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Sweet Valley Twins #80
The Gossip War
Jessica Wakefield and her twin sister, Elizabeth, have persuaded their parents to get three-way calling for their phone. Jessica is psyched—more gossiping, more matchmaking, more fun! There's just one problem. Jessica didn't read the directions carefully, and when she thinks she's dishing gossip to Lisa Fowler, she's also dishing it to Ellen Riteman. And the gossip is about Ellen! The gossip spreads until the entire Unicorn Club in an all-out gossip war! Can Jessica turn her telephone tricks around and win her friends back?
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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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 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 14, 2013
Synopsis: Jessica is being her usual whiny self. I'm just relieved I don't have to read about her and the Unicorns on an island anymore. The rub here is that Steven is a phone hog, and he has caused Jess to miss out on CRUCIAL Unicorn information (like they were all supposed to wear gold and white to celebrate a new Johnny Buck release). Jessica also didn't hear that Ellen already made a list of gifts to get President Janet Howell for her upcoming birthday party. Jessica is more than a little steamed. She especially hates Ellen's sudden take-charge attitude.
In the time before cell phones and call waiting, there was still a quick solution to Jessica's problem: three-way calling! Jessica needs to convince the Unicorns to have Janet's party at her house so she can be center of attention again. But Ellen is able to reach the Unicorns quicker because she has her own phone. Lila, of course, is the only other Unicorn who has her own phone as well. Ellen is able to get most of the Unicorns to hold the party in her backyard, and Jessica is livid.
Jessica begs for three-way calling, but her parents refuse. Which is good, because I didn't want to hear Jessica whine again about how it was "too easy" to convince them. If she can scheme, she'll shut up.
In the meantime, Janet, who has gone Grunge Goth Girl 1994, has entrusted Ellen with the care of the next Unicorn meeting. Jessica can't make it because she has to help her mom make dinner for a client, but now she is more determined than ever to get three-way. Just as in "Ellen's Family Secret," the Unicorn meeting doesn't go over too well. Ellen's dad (pre-divorce) shows up in the backyard wearing a ridiculous octopus hat that humiliates Ellen to the extreme. Her friends can't let it go, either, and no one seems positive they want to have Janet's party there anymore.
Jessica has thought up a plan to get three-way calling. Just call it OTW (Operation Three-Way). Jessica and Elizabeth are in the middle of history projects on Communism. Liz is with Olivia and Lila. Jess is with Mandy and some geeky guy. Liz, Olivia, and Lila decide to do McCarthyism, which I was actually grateful for, because I never fully understood it until this book. I really hate admitting that Sweet Valley actually taught me something. Just pretend I never said it. Moving on... so while Jess is with her group and Liz is with hers Jess puts OTW into motion. Instead of calling one another, Jess calls her dad and says she needs to speak to Liz. Then Liz tells Mr. Wakefield to call Jessica back and tell her something. This goes on for several pages. At the end of it all Ned Wakefield is so exasperated that he immediately calls Pacific Bell and signs up for three-way calling. Yes, he is truly that gullible.
Ellen calls Jessica to tell her the assignment she received for Janet's party. She initially tells her that she gets to pick the cake but then remembers that she gave that assignment to Lila. Jess now has 3-way calling, and she is delighted at the chance to make Ellen envious. She quickly connects her phone to both Lila's and Ellen's. Lila confirms that she IS picking the cake, so Ellen puts her on clean-up. Well, we all know how Jessica feels about that. She is supposed to push the button twice to disconnect Ellen, but she only pushes it once, leaving Ellen on the line. She immediately starts gossiping to Lila about Ellen: "'Jeez! Ellen is so annoying. It just goes to show you that she can't host a party to save her life. It figures she would stick me with cleanup. And after her father almost gave Mandy food poisoning, too--'"
This is where Ellen cuts Jess off, cuz she's still on the line. Jess apologizes and Ellen brushes it off and they get on with it, but the damage is done because Lila can't keep her mouth shut. Jessica is referring to (and exaggerating about, obviously) Mandy getting sick over and disliking Ellen's father's hot dogs that he made one time. It's a tiny little thing, but watch what happens:
Lila tells somebody who tells somebody who tells somebody... Mandy goes from getting sick over hot dogs to having food poisoning, being ill all weekend, and then Mr. Riteman gets accused of poisoning someone ELSE too, and THEN he gets accused of murder. Uh-oh.
Janet confronts Ellen about all of this and is ready to kick her out of the Unicorns for having a disgraceful father. Ellen runs to the nearest payphone (seen on the cover) in order to prove Janet wrong. Janet talks to Mr. Riteman and ends up believing Ellen. She vows to get to the bottom of the rumor.
Jessica is going to come clean at lunch but then the Unicorns vote to have the party at her house. Never one to waste an opportunity, Jessica keeps her mouth shut. But the Unicorns find MANDY at the bottom of the rumor, targeted for saying that Mr. Riteman "poisoned" her. Oops. Now Mandy is kicked out of the Unicorns. The next day Grace and Mandy sit away from the Unicorner. Jessica goes back and forth between the tables to try and mediate, but things quickly take a turn for the worst. Janet announces that Jessica is a spy for "the other group." Then Grace and Mandy announce that Jessica is a spy for the Unicorns. She isn't welcome anywhere. Uh-oh, Spaghetti-O's! But Jess should be thrilled and shitting Unicorns right now, because she has another chance to scheme and fix this whole mess (without confessing, duh).
Elizabeth agrees to help Jess without Jess even asking (it's that automatic for her now). Jess and Liz both use three-way calling again to spread the rumor that Johnny Buck will be at Janet's party (still happening at Jessica's house). When everyone shows up and there is no Johnny Buck, Jessica takes the heat for starting the rumor (the only one she's willing to admit to). But she quickly points out how familiar this situation sounds to the whole Mandy/food poisoning thing. Only Jessica gets to be the martyr and the hero at the same time. Janet, still in her stupid "deep" funk, tells Jessica how freaking wise she is.
Right. And I'm Captain America.
And in case you didn't think this one threw in a moral, think again: Olivia, Liz, and Lila present on McCarthyism in the last few pages and go on and on about how rumors are so DAMAGING to people. I wonder what on earth she could mean?
Alternate Title: "Call Me Maybe"
Tagline: "Three-way calls can be triple the trouble!" (So can threesomes.)
On a Scale of 1-10, How Annoying is Elizabeth? A good, solid 3.
On a Scale of 1-10, How Sociopathic is Jessica? A good, narcissistic 5. She's crazy over Ellen getting attention in the beginning, and she gets out of copping to the rumor, but in the end she gets a better attitude.
The Big Deal: Janet's birthday party. My suspicion is that she won't remain a year older after this book.
Lingering Questions: Since when did Janet turn into brooding Poet of the Earth girl?
Cover: Good or Bad?: Good! Jessica is scheming (though why are the twins in stripes all the time?), Ellen is at a PayPhone (that's a later scene), and Lila is by her pool, though it never mentions that she is. I think I like the SVH drawing of Lila better.
Quotes from the Book: "[Janet] liked the worn-to-death-and-full-of-holes look in clothes, which she called 'organic.'"
It's actually called grunge, but don't take my word for it.
"Grace twisted her hands. 'I mean... eh-hem. Well, an octopus hat is one thing, and, well...' Mary tried to change the subject to serial killers."
I fucking love Mary.
Moral of the Story: Rumors suck, unless they are about Johnny Buck.
Final Rating: Three stars. I genuinely learned something about McCarthyism.
In the time before cell phones and call waiting, there was still a quick solution to Jessica's problem: three-way calling! Jessica needs to convince the Unicorns to have Janet's party at her house so she can be center of attention again. But Ellen is able to reach the Unicorns quicker because she has her own phone. Lila, of course, is the only other Unicorn who has her own phone as well. Ellen is able to get most of the Unicorns to hold the party in her backyard, and Jessica is livid.
Jessica begs for three-way calling, but her parents refuse. Which is good, because I didn't want to hear Jessica whine again about how it was "too easy" to convince them. If she can scheme, she'll shut up.
In the meantime, Janet, who has gone Grunge Goth Girl 1994, has entrusted Ellen with the care of the next Unicorn meeting. Jessica can't make it because she has to help her mom make dinner for a client, but now she is more determined than ever to get three-way. Just as in "Ellen's Family Secret," the Unicorn meeting doesn't go over too well. Ellen's dad (pre-divorce) shows up in the backyard wearing a ridiculous octopus hat that humiliates Ellen to the extreme. Her friends can't let it go, either, and no one seems positive they want to have Janet's party there anymore.
Jessica has thought up a plan to get three-way calling. Just call it OTW (Operation Three-Way). Jessica and Elizabeth are in the middle of history projects on Communism. Liz is with Olivia and Lila. Jess is with Mandy and some geeky guy. Liz, Olivia, and Lila decide to do McCarthyism, which I was actually grateful for, because I never fully understood it until this book. I really hate admitting that Sweet Valley actually taught me something. Just pretend I never said it. Moving on... so while Jess is with her group and Liz is with hers Jess puts OTW into motion. Instead of calling one another, Jess calls her dad and says she needs to speak to Liz. Then Liz tells Mr. Wakefield to call Jessica back and tell her something. This goes on for several pages. At the end of it all Ned Wakefield is so exasperated that he immediately calls Pacific Bell and signs up for three-way calling. Yes, he is truly that gullible.
Ellen calls Jessica to tell her the assignment she received for Janet's party. She initially tells her that she gets to pick the cake but then remembers that she gave that assignment to Lila. Jess now has 3-way calling, and she is delighted at the chance to make Ellen envious. She quickly connects her phone to both Lila's and Ellen's. Lila confirms that she IS picking the cake, so Ellen puts her on clean-up. Well, we all know how Jessica feels about that. She is supposed to push the button twice to disconnect Ellen, but she only pushes it once, leaving Ellen on the line. She immediately starts gossiping to Lila about Ellen: "'Jeez! Ellen is so annoying. It just goes to show you that she can't host a party to save her life. It figures she would stick me with cleanup. And after her father almost gave Mandy food poisoning, too--'"
This is where Ellen cuts Jess off, cuz she's still on the line. Jess apologizes and Ellen brushes it off and they get on with it, but the damage is done because Lila can't keep her mouth shut. Jessica is referring to (and exaggerating about, obviously) Mandy getting sick over and disliking Ellen's father's hot dogs that he made one time. It's a tiny little thing, but watch what happens:
Lila tells somebody who tells somebody who tells somebody... Mandy goes from getting sick over hot dogs to having food poisoning, being ill all weekend, and then Mr. Riteman gets accused of poisoning someone ELSE too, and THEN he gets accused of murder. Uh-oh.
Janet confronts Ellen about all of this and is ready to kick her out of the Unicorns for having a disgraceful father. Ellen runs to the nearest payphone (seen on the cover) in order to prove Janet wrong. Janet talks to Mr. Riteman and ends up believing Ellen. She vows to get to the bottom of the rumor.
Jessica is going to come clean at lunch but then the Unicorns vote to have the party at her house. Never one to waste an opportunity, Jessica keeps her mouth shut. But the Unicorns find MANDY at the bottom of the rumor, targeted for saying that Mr. Riteman "poisoned" her. Oops. Now Mandy is kicked out of the Unicorns. The next day Grace and Mandy sit away from the Unicorner. Jessica goes back and forth between the tables to try and mediate, but things quickly take a turn for the worst. Janet announces that Jessica is a spy for "the other group." Then Grace and Mandy announce that Jessica is a spy for the Unicorns. She isn't welcome anywhere. Uh-oh, Spaghetti-O's! But Jess should be thrilled and shitting Unicorns right now, because she has another chance to scheme and fix this whole mess (without confessing, duh).
Elizabeth agrees to help Jess without Jess even asking (it's that automatic for her now). Jess and Liz both use three-way calling again to spread the rumor that Johnny Buck will be at Janet's party (still happening at Jessica's house). When everyone shows up and there is no Johnny Buck, Jessica takes the heat for starting the rumor (the only one she's willing to admit to). But she quickly points out how familiar this situation sounds to the whole Mandy/food poisoning thing. Only Jessica gets to be the martyr and the hero at the same time. Janet, still in her stupid "deep" funk, tells Jessica how freaking wise she is.
Right. And I'm Captain America.
And in case you didn't think this one threw in a moral, think again: Olivia, Liz, and Lila present on McCarthyism in the last few pages and go on and on about how rumors are so DAMAGING to people. I wonder what on earth she could mean?
Alternate Title: "Call Me Maybe"
Tagline: "Three-way calls can be triple the trouble!" (So can threesomes.)
On a Scale of 1-10, How Annoying is Elizabeth? A good, solid 3.
On a Scale of 1-10, How Sociopathic is Jessica? A good, narcissistic 5. She's crazy over Ellen getting attention in the beginning, and she gets out of copping to the rumor, but in the end she gets a better attitude.
The Big Deal: Janet's birthday party. My suspicion is that she won't remain a year older after this book.
Lingering Questions: Since when did Janet turn into brooding Poet of the Earth girl?
Cover: Good or Bad?: Good! Jessica is scheming (though why are the twins in stripes all the time?), Ellen is at a PayPhone (that's a later scene), and Lila is by her pool, though it never mentions that she is. I think I like the SVH drawing of Lila better.
Quotes from the Book: "[Janet] liked the worn-to-death-and-full-of-holes look in clothes, which she called 'organic.'"
It's actually called grunge, but don't take my word for it.
"Grace twisted her hands. 'I mean... eh-hem. Well, an octopus hat is one thing, and, well...' Mary tried to change the subject to serial killers."
I fucking love Mary.
Moral of the Story: Rumors suck, unless they are about Johnny Buck.
Final Rating: Three stars. I genuinely learned something about McCarthyism.
June 16, 2022
I feel like three-way calling did nothing but ruin friendships back in the 90's.
December 23, 2008
My school had a car boot sale before the summer holidays and this was one of the books which didn't sell. The librarian has no want for Sweet Valley books (and I don't blame her for it) so I took this and two others home with me to dwell in some nostalgia. As with the other book I got free from the car boot sale, 'Lila's Music Video,' this book was fun to read and taught a moral lesson: that rumours can be hurtful. The book parallels blacklisting during the Cold War with a rumour which is spread about Ellen's dad, and I found this particularily interesting as I studied The Cold War in History class, and 'The Crucible' in English class last year! I think I may keep this book for my kids as it is rather cute and the main characters aren't as bitchy as those in the other SVT book I've got. 6/10
December 2, 2011
Jessica just got three-way calling. So she's constantly on the phone, hogging it all. And now the Unicorns are getting so gossipy that they're getting the info mixed up. I couldn't stop laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.
When Mandy said that her hotdog was a little dry at Ellen's party, it wound up to Tamara that Mr. Riteman had poisoned Mandy and a teacher and the FBI was looking for him and he had previously been thrown in jail. Jessica gets freaked out, because she started the whole thing.
Goes to show you that malicious gossiping never pays.
More of Purplycookie’s Reviews @: http://www.goodreads.com/purplycookie
Book Details:
Title: The Gossip War (Sweet Valley Twins #80)
Author: Francine Pascal
Reviewed By: Purplycookie
When Mandy said that her hotdog was a little dry at Ellen's party, it wound up to Tamara that Mr. Riteman had poisoned Mandy and a teacher and the FBI was looking for him and he had previously been thrown in jail. Jessica gets freaked out, because she started the whole thing.
Goes to show you that malicious gossiping never pays.
More of Purplycookie’s Reviews @: http://www.goodreads.com/purplycookie
Book Details:
Title: The Gossip War (Sweet Valley Twins #80)
Author: Francine Pascal
Reviewed By: Purplycookie
June 22, 2013
I remember the cover just not the story.
September 24, 2014
This book was so good
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews