Sweet Valley Twins Super Edition #2, Holiday Mischief
Here's another holiday book recap for anyone who might have some early holiday spirit. Though this one actually doesn't have that much to do with the holidays.
No cover art, but in case you're wondering, the cover shows Jessica and a girl with curly red hair peeking around a screen at a big scary shadowed figure. Jessica's wearing a red silk dress and pearls. That other girl is wearing blue taffetta. The artist gets ten continuity points because these outfits actually match what they're described as wearing in the book!
We begin in the Sweet Valley Middle School auditorium, where Jessica and Elizabeth are waiting for an assembly to start. Jess is shooting "dazzling smiles" and fawning over Bruce Patman; Liz isn't impressed by Bruce and changes the subject. She wonders what the assembly will be about. She doesn't have to wonder long, because Mr. Clark goes up to the podium then and announces that Sweet Valley Middle School's choral group gets to travel to a competition in Washington, D.C.! Yay! Jess and Liz are all "Why didn't we sign up for choir?" Then Mr. Clark conveniently adds that the group needs ten more members and the music teachers will be holding auditions in a few days. This will be the twins' big chance! They brag about what wonderful singers they are. (Wait... didn't Liz say in another book that her choir teacher told her she had a terrible voice? And wasn't Jess a bad singer sometimes, too? So much for continuity..)
Liz and Jess go to join their friends, and Elizabeth tells Julie Porter she's talented and asks if she's going to try out for the choral group. Julie's like "I am talented but I sure can't sing!" Julie, was the first part of that answer really necessary? Amy isn't interested either because she's going to be visiting her grandparents. But Nora Mercandy, Ellen Riteman, and Anna Barrett (who?!) are all going to try out with the twins.
Fast-forward to the auditions. That girl Anna confides to Liz and Jess that she can't really sing at all. But she MUST get to Washington to find her long-lost sister! Apparently Anna was adopted as a baby; she's always known about it. But a few weeks earlier she'd found a letter regarding someone named Leslie -- Leslie's from a big important Austrlian family, and they're moving to Washington, D.C. Anna's convinced this Leslie is her sister and that her parents just never told her. The twins want to help her and are like "Well you're probably a better singer than you think" but then Anna sings some lines of 'Silent Night' for them. Her voice is scratchy (?) and off-key.
Jess somehow knows that Mr. Stefan, their choir teacher, is going to audition everyone in groups of four; she tells Anna to just mouth along. They do their audition and Mr. stefan is indeed too stupid to tell that one voice is missing from their group (and too lazy to listen to any of the girls sing individually, which my old high school choir teacher would surely have wanted ... especially if space was limited to ten new members). So Jessica, Liz, Ellen, and Anna all make it into the group!
Jessica and Elizabeth go home and tell their family that they get to go to Washington, D.C. Everyone's happy for them. The chapter ends weirdly, with Jessica dancing around the kitchen singing "White Christmas" with the rest of the Wakefields just staring at her. In the next chapter, Anna goes home and tells her parents, who are like "Hey, great!" but they don't say a word about Leslie. Anna is sad. She looks at her adoption papers (and Leslie's) and thinks about Jessica and Elizabeth. She hopes that one day she and Leslie can be as close as the twins (gag).
Liz and Jess go on a shopping trip with their mom to buy some cold-weather clothes for Washington. They run into Bruce Patman, who's stomping around in a pair of hiking boots. Mrs. Wakefield makes the girls buy similar boots, and Jess moans that they're unfashionable. But then a saleswoman shows them a picture in a magazine (why is a saleswoman walking around with a magazine?) and says that the boots will look fab with a pair of brightly colored socks. Mrs. Wakefield says Jess can get the socks, too, and Jessica is happy (the Unicorns love socks!).
More preparation for the big trip. Anna has a close call during a rehearsal, when Mr. Stefan finally asks her to sing a solo. She fakes being sick and gets out of it.
At the airport, Jess hugs Steven; Liz teases them. Anna says goodbye to her parents and they still don't tell her about Leslie! She cheers up on the plane when Liz invites her to sit with the twins. Liz asks who wants to play Crazy Eights, and all the kids are all happy and friendly with eachother... even Bruce and Ellen. Ellen says that she'd love to see what the Constitution looks like (she knows what it is?).
The group lands in Washington and arrives at their hotel, which is this grand, luxuorious-sounding place. Who PAID for this trip, anyway? There's never any mention of the kids having to pay. Anyway Jess falls in love with the hotel's elegance and says that she wants to stay there forever. Liz gets all hurt and says "But Jess, you love Sweet Valley!" Oh, calm down, Liz, like she was being serious. The twins back-and-forth for a bit until they're distracted by this dark-haired girl in a sequined red dress. They know she must be Someone Important and guess that she's from one of the competing schools. Both twins think, This is going to be a tough competition!
The next morning, Liz frantically wakes up Jessica, who's trying to sleep in. But Jess can't sleep in because the choral group has to go rehearse! They don't even have time to eat breakfast! It's snowing outside, and the girls' supervisor, Mrs. Isaacs, makes them bundle up in hats and mittens. On the way into rehearsal (for some reason, it's in a different building) the twins, Anna, Winston, Charlie Cashman and some other kids have fun throwing snowballs at eachother. The girl in the red dress from the previous night is there, too, and she throws a snowball ... a mean-spirited snowball ... at Anna. Ellen reveals that her name is Sherrie Dunston, and that she's the "superstar soprano" from Grant Middle School in Ohio.
Before they can dwell too much on Sherrie, it's time for rehearsal. Sweet Valley goes first, and -- uh-oh -- Mr. Stefan wants Anna to sing a solo! Jessica's prepared for this, and squirts ink all over Anna's white sweater. So Anna and Liz have to go back to the hotel to change. On the ride over, they notice the ink has completely disappeared ... it was disappearing ink! Why does Jessica have disappearing ink? Who knows. Anyway, they make it back to rehearsal just in time for Mr. Stefan to grant Liz the solo in 'What Child Is This?' On their way out, they hear Sherrie Dunston singing. Sherrie is evil but she has the voice of an angel. Dana Larson says with authority that Sweet Valley can beat Grant and Sherrie -- and since Dana is the future lead singer of the Droids, she knows. Everyone cheers.
Speaking of Sherrie, even though she was just rehearsing a second ago, she passes the gang on their way out. She makes a snarky comment to Anna about the ink incident. Jessica runs over and calls Sherrie 'Miss Priss.' Sherrie's all "Who asked you?" and Jessica says that Sherrie has no right to talk to her friend Anna that way! Sherrie says that she can do anything she wants; then she flounces away and the Sweet Valley kids watch and are all, "I bet we haven't seen the last of her."
Next the Sweet Valley Twins and Friends are touring Washington. Anna wants to see the Austalian Embassy and their tour guide points it out. Anna memorizes the location; she'll be back there later! In the meantime, the group moves on to the White House. the Jefferson Memorial, etc. Lila's mentioned by name only; Jess thinks Lila would be impressed by a picture of "the president" but Ellen says that she'd probably prefer a picture of Johnny Buck. That's the end of Lila in this book.
After the tour, Jerry McAllister (why is HE in this book? 'Crunch' and Charlie Cashman don't exactly strike me as the choir types) suggests going sledding. The Sweet Valley kids go to a big park and see the Grant kids are there, too. Sherrie Dunston suggests a race between the schools. Liz is skeptical, because they're from California and of course Californians never go sledding (except Anna) but Jess and Bruce and Colin Harmon talk her into it.
The race starts and the Sweet Valley kids aren't very good. Jessica's turn comes; she's up against Sherrie Dunston. Evil Sherrie cheats and makes Jessica sled right into a tree! A cute boy from the other school helps her up; he tells Jess that no one really likes Sherrie. Jessica suggests a rematch, and this time she beats Sherrie. Hurray.
Back at the hotel, Anna tries to call her long-lost sister's adoptive father, but the operator at the Australian Embassy won't let her through. At dinner, Jess suggests sneaking out to the embassy. Liz, not susprisingly, is against the idea and says if they're caught, they'll be kicked out of the competition. Sherrie Dunston, who was eavesdropping, comes over and says that they'd have to do something really horrible to get kicked out ... something like not be able to sing. Sherrie is such a wonderful singer that somehow, she figured out Anna's lack of singing ability just by looking at her.
The next morning, the kids are out playing in the snow when Sherrie dares Anna to sing 'God Bless America.' Anna refuses. Bruce and Colin are all "Sing, Anna! C'mon, sing!" and Anna's all "No, I won't, I won't! It's the principle of the matter!" Dana Larson has Anna's back. So does Liz, who comes running over and pretends that Anna has laryngitis. Sherrie doesn't believe her.
Liz and Anna go back inside and tell Jessica and Ellen what happened. Jess wants to play a practical joke to get back at Sherrie. I think she's been hanging around Pete Stone too much. Jessica goes to the novelty shop (because all hotels have novelty shops) and buys some sticky fake insects to put in Sherrie's lozenge box.
Liz and Anna go for a walk (with permission) and wind up at the Australian Embassy. They find out that there's going to be a reception there that night. Anna tells Liz that she's going to sneak out, and Liz discourages her but promises not to tell. They go back to their hotel room and meet Jessica (who's doing a headstand for some reason). Jess gets rid of Liz by telling her Mr. Stefan wants to see her. Anna confides to Jess about sneaking out; Jessica is dubious at first, but quickly warms to the idea after Anna tells her how glamorous and sophisticated the reception will be.
At dinner, Elizabeth comes up with a plan to go caroling at the embassy. She thinks they can get in that way. Anna thinks Liz's idea is lame and is like "Uh - well..." Then Jess tells them to both shut up because Evil Sherrie just came in. Ellen minion-ishly fills Sherrie's lozenge box with the fake insects... they wait ...
Finally Sherrie opens her lozenge box, spills bugs all over the floor, and reacts with proper hysteria. Sherrie screams and shrieks, and cries "It was those Sweet Valley girls, Jessica and Anna! Punish them!" A chaperon commands her to sit and be calm and Sherrie's all, "No! Something else might happen!" Some of the other kids laugh at her for this and Sherrie shrieks, "It's not funny!" and then glares at Liz.
Liz wonders why everyone's looking at her. She realizes that they think she's Jessica. A second later, she sees that Jessica and Anna are nowhere in sight! Liz thinks that they must have snuck out. She insists she isn't Jessica, but she wants to be loyal -- so she pretends not to know where Jess and Anna are, even after the chaperons start to interrogate her. Good old dependable Liz.
Meanwhile, Jess and Anna haven't even snuck out yet ... but they're upstairs, almost ready to sneak out. They're all dressed in their silk and taffetta. Jess and Anna try to use the service elevator but a janitor catches them. Then they have a narrow miss with Mrs. Isaacs, who's in the same hallway but stupidly looks right past them. Finally they take the stairs and make it out of the hotel! But one person does see them sneak out -- guess who. Sherrie Dunston notices that Jess and Anna are all dressed up. Sherrie finds their music teacher Ms. MacDonald and coyly tells on the girls, adding that she heard them say that they were going to "meet some boys." Ms. MacDonald storms over to interrogate Liz ... Sherrie slinks away, smiling evilly.
Jessica and Anna manage to make it to the Australian Embassy. They easily make their way into the party by pretending to be the children of some random couple. The girls are both enthralled by all the glamour. Anna is able to spot Mr. and Mrs Linwood, Leslie's adoptive parents, but there's no sign of Anna's long-lost sister... or any teenage girl. Just little kids and a "handsome teenage boy." Anna and Jessica decide to look for Leslie upstairs -- getting past the guards by acting natural and gushing about how much Leslie will love Anna's blue taffetta dress.
Upstairs, the two girls sneak around a little. The closest sign they find to a teenager's room is a game room. Anna's like "Maybe Leslie doesn't live at the Embassy." You think? Then Anna finds a secret room ... they go inside, and Jess hears a strange noise, so she and Anna duck and hide behind a big Victorian screen. Someone comes into the secret room with them... it's a man!
Over at the hotel, Mrs. Isaacs and the other teachers and chaperons mention calling the police. So good old dependable Liz finally breaks. She tells the grown-ups that she thinks Jess and Anna are at the Australian Embassy. Mr. Stefan is like "What the eff?!" So Lizzie tells him Anna's story. Mrs. MacDonald wants to know why Anna didn't just ask permission to visit the embassy. Sherrie Dunston comes in and suggests punishing Liz for "withholding information." Ms. MacDonald tells Sherrie to mind her own business. The teachers go off to find Jessica and Anna, and they make Liz stay behind. Liz is mad!
Back to the secret room. Jess and Anna watch the man as he nervously rifles through some drawers, pulls out some papers, and stuffs them in his suit pocket. Jessica notices the huge diamond ring on his pinkie finger. Anna feels somebody tap her on the shoulder and almost screams -- but it's just that handsome teenage boy from downstairs. He motions for Jess and Anna to follow him through this secret passageway. They do. But then they hear a voice growl, "Hey stop!" It's that man -- and he's coming after them!!
The boy leads Jess and Anna to yet another room, and through a nursery, and finally to a secret attic. They're safe for the time being. The bad man was hot on their trail, but he doesn't seem to know about the attic. Jess and Anna and the boy listen and laugh at the man as he stomps around bumbling-villain style, stepping on squeaky baby toys, all "Come out you crazy kids!" Jessica wonders if the man is a spy. The boy confirms that he IS a spy! The boy worries after Jessica tells him that the spy took some papers, but Jess suggests sealing off the exits, and the boy agrees that this is a good idea. The boy also thinks that his dad will know how to stop the spy before he makes off with those papers (which are important documents).
Who is this boy, anyway? We soon find out. It's a real shocker. The spy leaves the nursery, and Jessica, Anna, and the boy all go back downstairs. Jess and Anna watch as the boy immediately goes over to his father. Why, his father is Mr. Linwood! But before Anna figures out that Leslie isn't just a girl's name... there's a spy that needs catching.
Mr. Linwood closes off all the exits. Just like Jessica said. They all go searching for men who match the spy's description ... short, curly dark hair, tiny brown eyes, glasses. They think he might be wearing a disguise, but they don't have any luck finding him ... until Jess goes into the kitchen.
It's there that she sees the chef. At first, Jess just brushes him off as ... a chef. He has a bushy beard and mustache, and he isn't wearing glasses! He's just carrying a turkey. seemingly minding his own business. But then Jess looks at his pinky and sees the telltale huge diamond ring! Jessica always notices valuable things! Jess is all "That's him!" At first the boy doesn't believe her, but Jessica insists "It's him!" -- and they know for certain after the chef looks right at Jessica and throws the turkey at her! Hee!
Since Jessica is Jessica, all she cares about is that the spy got turkey grease all over her dress. Fortunately two guards catch the chef/spy (who was starting to run away). Mr. Linwood comes over to peer at him and says "Why you're not Oscar." A waiter says that the chef/spy claimed to be Oscar's replacement. Jessica stops wailing about her dress long enough to notice that those important documents are sticking out of the spy's socks. This guy's not a very good spy, is he? She points them out and a guard gives them back to Mr. Linwood. Mr. Linwood peers at the spy again and is all, "You thought you'd get away with this, didn't you? Well thanks to these young kids, you're going to be behind bars for a looooong time." The guards lead the spy away and everybody cheers. I wonder, WHY did the spy change into a chef's outfit? And why was he carrying a turkey? Just what was his plan? The waiters go off searching for the real chef, Oscar. They find him tied up in the linen closet, gagged with a dishrag. Only in Sweet Valley...
(Oh yeah, they're in Washington. Oops.)
Back at the hotel, Liz and Ellen have a weird bonding moment as they wait for news on Anna and Jess. Ellen sneaks Liz some treats from the dessert cart.
Back to the Australian Embassy ... now that things have calmed down, Anna and Jessica have a chance to talk to that boy. Anna finally finds out that he is Leslie Linwood, and that he's her long-lost brother! To her credit, at least "Leslie" isn't as obvious as another name might have been...like say, Billie. Anna and Lelie hug.
Then Anna, Leslie, and Jessica all go to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Linwood. The Sweet Valley girls introduce themselves, and even though Anna says she's "Anna Barrett" from "Sweet Valley, California" the Linwoods don't let on that they know who she is. Even after Anna tells them how she found Leslie, they're just like "That's quite a story, Anna." Didn't they write Anna's parents a letter that said they were moving? Either they're thick, or they're really that determined to keep Anna and Leslie away from eachother.
Before we can find out for sure, the happy get-together is crashed by Mrs. Isaacs and the other chaperons, who finally caught up with Jessica and Anna. The girls are in BIG trouble! Anna even has to confess that she can't sing! Mr. Stefan is horrified! But then, before the chaperons can get too mad, Leslie's dad breaks in and tells them all about how Jessica and Anna helped catch a spy! The chaperons are all "I can't believe it -- OUR girls!" Anna and Jess are forgiven. Mr. Stefan invites the Linwoods to the big choir concert the next day, and Mr. Linwood says that they "wouldn't miss it for the world." Like a big diplomat doesn't have better things to do than go to some middle-school choir competition ... but whatever. Before Jessica and Anna leave, they get their pictures taken for all the newspapers. Jessica wins again! (At least she didn't do anything too annoying in this book.)
The next morning, Anna's parents fly in and have a big meeting with the Linwoods (which Jessica and Elizabeth get the honor of coming to). The Barretts and Linwoods finally confess to their children that, yes, Anna and Leslie are siblings. They had to keep Leslie a secret because of Mr. Linwood's dangerous government job. They apologize. Anna and Leslie are just happy to be together.
That night, before the competition, Jess and Sherrie Dunston have a bit of a showdown. Sherrie sings again in her angelic voice, and the twins worry about whether or not they can beat her in the competition.
They don't have to worry because when it comes time for Sherrie to sing, she's good ... but her voice trembles! In the end, Grant Middle School places second in the big competition. Sweet Valley, of course, places first. Elizabeth wins Best Soprano Soloist, Dana wins Best Alto, and Jessica ties with Sherrie in the Dueling Voices competition. Yay Sweet Valley!
After the show, Anna (who was excused from participating by Mr. Stefan) gives Jess a boquet of flowers ... from her brother Leslie. Anna, Jess, and Liz all hug and the twins think that this was the most exciting thing that ever happened to them. Oh Jess and Liz, wait until you get to high school!
No cover art, but in case you're wondering, the cover shows Jessica and a girl with curly red hair peeking around a screen at a big scary shadowed figure. Jessica's wearing a red silk dress and pearls. That other girl is wearing blue taffetta. The artist gets ten continuity points because these outfits actually match what they're described as wearing in the book!
We begin in the Sweet Valley Middle School auditorium, where Jessica and Elizabeth are waiting for an assembly to start. Jess is shooting "dazzling smiles" and fawning over Bruce Patman; Liz isn't impressed by Bruce and changes the subject. She wonders what the assembly will be about. She doesn't have to wonder long, because Mr. Clark goes up to the podium then and announces that Sweet Valley Middle School's choral group gets to travel to a competition in Washington, D.C.! Yay! Jess and Liz are all "Why didn't we sign up for choir?" Then Mr. Clark conveniently adds that the group needs ten more members and the music teachers will be holding auditions in a few days. This will be the twins' big chance! They brag about what wonderful singers they are. (Wait... didn't Liz say in another book that her choir teacher told her she had a terrible voice? And wasn't Jess a bad singer sometimes, too? So much for continuity..)
Liz and Jess go to join their friends, and Elizabeth tells Julie Porter she's talented and asks if she's going to try out for the choral group. Julie's like "I am talented but I sure can't sing!" Julie, was the first part of that answer really necessary? Amy isn't interested either because she's going to be visiting her grandparents. But Nora Mercandy, Ellen Riteman, and Anna Barrett (who?!) are all going to try out with the twins.
Fast-forward to the auditions. That girl Anna confides to Liz and Jess that she can't really sing at all. But she MUST get to Washington to find her long-lost sister! Apparently Anna was adopted as a baby; she's always known about it. But a few weeks earlier she'd found a letter regarding someone named Leslie -- Leslie's from a big important Austrlian family, and they're moving to Washington, D.C. Anna's convinced this Leslie is her sister and that her parents just never told her. The twins want to help her and are like "Well you're probably a better singer than you think" but then Anna sings some lines of 'Silent Night' for them. Her voice is scratchy (?) and off-key.
Jess somehow knows that Mr. Stefan, their choir teacher, is going to audition everyone in groups of four; she tells Anna to just mouth along. They do their audition and Mr. stefan is indeed too stupid to tell that one voice is missing from their group (and too lazy to listen to any of the girls sing individually, which my old high school choir teacher would surely have wanted ... especially if space was limited to ten new members). So Jessica, Liz, Ellen, and Anna all make it into the group!
Jessica and Elizabeth go home and tell their family that they get to go to Washington, D.C. Everyone's happy for them. The chapter ends weirdly, with Jessica dancing around the kitchen singing "White Christmas" with the rest of the Wakefields just staring at her. In the next chapter, Anna goes home and tells her parents, who are like "Hey, great!" but they don't say a word about Leslie. Anna is sad. She looks at her adoption papers (and Leslie's) and thinks about Jessica and Elizabeth. She hopes that one day she and Leslie can be as close as the twins (gag).
Liz and Jess go on a shopping trip with their mom to buy some cold-weather clothes for Washington. They run into Bruce Patman, who's stomping around in a pair of hiking boots. Mrs. Wakefield makes the girls buy similar boots, and Jess moans that they're unfashionable. But then a saleswoman shows them a picture in a magazine (why is a saleswoman walking around with a magazine?) and says that the boots will look fab with a pair of brightly colored socks. Mrs. Wakefield says Jess can get the socks, too, and Jessica is happy (the Unicorns love socks!).
More preparation for the big trip. Anna has a close call during a rehearsal, when Mr. Stefan finally asks her to sing a solo. She fakes being sick and gets out of it.
At the airport, Jess hugs Steven; Liz teases them. Anna says goodbye to her parents and they still don't tell her about Leslie! She cheers up on the plane when Liz invites her to sit with the twins. Liz asks who wants to play Crazy Eights, and all the kids are all happy and friendly with eachother... even Bruce and Ellen. Ellen says that she'd love to see what the Constitution looks like (she knows what it is?).
The group lands in Washington and arrives at their hotel, which is this grand, luxuorious-sounding place. Who PAID for this trip, anyway? There's never any mention of the kids having to pay. Anyway Jess falls in love with the hotel's elegance and says that she wants to stay there forever. Liz gets all hurt and says "But Jess, you love Sweet Valley!" Oh, calm down, Liz, like she was being serious. The twins back-and-forth for a bit until they're distracted by this dark-haired girl in a sequined red dress. They know she must be Someone Important and guess that she's from one of the competing schools. Both twins think, This is going to be a tough competition!
The next morning, Liz frantically wakes up Jessica, who's trying to sleep in. But Jess can't sleep in because the choral group has to go rehearse! They don't even have time to eat breakfast! It's snowing outside, and the girls' supervisor, Mrs. Isaacs, makes them bundle up in hats and mittens. On the way into rehearsal (for some reason, it's in a different building) the twins, Anna, Winston, Charlie Cashman and some other kids have fun throwing snowballs at eachother. The girl in the red dress from the previous night is there, too, and she throws a snowball ... a mean-spirited snowball ... at Anna. Ellen reveals that her name is Sherrie Dunston, and that she's the "superstar soprano" from Grant Middle School in Ohio.
Before they can dwell too much on Sherrie, it's time for rehearsal. Sweet Valley goes first, and -- uh-oh -- Mr. Stefan wants Anna to sing a solo! Jessica's prepared for this, and squirts ink all over Anna's white sweater. So Anna and Liz have to go back to the hotel to change. On the ride over, they notice the ink has completely disappeared ... it was disappearing ink! Why does Jessica have disappearing ink? Who knows. Anyway, they make it back to rehearsal just in time for Mr. Stefan to grant Liz the solo in 'What Child Is This?' On their way out, they hear Sherrie Dunston singing. Sherrie is evil but she has the voice of an angel. Dana Larson says with authority that Sweet Valley can beat Grant and Sherrie -- and since Dana is the future lead singer of the Droids, she knows. Everyone cheers.
Speaking of Sherrie, even though she was just rehearsing a second ago, she passes the gang on their way out. She makes a snarky comment to Anna about the ink incident. Jessica runs over and calls Sherrie 'Miss Priss.' Sherrie's all "Who asked you?" and Jessica says that Sherrie has no right to talk to her friend Anna that way! Sherrie says that she can do anything she wants; then she flounces away and the Sweet Valley kids watch and are all, "I bet we haven't seen the last of her."
Next the Sweet Valley Twins and Friends are touring Washington. Anna wants to see the Austalian Embassy and their tour guide points it out. Anna memorizes the location; she'll be back there later! In the meantime, the group moves on to the White House. the Jefferson Memorial, etc. Lila's mentioned by name only; Jess thinks Lila would be impressed by a picture of "the president" but Ellen says that she'd probably prefer a picture of Johnny Buck. That's the end of Lila in this book.
After the tour, Jerry McAllister (why is HE in this book? 'Crunch' and Charlie Cashman don't exactly strike me as the choir types) suggests going sledding. The Sweet Valley kids go to a big park and see the Grant kids are there, too. Sherrie Dunston suggests a race between the schools. Liz is skeptical, because they're from California and of course Californians never go sledding (except Anna) but Jess and Bruce and Colin Harmon talk her into it.
The race starts and the Sweet Valley kids aren't very good. Jessica's turn comes; she's up against Sherrie Dunston. Evil Sherrie cheats and makes Jessica sled right into a tree! A cute boy from the other school helps her up; he tells Jess that no one really likes Sherrie. Jessica suggests a rematch, and this time she beats Sherrie. Hurray.
Back at the hotel, Anna tries to call her long-lost sister's adoptive father, but the operator at the Australian Embassy won't let her through. At dinner, Jess suggests sneaking out to the embassy. Liz, not susprisingly, is against the idea and says if they're caught, they'll be kicked out of the competition. Sherrie Dunston, who was eavesdropping, comes over and says that they'd have to do something really horrible to get kicked out ... something like not be able to sing. Sherrie is such a wonderful singer that somehow, she figured out Anna's lack of singing ability just by looking at her.
The next morning, the kids are out playing in the snow when Sherrie dares Anna to sing 'God Bless America.' Anna refuses. Bruce and Colin are all "Sing, Anna! C'mon, sing!" and Anna's all "No, I won't, I won't! It's the principle of the matter!" Dana Larson has Anna's back. So does Liz, who comes running over and pretends that Anna has laryngitis. Sherrie doesn't believe her.
Liz and Anna go back inside and tell Jessica and Ellen what happened. Jess wants to play a practical joke to get back at Sherrie. I think she's been hanging around Pete Stone too much. Jessica goes to the novelty shop (because all hotels have novelty shops) and buys some sticky fake insects to put in Sherrie's lozenge box.
Liz and Anna go for a walk (with permission) and wind up at the Australian Embassy. They find out that there's going to be a reception there that night. Anna tells Liz that she's going to sneak out, and Liz discourages her but promises not to tell. They go back to their hotel room and meet Jessica (who's doing a headstand for some reason). Jess gets rid of Liz by telling her Mr. Stefan wants to see her. Anna confides to Jess about sneaking out; Jessica is dubious at first, but quickly warms to the idea after Anna tells her how glamorous and sophisticated the reception will be.
At dinner, Elizabeth comes up with a plan to go caroling at the embassy. She thinks they can get in that way. Anna thinks Liz's idea is lame and is like "Uh - well..." Then Jess tells them to both shut up because Evil Sherrie just came in. Ellen minion-ishly fills Sherrie's lozenge box with the fake insects... they wait ...
Finally Sherrie opens her lozenge box, spills bugs all over the floor, and reacts with proper hysteria. Sherrie screams and shrieks, and cries "It was those Sweet Valley girls, Jessica and Anna! Punish them!" A chaperon commands her to sit and be calm and Sherrie's all, "No! Something else might happen!" Some of the other kids laugh at her for this and Sherrie shrieks, "It's not funny!" and then glares at Liz.
Liz wonders why everyone's looking at her. She realizes that they think she's Jessica. A second later, she sees that Jessica and Anna are nowhere in sight! Liz thinks that they must have snuck out. She insists she isn't Jessica, but she wants to be loyal -- so she pretends not to know where Jess and Anna are, even after the chaperons start to interrogate her. Good old dependable Liz.
Meanwhile, Jess and Anna haven't even snuck out yet ... but they're upstairs, almost ready to sneak out. They're all dressed in their silk and taffetta. Jess and Anna try to use the service elevator but a janitor catches them. Then they have a narrow miss with Mrs. Isaacs, who's in the same hallway but stupidly looks right past them. Finally they take the stairs and make it out of the hotel! But one person does see them sneak out -- guess who. Sherrie Dunston notices that Jess and Anna are all dressed up. Sherrie finds their music teacher Ms. MacDonald and coyly tells on the girls, adding that she heard them say that they were going to "meet some boys." Ms. MacDonald storms over to interrogate Liz ... Sherrie slinks away, smiling evilly.
Jessica and Anna manage to make it to the Australian Embassy. They easily make their way into the party by pretending to be the children of some random couple. The girls are both enthralled by all the glamour. Anna is able to spot Mr. and Mrs Linwood, Leslie's adoptive parents, but there's no sign of Anna's long-lost sister... or any teenage girl. Just little kids and a "handsome teenage boy." Anna and Jessica decide to look for Leslie upstairs -- getting past the guards by acting natural and gushing about how much Leslie will love Anna's blue taffetta dress.
Upstairs, the two girls sneak around a little. The closest sign they find to a teenager's room is a game room. Anna's like "Maybe Leslie doesn't live at the Embassy." You think? Then Anna finds a secret room ... they go inside, and Jess hears a strange noise, so she and Anna duck and hide behind a big Victorian screen. Someone comes into the secret room with them... it's a man!
Over at the hotel, Mrs. Isaacs and the other teachers and chaperons mention calling the police. So good old dependable Liz finally breaks. She tells the grown-ups that she thinks Jess and Anna are at the Australian Embassy. Mr. Stefan is like "What the eff?!" So Lizzie tells him Anna's story. Mrs. MacDonald wants to know why Anna didn't just ask permission to visit the embassy. Sherrie Dunston comes in and suggests punishing Liz for "withholding information." Ms. MacDonald tells Sherrie to mind her own business. The teachers go off to find Jessica and Anna, and they make Liz stay behind. Liz is mad!
Back to the secret room. Jess and Anna watch the man as he nervously rifles through some drawers, pulls out some papers, and stuffs them in his suit pocket. Jessica notices the huge diamond ring on his pinkie finger. Anna feels somebody tap her on the shoulder and almost screams -- but it's just that handsome teenage boy from downstairs. He motions for Jess and Anna to follow him through this secret passageway. They do. But then they hear a voice growl, "Hey stop!" It's that man -- and he's coming after them!!
The boy leads Jess and Anna to yet another room, and through a nursery, and finally to a secret attic. They're safe for the time being. The bad man was hot on their trail, but he doesn't seem to know about the attic. Jess and Anna and the boy listen and laugh at the man as he stomps around bumbling-villain style, stepping on squeaky baby toys, all "Come out you crazy kids!" Jessica wonders if the man is a spy. The boy confirms that he IS a spy! The boy worries after Jessica tells him that the spy took some papers, but Jess suggests sealing off the exits, and the boy agrees that this is a good idea. The boy also thinks that his dad will know how to stop the spy before he makes off with those papers (which are important documents).
Who is this boy, anyway? We soon find out. It's a real shocker. The spy leaves the nursery, and Jessica, Anna, and the boy all go back downstairs. Jess and Anna watch as the boy immediately goes over to his father. Why, his father is Mr. Linwood! But before Anna figures out that Leslie isn't just a girl's name... there's a spy that needs catching.
Mr. Linwood closes off all the exits. Just like Jessica said. They all go searching for men who match the spy's description ... short, curly dark hair, tiny brown eyes, glasses. They think he might be wearing a disguise, but they don't have any luck finding him ... until Jess goes into the kitchen.
It's there that she sees the chef. At first, Jess just brushes him off as ... a chef. He has a bushy beard and mustache, and he isn't wearing glasses! He's just carrying a turkey. seemingly minding his own business. But then Jess looks at his pinky and sees the telltale huge diamond ring! Jessica always notices valuable things! Jess is all "That's him!" At first the boy doesn't believe her, but Jessica insists "It's him!" -- and they know for certain after the chef looks right at Jessica and throws the turkey at her! Hee!
Since Jessica is Jessica, all she cares about is that the spy got turkey grease all over her dress. Fortunately two guards catch the chef/spy (who was starting to run away). Mr. Linwood comes over to peer at him and says "Why you're not Oscar." A waiter says that the chef/spy claimed to be Oscar's replacement. Jessica stops wailing about her dress long enough to notice that those important documents are sticking out of the spy's socks. This guy's not a very good spy, is he? She points them out and a guard gives them back to Mr. Linwood. Mr. Linwood peers at the spy again and is all, "You thought you'd get away with this, didn't you? Well thanks to these young kids, you're going to be behind bars for a looooong time." The guards lead the spy away and everybody cheers. I wonder, WHY did the spy change into a chef's outfit? And why was he carrying a turkey? Just what was his plan? The waiters go off searching for the real chef, Oscar. They find him tied up in the linen closet, gagged with a dishrag. Only in Sweet Valley...
(Oh yeah, they're in Washington. Oops.)
Back at the hotel, Liz and Ellen have a weird bonding moment as they wait for news on Anna and Jess. Ellen sneaks Liz some treats from the dessert cart.
Back to the Australian Embassy ... now that things have calmed down, Anna and Jessica have a chance to talk to that boy. Anna finally finds out that he is Leslie Linwood, and that he's her long-lost brother! To her credit, at least "Leslie" isn't as obvious as another name might have been...like say, Billie. Anna and Lelie hug.
Then Anna, Leslie, and Jessica all go to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Linwood. The Sweet Valley girls introduce themselves, and even though Anna says she's "Anna Barrett" from "Sweet Valley, California" the Linwoods don't let on that they know who she is. Even after Anna tells them how she found Leslie, they're just like "That's quite a story, Anna." Didn't they write Anna's parents a letter that said they were moving? Either they're thick, or they're really that determined to keep Anna and Leslie away from eachother.
Before we can find out for sure, the happy get-together is crashed by Mrs. Isaacs and the other chaperons, who finally caught up with Jessica and Anna. The girls are in BIG trouble! Anna even has to confess that she can't sing! Mr. Stefan is horrified! But then, before the chaperons can get too mad, Leslie's dad breaks in and tells them all about how Jessica and Anna helped catch a spy! The chaperons are all "I can't believe it -- OUR girls!" Anna and Jess are forgiven. Mr. Stefan invites the Linwoods to the big choir concert the next day, and Mr. Linwood says that they "wouldn't miss it for the world." Like a big diplomat doesn't have better things to do than go to some middle-school choir competition ... but whatever. Before Jessica and Anna leave, they get their pictures taken for all the newspapers. Jessica wins again! (At least she didn't do anything too annoying in this book.)
The next morning, Anna's parents fly in and have a big meeting with the Linwoods (which Jessica and Elizabeth get the honor of coming to). The Barretts and Linwoods finally confess to their children that, yes, Anna and Leslie are siblings. They had to keep Leslie a secret because of Mr. Linwood's dangerous government job. They apologize. Anna and Leslie are just happy to be together.
That night, before the competition, Jess and Sherrie Dunston have a bit of a showdown. Sherrie sings again in her angelic voice, and the twins worry about whether or not they can beat her in the competition.
They don't have to worry because when it comes time for Sherrie to sing, she's good ... but her voice trembles! In the end, Grant Middle School places second in the big competition. Sweet Valley, of course, places first. Elizabeth wins Best Soprano Soloist, Dana wins Best Alto, and Jessica ties with Sherrie in the Dueling Voices competition. Yay Sweet Valley!
After the show, Anna (who was excused from participating by Mr. Stefan) gives Jess a boquet of flowers ... from her brother Leslie. Anna, Jess, and Liz all hug and the twins think that this was the most exciting thing that ever happened to them. Oh Jess and Liz, wait until you get to high school!