Carol Olsen

[lilafowler]

I don't think it was in Dawn's Book, if that's the one you mean. Maybe it was in one of the later books from the series.

I think she meant one of the Dawn-narrated California Diaries? I haven't read many of the CD books at all, I'd like to start collecting them after I get all the regular BSC books.

[aln1982]

Even though I've always got the impression that Carol likes Dawn and know Dawn warmed up to her, I thought it was kind of odd in Too Many Sitters how Carol starts crying and both of them make a big deal about how much they will miss Dawn when she goes back to Stoneybrook for the summer. Maybe I'm just missing the build-up of their relationship before that book, though. Anyone else think this was odd (or not)?

[liss31d]

The relationship between Carol and Dawn is interesting in the California Diaries as the tension rises between them at certain points, partly due to Sunny getting along really well with Carol, Carol's pregnancy, Carol's "immaturity," etc... BUT by the end of the series, they do get along better.

[booboobrewer]

I thought that was a sweet moment when they were both crying and hugging...I like reading about Dawn's and Carol's relationship, I've always found it interesting and realistic.

[sotypical42483]

I never understood why Sunny and Carol were so close in CA Diaries. Can anyone shed some light? I haven't read all of the CA Diaries (and the only one I read w/ any type of Sunny/Carol relationship was Sunny #3) so I was really confused when I read that and she felt so close to Carol!

[aln1982]

booboobrewer said:

I thought that was a sweet moment when they were both crying and hugging...I like reading about Dawn's and Carol's relationship, I've always found it interesting and realistic.

I liked this scene, too, and Dawn and Carol's closer relationship. Was just wondering if it was built up at all, though, since I hadn't read many Dawn books between her hating Carol in CA Girls and that one.
No ideas about Sunny and Carol since I never read the CA Diaries. Maybe Carol sensed Sunny needed a "mom" or because they are both kind of "free spirits" But those are just things that popped into my mind with absolutely no basis and I really don't have a clue, either.

[aln1982]

Just found the reference that I was looking for about Carol and Jack's baby. It's in MA and the Playground Fight when Dawn mentions that she didn't want to leave "Gracie". I love that name for the baby. Was she mentioned in any other books? I think someone said she was in the CA Diaries? If so, do they talk a lot about her and what ones?

[aln1982]

I am rereading CA Girls and really feel for Carol with the way Dawn is treating her when she's being nothing but extremely nice and generous. I can understand why Dawn resented her (though find it a bit odd that she was okay with her mom being remarried but not her dad. Maybe because she wanted MA as a sister) but she just seemed to criticize everything Carol did. Carol was really patient putting up with it. Anyway, I'm glad that Dawn finally got over her hatred of Carol and thought the books made the change seem pretty gradual and logical.

[greer]

i think dawn was so excited about the ma aspect she didn't think of the richard aspect as much. also, richard is a very "fatherly" figure, but also quite sensitive, i think--he is willing to support dawn but is always cognizant of the fact that dawn has a father. plus he made sharon really happy, and i get the feeling that when things started getting bad for sharon and jack, they got really bad. but carol, despite all her good intentions, didn't come with a best friend for dawn and tried instead to be dawn's friend. i can see carol taking up "emotional space" in a way that richard wouldn't.

[aln1982]

^ Agree about Richard and those being the reasons. That's also why I wish (and can't really understand why she wasn't) she could have been closer with Richard, though I know she is close with her real dad so that could cause some conflict.

[greer]

she wasn't really in stoneybrook for such a long time after s&r married.

[aln1982]

I thought Dawn was really judgmental of Carol (once again ;D) in Dawn 1 of the CA Diaries – especially with thinking she was wearing and eating the wrong thigns. It wasn’t like she was doing anything to harm the baby. She just wasn’t behaving how Dawn expected so Dawn assumed that was wrong??? That was one thing that made me mad about Dawn in that book. Also, when she got all upset and thought Carol was immature for laughing when she asked what sterile meant because she assumed that Carol was embarrassed, I had a different perception of the situation. I’m probably wrong but I kind of assumed that Carol laughed not so much because she was embarrassed about the word but because she was kind of laughing at Dawn – taken aback that a 13 year old 8th grader had never heard of something like sterile hospital equipment. Agree that she probably shouldn’t have laughed but I assumed she didn’t really mean to do it and it was actually her laughing at Dawn rather than at the word. That was just my take on the situation, though.

[greer]

^i think the "sterile" meant not hospital equipment, but that mrs. winslow's treatments would render her unable to have any more children. so i thought it was inappropriate for carol to laugh then too.

[aln1982]

^ Then it would be. ;D I think I was reading too fast and just so focused on her illness and being in the hospital that's what I thought of. ;D

[greer]

they weren't very clear about it. i can see a lot of kids reading the book and not understanding that cancer treatments can sometimes make you sterile.