Sunset High (novel series)

Sunset High was a 12-novel series for girls, created by Linda A. Cooney and written by Cooney and several ghostwriters, that focused on life at a fictitious high school in Los Angeles, it was published in the 1980s by Fawcett Publications under its Girls Only banner.

Story and setting

Much of the focus of the story was set at fictitious Sunset High School in Beverly Hills, California. Many of the students were the offspring of those who worked in the entertainment industry, one of the biggest employers in and is synonymous with Los Angeles. A few of the students were stars themselves. Some kids, though, were also from more conventional families.

The story began when Kristin Sullivan, newly arrived from St. Cloud, Minnesota with her parents and her brother, Shawn, arrived at Sunset High. Her father, a cardiologist, had moved to Los Angeles, because of his job.

They found and purchased a house on swanky Rexford Drive in Beverly Hills, and Kristin began school at Sunset High. Since she had come in the middle of the last half of the school year, she wasn't able to get into any activities, but she grew to like her school and her new friends.

When she became a senior, however, all of that changed. She got involved in Modern Dance, which was as close to cheerleading as she could come to, and also became more involved in the school, and with her friends.

Although her parents have almost split, a couple of times, and she lost her first boyfriend to distance, Kristin persevered. Making a memorable visit in the earlier books was her best friend, Amy Parker, from St. Cloud, who couldn't help but be swept away by the glamour of Los Angeles. She also managed to get on with Kristin's new friends.

Chief characters

Kristin Sullivan. A newcomer to Sunset High from Minnesota, (due to her cardiologist father relocating for job reasons) who at first didn't think she would fit in, but eventually does. She had two boyfriends during the book series run, senior Grady Larkin, and then Denis Daniels, who is closer to her age. She becomes involved in Modern Dance, and often worked with the Modern Dance instructor, Mrs. Bornstein.
Monica Miller. A former child actress, pushed hard to get back into the business, is Kristin's best friend and closest confidante. Although, their relationship was tested a couple of times, they remained close all the way through the book series. Monica's conflict was with her pushy mother, who is also her acting manager; she is eternally pushing her daughter to get back into show business; this makes Monica angry, who insists that she wants to be just a normal high school student.
Grady Larkin. A senior who falls in love with Kristin, but their relationship lapses with the long distance. (He later attends college at Yale). His specialty was photography and media, and worked with the Media teacher, Ms. Duke.
Nadia Lawrence. Often considered the antagonist of the series, Nadia was the daughter of a highly successful movie producer, who often uses people to get exactly what she wants. Her tendency to manipulate people to her way was because her parents were usually on the verge of divorce. She idolized her father; and didn't like her often alcoholic mother. She and Denis Daniels despise one another, from a date that went wrong, and she has used his [...] addiction as a weapon against him. This highly conniving nature loses her several friends, including Glennie Taryton, whom she often placed on a pedestal, and was extremely unfriendly toward Kristin and her friends. The closest thing she had to a boyfriend was arrogant guitarist, Max Lauris.
Mindy Lockwood, Lisa White, and Marilyn Wells. Three fashionable girls who are friends with Glennie Taryton and Nadia Lawrence. Mindy's father is a studio executive; Lisa's mother is a clothing designer; and Marilyn's father runs a recording company. Mindy and Lisa are closer to Nadia than Glennie, while Marilyn, who has a bit more humanity than Mindy and Lisa (as shown when she helped someone into a car at Kristin's first party in Beverly Hills), is closer to Glennie. Of all three girls, Marilyn had some contact with Kristin's group, and wasn't snide towards them, as Nadia was.
Glennie Taryton. The richest girl at Sunset High. Her money comes from oil (as opposed to the entertainment industry) and is more tolerant and compassionate, than Nadia Lawrence tended to be, although she too could be snobby when pushed too far. She detested Nadia, her former best friend who betrayed her with Max Lauris' help, and will do anything to see her fail. Although she doesn't interact with Kristin and her friends, she is not as nasty or as venomous towards them as Nadia seemed to be.
Eddie and Elena Santiago. A hispanic brother and sister who are close friends to Kristin. Eddie, a senior, is Grady's best friend, known for his highly zany sense of humor and his highly unorthodox fashion sense. His sense of humor led him to a chance to do some stand-up comedy; and younger sister, Elena, an exercise instructor, is Kristin's friend and JT's new best friend. Elena is perhaps Nadia Lawrence's arch-enemy; despising her for the shabby way she treated JT. Elena's boyfriend is her coworked at the Beverly Hills Exercise center, a guy named David.
Janet Terry "JT" Gantner. JT (her full name is Janet Terry) is a chubby and insecure girl who was Nadia's often willing slave and doormat until she finally got brave and told her selfish ex-friend off, and became one of Kristin's closest friends. Her family runs a successful cookie corporation (similar to Mrs. Fields Cookies). She later slims down and gains some needed self-esteem with the help of her new best friend, Elena Santiago. At first, she had a crush on Denis Daniels, but later grows out of it. In her senior year, she gains a boy friend, Will, who is the Senior class president; JT herself is the class Vice president
Denis Daniels. The son of a highly successful television actress and an equally powerful studio executive, is the rebel of Sunset High. However, despite his often rebellious nature, he showed that he had a sensitive and compassionate side, making him one of the more sympathetic characters in the story. He had a running feud with Nadia Lawrence, who thought of him as nothing but a [...] addict. (Their feud stemmed from a date that went horribly wrong) He is close friends with JT Gantner, who harbored a crush on him for a long time, until she became involved with her boyfriend Will. He returned to Sunset High after a summer of drying out at a rehab center in Hawaii, which he euphemistically called "Screw-up surf camp". During their senior year, Denis and Kristin become a couple, after being close friends since she moved to Beverly Hills, to her parents dismay, and are close to the end of the story. They remain a couple, and he even gains Dr. and Mrs. Sullivan's approval.
Josh Ross. A reporter for the school newspaper, The Troubadour, who, despite living in nearby Culver City, California, attends Sunset High, because his mother is the school's nurse. He was once Monica Miller's boyfriend and has one of the highest IQ's at Sunset High. His second girlfriend, after Monica, was Samantha Sockwell, a newspaper cartoonist. He and Monica remain friends to the end, and even Samantha is friendly with Monica.
Elizabeth "Liz" DeSalvio. The lead singer of the rock band, Junk Food. She also attended Sunset High, and was the daughter of police officers, which meant she had an unusually high sense of right and wrong. Also she was known for her honesty. She often sparred with scheming bandmate, Max Lauris, who was often allied with Nadia Lawrence, most notably after he tried to upstage her while meeting with a band manager. She later gained a boyfriend in newspaper editor, Scott Newmark. Scott really enjoyed being in Liz's company, and she also became a part of Scott's circle of friends.
Scott Newmark. The editor of the Sunset High school newspaper, The Troubadour, as well as the Senior class spirit coordinator; and something of a class clown. His first relationship with sensitive poet, Mollie Traister, fizzled into a friendship, then he found new romance with Junk Food's dynamic lead singer, Liz DeSalvio, after he and his friends help her stop her arrogant bandmate, Max Lauris, from stealing the show and undermining the band.
Mollie Traister. Scott's first girlfriend, and somewhat sparring partner, she too becomes a casualty of Nadia and her conniving nature when she purposefully breaks a promise to her AbOUT showing her writing to her father. She was the Senior class secretary.
Max Lauris. A guitarist with the rock band, Junk Food, who was also ambitious and extremely arrogant. He was often allied with Nadia Lawrence in many of her schemes; (one of said schemes destroyed the friendship between Nadia and Glennie Taryton) however their partnership disintegrated after fellow bandmate, Liz DeSalvio, gained the attention of a band manager, while he tried to upstage her and the rest of the band, because the manager wasn't interested in him and his ambitions.
John Hamill. Sunset High's star tennis player who also had an arrogant streak. He was forgotten in the later books.

Plot highlights

Most of the stories deal with the usual romance, or the breakups therein; the normal every day school lives of the students, (made all the more tougher, since many of them grew up in the glare of the camera's all-seeing eye) and the excitement of living and being in one of the most vibrant and actively cultural cities in the nation.

In the first book, "Getting Experienced", Nadia experiences the utter joy of going to the Academy Awards (since her father was up for an award). Other events which are pertinent to and/or synonimous with the City of Los Angeles and the surrounding area, (The Rose Bowl and the Rose Parade in Pasadena; the Grunion run, et al) also played major parts in the stories. One of the stories also focused on a renaissance fair outside of Los Angeles.

However, focus was mainly on the tight knit circle of friends that Kristin gains, as she becomes part of the Sunset High family, most notably Monica, JT, Elena; Eddie; Josh; Scott; Liz and the others in their large and welcoming crowd.

Book titles and some plot summaries

1 Getting Experienced Kristin moves to Los Angeles and Nadia attends the Academy Awards.
2 A Chance to Make it Monica and Kristin's friendship is almost strained over an acting job.
3 Temptations Eddie Santiago dates a girl named Holly Harris despite Nadia's rumors
4 Over the Edge Kristin and Denis Daniels bond during a troublesome time for her parents.
5 Swept Away Amy visits Kristin and JT severs ties with Nadia.
6 Working it Out Elena Santiago meets her boyfriend, David, and helps JT become a new person.
7 Just Friends JT returns to school, with a new set of friends and a new boyfriend.
8 Perfect Strangers Scott Newmark and Mollie Traister become a couple.
9 No Secrets Josh Ross breaks up with Monica and starts to date Samantha Sockwell
10 Second Chances Malaise sets into Will and JT's relationship.
11 Worlds Apart Kristin and Denis begin to date, despite her parents reservations.
12 Sweet Revenge Scott and Liz DeSalvio become a couple and stop Max Lauris and Nadia.