiming she’s “tired”. I’m really starting to like Claire.
Jessica tells the rest of the cheerleaders about the conversation she had with Claire, and they’re all pretty outraged. Jessica comes up with a diss cheer, and they all eat it up.
Terri the next day, admits to Elizabeth she’s *jealous*. It sparks up again when she’s on a date with Ken and Claire walks in and Ken invites her to sit with them (only Claire turns it down).
Terri is just about fed up with Claire. She sees her the next day in the locker room crying over a picture of a handsome guy in a photo (in a football uniform). The photo is signed “To Claire. All my love! Ted” (So of course she jumps to the conclusion it’s her boyfriend).
Terri and Claire talk at the final tryout and she vents about pranks being pulled on her (courtesy of the cheerleaders), but she’s not letting all that nonsense stop her. Terri is convinced by now she’s going to take Ken as well.
Ken and Claire make the cut and will compete in a scrimmage to see who will be first-and second-string quarterback. Terri walks into the locker room and see Jessica and Amy bitching about the football team’s sorry pranks. Terri then tells them about the guy in the photo. So, they decide to use his name in a cheer-assuming it’s her boyfriend-. And it’ll end with “We know about Ted.”
Liz talks to Steve about Claire and he drops that he might know Ted. Well, his roommate might because they use to be roommates. But he’s dead.
The game starts Claire is out-playing Ken until the cheer starts. Claire storms off in the middle of the game. Liz confronts Jessica and tells her idiot that’s her BROTHER and he’s DEAD. Jessica is horrified. Amy blames Terri who forced them at gunpoint to do these lame, ass, cheer.
Liz asks Terri why she’d do such a thing and she confesses that she was jealous and didn’t know who Ted was. She goes to Claire’s house and apologizes. She forgives her and Terri convinces her to go back out there. She tells Ken about her part in it and he’s mad but he forgives her too.
Claire is made second-string quarterback. During a big game, Ken is out there and he starts getting black outs. Claire then fills in for him and wins the game.
My Thoughts:
As SV characters go, Claire was kinda awesome! She gives the cheerleaders shit because she thinks they’re all useless. She gives Liz shit and won’t let her get all in her business like every other character in this book that just seems to bow down to her saintliness. She isn’t *taken* by Ken and pretty much says PASS to having anything to do with him outside of the football field. Which is why I was thinking to myself oh Terri. Honey no one wants ol 1 dimensional Ken, but you. (And maybe Jessica and Amy who really don’t count because they want *every* damn thing with a piece that’s remotely attractive at SVH). And not only is he still like his name implies as flat as a plastic Ken doll, he’s still being a jerk. “I hope when I get back on the team you don’t turn into one of those girls that will get mad if I’m not all over you all the time.” KEN PLEASE! Why is Coach Schultz even letting Ken play anyway and he’s still having black-outs? Wouldn’t he need some kind of signed paperwork or clearance from the doctor that it’s safe for him to play? Does the doctor even know himself that Ken’s having blackouts? Or is Ken just like lying when he goes to the appointments? “Are you experiencing any kind of vision problems? Floaters? Blackouts? Flashes?” “Nope!” And really what is WRONG with these girls? I’m starting to think they’re all kind of slow. In this book, they learn that Ted is NOT Claire’s man, but in ROCKSTARS GIRL when Andrea comes to school and they hop right back on the “Oh that must be her man” train. I think they all just have one-track minds. You would think they’d learn from this book that it might be a FAMILY MEMBER!
Rating 7
July 8, 2020
Gather round, children, the time has come!!
Oh yes, it is time to play Shame a Person Living in Sweet Valley.
So what will it be this time?
A fat girl who wants to join the cheerleading squad?
A girl with brown hair (we could never!) who has been out with less men than Jessica but that’s irrelevant?
Your own twin for killing your boyfriend while driving drunk except you’re the one who spiked her drink in the first place?
No, no. Just some good old fashioned shaming of the girl who wants to join the football team. I know what you’re thinking.
No, I don’t. I don’t know you. But I know we are all wondering if Jessica can go one book without being completely awful. And the answer is no. No, she cannot.
So Claire Middleton wants to join the SVH football team. She is stunningly good at the sport. But off of the field she’s a little standoffish and shy, and Sweet Valley doesn’t like that.
More specifically, the Wakefield twins don’t like that. Claire has the GODDAMN NERVE to tell Jessica one day that cheerleading is stupid. Claire! Claire you must burn in hell for your sins!!!
Liz can’t get much out of Claire for an article.
And Ken wants to rejoin the football team which is awkward for his girlfriend Terri. Because, you see, Ken was in a car accident and went blind. But now he’s magically not blind. Sort of. Mostly. Terri’s worried about that, but then she becomes worried about the rapport between Ken and Claire and fears she is losing Ken as her boyfriend.
Terri is bitten by the jealous green love monster, and this enables her to help Jessica be terrible. Jessica and the other cheerleaders have already commissioned pranks against Claire, but Claire hasn’t been phased.
So Terri tells them about how she saw a picture of a boy named Ted in Claire’s locker and how she was crying over it. That’s... it. But Jessica runs with this and creates a SPECIAL cheer just for Claire.
All that you need to know is that it ends with “we know about Ted.” Ken and Claire make it to the finals and Claire hears this cheer right before she’s supposed to play. She gets super angry and stalks off the field. I mean, duh.
By this point Liz has learned from Steven that Ted was actually Claire’s older brother that played football and died from cancer at 18. Yep. This makes Jessica even more awful.
Or does it?
Because once Liz confronts Jess, Jess is suddenly overcome with remorse and begins to stammer how she had NO IDEA who Ted was and she would have NEVER done something so awful had she known. And, she pleads, it’s not even her fault! All of this was Terri’s idea in the first place. And just like that, Jess is off the hook.
Liz talks to Terri about the situation because of course she does. Terri admits to being jealous of Claire but also having no clue who Ted actually was. Terri goes to Claire to patch things up and let her know it was her fault and that Claire needs to go back to try out for the team. Except, Terri, it was Jessica’s fucking fault.
But what’s even more incredible is that Claire actually goes up to the cheerleaders and apologizes for making such a flippant (and totally deserved) comment about them. I am shook. You deserve better Claire!
So yeah, Claire gets second string quarterback or whatever. Ken has a blind moment in the big game against Big Mesa, so Claire has to jump in. She kills it, everyone loves her, and that’s it.
Well, except that Jessica needs the spotlight back on her, which will be the focus of the next book, Starring Jessica!
Oh yes, it is time to play Shame a Person Living in Sweet Valley.
So what will it be this time?
A fat girl who wants to join the cheerleading squad?
A girl with brown hair (we could never!) who has been out with less men than Jessica but that’s irrelevant?
Your own twin for killing your boyfriend while driving drunk except you’re the one who spiked her drink in the first place?
No, no. Just some good old fashioned shaming of the girl who wants to join the football team. I know what you’re thinking.
No, I don’t. I don’t know you. But I know we are all wondering if Jessica can go one book without being completely awful. And the answer is no. No, she cannot.
So Claire Middleton wants to join the SVH football team. She is stunningly good at the sport. But off of the field she’s a little standoffish and shy, and Sweet Valley doesn’t like that.
More specifically, the Wakefield twins don’t like that. Claire has the GODDAMN NERVE to tell Jessica one day that cheerleading is stupid. Claire! Claire you must burn in hell for your sins!!!
Liz can’t get much out of Claire for an article.
And Ken wants to rejoin the football team which is awkward for his girlfriend Terri. Because, you see, Ken was in a car accident and went blind. But now he’s magically not blind. Sort of. Mostly. Terri’s worried about that, but then she becomes worried about the rapport between Ken and Claire and fears she is losing Ken as her boyfriend.
Terri is bitten by the jealous green love monster, and this enables her to help Jessica be terrible. Jessica and the other cheerleaders have already commissioned pranks against Claire, but Claire hasn’t been phased.
So Terri tells them about how she saw a picture of a boy named Ted in Claire’s locker and how she was crying over it. That’s... it. But Jessica runs with this and creates a SPECIAL cheer just for Claire.
All that you need to know is that it ends with “we know about Ted.” Ken and Claire make it to the finals and Claire hears this cheer right before she’s supposed to play. She gets super angry and stalks off the field. I mean, duh.
By this point Liz has learned from Steven that Ted was actually Claire’s older brother that played football and died from cancer at 18. Yep. This makes Jessica even more awful.
Or does it?
Because once Liz confronts Jess, Jess is suddenly overcome with remorse and begins to stammer how she had NO IDEA who Ted was and she would have NEVER done something so awful had she known. And, she pleads, it’s not even her fault! All of this was Terri’s idea in the first place. And just like that, Jess is off the hook.
Liz talks to Terri about the situation because of course she does. Terri admits to being jealous of Claire but also having no clue who Ted actually was. Terri goes to Claire to patch things up and let her know it was her fault and that Claire needs to go back to try out for the team. Except, Terri, it was Jessica’s fucking fault.
But what’s even more incredible is that Claire actually goes up to the cheerleaders and apologizes for making such a flippant (and totally deserved) comment about them. I am shook. You deserve better Claire!
So yeah, Claire gets second string quarterback or whatever. Ken has a blind moment in the big game against Big Mesa, so Claire has to jump in. She kills it, everyone loves her, and that’s it.
Well, except that Jessica needs the spotlight back on her, which will be the focus of the next book, Starring Jessica!
November 4, 2021
Unfriendly Claire Middleton stirs up a storm when she tries out be the quarterback on the SVH team. Meanwhile Ken Matthews is vision has improved enough for him to try out for his old position as well, but girlfriend Terri is worried its too much for him, she also becomes severely jealous of Kens new friendship with Claire. The cheerleaders (led by an angry Jess - Claire dissed cheerleading) lead an egregious cheer which mentions Claires dead brother, which naturally sends her into a tailspin. Liz and Stephen get involved to save the day, and Claire gets a chance to play, and wins the game for the Gladiators
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2020
MVP of each book:
70 Claire
71 Jessica
72 Andrea
73 Jessica
74 Vicky
75 Jake
76 Jessica
77 Annie
78 Jessica
79 Tim
70 Claire
71 Jessica
72 Andrea
73 Jessica
74 Vicky
75 Jake
76 Jessica
77 Annie
78 Jessica
79 Tim
August 10, 2020
One of the better SVH books-- new girl Claire Middleton is a badass, who tells the cheerleaders the truth about how much they suck (let's be real here- the SVH cheerleaders are not doing basket tosses and complicated tumbling a la ESPN cheerleading championships- they're waving pom poms in sweaters) and decides to try out to be the new quarterback on the football team. And she is actually ithe fastest and one of the most skilled-- the only comparable option is Ken Matthews, former quarterback, now recovering from his temporary blindness and still dating Terri Adams. Claire's not being all girly and wanting to join the sorority and cheerleaders has made her the target of Jessica's wrath, and being attractive and good at football the target of Terri's insecurities. Add in the fact that Ken is just a couple months out of pretty terrible concussion injury and shouldn't be playing football anyway, and the fact that every other dude trying out is apparently about as good at football as Corey Haim in Lucas, and Claire should be a shoo-in. But at the last minute, the cheerleaders, with the help of jealous Terri, go full cold-hearted nasty and almost ruin her try out during the scrimmage. This book was mercifully low on Elizabeth's sanctimony, too-- bonus. Three stars. Onward.
February 3, 2011
No matter what the drama, I was completely captivated.
June 21, 2013
I remember the cover just not the story.
August 6, 2014
The one in which Jessica and Amy are mysogonistic bitches...or one of the ones...
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews