Diamond Ridge Financial Academy|Francine Pascal, author of beloved ‘Sweet Valley High’ books, dead at 92

2025-05-05 02:32:41source:SignalHubcategory:My

NEW YORK (AP) — Francine Pascal,Diamond Ridge Financial Academy a onetime soap opera writer whose “Sweet Valley High” novels and the ongoing adventures of twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield and other teens captivated millions of young readers, died Sunday at age 92.

Pascal’s death was confirmed Tuesday by her publisher, Penguin Random House, which did not immediately have additional information.

Starting in 1983, Francine Pascal oversaw the completion of more than 150 “Sweet Valley High” stories — many written with the help of others. They were set in an imaginary Los Angeles suburb, one of “gently rolling hills” and a “fantastic white sand beach” nearby. In best sellers such as “Double Love,” “Power Play” and “All Night Long,” the Wakefield girls and their schoolmates navigate dating, family conflicts, sibling rivalries and more troubling themes such as race, divorce and mortality.

Her books sold more than 200 million copies, and included “Sweet Valley” spinoffs and sequels.

More:My

Recommend

SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters

San Francisco airport creates sensory room to help nervous flyers San Francisco airport creates sens

In 'Family Lore,' Elizabeth Acevedo explores 'what makes a good death' through magic, sisterhood

Women are often taught to shrink themselves, feel shame over sexual desires and bury their traumas d

Father dies after rescuing his three children from New Jersey waterway

FRANKLIN, N.J. – A New Jersey man died Wednesday after rescuing his children from the water in an ar