This week Random House Graphic will publish Sweet Valley Twins #1: Best Friends, the graphic novel adaptation of the first book in the classic young adult novel series. The graphic novel is written by Nicole Andelfinger and illustrated by Claudia Aguirre, based on the book written by Jamie Suzanne and created by Sweet Valley High author Francine Pascal. Ahead of the its release, The Beat is pleased to present an exclusive excerpt of the book.

Here’s how Random House Graphic describes Sweet Valley Twins #1: Best Friends:

Jessica and Elizabeth have always been inseparable twins, but starting middle school means a chance for new beginnings! Elizabeth is excited to organize a school newspaper, but Jessica is more interested in joining the exclusive Unicorn Club. What will happen when the twins realize they might not be as alike as they thought?

Middle school is hard enough, but with these twins each dealing with becoming their own person–will they be able to stay friends at the same time?

Along with the excerpt, Andelfinger told The Beat about bringing the first of the 118-book series to the comics format:

“One beautiful thing about getting to bring this book to life in a visual format was giving every character their own little pop of flair. You can really get a sense of our secondary characters just by looking at what they’re wearing or how they’re acting. Lila’s hair flip definitely tells you a thing or two about her, while Julie’s passion is visible from just her smile alone. I love it!

 
“Middle school is always difficult, especially when it comes to the gossip circle. I love these pages because for me this really invokes the stresses of middle school; sorting out what gossip was real and cementing your place with your friends. It also really highlights a difference between Jessica and Elizabeth that is a theme throughout the series. Elizabeth is comfortable with what she has and the close knit friendships she has, while Jessica is the bombastic side that seeks that validation through a larger circle.”

Check out the exclusive excerpt below. Sweet Valley Twins #1: Best Friends is due out in stores next Tuesday, November 1st.