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readergirlz is a literacy and social media project for teens, awarded the National Book Foundation's Innovations in Reading Prize. The rgz blog serves as a depot for news and YA reviews from industry professionals and teens. As volunteers return full force to their own YA writing, the organization continues to hold one initiative a year to impact teen literacy. All are welcome to "like" us on Facebook!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Team Jessica T-Shirt Giveaway!

Our rgz NYC Host, Micol Ostow, recently attended an exclusive event for the forthcoming Francine Pascal book Sweet Valley Confidential. In this novel, the famous Wakefield twins are all grown up. What has happened to Jessica and Elizabeth in the ten years since they graduated from Sweet Valley High? You'll have to read the book - which comes out in March 2011 - to find out.

In the meantime, Micol picked up something to tide you over: a Team Jessica T-shirt! It's a size large (L) in juniors, so it runs small. See the picture below:



Want to win a Team Jessica T-shirt? Leave a comment below and tell us why you're on Team Jessica or Team Elizabeth!

Update: The winner is Erika Lynn! Thanks to everyone who entered the contest.

Want a sneak peek at Sweet Valley Confidential? Visit http://www.sweetvalleytenyearslater.com/

55 comments:

Sarah Stevenson said...

I always did identify with Elizabeth...in fact (this is embarrassing) some of my favorite Sweet Valley High books were the ones where something horrible happens to Elizabeth so that Jessica ends up feeling really, really bad in the end, and gets her comeuppance via massive amounts of guilt. Sweet Valley Schadenfreude aside, I also was quiet and academic like Elizabeth, although not nearly as tall or blonde...

Ashley @ Book Labyrinth said...

I really loved Elizabeth when I was younger. I mean, a lot. I was (am?!) such a goody two shoes, and I always identified with Liz's academic drive. I also got so upset all the time at Jessica's shenanigans. Plus, of course I thought Todd Wilkins was dreamy. Team Elizabeth all the way!

amorrison916[at]hotmail[dot]com

Krysten Lindsay Hager said...

I love SVH and have been dying for the new Confidential book to come out! Please enter me.

runa said...

I always liked Elizabeth way more than Jessica. Jessica's always doing rash, impulsive things, without thinking, while Elizabeth was usually rational. I just valued her proper usage of judgment.

jpetroroy said...

I always considered myself an Elizabeth (studious, wrote for the paper, loved to read), although sometimes I did wish I was a Jessica. :)

cindysloveofbooks said...

So good to hear that a new book will be coming out in the SVH series. I remember reading all of them cover to cover.

I was an Elizabeth fan because she was like me the good girl. I couldn't relate to Jessica because she was the bad girl always finding ways to get into trouble.

So its Team Elizabeth all the way.

Kelly Robinson said...

Elizabeth was like me and Jessica was like me sister. Though we aren't twins, we were like real-life personality copies of the two. I'd love to have the Team Elizabeth shirt to rub in my sister's face (and of course I mean that with sisterly love --and rivalry!)

Erika Powell said...

I loved this series and I always loved Elizabeth for being the nerdy one!

sports[dot]erikalynn[at]gmail[dot]com

Keri said...

Elizabeth was always my favorite sv character even though she was high and mighty and thought she was better than everyone else. But Liz/Todd, Liz/Tom and Liz/Conner was way better than anybody Jessica was ever with (except maybe Sam) and I read this crap for the insanely tame romance.

I read Sweet Valley until I was 20 and only stopped because they stopped publishing it (which broke my heart, mostly because I really wanted to write one).

kerers at gmail

Unknown said...

I'm team Elizabeth because when I read these books as a young girl I so wanted to be Elizabeth. She was smart and nice and knew what she wanted. I looked up to her a lot. Plus she had to put up with her twin sister's plots and plans yet she still loved her! Some may have thought Elizabeth was a goody two shoes, but I kinda was that too, so she was cool in my book!

foltzsfantasicbooks at gmail.com

Anonymous said...

That's so awesome! I've always been team Elizabeth. Jessica is just too irresponsible and is always only thinking about herself. I always loved that Elizabeth loved to read and write and was a really loyal friend. I identified with her the most.

Can't wait to read Sweet Valley Confidential!

Ari said...

Elizabeth was always my opposite when it came to it. There were moments were I just groaned at what she did thinking "Why cant she do something like what i would do" But I always had a moment where I just smiled and said "Wow"

Opposites Attract!
Ari
teensactuallyread@gmail.com

butterscotchbrownie said...

I can't wait for the release of SVC! I've loved this series for a long time- I was such an Elizabeth fan! I think I fancied myself a bit like her... I used to so dislike Lila because she was so dismissive of Liz. How lame!

Probably a stupid question, but are these shirts limited edition? If you don't win one can you buy them?

Melissa Walker said...

I loved Elizabeth because I WAS Elizabeth. Okay, there are probably corporate rules about me being a readergirlz diva and entering this contest, but I still want this shirt! Just saying.

Micol Ostow said...

Correction, ladies -- the shirt is Team JESSICA, not Elizabeth! Sorry for the confusion...It's a juniors' size L, but cut very small -- fair warning (an homage to the Wakefield twin's "perfect size six" figures?!).

Those of you who posted about Elizabeth are totally still entered to win, assuming you are cool with switching teams (sartorially, that is)!

Micol Ostow said...

Oh, and to answer your question, Butterscotch, these t-shirts were indeed limited edition put out by the publisher. I suspect they'll make some more closer to the release date, but as of now, they're not available for purchase. Sorry! :(

Aarika said...

I always *wanted* to identify more with Elizabeth because she was serious and determined like I was as an adolescent. But then Jessica just seemed to be having the fun that I wasn't letting myself have.

Shani Petroff said...

I loved Sweet Valley High growing up! I was a fan of both Jessica and Elizabeth, but Lila was my favorite!

Cheryl said...

I was always pretty firmly on Team Jessica! She was more vivacious and outgoing than Elizabeth. I'll stop here before I go into the diatribe about how the girls look exactly alike but are SO different! ;) Whereas I admired Liz's dedication to school and to Todd, Jessica just had way more fun than Liz ever did. I guess we'll find in in SV Confidential which twin ended up happier. But I'm in the Team Jessica camp all the way!!

Anonymous said...

I was Team Elizabeth then - the good girl with good grades. Now, I think I'd like to try the other direction.

Jessica said...

I was always torn! I was definitely more like Elizabeth growing up, quiet, studious, dependable...but being named Jessica and wanting adventure, I always secretly wanted to be the other twin!!

Lorie Ann Grover said...

Thanks so much, Micol!

Suzanne said...

Back in the day, I would have said Jessica. All the way. I definitely identified with her; a little flighty, social butterfly. Now that I'm older, I wish I would have been a little more Elizabeth. Paying attention and caring more about the academic part of school would have done me some good. =)

Jennifer Rummel said...

I really loved Elizabeth because I always felt Jessica was too selfish - but I loved them both. I'm super excited for the new book - probably way more than I should be :)

Morgan Baden said...

As an identical twin myself, my sis and I were obsessed with SVH and SWT. I like to think there's a bit of Jessica in all of us, balanced nicely with the good bits of Elizabeth!

Anonymous said...

Team Elizabeth all the way. Her love of books, writing, and general goody-two-shoes attitude are too close to how I was growing up.

Alleged Author said...

Team Elizabeth was always my favorite. I loved her even more after reading The Morning After and The Arrest (yes...I am one of those fangirls who love both Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High and have numerous books from these series. Think in the high digits). I hated Jessica after reading about the prom through the wedding portion of SVH. The way she made Elizabeth believe everything was her fault...wait. No spoilers in case people want to read them!

Unknown said...

I just posted about my devotion to TEAM JESSICA!!! Being the book nerd that I am, I'm probably more of an Elizabeth... but that doesn't mean I have to play for her team! Jessica was fashionable, funny, fabulous and a whole lot of fun to be around-- not sure why I'm using so many "f" words. Who cares if she got into trouble every now and then? Team Jessica All the Way!!!

Hi, I'm Jennifer. said...

Ummm... Team Jessica because she is rash, impulsive, and everything I am not. Emily is smart, and good. I'm like her, and while that lets me identify with Emily in a certain aspect, I still like the daringness of Jessica. I like characters with qualities that I admire, and in that category is Jessica.

Jessy said...

I am on Team Jessica because I am Team Jessica and I will always be on my own team!

Nichole said...

Team Jessica! Because actually I like to be on team Sociopath. Growing up though, I was an Elizabeth and my (twin!!) sister was Jessica. Sadly, we were not blonde with sea blue eyes. Can't win them all I guess!

Unknown said...

Team Jessica, always.

Because Jessica, although sociopathic, had more fun than Elizabeth could have ever hoped to have.

Anonymous said...

Team Jessica. The contrived plots of vengeance were indeed glorious.

Anonymous said...

TEAM JESSICA! TEAM JESSICA

I loved her hair, I loved her attitude, I loved her black room, I loved that she'd dated the entire male population of Sweet Valley, I loved that she learned an important lesson each book and forgot by the next one, I loved that she was slightly sociopathic, I loved that her best friend was LILA FOWLER. In short I loved, loved her. CORRECTION. LOVE. She could talk me out of a coma she bullied me into any day of the week.

Miranda said...

Team Jessica forever. Even Margo realized in The Evil Twin Returns that being Elizabeth was boring, and Jessica was where it was at. Nora actually (accidentally) killed Margo because that's how bad she didn't want to be Elizabeth! All Elizabeth ever did was get stalked and make out with Todd. Plus, who wants to be friends with Enid when you can have Miss Lila Fowler as your BFF?!?

Anonymous said...

Like her “wholesome” twin, she manipulated, meddled, and cheated – but at least she was honest about it. This short scene, from SVH #99, “Beware the Babysitter”, demonstrates more than words can express about everyone’s favorite sociopath:
After the twin’s month-long spat over the prom queen title, and that little episode where Jess SPIKED ELIZABETH’S DRINK AND LET HER GET IN THE JEEP AND KILL HER BOYFRIEND, the twins finally make up.
Instead of expressing relief that their cold war is finally over and she is reunited with her soulmate twin, she says to her new bf James: “It’s like having a whole new wardrobe! It’s been ages since Liz let me borrow a sweater.”
Classic Jessica. If I were Margo, I’d have chosen you. But since I don’t have sun-streaked blonde hair, blue-green eyes and a dimple, I would be thrilled to wear a t-shirt in your honor.

sooz said...

My best friend was an Elizabeth - she was much more accomplished than me at a young age, and I was the insane, boy-crazy one. I'm for Team Jessica :)

Kim B said...

Team Jessica! Sure, she was a bit...incorrigible in SVH, but in Senior Year and SVU she reformed and turned into a pretty good person, while Elizabeth remained a sanctimonious, hypocritical brat. Honestly, who wasn't ridiculous at 16? Jessica evolved. Elizabeth was just kinda sucky from the get-go.

Unknown said...

I liked Elizabeth. I was always the smart one, the book-reading one, and I always wanted to help people. Jessica seemed so selfish and just mean. But then again those WERE the early books..

Now I'm team Lila. ;)

Unknown said...

Totally Team Jessica. Because how many people can be total sociopaths and totally *awesome* at the same time. And she was a Unicorn. And she's BFFs with Lila. And Elizabeth is boring.

O'Green said...

I'm on team Jessica, because Elizabeth is actually even more of a sociopath than Jess is - Liz just works in more patronizing ways. Yech! I always did have a soft spot for Jessica's confidence, too.

Anonymous said...

Go Team Jessica!

The Jessica storylines are always the most interesting and certainly the funniest - think Tofu-Glo! And the time Mercury was in retrograde.

Margo and Nora even realised that her life was the better one to go for. LOL

Plus she's friends with Lila!

Lorelai said...

Just to be different, I'm well and truly on Team Bruce Patman. (Not the rapey parts.) So I guess the closest thing would be Team Jessica, no? I'm also slightly sociopathic, if that counts for anything.

Anonymous said...

I was Team Elizabeth growing up; she was the "nice" twin that everyone loved, a reader and a writer, plus she was dating swoon-worthy Todd.

Now, I've seen the error of my ways. Todd isn't swoon-worthy, and Liz is a condescending priss. I'm all about Team Jessica! She may be crazy, but she's never boring. I love the situations she gets herself into, all the times she and Lila compete against each other, and the various guys she continually falls in love with. I do, however, feel sorry for these guys: most of them are discarded pretty quickly, and the ones that stick around usually die (RIP Sam).

Tom said...

Growing up, I was in that group of people who were on Team Elizabeth but secretly wanted to be on Team Jessica. But I clearly belonged on Team Elizabeth - like Elizabeth, I was studious and I wanted to be a writer. And I am still studious and I have become a writer. But I think Jessica was also a lot meaner in the earlier SVH books so it was more of a pronounced choice to be on Team Elizabeth. Later in the series, it became a bit like voting in an Australian election (I'm from Australia) - the differences between the major candidates aren't that big after all. (And both candidates have blond hair and eyes that are the colour of the Pacific Ocean...)

I would really like that Team Jessica tshirt to show to the world that I'm not such a nerd after all. But I am a nerd and I probably deserve a Team Randy Mason t-shirt.

Anonymous said...

I'm totally Team Jessica. I liked that with her you always knew where you stood and what you could expect (not expect) from her. Plus she could do whatever she wanted and never seemed to suffer any real consequence, except dead boyfriends . . .

Liviania said...

Neither - I'm Team Lila! C'mon, Jessica and Elizabeth were the main characters, but Lila Fowler was always the most fabulous.

inbedwithbooks AT yahoo DOT com

Anonymous said...

Team Lizzie all the way :)
though i'd love to win this for someone whose been an ardent JW fan since 19ancient99

FM said...

Team Jesssica!!!

Psychotic?
-yes

Conceited?
-yep

stereotypical blonde to the extent you wanna smack her upside-down?
- you betcha!

Wanna go round masquerading to be her with a Team Jess 2011 t-shirt?
- most definitely :)

Tina's Blog said...

Please enter me! I always enjoyed Elizabeth more than Jessica...probably because I had much more in common with Elizabeth. Jessica was just too wild and self absorbed.

Anonymous said...

I am on Team Jessica because, frankly, at age 16, she embodied everything we all wanted to be. Beautiful, wicked, unwilling to stop until she got what she wanted. As adults, we see poor impulse control, risk-taking behaviors, and borderline personality disorder. But as kids, c'mon. Jessica was the girl every guy wanted and every girl wanted to be.
Furthermore, my name is Jessica Elizabeth. I like to think I have to the best of both!

Anonymous said...

I love Jessica because she's awesome!!

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