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Post by sugarmonkey on Mar 2, 2007 15:06:50 GMT -5
I finally read this one. It was great. It was great because it was so ludicrous. When I was in middle school very few people participated in spirit week. And all it was was hat day or school color day. We didn't get to dress up in costumes or anything. I didn't participate at all. I can only see a media frenzy/protest thing happening if things got way out of hand, like if something really bad happened.
I like reading about young people taking a stand for what they believe in and not taking crap from people. I just wish the subject matter was more...important. There also seemed to be so much going on in this one, it didn't bore me. (Of course, maybe that's because just before this one I read Claudia and the Mystery at the Museum. Yawn.) I skipped the subplot because I just don't care about how crammed together the Barrett/Dewitt clan is.
I liked seeing a different side to Sharon Spier in this one. It was a refreshing change from her normal touched in the head, personality. I liked how she stood up for Dawn to the TV reporter and that other mother. I really liked the interaction between Sharon and the girls, especially the part where they drinks after the second meeting.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2007 13:49:08 GMT -5
I finally read this one. It was great. It was great because it was so ludicrous. When I was in middle school very few people participated in spirit week. And all it was was hat day or school color day. We didn't get to dress up in costumes or anything. I didn't participate at all. I can only see a media frenzy/protest thing happening if things got way out of hand, like if something really bad happened. I like reading about young people taking a stand for what they believe in and not taking crap from people. I just wish the subject matter was more...important. There also seemed to be so much going on in this one, it didn't bore me. (Of course, maybe that's because just before this one I read Claudia and the Mystery at the Museum. Yawn.) I skipped the subplot because I just don't care about how crammed together the Barrett/Dewitt clan is. I liked seeing a different side to Sharon Spier in this one. It was a refreshing change from her normal touched in the head, personality. I liked how she stood up for Dawn to the TV reporter and that other mother. I really liked the interaction between Sharon and the girls, especially the part where they drinks after the second meeting. Word. I couldn't agree more. I adored Richard in this book. He didn't seem nearly as uptight as usual. I liked how he kept teasing Sharon.
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msstock87
Sitting For The Braddocks
Here Comes The Bride!
Created by Rie.
Posts: 3,618
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Post by msstock87 on Mar 5, 2007 16:12:57 GMT -5
I always thought this book was unrealistic, probably because at both my middle and high school nobody got that carried away with school spirit. The only people that really ever participated were the hard core. student council people and some of the jocks.
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Post by aln1982 on Apr 27, 2007 15:43:51 GMT -5
I didn't care for this book much any of the times I've read it and never really formed much of an opinion (though I do see that I posted a few times without having a clue to what I was talking about ). Still don't have much of one except that there are some things just not worth getting worked up over (this book being one of them ) and the SMS students were kind of ridiculous. I do understand, though, how little things can get blown way out of proportion and end up dividing friends and families. It seemed almost like Dawn just wanted another cause. MA annoyed me a lot by making such a big deal out of wearing the pajamas. If she didn't want to wear them, okay. But I have learned that you pretty much have two choices in life ¡V go along with the crowd no matter what or do whatever you think is right and endure the flack. You can¡¦t change other people's opinions (reminding myself of this like I frequently have to ) and have to make your own decisions in the end. I think this is how they finally "solved" the problem by saying that the participation would be strictly voluntary. It should have been all along. I didn't care for the subplot, either, as I never like the Barretts-Dewitts. But at least they weren¡¦t fighting in this one and I did think it was sweet how they wanted to share the rooms. That brings up a question. Anyone know if Franklin has $$? He must have a little because taking care of all of those kids and the addition could not have been cheap, but I know he's not rich because money was an issue in finding a house in Stoneybrook. What is his job (I don't think he's a lawyer like almost all the other dads I liked Sharon and Richard in this book, though, and posted about them in their threads. I think this, along with a lot of the other things I said (I also think this was a little far fetched that kids would get so worked up over the color thing) were already said in earlier posts that I didn't read until writing this So, I agree with lots of the points made.
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Penny Lane
Sitting For The Arnolds
The Girl With Colitis Goes By
Posts: 2,888
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Post by Penny Lane on Feb 9, 2008 1:34:02 GMT -5
I just re-read this book. I had forgotten how absurd the spirit war was -- parts of it rang really true, but then it got blown way out of proportion. I can't see ALL of the parents getting worked up like that. It is nice though, that when I complain about the news here that i can picture how much lamer the stoneybrook news must be, if they are resorting to filling up time with a middle school spirit week story. I liked Dawn in this book, at least at first. She just wanted everyone to be able to go to school and participate if they wanted, but she was mostly pushed to make it a crusade and turn it into a black/white situation. Of course, the ending was a let down, because it just went back to the way it was in the first place -- voluntary. Where were the adults at SMS? I guess they must have been smoking weed with the BSC parents in a mystery book or something, because I don't think all that harassment and physical assault would have gone quite so unnoticed in any other small town school. Also, no one told their parents about the threats and the harassment? Mary Anne annoyed me at first with her anti-pj freak out, but then Kristy spoke. There was no redeeming value to Kristy in this book. I'm sorry, but I can't imagine being friends with someone who treats her friends that way. She was SO OOC in this book. It was mean, and I felt bad for M.A., Dawn, and even Mallory. Some of those things she said went beyond blunt and rude to mean spirited and bitchy. They must really need the baby-sitting money, because .. wow. I didn't mind the subplot, even though it was barrett dewitt, probably because I'm dealing with a similar situation. Too much stuff, not enough space.
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Post by greer on Feb 9, 2008 2:10:57 GMT -5
^me too. i have way too much crap.
~False show of meaningless zeal~ ftw.
this is stoneybrook; no one tells their parents anything.
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Post by luckymojo on Feb 9, 2008 15:35:36 GMT -5
u&me4Bsc website said MA's underwear was showing through her pjs.Thats why she didnt want to wear them in the first place?
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Post by aln1982 on Feb 9, 2008 17:24:53 GMT -5
^ I don't think so. I think things like that just embarrass her. Don’t remember Kristy in this one or many details since it's been a while since I've read this one as I don't care for it much. I’ll have to look for the things mentioned when I reread and see what I think. Wasn't the color yellow? Every time I see that color now I think of this book. ;D What was the subplot with the Barrett-Dewitts? I can't remember.
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Penny Lane
Sitting For The Arnolds
The Girl With Colitis Goes By
Posts: 2,888
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Post by Penny Lane on Feb 9, 2008 17:29:24 GMT -5
Kristy was on the prospirit side, and she seemed really snotty about it to me. She didn't even eat lunch with her friends and she made a lot of snide remarks. Her and Jessi wrote mean things in the notebook too. She didn't even listen to Dawn's side of the story, and she made one remark -- I don't remember what it was exactly -- to mary anne that was beyond blunt, crossing into mean and spiteful. In my opinion. Which, to me, is always correct. The eighth graders wore yellow. Dawn even went and wore yellow sock, because she overslept and that's all she could find. Most people, at a normal school, probably would have asked her about it, or just ignored her altogether. The subplot was the sitters taking turns baby-sitting for the barrett/dewitt family in their new house. First they tried to clean and straighten the mess up, then they tried cleaning it out, then the kids picketed because they thought they would have to move. But they didn't, because Franklin apparently found enough money for an addition to the house (even though it was previously mentioned that they had a criminally small backyard -- where would they build? hello, city permits?) Oh, and the kid were all "NOOOOOO Don't give us our own bedrooms." It wasn't terribly exciting, but I feel for that kind of struggle in a small house. I like my space and I like things neat and orderly.
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Post by aln1982 on Feb 9, 2008 17:41:30 GMT -5
^ Thanks for reminding me. I also like my own space and always feel I need more so I probably can relate to that. ;D
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Post by greer on Feb 9, 2008 17:51:10 GMT -5
here's what i didn't get: if they could afford to build this huge addition, why couldn't they afford a larger house? and i can't imagine not wanting separate bedroms.
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Post by aln1982 on Feb 9, 2008 20:25:30 GMT -5
^ I remember that. Didn't they all live in one room (the girls in one, boys in another) and said they liked it that way? I'll bet that was weird for Suzi because didn't she have her own room before? Same for Buddy.
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Penny Lane
Sitting For The Arnolds
The Girl With Colitis Goes By
Posts: 2,888
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Post by Penny Lane on Feb 9, 2008 20:37:41 GMT -5
Yeah, they had one room for Suzi, Madaline, and the other one and one room for buddy and the dewitt boy. Tyler? Marnie had a room, and Ryan slept in the hallway because they kept waking each other up. So they decide "hey, we can't afford Stoneybrook house, and the kid don't want to move, so we will buid an addition and everyone will get their own room. (how, I don't know) then the kids steal the blueprints and wait until the groundbreaking (the parents had a groundbreaking ceremony) to tell them that they don't want their own rooms. So the dewitts decide to add one room for the boys, and one for the girls, and I think one other room and a few bathrooms. That way Marnie and Ryan can have their own rooms until Buddy and Lindsey decide they want their own rooms, and there will be more bathrooms. I hope they upgrade their hot water heater.
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Post by aln1982 on Feb 9, 2008 20:38:55 GMT -5
^ Never thought of no hot water but you're right. Bad enough here with my dad's marathon showers. ;D
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Post by sweetvalleygirl99 on Feb 10, 2008 21:08:15 GMT -5
Okay, I thought this book was cool when I first read it, but then I got to middle and high school and realized how unrealistic it was. Nobody in my middle school or high school got all worked up about spirit week or anything. The only people who participate are jocks and A-List people, everyone else could care less. I also found the whole "Spirirt Month" thing to be unrealistic too.
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