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Post by BuckinghamAlice on Jul 22, 2012 6:04:00 GMT -5
This is my favorite Dawn book because she's the least annoying here. But even still, there were a couple of times I wanted to smack her. Like when she was complaining about the "cool" weather. Um, heifer, you lived in make believe California LaLa Land BS. I live in real California where it's normal to get 100-110 degree humid and muggy days. Be happy, you ignorant fool!
But yeah, I also laugh at her snapping at Mallory about the brownie. So, so Dawn.
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Post by wiggir13 on Sept 3, 2012 8:19:26 GMT -5
It's funny, in this one when buddy disappears all the adults take over. Later on in the series I can see just the bsc coming over and taking charge to find him! They don't need adults!
This book always make me want to build a tent in my living room! I used to do that all the time when I was little!
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starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
Posts: 4,004
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Post by starrynight on Sept 3, 2012 11:41:23 GMT -5
^ I used to build houses in the backyard with old blankets and sawhorses and things like that. They were pretty neat....multi-room structures with place for storage.
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Post by zoar3 on Sept 3, 2012 17:08:25 GMT -5
^That sounds like a lot of fun, Starrynight. The only "house" I ever "built" other than from legos was blankets draped around my bunk beds.
I finished reading this book and the only thing I can say is if Mrs. Barrett needed a lot of help/intervention, Mr. Barrett needed a ton of it! He should have been written up by CPS. Who in their right mind kidnaps their child in the name of "teaching their ex wife a lesson?" What I'd like to know is what Mr. B might have done if either Buddy had been outside with Dawn or if he hadn't been visible from the street at all. Would he have come knocking at the door and if one of the kid's answered, taken them that way? Or if Dawn answered, did the same? Scary thought either way.
I also still say the Stoneybrook Police are nuts for not having involved the Force in Greenvale. Surely, even then, they had a way of faxing a photo of Mrs. B to the Greenvale station or at least giving a description by phone.
The other thing, is reading this makes the BSC's treatment of Mal in "Hello, Mallory," all the meaner. Mal took such good care of Suzi, Claire, and Margo during the search. This book (#5) was where Dawn day-dreamed about Mal being a club member. Poor, Mallory!
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starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
Posts: 4,004
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Post by starrynight on Sept 3, 2012 19:44:14 GMT -5
^ I don't know that Mr. Barrett would have just grabbed a kid with Dawn watching. I think he would have at least introduced himself and explained that it was his day to be with the kids. I don't think he was necessarily a bad guy, even if he did a dumb (REALLY dumb) thing....
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Post by zoar3 on Sept 3, 2012 19:51:04 GMT -5
^He didn't come across as a bad guy at all. I just thought his reasoning was horrible! I felt awful for Buddy, particularly since he probably witnessed some of the exchange between his parents and the police. It's too bad Mr. Barrett was never shown again. I know the divorce was recent and very nasty in this book. I also get that Buddy was only 7. Maybe its just the kid in me who remembers being in the situation of not being able to call someone when I needed to that wishes Mr. Barrett had made certain Buddy at least had his phone number if he needed to talk. Of course, I'm assuming the kids were close to their dad. If they were, and their mom limited their calls to every other Tuesday or whatever it was, then so much for my liking Mrs. B more as the series went on! On a lighter note, I could totally see Mr. B telling Dawn who he was and that it was his day, etc. And then, maybe saying he had planned taking the kids to the amusement park or somewhere really fun that they did not get to visit very often. I would not blame Buddy or Suzi for rushing to his car then. In fact, I'd probably root for them to do so, so they could have some fun. I liked Buddy much better than I did Jake Kuhn. I still wish we had gotten to read about both kids (and their siblings) spending time with their fathers. I know this is an "old" topic, it just fits back in here.
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Post by wiggir13 on Sept 3, 2012 20:52:39 GMT -5
I feel bad b/c I think both parents suck in this book! Two wrongs don't make a right mr Barrett!
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wanderingfrog
Sitting For The Arnolds
Official BSC Archivist
Posts: 2,552
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Post by wanderingfrog on Oct 16, 2012 17:26:03 GMT -5
Just noticed Buddy shouting, "Bonsai!" instead of "Banzai!" while jumping in puddles. Hahaha, that's adorable. Also read the part where MA got "thongs" out of the closet and remembered David Levithan saying that in the reissue, they changed the wording to "flip-flops" or something because thongs sounded a bit more Sweet Valley High.
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starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
Posts: 4,004
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Post by starrynight on Oct 17, 2012 11:16:25 GMT -5
^ Did thong even have the same connotation when the book was originally written as it does now?
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Post by rachel817 on Nov 4, 2012 13:36:45 GMT -5
^ Did thong even have the same connotation when the book was originally written as it does now? I don't think so. I know old(er) people still call flip-flops "thongs". Growing up Dawn books were always my favorite to read (and reread, my BSC books were destroyed by the time I was done with them ) but Dawn was never my favorite sitter. That was always sophisticated Stacey. Probably because I longed to be "cool" and have blonde hair and blue eyes. I like this book. The kids really were not bad, in fact for the neglect they seemed to be suffering and the trauma of divorce, I would say they are handling it quite well. I think its weird that Mrs. Barrett is always all done up and the kids are a mess. Priorities lady, priorities.
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starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
Posts: 4,004
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Post by starrynight on Nov 8, 2012 23:10:20 GMT -5
^ I'm similar in that way: two of my favorite books in the series were "The Ghost at Dawn's House" and "Dawn's Big Date," but my favorite sitter was Claudia. I think Dawn dealt with Mrs. Barrett very maturely....almost too much so. Most 13 year olds would have just stopped sitting for the kids and then complained about Mrs. Barrett to their friends later on.
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Post by zoar3 on Feb 10, 2014 0:07:12 GMT -5
I reread this last night and one of my very favorite things about the story this time around were the Pike parents and their Slate Street Neighborhood. The early BSC books will always be extra special to me because they are so genuine and allow me to visit (and feel apart of) Stoneybrook in a more vivid way. I could imagine Slate street and the Pike and Barrett houses just a few doors down from one another and how natural and easy it was for the kids to go back and forth the way Mrs. Pike told Dawn they did. We also got to meet never heard of again neighbors such as the Murphys and Spencers. I love how Dee organized searchers and so quickly. And she was wonderful to Buddy with helping with his family tree, too. Mr. Pike I always want to say thank you to, after hugging Jordan, for being such a great dad by being there for his son and letting the police know enough was enough with their repeated questions. Dawn is definitely so much more likeable early on. I had forgotten that she indulged in the saltwater taffy in this book without a word and I really appreciated how she made it a point to suggest to her mother that they serve food their guests at their memorial day picnic would enjoy. Such a simple thing to do and still would have been so easy for Ann and Co to have had Dawn mostly eating healthier and/or vegetarian food and every now and then enjoying a sugary treat (Dawn puts sugar in the tea Mrs. Barrett serves her)No need to take on the often patronizing tone she does in later books. Enjoy friends and company and as long as there is something for everyone to enjoy eating than really that is (to me, anyway) what counts. I won't get started again on what I think of either Barrett parent. I'll just say they both were horrible and I truly wanted to hug Buddy. In this one he did remind me a little of Troy, the preschooler who I gave my watch, too--a kid wanting to be safe and loved as all children should automatically and always be. To end this post on a lighter note, it was so funny when Karen was portraying Mrs. Mysterious and using the window as a mirror only to see the reflection of Mrs. Porter! I would have been so scared too especially at age 7. I do still like Mrs. Porter and believe if allowed (by writers) she and Karen could have been friends.
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Post by candykane on Feb 10, 2014 11:16:19 GMT -5
I also liked Dawn suggesting they serve food that their guests would enjoy, rather than insisting they all eat grilled tofu or something. I've always liked the whole Memorial day picnic scene with Dawn's grandparents realizing that Richard isn't really some bad guy from the wrong side of the tracks after all. And I always get a laugh out of Kristy, when asked by Dawn what she thinks of Pop-Pop, saying "well, he looks like a very nice man, but his shirt doesn't exactly match his pants." ;D
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Post by zoar3 on Feb 10, 2014 12:32:23 GMT -5
^That really was funny, Candykane. Speaking of Kristy, I also thought it was very sweet that even though her mom and Watson were having a big party later that evening, she wanted to come to Dawn's and even brought David Michael. I wish we had gotten to read about DM, Jeff, Buddy and Suzi playing ball together. It would have been nice to see them all enjoy the company of a new friend.
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Post by booboobrewer on Feb 10, 2014 16:26:04 GMT -5
Dawn put sugar in her tea?! Hehe I love this book, y'all are making me want to read it now
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