oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,254
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Post by oldhickory on Oct 16, 2012 1:56:35 GMT -5
i agree with you guys. i was a chubby kid and needed a bsc friend who was going through the same thing! everyone was either an athlete, a healthy eater, naturally thin, or mallory.
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supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,106
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Post by supprazz on Oct 16, 2012 9:15:29 GMT -5
A lot of dancers, males and females are bound to have weight or self esteem issues at some point, and I do agree it's a shame mme noelle was not addressing it or disciplining the class. This may have made it easier for Jessi to open up to her too when getting those notes and cut up clothes, cause it's creepy and abusive behaviour, but no one points that out cause she wasn't physically injured face to face though she did slip from that spill.
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wanderingfrog
Sitting For The Arnolds
Official BSC Archivist
Posts: 2,552
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Post by wanderingfrog on Jan 27, 2013 12:37:09 GMT -5
In this book, Jessi says she needs a new pair of toe shoes every week or so. I call BS on this. An eleven-year-old who's only recently started pointe (in Hello, Mallory she tells Mal that she just got her pointe shoes) and who only takes two classes a week does not go through pointe shoes that quickly! It's true that in real life, you'd be doing a lot of simpler things at first, rather than immediately doing everything you've done on flat on pointe instead all of a sudden, but still. A beginning pointe student wearing out a pair of shoes every week from just two classes and some practice at home? Not gonna happen. It'd sound more realistic if she said she went through a pair a week just right now because in addition to regular classes, there are also frequent, intensive Sleeping Beauty rehearsals and Jessi has the lead, but she said she usually needs a new pair every week or so.
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scrounge
Sitter-In-Training
Boo and bullfrogs!
Posts: 414
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Post by scrounge on Jan 27, 2013 13:39:45 GMT -5
I think I would have liked Jessi's books a lot less if I'd known anything about ballet. As it was, I quit dance by the second grade, so I'd read these books and be like "Best eleven year old dancer in the world? Wears out toe shoes weekly? Sounds legit." I think this is part of the reason why I don't like Jessi as well now as I did then, too.
Dawn with her little flashlight to take notes when the club watches a rehearsal always gets me. How would nobody notice that from the stage?
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,254
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Post by oldhickory on Jan 27, 2013 16:00:08 GMT -5
i could see a dancer her age going through shoes so quickly because she just doesn't take good care of them, or because her form sucks and she's using them the wrong way. but of course jessi is just the best at everything she does and is above all that.
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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 Jan 27, 2013 22:58:46 GMT -5
I never had trouble believing the toe shoe thing, even though replacing them weekly sounded awfully frequent to me. I never took dance at all, so I had no real life frame of reference.
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Post by zoar3 on Apr 30, 2014 18:12:59 GMT -5
I'm halfway through this and already am angry with Jessi for not going to Mme Noelle let alone her own parents! She does seem close to her dad, at least on their car ride home from ballet practice and when she called him about her ankle. I can (sort of) understand writing off the first note of "Beware," and hoping that was the end of that (The start of the "phantom" and day Jessi's toe shoes went missing until Katie Beth found them). I probably would have told my Grandma but can see wanting to not make a big deal out of the one note. Second day, Jessi's "entire spare outfit is gone" and the note says "Watch your step." I just realized that note truly was a nasty warning because the next dance class when Jessi fell on the slick floor and hurt her ankle. I still don't understand how Hillary managed to get the floor wet at the precise time Jessi would be dancing over it without anyone noticing? The note Jessi gets that day while she is changing and waiting for her dad to drive her to the doctor says "I told you so. From now on, watch out." I think it was at the next rehearsal, the one Jessi had to sit out of that she got this "It could have been worse. Too bad it wasn't." (Page 84) Mallory says "maybe you said tell Mme. Noelle." To which Jessi replies, "I can't do that. She'd never believe such things were going on in her school. She'd think I was making it all up." Okay...so Mme. Noelle would think Jessi wrote threatening notes to herself and caused herself physical pain purpose? That makes sense, how exactly? My head is spinning and I'm only on page 90.
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Post by greer on Apr 30, 2014 18:28:33 GMT -5
Well, I guess it's because Jessi was 11 and your parents freaking out wouldn't make as good a story as solving the mystery yourself. I don't recall Stacey ever going to her mom during the similar storyline when she was modeling for Bellairs, either.
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Post by zoar3 on Apr 30, 2014 19:01:24 GMT -5
Our stars are back and with color, too, thanks Kylie. Back on topic, I agree Greer that the intent was to show how what exciting lives the BSC members were living and that they could solve even dangerous mysteries. As we have discussed many times on here before there sometimes is more of a glaring (to us) difference between a ghost cat and in this someone being physically hurt and threatened. It might have been interesting to read about if Mme. Noelle had stepped in, perhaps that would have led to her and Jessi having some sort of friendship and possibly down the line in "Big break," she could have been an non family member for Jessi to turn to for an opinion. Anyway, always love the triplets' horse and Boo Boo and Max is just great. Of course, Priscilla the best smelling cat in town is so funny, too.
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Post by zoar3 on Mar 7, 2015 23:01:46 GMT -5
Almost a year so I don't feel too bad about double posting. I completely skipped the phantom part this time for the pets and how fun a sub-plot that was. Do we have a BSC Pet Thread on here? I mean who has what pet? I remember us having fun with imaging future names for Papadaksis pets and will search for that in a second. I'm not recalling the other. I'm sure it is here somewhere Back to this book. I wish we had gotten to know Adam, Byron, and Jordan as three separate boys, I love their horse, so clever and funny. I would have loved so much reading about their planning of their "late entry" live. Also thought it was really sweet how much Andrew cared for Midgie and could see the two of them (quieter members of the Little House family) spending time together. A sadly sweet thought I just had is he and David Michael could have shared doggie bond and memories with Louie (and now Andrew and Midgie. Midgie Mystery. I was positive there was some book (I still think this happens in an LS story at least once) where Midgie is a male dog and Rocky the cat (who normally is male is female) This is one such book. Pages 62 and 64. Rat Catcher, the Perkins cat we know in Snowbound within one sentence is both his regular male self and female. In this book "he" is also a "she." Page 88. LOL, I was about to say wait a minute what happened also to RC being orange (she is a brown tiger cat in this book) when I remembered that it is Socks who is an orange tabby cat with white paws. I also thought it was awesome how Matt and Haley figured out to be Pet Handlers as way of participating in the Pet Show. Loved of course Kristy remembering in the beginning how proud she was once of Louie winning a pet show. He will always be with Mimi my very favorite BSC character. What was not awesome was how rude Karen was to Andrew about Midgie and that Kristy said nothing--page 63. It sure was annoying that part of everything Mme. Noeelle was written out. We get it. Enough! I also agree with everyone that the BSC should have either known to award all the kids a prize and told them that before the contest (that this was not a competition but a pet get-together and in such a more positive way than in one of the LS books at Stoneybrook Academy). So, thank you Lauren for mentioning this book in another thread, the pets did bring me a smile. ETA: babysittersclub.proboards.com/thread/1680/potential-papadakis-pets So funny!
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Post by booklover85 on Jun 1, 2017 23:05:03 GMT -5
The premise of this book is great, but the execution of it lousy. Jessi, if someone is trying to harm you in anyway tell your parents. If not, tell Mme Noelle. I can't believe Hillary got off scot free in that one. I hate it when people who hurt other people get off.
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mallorypike
Sitting For The Papadakis's
If I were thirteen instead of eleven, life would be a picnic...
Posts: 1,636
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Post by mallorypike on Jun 5, 2017 2:23:16 GMT -5
Yeah, Jessi should have definitely told her parents what was happening or at the very least, her ballet teacher! Jessi was in a dangerous situation and she needed an adult to help her out.
It made me mad that Hilary didn't even get in trouble. Ugh. She totally deserved a punishment.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,254
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Post by oldhickory on Feb 13, 2018 10:47:21 GMT -5
The scene in the car when Charlie drives them all to the dance studio is really funny, but why did Jessi ride with them? It says she was in the front seat to give Charlie directions, but not why she was in his car in the first place. Her parents normally drive her to dance school. Did she tell them that Charlie was giving her a ride that day? Did she tell them that the rest of the BSC was going also, or did they think it was just her and Charlie? She tried so hard to stay under the radar this whole book, so this part sticks out to me. Charlie could easily have gotten directions or followed Jessi's dad.
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Post by CharlotteTJohanssen on Mar 21, 2020 19:51:17 GMT -5
The part at the beginning where Madam Noelle announced who plays Aurora had me giggle. I just pictured Jessi sitting there not paying attention trying to figure out what her teacher said and then everyone turns to stare at her.
Also I don't think Jessi should have gotten the part, I know she was good and one of the best in the class but the lead? Should have given her the lilac fairy, it's important but not on stage the entire time. This is her second lead, I call bull crap. At least she feels a little bad about getting the lead.
Jessi not telling an adult about what happened really irks me like everyone else here. I wonder if anyone noticed if the BSC was there when they had rehearsals?
Still can't believe Hilary didn't even get punished and her plan worked.
Had to laugh when they excluded Mary Anne from being a judge, because she loved Tigger too much to judge the other cats.
Decent book executed poorly, still wished Jessi told someone besides the BSC about it.
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Post by wistfuldreamer86 on Mar 28, 2020 19:30:29 GMT -5
^ lol, that's probably how it happened!
And I agree, they should've built up to Jessi getting lead parts in the ballets instead of her automatically getting them all. That would've been more realistic. She's only 11, right?
It's just weird how the BSC never seems to involve adults in these scary situations they're in. I understand kids their age thinking like that, but why is it such a constant theme in BSC books? I felt like something similar happened only a few books ago.
I get why Hilary did what she did and I'm glad she quit, but seriously? She should've gotten in trouble for what she did. Making death threats is serious and should be treated as such.
There were parts of the book I liked and I like ballet so that was fun. But didn't like the whole "phantom" plotline. The pet show seemed like a lot of fun and the conflicts around it were pretty realistic.
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