# 115 Jessi's Big Break

[liss31d]

I was looking at this book the other day and had several thoughts about it - For one thing in this book, Jessi definitely doesn't sounds like she's 11! She and her ballet friends sound like they're maybe around 16 or even older! Also Quint is only 11 and yet he's acting so alarmingly horny around Jessi when any other 11 year old would be playing Nintendo or football (soccer) with their mates. But then again the ghostwriter was Peter Lerangis and from what I've noticed, horny pre-teens seem to be his forte. Also an 11 year old going around New York by herself I know Jessi's been dancing since she was 4, but I still don't see how she could be so amazing at the age of 11 and why those big time people like Mr Brailsford made such a fuss.

Can't resist putting this section in -
"I tried to think of the last time I was in a room full of African American friends... Now I love my Stoneybrook friends. And I absolutely hate all forms of racism. But I couldn't help the way I was feeling. Being with Maritza's friends was so... refreshing."
What a lovely way of putting that Jessi Also she wanted Mal to leave when she arrived because Mal didn't fit in with her new dancing black pals, as Mal knows nothing about ballet and likes writing, horses and drawing pictures of mice.

I do like this book but you have to admit, some of the stuff in it is odd. Also for some reason I found it annoying when Jessi's friends kept saying "Girl" all the time. Probably another Lerangis thing. But an amusing comment from Becca when Jessi tells them that the teacher said "You're one of us now," and she says "He sounds like Darth Vader." ;D

[lilafowler]

But then again the ghostwriter was Peter Lerangis and from what I've noticed, horny pre-teens seem to be his forte.

I LOLed for real.

Jessi's friends saying "girl" all the time probably was how Pete L. thought Real Live Black Girls talked. Like a white man would be able to fully understand the plight of the black preteen babysitting ballerina

Jessi being such an great ballerina was weird. No eleven-year-old should be spending major amounts of time dancing en pointe, especially so much that she doesn't have enough time to baby-sit. It would have been possible for her to take long flat classes, but an eleven-year-old's feet have so much growing left to do, it would be completely irresponsible of any teacher to allow her to dance en pointe for entire 60-90 minute classes several times a week.

[starrynight]

I don't know much about ballet, but I always thought it was weird for an 11 year old to be a mature and skilled enough dancer to get the lead in productions that are "pratically professional," as they say in the books. Most 11 year olds still look like children, so I find it hard to believe that they could dance like adults. That being said, I liked this book. Seeing New York through the eyes of a club member who isn't Stacey was nice, and it definitely had a different feel that Stacey's New York books do. If I were Jessi, though, I totally would have stayed. If someone offered me a chance to do something that I loved at such a young age, I would have been all over that! Trouble is, there's no way my parents would have let me make a decision like that on my own.

[spazgirl]

I would've stayed too. She had good friends there and a chance to make the big time. Screw babysitting. Although I guess she would have missed her family (and vice versa, Becca was a horror in this).

[gabbie]

I never understood why Becca took Jessi's leaving the way she did. After all Jessi had left for vacations of similar lengths before and Becca didn't freak out.

I have a friend who grew up in Brooklyn. When she was 11 she was definitely NOT allowed to go into Manhattan by herself every day and stay out late at night. But I guess that NYC in the BSC books is a safer friendlier place than the real one.

[jen]

I thought all her relationship dramas with Quint were hilarious. It's funny, 11 years old in BSC land is entirely different to 11 year old in real life... I seriously cannot imagine someone in year 6 looking and acting like an adult. They're still kids! But hey.

Becca in this book reminds of Becca in "Jessi and the Jewel Thieves". Must be a NY thing.

[booboobrewer]

I think this is my favorite Jessi book (not that there are many). I liked hearing about her NYC adventures and her city friends sounded nice. Of course I was shaking my head at their "adult" conversations. As the BSC would say, "Puh-leeze."

Talking about Quint:

His voice was becoming smaller and smaller. When he said that last sentence he sounded like a little boy.

Um, maybe that's because he is a little boy, Jessi.

I thought it was pretty cool how David Brailsford left the spot in Dance NY open for her whenever she wanted to take it.

[jen]

booboobrewer said:

Talking about Quint:

His voice was becoming smaller and smaller. When he said that last sentence he sounded like a little boy.

Um, maybe that's because he is a little boy, Jessi.

Heeheehee!

[wanderingfrog]

liss31d said:

But an amusing comment from Becca when Jessi tells them that the teacher said "You're one of us now," and she says "He sounds like Darth Vader." ;D

I was reading Stacey's Movie yesterday and I loved the part where Alan Gray said to Stacey, about Kristy, "You're in the Baby-sitters Club with Darth Vader!"

[Deleted]

starrynight said:

I don't know much about ballet, but I always thought it was weird for an 11 year old to be a mature and skilled enough dancer to get the lead in productions that are "pratically professional," as they say in the books. Most 11 year olds still look like children, so I find it hard to believe that they could dance like adults. That being said, I liked this book. Seeing New York through the eyes of a club member who isn't Stacey was nice, and it definitely had a different feel that Stacey's New York books do. If I were Jessi, though, I totally would have stayed. If someone offered me a chance to do something that I loved at such a young age, I would have been all over that! Trouble is, there's no way my parents would have let me make a decision like that on my own.

I agree, most dancers don't start pointe any younger than at least 10 years of age. A lot of the skill leval depends on the teacher and how much the student practices and how hard they work.

[liss31d]

Imagine the kids from Harry Potter (all 11 like Jessi and Quint) in the first film getting as intimate with each other as Jessi and Quint do... it just doesn't work! Ann really should have thought about ageing the BSC up a little before divulging into this kinda thing .

"Jessi's friends saying "girl" all the time probably was how Pete L. thought Real Live Black Girls talked. Like a white man would be able to fully understand the plight of the black preteen babysitting ballerina"

Ooh Mallory would have have gotten very mad at Lerangis - "You are not black, female, a preteen or a ballerina, so this book wasn't based on your real life so you've written LIES!" ;D

[blossom114]

I dont know much about ballet...but I loved this book. My niece has been taking dance since she was 3 1/2, and she started en pointe I think at about 9. Unfortunately I haven't seen her dance since her first recital ( Sucks living so far away. Might have to schedule a trip up there when she has something going on that I can go to). Anyway, she's really good, been taking dance for...10 years now, and not just ballet, tap jazz and whatever...and does shows at the Muny (For thsoe of you that might be in the St. Louis area she's in Grease this week).
Anyway...like I said, I do think it's rather...unlikely...that Jessi would be good enough to dance in major productions, because I think they would take her age into consideration...unless she looekd way older than 11, cause they said in a couple of books that she's tall...but still?

[memory]

i saw once in the journal a 9 years old danceing en pointe, she was in the grand ballets canadiens, so it not so unreal to see Jessi en pointe

[gabbie]

It isn't unrealistic that she would be en pointe some of the time. The Royal Ballet School does let their 11 year olds go en pointe some of the time but they are strict about is how often and they have to be supervised. Otherwise they could permanently ruin their careers before they even start.

What is unrealistic is that she would have the technical ability to dance some of the roles she dances. I'm sorry the lead role in those productions? I don't think so. She would be en pointe but she would be a beginner.

[Lauren]

I just can't picture an 11-year-old being good enough to dance the lead in any ballet. I guess it's just a plot device here.