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Post by aln1982 on Oct 7, 2007 9:12:37 GMT -5
^ I agree about Stacey and her mom. I thought the same thing. The Haunted House is always my favorite part of this one (though I usually forget it's in here) because I can really relate to Karen. Of course, I was 11 and my 4 year old cousin was saying "It's okay. Don't be scared. I'll protect you." ;D I've never been back in another haunted house since (except the Haunted Mansion at Disney World.) ;D I love reading about all of the kids at the carnival and also liked reading about Stacey meeting Jessi for the first time. Never picked up on it before the last reread but liked that part when I did.
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mckay
Junior Sitter
Posts: 672
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Post by mckay on Oct 7, 2007 13:27:51 GMT -5
I went in one of those haunted houses you ride through as a kid. I kept my eyes closed the whole time I'd like to go in one now, though.
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Post by aln1982 on Oct 7, 2007 16:28:09 GMT -5
^ Maybe I would have been better if it was riding (kind of like the Haunted Mansion at Disney ;D) because then I would have the "safety" of a car. ;D I wanted to try one of those kinds this summer at our local fair but didn't get around to it. Did Jamie go in the haunted house in this one? I remember him being terrified of Halloween in Bad Luck Mystery so would be surprised if he did. Was Kristy the one who had to take Karen out?
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Oct 7, 2007 19:08:08 GMT -5
I'll have to re-read this one... I don't remember much about it at all, other than the adoption scene, which was totally unrealistic.
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Post by aln1982 on Oct 7, 2007 23:26:38 GMT -5
^ The whole adoption thing was always so unrealistic to me, too, which is why I just skim over that part now and focus on the carnival. ;D I think the thing that bothers me the most about the adoption is the Thomas kids' reactions - "we're so excited to get a new baby in the family!" Even though I'm an only child so don't know from experience, that doesn't seem too likely. But in a perfect world maybe..... Still, it just seemed fake.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Oct 7, 2007 23:44:16 GMT -5
^ The whole adoption thing was always so unrealistic to me, too, which is why I just skim over that part now and focus on the carnival. ;D I think the thing that bothers me the most about the adoption is the Thomas kids' reactions - "we're so excited to get a new baby in the family!" Even though I'm an only child so don't know from experience, that doesn't seem too likely. But in a perfect world maybe..... Still, it just seemed fake. Nah, the thing that annoyed me the most was the BSC all waiting to throw a surprise party when Elizabeth and Watson brought Emily home. Shouldn't Emily's arrival have been just a family occasion? Why would you want five of your older daughter's friends hanging around? Also, other than David Michael and Karen, the Thomas kids were older and less likely to have the jealousy issue. There were already, what? Six kids or something? And they had the experience of their parents divorcing, remarrying, stepbrothers, stepsisters... probably one extra kid wouldn't have bothered them that much.
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Post by Kylie90210 on Oct 8, 2007 21:55:10 GMT -5
^ Agree, the BSC being there was stupid. As for jealousy, I think the older kids would have been excited, whereas the younger three could have gone either way.
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Post by aln1982 on Oct 9, 2007 16:06:36 GMT -5
I've been thinking about the BSC being there and I actually don't think that's so stupid or strange. I know if I had a new member joining the family, I would want to show her off right away (that is, if I was excited, which Kristy obviously was). Even if I was Watson and Elizabeth, I would have wanted to show her off (and then probably would have been "okay, you've seen her, we've celebrated, get lost" ;D) but I probably wouldn't have minded a big party right away. It probably was pretty overwhelming for Emily, though, so it's a good thing she was asleep.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Oct 9, 2007 17:15:39 GMT -5
Oh, I'm sure they would've wanted to show her off... just not necessarily to a bunch of 11-13 yr old girls.
I always hated the fact that Nannie moved in to provide full-time childcare. With Watson being a millionaire, would it have hurt Elizabeth to work part time or even take some time off to help Emily adjust to life in the US with a new family? Nannie almost seemed more like Emily's mother than Elizabeth did.
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Post by Karen Brewer on Oct 9, 2007 18:56:08 GMT -5
I believe Watson and Elizabeth took a few days off when they brought Emily home. After that she was Nannie's responsibility.
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Post by greer on Oct 9, 2007 23:14:05 GMT -5
in some cultures grandmas nearly always provide the childcare, thus eradicating the need for teenage baby-sitters. my mom was taken care of every day by her grandmother until she was old enough to go to school.
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Post by aln1982 on Oct 9, 2007 23:41:13 GMT -5
Or they end up like my dad - living with grandparents during HS because his parents are so awful ;D The more I think about the whole adoption, the less I focus on the little things that bug me and the more I realize what a great thing they did for Emily. No matter what the Thomas-Brewers did or didn't give her, she was better off than in that orphanage.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Oct 10, 2007 0:08:51 GMT -5
in some cultures grandmas nearly always provide the childcare, thus eradicating the need for teenage baby-sitters. my mom was taken care of every day by her grandmother until she was old enough to go to school. Yeah I know, it just seems odd that Elizabeth went back to work so quickly after adopting a child when her husband was a millionaire - and that Nannie was willing to devote her retirement to looking after a "high needs" child, particularly since she was nowhere to be found in Kristy's Book when Patrick walked out on the family and Elizabeth would've needed her more.
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Post by greer on Oct 10, 2007 1:23:36 GMT -5
^that is confusing to me. maybe nannie wasn't retired yet?
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Post by aln1982 on Oct 10, 2007 9:12:51 GMT -5
The whole Nannie thing has always been weird and bugged me, too, especially since I am not a big Nannie fan anyway. I do like her better in the LS books and have just decided not to put too much thought into her in the BSC books. ;D Is this the book where Nannie comes to take care of Emily or doesn't that happen until later?
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