#4 Mary Anne Saves the Day

Well, it’s the luck of the draw that I land another MA book.  Mary Anne saves the day.  Hoorah.  I think this is one MA book that I liked because she wasn’t too overly smarmy.

Cover: MA sitting by an ill Jenny P, looking at the thermometer concernedly.  I’d be concerned too in a house with that striped of a couch and nothing on the walls.  It’s actually a scene in the book, so Hodges got it right.  Oh, wait, it isn’t Hodges, it’s Joel Iskowitz.  Excellent.

The book gets right into it.  They are all at their meeting and are offering around jobs when the Newtons call and BAM!  Kristy accepts the jobs without offering it to anyone else.  Suddenly all the girls are fighting with each other, accusing each other of job hogging, being conceited, bossy and (of course) a shy crybaby.  Well, that does it.  MA tells everyone off and walks out.  Yes, the shy crybaby.  I’ve always hated how MA is portrayed as being shy and timid, but she’s assertive when she wants to be (or when the plot line calls for it).  Most shy people don’t tell of their friends and storm out, do they?  I’m not shy, so if you’re shy, help me out!

MA slams home and starts dinner.  She manages to calm down and compose herself before her dad gets home and they start to eat dinner.  Boo-Boo Alert  MA’s mom is referred to as “Abigail” in this book; it is changed to “Alma” in other books.  I think I like Abigail better.  The previously mentioned error is nowhere near as painful as the dinner scene.  Eeesh.  Mommy Moment:  Richard has no idea how to talk to his daughter.  He has no idea who she is.  If I were to die, I would hope my husband would make more of an effort with the kids, although they’re boys, so he might get them better.

MA ponders her room (the inside of a cotton candy machine) and how she loves her dad but she wishes things were different.  Well, duh.  Who wouldn’t wish their mother was alive?  Hmmm…don’t answer that.

The next day at school MA tries to be friendly to Kristy, which backfires.  All of them are still mad at each other.  MA writes a nice note to Claudia, which she plans to deliver later.  She sits alone at lunch time, until a blonde girl named Dawn joins her.  They get to talking and MA can tell from the corner of her eye that Kristy is getting angrier.

The next day MA tries stopping for Kristy and gets a door slammed in her face.  Best friends you’ll ever have.  MA gets back at her by waiting for Dawn and smiling at her.  Lovely. THis is likely why Dawn has trouble getting along with Kristy in book 5.  MA heads over to Dawn’s house and they spend the afternoon watching The Parent Trap (The original is the best) and getting to know each other.  Boo-Boo Alert – MA’s mother apparently grew up in Maryland, not Iowa as is portrayed in later books.   I’m thinking Maryland might be more plausible for her and Richard to meet than Iowa, but Bonnie’s from WI and her husband’s from WA, so what do I know?

 MA leaves and arrives at Claudia’s in time for the meeting.  It was another exercise in painful, with Kristy not bothering to show up and the girls drawing straws for jobs.  MA leaves her note for Claudia and they talk later that evening about what they should do.  They each decide to talk to Stacy and Kristy.  MA has to talk to Kristy and is super nervous, but manages to say what needs to be said, so they work out how the club will work while they’re all mad at each other.  (I accidentally typed Krusty instead of Kristy, since the u and i are next to each other…I kind of like it.  Maybe if I snark a Kristy book I’ll do it as Krusty).

MA has a job sitting for Jenny Prezzioso and in this case she actually does act like a brat. Mommy Moment: I don’t have any daughters, but what would posses any mother to dress their daughter in lace dresses all day every day?  They must like doing laundry...or have an excellent dry cleaner  When MA gets home, she decides to bring up a later sitting time with her dad….who just lost a case.  Needless to say, it doesn’t go well.  Common Sense Moment: MA, you need to learn to read the signs and figure out a better time to talk to him about it.  MA decides to talk to Mimi about it and during their conversation, Mimi calls MA “My Mary Anne” just in time for Claudia to hear it…and that is the end of their truce.

MA and Kristy sit for the Pikes together.  It’s tough, since they’re not talking to each other.  The Pikes are late and MA doesn’t get home until after 9pm.  She again asks if he will allow her to sit later, but again he says no.

MA spends the next day with Dawn and they discover that their parents used to date.  They try to guess why they broke up but can’t come to any conclusions.

MA sits for Jenny P and she is quiet and listless.  She falls asleep as MA is reading and MA takes her temperature at 104.  Mommy Moment: I can’t believe Mrs. P didn’t realize her daughter wasn’t feeling well.  104!?  That right there is one heck of an epic fail.  MA calls Dawn, who suggests calling 911 since MA can’t find an adult to drive them to the hospital.  Jenny has a case of strep and the meds start working before her parents arrive. 

MA and Dawn go back to her house and Dawn catches MA sticking her tongue out at Kristy through the window. That, of course, sparks a fight that ends in Dawn leaving in a huff.

MA is so upset by all of this that she doesn’t tell her father about the experience with Jenny until Mrs. P calls to tell him about it.  They have a heart to heart moment and Richard realizes his daughter is growing up before his eyes.  He allows her later sitting privileges on the weekend and he’s even going to let her redecorate her room a little. Common Sense Moment: Did MA ever ask her dad before if she could redecorate or did she just assume?  Remember kids, when you assume, you make an ass of u and me.

The next week starts and MA apologizes to Dawn and they make up.  She also leaves a note for Kristy in her locker apologizing, but Kristy never says anything to her about it.  Earlier, the girls had agreed to help at Jamie Newton’s 4^th birthday party, but none of them are talking to each other.  As the party starts, they start snotting at each other, and then all four of them start pushing and shoving at the bottom of the stairs about who gets to check on baby Lucy.  At this point, Mrs. Newton’s all like, “what the heck, mature my foot” but is apparently so flustered by the 4 year old party guests that she just picks a sitter to check Lucy and doesn’t drop kick the girls out of her house, which I would have done.  As Mrs. Newton goes to get the cake, MA starts pouring punch…all over Kristy.  Claudia picks up a wet napkin and flings it into Stacy’s face, who in return grabs a wet napkin and smushes it into Claudia’s face.  Enter Mrs. Newton with the birthday cake (I will assume she downloaded a pattern for the cake from pintrest, then proceeded to pull her hair out while she tried to make it look like the supermom’s) to see her child with tears running down his cheeks and her “sitters” having a mini food fight.  Mommy Moment:  At this point, I’d say, “Get out, don’t expect to get paid, don’t expect me to call for a sitter ever again.”   MA gracefully gets them through the sticky moment and they’re on their best behavior until the end so that Mrs. Newton doesn’t think they’re “immature” or “irresponsible.”  Newsflash: you are both of those things.  You’re 12. 

MA calls an emergency meeting of the club and declares they are going to the Kishi’s.  She takes a deep breath, remembers how totally awesome she’s become and charges forward.  She declares they either need to make up or break up the club.  Everyone declares that they love each other and apologizes for their flaws…well, they count 1,2,3 and yell “I’m sorry!”  Because they're 12.  Then they apologize for their personality traits that will soon become the epitome of their characters because the ghosties are too lazy to make them dynamic, interesting people.  Sorry, I digress.  They’re all happy and the club is in good shape.

MA dashes home from the meeting in time to catch a call from Dawn.  Apparently she found a prom picture with her mom and MA’s dad.  MA resolves to ask her dad about it at dinner.  After some small talk, she springs the name “Sharon Porter” on him and he chokes on his carrots.  He explains about how they dated, but Sharon’s parents didn’t think he was good enough for their daughter because his family didn’t have much money.  MA subtly asks if he would be good enough now, but he brushes off her comment.  MA calls Dawn back and tells her about the story.  She also asks if Dawn has done much sitting in Cali because she was pretty awesome at Jenny’s and she promises to get back to her the next day.

So MA has a BSC party at her house, including Dawn.  Her dad actually said yes, and came home to help her organize.  There’s an incident where MA spills soda on her skirt and carrot peels on the floor, which is perfect timing because the doorbell rings and it’s Dawn and her mom.  Sharon and Richard are just standing there staring at each other, and Jack Schafer can quit blaming his divorce on Sharon being disorganized and blame it on the fact that she’s been in love with another man for years.  MA hustles Dawn into the kitchen and they eavesdrop at the door, which is great because they hear the two of them make a date.  For the next evening.  Dinner.  Ooo lala.

MA gets cleaned up and calmed down as everyone else arrives and they troop to her room to talk. MA asks if Dawn can join the club.  They ask her some questions about her experience, how late she can stay out and any emergencies she handled.  They vote her in and run downstairs to get their pizza.  They have a pizza toast (a hamburger patty for Stacy, because the processed cheese on pizza will kill her…according to the ADA, diabetics can eat cheese, but they recommend watching portion size due to saturated fats) and Dawn squees over being accepted into the BSC.  Just you wait, Dawn.  Just you wait.