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Post by virgoscorpio on Jan 10, 2011 12:09:03 GMT -5
I agree with some of the earlier posters that the author seemed to allude, quite early on, that the culprit was Chester.
I thought this mystery was pretty lame. Not one of my favourites.
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Post by zoar3 on Jul 17, 2011 22:25:24 GMT -5
Mary Anne also looks like she has two sets (layers) of hair. Doesn't it look like the "top" flap could blow right off? The best part of this was definitely the Baby Elephant Walk and the button making at the Pikes. Jessi, apparently, had better things to do that afternoon than assist at the "Badge-O-Matic" Factory because she didn't show up for that sitting job. MA had scheduled Kristy and Jessi at the Pikes; probably a typo. If Jessi had been the sitter, she probably would have brought Becca. Becca and Charlotte saw one another (and it had been earlier in the afternoon), couldn't you see Charlotte asking Stacey if she could join the button-seller crew?
ITA how nice it was of Logan to treat both MA and Dawn to the movies and that this one seemed longer than others. I may be in the minority but thought the Alan/Logan feud got old rather quickly. It would have been more interesting had everyone in a group actually had to work together on one animal so we could have seen Kristy and Stacey along with the Awol--until now--Lauren Hoffman as a group. I don't think we got to read about their final paper or did it have to be a group one?
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Post by wiggir13 on Jul 17, 2011 23:00:55 GMT -5
They just said their final grades and what they wrote their paper on. I really love animals so I loved this book just b/c I do like zoos (ones that are kind and caring for animals). I find it real hard to believe that two guys in gorilla suits would make someone think they were a gorilla? If so that chester guy was an idiot!
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Post by zoar3 on Jul 18, 2011 11:35:20 GMT -5
Thanks, Wiggirl. I guess SMS either has assignments that are totally random and somewhat eye-rolling in terms of the time commitment (mall jobs), require a ton of work (the autobiographies) , and occasionally, like this one, give students an "easy" out for a grade.
On Page 15, Mary Anne tells us that "at one time Claudia was falling so far behind in her studies, that her parents encouraged her to think about quitting the BSC." (Or something like that). When does that happen? For that matter, I know we've talked about this before, but other than Claudia sometimes being worried her parents will make her quit, do they (her parents) ever actually lay that down for her? I don't think so. Maybe it's the same as the junk food/Nancy Drew, something Claudia blows up in her mind.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,251
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Post by oldhickory on Jul 18, 2011 12:24:13 GMT -5
^ i don't remember them ever encouraging her to quit, especially not in a manner that would require a mention in a chapter 2. i do remember them threatening her though, which maybe speaks to their parenting skills.
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Post by wiggir13 on Jul 18, 2011 12:38:10 GMT -5
I think maybe in a very early book she thinks she is going to have to quit. I believe it is one when Mimi is still alive or close to when she passes away.
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Post by zoar3 on Jul 18, 2011 14:45:34 GMT -5
^The only book I can think of where that might have happened is in "Phantom Phone Calls." That's also one of the very few books where we saw that someone from her family really did help her with homework every night. I don't think the Kishis had the best of parenting skills. We've been over this many times but if they really were aware of Claud's daily assignments and worked with her daily, there's no way in all heck she should have ever gotten to the point of "Middle School Dropout" or even "failing." If she truly was failing, there should have been a greater effort to figure out why besides the generic "Claudia is smart but just doesn't apply herself, blah, blah, blah."
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Post by virgoscorpio on Oct 1, 2012 19:28:04 GMT -5
For some reason, I picked this one out of a pile to read recently and I'm noticing that there's some divine timing with this. Lately I've been hearing a lot of stories on animal cruelty. For one, a local Sea World - before I moved - had been exposed for mistreating of animals. And it was the actual WORKERS who exposed the Sea World. Also, I've been hearing a lot of the dolphin and whale massacres in Japan. Someone even posted a picture of a dolphin-shaped cloud in the sky after it all happened. So I had these things in mind when I was reading this.
So what ever happened to their grades? Who won the extra credit!? That was such a big deal, and brought up on several occasions, but they never touched on it.
And also, this book probably wins the CHEESY AWARD, hands down. The scene where the teachers get out of cars in the black trench coat really made me crack up. The entire assembly was just crazy. As if something like that would happen in an actual school. If so, it would take tons of time and effort!
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celaeno
Sitting For The Papadakis's
I have to share a room with Vanessa
Posts: 1,514
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Post by celaeno on Sept 14, 2013 11:40:21 GMT -5
So what ever happened to their grades? Who won the extra credit!? That was such a big deal, and brought up on several occasions, but they never touched on it. They do say in the last chapter that Alexander Kurtzman won the extra credit. And Shawna Riverson was in his group, so Kristy says she must have cheated. I just read this one for the first time, and then I saw a story about a baby elephant that was born recently, and his mother immediately rejected him and tried to stomp him to death, and he cried for 5 hours straight after gamekeepers rescued him. As soon as I read the part where they mention that some of the zoo employees were dressed in gorilla costumes for Mojo and James's going-away party, I was like "Oh please please please don't tell me that they're going to end up successfully posing as the real Mojo and James in order to catch the criminal"...and then they did. They said in the book that Mojo and James have several acres of land to live on, but the cage on the cover is like the size of a bedroom! Also, if anyone else had no clue what the Baby Elephant Walk song was, here you go. Geez, those kids of Stoneybrook sure do know their 60s easy listening music well. Ha ha. They must have been sick of listening to that music on repeat for the whole 4 miles of their walkathon! I liked the Stacey parts in this book. I like that the different club members have different reactions to the issue, instead of having them all react the same. I think it makes sense that Kristy is the one who stays the most angry about it.
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Post by greer on Sept 14, 2013 12:54:15 GMT -5
So what ever happened to their grades? Who won the extra credit!? That was such a big deal, and brought up on several occasions, but they never touched on it. They do say in the last chapter that Alexander Kurtzman won the extra credit. And Shawna Riverson was in his group, so Kristy says she must have cheated. I just read this one for the first time, and then I saw a story about a baby elephant that was born recently, and his mother immediately rejected him and tried to stomp him to death, and he cried for 5 hours straight after gamekeepers rescued him. As soon as I read the part where they mention that some of the zoo employees were dressed in gorilla costumes for Mojo and James's going-away party, I was like "Oh please please please don't tell me that they're going to end up successfully posing as the real Mojo and James in order to catch the criminal"...and then they did. They said in the book that Mojo and James have several acres of land to live on, but the cage on the cover is like the size of a bedroom! Also, if anyone else had no clue what the Baby Elephant Walk song was, here you go. Geez, those kids of Stoneybrook sure do know their 60s easy listening music well. Ha ha. They must have been sick of listening to that music on repeat for the whole 4 miles of their walkathon! I liked the Stacey parts in this book. I like that the different club members have different reactions to the issue, instead of having them all react the same. I think it makes sense that Kristy is the one who stays the most angry about it. Huh, I had imagined it being something like a Raffi song. Would people even get the elephant connection when there's no lyrics?
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supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,106
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Post by supprazz on Sept 22, 2013 22:58:27 GMT -5
All I remember about this book is how Kristy was upset saying Stacey can't babysit! LOL
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Amalia
Sitting For The Braddocks
Her Original Point of View
Posts: 3,664
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Post by Amalia on Sept 23, 2013 19:53:52 GMT -5
^ I love that part too. And then Stacey insists that she has to come along since they were going to use her stereo in the Elephant Walk. But I thought Claudia had a boom box? Wasn't it mentioned that she did in Claudia's Big Party? Why couldn't they use hers?
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Post by zoar3 on Mar 1, 2014 20:52:29 GMT -5
I just finished rereading and enjoyed more than usual. I love when Claudia, at the first BSC meeting mentioned on page 12, says Babar looks like Dumbo. That made me smile as did mentions of Winnie the Pooh and his friends Kanga and Roo. Erica named a kangaroo and her baby after the characters. It was also funny because at first MA was upset with Erica for wasting time (it sounded like that was how MA felt) but then realizes Erica has a point and does the same. This is on page 68. MA's first two possible Emu names are "Emily and Elizabeth." Lol to if Emily (the person) had both a rat and Emu named after her. I wish we had gotten to read about Shannon talking to kids at Stoneybrook Day School about the baby elephant walk. I really liked that she had immediately volunteered to do that. The only things I really don't care for is MA's comment about laboratory animals and that Jessi put both Becca and Charlotte in the middle of the Stacey drama. Jessi from the Braddocks house calls her own home to speak with Becca, asking Becca to phone Charlotte. Charlotte is then supposed to (and does) call Stacey to ask for permission to use her boom box and speakers at the baby elephant walk. It also sounded as though Stacey's answer was passed back down the line until it reached Jessi. I also confess to not being too big a fan of the Alan/Logan feud, thought it lasted a little too long but maybe Logan was upset because MA was not in his group? Kudos to Alan, a couple times for stepping up and taking charge (positive way) of things. He really did seem to want to do a good job. Still not exactly sure what the point was of most all the 8th graders at SMS observing Mojo and James a few times a week and somehow from that info only writing a paper, unless it could be a creative one, that might be cute. "A Day in the Life" type thing.
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wanderingfrog
Sitting For The Arnolds
Official BSC Archivist
Posts: 2,552
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Post by wanderingfrog on Mar 6, 2015 19:26:51 GMT -5
I am rereading this one right now, and it's a good time for it because tomorrow I'm going to an exhibit of a travelling zoo. It's mostly reptiles, but also some other animals. I'm most looking forward to seeing a baby cougar. This book is helping me get in a zoo mood.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,251
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Post by oldhickory on Mar 18, 2015 12:27:44 GMT -5
That sounds really fun! I can't say I've ever seen a baby cougar.
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