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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2007 21:34:42 GMT -5
I thought that whole part with the crashing and screaming from inside the Nichol's house was pretty....exciting, for lack of a better word, for a BSC book. I was quite enthralled with this one. It was pretty interesting. The shamrock parade though, was boring. And WTF was up with Mr. Nichol's calling Claudia (I assume drunk), "Give me back my wife!" Yeah, okay, I thought that was dumb, unless he thought Claudia was her mom. What's a 13 y/o gonna do, Pallie?
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Post by aln1982 on Sept 2, 2007 23:25:31 GMT -5
^ I never considered that he was probably drunk. Interesting possibility, though. I thought he just kind of came unhinged and it was more of the control issue coming out. I doubt he was thinking rationally enough to consider that Claudia couldn't "give him back" his wife but always just considered this was another way of him trying to show his authority over "his possession."
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2007 9:59:44 GMT -5
Yeah, maybe. Either way, it still kinda made me laugh at an inappropriate place in the book.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2007 15:07:52 GMT -5
I just read this book for the first time and I have to point out that Claudia forgot her jacket and when she went back to get it she heard Mr. Nichols slap one of the boys and then he came downstairs with a red handprint across his face. Later on he gets a blackeye. When Claudia tells the BSC about it she says that "he slapped him, and I'm not talking about just a litttle spank" and Kristy says something like," Are you sure? Some parents DO spank their children." From that I assumed that they knew of various families that did spank but the topic never came up before because they knew that the parents weren't abusing the kids. I'm sure the precious Newtons and Pikes were never swatted though. ;D
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Post by greer on Dec 10, 2007 16:12:48 GMT -5
i was spanked when i was little but i think now spanking is more frowned upon than when the bsc books were written. i don't think my little brother and sister get spanked--my sister is 13 years younger than me and my brother is 15 years younger than me. i think times have changed in that regard.
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Post by aln1982 on Dec 10, 2007 17:06:12 GMT -5
^ I agree. I don't personally have a problem with spanking but I think the problem in this one was Mr. Nicholls whole behavior. Freaking out about the kids TOUCHING his briefcase and leaving out peanut butter and flying into a rage is not normal. When combined with the swat -which might have been okay on its own - it showed that he was crossing a line (in my opinion). Sometimes, there is much more to abuse than just the physical aspect. It's the parents' whole attitude, too, that helps it cross over from spanking and discipline into abuse. Just my take on it, though.
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Post by booboobrewer on Dec 10, 2007 19:52:41 GMT -5
I don't like the idea of spanking at all...sure I was spanked as a kid when I was being reaaally bad ;D but, just the idea of it...I don't think it's discipline, I think it's just hitting. I wouldn't spank my own kids no matter how angry/frustrated I got.
I've never read this book, but it sounds interesting. I'll have to add it to my "books to get" list.
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Post by aln1982 on Dec 10, 2007 20:30:40 GMT -5
^ I really liked it. Like I said, (not sure if my post was clear or not as my brain was in some kind of "Claudia mode" when I wrote it ;D) I think the reason the "spank" was such a big deal in this one is because of the dad's overall behavior while spanking. I do think the book does a good job dealing with the issue of abuse.
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Post by booboobrewer on Dec 10, 2007 21:18:46 GMT -5
Your post was clear, I was just posting my opinion on spanking in general
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Post by aln1982 on Dec 11, 2007 1:34:19 GMT -5
^ No, I didn't think you had misunderstood my post and can see where you're coming from with the spaking - personal preference. I just wanted to add a bit of a clarification while I was posting on the thread again, not because of you but because I just wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to say when I first posted and then had a bit more time to think. ;D
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Post by sweetvalleygirl99 on Dec 11, 2007 22:07:00 GMT -5
I really liked this book- one of my favorite later ones. They handled the child abuse subject well and the ending where Claudia, Erica Blumberg, Mrs. Kishi and Mrs. Nicholls escape with the boys from their house and their father to Claudia's father's office was truly exciting and fast-paced to say the least. My heart was really pumping during that scene. I was also happy the Mrs. Nicholls and the boys (Joey and Nate, I believe) went to NY to live with her sister and that Mr. Nicholls got a restraining order . Speaking of Mr. Nicholls, he had major issues, seriously. I felt so bad for the boys and how jumpy they were every time Claudia did something .
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Post by greer on Dec 11, 2007 22:22:00 GMT -5
^it's interesting that you mention erica because claud and erica become really good friends during ff. maybe this incident brought them closer together. nice foreshadowing, ghostwriters!
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Post by aln1982 on Dec 12, 2007 1:27:12 GMT -5
^ I never read the FF series but that is nice foreshadowing. I always liked Erica in this one. The scene with her calling from the Nicholls' house always makes my heart race, too.
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Post by arnell24 on Dec 26, 2007 15:02:55 GMT -5
I must admit it was pretty creepy
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Post by helsieboo on Dec 26, 2007 15:06:48 GMT -5
I've never read this one, although I'd like to. Is it available as an ebook anywhere? I know it isn't in the BSC Ebook LJ. It sounds pretty heavy going.
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