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Post by liss31d on Mar 17, 2007 9:43:38 GMT -5
I think there was a choice of local jobs as well, not just at the Washington Mall. But one of them (probably bossy Kristy) said that all the BSC must work at the Washington Mall so they can be together in the same place.
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Post by aln1982 on Mar 17, 2007 10:20:29 GMT -5
I also seem to remember a choice of local jobs. I guess I'm not sure what else would be available. Is the mall in Stoneybrook? I'm never sure because I thought some books said that there isn't a mall - or is it just that the Washington Mall is bigger?
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Post by sotypical42483 on Mar 18, 2007 20:41:42 GMT -5
I just read this one today, they were definitely offered local jobs (well, jobs in Stamford!), but Kristy wanted everyone to have similar schedules.
This book was SO unrealistic. I know, saying that about a BSC book (esp a mystery or SS) is pretty redundant, but still. The kids are REQUIRED to work 2 hours a day, 3 days week after school!? No way. How is that even enforceable? What if someone had extra-curriculars? what if someones parents didn't want their pre-teen or 13 year old WORKING?!
And Kristy being a security guard? Yeah right. It totally fit her, but I cannot imagine the mall security giving her a walkie-talkie and keeping her in the loop when it comes to mall crime. Stacey's boss seemed nice, I guess, but bringing your kid to work?! How is that even allowed? Every freaking day?? And it seems the only employees were the boss, Stacey, and some random girl who works on the weekend. No wonder people are walking off with all your crap!
I think the bit about the kids living in the mall could've been kind of interesting, but they just kinda glossed over it and it was over and done with super quickly. I did feel bad for the mall manager. He seemed nice enough, but clearly didn't handle stress very well. How the hell did Stoneybrook deal with the BSC being totally unavailable 3 days a week?! All they had was Shannon. Best part of this book? No babysitting chapters! I was confused as to why Stacey wanted to work in the toy store. Yeah, Zingy's wasn't available, but wouldn't a department store or accessories store be more her style? A toy store sounds so annoyingly loud and busy... and all those kids! gak! Then again, I don't thrive off of babysitting!
I like the cover of this book. cute leggings Stacey. haha.
Oh and I don't think Washington Mall is in Stoneybrook... they say the bus ride there takes 30 min. I can't imagine a bus ride to anywhere in small Stoneybrook would take 30 min.
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mckay
Junior Sitter
Posts: 672
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Post by mckay on Mar 18, 2007 23:12:40 GMT -5
I always thought this Short Takes unit sounded like a ton of fun. I would have wanted to work at Toy Town like Stacey. The book itself wasn't great, but as far as the mysteries go wasn't bad either. And, hee, Zingy's. Every time I walk into Hot Topic (don't judge me! ) I think of Zingy's.
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msstock87
Sitting For The Braddocks
Here Comes The Bride!
Created by Rie.
Posts: 3,618
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Post by msstock87 on Mar 19, 2007 14:22:50 GMT -5
I thought the short takes unit sounded fun, but unrealistic. I agree, Stacey's Toy Town Job would have been the place I would have picked.
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jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,156
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Post by jen on Apr 3, 2007 19:41:26 GMT -5
This book was SO unrealistic. I know, saying that about a BSC book (esp a mystery or SS) is pretty redundant, but still. The kids are REQUIRED to work 2 hours a day, 3 days week after school!? No way. How is that even enforceable? What if someone had extra-curriculars? what if someones parents didn't want their pre-teen or 13 year old WORKING?! They weren't getting paid for it, so it technically wasn't employment, really... In high school, we have to do a week of work experience, where instead of going to school, you go to a real workplace for a week and see what it's like out there in the real world. That's what I imagined this to be like. Except work experience isn't until Year 10, when everyone is at least around 15, and the BSC are a bit younger than that, but hey... artistic licence and all that. What I hate about this is the fact that Zingy's is in the mall. Zingy's isn't supposed to be in the mall! Haven't they read Stacey's Choice?
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mckay
Junior Sitter
Posts: 672
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Post by mckay on Apr 3, 2007 22:24:46 GMT -5
I thought Zingy's showed up at the mall in Mallory on Strike...
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jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,156
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Post by jen on Apr 4, 2007 0:37:08 GMT -5
Oh, yeah, it does. But in Stacey's Choice, it's definitely not in the mall.
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starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
Posts: 4,004
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Post by starrynight on Apr 4, 2007 17:06:17 GMT -5
I can never keep track of which stores are in the mall and which are in downtown Stoneybrook.
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mckay
Junior Sitter
Posts: 672
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Post by mckay on Apr 4, 2007 23:54:23 GMT -5
Don't feel too bad, starrynight. The ghostwriters can't either.
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starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
Posts: 4,004
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Post by starrynight on Apr 5, 2007 12:12:56 GMT -5
Merry-Go-Round is another one that switches places....sname with Bellairs. I guess there could be two locations, but would a small town really need that?
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Post by sugarmonkey on Jul 3, 2007 10:17:32 GMT -5
I was half way through this one when I realized that I'd read it before. A looong time ago. All I remembered was the part where they paint the new store that's going to be the mall daycare.
Speaking of that daycare, I think more malls should have them. I know the first thought is "parents don't want to leave there kids with strangers" but on a different forum I used to frequent, there was a long thread about people who leave their kids at the children's section at Barnes and Noble and just leave the store. After that I noticed a sign up at the kids section at my local B & N telling people they are NOT a babysitting service. Sad that that kind of thing isn't just a figment of a ghostwriters imagination.
This book was one of my favorite mysteries. The only babysitting like chapter was Mal story hour and part of that actually tied into the plot. (The three blond kids showed up.) The unrealistic parts made it fun. I tried to do what aln does and pretended that the girls where a tad bit older (it wasn't easy) and that did help, I just kept forgetting to do it!
I really wished it had focused more on the kids than the embezzlement thing.
Imagine this: You are a single mother with 3 kids. You move to a new town. Your are dirt poor (no phone etc.) You are hospitalized and assume that your sister is taking care of your children like she promised. Your kids visit a few times saying that everything is OK, but you never see your sister. How many of you would question why your own sister never comes to visit you when you are in the freakin' hospital? Would you worry at all about not being able to even call your own children?
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Post by maddieruns on Jul 3, 2007 13:56:06 GMT -5
Gosh! The parents in Stoneybrook really seem to neglect and ignore their children, don't they? Leaving their children alone in a store at the mall with that crime rate? if I had a young child, I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving them some store alone in the mall, just to could get a bit of shopping done. The parents took the children there, they just need to... deal with it.
^I wish the kids would've been featured more too; it seems they didn't really do much until that last chapter.
and i agree the idea of running away to the mall sounds neat and all, but in that situation wouldn't you go to the police or call another relative? The police could’ve helped the kids contact their aunt or something… and where was the aunt anyways??- Their mother probably going to be extremely pissed off when she gets out of that hospital…
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alula
Sitter-In-Training
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Post by alula on Jul 4, 2007 2:58:41 GMT -5
I think the kids were afraid they'd be separated and put into foster care if they called the police. Stuff like that always makes me sad, because I think a lot of the times people don't even realize that there are people in need in their own community when they live in tony-seeming towns like Stoneybrook, and so in someways, it's harder for people in those situations to get help--it's harder to find, and also, a lot of the times, they feel more ashamed to ask for help.
A lot of stores around here have those signs telling people not to leave their children unattended--bookstores, toy stores, and even electronic stores (people leave the kids in the video game section a lot). I don't understand it all.
One of the funny things now that I'm older and have peers who have actually had jobs like this, unlike when I first read it, I realize how unrealistic in specifics a lot of this stuff is. No way, for instance, would a movie theater let an eleven-year-old "working" there for six weeks even touch a projector, let alone how to run one. In the mid-1990s, projectionists were still union (now as more places go digital and automatic, it pays a lot less). And while I think mall daycare centers are a pretty goof idea, I'm pretty sure you'd have to get actually licensed and inspected and stuff to set one up in a place of business, not just slap some paint on the walls one weekend.
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Post by maddieruns on Jul 11, 2007 13:08:19 GMT -5
^yeah, I agree some of the jobs were unrealistic for 13 year olds. I remember working at a grocery store when i was in high school, and we weren't even allowed to throw the trash down the garbage chute. You had to be 18 or something...
..but seriously, how did Mr. Morton ever become the Mall manager? I know he's nice and all but, part of being a good business man is knowing how to say no. He should have realised what would've happened to the outcome of the mall before giving the "go ahead" to all those things.
annd I love how Mal gets all worked up about the kid who stole someone's cookies at Storytime in the bookstore... that was kind of funny.
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