#47 Mallory on Strike.

[supernatural babe]

If there ever was a good advertisement for birth control it's this book.

Mallory was practically a slave in this book.

And the other kids were treated like retards. Some of them can do chores too.

There was a point where one of the triplets spilt the milk & the mum tells mal to clean it up.
As if Byron/jordan/adam aren't capable of wiping a sponge over the spillage. They are 10 yrs old!

And there was another time when Margo and Claire came in with muddy hands- And the mum tells mal to wash the girls hands for them.

[buffykay70]

i agree about the slave part. mal had to do practically everything for her brothers and sisters. the pike parents hardly did anything. no wonder mal is so whiney!

and on every holiday (sea city, disneyland) they always hired a baby sitter to look after their kids. if they werent going to look after 80 kids, why have them for? freaking rabbits.

i also thought this book was pretty good, for a mallory book. maybe cos i felt sorry for her. i dont mind mallory actually, apart from all the whinyness.

[starrynight]

This book always makes me want to write a prize winning story and then go to the mall with my best friend. Seriously, though, no 11 year old is forced to have so much responsibility around the house. My mom would never have asked me to make cookies/break up sibling fights/ect when I was 11. I actually got to be a kid! No wonder Mallory always looks 25 on her books covers. At least, up until the end of the series....then she started to look 11.

[lilafowler]

^I love the mall part of this book. Can you imagine being stuck doing a dorky presentation and then realizing that MALLORY, of all people, was making fun of you?

[lisa]

Oh my god, what was it called...the Teeter Skeeter or something?

[inge]

I felt sooo bad for Mal in this book, she had every right to go on strike. What the hell did het parents do all day long? Esp the mom, because she's a stay at home mom. At least, in the beginning of the series she was, I'm not sure though if she gets a job later on? When mr Pike gets fired? I can't remember correctly. Anyway, at least Mal won the price, what a surprise

[greer]

^Mrs. Pike starts doing temp work when Mr. Pike loses his job.

[macca]

^ but that's never mentioned again. The book read as if Mrs Pike went back to being a SAHM when Mr Pike found a new job.

I agree the woman was slack. Yeah, there were eight kids, but they were all school aged. There were no diapers to be changed, screaming babies needing to be fed or sleepless nights. There was no reason for her making Mallory their surrogate mother or needing two babysitters to accompany them on every family vacation.

[lovelylemontree]

There was no reason for her making Mallory their surrogate mother or needing two babysitters to accompany them on every family vacation.

I hate how in, I think it's Mary Anne and Too Many Boys, Stacey and Mary Anne can't take the same night off because Mr. and Mrs. Pike want to go out every night. WTF? They might as well have gone on vacation by themselves, left the kids home with Stacey and Mary Anne, and saved a lot of money.

[lilafowler]

^ ITA. And what is one teenage girl supposed to do by herself on her night off? I mean, yeah, this is the BSC where empty vaginas on vacation are unheard of, but if I were one of the Pikes' mother's helpers, there wouldn't be any way I'd have found someone to take me out.

[macca]

I mean, yeah, this is the BSC where empty vaginas on vacation are unheard of

LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D

And what is one teenage girl supposed to do by herself on her night off?

Yeah, ITA. What are the odds of BOTH 13 yr old girls finding lovely wholesome boys to entertain them on their nights off. FFS.

[sotypical42483]

Yesss I totally agree about MA and Stacey having to take different nights off. I mean geez, is it that hard to just watch your OWN freaking children for ONE night?! You'd think they'd want a LITTLE "family time" without Stacey and MA there or something.

[starrynight]

lisa said:

Oh my god, what was it called...the Teeter Skeeter or something?

It was Teeter Streeter. As in, "Teeter Streeter is really cool...you'll look like a geek and act like a fool."

[sugarmonkey]

My favorite part was where Mallory wondered whether it was possible that an entire family could have a screw loose.

I liked how the book ended on a high note. Mal making up a special day for her siblings was a great way to end the story. Although the circus in the Barretts back yard was stupid. I don't know if I would hide a bunch of things around a public park and then leave it for several hours.

[macca]

My favorite part was where Mallory wondered whether it was possible that an entire family could have a screw loose.

She was probably onto something...