#12 Claudia and the Disaster Date

[Penny Lane]

I read this book this morning and i was surprised as too how much I liked it and the Claudia/Alan pairing. I used to think that Kristy/Alan should be together but I can see Alan/Claudia now. It's sad that this is the last book before Graduation day.

Okay, and for the first time, ever, i very much disliked Dawn. Complaining about golf because of pesticides? SO pushing it girl. You give us environmentalists such a bad name.

[greer]

I kind of agree with Dawn, actually; I think golf courses are quite bad for the environment.

I really like the Claud/Alan pairing too, but I don't think that the "spark" is really there for Claud. Sadly, this is a problem that seem to be present in all of Claud's relationships that we've seen. :/

[Penny Lane]

Well, I'm not saying that Dawn was completely wrong. I do think she went about preaching to the reader in an odd, off putting fashion. The sitters were discussing mini-golf. The only time dawn was even mentioned (and why was she in ct anyway?) was when she didn't want to hang out with Alan, and when she was carrying on about golf courses when they were going mini-golfing.

I also really liked the part where Claudia decides that Janine talks like that because she wants to throw people off. Took until the end of the series, awesome.

Did anyone else read/like this book?

[starrynight]

^ I liked it pretty well; I'd rank it in the top half of the FF books, for sure. I don't really love the Claudia/Alan pairing, though. I'm just kind of indifferent to it.

[anzuhana]

I enjoyed reading it. I liked the mother daughter moment between Claudia and her mom.

[greer]

^Which one?

Claudia's mural sounded really cool, although the idea of handprints on the wall seems tacky to me.

[anzuhana]

^ It was chapter 14.

[otempora541]

May 4, 2009 19:57:31 GMT -5 Penny Lane said:

(and why was she in ct anyway?)

Book takes place in the summer? After FF#11 Dawn is still in CT.

[Kylie90210]

Okay, firstly, it's summer, yet no mention of graduation... that's the next book! Weird.

Secondly, only just started this, but love Alan and Claud...! Kristy needs the pole removed though.

[anzuhana]

^ Maybe the reason graduation wasn't mentioned in this book yet it was mentioned in the next book is because they planed to release more FF books.

[oldhickory]

this was one of the few books i bought new, when i was younger. i remember being confused because it was nothing like the regular series, but i loved claudia and alan. since i read it before i read a lot of the other books i always knew they would end up together. i honestly don't remember anything else about this book though. i probably haven't read it since that first time.

[sarish]

Haha, my favorite part of this one is where Cary pairs everyone up - Kristy is about to ask MA and he pairs her up with Alan and pairs himself up with MA. He wanted Alan to prove to Claudia he could be on his best behavior by pairing him up with who he pesters the most -- I dunno, I just absolutely loved this one. Plus I thought the pairing of him and MA together kinda suggested he liked her a bit. And I LOVE Cary and MA together.

[wiggir13]

I agree with a lot of people here that I liked the Claudia/Alan pairing. I enjoyed reading about them all going out together and learning about Erica Blumberg's adoptive thing. I did find it odd that this was the last Friends forever book before graduation day.

[sparklymouse]

I just don't like Claudia/Alan at all. If Claudia had been the guy and Alan the girl I don't think anyone would be ok with how their relationship started. She spent the first half of the book being sketchy with her friends and basically trying to avoid being seen in public with him, and he spent the whole book trying to change himself to make her happy.

Kristy was over the top, of course. I wonder if she was jealous. Not that she necessarily wanted Alan, but *her* pest found someone new. Then at the golf course Cary chose Mary Anne, so it was like she got dropped by two guys at the same time. I loved Dawn's amusement over Kristy's meltdown at the first club meeting. Something tells me D wasn't sitting in CA all those months missing K.

What was up Mrs. Kishi's butt the whole book? I thought it was very out of character for her to be so downright hostile about the mural. I understand that she didn't want Claudia pestering Ms. Feld (who sounded kinda stupid with kids, btw), but Ms. Feld approached her. The idea for the mural sounded adorable. I loved all the fairy tale people reading funny titled books. My fav: Rapunzel reading "The Princess's Guide to Building Ladders". Lol.

[virgoscorpio]

I agree with your entire post, sparklymouse. I also didn't like the Alan and Claudia pairing and agree with your double-standard point that you made. Also, I felt the Claud/Alan pairing was very surprising. I guess one could argue that kids maybe don't get very serious into romance and feelings and such until around this age. And Claud was more interested in guys than Kristy or Abby, for example, so it's more likely she had a boyfriend. And maybe Alan and Claud can relate to being outcasts, in some way or another, but still...I would have actually preferred Alan and Kristy.