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Post by booboobrewer on May 18, 2006 20:40:54 GMT -5
Went back and read this one last night...never cared for the subplot so I skipped that part entirely. Something about the Pike triplets breaking a window and losing their allowances. Since this is #40, hadn't the mystery series already taken off by this point? You'd think they wouldn't feel the need to have a mystery-type one in the regular series...but I dunno, maybe I'm wrong. I checked the back where they have a list of the books and only the regular books and some super specials are there. This was always one of my favorites. Dang, Claudia is clueless and her schemes to incriminate Shawna are hilarious. At one point Kristy reminds everyone at of how they tricked "Cokie Gray" (they do that again! Either Ellen Miles wrote both this and Kristy's Mystery Admirer or she used that book as a reference) into incriminating herself and that the same thing will happen with Shawna - she'll slip up and confess. Uh, I guess they forgot that Kristy was the one that pulled that trick. This is Claudia we're talking about. No wonder the girl's in a remedial class. "OMG I can prove that Shawna looked at my paper by proving that I can look at HERS!" This line also cracked me up after she gives the huge fake yawn and disturbs the class: "Oh my lord. I had really been expecting that plan to work." Major Janine love in this book! From the beginning where she's helping Claudia study to the end when she makes the joke about the Gertrude math problem. And defending her sister when her parents were all "We'd like to believe you, Claud." (Ugh!) She was very cool. I also like how they made her welcome at the BSC meeting/party at the end. Something I noticed that I had never paid any attention to previously: Mr. Zorzi mentions that he's also a basketball coach. Just struck me funny as he's just supposed to be a substitute for the regular math teacher. He also looks pretty "teacherly" on the cover in a jacket and tie and not at all like a coach - I remember my teachers/coaches in middle school would often wear their gym outfits to class And we should all be reminded of how these middle school mysteries are not to be taken lightly: "Dawn Schafer!" said Mary Anne in a shocked voice. "Are you saying that someone should BREAK INTO Shawna's locker to look for a note?" "It's a thought," said Dawn calmly. "Boy, I don't know about that," said Stacey. "That would be kind of like breaking the law or something, wouldn't it?" "Not really," said Dawn. We wouldn't be stealing anything. We'd just be looking for evidence." "Don't you need a search warrant for that kind of thing?" asked Mallory.
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Post by bscfan24 on May 18, 2006 21:20:37 GMT -5
This was my first BSC book ever. I'm surprised I liked it enough to continue reading them. I haven't seen this in a long time, so I might have to reread it before I can make any sort of comment on it.
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alula
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 406
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Post by alula on May 18, 2006 22:53:32 GMT -5
Looking at the title list, I think this one and Jessi and the Dance School Phantom are the last "mysteries" in the regular series, and that's only two books apart--maybe they were plotting out the mysteries around that time, but already had those accounted for in the regular series? I thought I remembered the mysteries coming out much later, but there are already four listed in the back of Keep Out, Claudia, which is the earliest I have in my apartment here. (Musing on the BSC? So much more fun than packing my thousands of books to move.)
I don't remember exactly what they thought they were going to find in Shawna's locker, but it seemed like a pretty lame plan to me. I couldn't understand why it took them so long to come up with the idea of having them both retake the test--it shouldn't have taken a 'genius' to suggest that!
I love Janine here though. (Well, in general). And I always thought it was really funny that SMS has two male math teachers who each have two 'z's in their names! (Mr. Zorzi and Mr. Zizmore.) What are the odds?
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Post by lovelylemontree on May 18, 2006 23:58:56 GMT -5
This is another of my favorites based on it being fun and ridiculous. I just love Claudia's schemes to clear her name. I think her greatest idea is a toss up between (1) writing "You are a cheater" on her paper, causing Shawna, wracked with guilt, to break down and confess, and (2) wanting to catch Shawna cheating during a re-enactment of the test. I believe it's Janine who points out that Shawna wouldn't cheat while the teacher is watching.
Claudia, Stacey, and Dawn are so badass breaking into Shawna's locker.
I also love the cover with Shawna's smug expression. She is a fantastic BSC villain. I wonder who would win in a knockdown between her and Cokie?
Two things I dislike about the book is how Mr. and Mrs. Kishi first doubt Claudia's innocence and then agree to let her handle the situation. They should have insisted on meeting with Mr. Zorzi and the principal. The second thing I dislike is how Mary Anne doubts Claudia's innocence, too. She implies that maybe Claudia did cheat, then when Claudia becomes angry, Mary Anne backpedals, cries, and Claudia apologizes to her. Ugh. You suck, Mary Anne.
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Amalia
Sitting For The Braddocks
Her Original Point of View
Posts: 3,664
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Post by Amalia on May 19, 2006 3:02:29 GMT -5
^ Major Janine love from me also. I just didn't know that Janine had such sway at that school. I mean, it took her to finally pull Mr. Zorzi around.
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Post by sotypical42483 on May 19, 2006 12:05:07 GMT -5
Honestly, if I was in the BSC, I'd wonder if Claud had actually cheated. I guess I'd be a bad friend for doing that, but she's so terrible in school that my first thought would be "uh... so... did you do it, Claud? No? Really? Reeeeeally? "
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Amalia
Sitting For The Braddocks
Her Original Point of View
Posts: 3,664
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Post by Amalia on May 19, 2006 12:13:20 GMT -5
^ Honestly. I would have to side with MA on this one also. I mean, if we were going to break into someone's locker and give her our full support, I would want to know for sure if we were on the right side of the truth.
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Post by lovelylemontree on May 19, 2006 13:39:17 GMT -5
It's one thing to think it, it's another to actually voice it. And my objection isn't so much about Mary Anne making the suggestion that Claudia cheated, but rather how she behaved afterward. Claudia was very upset and she ended up apologizing to Mary Anne when she didn't owe Mary Anne an apology.
But at that point, they weren't planning to break into anyone's locker. Claudia was just telling them about the conversation with Mr. Zorzi. I understand your point that you'd want to be sure of Claudia's innocence before breaking any rules for her. Although, Claudia wanting to go forward to prove Shawna cheated would convince me. Because why would Claudia go to all that effort and risk getting herself - and her friends - in trouble for no reason?
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Post by buffykay70 on May 19, 2006 22:14:48 GMT -5
Mr Zorzi was a jerk, automatically assuming that Claudia cheated, sure shes not that smart, but at least give her the benefit of the doubt. and wasnt he that teacher that allowed the basketballers and cheerleaders out of school grounds/forbidden school grounds for their 'drills'?? hahah what a jerk.
i liked this book tho, it was actually entertaining and i did feel for claudia when her parents didnt believe her. and also when mary anne accused her, what a sooky b*tch!
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Post by booboobrewer on May 20, 2006 17:38:05 GMT -5
Heh, yes, that occurred to me too...weird. I remember Mr. Zizmore being mentioned in Goodbye, Stacey, Goodbye and a few others.
Ugh, I know. It is just way unrealistic that parents as concerned about schooling as the Kishis would listen to Claudia and not get involved in the thing. Just don't know why those BSC writers tucked the parents away when they put the girls in as many sticky situations as they did.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on May 22, 2006 6:23:40 GMT -5
ITA
Even though I definitely would have suspected Claudia wasn't being entirely honest (what are the odds of a generally-smart student cheating off someone insanely stupid, like Claudia - her little sabotage-Shawna plots say it all, really - the ONE time the dumbass happens to get a decent grade? Come on) I would never have voiced it. I just probably wouldn't have been particularly dedicated to the cause of clearing Claudia's name.
My suspicions would be particularly strong due to Claud's reluctance for parental involvement. If she was willing to face failing a grade over the incident, it's understandable that one would be skeptical about her innocence.
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inge
Junior Sitter
Posts: 767
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Post by inge on May 23, 2006 12:38:36 GMT -5
I never understood the teacher, either, just assuming it was Claudia. Ok, the odds of the cheater being Claudia were bigger, but it was just so unfair to just assume it was 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 23, 2006 15:55:39 GMT -5
This was my first BSC book ever. I'm surprised I liked it enough to continue reading them. I haven't seen this in a long time, so I might have to reread it before I can make any sort of comment on it. This was one of my first BSC books, too! I'd put it somewhere in the middle in terms of how much I liked it, but I haven't reread it as often as some of my other ones. Too much math!!!
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on May 23, 2006 22:29:58 GMT -5
I never understood the teacher, either, just assuming it was Claudia. Ok, the odds of the cheater being Claudia were bigger, but it was just so unfair to just assume it was her. Realistically though, it would be an almost impossible scenario. Why would a basically smart student like Shawna cheat from the class dumbass? Who just happens to get her one and only A ever THAT particular time? I don't blame the teacher for being suspicious but I agree he shouldn't have made the automatic assumption. The girls should've been retested immediately. Why did Shawna only have to say "Oh but Mr Zorzi, I would never ever cheat" and that was the end of it?
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Post by lovelylemontree on May 24, 2006 20:07:52 GMT -5
Absolutely. He shouldn't have accused either of them. He should have simply said, "You'll both retake the test after school." That's the only fair way to settle the matter.
I think the problem falls on that he was a substitute teacher. If it had been Claudia's regular teacher, I doubt she would have been accused outright like that. Claudia may be a poor student, but she's not a troublemaker or a known cheater. The regular teacher probably would have handled the situation better, i.e. given a retest immediately.
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