jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,156
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Post by jen on Nov 27, 2006 5:11:41 GMT -5
I know we spend a lot of time here snarking and poking fun at this series, but let's face it: something has kept us here, two decades after these books were first published, still discussing and debating. So what do you love about the series? I think my favourite thing about the BSC is the comforting familiarity of it. I've reread them so many times now, and know them rather well, that picking one up and reading it is like going home. No surprises, just wonderful comfort. Aside from that, in terms of the actual content of the books, I love the community spirit that's evident in almost every book. And, er, the food.
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inge
Junior Sitter
Posts: 767
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Post by inge on Nov 27, 2006 6:19:28 GMT -5
I love so many things about these books I like how important friendships are, the community spirit you already mentioned, the many story lines... I don't know, there's something in there that keeps me reading! It's a form of escapism, I guess. Everything is always OK in the end in Stoneybrook
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starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
Posts: 4,004
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Post by starrynight on Nov 27, 2006 10:57:47 GMT -5
I like how Claudia's outfits at the beginning of the series were actually cool for that time period, rather than, um, quirky like they were at the end of the series. I also like reading about all their many dream vacations!
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Post by sotypical42483 on Nov 27, 2006 11:52:40 GMT -5
I love reading about their friendships. I never had friends like that in junior high so it's cool to read about the girls. I also love reading about how they deal with boys, I think it's so cute.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Nov 27, 2006 16:09:02 GMT -5
I love the drama, the friendships (I never had friends so close at that age either), the adventures (Super Specials!), the clothing descriptions and of course, the nostalgia factor!
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Post by aln1982 on Nov 27, 2006 16:09:56 GMT -5
I love the familiarity and knowing that at the end, everything will work out right. I still like fantasizing that I am the characters in the books ("saving" the world) and how Stoneybrook is such an ideal community. The BSC books give me a refreshing break from reality. Lots of the things make me laugh. I also like (most of the time) reading about the baby-sitting, itself, because I like kids but never get the chance (and never have the patience) to actually be around them. The books are just a comfortable escape for me - except the Fire at Mary Anne's House. I will post on that thread about it later....
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alula
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 406
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Post by alula on Nov 27, 2006 16:24:50 GMT -5
I think it definitely has a high quota of wish fulfillment (would my life was half as exciting and satisfying NOW as the Baby-sitters were at thirteen!) -- bad guys always get caught and problems are always solvable and the guy you like almost always secretly likes you back (or else there's an even better guy hanging around crushing on you) and ambitious projects come off without a hitch.
I think rereading them, and rebuilding my collection as an adult, I'm more moved by the relationships than I was as a kid--the lasting friendships, the family dynamics, the Stoneybrook community. I also find reading them now, I often have "oh, that's so sweeet!" moments--like these are real girls and I totally want to wrap them up and save them from the real world.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Nov 27, 2006 17:42:31 GMT -5
These books also take me back to a simpler time... as a nine yr old kid who truly was impressed by Claudia's outfits, where adolescence was a blissful dream of sleepovers, clean cut wholesome and truly devoted 13 yr old boyfriends, summer "luv", shopping ... where the most controversial issue was ear-piercing and parents play a pretty non-eventful role in your life ;D
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jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,156
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Post by jen on Nov 27, 2006 18:12:04 GMT -5
Reading your replies, do you guys think that you love the books now more than you did when you were actually the intended audience age? I think I definitely do. The friendships and relationships and how everything always works out all right in the end are things that I love as well, but I don't think I appreciated all that as much when I was a kid.
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ktag
Junior Sitter
Posts: 694
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Post by ktag on Nov 27, 2006 21:53:23 GMT -5
Much as we snark about the chapter twos, I love knowing that I can describe all the girls and recite their history, like I "know" them. Plus, it's such an innocent and nice setting.
I do think I love them more now as well. I didn't start reading the books till about 6th grade-ish, so people were already moving on by then. And middle school was that in between time where you're embarrassed about going to the children's section, but feel completely lost in the adult areas. So...I didn't get to read as much of the series as I would have liked to. Now I own maybe 10 times as many of the books as I did as a kid, which was very little.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Nov 28, 2006 5:24:03 GMT -5
Reading your replies, do you guys think that you love the books now more than you did when you were actually the intended audience age? I think I definitely do. The friendships and relationships and how everything always works out all right in the end are things that I love as well, but I don't think I appreciated all that as much when I was a kid. Definitely love them more now, although I did love them as a kid, don't get me wrong! I just didn't appreciate them on the same level.
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Post by sotypical42483 on Nov 28, 2006 11:47:36 GMT -5
I definitely appreciate them more now. I mean I LOVED them as a kid, but you can't beat the nostalgia factor you get reading them now
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starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
Posts: 4,004
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Post by starrynight on Nov 28, 2006 12:04:29 GMT -5
I love them differently now than I did as a kid, but I wouldn't say it's more or less.
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jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,156
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Post by jen on Nov 28, 2006 18:50:19 GMT -5
Much as we snark about the chapter twos, I love knowing that I can describe all the girls and recite their history, like I "know" them. Plus, it's such an innocent and nice setting. Totally! I love that we all know those tiny details.
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digigirl02
Junior Sitter
The P is for Princess
Posts: 698
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Post by digigirl02 on Dec 8, 2006 0:19:02 GMT -5
It reminds me of a more innocent time, sure if they were to re-write the stories now, it would be a lot different, and I also like the community spirit the books had.
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