Friends Forever Special - Graduation Day

[starrynight]

^ Charlie's letter was one of my favorite aspects of this book, and I love that we got a little more insight into him as a person. I wonder what a Charlie spinoff would have been like?

[Deleted]

I liked reading all their letters to themselves. It gave a bit more insight into their personalities. It seemed really weird to me that they acted like middle school graduation = I'm never going to speak to any of these people ever again. Ya they'd probably drift apart, but they were going to the same highschool.

I remember really wanting to try something like that letter writing project, but I'd be way too impatient for that. I recently found my diary from middle school, and it was weird. I liked them talking about what they wanted for the future at the end, though that's more like something I'd do after highschool graduation, not middle school graduation.

Was I the only one wondering for the whole book, how will the town of Stoneybrook survive without the BSC? They do seem overly dependant.

[Kylie90210]

This was definately not what I was expecting, but enjoyable just the same. I liked reading the bits at the end when the BSCers talked about their futures, it was almost like canon, how AMM sees them as adults.

[celaeno]

I had never read any of the FF series (having outgrown the BSC by then), but since I started rereading my old books this year, I really wanted to read the book that FINALLY ended it all. So I borrowed it from my library and read it this week (and it must show how much I wanted to read this since I had to request a children's book on inter-library loan to get my hands on it. lol).

Jun 4, 2007 16:26:22 GMT -5 blossom114 said:

hey does anyone have a copy of teh book and can let me know who put what in the capsule? i lost my copy so long ago and was thinkinga bout writing a reunion fanfic taking place 7 years later...but it would help if i knew who put what in Lol

I know I'm answering an old question, but someone above asked what was put in the time capsule. Someone already mentioned these:

A Krusher's softball (From Jackie)
A newspaper article (From Jessi. It's about [what else?] racism. It's an article about an act of racial violence in a town next to Stoneybrook, showing that racism is alive and well.)
An old BSC flier (From Kristy)
Stoneybrook Elementary Newspaper (From Charlotte. She won an essay contest, and her essay about Stacey, an important person in her life, was published in it.)
A teddy bear named Ba-ba (From Claire Pike. She started crying about it, so they dug it back out.)

The other things were:
A piece of burned wood from her old house (From Mary Anne. She says it represents the end of her old self.)
A pamphlet from the Stoneybrook Chamber of Commerce giving facts about the town (From Mallory, because even if she doesn't live there anymore, she feels like Stoneybrook will always be home to her.)
Ads from the Stoneybrook News (From Dawn. Because she hopes the price of airfare will have gone down in seven years, so she can zip back and forth between CT and CA.)
A program from the BSC produced Stars of Tomorrow (From Stacey. Because it represents what a quaint and familiar community Stoneybrook is.)
An album of photos of the BSC members (From Abby.)
A flier about Stoneybrook's 250th birthday (From Claudia. She designed the artwork on it.)

Lamest time capsule ever! Seriously, a pamphlet from the Chamber of Commerce??? A flier about Stoneybrook's 250th birthday??? I thought it would be much better if they put in something quirky that represented something about themselves. I mean, even if Claud put in something like a pair of feather earrings, that would say more about her 13-year-old self than would the flier.

I have more to say on the book, but I'm at work right now so I'll have to post again in a short while.

[celaeno]

Dec 16, 2007 0:16:51 GMT -5 @sunshine said:

And wtf? Dawn (was it Dawn?) deciding she didn't want kids at THIRTEEN??? WHO THINKS THAT WAY WHEN THEY'VE MAYBE ONLY HAD TWO PERIODS. TOPS???!!!

I actually don't think this is unrealistic. When I was 13, I had friends who would already say they didn't want to have kids.

I don't think it's unusual for her to say it, but at the same time, I definitely wouldn't bet money on any of the girls' wishes/predictions for the future. I think it's normal for 13-year-olds to think about whether they want kids or want to get married. It's fun to think about, but still, half the time their adult lives will be completely different from what they wanted or predicted when they were 13.

I had one friend that I knew when I was 13 (actually, we go all the way back to first grade). At that age, she was the type who had no interest in settling down and getting married before 30, and she really didn't want kids (we had a running joke that if she did ever have kids, our other friend would have to raise it until it was like at least 5-years-old, because my first friend would have no interest in raising it). Then she got married at 22 and now (we're 24 now) she's pregnant.

So, what I mean is that I don't think any of the girls' predictions are weird, even when Dawn says she doesn't want kids...but I wouldn't be surprised when the girls turn out completely different as adults.

Ok, some random thoughts on the book:

-I thought Kristy's parts were really well-written. I normally dislike Kristy, but I completely felt sympathy for her. Her feelings also felt completely believable. I can definitely see Kristy as someone who needed to control something, after feeling very helpless when her dad walked out. I can see her reaching the point of obsession with the club, and I feel bad for her when she sees that everyone else is ready to move on, but she's not ready.

-I like that Mary Anne ended the series stronger, and with a quiet confidence. It seems believable that she could develop from the shy, meek girl into this person who knows what she wants out of life.

-I'm really happy Dawn, Abby, Mal and Jessi came back. I'm surprised Shannon didn't make at least a cameo appearance or something.

-I thought the talk with Logan was REALLY anti-climactic. They built up Mary Anne's parts where she's like "I need to talk to Logan...I need to talk to Logan...I need to fix things." I was expecting a significant part where they make peace. And then later in the book, we get, like, a paragraph and she's basically like "Oh yeah, Logan and I got pizza and now we're not mad at each other anymore. The end."

-I thought it was really sad (and very realistic) for AMM to not really resolve Stacey's and Claud's BFF status. In the BSC books, Best Friend status was really important; like, almost synonomous with Soul Mate. They had really touching parts earlier in the series, like in Good-Bye, Stacey, Good-Bye, where Claudia writes a letter to Stacey saying that she'll never have another BFF like Stacey. And then they end the series with Claud and Stace saying that they're friends, but they can't ever go back to being Best Friends. It was an extremely bittersweet way to end the series, and an unusual shot of realism in an otherwise unrealistic series.

So, what do you think will happen after the book? I'm guessing the author was implying that the BSC will not exist after the book ends...ie, I'm guessing BSC meeting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays will no longer happen. I think Mary Anne has gotten a new strength, and will, for the first time in her life, make friends easily in high school. Stacey will also easily make friends, most likely with the popular crowd (not the Popular Bad Kids, but the Popular Kids Who Also Get Good Grades And Are Also Kind of Cocky). I think Claudia has low self esteem and could struggle a little in high school, since I don't think she and Stacey will really hang out. She'll obviously start to hang out with the art kids, and I could also see her start to hang out with the stoner crowd. I feel like Kristy will have trouble making friends...but hopefully she will eventually adjust. I think Abby will easily make friends. She'll be the type who floats around from clique to clique, never becoming a part of any one single group.

[anzuhana]

^ Charlie's letter was one of my favorite aspects of this book, and I love that we got a little more insight into him as a person. I wonder what a Charlie spinoff would have been like?

I liked that we got insight to Charlie's character as well. And yeah, what would a Charlie spin-off be like?

[aclark81]

Apr 16, 2010 12:37:35 GMT -5 anzuhana said:

I liked that we got insight to Charlie's character as well. And yeah, what would a Charlie spin-off be like?

Somebody should fanfic it, if they haven't already. I'd love to read more from his point of view.

[virgoscorpio]

I FINALLY READ THIS BOOK!!!

I was a bit disappointed, only because for loyal BSC fans, this book is mostly filler. If you've been keeping up with the series, you know about Kristy and Stacey's parent issues, Claudia doing poorly in school, etc. This book STARTED to touch on subjects that have been talked about for ages, but then the BSC members themselves change the topic... thank god.

Some funny moments -- Dawn saying she wouldn't be a good parent. YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE BSC AND NOT A GOOD PARENT? That was a pretty ball-sy comment to make. And Dawn's addition to the time capsule -- advertisements to see how much air fare prices have changed - was STUPID. In 7 years, I am sure the prices aren't that inflated.

I got where Kristy was coming from because if we, the readers, are so upset that the series is ending -- imagine someone who was LIVING IN IT. I would kind of miss the BSC fun times, too!

[wiggir13]

Alright so I have finally finished my complete reread in order of the series. This book was kind of sad to me. I did find it sad like others that everyone felt they would no longer be the kind of friends they were in middle school. The geography changes, but if a friendship is important, you keep up with it. I guess it is pretty typical in HS though that you change and find other people who are changing more like you.

I guess what I didn't like about the particular book is that I won't learn anything more about these girls that I have come to love and felt were my friends when I was going through that rough "middle school like" area (I say ms like b/c I didn't have middle school).

One thing I found interesting is that the girls vow to get together 12 years from that date. Sooooo printed in 2000 that means 2012 would be the year and well....they did just start reprinting and had the summer before, so perhaps the summer after 12 years??? Just me getting my hopes up - although I do wonder if I just want to keep what I think happens to the girls in my mind or read what someone else makes them into?

[zoar3]

^Are you going to start over again Wiggirl or travel along with the CD's? I thought this book was both sad and disappointing. It didn't have a clear ending or hints of a real new beginning. I still think if the girls were going to ever graduate it should have been done in much better way (contest in Fire would have been perfect) and/or 1 SS high school book. The truth is, while I would love any type of new BSC book and yeah would be interested in seeing if they "officially" remained friends/together in HS, I'd probably rather have a second prequel type book. Better yet, and I know this is really a dream, have the originals edited/the laters better written with a different ending. Like an "official" what if there had been no FF's? How would one final year have played out in a more typical BSC way? That I'd probably be all over to read.

[wiggir13]

I think I would like that too!!!!!

I think I'm gonna take a bit of break before the CA diaries b/c I'm trying to pack and move etc so just need time to do that!

[zoar3]

Want to help me un-officially write it, someday? I just read some non BSC books, have a few more and then might go back to the beginning, picking and chosing. I hope your move goes smoothly. Congrats again on your new home.

[sparklymouse]

I liked the time capsule idea even if some of the stuff put in it was lame. (For real, Jessi. Last book ever, you're in it for five whole pages, and you're still all about race. Hate you.) I saw the Claire bear dilemma a mile away. Why did her parents not predict what would happen? Did they make any sort of map to find the thing seven years later? Kristy said to make a marker when they dug it up to get the bear, but I doubt whatever they did was going to stay put for that long through 7 rainy springs and snowy winters. And the Pike triplets weren't the most reliable bunch to remember stuff.

It was so strange to me that none of the girls thought they were going to be great friends in high school. What 13 year old girl doesn't think their BFF is going to be their BFF forever?!?

I couldn't relate to much in this. I went to a 7-9 Jr. high, so I didn't do any 8th grade graduation. I also lived in a 1 Jr. high, 1 high school town, so starting high school wasn't a big deal. It was just a new building with the same people as always. That said, I totally related to Kristy. I hate change, and every year I wished I was back in the previous year when everything was simpler (even though when I was in that previous year I probably hated everything about it).

[celaeno]

Jan 18, 2012 19:00:16 GMT -5 sparklymouse said:

It was so strange to me that none of the girls thought they were going to be great friends in high school. What 13 year old girl doesn't think their BFF is going to be their BFF forever?!?

Yeah, I agree that it was really unrealistic for 13-year-olds to realize they're probably going to go their different ways once they hit high school, but I can forgive it. Since this was the final book, I think a lot of the message was supposed to be Ann's voice speaking through the characters instead of them acting realistically. An adult looking back on that age would probably want to say something like "You're going to high school; you're going to drift apart. But even when you're adults, you're never going to forget the best friends you had when you were 13."

Likewise, I thought it was depressing (but realistic) when Stacey said something about how she and Claud will never be able to be as close as they used to be, because of what's happened between them.

And like you, I couldn't relate to the climactic 8th grade graduation thing. Our middle school was 5th through 8th grade and our high school was 9th through 12th, so everyone in your 9th grade class were the same old people you went to 8th grade with. Graduating 8th grade wasn't particularly special.

[horselightning]

As far as not letting you graduate because of a Library book. Yes the school library will threaten you with that. I had a library book stolen from me in science class in 8th grade. The librian threatened to not let me graduate because of it. So my mom went to the school and paid for the book.