The Fabulous Jenkins Girls (Novel Series)

***The Fabulous Jenkins Girls*** is a novel series created by Maryam Wells, who presided over a team of ghostwriters for the duration of the series. The books revolve around sisters Sydney and Maxine Jenkins dealing with high school and home life. The series dealt with a variety of issues including dating, divorce, alcohol abuse, and sex, teenage pregnancy, sibling rivalry, and friendship

## Synopsis

The series revolves around the complicated relationship of teenage sisters Sydney and Maxine Jenkins living in Oakdale, California. Sydney is sensible and smart, while her younger sister Maxine is feisty and mischievous.

## Main Characters

* **Sydney Jenkins** is the elder Jenkins sister, born two years before Maxine. She is a junior at Oakdale High when Maxine began her freshman year. She likes to concentrate on her school work and spend time with her friends. She is also a volleyball player. Sydney always helps Maxine out of her problems when it comes to being new to the high school world. She's often referred to as the reliable, more serious sister. Jake Marino is her constant love interest throughout the series. In the beginning of the series, Sydney was 16 and at the end of the series, she was 20. She dealt with serious issues like being pregnant with Jake Marino's child and miscarrying the baby, being placed in a coma by her sister, being engaged to Jake on Grad Nite, and her complicated relationship with her younger sister, Maxine.
* **Maxine Jenkins** is the complete opposite of her older sister; she loves gossip, boys, fashion, and arts and crafts. She prefers to hang out with best friend, Echo Ross, an aspiring artist and Maxine has a huge crush on Sydney's love interest, Jake Marino. She usually ends up concocting ridiculous schemes, and Sydney each time tries to clean up Maxine's messes. Keith Cooper is her constant love interest throughout the series. She also likes popstars. In the beginning of the series, Maxine was 14 and at the end of the series, she was 17. She dealt with serious issues like alcohol abuse after her parents' separation, nearly killing her sister by pushing her down the steps, infertility scare, being cheated on by her boyfriend, Keith Cooper, and her complicated relationship with older sister, Sydney.

* In the first arc, Sydney and her friends are often in the junior and senior hall, while Maxine and her best friend, Echo are in the freshman hall at Oakdale High. They are equally popular. Sydney has light brown hair and brown eyes, while Maxine has honey-blond hair and hazel eyes.

## Other Characters

* Mark and Donna Jenkins are the parents of teenage daughters, Sydney and Maxine. Although both sisters are close with their father, their relationship with their own mother was intense, as Sydney often played mediator to Maxine and their mother. The two divorced during the second arc of the series.
* Echo Ross - Maxine's longtime best friend.
* Jake Marino - Jake is a handsome blond-haired hunk who has a kind-hearted nature. In the series, it is explained that Jake has had a crush on Sydney, whiled being crushed on by Maxine. In the beginning of the series, he was dating an arch-rival of Sydney's named Brie Matthews. Though the two broke up due to Brie leaving Oakdale, he starts dating Sydney, until he learns she kissed another guy and began to doubt her future with Jake and he leaves her. He has been a lifelong friend of both Jenkins sisters and dreamed of marrying Sydney from a young age. After his first split with Sydney, Jake shared a shocking kiss with Maxine. He eventually reunites with Sydney and the two marry two years after high school and they have a son, Justin.
* Elena Lopez - Sydney's best friend. The two were close during their high school years. Following graduation, she gets accepted to California University at Berkeley and leaves Oakdale to attend.
* Dillon "D-Mac" Banks - Jake's best friend. Both were popular during their time at Oakdale High. Following graduation, D-Mac moves to New York to attend music school. Jake's god-brother, Keith Cooper replaces D-Mac as a best friend role of Jake's.
* Tasha Banks - D-Mac's sister and a friend of Maxine's. After she graduated from high-school, she leaves Oakdale to attend college.
* Tommy McNeil - Jake's cousin. He and his wife, Angela move to Oakdale and start their café to support themselves.
* Angela McNeil - Tommy's wife. She was Jake's first kiss when they were kids. She gets along well with the Jenkins sisters and their friends. It was revealed that she and Jake shared a steamy kiss when she was 17 and Jake was 13.
* Melody Sawyer - Maxine's close friend in the *Fabulous Jenkins Kids* and *Sydney & Maxine: Separate Worlds* books. She replaced Tasha Banks as a friend of Maxine's in the *Jenkins Girls* series after Tasha leaves Oakdale to attend Cal State Dominguez Hills. She was in a abusive relationship, which finally ends.
* Tanya Cortino - Sydney and Maxine's cousin. She gets along with Sydney, but not with Maxine. Her conflict with Maxine became the focal point in Tanya's storyline in the series.
* Keith Cooper - Maxine's main love interest.
* Justin Marino - Jake and Sydney's son.

## List of Spin-Off's

* ***Sydney & Maxine: Separate Worlds*** - The adventures of Sydney and Maxine during Sydney's first two years of high school and Maxine's last two years of middle school.
* ***The Fabulous Jenkins Kids*** - The adventures of Sydney and Maxine as little kids. Sydney is 8 years old and Maxine is 6 years old.
* ***The Fabulous Jenkins Girls: All Grown Up*** - Sydney and Maxine Jenkins' lives as working mothers. Sydney is a english teacher at Oakdale Middle School, while Maxine tries to maintain a longtime relationship and family while trying to start her fashion business.

## Notes

* Some of the Jenkins sisters series episodes and storylines were borrowed from cancelled "Double Trouble" series.
* Jake Marino lived next-door to the Jenkins sisters.
* The was the first series to have sisters born in the 2000's. Sydney was born in 2002, while Maxine was born in 2005.
* Sydney and Maxine Jenkins were created as the American versions of Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell from the English soap opera, *Eastenders*.
* Character Keith Cooper were created for a dropped love triangle storyline between him, Sydney Jenkins, and her main love interest, Jake Marino. But, he because the new main love interest for Sydney's sister, Maxine.
* Sydney and Maxine's middle names came from the Wakefield twins from *Sweet Valley High*. Sydney's middle name is Elizabeth and Maxine's middle name is Jessica.