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Post by aln1982 on Sept 30, 2007 23:47:31 GMT -5
I just reread and this one is better than I remembered. I actually liked it pretty well until I got to the end. Then it was kind of a let down. It almost seemed like they just ran out of room and said "okay let's wrap this up" and just ended it. Also, I thought the reason for the kids staying in the mall was really weak and that the writers could have come up with a much more dramatic, and more plausible, one. Other than that, I really liked reading Mal and Jessi's chapters, especially, and also about Toy Town. It sounds like a cool place ;D
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Post by liss31d on Oct 1, 2007 7:31:22 GMT -5
I never understood why Mary Anne wouldn't have wanted to work in a pet shop that actually sold pets instead of just stuff for pets... I would have thought she's have had an awesome time with all the kittens and puppies, going "Awww" every 5 seconds Out of all of their jobs, I probably would have wanted Mallory's job becasue I love books Would have hated Jessi's job... having to see the same movies a million times (especially when you think about a lot of the crap that comes out at the cinema lately).
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Post by aln1982 on Oct 1, 2007 9:17:58 GMT -5
^ I don't think everyone did work at the mall from the school but I might be wrong. I think those were just the only jobs left that looked best where the BSC could all work together. I will check, though.
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Post by ringdings on Oct 2, 2007 14:55:56 GMT -5
Unless there's another pet shop in the mall, there were one or two books where everyone loves to go look at the puppies/kittens/reptiles. Just another inconsistency, I guess.
I'd love Claudia's job, but would get frustrated because I couldn't afford all those art supplies. That stuff is expensive (how does Claudia afford it anyway earning only $3/hour?).
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blossom114
Sitting For The Papadakis's
Posts: 1,504
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Post by blossom114 on Oct 3, 2007 14:20:25 GMT -5
Gosh on the note of parents leaving their kids in the mall. Was volunteering at whiskerville a couple of weekends ago, and there was this little girl that was there ALL DAY, and no parents. I didn't even realize that she was by herself... had seen her, but silly me didn't take much notice to it until my friend said something right as we were leaving. Then the lightbulb went off in my head. Anyway told the head lady of Whiskerville what was going on with her. She hadn't noticed that the kid had been there so long by herself either. Yikes.
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Post by booboobrewer on Oct 3, 2007 14:24:07 GMT -5
I'd love Claudia's job too, ringdings...also Mal's. I think Stacey's would be fun at first but then get kind of boring after awhile.
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janey83
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 374
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Post by janey83 on Oct 9, 2007 15:33:22 GMT -5
Did anyone read this and think the stores were getting free labor? It's not as if the students were paid for their time, and isn't it illegal to have a 13 year old working, or an 11 year old for that matter? If I was working in a store and been through something like Stacey had, I can guarantee my parents would have pulled me out of the class and forbidden me to go back to the mall. I mean, seriously....
Oh, and in Dawn's Big Date (#50?), she went to Zingy's and it sounded like it was located right in town, not at the mall.
Also, wasn't Merry-Go-Round a real store? I swear I saw a store with that name sometime in the mid-90's.
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Penny Lane
Sitting For The Arnolds
The Girl With Colitis Goes By
Posts: 2,888
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Post by Penny Lane on Nov 17, 2007 0:57:41 GMT -5
You see, I just read this book while waiting for a friend. Honest! (that was really annoying in this book, I don't know why) Things I noticed: 1.) Short takes doesn't make any sense. I thought it was just for 8th graders, after the egg experiment, but I guess Mal and Jessi need to learn how to work retail too. Well, I guess they should, seeing as they both will probably need day jobs. 2.) I liked that no one freaked out about the BSC having to basically shut down for a few weeks. I guess they didn't get that many jobs after all. Poor Shannon, having to go over the the Kishi's and hang out in Claudia's dirty room all by herself. Maybe she cleaned it up a little. 3.) So unrealistic, but I won't rehash it. (okay, maybe a little. OSHA rules with the paint? No, okay, fine. A "huge" mall, that is apparently practically empty, judging by the fact that two people worked the afternoon shift in a toy store, one of whom is THIRTEEN! I worked in a toy store in a mall for a few months in high school, and let me tell you. It was no picnic. It was crowded, and loud, and not at all fun. We had a huge sign warning people that we were not responsible for abandoned children, and we WOULD call security who would call the police, so that wasn't an issue. 4.) I wish we could have learned more about those kids. There aren't very many poor people in Stoneybrook, so that could have been interesting. 5.) What was up with the next short takes class? Stress Management for Teens? Do they do, like, yoga and stuff? Or is it more breathing and smacking a tennis ball against a wall?
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Post by aln1982 on Nov 17, 2007 10:50:38 GMT -5
^ Short takes never did make sense but just seemed to be used when needed, which is why I overlooked all the major inconsistencies. ;D Never considered what the next session would include. ;D I had to have a "short takes" class in jr. high (it was awful) so I try to imagine the BSC's like that. Also would have liked hearing more about the kids and how they ended up. That always bugged me in the mysteries with introducing new characters and never mentioning them after the book. This whole ending seemed abrupt, though. As for the unrealistic aspects of it, I think that's what I like about it. ;D It let me as a kid fantasize "working" as a fully functioning member of the adult world. I liked that they didn't freak about the club basically shutting down. They didn't in some other books, either, like Jessi's Wish but it did seem rare.
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Post by greer on Nov 17, 2007 22:08:29 GMT -5
short takes was the main plot point of don't give up mallory, so short takes was a part of all the grades at sms.
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Penny Lane
Sitting For The Arnolds
The Girl With Colitis Goes By
Posts: 2,888
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Post by Penny Lane on Nov 17, 2007 22:15:04 GMT -5
^ I have not yet read that one, and I did just notice it was the main class in "Jesse's Horrible Prank".
Oh, I also wanted to wtf the fact that Kristy saw a bottle of toothpaste in the bathroom and assumed someone was sleeping at the mall. I can not be the only person who has a bottle of toothpaste in her purse for emergencies.
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Post by aln1982 on Nov 18, 2007 0:54:11 GMT -5
^ I totally missed the toothpaste thing. When does she see that?
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Penny Lane
Sitting For The Arnolds
The Girl With Colitis Goes By
Posts: 2,888
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Post by Penny Lane on Nov 18, 2007 8:31:39 GMT -5
^Right before they decide that someone is living at the Mall. Logan mentions the dirty grill at Taco Bell Casa Grande, and Jessi mentions again about the people sleeping in the theatre (I don't really get how they suspect someone spent the night there), when Kristy brings up 'hey, i saw a tube of toothpaste in the washroom', I guess that means someone is living there, even though Jessi actually suggested it.
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Post by greer on Nov 18, 2007 12:57:12 GMT -5
^i think perhaps it wouldn't be proof of anything on its own, but put together with what jessi and logan saw it is another piece of evidence that could potentially be construed to mean that someone is living at the mall.
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Post by aln1982 on Nov 18, 2007 17:53:06 GMT -5
^ It would make sense as a clue when combined with the other evidence. I think Jessi's chapter with the fire was one of my favorites in this book. I thought it showed her maturity and level-headedness - two of the things I like about her.
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