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Post by greer on Aug 8, 2006 10:21:54 GMT -5
most kids i know were just taught how to swim by their parents. Like you start out in little baby raft things, then move on to water wings, and eventually you're adept enough at swimming to no longer need them.
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Post by liss31d on Jan 21, 2007 10:53:46 GMT -5
Ah poor Mal, I felt so sorry for her in this book! Although personally I think this is one of the best written books in the series as there's so much in it. I love it when she goes to the party looking as if she were "dressed for Sunday School" in a gold top, kilt and penny loafers, while the other kids were wearing hot ski pants with spiked up hair ;D Sometimes I think Ann hates Mal and deliberately tries to make things turn out crap for her, such as the fall, being a social outcast, terrified of horses and if it had been any other BSC member they probably would have won, but Mal came 6th out of 12 (still good but she does always get the brunt...) and in the next book Jessi wins a gold medal (yeah the most give away title in the world...) for something that she claims she's crap at.
I have to say though if Mal came up to me and started rambling out of the blue about her family, the BSC and how it works and all the special details about Jessi, then insisting that I visit her, I think I would be a little scared...
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lilafowler
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,163
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Post by lilafowler on Jan 21, 2007 16:21:58 GMT -5
That always annoyed me, too! At least try for suspense, even though we know BSC members nearly always come out on top!
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digigirl02
Junior Sitter
The P is for Princess
Posts: 698
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Post by digigirl02 on Jan 21, 2007 19:36:58 GMT -5
Except for Mallory that is.
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Post by sotypical42483 on Jan 22, 2007 12:09:09 GMT -5
^ha. Seriously. This book made me feel bad for Mallory, but if I was 11, I would've been making fun of her too. She tried too hard! Poor thing.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2007 5:54:07 GMT -5
(You'll have to excuse my rant here. I'm channelling my inner-11 year old, and she spent most of her free time shovelling horse crap ) I hated this book because I *was* horse crazy at that age and Mallory just pissed me off. The whole 'OMG I LOVE HORSES AND I'M GOING TO OWN A BILLION HORSES WHEN I GROW UP but um I don't actually like riding them' rubbed me the wrong way. I would have thought that being a horsey person Mal would have at least used the right terminology- except for albino horses, there's really no such thing as a 'white' horse. They're referred to as grey, and Mallory spends the whole book yapping about Pax The Pure White Horse. Oh, and she falls off. Big deal. So does everyone. And what does her crappy instructor do? Lets her go home. Sorry, but anywhere I've ridden, if you fall off and you're able to stand up without problem, you get straight back on the d**n horse or you lose your nerve just like Mallory did! And her parents bringing her to the ER... And they retired poor Gremlin just because a bunch of kids couldn't handle him sigh I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. It's Mallory. She screws everything up!
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wanderingfrog
Sitting For The Arnolds
Official BSC Archivist
Posts: 2,552
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Post by wanderingfrog on Jan 23, 2007 23:26:49 GMT -5
I hated this book because I *was* horse crazy at that age and Mallory just pissed me off. The whole 'OMG I LOVE HORSES AND I'M GOING TO OWN A BILLION HORSES WHEN I GROW UP but um I don't actually like riding them' rubbed me the wrong way. I would have thought that being a horsey person Mal would have at least used the right terminology- except for albino horses, there's really no such thing as a 'white' horse. They're referred to as grey, and Mallory spends the whole book yapping about Pax The Pure White Horse. Oh, and she falls off. Big deal. So does everyone. And what does her crappy instructor do? Lets her go home. Sorry, but anywhere I've ridden, if you fall off and you're able to stand up without problem, you get straight back on the d**n horse or you lose your nerve just like Mallory did! Word. While I didn't actually hate the book, I've got to agree with the rest of the stuff you said. Mallory is a total wimp in this book.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2007 7:41:32 GMT -5
I'll be honest, I didn't hate the book enough not to read it over and over It's always nice to read about Mallory's screw-ups.
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gabbie
New To Stoneybrook
Posts: 144
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Post by gabbie on Jan 31, 2007 10:51:49 GMT -5
I hated this book because I *was* horse crazy at that age and Mallory just pissed me off. The whole 'OMG I LOVE HORSES AND I'M GOING TO OWN A BILLION HORSES WHEN I GROW UP but um I don't actually like riding them' rubbed me the wrong way. I would have thought that being a horsey person Mal would have at least used the right terminology- except for albino horses, there's really no such thing as a 'white' horse. They're referred to as grey, and Mallory spends the whole book yapping about Pax The Pure White Horse. See I was exactly but exactly like Mallory when I was 11. I thought I loved horses, I certainly read all the horse books I could get my little hands on but riding them? That was truely awful. I too was thrown off the horse who then stepped on me. But even before I didn't find it fun. I thought it would be but I was terrified the whole time. But the terminology thing irritated me too. I know how to mount and dismount a horse correctly, and I certainly know that there is no such thing as a white horse. I suspect Ann knew about as much about riding as she did about ballet.
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wanderingfrog
Sitting For The Arnolds
Official BSC Archivist
Posts: 2,552
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Post by wanderingfrog on Feb 1, 2007 17:55:26 GMT -5
I'm reading Stacey McGill... Matchmaker? and Mallory says Riverbend Hall is "close to some cool-looking riding stables. I've always wanted to take riding lessons again."
No, you haven't always wanted to take riding lessons again, Mallory, you crazy, crazy Pike, you.
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Post by aln1982 on Feb 2, 2007 0:38:51 GMT -5
I hated this book because I *was* horse crazy at that age and Mallory just pissed me off. The whole 'OMG I LOVE HORSES AND I'M GOING TO OWN A BILLION HORSES WHEN I GROW UP but um I don't actually like riding them' rubbed me the wrong way. I would have thought that being a horsey person Mal would have at least used the right terminology- except for albino horses, there's really no such thing as a 'white' horse. They're referred to as grey, and Mallory spends the whole book yapping about Pax The Pure White Horse. See I was exactly but exactly like Mallory when I was 11. I thought I loved horses, I certainly read all the horse books I could get my little hands on but riding them? That was truely awful. I too was thrown off the horse who then stepped on me. But even before I didn't find it fun. I thought it would be but I was terrified the whole time. But the terminology thing irritated me too. I know how to mount and dismount a horse correctly, and I certainly know that there is no such thing as a white horse. I suspect Ann knew about as much about riding as she did about ballet. I also suspect Ann knew nothing about horses but I guess I need to reread because I actually thought she didn't do too bad compared to most writers attempting to write about horses. Now that I think about the white horse thing, though, you are right. Maybe I was expecting it to be a lot worse horse-info wise. I'll have to reread a little more critically (though I don't mind because I actually liked this one pretty well).
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lisa
New To Stoneybrook
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Post by lisa on Feb 2, 2007 9:45:18 GMT -5
I suspect Ann knew about as much about riding as she did about ballet. I also suspect Ann knew nothing about horses but I guess I need to reread because I actually thought she didn't do too bad compared to most writers attempting to write about horses. I think Ann's knowledge of horses extends back to whens he was about 8-years-old when she (surprise) rode horses then wrote a book mirroring it 20 years later.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2007 9:45:41 GMT -5
I was also a bit let down by the book, because I knew there was a horse book coming and I was like 'yay babysitters club+horses!!!' and then Mallory messed everything up with her Mallory-ness. Add to this the fact that I spent every weekend volunteering at the stables, knee deep in horse poop and loving it I was far more critical of poor Mal than I should have been! I also felt sorry for poor Gremlin.
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mckay
Junior Sitter
Posts: 672
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Post by mckay on Mar 16, 2007 20:06:37 GMT -5
I liked this book a lot when I was ten or so because I was heavily into horses (still am. My horse looked quite a bit like Pax, actually, only he was speckled, not "white" - which, there are very few white horses, Mal, if you know so much about horses, you should know THAT, they're grey, as everyone has been saying and thank god it wasn't only me who was annoyed by that!) but Mal bugged the **** out of me. My first fall scared me as a kid (I fell under the horse and got kicked), but I didn't angst about it! I was nervous for a few lessons after - and fell off again - but I got over it. Honestly, Mal, you weren't even hurt!
Also, taking her to the hospital and not even letting her walk inside? What the heck is wrong with the Pikes?! She didn't hit her head, and aren't they used to their kids getting banged up a bit by now?
And finally, it doesn't make sense that they'd let beginners ride a horse like Gremlin. My horse (lesson horse at the time) was a monster spaz, afraid of everything and prone to bolting, but he was well-trained and very responsive. A downright ornery, mean-tempered horse is not an animal you'd put someone who had only had two lessons on.
I was surprised that the "ultra-perfect" horse was an Arabian. They're wonderful, lovely horses, but prone to being high-strung and sensitive. Again, not really beginner horses.
(Also, the comment Mal made about her instructor belonging on the cover of "Horse and Rider" magazine still bugs me. H&R is a western magazine. Her instructor was wearing a fancy English outfit. I don't know why, but that annoys me endlessly to this day.)
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Post by liss31d on Mar 17, 2007 9:57:20 GMT -5
I know, I thought of that as well. I live in the Middle East and the Arabian horses are known to be very very temperamental. I knew a woman who worked in my school that was very close to paralysis after a fall from one (still crushed a disc though :s). Also, last week, 2 girls from my school were thrown off their horses, and one fell against a rock and was kicked in the head by the horse. I think she's recovering but she was in a serious condition last week. I was definitely surprised by Mal's constant remarks on how Pax the "Pure White Arabian" was the sweetest horse ever.
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