This is an extremely difficult book to read because it's full of terrible bullying and doesn't even resolve the bullying storyline in a satisfying manner.

All the kids in Sweet Valley know that the Mercandy house is haunted and Mrs Mercandy is a witch. So when Elizabeth and Jessica discover that a girl their age has moved in, they assume that she must be a witch as well.

When Nora Mercandy starts attending school at Sweet Valley Middle School, however, Elizabeth begrudgingly offers to show her around, and soon realises that Nora is just a normal girl—one she genuinely likes.

The Unicorns are not as easily persuaded. Lila in particular has a real vendetta against Nora after Nora is foolish enough to beat Lila in a game of tennis. She gives Nora an expensive pen as a reward for winning their bet about the tennis match, and then promptly accuses Nora of stealing it.

Nora, unaware of the extent of the rumours about the Mercandy house, invites Elizabeth, Amy and the Unicorns over so that she can introduce them to her grandmother and hopefully stop the bullying. Oh yeah, and the reason she's living with her grandparents? Her mother has just died, leaving her an orphan. Just the kind of kid who needs to be dealing with revolting peers right now.

Nora's schoolmates turn up, but before her grandmother can make an appearance, a stiff, shuffling man appears and scares the lot of them away. Because bad speech and awkward gait always indicate a zombie, amiright?

Things get worse for Nora. The Unicorns make her into their slave, threatening that they'll plant Lila's wallet in her locker and dob her in if she doesn't do their bidding at all times. And then suddenly all the bullying stops and they start being sweet as punch to her. Obviously it's a trap, but Nora's just so relieved that they're not making her go on cookie runs any more that she goes along with it.

Turns out they just want her at Lila's halloween party so the boys can completely trash the Mercandy house without Nora being there. She discovers their true intentions and runs home, with the entire party following, for some reason. They even all barge right into the house, because what's a little trespassing to add to all the bullying?

Inside, everything is covered in magician posters and they learn that Nora's grandfather used to be a super famous magician, but suffered a stroke ten years ago, meaning that now he is partially paralysed and has trouble speaking. Oh hey, not a zombie after all! Everyone decides that Nora and the Mercandys are actually really cool.

And, for some reason, the Mercandys are fine with that.

See, this is the big issue with this book, and the reason it's really not one of my favourite SVT books. The kids are absolutely horrible to a girl who has recently been orphaned and to two elderly people who are poor and struggling with major disability. They are complete monsters. And somehow they don't get punished for their bad deeds at all. No one tells them that they're pathologically cruel—they don't hate Nora any more, so that's the important thing, right? Ugh.

The Sweet Valley books usually feel a need to punish Jessica for the smallest things, but when really nasty stuff goes on, like it does in this book, it's just shrugged off. Uncool.

Lila's my favourite character, but even I can't stand her in this one.

Moral of the Story? Bullies will get off scot free.

[re-read - previously read a couple of times]

I loved this series as a kid. Being an identical twin myself I was excited to read about the Wakefield twins. You could pick up from anywhere in the series and start reading them. It might have been better that way in case you expected continuity.I started with this book about a local girl they bully because she doesn't fit in. This turned out to be a common plot in SVT and the high school books. Even as a kid though I'd be disappointed when none of the books ever delivered on the supernatural plot line.I recall how silly the Unicorn club Jessica was a member of. ( )

One of my favorite Sweet Valley Twins books, this has an awesome plot and is certainly worth reading. ( )

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