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Post by CharlotteTJohanssen on Nov 3, 2015 23:35:32 GMT -5
This is a book I remember reading a lot as a kid. This is the version of Pete that I really enjoyed. He and MA had great chemistry.
Their project sounded like fun but I would never present it in front of of the grade and the author. I hated to give presentations in school until college.
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Post by booboobrewer on Nov 4, 2015 9:23:53 GMT -5
I still can't give a presentation without getting a shaky voice and pounding heart. Sigh.
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Post by CharlotteTJohanssen on Nov 4, 2015 10:47:29 GMT -5
It's really hard, I still get a pounding heart despite controlling my voice better. My public speaking class only had 9 people in it so speaking became a little easier.
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inge
Junior Sitter
Posts: 767
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Post by inge on Dec 27, 2015 5:05:49 GMT -5
Public speaking definitely improves with practice. I used to be unable to sleep a couple of nights before a short presentation in class! Now, I have given presentations at universities and conferences and find I actually quite enjoy it once it is a subject you know well and enjoy, it really is your chance to get other people to listen to you explain it to them. That being said at 13 I would have maybe probably been unable to do what MA and the others did. I guess it helped that they were allowed to read of a piece of paper which I never was. Still that is what made me feel bad for Cokie. I know it was her own fault but at least Logan at the end might have tried to talk some sense into her and help her! I did like MAs interaction with Pete and also her anxiety before groups were announced. Ugh, I can totally relate. I would still get anxious about that as I prefer working by myself and due to my personality don't shine in groups of people I don't know well. It wasn't well explained why MA wanted to be with Logan again though apart from missing him (which as I am sure many of us know is not a good enough reason to re-enter a unhealthy relationship) I wish we'd seen some of Logan's supposed changes before he and MA got back together. The subplot... Didn't bother me too much however why was it open ended? Seemed like they wanted to leave room to revisit the toilet monster again. I think one whole subplot devoted to it is more than plenty!
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Enigma
New To Stoneybrook
Posts: 128
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Post by Enigma on Dec 27, 2015 12:28:13 GMT -5
Just re-read this one and agree with you that it seemed sort of haphazard how they ended up back together. At first it seemed rather passive; they were forced to work together for a project. I can also see how Cokie's chracter was developed using the "show, not tell" technique to demonstrate how manipulative and ditzy she was (some of the other new characters are introduced with TMI rather then just showing through the story). I also thought that Logan learned his lesson way too quickly in this one; he goes from being overbearing and controlling in 'Logan vs. Mary Anne' and then back to being sensitive and understanding as he was when they first started dating. He might have realized that he preferred an quiet low key, sweet, and sensitive girl like Mary Anne over overbearing, manipulative Cokie but once a honeymoon period of a relationship ends, the true colors will continue to shine for the rest of its duration. Are there any more conflicts between Mary Anne and Logan later in the series? I can't remember off the top of my head (re-reading a set of random originals in chronological order so maybe I'll find out soon).
Side Note #1: At the beginning, Miranda Shillaber was assigned to work in Mary Anne and Logan's group. She, along with her twin sister, were described as very good friend's of Kristy and Mary Anne's in the seventh grade books but fade away rapidly when the BSC starts sitting together at their own table for lunch in eighth grade. There was no interaction or reaction from either Miranda or Mary Anne about being reunited from this project (well, maybe because Mary Anne was so anxious/nervous about working with Logan) but still I would have liked to see some conversation between MA and Miranda before she quickly traded places with Cokie.
Side Note #2: All the other authors mentioned as group projects were real; Paula Danziger (whom was close to AMM in real life and even co wrote a couple of books with her), Judy Blume, Lois Lowry, Madeline L'Engle, etc, so the made-up Megan Rinehart seemed randomly thrown in there and out of place when developing this storyline. I would have preferred to see Mary Anne's group work with a real author and giving a nod to the books.
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andrew
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 353
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Post by andrew on Dec 28, 2015 11:27:56 GMT -5
A lot of fun. Logan was really sweet (maybe a little too different from how he was in 41 but it's believable he realized he'd been acting badly (he now certainly doesn't give the cold treatment to make her anxious or jealous), also nice that in dating Cokie he did slip up in his school work but not enough to try to just ride on others' work) and Pete was also very cool. Cokie was written almost too dumb (not knowing the author's name even though she convinced a teacher she loves Rinehart, not understanding the plot of Top Hat) but was still entertaining and her "solution" of reading the blurb was hilarious (I assume she later did get punished for not relating it to the author's life and presumably being so brief). MA was great, especially her nightmare-ish visualizing. LOL that in this book she apparently now does want to get her ears pierced. The monster plot was a little overdone but it was nice that Martin never made clear how much was fun/humor or real fear from the kids (and also that Kristy's great solution might not have really worked, at least as much as she thought).
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Post by booboobrewer on Aug 25, 2016 18:42:37 GMT -5
I noticed that Mary Anne describes Logan as having "long legs." Why not just say he's tall?
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Post by starfire13 on Aug 29, 2016 11:48:52 GMT -5
I noticed that Mary Anne describes Logan as having "long legs." Why not just say he's tall? I never quite got the impression that he was that tall. He doesn't look that much taller than MA does on the covers when they're together, and MA is described as one of the shortest girls in the grade. That would make Logan average male height for their grade, at most. It's funny, cuz they always use "long legs" to describe Jessi, and they cite that that's why she's such a good dancer (or that she has long legs because she's a dancer). This always made me want there to be a book where Logan takes dance lessons secretly. Not necessarily ballet, but maybe tap or modern or jazz haha
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Post by Sideshowjazz1 on Jan 1, 2018 5:58:39 GMT -5
I think this was the second BSC book I ever read. I look back on it, and I'm like "Oh, so Miranda Shillaber didn't come out of nowhere!" I wish we heard more about the Shillaber twins in the first few books, when Kristy and Mary Anne sat with them at lunch. I know, it's off-topic since Cokie switches groups with Miranda two minutes after they meet, but I still say we should've seen more of them. Actually, there's a lot of SMS students we should've seen more of. Pete comes up the most...of the boys, at least. Not sure which girl.
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Post by wistfuldreamer86 on Jun 9, 2020 21:06:16 GMT -5
^ Too bad she didn't stay with the group very long. But it was nice to see Pete back and working with Mary Anne on the project.
I liked the whole plotline of the book actually. But the Korman kids were new to me since I don't read the LS series and didn't know the Delaney's had moved away. lol. The toilet monster plotline was realistic for kids that age and I liked that it wasn't truly resolved at the end which also seemed realistic.
I liked Mary Anne working on the project and kind of having to face her fear of public speaking. I'm still not comfortable speaking in front of groups after all these years so I can relate to her nerves about it. And I like her with Logan so it was sweet to see them getting back together. And that he had learned something from their fight in the last book. The Cokie stuff seemed unnecessary though and it was weird that Logan would even go out with her after all that happened with her in previous books. But he is 13 and still learning.
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swizzles
New To Stoneybrook
Claudia Kishi ruels ok
Posts: 83
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Post by swizzles on Oct 25, 2020 7:40:30 GMT -5
This was a fun read, but good lord, I could have done without the Korman toilet monster subplot. Maybe one scene would have been ok but as a repeated subplot, it was so boring! I did snort at Kirsty’s entry when she thought she had solved the problem. I was hoping to hear about more of the other sitters in this one. There were barely any scenes set at meetings and I don’t think we heard a single word out of Mallory or Jessi. I know their grade wouldn’t have had the assignment, but it would have been nice to hear Mallory’s thoughts on the authors and author day in general. What was up with the pointed observation that Mallory was sitting nowhere near Jessi in the audience on author day?
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livvy
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 394
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Post by livvy on Feb 23, 2021 10:32:43 GMT -5
This is a favourite of mine . Mostly because it introduces my favourite clients The Kormans.
Plus I looked up the books they were researching and read a few myself .
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Post by sparklymouse on Mar 25, 2022 14:57:50 GMT -5
She looks like such a plain Jane on this. Logan looks good on this? I see cute, popular boy.
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Post by hurricanebill on Mar 26, 2022 3:32:57 GMT -5
Dawn? looks like Daria‘s sister, Quinn. 😂
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Post by sparklymouse on Apr 22, 2022 18:24:06 GMT -5
You can see this clearer than the first one I posted. She's reading a Megan Reinhart book, lol. Titles: Anne-Marie still thinks of Louis Mary Anne suffers from nostalgia (We all do, Mary Anne. Lol.)
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