supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,106
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Post by supprazz on Sept 2, 2013 23:15:51 GMT -5
Why not just use an anonymous name...Spike!
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Post by virgoscorpio on Dec 12, 2015 20:04:35 GMT -5
My favourite parts of this book are the ones that describe Henrietta's house. I love the idea of it tucked away in the trees, made out of brown wood with a stone chimney... I also love this cover. Also, Mallory's bike rides in the late-autumn weather as well as her cab ride home are all memorable parts to me.
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mallorypike
Sitting For The Papadakis's
If I were thirteen instead of eleven, life would be a picnic...
Posts: 1,636
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Post by mallorypike on Dec 12, 2015 22:52:34 GMT -5
I actually like this book even though it's not one of my favorites, it's an enjoyable read. Partly for snark heh but I liked the play Mallory wrote and directed. The descriptions on the Alexander books she reads are nice and comparable with me and my favorite books Henrietta Hayes is awesome and her home sounds really lovely and nice. Of course she lives in run-of-the-mill, hole-in-the-wall Stoneybrook *eye roll* Lucille Ball and Marilyn Monroe grew up there too! Whatever. Mallory's brothers and sisters are a great riot ;D with their picketing and the name changes and all especially Claire and Margo and Vanessa ha ha. Seriously though Mallory was an idiot with the omg LYING thing. I mean come on it's FICTION! The ghostwriter really messed her up. I'm sure before Mallory was aware what fiction meant. Also she wrote stories that are obviously fictional like the mice in NY, NY!, the Oogly Oogly Beast, Rainy Days Froggy Nights, etc. did that happen in real life? No. She LIED. What a hypocrite. Alas I still like this book I should add it to the list of BSC book rereads p
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andrew
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 353
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Post by andrew on Apr 27, 2016 17:36:24 GMT -5
One of the worst books, super-lazy for Mallory to use renames as simple as Vallory, Ranessa and Myron (the only not obvious ones were Ricky and Gordon and I guess Sissy).
Kind of nice that the actors grow uncomfortable with the play, either recognizing the similarities immediately or agreeing it would be unloyal to (or being pressured by) their friends but I didn't buy that Mallory could somehow come up with a nicer version (or how either version would be interesting). Also nice if weird that Kristy was at one point unusually diplomatic ("I don't know, I don't think I agree with you.")
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andrew
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 353
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Post by andrew on May 23, 2016 9:17:58 GMT -5
It would have been nice if Mallory had written, either on her own or at her mom's suggestion, a play about her friendship with Jessi rather than just used writing to complain and insult.
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Post by chirpchirp on May 30, 2020 12:55:10 GMT -5
I’m dating myself but does anyone remember the huge scandal with James Frey the author who wrote a memoir that turned out to be mostly fabricated? It was over a decade ago. Anyway there was a huge brouhaha where he appeared on Oprah and she gave him a devastating rebuke for lying and ‘betraying’ his readers.
I say this all because that whole affair always reminded me immediately of this book lol. Of course Oprah was technically justified unlike Mal because the author she was mad at actually claimed to be writing nonfiction.
Anyway Henrietta Hayes was a saint and Mal is a huge brat in this book.
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Post by sparklymouse on May 30, 2020 17:31:49 GMT -5
I think it was picked as an Oprah's Book club book, and that's why she was so pissed. She endorsed the book to her viewers, and it was crap. Lol. I miss Oprah.
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Post by chirpchirp on May 31, 2020 10:55:48 GMT -5
No wonder she was so upset! I miss her too.
Also while rereading this I’m annoyed at the part where Mal is lecturing the others about what is or isn’t ‘great literature’. How on earth are the Alice Anderson books that, Mal? I mean they were cute and funny but they also seemed like fluff children’s books with a Mary Sue protagonist.
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Post by sparklymouse on Mar 22, 2022 20:44:00 GMT -5
Gee, how flattering. Vanessa would never suspect anything suspicious with Mallory under the covers like that.
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Post by anzuhana on Mar 22, 2022 22:12:49 GMT -5
I'm wondering where all the shadows on her forehead and right corner of her lips appeared from. Her glasses maybe?
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,268
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Post by oldhickory on Mar 23, 2022 9:07:42 GMT -5
The flashlight is pointing away from her face. Shouldn't it be pitch black except for the page where the flashlight is pointing, and the minimal scattering around it? I don't think we should be able to see her face at all. (I am not an expert in physics.)
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livvy
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 394
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Post by livvy on May 29, 2022 1:23:10 GMT -5
I know Mr and Mrs Pike are very liberal in raising their kids but Mrs Pike actually let her eleven year old go to the house of a total stranger!! Big parenting fail.
Edit: I just finished this (bought this and a few of the higher ones from the iBook store) and I'm astounded. Mal wants to be a writer but she doesn't know the difference between fiction and non fiction? She thought writers write autobiographies of their lives? Wtf. Fiction is totally made up what she was reading is fiction. Not only that she wasn't very creative when she named her characters. Her siblings aren't stupid.
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Post by oldmeanie on Jan 16, 2023 19:45:38 GMT -5
Yeah, this is definitely the worst Mallory book so far and the worst book for her character. Honestly, she was downright cruel in parts. If I were Henrietta Hayes, I wouldn't have wanted to talk to her ever again. Mal's blow-up at her actually made me a bit uncomfortable. Not cool at all Mal. I wonder if this book is a big part of the reason for her relative unpopularity (at least during the fandom's peak... I feel like people mostly have a positive opinion of her now)? She's pretty unlikable in this.
That being said, she feels SO OOC here. Mal is smart, funny, and creative, but here she's really none of those things. I think this book just feels so odd for her character... it feels lime AMM is trying to say something about a letter she herself got or something? Venting her frustrations somehow? Idk. Mal's idea of fiction in this is beyond stupid and I just don't buy that she actually believes what she says.
I am weirded out that this project was that much work. Writing and directing a play (even if it's bad, which it sounds like it is if I'm being honest, that's not easy), working with a local author, writing a long paper to go with it... in sixth grade?! SMS isn't playing. Maybe Mal just really overachieved. I do think her teacher was sort of overly critical of her original idea. I mean, she's getting firsthand practice with writing and working with kids. I think that alone is a good idea tbh. I sort of felt her frustration, because I've had teachers turn down ideas and it can be disheartening (and I think hers- well technically Kristy's but still- was a cool idea).
I feel like her last minute re-write would be turned down irl. Maybe. I don't really know anything about kids' plays, but regardless of the situation, if I had to memorize an entire plays' worth of lines in like 4 days I'd be PANICKING.
I like many others liked the bike ride. That's the best part of this book. For some reason I can visualize it. And the cover is also one of the better ones.
Just realized there's not really a subplot in this one. Maybe the play is supposed to be the subplot? I'm kind of noticing that, with a few exceptions, I tend books without subplots a little less. Huh. Weird, and the subplot is usually my least favorite part. How does this make sense?
I like that Danielle makes an appearance in this book. I'm kind of looking forward to Jessi and the Troublemaker.
Anyway, I'm rambling. This book is pretty bad, I don't understand how Mal DIDN'T see what she did wrong, but at the very least it isn't boring.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,268
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Post by oldhickory on Jan 17, 2023 10:49:15 GMT -5
I think this book just feels so odd for her character... it feels lime AMM is trying to say something about a letter she herself got or something? Venting her frustrations somehow? Idk. Mal's idea of fiction in this is beyond stupid and I just don't buy that she actually believes what she says. Whoa, I wonder if this is true. Ann's letter to the reader is all about her fan mail so she could be hinting at this. It's so out of character for Mallory. It would be better if this plot belonged to someone else, and Mallory was one of the people saying that it isn't true. Maybe Kristy? She probably reads the least and is the most prescriptive in general.
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Post by booboobrewer on Jan 17, 2023 13:23:52 GMT -5
I’m sure Ann got some crazy letters from fans in her heyday!
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