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Post by zoar3 on Aug 16, 2011 11:20:39 GMT -5
The one thing I loved about this book was Aunt Cecelia! She was awesome to Jessi especially at the end when she told Jessi that "nothing would make me (aunt C) happier than for J to become a (professional) ballerina but that she wanted J to be happy. Or something to that affect. It was the first time we got to see how much Aunt C truly dos love Jessi and want the best for her. Her story about choosing not to become an actress but (probably) always regretting it, reminded me of my Grandma who always regretted (ironically) not becoming a ballerina.
As for Mal, I admit to not reading much of this one this time around. From what I remember, from Mal's pov it seemed like J had written her off. If that was the case, than that wasn't right. I definitely agree that things change and friends should always support each other's passions. In this instance, it sounded like once again, Mal got pushed aside.
I still didn't buy Jess's reasoning for one second. It would have been much more realistic had she (afterwards, in books to come) changed her mind. One thing I do wonder is if the Ramseys had ever considered, or at least discussed, a move to NY. Surely, they couldn't have expected Jessi to live with Michael and Mariam forever?
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Post by greer on Aug 16, 2011 12:37:32 GMT -5
My friend was going to become a professional ballerina until she broke her back, and she went to several dance boarding schools. I imagine that, if not Dance NY, Jessi would eventually attend one of those.
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Post by virgoscorpio on Jan 29, 2013 20:01:14 GMT -5
I actually remember reading this book as a kid. At the time, I felt I was "too old" for the BSC and so I asked my Nana, who was planning a trip to the next big city over, to get this book and BSC Christmas Chiller for me (because bigger city bookstores tended to carry more of the books).
I can really see Aunt C naming her son Michael. So for me, that was very fitting.
Sadly, I don't see Mallory and Jessi's friendship really blossoming after Mal left for Riverbend. Jessi is probably going to accept some program for some ballet school somewhere. That means they'll be really far apart. They seem to develop other interests and friends over time, which is natural.
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Post by Sideshowjazz1 on Jun 9, 2014 0:02:15 GMT -5
I don't know...I liked this book, but it didn't feel like a BSC book to me. Maybe it was because I'm more used to the books Ann actually wrote, or maybe the ghostwriter wasn't accustomed to the style of most of the books.
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Post by virgoscorpio on Jan 27, 2016 13:07:34 GMT -5
One of my favourite scenes in this book is when Jessi and her family arrive in Brooklyn and take a late night walk to the water where they overlook Manhattan and Jessi contemplates about her time ahead. I also like the scenes where they slump through the NYC winter slush. The smell of soup and roast beef in the deli always makes me hungry.
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andrew
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 353
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Post by andrew on Jan 2, 2018 23:22:18 GMT -5
Pretty good writing of Jessi; the story, especially the dance-lesson scenes, felt kind of thin/basic and repetitive. Then Jessi having the choice to go to the school permanently felt sudden and brief but well-done despite the briefness, you could feel she really loved dancing and wanted to do more of it and also liked NY more than Stoneybrook (but also loved her Stoneybrook friends despite their being some distances, including some difficulty in relating to very-different Mallory).
Quint wanting to get closer to Jessi and then accepting that she felt too young was a little weird but pretty good that he remained (reluctantly) patient rather than getting angry or demanding (and/or, what really wouldn't have worked, try to deny that he had that interest). Cecelia wanting people to pursue their artistic dreams also felt a little weird but still in-character.
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Post by CharlotteTJohanssen on Mar 6, 2020 23:44:48 GMT -5
I really like we see a different side of New York then what we did with Stacey's visits.
Cecelia just great at pushing Jessi to pursue her dreams. Although I really wish that Jessi had decided to take to the opportunity to study full time. They were going to write off Mallory in another eleven books or so. I feel like compared to her friends that she made in NY, she and Mal weren't as close. She wasn't really close to anyone outside the BSC really. I can imagine Jessi just taking the opportunity at a later time, after all the position was always open.
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Post by Sideshowjazz1 on Mar 7, 2020 1:42:46 GMT -5
. I feel like compared to her friends that she made in NY, she and Mal weren't as close. Just reading that reminds me of how when Maritza and Tanisha came over for a sleepover and met the BSC, they didn't take Jessi's side about Mallory leaving. They thought it was great that she was pursuing her own path. But I agree, Jessi got on better than them than she did with the BSC, really. She talks a bit about it in Stacey's Movie and how she feels more relaxed with kids from her own background and with the same interests. No one in the BSC is into dance and doesn't really understand much about how hard Jessi works at ballet (in the forementioned book she says that she thought even patient Mallory got bored if she talked too much about it_, but her friends she met at Dance New York were on the same page.
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Post by CharlotteTJohanssen on Mar 7, 2020 2:07:55 GMT -5
. I feel like compared to her friends that she made in NY, she and Mal weren't as close. Just reading that reminds me of how when Maritza and Tanisha came over for a sleepover and met the BSC, they didn't take Jessi's side about Mallory leaving. They thought it was great that she was pursuing her own path. But I agree, Jessi got on better than them than she did with the BSC, really. She talks a bit about it in Stacey's Movie and how she feels more relaxed with kids from her own background and with the same interests. No one in the BSC is into dance and doesn't really understand much about how hard Jessi works at ballet (in the forementioned book she says that she thought even patient Mallory got bored if she talked too much about it_, but her friends she met at Dance New York were on the same page. Oh! I don't really remember that. Was it Mary Anne in the middle? I hope the site I’m using to read the book has it up if it is. But yea Jessi just got along better with them to me reading it. I never really liked this book before but reading it now makes me realize just how much the bsc wasn’t as interested like she was. I’m hoping Jessi is dancing with them post series or something.
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Post by Sideshowjazz1 on Mar 7, 2020 2:21:41 GMT -5
Just reading that reminds me of how when Maritza and Tanisha came over for a sleepover and met the BSC, they didn't take Jessi's side about Mallory leaving. They thought it was great that she was pursuing her own path. But I agree, Jessi got on better than them than she did with the BSC, really. She talks a bit about it in Stacey's Movie and how she feels more relaxed with kids from her own background and with the same interests. No one in the BSC is into dance and doesn't really understand much about how hard Jessi works at ballet (in the forementioned book she says that she thought even patient Mallory got bored if she talked too much about it_, but her friends she met at Dance New York were on the same page. Oh! I don't really remember that. Was it Mary Anne in the middle? I hope the site I’m using to read the book has it up if it is. But yea Jessi just got along better with them to me reading it. I never really liked this book before but reading it now makes me realize just how much the bsc wasn’t as interested like she was. I’m hoping Jessi is dancing with them post series or something. Yeah, the sleepover was in Mary Anne In The Middle. Mallory left after Jessi accused her of trying to turn the other girls against her, because she overheard Mallory telling Maritza about how Jessi was treating her.
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Post by virgoscorpio on Dec 29, 2021 13:57:10 GMT -5
I noticed that I posted on this thread exactly 11 years ago (December 29, 2010).
This book always reminds me of January (as you can see). It's one of my favourite Jessi books. I think in this social climate we can empathize and have a greater understanding for Jessi feeling different when surrounded by black friends. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I still love the scene where Michael and Jessi take a walk through their Brooklyn neighbourhood and stop by the water that overlooks Manhattan.
I'm now reading Mary Anne in the Middle and it makes you feel bad for Jessi knowing that she gave up an exciting opportunity only later to have her best friend accept an exciting opportunity.
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Post by oldmeanie on Jul 7, 2023 12:32:35 GMT -5
I really like this one. It's the best Lerangis Jessi book for sure. Shockingly, it might be tied with Dance School Phantom for my favorite Jessi book in general.
It's fun reading about her life in the city and seeing her feel like she belongs. It's actually pretty realistic that she admits she feels more comfortable when being among other Black friends, and cool for the BSC books to include this. I really like how close she and Tanisha get.
I could do without the Quint storyline, but it wasn't horrible either. I don't think he's a realistic 11 year old boy. Also, the dude is FIVE FOOT EIGHT! Isn't that is insanely tall for his age? He didn't look tall compared to Jessi in the instances he's illustrated.
I like that this book gives another layer to Aunt Cecelia's character, too. I usually don't like her that much, and in the beginning, she is grouchy and hard to like (especially when visiting her son Michael... sheesh, you don't complain about the food someone is offering you when visiting). I grew to like her a lot later on when she's encouraging Jessi to pursue ballet, but also wants her to go with what will make her happy.
While reading it, I kind of wanted Jessi to stay in New York. I don't find the extreme hustle and bustle atmosphere appealing at all, but it seems to suit Jessi, and she does make it sound exciting. I understand her decision to stay home, though. The Ramseys are very close and I don't think she's ready to leave that behind. She probably also wants a more typical childhood for awhile. It's understandable. I imagine she decides to go full-time in high school for some reason.
I'm sad that she didn't contact Mallory much. To be honest, I think Mallory is more dedicated to their friendship. I don't really imagine them keeping in touch for this reason. As a kid, for some reason, I thought these 2 were so close. But as an adult, I realize that Jessi seems to put her on the backburner a lot. Maybe she never really forgave her for having to borrow money in California after going broke from buying all that makeup XD.
The Becca subplot was kind of annoying. I get that she misses her sister, but it just wasn't fun to read. This was already done in Jessi and the Jewel Thieves anyway (although it is more understandable here because Jessi is gone for much longer). I have to say I did feel bad for everyone who set up the surprise party and nothing came of it (although what were they thinking trusting Claire with a phone message lol).
Yeah, I like this one. It gets an easy 8/10 for me. Interesting conflict (mostly at the end), I like all the characters introduced, and it makes me like a character I didn't really care for before.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,263
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Post by oldhickory on Jul 10, 2023 10:09:14 GMT -5
I used to watch Dance Moms and some of those families were insane. I just don't understand why parents would choose that life for their kids. I'm glad Jessi decided against it. It's been a long time since I read this book so maybe they bring this up, but it was good for Jessi to sit for Derek Masters and see how much he struggled to be a normal kid after having a career.
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Post by oldmeanie on Jul 13, 2023 16:28:24 GMT -5
I used to watch Dance Moms and some of those families were insane. I just don't understand why parents would choose that life for their kids. I'm glad Jessi decided against it. It's been a long time since I read this book so maybe they bring this up, but it was good for Jessi to sit for Derek Masters and see how much he struggled to be a normal kid after having a career. She definitely wasn't ready for that life. Forgot to mention in my review, but the class she took was actually very laid back for a professional dance class. Being a full-time dance student would be much more serious. I imagine her going for it in high school. I think she wanted a couple more normal years of childhood. I'm glad her family didn't push her either way (although they were relieved she stayed home).
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