wanderingfrog
Sitting For The Arnolds
Official BSC Archivist
Posts: 2,552
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Post by wanderingfrog on Dec 28, 2013 20:21:05 GMT -5
The reason my entire-series reread is taking so long is because I've been adding every clothing description from all of the books to a BSC Clothes document in Word, and adding every piece of information from LS books that I think should be part of the Complete guide to a document called Complete Guide Additions. It will slow to an absolute crawl once I've read past #100 and am making really frequent notes on every single book and not just LS books!
And also I put it on hold for a while back when I was rereading the Alice series.
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valuemeal2
Sitter-In-Training
California Girl!
Posts: 295
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Post by valuemeal2 on Dec 30, 2013 4:36:41 GMT -5
^Awesome! My favorite parts are the clothing descriptions, LOL. (And are you talking about the Alice McKinley series? I'm a huge fan of those too!)
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celaeno
Sitting For The Papadakis's
I have to share a room with Vanessa
Posts: 1,514
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Post by celaeno on Aug 5, 2014 19:02:23 GMT -5
I think Mary Anne's about to find the glitch in the Matrix...
I can't believe I've finally gotten through my pile of BSC books and read the last one! (I still have the Friends Forever to read, though.) I'm still missing a few books though, none of which I've read (10 in the regular series, and 8 mysteries), so I'll still be looking for them at book sales.
Overall, I quite liked this one, and enjoyed the serious tone. I'm glad Dawn was back for the last book (I wasn't expecting her to be in it), although it does seem like an unrealistic choice by the writers. I know my parents would have told me there was no need for me to fly out and wouldn't have paid for it. She bought a ticket just hours before her flight - how insanely expensive would that have been?!? But if Dawn's back, why on earth didn't they have Mal come back? It seems LESS realistic that they kept her out, since the other schools are already out for the summer.
There were a few weird little mistakes in the book, like in one chapter Kristy and Mary Anne spend a Thursday at Claud's working on the contest entry, and at the end of the chapter Mary Anne says that Claudia brings out brownies she made for them, "Plus nachos for Stacey!" But Stacey wasn't even at Claudia's house...
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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 Aug 5, 2014 21:24:41 GMT -5
She bought a ticket just hours before her flight - how insanely expensive would that have been?!? Probably as expensive as the ticket she bought on the spur of the moment in Dawn and the We Love Kids Club.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,270
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Post by oldhickory on Oct 19, 2014 11:52:48 GMT -5
I think I have told this story before, but I can't find it. When I was a college freshman some idiot in the dorms burned something in the microwave and started a small fire. We evacuated thinking it wasn't a big deal, but once I was outside and I could see the smoke I just started crying. I have a box full of all the letters and cards from Selwyn, and some ticket stubs from movies we've seen or concerts and things like that, and I was devastated that I wouldn't be able to see the box again. It turned out that the fire didn't ruin anything at all and they got us back inside right away, but when I reread this book not too long ago, I was thinking of that box. That was the closest I've ever been to a fire and I lost nothing and it was still horrible. I can't imagine losing everything, or especially things that belonged to someone who had died. Even though Mary Anne lost her mother ages ago, it felt like she lost her all over again.
I do think it's a nice ending to the series. I feel like Kristy deserved the last book, but looking back over all the old sitting jobs was a cool way to tie everything together and to look back over their history. This might be an unpopular opinion but I like that they didn't answer the questions of where the Spiers would go, or who won the baby sitting contest. Most of the books tie things up in a tidy bow, and always with a happy ending. But the sad ending felt more like real life than a book, and I liked that. It was unpredictable.
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Post by booboobrewer on Oct 19, 2014 12:16:01 GMT -5
My mom's next door neighbors had a house fire a couple of years ago. It was a few days after Christmas, I think, and in the middle of the night. That was the first time I saw a fire up close...scary and sad, couldn't imagine having my memories destroyed like that
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Natasha
New To Stoneybrook
BSC Reread Update: no 115:Jessi's big break.
Posts: 198
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Post by Natasha on Oct 19, 2014 20:29:00 GMT -5
It is pretty depressing. But what I kept thinking was can't the writers give Mary Anne a break? So many tough things happen to her throughout the series; I mean her Mum died when she was a baby, her Dad was pretty strict, he later remarried (Sharon) and she acquired a new step family and had to move out of the home she was raised in, her step sister/best friend (Dawn) left the country to be with her other family, she has boyfriend trouble in general, her friend at school (Amelia) was killed in a road accident, and now to end the regular series, a fire burns down her house and she loses all her possessions. It's no wonder Mary Anne went to see a therapist at some point in the series. I don't blame her! Not only that poor Mary-Anne is always the victim in fan fiction...which is why I've stopped reading fan fiction
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Post by Sideshowjazz1 on Nov 7, 2017 17:42:07 GMT -5
I have a phobia of fires, so you can imagine why this book was hard going for me. I also really, really liked the point that this kind of thing was so big. It seems to be a trope that when something really terrible happens, people who cry easily usually can't cry, and that happens to Mary Anne. She wonders why she's not crying, but I think it makes sense. It's such a serious situation that it's hard to understand, and it probably doesn't even feel real.
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andrew
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 353
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Post by andrew on May 29, 2019 21:57:50 GMT -5
Some good moments, overall OK ...
The fire and a lot of its aftermath had pretty good intensity and somberness and the cast members were pretty well-used. Mary Anne near the end thinking she didn't know who she was anymore and Richard and Sharon thinking of moving far away felt pretty excessive. On the other hand I think that, the moving possibility aside, this book didn't really feel like a finale, much more like (what it actually was) just a transition, and that's fine and kind of interesting (although the ending was just a little too abrupt and open-ended).
The kids coming up with and writing about the memories and doing so better than the sitters felt too cheesy and unbelievable.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,270
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Post by oldhickory on Jun 17, 2019 11:54:59 GMT -5
That's a really good point (that this book is more of a transition than an ending). I definitely feel that way because of all the unanswered questions at the end. It's like you know they have to keep the series going in some fashion in order to address those things.
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livvy
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 394
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Post by livvy on Jul 13, 2022 9:45:56 GMT -5
I rolled my eyes at Sharon: This is where the couch once stood. And all my favourite books.
Books can be replaced you ditz! Material things can be replaced. At least you survived!
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Post by sparklymouse on Jul 15, 2022 18:16:47 GMT -5
I take it you have never been in a stressful situation? Sharon may have still been in shock or had some PTSD. (Or maybe she just really liked her stuff.) The aftermath of fires, floods, tornados, etc. are so draining because the damage takes an extended amount of time to make normal again.
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Post by oldmeanie on Sept 16, 2023 12:29:28 GMT -5
Not sure if this warning is necessary, but there are spoilers for FF in this.
This one was a tough read. I mean I could understand the words, but I am TERRIFIED of losing everything in a fire. Every time I'm on my way home from work and see a fire truck headed the same way I'm going, I'm like, please no... Also, here in California, wildfires are a very real threat (especially with all the idiots shooting off fireworks at 1 am for no reason at all).
Not to mention that the Schafer-Spier house is my favorite in the series. I've always wanted a secret passage! I don't care that it doesn't make a lot of sense. But it's just so cool and has so much history.
Anyway, yeah, this book felt too real to me. It's realistic to me that Mary Anne shut down completely. I actually had this happen to me recently. It was nothing as serious as a fire, but several stressful things happened at once and my mind and body just shut down. So I 100% relate to Mary Anne's reaction. It's also just so different from the rest of the books. I can't explain it. It's one of the only books that felt like it had no filler. All the baby-sitting chapters felt like they served a purpose, no Let's All Come In or whatever (although, come to think of it, I haven't seen that game for a good while. Not that I miss it lol).
I liked the chapter where Mary Anne describes a normal day for her. Idk, it felt realistic that you'd remember a day before something traumatic happens. In my case, it wasn't actually a normal day at all.
I think it's realistic that the Schafer-Spiers are overwhelmed at Watson's. I think the Thomas-Brewers are being extremely nice, but as an introvert, I totally felt exhausted just thinking of how loud that household is. Also, a bit of a tangent... just how enormous IS Watson's house? Karen and Andrew are here in the book, so the household is already full. But Mary Anne and Dawn share a room while Sharon and Richard share another. I don't even think they're staying on the "haunted" third floor (I was actually thinking they should go there for the family conference! Karen would be too afraid to bug them. But it doesn't even come up). That's at least... ELEVEN bedrooms (assuming each of the Thomas-Brewers have their own rooms, with Watson and Elizabeth sharing one of course, and including the ones the Schafer-Spiers are staying in)?? What the heck?! I need to see a blueprint of this house.
I actually liked the subplot. It felt fitting for the last of the series. I really liked the early chapter where they reminisce. I thought it would feel forced, but it didn't.
So this is embarrassing, but I teared up a little bit at Kristy's letter at the end. I didn't know she had that in her. Might be a little cheesy, but fitting ngl.
I feel so bad for Mary Anne. I agree with the commenter who said the writers won't give her a break. If she wants to break more cups I don't blame her. I think I'd totally lose it if I heard my parents wanted to move out of my hometown if I was in her situation too. It's way too much. Tbh, though, the way it's written in this book, it feels as though they will move to Philadelphia. I don't want them to, but it feels more realistic that they do. (Spoilers) According to FF, I know they don't. In that way, it kind of feels like unnecessary drama.
I have in fact read this book once, years ago. I don't recall Mary Anne riding Kristy's bike to her old house at all. That was a total surprise. Hopefully she has lights! But yeah. Her finally crying also got me a little bit. I don't want the series to end (I will be reading FF, they're cheap lol)!
I can't decide how I feel about this being a finale. I feel like Kristy deserved the last book, but idk. It's well-written in comparison to the books before it. The two big questions in this book: who won the baby-sitting contest and if they're moving to Philadelphia, actually aren't answered (at least not in this book). I can't decide how I feel about that. I guess it's more realistic and opens the door for a new series.
Some weird stuff in this book:
(About Dawn): "She’s a very relaxed person who never judges anyone or anything and who stands up for what she believes." LOL! Um, no. Maybe in the beginning of the series, but otherwise? Nah.
"I’d have to write a whole book — a whole set of books — if I wanted to tell our complete story." I don't know how to describe why, but I kind of love this quote.
"Afterward we took turns jumping into the hay, something I hadn’t done for years." Years? The time warp is showing! Again, the Schafer-Spier timeline makes my head hurt.
I think I'd give this one an 8. I thought I'd hate it, but I thought it was well-done. I'm just not sure how I feel about it being a finale. Also, I feel like this review is super weird.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,270
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Post by oldhickory on Sept 17, 2023 12:28:23 GMT -5
I never did the math on the rooms at Watson's house. What nonsense. I think the writers just used that house as a crutch to explain away any situation and it always has enough rooms. I don't believe an 11-room+ mansion would be in the same neighborhood as the Stevenson house or Mrs. Porter's house. Besides the Thomas Brewers, the biggest family in that neighborhood is the Kilbournes with a whopping five people.
Why Richard and Sharon would choose to stay with Kristy's annoying family during such an emotional time is beyond me. Abby's house is two houses away and constantly empty. Wouldn't insurance cover a hotel stay anyway?
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Post by oldmeanie on Sept 20, 2023 13:58:11 GMT -5
I never did the math on the rooms at Watson's house. What nonsense. I think the writers just used that house as a crutch to explain away any situation and it always has enough rooms. I don't believe an 11-room+ mansion would be in the same neighborhood as the Stevenson house or Mrs. Porter's house. Besides the Thomas Brewers, the biggest family in that neighborhood is the Kilbournes with a whopping five people. Why Richard and Sharon would choose to stay with Kristy's annoying family during such an emotional time is beyond me. Abby's house is two houses away and constantly empty. Wouldn't insurance cover a hotel stay anyway? I can't remember which book it was... it might actually be this one (I remember reading this very recently), but in the Chapter 2, the Stevenson house was described as big but not quite a mansion. I never thought about the logistics of that, but it makes no sense! The Schafer-Spiers staying with the Stevensons instead didn't occur to me either, but yeah, that makes more sense. I think it's just because of the history with the families. I thought it made sense for them to stay for maybe a night or two, then find a hotel, but that didn't happen. I'd be losing my mind in that household.
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