#39 Poor Mallory (Miss Vanessa gets her Start)

Poor Mallory indeed, the BSC whipping boy.  Not only is she ugly with red hair, freckles, glasses and braces, her family is now going broke…

So Mal is on her way home from school with Jessi and they are singing songs only eleven-year-olds would find amusing.  Once Mal gets home, she discovers her mother lying down.  It turns out that Mr. P might lose his job.  I think we had some foreshadowing in the past few books that this might happen and so it’s not a total shocker when he loses his job.  But still, Mal sat through all of chapters 2 and 3 three hoping that it’s not going to happen.  But it does.  Of course.

Mal gets her siblings together in kind of a little club to think of ways to save money and to be able to lean on each other.  Then Mal calls Jessi to tell her what happened.

The BSC, in its super supportive way, decides that Mal can have all the jobs that come in that she’s available for and Kristy even gives up her month long job with the Delaneys so that Mal can make some money.  She even condescends to sit for the evil Jenny P, who is going to be a big sister.  Now whose idea was that?  I’d like to see who gets credit in the “BSC bible”.

We find out that Mal has been having some trouble with some girls from school including some former friends of hers.  They’re making fun of her because her dad lost his job.  Now this is pre facebook era, so unless the BSC is spreading it around, how do all these people know?  Did Mal get on the PA and announce it?  Did she have to stop and tell every teacher at the beginning of each class in an overly loud voice?  Was one of these girls’ fathers the one handing out pink slips?  Whatever it was, within two days she’s being picked on.  It’s a good thing she has the best friends you’ll ever have.  They don’t care if your dad lost his job, or if you’re black….

Mal starts her sitting job with the Delaneys.  They have a new pool and invite friends over to swim in it, but turn away other kids they don’t like.  Mal thinks it’s unfair that these kids have a pool and her sister wants a skipper doll, but they can’t afford it.  .  Other than books and art supplies, we usually just get our kids things at Christmas and birthdays.  Call me old fashioned, but who needs all that crap lying around the house making messes anyway?  See, budget problem solved!

Stacey sits for the Delaneys on a Saturday that Mal can’t do it and the kids discover that some of their friends aren’t really their friends….they just want to use the pool.  Ok, c’mon.  If you’re in the riches part of town in wealthy Connecticut, I’m willing to bet every house has a pool.  Amanda and Max are hurt even though Karen Brewer (!!) has enough tact to stay and play.

On the Pike homefront, things are not going too well.  Mr Pike hasn’t found a a job yet, and taking a page from Ramona, is in his pj’s watching television (electric bill!!) instead of taking care of Claire.  Of course, Mr. Quimby was out of work longer before he started that habit; thankfully Mr. Pike doesn’t take up smoking.  Dee calls him on the carpet, so by the next week he’s Mr. Mom.  AH!  No!  Say it ain’t so!

Mal calls another meeting with her siblings and they talk about ways to make money so that they can pay their mortgage.  I can see my kids doing this, although I doubt my oldest would have organized his sibs like Mallory did.  They’d probably just sit and worry, like the Pike kids are.

Kristy’s sitting job and hey!  It’s not for her siblings!  But they are over to play with the Papadakis kids and they have a fun time playing office while it’s raining.  But alas!  The sun comes out so Karen and DM want to ditch Linny, Hannie and Sari for the Delaneys and their pool.  Hannie and Linny call them out for being hypocrites when they don’t even really like Amanda and Max, but DM and Karen leave anyway.

Mal sits again for the Delaneys and Max and Amanda soon tire of being in the pool  But their friends aren’t and don’t want to get out.  Mal calls all the kids out of the pool and Amanda and Max suggest games.  Unfortunately, their “friends” walk out of the yard leaving them high and dry.  Max goes off and plays, but Amanda stays with Mal.  Mal can commiserate; she’s finding out who her real friends are now that her dad’s out of a job.  She and Amanda hatch a plan to see who her real friends are – invite people over but tell them they can’t swim while a sitter is there.  Real friends will come anyway.

The Delaney plan has inspired Mal to confront the girls who are picking on her at school and the next day she gets her chance.  They’re talking about how her dad must be stupid and Miss Mal goes and tells them off, including a warning to watch their backs.  Go Mal!  Girl power!  Not only does she get the satisfaction of knowing she stood up for herself and her family, she finds out her plan for the Delaneys works out so that they know who their real friends are (now they can go swimming again!).

In yet another brilliant display of babysitting, Jessi is sitting for her siblings when the news comes out that Vanessa calls herself Miss Vanessa and styles hair on the playground in order to make money.  Just so long as she doesn’t start a business called Miss Vanessa’s House of Hair, we should be ok.  Vanessa and Charlotte come over to play with Becca, and when Vanessa arrives home, we find out Mr. Pike has a lead on a job!

It takes a few more interviews before Mal is able to breathe a sigh of relief because he GOT THE JOB!!!  Yay!!!  Now Claire can have a skipper doll!  You know, because that’s really the most important thing.  They all confess how worried they were only to find out Mr. Pike was getting severance pay.  The kids are a little ticked at Mal, but she didn’t know.  How would they?  John and Dee never told them.  Sometimes you gotta remember kids worry too and it’s good to let them know it’s going to be ok. 

Mallory hosts a BSC sleepover and tells the members about how some of her “former” friends were hinting they’d like to be invited.  Seriously, these girls ARE their own social networking device.  So they do some prank calling, one of which I used on my brother for his 40^th birthday.  It is, by far, Mal’s best night ever.  (hopefully not for the rest of her life.)

#38 Kisty's Mystery Admirer

Finally, not an MA book!  This one also appears to be an Ann M original manuscript, so woo-hoo for that! 

The only thing I'd like to mention about the cover is Shannon's "school uniform."  Purple and red?  Really?  

We start in Kristy’s mind, a scary place to be.  She’s trying to coach her Krusher player Jackie Rodowski through his at bat – it appears that they might actually beat the Bashers.  Jackie connects for a home run and the Krushers win!  Bart asks Kristy to walk home and they start talking about sports, which leads into flirting a bit.  They talk about the BSC, who’s dating whom, Bart mentions he’s in a band….feels like a high school senior conversation rather than an 8^th grader conversation.  I remember myself in 8^th grade.  No one was dating anyone – we had just realized that the opposite sex existed outside of cootieville and were just trying to figure out how to have a conversation without spitting through our braces.

Kristy arrives home and the next two chapters are irrelevant since at this point in the series, they’re pretty cemented into their personality traits and there’s not much new to tell. 

We transition to the meeting and then Kristy arrives home to find that Shannon has called four times. Common Sense Moment: We just hear about how Shannon is an alternate member of the BSC, so we know she knows when the meetings are.  Why would she call four times if she knows Kristy’s not home?  Anyway, the big news is that there’s a love letter in Shannon’s box for Kristy.  She brings it over after dinner and they hide out in Kristy’s room.  The letter’s pretty simple:”Dear Kristy, I think you are beautiful.  And you’re the nicest girl I know.  I would like to steady with you.  I wish I could tell you this in person.  Love, Your Mystery Admirer.”

Shannon thinks it’s from Bart; Kristy thinks it’s from Sam.  She calls Bart and they talk about some stuff, but he doesn’t say anything about the note and she doesn’t either.  

There’s a Stacey sitting chapter and it’s really about the additional letters Kristy’s getting.  They’re pretty schmaltzy, especially from an 8^th grade boy.  By the end of the chapter, the Krushers and Bashers are on for a “World Series” game and Kristy has asked Bart to the Halloween Hop.

The next day at lunch Krsity whips out the letters and shows them off to her friends.  Cokie and Grace are watching from another table.  So, is it any surprise that Kristy gets another note that’s a little weird and twisted that afternoon?  I mean, this is now the second Halloween where Cokie and Grace have pulled a little prank.  I figured this out the first time through the book!  Mommy Moment: As a mother, I would hope that my child would tell me the minute something like this got out of hand, especially in this day and age with all the internet stalkers and pedophiles roaming around.

We have another sitting chapter where Jessi and Mal sit for the Pikes.  The Pikes decide to put on a haunted house; Vanessa calls the other Krusher cheerleaders over and they decide to dress up as the three stooges for the Krusher World Series.

At the next BSC meeting, Krsity reveals that she has gotten a few more notes that are rally weird and creepy.  Now everyone thinks they are from Sam, but Kristy’s not convinced.  The last note said he was “coming to get” her.  She’s worried someone might want to kidnap her because of Watson’s money.  She goes home and pretty much barricades herself in her room.  She debates whether or not to tell her Mom and Watson, but decides they would think she was crazy.  Mommy Moment: Again, tell the parents!  Even if it’s a kid playing a sick prank, parents need to know these things!!

Kristy tells Shannon about her lunatic theory and Shannon thinks she’s nuts.  She throws out the idea that Bart is trying to psyche Kristy out before the big world series they’re having.  Kristy gloms onto that idea and when Bart and the Bashers show up for their game, she’s hopping mad.  Buddy Barrett whacks a ball foul, which hits Shannon in the head.  She’s ok, but she and the other sitters are ignoring Bart.  Later that evening, he calls Kristy, but she hangs up on him.

MA sits for the Barretts, finding out that Buddy has a little crush on Shannon.  They go to Krusher’s practice and find out that Kristy has gotten another note, this time with fingernail clippings inside of it.  Mommy Moment: Enough is enough.  Tell an adult!  (Of course, Cokie and Grace are counting on Kristy NOT telling.)

Bart shows up at practice again, confused because Kristy again blows him off.  He calls that night, and she again blows him off.  So it’s no surprise (or maybe it is) when he shows up at her door the next day wanting to know what’s going on.  Turns out he did write the first few letters, but not the weird ones and he’s a little pissed that Kristy thought he’d do that.  They try to figure out who’s behind it, but no ideas.  Shannon comes over to try to help, but they still have no idea.  Now Kristy is really convinced that someone is after her…and it’s not Bart!  Mommy Moment: Now I’m really flipping out as a mom.  If my kid let it get this far without telling me, I’d really be upset.  My oldest stepson is bordering tween age – please tell me he won’t be this dumb!!

It’s the day of the World Series and everyone is freaking out at the Brewer/Thomas household.  They manage to get it together and head to the field.  Lo and behold, who should be in the stands but Cokie and Grace.  Kristy asks why she’s there, and suddenly, in a war of words, Cokie implicates herself in the note sending.  Kristy demands to know why and Cokie says it’s because they were made to look like fools in front of Logan.  Kristy waving the notes all over at school gave her the idea.  Kristy lets her go and heads back to the game.

In a rather anticlimactic few paragraphs, the Krushers win the World Series game 8-7.  For all the build up to it, the actual description of the game is pretty lackluster, if I may say so.  I guess we’re focusing on Kristy and Bart this book.

Later that day, Shannon and Kristy are hanging out, talking about make-up when Bart calls.  He has lobster costumes they can wear to the Halloween Hop.

The night of the Halloween hop arrives and Kristy’s ready to go.  They pick up Bart and head to the dance.  They have a good time and end up winning a prize for most unusual costume.  At the end of the night, Bart kisses Kristy.  I must have liked this part as a kid, ‘cause it’s circled in blue pen with a lipstick kiss on it.  Wow, was I weird.

After the Hop, the BSC girls plus Shannon are having a sleepover.  They talk about the dance, discover a creepy note that Shannon made while they were all at the dance (why didn’t they just invite her to come along?) and decide to write a note to Cokie.  It’s quite gross.  Then they go to bed.  The end.

Ok, so explain this to me.  First off, if Bart is so into Kristy, and he’s already got a relationship with her, why would he resort to secret letters?  Secondly, it’s not like these girls are discreet about what’s happening in their lives; it really shouldn’t surprise them that other people have picked up on it and are using it against them!!

#35 Stacey and the Mystery of Stoneybrook

Sorry for the long delay, but the end of the school year plus the start of summer fun has really take up a lot of time.  

This book is so….I can’t even.  I can’t really see what the point of it is, other than the BSC girls scaring the snot out of themselves and their charges.

This is an Ellen Miles book, so woo-hoo for ghost-writers!

So, here’s the basic storyline:  Stacey (and her mom) is asked by the Johanssens to take Charlotte for a week while Mr. and Doctor go to Mrs’s hometown to be with his dad during a surgery.  Of course, the McGills take Charlotte.  During this time, she develops tonsillitis and needs to be on penicillin.

At the same time Charlotte is staying with Stacey, there is an old house being torn down in the neighborhood.  Stacey and Char visit and see some weird things.  Then Kristy (while she’s sitting her sibs, of course) discovers a map that shows the house built over an ancient burial ground.  Claudia does a little more digging and discovers the house belonged to a Ronald Hennessey, who is a resident at Stoneybrook Manor (the local nursing home).

Stacey and Charlotte visit the house again and see fire shooting out of the window.  Stacey attempts to put it out with rainwater in a wheelbarrow, but it suddenly disappears.  That night they both have nightmares about the place.

Stacey tells her friends about what happened at the house and the dreams.  Kristy immediately calls an emergency meeting, which never happens that often (only in every book).  At the meeting, they decide to visit Ronald Hennessey.

Kristy, Claud, Stacey and Charlotte are the ones to visit Mr. Hennessey.  They tell him about their experiences and he tells them all kinds of spooky stories about his days living there.  He ends the visit with the words, “Just be careful.”

The house is coming down the next day and they all go to watch.  When it comes down, Stacey notices that it’s burning up with an elderly man in the middle of it!  But….no one else notices.  Stacey runs to the nursing home to see Mr. Hennessey, but finds out he died during the night. 

It turns out that he left her a note saying that he had made up the stories he told them on their visit.  He hopes he didn’t scare her too badly.

Kristy, Charlie and Sam pick Stacey up from the nursing home and explain away all of the weird things that happened, except for the burning when the house came down.  I’d chalk that one up to sleep deprivation, Stacey.

The Johanssens arrive not long after Stacey and Char arrive home and pick up their daughter.  Charlotte calls her later to tell her she misses her and they have a special good-night moment.  Awwwwwwwwww!

Mommy Moments:

• Hooray!  The Johanssens actually call Mrs. McGill before officially leaving their child with her.  Way to communicate!
• Charlotte complains of her throat hurting before the Johanssens leave.  As a mother, I think two things: 1. she’s faking so I don’t leave.  2. she has a history of chronic tonsillitis; she could really have an issue.
• If my child was ill and my father-in-law was recovering nicely, I’d come home ASAP!
• So Stacey and Charlotte are freaking themselves out to the point that they’re not sleeping and can’t really function.  Doesn’t Mrs. McGill notice this at some point?

Common Sense Moments:

• In order to get Charlotte to take her medication, Stacey shows her some of her diabetes equipment and explains how much work it takes to take care of her body.  I don’t know how effective that method would really be.
• In her quest to get to the bottom of the mystery, Stacey effectively freaks Charlotte out, to the point she’s having nightmares about the place.  At one point she even asks herself if she’s getting so caught up in the mystery that she’s forgetting to be a good baby-sitter.  The answer is YES, STACEY!!

Outfits:

• Stacey “I had dressed for my train ride in a white jumpsuit, layered over a blue tank top.  I had on white push down socks with blue hearts on them, a wide patent leather belt and a wild necklace made of all kinds of plastic sea creatures in a rainbow of colors.”
• Stacey “pink polka-dotted short skirt with suspender straps and had worn it with an oversized white t-shirt.  I had on my pink high-top sneakers, folded down to show their striped lining.  I’d also worn these great earrings Claud had given me for my last birthday.  They had all these little pink plastic hearts dangling down from one bigger heart.”

Challenge....

Accepted!

Find a book where Kristy posts a sitting entry in the BSC notebook when she is NOT sitting for her siblings.  Post in the comments below.

#36 Dawn and the Older Boy

Hey, I’m back!  The babies are eating, sleeping (for the most part) and pooping on a schedule now, so I figured I can squeeze a few moments into my chaotic day to do a snark.  Goodness knows, six-month-olds have no concept whatsoever of sarcasm.

 So, let's begin yet another book with stalking the prevailing theme, shall we?

So Dawn and the rest of the BSC are having a sleepover and doing all kinds of girly things.  Everyone’s life story is revealed and I yawn.  We do get a Claudia look: black bib overalls over a white turtleneck with a shiny black patent leather belt looped around her waist.  Black sued ankle boots and white cotton socks.  I like the added hat.

The girls don’t go to bed until 3am and rise closer to 11.  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh, those were the days.  They roll downstairs looking ragged and probably not smelling much better.  OMG, there’s a highschool hottie at the table.  AND HE’S EATING GRANOLA!  He must be from California – he is!!  They turn tail and run back upstairs, attempting to look much more attractive.  They return and highschool hottie is still there!  He and Dawn strike up a conversation and she is in luv!  MA warns her not to hopelessly crush on him, making Dawn a little miffed with her.

And it’s Monday…apparently Dawn loves Monday because it is the first BSC meeting of the week.  Rah.  No, no, what she really wants is to stalk Travis via Kristy. 

 Because you know, Kristy cares about things like that.  She (obviously) knows nothing and Dawn just comes off a little desperate.  The only action that’s happening is that Mal has a date with Ben Hobart.  This just leads Dawn back down the path of daydreaming….starring Travis.

Amazingly enough, the next Saturday while Dawn and MA are raking leaves, Travis just happens by their house.  There are two pages spent talking about his car before he finally whips out a box with a necklace and haircombs in it for Dawn.  Then he starts giving her style advice.  Ok, that’s just a little creepy.  Hey, I’ve only met you once, but I’ve figured out where you live and now I’m giving you gifts and telling you how to style your hair.  Creepy stalker boy!!

Jessi sits for the Hobarts.  James has written a play and Jamie Newton and the Perkins girls are there to perform it.  James’ friend Zach stops by and makes fun of him, but James brushes him off.

Tuesday Travis shows up at school and spirits Dawn away to “help him shop for a gift for his father.”  No, no, he just wants to spend time with her.  He takes her to eat (ordering for her, GASP*) and then to buy her some butterfly earrings that she’ll “wear under the stars.”  Barf  He tries to talk her into getting another hole pierced in her ears and I wonder yet again just what his deal is.

Dawn arrives home, finds out that MA has blabbed to the parents about where Dawn was and they give her a darn good bawling out.  MA sneaks into the kitchen to listen in on the scolding  

 

Why bother peeking through the keyhole?  Just pretend to be feeding Tigger.  In the end, Sharon decides that maybe she’ll let Dawn see Travis again and then she gets into a fight with Richard.

Dawn confronts MA about blabbing and MA tears up,   Lest she float along on a sea of MA’s tears, Dawn says to forget about it and move on.

professing her undying love, her horrid inability to lie, her secret desire to watch Dawn squirm….oh, did I say that out loud?

As Rachel pointed out in her last post, whenever Kristy writes a notebook entry, it’s because she sits for her own sibs.  They pretend to go camping and it ends with Karen talking about witches.  Go figure.

Dawn sits for the Hobarts and James is working on his play again.  Zach comes along and pressures him to leave and join him.  James decides to go along and Dawn is very disappointed in him.

At the next meeting, Kristy drops the bomb that Travis is dating a hot high school girl.  Dawn completely zones out for the rest of the night.  She sits and muses about Travis while MA tries to do homework.  MA doesn’t seem that surprised that Travis is dating someone else and does seem surprised that Dawn is upset. Nice, Miss Empathetic.  Dawn stews some more and then decides to stalk Travis. 

She gets her chance a few days later.  She follows them to the burger joint and then to the jewelry store.  Dawn is OUTRAGED!  How dare he take her to the same places he took her!  The kissing gets to her and she storms away.

Dawn flips out at the meeting when all the girls are talking about how awesome Travis is.  MA convinces her to tell them what’s going on so she spills it.  They all agree that he’s a creep and that she’ll meet someone wonderful someday.  MA mentions Logan’s cousin Lewis, whom Dawn immediately dismisses as being too far away to really matter.

MA sits for the Hobarts, where James is attempting to put on his play.  Zach comes by again and again James lets him pull him away.  MA thinks that Zach is trying to make James into someone he’s not and she feels that Travis is trying to do the same thing to Dawn.

Dawn decides to confront Travis about things and follows him after school yet again.  She confronts Travis with his girlfriend at the jewelry store and realizes they are laughing at her, calling her a little girl.  She leaves, feeling hurt and very foolish. 

MA tells Dawn that she’s a lot like Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and how Travis was trying to change who she was.  MA encourages her to confront him about this and Dawn decides she will.

She calls him and confronts him.  Travis doesn’t really seem to get it, but apologizes.  Dawn decides he’ll never get it and ends the call.  MA comes in and tells Dawn that she send a letter to Lewis and she wants Dawn to meet him and write back to him and they can be creepily serious with 13-year-old boys together.  Maybe they’ll even have a double wedding like Jane and Lizzy Bennett. 

Dawn agrees to read the letter from Lewis, and feels something for him.  And we call Stacey boy crazy??  They write to each other and there’s the possibility of romance between them.  MA squees. 

The end.

I really don’t get the premise of this book.  Travis took her out a few times, bought her some earrings and gave her some hair tips.  It’s not as though he was trying to change who Dawn was.  I don't know, maybe I'm wrong.

#36 Jessi's Babysitter (Jessi's War)

I would have called it Patton's War, but...

Original cover, where Jessi looks more 17 than 11...

Updated cover, where they tame down the very early '90's fashion with some later '90's fashion....

We join Jessi as she’s sweating her way through ballet class.  She’s dreaming of someday dancing professionally even though it’s really hard work.  She’s already en pointe people!  Time to prepare for the Youth America Grand Prix!  …And I just spent 30 minutes looking up dancers from First Position.  You know, because it’s way more interesting than this book.  FYI - it's on Netflix.

She finishes class and waits and waits and finally her dad picks her up.  Jessi spies cake in the backseat, they arrive home and have a celebration dinner.  Mama got a new job!  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand Aunt Cecilia is moving in with them to help since Mama will be working full time..  The Jessi and Becca are not excited and plan to play nasty tricks on her to get her to leave.  This really is what an eight-year-old and eleven-year-old would do to get rid of someone.  Congratulations Ann, you win a prize for writing realistically…

Jessi calls Mal and we get the ten pages of who we are.  The next chapter rolls right into the club description and Jessi bemoaning the fact that she has a sitter.  Maybe I didn’t read this right, but I think Jessi’s parents also added that she’s helping with housework as well and is primarily there to take care of Squirt.

Jessi sits for Jackie Rodowsky and finds out that he wants to make a volcano and could enter it in the school’s science fair.  Jessi takes over his project for him, forcing him to agree to enter a volcano, dragging him to the library to get books and studying the material for him.  Mrs. R is pretty stoked Jackie’s entering a project and asks Jessi to be the sole babysitter from now until the science fair.

Mal and Dawn sit for the younger Pikes.  They’re getting excited about the science fair as well and the older kids even set up a miniature lending library for the neighborhood.

Finally the dreaded day arrives.  Aunt Cecelia has rented a U-Haul and Daddy is driving her stuff back to the Ramsey house.  Of course, when the first thing your aunt says to you is, “Tidy up your hair, Jessica,” it’s hard to be a good sport about things.  They lug things inside and soon Aunty CC is out of room so soon the house has little touches of her.  Jessi’s a little resentful.

Aunty CC gets started right away running the household.  She sends the girls to get ready for bed at 8:30, which they are not used to.  Jessi goes to tell her parents, but Mama just tells them they don’t have to go to bed.  Jessi decides not to worry her about it.  I think this first “incident” sets the tone for the whole debacle.  Now, as a parent, I have a certain set of rules I like followed and I have a set schedule.  My kids are used to it.  As I see it, there are three failures that happen here in this section. 1. Jessi decides against talking to her parents because she doesn’t want to worry them.  2. Mama and Daddy Ramsey don’t tell Aunty CC how the household is used to running.  As far as I can tell, there’s no rundown. 3. Aunty CC doesn’t bother asking if there’s a schedule the family follows, house rules, nothing along those lines.  Seems pretty presumptuous to barge in and start running the house without asking…

The next morning Aunty CC (now Aunt Dictator) sends the parents out to brunch and stays with the kids.  She seems a little overprotective, not letting the kids go outside because it’s cloudy, not letting Jessi bike to Mal’s house because it’s cloudy, but I can see her reasoning.  She has no idea what these kids are used to doing, because nobody told her and she didn’t ask.  So of course she’s going to overprotect; she doesn’t want to risk something happening and having to take the blame for being negligent.  But an eleven-year-old can’t see that, so Jessi and Becca decide to put their prank plan into action.

Jessi sits at the Rodowsky’s again, although Aunty CC almost doesn’t let her go (again, talking people!!) because she doesn’t know the people Jessi’s sitting for or the club members.  Jessi basically builds his volcano for him and studies information that he’s supposed to be learning.

Kristy sits for her family (why are Kristy sitting chapters only about her sitting for her sibs??) and DM decides to enter the science fair.  He works on ideas while Kristy teaches EM “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.”

Stacey sits for Charlotte, who’s testing plants to see if music affects their growth patterns.  Not gonna lie; I stole this idea when I was in grade school for a science fair project.  I got an A.  Stacey suggests charting growth and Charlotte agrees.  Becca comes over and tells Charlotte about the jokes they’re playing on Aunty CC.

Jessi lets loose about Aunty CC at the next BSC meeting and all her friends think she should talk to her parents about it.  Jessi still isn’t convinced.  They also talk about the science fair and Jessi starts to wonder if she’s doing too much of Jackie’s project.

Jessi sits for Jackie and they test the chemicals they’re going to use to make the exploding volcano.  Jackie can’t touch them and Jessi’s not supposed to either, but then they wash them off the driveway into the sewer system??  Then they start talking about what Jackie’s supposed to say, but it doesn’t go well.  Jessi’s trying to take 6^th grade information and make a 2^nd grader learn it.  Seriously, I would not expect a 2^nd grader to know igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks.

Jessi’s late getting home, fights with Aunty CC about the time and is grounded from attending the BSC meeting.  She calls her parents, but they’re both busy, so she ends up having to stay home.  She calls Kristy to tell her and has the club call her as many times as they can to annoy Aunty CC – and it works.  Jessi casually mentions it at dinner, but Mama and Daddy don’t really notice.  Then Aunty CC comes in to do Jessi’s hair so that it’s something she can be proud of.  Oh, boy.  They’re really in it now!

Finally!  The night of the science fair.  Jackie’s volcano is awesome, his speech goes well, but then the judges ask questions….and he has no idea what he’s talking about then.  It’s not like the questions were hard; they were questions my kids had when they were in second grade.  Jackie is (rightfully) ticked off at Jessi and she apologizes for doing his project for him.

The science fair shows Jessi that she (finally!) needs to talk to her parents.  She explains what’s been going on with Aunty CC and her parents have a family conference.  They (finally!) explain how things run and the responsibility they let the girls have.  Aunty CC says she’s tough because things are harder for black people and Jessi can understand that.  Then Aunty CC tells Mama and Daddy about the girls’ practical jokes and they say there will be punishment for that.

Jessi goes to her next BSC meeting and they commiserate about the science fair.  Mal gives a little foreshadowing about her dad’s job being in danger and Dawn talks about heading to Cali to visit her fam.  When she gets home, she’s greeted by Becca, who has some nasty bugs in her slippers.  Jessi discovers a mouse in her bed, shaving cream in her slippers and a short-sheeted bed.  Looks like Aunty CC got them back!

Becca and Jessi apologize as does Aunty CC and finally it looks like things are settling down.  Which would have happened earlier if there had been some communication.  But if there was communication, we wouldn’t have this insipid book.

#34 Mary Anne and Too Many Boys

“The author gratefully acknowledges Mary Lou Kennedy for her help in preparing this manuscript.”  Here we go!  Let’s see what Mary Lou can do, huh?

So we’ve gotten some comments that pictures would add to the enjoyment of the blog and we’re more than willing to help you, our readers, enjoy what we write even more!

So here’s the original cover….Does anyone else think that Toby looks like Scott Baio?

…and here’s the revamped cover.  I think they were trying to make MA look more modest, shy and retiring, but she just looks like she’s…in pain.  Much like I’ll be by the time this snark is done.

It’s the first day of summer vacation and everyone is talking about what they’re going to do.  MA and Stacey are going back to Sea City with the Pikes.  This year Mal is going to be paid for helping out, but only part of the time since they want her to have a vacation too.  Dawn is flying to California, which she hurridly calls her second home after calling it home, much to MA’s chagrin and tearyness. Claudia’s family is going to Vermont without Mimi for the first time and they’re trying a different place.  Kristy and Jessi, well, they’re stuck at home carrying out the sitting business.  We get the chapter 2 bit and suddenly MA is crying because everyone will be gone soon.  ~sniff.  SOB!

Dawn’s packing up, MA is getting teary, Richard is concerned about the mess and Sharon is trying to think of where she left the stamps she bought for the kids.  I find this line interesting: “Dawn was dressed for travelling, which meant she was wearing a beautiful Laura Ashely dress and had swept her long blonde hair back in pearl barrettes.”  It seems to me that if she was really dressed for travelling, especially on a plane, she’d be wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants with comfortable shoes and a pony tail.

They have their teary good-bye at the airport and MA heads home, where she finally gets to sleep. Her dad rousts her out of bed and they head over to the Pikes for another teary goodbye.  Inconsistency: Last time the Pikes went to Sea City, they went in August, just before the beginning of the school year.  Now they’re going just after school let out.  It seems funny they’d change it that much, especially since everyone else was also vacationing at the same time.

They head out.  MA is in the car with the triplets and Vanessa, who insists on rhyming every thing that comes out of her mouth, much like Fezzig. 

 They stop at Howard Johnson and have some ice cream.  MA thinks to herself about how she used to feel bad about eating sweets in front of Stacey, but now she doesn’t think about it anymore.  Except that she’s thinking about it.  She’s thinking about it instead of watching the kids.  Claire goes missing and they start searching for her.  Mommy Moment: If I was paying for someone to watch my kids, I’d be mad if my kid.went.missing. 

They finally arrive and MA and Stacey begin to unpack.  The reminisce about the previous summer, Scott, and Alex and Toby.  Alex and MA exchanged rings, but that doesn’t mean they’re serious or anything.  Obviously not, since she hit Logan like it was hot just weeks after she returned to Sea City.

She agonizes over a postcard to Logan, has breakfast with the Pikes (it’s amazing how much planning goes into breakfast for twelve people). 

They split up, MA taking the girls and Nicky into town.  They visit all the crazy places in town and stop for ice cream.  Chris, the cute guy behind the counter catches Vanessa’s eye, but he’s staring at Mal and overruns the whipped cream machine.  Vanessa thinks it’s her fault and MA is totally confused.  C’mon Miss Sensitivy, get with the program!  Chris, from this moment forth, you are dubbed IC Hottie.

We get a sitting chapter.  Kristy takes the Rodowsky boys to the pool.  Jackie drops a cookie in the pool, steps on a bee, disappears and tries to buy probably $50 worth of food.  Common Sense Moment: If you send an 8-year-old boy to buy lunch, chances are he’s going to be tempted beyond what he can bear and will try to get as much junk food as he can.  I defy you to find a kid anywhere that wouldn’t.

So MA and Stacey and all the Pike kids rush down to the beach for a day of fun in the sun.  Lo and behold, who should appear, but Toby and Alex (and 8 tiny reindeer).  Turns out they’re mother’s helpers for a whole month here in this fair town and want to have some fun.  That evening, Stacey is gushing about seeing Toby and wonders if they’ll ask them out.  Mal looks at MA as if to say, “Dude, you have a boyfriend,” causing MA to blush and reassure everyone that Logan has nothing to worry about.  But she’s worried, because she didn’t even think about Logan until now.  Mommy Moment: This is why thirteen-year-olds should not have steady boyfriends.  That’s just too young.  They don’t even know themselves yet, much less be mature enough to understand everything that a relationship entails.

Anyway, this whole “asking out” thing ends in disaster when MA and Stacey both are asked out on the same night.  Stacey tells her to cancel with Alex very calmly and MA blurts out that Stacey should have asked her before she made the date.  Common Sense Moment: Um Hon, you did the same thing.  Stacey gets huffy and flounces off to finish getting ready to get dressed while MA fumes about how Stacey is so selfish.  And I comment to myself, “This is the same girl who just chapters before agonized over a postcard to her boyfriend and a few books ago was certain she would marry said boyfriend (unless of course he was cheating with a hot chick in Aruba).  She’s this concerned about breaking her date?”  Vanessa’s love-sick poetry for IC Hottie finally rings a warning bell in her head that something isn’t right, that maybe Vanessa is obsessing over someone she doesn’t even know.  Of course, the obvious reason they’re having so much trouble is that there are just too many boys.  Mommy Moment: If my nine-year-old daughter was writing love poetry to a stranger, I’d want to know about it.  There are some scary people out there.

We get a Dawn sitting chapter from Cali.  Her dad’s girlfriend unexpectedly arrives with two kids, but dear old dad had plans.  He unceremoniously dumps them on Dawn to take care of.  The eight-month-old has colic and the three-year-old is bored.  Jeff helps out with the toddler and Dawn rocks the baby to sleep.  Mommy Moment:  Either A. Ann’s ghostie has no idea what she’s talking about or B. this baby should see a gastric specialist.  Colic rarely lasts longer than 5 months and if your child is older than that, it could indicate gastrointestinal issues.

So MA and Alex reschedule for Saturday, but Stacey has once again decided to head out with Toby.  MA tells her no and gets ready to go out.  They are headed to a fancy seafood restaurant.  Yes, thirteen-year-olds at a fancy restaurant ordering lobster and crabcakes.  Yes, I’ll take their paychecks please!  They end up on the boardwalk and Alex wins her a purple hippo.  MA is floating on air…until she thinks of Logan.

MA takes the girls into Sea City the next day.  First they shop for a souvenir for Margo; then they go to Trampoline Land, where Margo almost gets sick.  Then they go to the putt-putt golf course.  All the while, Vanessa is whining to go to the Ice Cream Palace.  MA can’t figure out why until Vanessa confesses she’s been three times to leave poems for IC Hottie.  MA is a little worried and then becomes a lot worried when IC Hottie asks Vanessa to tell Mallory that he’d love to go out with her Saturday night.  Mommy Moment: Criminy!  Do these writers realize Mal’s eleven????  And IC Hottie is twelve??  Do they realize it’s against the law in the majority of states to employ anyone under 14 and illegal to employ anyone under 16 full time??  This book would make more sense if it was written about high school seniors.  They head home and Vanessa shuts herself in her room for the rest of the day.  MA is very worried about her, but still doesn’t tell Mrs. Pike about this.

We get a Jessi sitting chapter.  Squirt learns what same means and puts the two hamsters together in the same cage.  This is probably the most realistic chapter in the book.

Stacey picks a fight with MA the next day and then they all learn that Toby dumped her.  He wants to go home and see other people and not be tied up with her.  Common Sense Moment:  Well, duh, Stacey, you don’t even live in the vicinity of each other.  Did you think you were going to go steady?  MA and Alex have one last date and neither of them has much to say.  MA blurts something out about Logan; Alex admits he has a girlfriend too and they both laugh.  They decide they’ll be friends forever.

MA arrives home and spies a light on in Vanessa’s room.  She’s awake and writing another poem to IC Hottie.  She’s “breaking up” with him, without telling him that she was his admirer, not Mal.  MA thinks this is a great idea and promises to help Vanessa get into town before they have to leave in the morning.  Then she returns to her room, where Stacey apologizes for being such a jerk.  They tear up and share a moment before going to sleep.

The next morning is crazy with packing up, but MA gets Vanessa into town and to the Ice Cream Palace.  Vanessa times it just right because she knows his schedule (STALKER!!) and leaves the poem without a trace of herself.

They arrive home later that day and MA races into the house to be reunited with her family.  Dawn is sleeping off her jet lag so MA calls Logan, the love of her life.  Dawn staggers down and demands stories, which MA tells her.  As she’s unpacking later that night, she finds a poem from Vanessa about how she’s a true friend for life.  And MA decides Vanessa will be just fine.  The end.