lilafowler
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,163
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Post by lilafowler on Jul 7, 2006 8:34:59 GMT -5
Wait a second. Ellen Miles is responsible for Stacey and the Mystery of Stoneybrook, Kristy and the Baby Parade, AND Jessi and the Jewel Thieves? Those are, like, the worst books of the series. Did she write anything that didn't suck?
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Post by greer on Jul 7, 2006 15:33:29 GMT -5
The last book Ann wrote was #58, Stacey’s Choice. I agree that later book were more interesting, but pre-58 most of the duds imo were ghostwritten, IMO. Some the “duds” pre-58: Jessi Ramsey Pet Sitter (Ann) Dawn on the Coast (Jan Carr) Jessi and the Superbrat (Jan Carr) Stacey and the Mystery of Stoneybrook (Ellen Miles) Dawn and the Older Boy (Mary Lou Kennedy) Kristy and the Baby Parade (Ellen Miles) Mary Ann Misses Logan (Ann) Dawn’s Big Date (Susan Weyn) Dawn Saves the Planet (Jahnna Beecham and Malcolm Hillgartner) I love Dawn on the Coast, Dawn and the Older Boy, Mary Anne Misses Logan, and Dawn's Big Date. Dawn Saves the Planet, though, is the BSC book I have the hardest time getting through. Not only is Dawn more annoying here than any other character in the series, but there are a lot of environmental lessons in it. I can't stand issues books. My least favorite is probably Jessi's Wish.
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jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,156
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Post by jen on Jul 7, 2006 19:43:00 GMT -5
I liked Dawn's Big Date! I liked the food that was in that one. That had some great food moments. I didn't really like Mary Anne vs Logan, but that never really gets mentioned in the "books that suck" posts... Does everyone else like that one?
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Post by fairy3lf2 on Jul 7, 2006 22:15:05 GMT -5
I'm not sure exactly when it jumped the shark but I recently read Kristy's Great Idea and was surprised by how good it was. Kristy's bossiness and Mary Anne's sensitivity usually really annoy me but I liked them in this one. I think a lot of my growing lack of enjoyment in the series came with my growing up. For instance, I read Stacey Vs. The BSC when I was growing out of the books and I remember I could actually relate to a lot of Stacey's feelings about the club, like they were annoying and immature. I think the series was going downhill already but the introduction of Abby did me in. I did think Abby was a good character but a change allowed me to lose interest.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Jul 7, 2006 23:13:53 GMT -5
I liked Dawn's Big Date! I liked the food that was in that one. That had some great food moments. I didn't really like Mary Anne vs Logan, but that never really gets mentioned in the "books that suck" posts... Does everyone else like that one? I wouldn't say it was a favorite, but I enjoyed it. Out of the list wordnerd posted, I agree with most of it. Although I found some of them entertaining (Dawn and the Older Boy, for instance) the writing itself left much to be desired. To be fair, however, most of us understand that the BSC - even the higher quality titles - were not exactly fine literature. They're fun escapism with undeniable sentimental value for most of us. What I can't take, however, are sleep-inducing plots such as Kristy and the Baby Parade and the universally hated Jessi's Wish.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2006 3:57:39 GMT -5
I love Dawn on the Coast, Dawn and the Older Boy, Mary Anne Misses Logan, and Dawn's Big Date. Dawn Saves the Planet, though, is the BSC book I have the hardest time getting through. Not only is Dawn more annoying here than any other character in the series, but there are a lot of environmental lessons in it. I can't stand issues books. My least favorite is probably Jessi's Wish. Really? Well different strokes I guess. But there's nothing wrong with that. I’m glad someone enjoyed them! To be fair, however, most of us understand that the BSC - even the higher quality titles - were not exactly fine literature. They're fun escapism with undeniable sentimental value for most of us. That's my point. I'm not saying Ann is a prolific writer or anything, but I do't think it's fair to use the BSC to judge her talents.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2006 22:48:41 GMT -5
For me, the series jumped the shark when Dawn left for good. It was like a sitcom or tv drama--a major character makes a dramatic exit, creating a lot of tension, but then gets replaced by a sub-par character. TPTB know themselves that they need a fresh angle to move the series in a new direction--a direction that can upset a lot of fans. The new character is introduced in similar and played-out situations. And, the storylines become more and more recycled. That said, I do like Abby's Portrait.
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wanderingfrog
Sitting For The Arnolds
Official BSC Archivist
Posts: 2,552
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Post by wanderingfrog on Jul 15, 2006 20:37:39 GMT -5
I am still trying to figure out how the BSC stopped baby-sitting for a month in Jessi's Wish and this did not cause Stoneybrook to explode or something. ;D
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Jul 15, 2006 22:38:07 GMT -5
I always wondered how they managed to significantly decrease their workload in the FF series. Okay, they weren't advertising anymore, but in the regular series, they required seven regular members and two associates just to handle their NORMAL clients.
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jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,156
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Post by jen on Jul 16, 2006 1:37:28 GMT -5
Well, a lot of their regular clients did stop being mentioned towards the end of the series... Somewhere else on the board, weren't people talking about how the Perkins and the Marshalls just mysteriously disappear?
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Jul 16, 2006 1:52:43 GMT -5
Mainly the Perkins, their disappearance was so sudden and strange. They weren't in the Krushers anymore, either.
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Post by sugarmonkey on Jul 16, 2006 13:52:09 GMT -5
Well, if the characters had been allowed to AGE it would've made sense that the kids were growing up and the BSC just didn't bother advertising in order to replace them. But, of course, that didn't happen. We can pretend though, right?
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Post by booboobrewer on Dec 6, 2006 19:49:15 GMT -5
I think she wrote the majority of the mysteries. While I liked a lot of them, there weren't many truly awesome ones, and besides, nothing can redeem her for the horror that was Kristy and the Baby Parade. I also didn't like the way she wrote dialogue for the most part.
Totally agree. When I first read Stacey vs., I was on her side. And I also liked Abby, but I found out about her after a BSC hiatus, and decided not to buy the books regularly anymore. I kinda missed Dawn.
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Post by baseballchica03 on Dec 6, 2006 21:47:47 GMT -5
I stopped reading just before Dawn left for good, I think. I definitely never read any Abby whne I was younger. But am I the only one who was happy to see Dawn go? I mean, I'm fairly environmentally conscious, to the point of circulating annoying petitions in high school. But Dawn drove me CRAZY.
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janey83
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 374
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Post by janey83 on Sept 14, 2007 22:24:16 GMT -5
My last book was the one where Claudia is working at the radio station -- Claudia Kishi, Live from WSTO (is that right?) and I just stopped buying the books. Stacey was out at this point, and the club seemed to be breaking up.
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