#7 Claudia and Mean Janine

I really liked Claudia, except for her relationship with Janine.  This book is supposed to be Janine being mean to Claudia, but I really never saw it.  Even as a kid I thought it should have been called Mean Claudia and Janine.  Anyway, let’s get started.

We start off at the Kishi house on a morning in July.  Claudia is getting ready for her art class and tells us she doesn’t like school, but loves art.  Claudia’s sister Janine is a genius but Claudia really just thinks she’s a big dork.  Mrs. Kishi says Claudia isn’t fair sometimes – that inside, Janine is sensitive and loving and creative in her own way but Claudia doesn’t look past the big words to see it.  She also says Janine wishes she was more like Claudia with lots of friends and interests and that’s why she teases Claudia.  Woo-hoo!  Go Mrs. Kishi!  If only that sank in with Claudia…

But then Claudia admits she’s a disappointment to her parents because academics are important to them and she’s interested in art.  We meet Mimi, Claudia’s beloved grandmother.  After this, we get the later chapter 2 summary in 2 pages and then Janine asks Claudia how the club will work with Kristy moving – only in Sheldon type language.  Claudia explodes and Janine huffs off, but she leaves feeling rather hurt.

That night at the club meeting Kristy explains that her older brother Charlie is happy to drive her to club meetings at a low price.  Then she unveils her new great idea: a summer playgroup for the month of July.  Stacy volunteers her house, her parents okay it and the latest business of the BSC is born!

They spend the next few days handing out fliers and recruiting kids; even “little” Mallory Pike will be coming each day as a helper.  Kristy pitched this idea as a way for kids on summer break from school to get rid of their summer boredom; I find it ironic that most of their attendees are not yet in school.

The night before camp starts Claudia and Mimi make dinner while the elder Kishis are out; Claudia is to ask Janine if she wants waffles, but she rather informs her sister and they have a little tiff.  Dinner itself goes well with Mimi putting out fires between the girls before they get too hot.  After dinner Janine suggests the trivia game.  Honestly Janine, do you think this is going to end well?  Short story: they play, the genius wins, Claudia has a fit, Janine storms off, Mimi scolds Claudia and then heads for bed.

Claudia goes to apologize to Janine when they hear a giant thump and they discover Mimi on the floor in her room.  They call 9-1-1, Mimi is rushed to the hospital and Claudia stays home to tell her parents when they arrive.  The diagnosis is a stroke, a pretty severe stroke considering the only symptom she had before passing out was fatigue.  My father had a stroke several years ago and he not only had fatigue, but dizziness and weakness on one side.  Suddenly the right side of his face started to droop and we took him in.  He had a pretty mild stroke though.

Claudia goes to playgroup in the morning and tells the club members about Mimi.  The kids all make get well cards for Mimi and the sitters complain about Jenny Prezzioso, which seeing as she’s not sharing, refusing to wear a smock over her white lacy dress and is being rude to other children, I can live with.

Later that day Claudia sits for the Newtons and notices Jamie’s jealousy of Lucy.  She also notices just how much he loves her.  They run into Janine outside the Kishi’s house and here starts the most ridiculous exchange in the whole book.  My take, of course, since Ann would never use salty language:

Claudia: “How was your day?”

Janine: “It was very exciting-”

Claudia: “You callous, insensitive bitch!”

Janine: “What?

Claudia: “You didn’t immediately ask about Mimi or Mom.  Or the Dali Lama for that matter!”

Janine: “You asked me how my day was.  You didn’t give me a chance to ask about them.  Besides, I called Mom and found out how Mimi is.  She’s doing okay.”

Claudia: “You Toadcrud!  Why didn’t you tell me?”

Janine: “You didn’t give me a chance.”

Claudia: “May you live 1000 years in a fungus encrusted cave with hippie yippie crabscrod as your only friends." (raises hand to slap Janine)

Then Claudia has the gall to say Janine ruined her afternoon.  Um, Claud?  Other way around, dearest.

That night after the club meeting and dinner, the Kishis go to see Mimi, who just woke up.  The tubes and wires freak Claudia out and she isn’t able to spend much time in the room.  The next night they go back and Claudia has psyched herself up to stay and talk.  She is talking with Mimi and notices her blinking.  The two of them begin a little blink code and everyone in the family is able to communicate with Mimi.  Later at home, Claudia sees Janine crying at her computer.  To give Claudia some credit, she does call out to her, but Janine doesn’t seem to hear so she leaves.

Playgroup is continuing on and sweet precious little Karen Brewer comes with Andrew for a day.  Karen tells everyone Andrew will turn into a monster at 10am and all the children flee from him.  Well, 10 rolls around, Andrew is normal, but Jenny P is still afraid.  So the sitters have Andrew tell her to wear her smock every day and she agrees to do so.  Way to go sitters!  Rather than do something yourselves, you have one child terrify another into compliance.  Woo-hoo!

We come into the next scene finding Claudia making dinner, feeling guilty about giving Mimi the stroke.  Her parents come in and tell her they have good news and to get her sister.  Segue into the next most ridiculous conversation in the book.

 Claudia: “Thanks for helping me with dinner.”

Janine: “What? I didn’t know you were starting dinner.”

Claudia: “It’s 6pm.  What did you think I was going to be doing?  Knitting a sweater? ”

Janine: “Why did you come into my room?”

Claudia admits she feels bad after this confrontation because she didn’t bother to ask Janine to help or tell her she was planning to start dinner.  Remember that next time Claudia.

The good news is that Mimi is out of intensive care, starting to feed herself and attempting to speak.  They go to visit her and she is able to write that she is happy to see them.  The words and letters are all mixed up, which scares Claudia, but the doctors seem happy with her progress.  She’s going to start occupational therapy and the doctors think more family stimulation will help her, plus when she comes home, she’ll need someone to stay with her.  Janine starts to talk, but Claudia railroads her and volunteers her mornings, giving up the playgroup.  After all, she did give Mimi the stroke.

The next day’s playgroup is foreshadowing about Kristy’s new neighborhood when her collie Louie is brought over and needs a bath.  She’s worried about the snobby people and is afraid they aren’t going to like Louie….ahem, ahem, the Thomas kids.  They give Louie a bath and gussy him up a bit for his debut to high society.

Claudia continues to work with Mimi, who gets the green light to go home.  Who volunteers to stay with her?  Claudia, of course!  Is Janine even consulted?  Nope.  Claudia is sure she’ll be glad since all she’s done since Claudia started working with Mimi is bury her nose in a book and hardly talk to anyone else.  Perhaps the fact she can never get a word in edgewise is why she’s pulling even more into her shell???

The first day with Mimi home goes well and she and Claudia get into a routine, with the exception of one day with Mary Anne, where Mimi ends up yelling at her.  I’ll let her have that one; when a little girl you watched grow up is watching you, it’s a little embarrassing.  Again, did they ask Janine if she could help out??  Anyway, Mimi is improving, but there are some things she’ll never be able to do again, which is rather sad.  Nothing much snarkable there.

Claudia sits for the Newtons again so that Mrs. Newton can get everything ready for baby Lucy’s christening party, which, of course, the BSC will be attending and assisting at.  Eeesh!  I wish they had been around for my girls’ baptisms; it would have saved me a lot of time and hassle.  My mom was here and helped a lot though.

The day of the christening arrives; all goes well at the church and things are humming along at the party until it’s time for the gifts.  Jamie gest presents as well as Lucy, but they’re smaller and he’s jealous, so it doesn’t go well.  Then he starts vying for attention, but not getting any.  The end result is that he nearly dumps a pitcher of punch on his sister, but stops at the last minute because he loves her.  Claudia does the plot contrived comparison between Jamie and Lucy and her and Janine and shock of shockers discovers she loves her sister!

She gets home from the party, finds Mimi alone and proceeds to duke it out with her sister.  This time, she has an actual beef since Mimi isn’t supposed to be left alone and Janine did just that.  Conversation:

Claudia pounds on door

Janine: “Is something wrong?”

Claudia: “Mimi is downstairs ALONE!!!!”

Janine: “I’ve been right here.”

Claudia: “You’re supposed to be with her.  Can’t you do anything right in this family?”

Janine: “Go away, nobody wants me in this family anyway.”

Claudia: “WTF?”

Janine: “You’re always pushing me into my world.  Janine, go study, don’t neglect schoolwork.  Nobody asks me to do anything or to help them, then you come in here and go postal on me for dumping more work on you!”

Claudia: “But you do!”

Janine: “No, you volunteered your mornings, interrupting me.  Why was Mary Anne asked to be here when I could have stayed?  No one told me, no one asked me, no one let me speak.  It’s as if I don’t exist.”

That’s the main gist of the conversation.  Janine finally unloads about being shoved into her studies and then blamed for the extra work load.  She decides to make a little more effort to be outgoing and helpful and heads downstairs for special tea with Mimi.

The summer is winding down (as is the book) and Claudia finally apologizes to Mimi for giving her the stroke with her behavior.  Mimi straightens Claudia out and we see shades of the old Mimi return.  Claudia is glad to have her grandmother back.

Okay, remember this quote from the beginning of the blog? “Mrs. Kishi says Claudia isn’t fair sometimes – that inside, Janine is sensitive and loving and creative in her own way but Claudia doesn’t look past the big words to see it.  She also says Janine wishes she was more like Claudia with lots of friends and interests and that’s why she teases Claudia.”  By the end of the book, that’s the conclusion Claudia comes to.  Just goes to show you that you can tell your kids whatever you want, but they still have to learn it the hard way.

Mommy Moments (there aren’t too many in the early books)

• Okay, Kishis, I get that you’re excited Janine is so smart, but did it occur to you that maybe pushing her into her books all the time is one of the reasons she has a hard time communicating with others?
• Dear parents of Stoneybrook, never, never, never compare your children to each other.  Don’t say, “You should be more like so and so; they get their work done on time and yada yada yada.”  You’re just asking for that child to grow up and become a serial killer.  Or the kid who never leaves your couch.
• Again, Kishis, why didn't you ask Janine to stay with Mimi instead of Mary Anne?  It's not easy being at your weakest in front of a next door neighbor, especially one who is the same age as your granddaughter.

 General Comments

• Okay, at the beginning of the series, Jenny P is a bigger pain than Karen, but not by much.  Later on that precocious blonde fireball turns into a snotty, self-centered brat.
• In Mary Anne Vs Logan, Jenny P has some jealous feelings toward her new sister, but the sitters portray it as being snotty and bratty.  Here they all feel sorry for Jamie Newton.  As I recall, Jenny never attempted to dump punch on Andrea; she just wanted the stork to take her back.  You can tell who the sitters like best.

Claudia Outfits (squeee!)

• Claudia’s favorite art class outfit: “black jeans, a giant, bright blue t-shirt and a snake bracelet that I wore above my elbow.”  Jeans?  In summer?  I know it’s the east coast and all, but I’ve been there the end of June and there will be no jeans wearing for me!
• For Lucy’s Christening party: “A big loose, white shirt with black splotches all over it, and white knee pants that came just below my knees.  My shoes were dainty gold sandals that laced partway up my legs.  Top that off with pink flamingo earrings and a pink bracelet that said CLAUDIA in heart shaped beads.”  Hair:  "I braided it into four long braids, tied a ribbon around the tops of each and fastened the ends with butterfly clips."  Holy cow.  The hair alone would send me running for cover.