|
|
Post by virgoscorpio on Feb 3, 2012 20:05:31 GMT -5
I can see not calling during meeting times making Kristy pissed, but at the same time, business is business. I think she'd be a bad President if she turned down jobs because people weren't calling during meetings. Besides, Claud is there and has an answering machine. It would get annoying - as she mentions in some books - but she is the VP, and what else does she do besides supplying snacks?! What if someone found out they needed a sitter on Saturday for the following day (Sunday). They don't have meeting times during that hours. I'm sure that happens a lot in people's schedules, and a lot of times parents can't help if they need a last minute sitter.
|
|
|
|
Post by maddieruns on Feb 4, 2012 15:33:46 GMT -5
Yeah, I just don’t think Mr. Brooke was used to the rules of the BSC.
This was one of those BSC books, where I actually wanted a subplot. I wanted to hear more about the BSC book club. It's funny they decided to start this after they heard about Dawn and her friend's movie club. Also, I liked the gifts Stacey gave the Brooke kids. The wooden elephant necklace she gave Joni and the fan and dragon from Chinatown seemed cute.
|
|
|
|
Post by Honeybee on Mar 13, 2018 18:24:55 GMT -5
I re read this book again. I don't like it. It was about Stacey, her mom, John, Joni, & Ewan. No other kids clients. Joni was something else. I'm going donate this book. It's used book. I'm not going re-read it again. Or might put it inside Little Free Library. Either way, I just don't want this book anymore.
|
|
andrew
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 353 
|
Post by andrew on Oct 30, 2018 18:42:17 GMT -5
I thought Stacey was endearing both in being (over) excited about her mom dating and maybe marrying John and being understanding and compassionate to Joni, Ewan and Mallory. Claudia admitting her faults/defying of her parents to the kids was surprising but entertaining and in a way also sweet.
I'm not sure whether a lot of the classmates were really picking on Mallory as much as she thought/claimed or if so why they would a while later but regardless she did seem very crushed by it.
Maureen seemed pretty petty in a lot of her complaints about John but it was a little frustrating that we didn't get much sense of what John was really like between Stacey overly-idealizing him and Maureen being very critical, I guess he really was somewhere between.
|
|
andrew
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 353
|
Post by andrew on Oct 30, 2018 18:59:16 GMT -5
John did seem slightly reminiscent of Mr. Nicholls, nice that the book showed he had a temper (not so much a temper as frustration when Joni was being really unreasonable, destructive or rude) without going anywhere near that level; also to see that a parent would use a baby-sitter when he needed the quiet and time away to work. Maureen getting upset that he would ground Joni as if that was terrible seemed a little out-of-character when she usually seems to have high expectations about Stacey but understandable she would also feel bad for Joni.
It did seemed pretty inconsistent with the early depiction of Mary Anne & Richard that he would have been dating several women before meeting Sharon again but it was interesting that Mary Anne admitted she had been jealous of someone else entering the family (and that now she really appreciated Sharon).
Ethan reminds me of '90s Ethan Hawke and Ewan McGregor so cool that Stacey met an Ewan too.
|
|
cnj
Sitting For The Papadakis's
Posts: 1,708
|
Post by cnj on Nov 1, 2018 10:31:19 GMT -5
I like Ms. McGill though. Smart lady. Me too! I liked that she was a positive image of single mums and I'm glad they didn't rush her into another marriage. There were not nearly enough positive images of successful single mums in books, films or the telly back then. |
|
LovelyDay
New To Stoneybrook
just a sweet girl
Posts: 137
|
Post by LovelyDay on Nov 1, 2018 14:30:07 GMT -5
I also liked Mrs. McGill! She seemed like she was one of the few people in Stoneybrook that had their head screwed on right. She was a very good example of a single mother. I mean I feel like it would have been a bit ridiculous (and unrealistic) if she had married John, and am just glad she didn't.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sideshowjazz1 on Nov 1, 2018 16:56:07 GMT -5
I don't know why, but I kind of skip over this book completely when I think of the series. I can barely remember what happened, apart from John never calling at the right time and his daughter being mad at him dating and doing things like stealing his mouse and deleting his story to keep him at home. Okay, I remember those things but this story had very little effect for me. One of the books that you forget reading the minute you've finished it.
|
|
|
|
Post by CharlotteTJohanssen on Mar 12, 2020 2:57:24 GMT -5
I just reread this one and man I love Mrs McGill, she’s a great mom and has her head screwed on right. I like the little mother daughter book club she and Stacey had. I like pride and prejudice so I thought it was nice to read their thoughts.
Joni, I feel bad for her but ewan was so cute! The vegetable comment was pretty cute.
Correct me if I’m wrong but Mr Brooke was mentioned in Claudia and the little liar off handedly. He actually called during the meeting time lol.
|
|
cnj
Sitting For The Papadakis's
Posts: 1,708
|
Post by cnj on Mar 12, 2020 4:46:16 GMT -5
I just reread this one and man I love Mrs McGill, she’s a great mom and has her head screwed on right. I like the little mother daughter book club she and Stacey had. I like pride and prejudice so I thought it was nice to read their thoughts. Joni, I feel bad for her but ewan was so cute! The vegetable comment was pretty cute. Correct me if I’m wrong but Mr Brooke was mentioned in Claudia and the little liar off handedly. He actually called during the meeting time lol. I like Maureen McGill also! A smart lady...her daughter Stacey has inherited that intelligence from her. |
|
|
|
Post by oldmeanie on Aug 21, 2023 0:45:10 GMT -5
I re read this one a lot when I was younger for some reason.
I actually don't think it's that bad. I think this is the book that made me like Maureen- it feels like she can think for herself. I can see why she doesn't like John... something about him is a little off-putting. I agree with her that he doesn't seem like a good father (their mother though... wow... one of the worst BSC verse parents imo).
I liked how close Stacey and Maureen are in this. Their discussions about Pride and Prejudice and later John are probably my favorite parts of the book for some reason. Stacey joining a book club with her mother is unexpected, but kind of works for her character. The BSC book club thing was random and could've been taken out.
Joni was a brat, but I understand why. John definitely didn't know what he was doing. I can't say I'm sad not to see Joni after this book, but Ewan was awesome. Seemed like a sweet kid, and I loved the vegetable comment!
The Mallory going to boarding school plot is so underdeveloped. I think that's the problem with it, at least for me. The bullying is just suddenly really bad, but for the most part we're told how much it's affecting Mal other than shown. I'll die on this hill: she really needed at least one book dedicated to this decision. Dawn got several books about her contemplating where she wanted to live. It's a kind of decision that warrants a full book. I'll never understand this. It also does feel like she's running away from her problems, which I hate to say because it sounds judgmental, but it does read that way to me. It's just SUCH a leap without any foreshadowing prior to #122. Just... argh! This plot needed to take place over 10 or so his instead of just 4.
A few weird things...
Kristy baby-sits for Joni and Ewan until 12:30 am. Is this even legal for a 13 year old? Definitely wouldn't be legal now, but perhaps back then it was. That seems so late to me. How in the world were Watson and Elizabeth okay with that?
Richard apparently had girlfriends, plural, before Sharon. Nah, not buying it XD.
AMM's note in the end:
"In Stacey McGill … Matchmaker? Stacey’s personal life conflicts with her baby-sitting and puts her in a difficult position. Stacey feels caught between her troubled charges and their father, and has to decide if she can talk to Mr. Brooke without betraying the kids. Complicating matters further is the issue of Stacey’s mother, who has been dating Mr. Brooke."
This... isn't really what happened? The conflict didn't have anything to do with Stacey's personal life really, it was mostly about her not understanding Maureen's decision. And she never feels like she's going to betray the kids. Unless I'm missing something, this is way off.
A 5.5. Alright for a late series book.
|
|
oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,248
|
Post by oldhickory on Aug 22, 2023 9:43:04 GMT -5
Kristy baby-sits for Joni and Ewan until 12:30 am. Is this even legal for a 13 year old? According to this site Connecticut has no legal age set for babysitters, or for kids to be left alone. So all the comments about the Ramseys in Island Adventure and now null and void. |
|
|
|
Post by oldmeanie on Aug 23, 2023 11:07:09 GMT -5
Kristy baby-sits for Joni and Ewan until 12:30 am. Is this even legal for a 13 year old? According to this site Connecticut has no legal age set for babysitters, or for kids to be left alone. So all the comments about the Ramseys in Island Adventure and now null and void. I looked at that map for too long XD. That's weird that most states don't have a minimum babysitting age; I figured there would be one (although the entire BSC would be illegal in Illinois lol. Also, the minimum working age is TWELVE there?!). You'd think there would be some different laws about overnights, though. I figured it was a minimum 16 years old for very late/ overnights. |
|
livvy
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 394
|
Post by livvy on Oct 13, 2023 2:09:02 GMT -5
This one was just odd.
Kristy may have a great stepfather but she needs to realise not every step parent is so great. My stepmother is the StepMonster because she married my dad for his money. And she doesn't replace my mother because she's still alive even though my stepmother often told me to call her Mum but she's not my mother. And never will be. I've told this to her face five years ago and haven't spoken to her since.
I thought it was weird that Stacey thought her mother didn't go on any dates since the divorce. Her father might have found somebody else but Maureen was probably not ready for anything serious.
|
|
livvy
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 394
|
Post by livvy on Oct 13, 2023 2:10:08 GMT -5
According to this site Connecticut has no legal age set for babysitters, or for kids to be left alone. So all the comments about the Ramseys in Island Adventure and now null and void. I looked at that map for too long XD. That's weird that most states don't have a minimum babysitting age; I figured there would be one (although the entire BSC would be illegal in Illinois lol. Also, the minimum working age is TWELVE there?!). You'd think there would be some different laws about overnights, though. I figured it was a minimum 16 years old for very late/ overnights. Minimum working age in Australia is 13 in some states. |
|
