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Post by booboobrewer on Feb 23, 2013 18:14:07 GMT -5
There's a great moment in the last chapter when everyone's hanging out in Kristy's room and Karen's talking about OBB (ol' Ben Brewer!)
Cracked me up. And when Stacey "snorts" when Karen mentions the fried dandelions, and Mary Anne jokes about the exercise vs. exorcise meaning. I just liked how they seemed to kid Karen more in the earlier books, it was funny.
Also love when David Michael asks in an "amazed voice" if they really asked a dog to join their club ;D
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KittyMarie
New To Stoneybrook
I'm a dork and I'm proud.
Posts: 36
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Post by KittyMarie on May 6, 2013 11:20:09 GMT -5
I read a theory on bsc_snark on LJ that made me think.
It's possible Louie's eyesight had been deteriorating for a long while before that, but Louie was so used to the layout of the Bradford Court house that he knew where everything was even if he couldn't see it too well.
After they move to The Mansion, however, Louie's gotta deal with a new, HUGE house, where he doesn't know where anything is. For a dog with sh*tty eyesight, that could have very well been his downfall.
Just a thought.
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Post by sparklymouse on May 6, 2013 12:19:32 GMT -5
^Stress definitely ages a pet the same as humans. My cat was a pretty healthy ("only child") teenager and as soon as we got two kittens her health plummeted and never recovered. My brother's dog's (again, an "only child" in the house) health started getting noticibly worse when they had a baby. It could have also been like you said. He was just as bad before the move but could cover it more by knowing his daily route and routine.
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Post by virgoscorpio on May 6, 2013 13:10:21 GMT -5
^ I can also vouch for what sparklymouse is saying. When I was living with my sister, we had 3 cats. I took the youngest, Margo, with me when I moved. The middle one (Titza) was forced to move in with a friend after my sister's husband claimed she couldn't be there with his allergies (and yet he can keep the oldest one, Gizmo, and live with 3 cats in an apartment for over a year and that's okay? Hmmm). Anyway, my friend has 3 cats of her own and once Titza arrived her health plummeted fast. She became overweight (due to a different feeding routine), her fur became dull and she started developing knots in her fur. She's not very excited about living with all these other new cats in a new environment. Needless to say, Margo is moving in with a friend of mine (the same one who's cat died in the Fall when I was cat-sitting who desperately want a new cat) which means I can take Titza and she can be an only child and get healthy again ... so everyone wins!
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Post by sparklymouse on May 6, 2013 18:19:49 GMT -5
^You're getting rid of Margo?!
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Post by virgoscorpio on May 6, 2013 22:34:54 GMT -5
Yeah I really don't want to but I can't have 2 cats + myself in a studio apartment. Plus Margo would have to take the trip across country. My friends are an older couple who are looking for a cat and I know they'd love her to death and spoil her.
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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 May 6, 2013 22:51:17 GMT -5
^ If you have to rehome a pet, those are the kind of people it should go to!
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Post by virgoscorpio on May 6, 2013 23:04:40 GMT -5
^ I agree I wouldn't have let her go if it was to anyone else but them. I know she'll love it there!
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,268
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Post by oldhickory on May 9, 2013 12:43:14 GMT -5
^ that's how i have gotten all my pets. the woman who had oscar before me couldn't take care of him so we took him in, but now i've had him for 10 years and he is a huge part of my family. so she helped us as much as we helped her and i think you are doing a very nice thing :]
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inge
Junior Sitter
Posts: 767
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Post by inge on Jan 3, 2016 6:43:57 GMT -5
I just reread this and aw, man, when Louie looses control over his hind legs... That is too much for me, poor puppy. I think his death was well handled though, most of us have suffered the loss of a pet I'd guess, and that feeling was captured well. I've read back through many pages of this thread and I don't think I have seen it mentioned but can we talk about how awesome the cover art is for this one? The "snobs" all looks so perfectly snobby, including their pets! That is awesome. Louie just looks like a sweet, friendly dog.
I also liked Shannon's introduction, even though she imo started and went too far in the prank war by saying there was a fire. Stil, I wish she had become a regular BSC member. We only hear so little about her in the rest of the series and I think she could have brought some spice. I'd prefer het over Mal and Jessi, but I think my main problem with those two is still their age. I just don't think 11 year olds should be babysitters, there is just something off about that. So I would have preferred Mal to remain a charge that helps out with her siblings and Jessi to still move to Stoneybrook but maybe be 13 like the others. Anyway. Wish we'd seen more of Shannon, that's all.
Poor Dawn in her chapter, btw. Though is she really getting paid for a night in with her brother? I wouldn't actually consider that a babysitting job unless she had to cancel other plans to do so (in which case another BSC member would have been free, anyway). Finally, enjoyed Staceys reverse psychology though it kind of threw me!
Fave: " at the cat funeral, I would say she had cost $400!"
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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 Jan 3, 2016 17:47:11 GMT -5
I'm surprised I hadn't posted on this thread yet! I love this book. So sad, though, about Louie! the moments between David Michael and Louie are so sweet and touching. I wish they kept Louie alive longer. I think Ann wrote the death of a beloved pet really well. I wonder how a ghostwriter would write it... The dynamics between Kristy and Shannon was a combination of interesting and funny and amusing and stupid. The reason why Kristy and Shannon made up was a WTF moment - becoming friends over a giant pepperoni mountain dog joke?! Seriously? anyways, I thought it was realistic and age appropriate of them pulling pranks on each other. In the later books, they would have a serious adult discussion over coffee, heh. I think this was the last book before Sam and Charlie faded away. #1, #6, and this one, they were truly her big brothers. Afterwards, they disappeared...
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inge
Junior Sitter
Posts: 767
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Post by inge on Jan 3, 2016 18:26:40 GMT -5
^ good point about Sam and Charlie. I am rereading randomly so hadn't been able to pinpoint it as well but yeah, it is a pity they become silent background characters/ride providers.
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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 Jan 3, 2016 19:26:43 GMT -5
Poor Charlie, he's only there to drive Kristy and her friends and Sam...um, well, he prank calls the BSC? He's hardly ever there.
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Post by booboobrewer on Jul 3, 2016 22:45:43 GMT -5
I also liked Shannon's introduction, even though she imo started and went too far in the prank war by saying there was a fire. This stuck out to me. If I was Mrs. Papadakis I would be like bye Shannon, you're not watching my kids anymore
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Post by wistfuldreamer86 on Sept 6, 2018 19:59:08 GMT -5
^ Yeah, she went way too far in the prank war. And didn't Kristy only pull one prank on Shannon? And hers didn't affect a baby-sitting job. Not that she should've done it but it's fitting for her age, I suppose. The only part of the book I really liked was the stuff with Louie, even if it was sad. I teared up quite a few times. Pets become like your family and you definitely got that sense in this book. It was kind of jarring how quickly they got a new dog though. After my childhood cat died, I waited five years before getting another cat. But everyone's different. It just would've been nice if it had been longer than a week or two... Oh and I also liked the "reverse psychology" stuff with Stacey and the Delaney's. That was funny. And I liked how Kristy mimicked it. It's nice when the sitters learn from each other.
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