Perfect Summer

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Perfect Summer was the first Super Edition in the Sweet Valley High book series. It was published in 1984. Like most of the Super Editions, Perfect Summer was not considered part of the regular continuity of the series.

[edit] Plot

Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield spend a month of their summer on a bicycle trip up the Californian coastline. Joining them are Todd Wilkins, Lila Fowler, Bruce Patman, Roger Barrett Patman, Olivia Davidson, Annie Whitman, Charlie Markus and Barry Cooper. Chaperoning the trip are English teacher Mr Collins and French teacher Ms Dalton.

Problems abound throughout the trip. During a stopover in Los Angeles, Courtney Thomas, the daughter of a Patman family friend, joins the group. Her inclusion creates trouble for Elizabeth and Todd's relationship and she makes an enemy of both the Wakefield twins. Courtney nearly succeeds in splitting up the couple; however, when Courtney starts a forest fire, Liz's anger, usually kept in check, but when unleashed, is as harsh as Jessica's, gets the better of her and she manages to reveal Courtney's true personality.

Jessica falls for a fellow travellor, Robbie October, who spends most of his time ignoring her. At Big Sur she manages to lure him away from the group, but the couple encounter a brown bear. Robbie behaves cowardly but Barry Cooper - whom Jessica and her friends had teased for being chubby and shy - saves the day.

Former couple Roger Collins and Nora Dalton now share a cool relationship, which is compounded by the fact that Nora is now dating George Fowler. His daughter Lila is also cool towards the French teacher, as she already feels like she sees so little of her father.

A chance meeting in a hostel has Lila discover Ms Dalton's real identity, with which she confronts Ms Dalton.

Nora reveals that her real name is Beth Curtis and that she is from a small town in Arizona, where she married an abusive alcoholic called John Mayfield Curtis, III. When Curtis committed suicide, his wealthy, powerful family blamed her. In desperation, she fled to Sweet Valley where she created a new identity.

Mr Collins is moved by her story and the pair take steps towards mending their fractured friendship. Even Lila reluctantly admits that telling the story took courage and though she may not like her, she respects her.