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Post by zoar3 on Jan 29, 2012 23:29:21 GMT -5
^It would have been interesting to have read about (either firsthand or in memory) an example of some of the testing. I know Mrs. Rodowsky talked with Mary Anne about all the various specialists Shea has seen (I didn't think that long list was necessary, btw. For "us' I mean). An actual "live" description would have worked much better. The subplot, instead of the kids treating the BSC to ice cream could have shown us Claudia's own struggles with school and possibly some extra care/help she had.
So many of Claudia's books, this one, Great Search, Little Liar, Middle School Dropout, really could have been combined into one regular book and one portrait. This would also fit in with my "wish" that instead of the LS series, there had been one book or two per charge.
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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 Jan 30, 2012 0:12:43 GMT -5
So many of Claudia's books, this one, Great Search, Little Liar, Middle School Dropout, really could have been combined into one regular book and one portrait. This would also fit in with my "wish" that instead of the LS series, there had been one book or two per charge. lol, that would have been one stressful period for Claudia. "I'm dealing with kids that have problems of their own, I just got sent back to seventh grade, and now I think I'm adopted!!!"
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Post by zoar3 on Jan 30, 2012 12:00:26 GMT -5
^Lol, I didn't think of it that way, but you're right! Poor Claud. Where Claudia was concerned, there wasn't any consistency regarding much of anything. Situations that initially (7th or early 8th grade) were under control or talked about as needed, blew up much like the girls' "adventures" later on.
Initially Claudia told us she hid her candy and Nancy Drews because her parents would tell her to eat some more nutritious and Janine would tell her to read something more worthwhile. Very soon, probably before the first round of 8th grade even, that became Claudia HAS to hide these things because her parents forbid them. We never were told what would happen if she was "caught" just that the candy and Nancy Drew's were a no-no.
During KGI, Claudia gets the note from SMS, according to Kristy one of 2 C gets each year from school. In this case, Mr. Kishi reads it just before Claudia asks permission to attend the BSC pizza party. We know he (john Kishi) laid down the law. Eventually Claudia is told she must set an "hour or so aside for homework after dinner." One family member per night will help her. I think that literally meant one per night with the Friday night helper being charge of all weekend assignments. We only ever really read about Mimi helping Claudia (Phantom Caller, particularly) and Claudia complaining but begrudgingly commenting on Janine's help. I do remember in #2, Claudia telling is that her mom helped her with homework before she sat at the Marshalls. (homework had to be done before an evening job). There were passing references to this arrangement later but we never read much firsthand about it. Certainly, the Kishis never "threatened" Claudia with having to give up the BSC as she often told us they did.
My point is that the Kishis may have been one of the least "shown" BSC families at least "behind the scenes." Janine, Mimi, and even the family as a whole could apply to the above.
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Post by virgoscorpio on Jan 30, 2012 14:22:58 GMT -5
^ Claudia's candy hiding did get a bit annoying. It almost became a big farce, like the creators thought, "Well we had Claud hiding junk food in the beginning of the series so we have to keep that up." Couldn't she have just hid ALL OF HER CANDY in a big bag and stuck it in her closet or something? It always seemed likely to me that her parents would come into her room and move something and find random candy hidden everywhere. Some of her hiding places were not that great anyway. And don't you love how they had to comment on her perfect skin, even though she ate candy and soda constantly? It wouldn't have been terrible if Claud got a blemish here and there... at least she would have been a *normal* preteen then.
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Post by zoar3 on Jan 30, 2012 17:20:01 GMT -5
^I never thought of that Virgo. I guess either Claud's parents never came into her room like ever or were completely and utterly dense. Maybe in Claudia's mind she figured even if her parents found a few stray candy items, at least they would not find ALL of them (so that was her reasoning having multiple hiding places). Of course, that "logic" also could say that if either Rioko or John ever did find any candy laying around they'd be more likely to remember that and either check again sometime in the future or confront Claudia that day. As I've said before my concern with Claudia and her candy was that the writers never gave any thought to the fact that the message of aimlessly gorging on candy when stressed wouldn't be the best message for young readers. I still also don't "get" why Claudia, at least once, never said to her parents (even in her portrait as a younger kid memory) that it wasn't fair that the Pike kids and possibly also Kristy and siblings could eat whatever they wanted. I know they probably would have replied with the standard, "if the Pikes let their kids jump off a cliff," etc, but still it might have led to an interesting discussion or experiment.
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Post by virgoscorpio on Jan 30, 2012 19:03:28 GMT -5
Well, the Kishis don't make sense. They're the same parents who allow a 13-year-old-failing-student her own phone line and trips around the country, but they don't let her eat junk food. I guess the BSC wouldn't have worked the same without a private phone line, and paying for an entire month's phone bill would take all of their treasury money, but still...
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Post by zoar3 on Jan 30, 2012 19:17:41 GMT -5
^Do you think they'd freak out if Claudia ate some type of junk food in their presence? I mean what exactly would they do? The "truth" is they simply refuse to spend (their) money buying it for Claudia and/or won't allow her (when she's shopping with them) to spend her money on it either. I don't think they tail her into each and every store! The phone bill always caused my head to spin. I know back then in the 80's bills were different than they are now. We've had this conversation on here before. I admit to not remembering this but did it really cost money (in the 80's) for you to call a neighbor across the street? I know it has always cost money (been a local toll call) when you call someone out of your area code but for within it should be "free" just a monthly charge. Maybe the Stoneybrook Phone Company gave the BSC a discount?
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Post by virgoscorpio on Jan 30, 2012 19:28:13 GMT -5
I agree with you about the Kishi rule on junk food. I think the parents are reasonable enough to know that you can't stop your daughters from coming across junk food, and they might eat it (at school, friend's places, etc.) I assume, like you said, they want her to make "good, healthy" choices on foods. BUT when parents really restrict something, it can have the opposite effect. For example, my Nana would always hide the coke (pop) in the house. She would drink it whenever she felt like it, and when my aunt or uncle or cousins or guests came over, they could have some. But my sister and I were restricted on it. So eventually we found out her hiding places and snuck some when she wasn't home. Now, as an adult, I have a coke addiction. I wonder why!
With that you said about phones, I agree -- they didn't cost much for landlines. Now cell phones are SOOO EXPENSIVE. Especially here in Canada! I know people who have spent $1,000 on a cell phone bill for a month. Granted they probably live on their phone, but still! I suspect a month long phone bill for the 80s and 90s was around $20?
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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 Jan 30, 2012 19:49:23 GMT -5
Ha ha, yes, I agree that it got ridiculous as the books went on that Claudia hid her candy in so many different places in her room, when it would have been smarter to just hide all of her candy in one really well hidden spot. Is it really worth it to get on the floor and crawl completely underneath your bed to find some out-of-sight box just so you can hide a single Snickers bar?
When I was little, I thought Claudia hiding candy in her room was totally cool, and so I started hiding candy in my room too. But it didn't make any sense, because my parents were ok with snacks (in moderation) and so we had snacks in the kitchen. There was absolutely no reason for me to hide candy in my room, but I did so anyway because it seemed so cool when Claudia did it.
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Post by virgoscorpio on Jan 30, 2012 23:25:51 GMT -5
A lot of it would melt, too!
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Post by zoar3 on Jan 30, 2012 23:33:02 GMT -5
And/or go bad. Didn't it sound like Claudia had a ton of snacks? I know at one point she commented that candy corn didn't go bad (I think in Queen of 7th grade) but other things, especially chips and crackers don't last forever. She should have kept track of it all somehow. But, then, that would have meant making a list and we know how well that idea would have gone over with her!
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Post by virgoscorpio on Jan 30, 2012 23:51:59 GMT -5
I'm sure some of the food spoiled, but candy generally lasts for a long time (when unopened). Chips and crackers, even, can last months and months when unopened.
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Post by zoar3 on Nov 14, 2012 17:46:28 GMT -5
What I noticed this time around was Claudia tells us she was tested for learning disabilities "a long, long time ago." We know that could mean 2 rounds of 8th grade ago or truly a few real years ago. It just seems like maybe the schools could have tried figuring out how to help Claudia a little better. I do not like labeling kids and won't get into thoughts on most "testing." I'm just saying from what we know about Claudia, she often says school bores her beyond belief. On page 51 she even says a school like on "Fame," would work for her. I wonder if there were any specialized programs in Stoneybrook? There sure seemed to be a lot of private schools!
O/T to above, I wonder why Archie never joined the Krushers? It sounded like he enjoyed baseball and being outdoors. I have noticed that the Rodowskys are a family who seem to be mainly mentioned only in a book predominately about them.
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Post by virgoscorpio on Nov 14, 2012 20:38:26 GMT -5
^ When you bring up specialized schools, I'm somewhat surprised that the Kishi's didn't send Claudia to a special ed (or after-school programs like the Learning Annex or something). You'd think they would do that, especially since they're so invested in Janine's education. I don't mean this in a racial way at all, but the Asian friends that I grew up with, all of them went to special classes outside of school.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,263
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Post by oldhickory on Nov 15, 2012 1:30:28 GMT -5
^ i didn't! but my mom did make me take a ton of lessons that weren't school-related, like piano.
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