Creator of Sweet Valley High Books, Francine Pascal, Dies at 92

On 30 July, the creator of the long-running book series, Sweet Valley High, passed away.

Francine Pascal, aged 92, died in New York City due to lymphoma, which was confirmed by her daughter Laurie Wenk-Pascal.

Who is Francine Pascal?

Francine Pascal was born Francine Paula Rubin, a native of New York City. She had studied journalism at New York University, and had written for magazines like Cosmopolitan and Ladies’ Home Journal.

Sweet Valley High

Prior to writing the series, Pascal had been a journalist writing for the TV soap drama, The Young Marrieds in the 1960s together with her second husband John Pascal.

Sweet Valley High was then released in 1983, following her friend’s advice.

The book series follows the high school life of twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield.

Jessica was the more mischievous of the two, while Elizabeth, the sensible one.

Since 1983, Pascal and with the help of others, had published more than 150 Sweet Valley High stories. Global sales of the books reached 200 million.

The books are set in a fictional suburb in Los Angeles and feature the elements of youth, such as dating, familial conflicts, sibling rivalries.

Some of the best sellers include Double Love, Power Play and All Night Long.

According to Pascal, “Sweet Valley is the essence of high school…It’s that moment before reality hits, when you really do believe in the romantic values – sacrifice, love, loyalty, friendship – before you get jaded and slip off into adulthood.”

In later releases, supernatural elements have also been added, featuring vampires and werewolves.

Pascal in 2012, said that while her previous writings had been for a more “sophisticated, educated audience”, she wanted Sweet Valley to be for everyone.

The first 12 books of the series were written by herself. As the popularity of the series grew, she engaged outside writers, who would follow outlines and a go-to bible for the series provided by her.

In 2011, she wrote a sequel novel Sweet Valley Confidential which followed the characters in the original series in their 30s.

“This was a chance not only to catch up with these people but to see what had happened, how their lives had gone on,” said Pascal.

In 1994, a TV adaptation of the book began and ran for four seasons. The final episode was released on 14 October 1997.

With her first husband, Jerome Offenberg, with whom she divorced in 1963, she had three daughters. One of them, Jamie, died in 2008.