Jessica's Secret Friend

Sweet Valley Kids #71

by Francine Pascal, Molly Mia Stewart

In the words of 7-year-old Jessica Wakefield...



Lila Fowler is NOT my best friend. We had a BIG fight and now we're not friends anymore. I was really sad...until I found a bottle floating in the ocean. It had a message inside! The message was from a girl who really needs a friend. Just like me! Now I have a secret friend. But will I ever get to meet her?

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

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

[Lara El-Alfy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book 📕 it has so many twists and turns it is interesting and unexpected

[Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally another good one! Jessica and Lila are playing when Steven comes in and says that Charlie said Lila isn’t going to Fantasy Forest with her Mum anymore - and Lila is angry because she wrote that on a note only to Jess! They fight and Lila says their friendship is over! Then Liz gets mad at Jess for messing up their room. Jess is all alone on the field trip the next day, and paddles out to the ocean by herself (sounds safe) where she finds a letter in a bottle (slide for pic). She’s super excited and I see where this is going! As Lila continues to ignore her, and Liz is busy on a secret project with her friends, Jess and her new BFF wrote back and forth, using a tree in the park to share letters and gifts. Finally they decide to meet on another field trip / overnight camping thing, and it’s… Lila! They make up and are best friends forever again. Oh and Liz’s secret was glow in the dark wands for the class. Liz is really not acting like herself in these later books.
My rating - 4/10 - I enjoyed the focus of Jess and Lila way more. Funny to think of the technology we’d use in this plot today instead of a bottle and a tree!

[patricia clare]

READ WHEN I WAS IN ELEMENTARY BETWEEN AGES 6-10.
REVIEW INTENDED FOR THE FOLLOWING:
1. For parents looking for something to give their elementary grade kids
2. For myself to look back to if I will ever be in need of Sweet Valley recommendations for kids these days who might choose a book over their Ipads or who knows, my future kid might be a reader too
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This is a story of forgiveness and friendship. In the adult world, we call it second chance romance. In the eyes of kids, this is a second chance friendship story.

[Sheila Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember the cover but just not the story.

[Charlene Skinner · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book