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Post by greer on Jul 13, 2006 13:45:07 GMT -5
I bet even real live billionaires with ten people living in their house would shop at costco. They'd just send their help to do it and lug those gallon jugs of ketchup.
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jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,156
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Post by jen on Jul 14, 2006 5:34:34 GMT -5
Just because someone's rich doesn't mean that they have to be frivolous with their money. I mean, even if I had $20 to spare, I probably wouldn't buy from a hotel mini-fridge, when you could get the same product for half the price five minutes away.
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Post by aln1982 on Nov 23, 2006 9:00:21 GMT -5
I might be alone, but I liked this book. I guess I could really relate to Mallory and felt for her. She couldn't do anything she wanted, had to miss out on everything, and felt guilty about ruining her family's plans. I also enjoyed reading about the Pikes' Thanksgiving - nice to read about this time of year and put me in the mood. No, it didn't have any juicy stuff in it but it was a nice change for me from reading about all of the petty fights, boyfriends, etc (though the part about Mal trying to get kicked out of the BSC was really lame). I found it hard to believe, though, that Mallory had to work at being hateful. Maybe she's just a nicer person than me but when I'm sick (especially sick, bored and frustrated) I am naturally mean, snappish, and hateful. As for the carnival, I know it was another typical BSC is charitable and puts on big event subplot but I kind of enjoy reading about them. I thought this was an interesting twist having a carnival for the old people and a cool idea. As always the BSC inspires me to be charitable I don't know, maybe I just liked this book because I could really relate to it right at the time when I read it (family plans for Christmas are all a mess, etc.) but I would definitely reread.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Nov 23, 2006 19:13:40 GMT -5
^ I could relate to the book at the time I read it as well, because I was feeling horribly sick and miserable so I really empathised with Mallory, I just wished I had unlimited time to spend in bed sleeping it off!!! ;D
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jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,156
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Post by jen on Nov 24, 2006 2:01:15 GMT -5
The subplot in this one is actually my favourite out of all the BSC-does-nice-stuff plots. This whole book gives me warm and fuzzies, despite it about Mallory being sick.
...And I like the cheese sandwiches and celery sticks that Margo and Claire have for lunch. Even though in real life I don't actually like either of those foods that much.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2006 5:59:32 GMT -5
Even the subplot was sappy! All the kids pooling their allowances to buy presents for old people? And all the kids seemed overly concerned with this trip to the senior center, I believe there was a part when they find out they're $100 short of what they need and one of the Pike girls gets tears in her eyes. Oh and I liked that they bought the seniors toys. Does anyone really think that would go over well? I know this was posted ages ago but I was thinking about Stoneybrook Manor tonight, at the resthome I work at. And based purely on my experinces on resthomes Stoneybrook Manor seems kind of unrealistic. I can't see the toys thing going over as well as it did - a lot of the residents at my work would either be confused as to why they were being given toys, others would think it was wierd and shove them in the back of their drawers. And the carnival? I can't see that being the resounding success it was in any real resthome. I can just see then being confused as to what they were meant to do with them, but most would probably appreciate the gesture. (And I don't mean they wouldn't know what to do because of dementia or anything, just they would wonder what people expected old people like them to do with toys.) The residents just seem entirely too nice to me. I'm aware that might sound a little off, but compared to the reality I know, they seem really healthy, young, and cheerful. And most people in resthomes certainly aren't the first two, and not many are the third to the same extent. I mean, not all my residents are constantly grouchy, but not many of them would enjoy the home suddenly being filled with this group of young children and a carnival. At work, we get people complaining when other resident's granchildren or the children of the staff are in the lounges or the gardens. But maybe Stoneybrook Manor is just a lot nicer than the one I work in! (Or maybe the Manor staff hid away all the nasty, grumpy residents. They have to be there somewhere! )
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jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,156
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Post by jen on Dec 3, 2006 0:37:44 GMT -5
^ That's interesting, justme! I never really thought about how the residents at Stoneybrook Manor would react to the BSC. I guess having all the residents be nice and cheerful is just part of the whole Stoneybrook-as-an-ideal-community image that Ann tries to portray. As for hiding away the grumpy residents, doesn't Mallory's Uncle Joe not partake in the Christmas festival/activities in Mallory's Christmas Wish? So maybe for the Thanksgiving thing, it was just the residents who were happy to spendtime with kids who participated in the carnival.
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wanderingfrog
Sitting For The Arnolds
Official BSC Archivist
Posts: 2,552
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Post by wanderingfrog on Dec 3, 2006 20:43:59 GMT -5
People with Alzheimer's who can't recognize their children and have no idea who they are might like getting toys. My grandmother loves dolls and stuffed animals. But I can't imagine that residents of Stoneybrook Manor who seem, healthy, young, cheerful, and lucid would want toys.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2006 11:38:47 GMT -5
You're forgetting that this is Stoneybrook, where the kids are good-natured and helpful, the adults are all best friends and only too willing to give each other a hand, and the senior citizens are therefore the picture of joy and health.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Dec 4, 2006 17:19:33 GMT -5
Yeah, nothing about Stoneybrook's community remotely resembled real life, so the overly cheerful and healthy residents of Stoneybrook manor was just another idealistic fantasy - like various neighbors popping in round the clock to administer someone's medication.
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Post by sugarmonkey on Feb 3, 2007 12:18:15 GMT -5
Timeless quote (and I do mean timeless): "I'll be in sixth grade forever!" Oh Mal, if you only knew....
I liked the chapter where Margo and Claire take care of Mal. It was very sweet. I liked the cozy afternoon with just Mal and a couple of her siblings instead of the chaos of the whole brood. I was ticked at first though, when Mrs. Pike asked Mal to watch the girls in the first place. They make a big huge deal about Mal being sick and then ask her to babysit!
The whole thing at Stoneybrook Manor wouldn't have gone off in real life as well as it did in the books. It would've been confusing. All that everyone in the main room, now get in a circle, now wander around and play games, now open presents, now get in a circle again, now sing. That would take forever. The books on tape were a good idea though.
Over all I think this book was just lame.
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msstock87
Sitting For The Braddocks
Here Comes The Bride!
Created by Rie.
Posts: 3,618
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Post by msstock87 on Feb 3, 2007 15:50:29 GMT -5
I actually liked this book, I can relate to Mallory because I also suffered from mono at one point and I knew how miserable she felt! It really was the worst I had ever felt in my life thus far.
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Post by hitzpink on Mar 4, 2007 9:14:05 GMT -5
The subplot in this one is actually my favourite out of all the BSC-does-nice-stuff plots. This whole book gives me warm and fuzzies, despite it about Mallory being sick. I agree! I normally hate when the BSC does this kind of thing, but I actually liked it in this book. I guess because this project actually had a point to it, other than entertaining the million kids they sit for. I thought it was sweet that they wanted to cheer up the old people around the holidays. But I do totally agree with justme that the residents seemed way too young, healthy, and lively. I HATED when Mrs. Pike made Mallory babysit Margo and Claire while she and Mr. Pike took the other kids shopping. WTF??? Mal is sick in bed with freaking mono and the stupid Pikes can't even manage to handle five kids at the mall between the two of them. Ugh. I like the cover of this book, and I like how Mallory's nightgown looks just the way she described it. The horse picture was a nice touch, and Claire looks adorable! Overall, I liked this book. Some parts were annoying (Mal trying to get kicked out of the club), but it held my interest.
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digigirl02
Junior Sitter
The P is for Princess
Posts: 698
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Post by digigirl02 on Mar 5, 2007 12:21:19 GMT -5
You have to remember these are the same parents who had Mallory sit for her own siblings, but couldn't go anywhere else in MA and Miss. Priss.
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lyricalangel
Sitting For The Newtons
Logan's love-bunny
Posts: 1,918
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Post by lyricalangel on Mar 22, 2007 23:47:35 GMT -5
I actually liked this book, I can relate to Mallory because I also suffered from mono at one point and I knew how miserable she felt! It really was the worst I had ever felt in my life thus far. I can relate too. I've had mono twice. It was certainly not pleasant. Poor Mallory!!
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