|
Post by booboobrewer on Apr 13, 2008 18:34:50 GMT -5
I just reread this one, and I loved it. The ending was so sweet! I like that Granny and Mary Anne kept the story a secret between them and Mary Anne said she would have to find a way to satisfy the BSC's curiosity about the mystery. That reminds me of Stacey keeping Terry's secret in Mystery Money. Sharon is a good daughter for organizing another anniversary party for her parents (she celebrated their golden anniversary in Dawn's Book). Granny's name in this book is Grace. When I read that, I was like, what? Her name is Rita! That's her name in Dawn's Book, and that one was published several years before this. Way to fact check, Ellen Miles. It wouldn't have bothered me so much if her name hadn't been said over and over. The Barrett-DeWitt subplot was pretty tolerable, I liked it. In a way, it sort of reinforced my feeling that I'd really rather read about the Barretts alone, not blended with the DeWitts. The DeWitts are boring to me, and I like reading about Buddy, Suzi, Marnie, and Mrs. Barrett as their own family in the early books. Granny's handwriting as a young girl looks exactly like Mary Anne's. Claudia bringing her eyelash curler to the Barrett/DeWitt job when they were working on the playhouse ("you never know what tools you might need") was not really funny, just sort of dumb. The chapter 2 theme was cute: describing what each member's job would be if they all worked on a cruise ship.
|
|
fluffycakes
Junior Sitter
A silken-haired beauty with a laugh like pealing bells
Posts: 868
|
Post by fluffycakes on Apr 16, 2008 12:02:35 GMT -5
Claudia bringing her eyelash curler to the Barrett/DeWitt job when they were working on the playhouse ("you never know what tools you might need") was not really funny, just sort of dumb. Haha. I tend to skip over the Barrett-DeWitt plots because I find them boring, so I missed that. It's funny in a ridiculously stupid way. Only Claudia would think of something like that.
|
|
|
Post by bscfan81 on Apr 16, 2008 14:36:09 GMT -5
I haven't read this mystery yet, but I'd like to. That's one of many on my list.
|
|
courtky10
Sitting For The Johanssens
Posts: 1,125
|
Post by courtky10 on Jun 16, 2008 14:01:11 GMT -5
This is one of the mysteries I haven't read. This thread makes me want to go buy a copy right now.
|
|
supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,106
|
Post by supprazz on Sept 26, 2008 11:04:41 GMT -5
It was sweet, but it was so funny how granny didn't admit it was hers cause it was from decades ago.
|
|
Penny Lane
Sitting For The Arnolds
The Girl With Colitis Goes By
Posts: 2,888
|
Post by Penny Lane on Dec 23, 2008 13:52:46 GMT -5
I am going to be the unpopular opinion here and say that I really don't like this one. I think I'm just not a fan of sentimental stuff -- I didn't like Mary Anne and Camp BSC either, or Mary Anne and the Secret in the Attic, or any other book where Mary Anne acts like a sixty year old. I just dont' see why she would care around the owner of the box.
But the main reason I'm posting here is that I can not figure out the Barrett/Dewitt dilemma. In one part of the book, they said the original house had four bedrooms. So they build an addition, which includes two large rooms for the kids, plus two small rooms for the babies, plus two bathrooms. The kids all want to be jammed together or whatever... so what are the original four rooms being used for? One for the parents, obvious.... then three more bedrooms?
|
|
starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
Posts: 4,004
|
Post by starrynight on Dec 30, 2008 11:30:32 GMT -5
I finally own and have read this one (thank you, Paperback Swap!), and I really, really liked it. I think it might even be one of my top 5 mysteries. I'm really into old stuff and history, so all of the glimpses into the past were a big factor in my enjoyment. I didn't think the sailor appearing in Mary Anne's dreams was creepy like some people did, but it was a little more supernatural than the BSC books tend to get. I enjoyed the Barrett-Dewitt plot, but, like Penny Lane, I was also confused as to why they needed to build extra rooms if they were all just going to stay together. I think they mentioned that Marnie and Ryan would eventually be moving into their own rooms, but that still leaves a couple of extras.
|
|
scrounge
Sitter-In-Training
Boo and bullfrogs!
Posts: 414
|
Post by scrounge on Jan 4, 2009 0:32:35 GMT -5
Perhaps the extra rooms are because the Barrett-DeWitts are spoiled and obnoxious? I wish they would have moved out of Stoneybrook instead of building on to their house. But I just had a thought...can you picture Mrs. Barrett using one of the rooms as a sort of catch-all room, like it starts out "for storage" but then she starts just chucking stuff in there instead of cleaning the house, and the room ends up being cluttered and dirty? I just kind of get this feeling from her...
I am surprised so many people liked this mystery so much, I thought it was really boring.
|
|
|
Post by mafan4life on Jan 7, 2009 13:08:19 GMT -5
I am going to be the unpopular opinion here and say that I really don't like this one. I think I'm just not a fan of sentimental stuff -- I didn't like Mary Anne and Camp BSC either, or Mary Anne and the Secret in the Attic, or any other book where Mary Anne acts like a sixty year old. I just dont' see why she would care around the owner of the box. But the main reason I'm posting here is that I can not figure out the Barrett/Dewitt dilemma. In one part of the book, they said the original house had four bedrooms. So they build an addition, which includes two large rooms for the kids, plus two small rooms for the babies, plus two bathrooms. The kids all want to be jammed together or whatever... so what are the original four rooms being used for? One for the parents, obvious.... then three more bedrooms? i NEVER read Mary ANne and the BSC Camp story yet and I LOVE Mary Anne and the Secret in the Attic. She just wanted to find out more about her mother since she never knew her at all.
|
|
supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,106
|
Post by supprazz on Feb 3, 2009 12:11:40 GMT -5
I wanted to like this one cause it sounded so adorable but I was disappointed in it though the music box sounded too cute.
I bought it after 2 years of not buying BSC for my sister cause I though she would like the series and if I bought her one of the newer books she might get hooked. I think she liked it more than I did.
|
|
|
Post by anzuhana on Apr 16, 2010 9:32:41 GMT -5
I loved the chapter 2 in this book in addition to the bonding between Mary Anne and Sharon and Mary Anne and Granny. The ending was sweet. I liked that Mary Anne and her grandma kept the secret of the music box. I liked how the sailor in Mary Anne's dream faded away after finding out that Mary Anne's grandma was happy.
|
|
oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,254
|
Post by oldhickory on Apr 16, 2010 12:42:04 GMT -5
i LOVE this book! my boyfriend is in the navy, so i'm guilty of saying "my sailor" too :] it's really nice to see MA bonding with sharon and with granny. i feel like she values the women in her family more than dawn does.
|
|
|
Post by anzuhana on Apr 16, 2010 12:55:14 GMT -5
^ Maybe that's because Mary Anne grew up without a mother in her life.
|
|
oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,254
|
Post by oldhickory on Apr 20, 2010 13:10:06 GMT -5
^ i definitely think that's why. as the series goes on MA and dawn sort of go in the opposite direction -- dawn voluntarily moves away from her mom and grandmother, and MA gains mother figures she never had when she was young.
|
|
starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
Posts: 4,004
|
Post by starrynight on Apr 29, 2010 13:35:52 GMT -5
I just read this one for the second time, and I too like the bonding between Mary Anne, Granny, and Sharon. I also like that Mary Anne was the one who got this mystery, instead of Dawn coming back to Stoneybrook just to narrate it.
|
|