supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,106
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Post by supprazz on Dec 18, 2012 8:11:12 GMT -5
We did sex ed for 2-3 days in 6th grade here, but our parents had to sign consent forms first. Our baby project was not until 11th grade though.
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wanderingfrog
Sitting For The Arnolds
Official BSC Archivist
Posts: 2,552
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Post by wanderingfrog on Oct 27, 2013 12:33:37 GMT -5
I like this book a lot, but right now I am looking at the cover and noticing that 1) Stacey's pants are hideous (I like Claudia's outfit, though) and 2) the clothes at Zingy's are supposed to be punk, but the dress you can see clearly at the front of the store is this long pink and white thing that would not be out of place on Little House on the Prairie.
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Post by mistrali on Oct 30, 2013 19:16:39 GMT -5
Perhaps it was because this book was the first I'd read in a long time, but I loved it. I agree that child labour laws are remarkably lax in the Brook, but then, that comes with the territory, it seems, since thirteen (let alone eleven!) is hardly an appropriate age to babysit.
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Post by virgoscorpio on Oct 31, 2013 0:09:27 GMT -5
This sounds like an old man comment, but I believe that kids from previous generations (us, our parents, our grandparents, etc.) were trusted with more responsibility than kids are today(and as a result, more capable in some areas than kids are today). Hmmmm. Maybe I second guess that comment. Maybe kids just need the OPPORTUNITY to show they are capable. Nevertheless, I still don't believe that sixth graders today could babysit as much or be as devoted as Mal and Jessi were. I also believe that Ann was that capable at that age and she really based most of the characters off of herself and her special group of responsible friends.
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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 Oct 31, 2013 1:11:54 GMT -5
^Agree, I think Ann wrote the characters to have the same amount of responsibility she did as a kid. I'm only in my 20s, but even if I were writing books about 11 - 13-year-olds, I think it would be hard to put myself in their shoes rather than follow what it was like when I was that age.
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Amalia
Sitting For The Braddocks
Her Original Point of View
Posts: 3,664
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Post by Amalia on Oct 31, 2013 1:23:23 GMT -5
^ I think that Ann was showing us that the sitters were so responsible due to Kristy's leadership skills painting her in a good light because she's her favorite sitter by juxtaposing how responsible of sitters they are with how bad others are (BSA, Wendy, Cokie, Erica, etc.) to show us examples of everybody else (normal kids that age) and how the BSC were such an exception from the norm.
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supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,106
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Post by supprazz on Nov 3, 2013 9:23:03 GMT -5
It does make sense that it was more relaxed. If you go way back to the Ramona Quimby books at the very beginning of her series of books, they are taking place in the 50's and 60's with a 9 year old Beezus being left home alone with Ramona while their mother buys groceries, and 5 year old Ramona being left home alone for 20 minutes or so before her KINDERGARTEN class started when nobody was going to be home. Now that's inappropriate. Child Protective Services would be on their tail today and you know it. In the real world, Ramona would have been dropped off to Howie's from the morning, or may have had to miss school as a last resort if there was absolutely no one to watch her and no teacher's on the field. I guess there was criticism of that and more laws came into place since cause in the books published from the 70's and onward, the girls were going to the Kemp's after school and then became latch-key kids later on after trying it out.
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supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,106
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Post by supprazz on Jan 24, 2014 10:25:08 GMT -5
It just occurred to me that Stacey could have worked at Steven E if not Zingy's, and Jessi could have been placed at Toy Town instead of just the movie theatre. The dress she was saving up for could have been stolen, but it would have been like her first two mysteries all over again! I do like the randomness of placing her at Toy Town though, to remind general fans that sophisticated Stacey is great with kids and nothing like Laine, and since it was relevant to the daycare plot. Now I'm wondering though, was this mall daycare non profit or private? It's unrealistic how quickly they would have come up with money that fast to open it though Mr. Morton was playing with the budget.
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Post by virgoscorpio on Feb 9, 2016 12:33:45 GMT -5
Stacey and Claud look like mannequins on the cover! I still stand behind my previous comment that this book would have made a good Super Mystery, having the sitter's chapter correspond with their experiences at their respective jobs. I liked the mall aspect of this and how most of the sitters had jobs that fit their interests or personalities. It would have been better if Zingy's storefront on the cover was Toy Town. I don't see why the abandoned kids couldn't have stayed at home instead of living in the mall...it would have been easier and safer. I agree that the scene with Stacey in the backroom with the ski-masked intruder was very creepy. I wish it would have connected more to the rest of the mystery (meaning we find out who that man was - was it Mr. Morton?)
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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 May 5, 2017 9:38:51 GMT -5
What Stacey and the rest of SMS were doing wasn't too farfetched. In Australia, at my school, I had a subject called Work Studies.I was also 13 years old at the same time the BSC members were. Twice a year we did work experience at the nearest shopping center. I did mine at Kodak, where people get their film developed because I was really interested in photography back then.
This isn't one of my favourites because it was so unrealistic. I'm just glad the BSC didn't end up running the day care centre.
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livvy
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 394
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Post by livvy on Jun 5, 2022 3:31:11 GMT -5
When Stacey ran into the man in the ski mask I was shocked when they didn't bother calling her mom. If my kid was in danger I'd want to know about it. She's a minor for Pete's sake.
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livvy
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 394
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Post by livvy on Jun 6, 2022 2:25:15 GMT -5
How realistic was this book in terms of Project Work? I mean, when I was in high school, we had to do work experience, where you'd just go to a workplace of some sort for a week to see what your dream profession is really like, and I guess this is a similar sort of thing. But still, to have a 13 year old run a cash register and take over while the manager goes on a break? Would that really happen? Yes because in Australia the working age is 13.
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livvy
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 394
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Post by livvy on Jun 6, 2022 2:26:51 GMT -5
Perhaps it was because this book was the first I'd read in a long time, but I loved it. I agree that child labour laws are remarkably lax in the Brook, but then, that comes with the territory, it seems, since thirteen (let alone eleven!) is hardly an appropriate age to babysit. The working age is 13 in Australia.
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