oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,270
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Post by oldhickory on May 7, 2010 4:10:25 GMT -5
i definitely agree with everyone. a 10-member family who dipped into their savings account after only a few weeks really should have bigger worries than their privacy.
i just read this one for the first time. i was surprised how sweet it was. vanessa's gift to mallory honestly made me cry. it was so touching! but kristy is such a hypocrite sometimes. she needs to learn how to back off and stop worrying about new clients when (just a few books ago) the club was overwhelmed to the point of asking two girls to join.
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Post by anzuhana on May 22, 2010 17:46:38 GMT -5
I think the Pike's should have stuck it out for one more day as well. I think the $10,000 could have helped them.
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Post by zoar3 on May 22, 2010 22:28:52 GMT -5
^Vanessa's gift to Mal was the sweetest part of this entire book and one of the most touching in all the books. It made me wish we had gotten to read more about Vanessa and Mal as sisters. All we mainly got to see was Vanessa either being complained about for being too slow in getting ready for something or rhyming constantly. In Mallory and the Mystery Diary, the 2 of them talked before bed briefly before Vanessa dozed off. In The All New Mallory Pike, Mal told us Vanessa makes up a morning poem for her (Mal) everyday. Little moments like that seemed so genuine and "real."
As for this book, I echo everyone else. The Pikes' should have stuck it out one last day. I can understand Mr. and Mrs. Pike not quite realizing just how big an invasion the camera crew would be at the onset. Once they did, wanting to try and make it work anyway, most likely for their excited brood. Quitting on the last day? The family also had to have understood just by the camera's presence their documentary was hardly going to be that of a true "old fashioned Christmas." Maybe Mr. Henry could have followed them in the background as they enagaged in (as they really would) activities that meant something to them as a family such as making cookies, carolling, even finding a tree. Talking with them about their secret santa tradition and possibly others they might follow for the holidays would have been more honest, less evasive, and certainly not taken an entire month!
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Post by virgoscorpio on Dec 24, 2010 14:04:37 GMT -5
OK I have a few comments about this book:
First, why was the Santa Village held in a department store? (in this case, Lear's). I have never, personally, seen a Santa village located there -- they are usually in the actual mall. I figure there are several reasons for this: department stores don't actually have the space for a village; the amount of line-ups and people might deter other customers away; too many people in the department store could be a hazard for, let's say, shoplifting.
Secondly, why was Pow allowed in the department store? Yet he's there, right in Chapter 10! Last time I checked -- none of the Pikes were legally blind!
Overall, I really liked this book. It was a cute and non-typical way to present a Christmas-themed book.
I didn't picture Hodges to look like that (on the cover) but he actually looks hot! Yum, Hodges.
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Post by wiggir13 on Jul 24, 2011 17:16:54 GMT -5
I love Christmas time so I loved this book. It makes me want to go chop down a christmas tree from a tree farm (alas we don't have that anywhere near central florida).
I did look at this book differently this time in thinking that maybe it had been written near the time that MTV had the first real world come out? I mean that was pretty early on reality tv and now everyone and their grandmother has one. Has anyone noticed though that these shows are getting more terrible and not real at all? Anywho, this book made me wonder if this is how they make these shows. Example: Snookie we didn't get your drunken fall where you boobs fall out of your dress, can you do it over again???
Seems to me like the Pikes experience was probably close to the truth.
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Post by zoar3 on Jul 26, 2011 15:17:01 GMT -5
I just had the thought of how this book could have been a portrait of sorts for Mal. This and moreso the Pike holiday-parts in "Get Well Soon, Mallory," and "Christmas Chiller," really endeared me to their family. I definitely think Dee and John should have said "time out" earlier and realized their "old (or) new" fashioned holiday wasn't quite being enjoyed by everyone. I also still can't believe they turned down all that money on the very last day!
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Post by virgoscorpio on Dec 24, 2011 14:49:54 GMT -5
LOL - I just realized that I posted here on the *exact same day last year* at about the same time! I guess this is a very Christmas Eve book for me.
Turning down the money was, to me, a bad idea. I do like the "morality" issue, and I agree with it, but at the same time, don't you want to teach your kids to keep their commitments? All of the kids agreed to it, knowing that there would be camera crews around all the time -- the Pike parents mentioned this -- so I think they should have stuck through the next day or so. Besides, $10,000 would be really helpful in a 10 person household, especially since their savings were gone. It seems like the universe maybe was trying to help the Pikes out, and just asking for a little work on their part.
It also bothered me that they didn't really seem to care about the crew and what would happen to them. "$10,000 goes a long way toward the loss and the crew's salaries?" This is assuming that they still get paid even though they have no footage. So basically the TV company is out that big loss, and I hope it doesn't affect the crew individually. Mr. Pike mentions that the crew works hard and sorry for their loss, but it was in passing.
The kids seemed a bit bratty when they were pissed off the cutting kept happening during present time. I wanted to be like, you'll all get your presents.
I skipped through the Stoneybrook Manor and Uncle Joe subplot. It was cute and some parts of Uncle Joe reminded me of my Popa, in a way. They were happy things but since I was at an old-age home last week, I didn't really want to re-visit it in BSC land.
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Post by shannon86 on Jan 8, 2012 9:33:59 GMT -5
I love this Mallory book! I got it used two past Christmas ago and it still got that special postcard or whatever the card is still attached to the inside of the book. I just love the story. The card is just too beautiful and this is my all-time favorite BSC Christmas book ever.
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Post by virgoscorpio on Jan 8, 2012 12:45:16 GMT -5
^ What does the special postcard look like? I've never seen it.
Remember the decal in Mary Anne and the Memory Garden. I thought it was so lame. At first I thought it was just a sticker, and then later realized it was a decal (to put on your shirt or something).
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Post by shannon86 on Jan 18, 2012 10:57:46 GMT -5
Oh it's a Candy Cane Ornament with all 8 main BSC members: Claudia, Stacey, Mary Anne, Abby, Dawn, Kristy, Mallory, Jessi and it said Happy Holidays from The Baby-Sitters Club. Its pretty cute, Jessi, Kristy, Claudia, Abby, Dawn and Abby are on the the top and the other three are on the bottom, and there's a cute green bowl with The Baby-Sitters Club logo on it.
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Post by greer on Jan 18, 2012 11:28:05 GMT -5
can you take a pic/scan it? thanks!
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Post by shannon86 on Jan 18, 2012 11:42:26 GMT -5
I'll try,but I don't know how to put it here so I'll put it on my Facebook account when I'll take it.
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Post by greer on Jan 18, 2012 11:48:29 GMT -5
I'll try,but I don't know how to put it here so I'll put it on my Facebook account when I'll take it. I don't think I have you on facebook... I'll pm you
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Post by shannon86 on Jan 18, 2012 21:00:23 GMT -5
The photo is now up on The Baby-Sitters Club Facebook page.
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Post by Honeybee on Jan 18, 2012 23:49:26 GMT -5
I like the book. Felt really Christmasy. Even though Christmas has pass. I didn't like the crewman telling the Pikes what to do. I'll get annoyed. If, I start all over 100 times. So, be just right for them. The way contest sound, like the camera people will walk around & let the Pikes say whatever they want. Just edit the part, that's not Christmasy. The Christmas Village sounds wonderful. Felt like, I wanted to visit there. Even though it's fictional Christmas Village.
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