The Baby Sitters Remember

[digigirl02]

I liked Jessi's chapter, I thought it was very sweet.

[aln1982]

I thought the same thing about the copied part of Logan Likes MA, sotypical, and skipped it too. Kristy's chapter is very typical of her. I guess I just wanted to read a memory that would give me more insight into her life - maybe when her dad left or something sad (but not Louie! I hated that part of Kristy and the Snobs). But Kristy's not the kind to dwell on things like that, so her chapter really fits with the kind of memory she would have.

[Deleted]

I loved this SS when it first came out, but a few months ago I checked it out from the library and I didn't enjoy it as much as I once had. I'm not sure why, but I found several of the stories kind of boring. Particularly Logan's and Shannon's, but then I was never very attached to either of them. I do love Claudia's and Mary Anne's memories though! Here's my ranking of favorite stories, from most favorite to least:

1. Claudia
2. Mary Anne
3. Dawn (because I could relate)
4. Kristy
5. Stacey
6. Mallory
7. Jessi
8. Shannon
9. Logan

[lilafowler]

^I don't know if boring is the word I'd use, but I definitely thought something about Shannon's memory rang false. Even as a child, I didn't see why that would be an event you'd remember more clearly than anything else in your life, except maybe because of that hairless cat, which sounds kind of creepy.

[sotypical42483]

What was Shannon's memory? I'm too lazy to grab my copy and check.

[Amalia]

A new girl came to town. Shannon and a few friends at school competed to see who that new girl would choose to be her next best friend. At the end, Shannon realized that it was stupid.

[alula]

I thought Shannon's memory was more about how she almost screwed up her shot at getting into the astronomy club because she got pulled into that weird middle-school girl one-upmanship. I related to that and I still do, actually--I've always had this phobia that I could make one little mistake or bad decision and ruin my whole life. I was kind of like Shannon in putting a lot of my self-worth into my academic achievements (it was something I felt I had at least some control over when I couldn't control other parts of my life), and so any potential shortcoming was really devestating, especially if I got started on a cycle of blaming myself.

I remember liking Shannon's chapter just because it did kind of hint at the darker side of friendships between girls that age, which I don't think is addressed anywhere else in the stories. (I never read the California Diaries, though--were those already started by the time this came out?). I also remember thinking it actually felt like Shannon did have a more distinct voice than some of the other girls--she seemed a little more (I hate to say it!) "sophisticated" in some of the way she put her thoughts together.

I really liked Claudia's story, and also Mary Anne's, just because it was so unexpected. I wish they'd gone that way for more of the characters--I did feel like hearing the expanded version of Dawn and Logan and Stacey's stories were less interesting because they were kind of retreads, and I agree that Kristy's story seemed not as deep or interesting either.

[greer]

It may be reading too deep into it, but I always felt that shannon had the most painful home life of any of the girls. There was no swift divorce like stacey or dawn, it was more of a festering wound. It makes sense to me that shannon would choose a memory almost disconnected from herself and her family, and rather one that only details her life at school.

Ca diaries came out in 97, so 2 or 3 years after this one.

[alula]

^Ah, ok, thanks about the CA diaries. I figured those dealt with the more intense interpersonal stuff (heh--"it goes there"--I guess CDs were like the Degrassi: The Next Generation of the end of the 90s). I'm still really fascinated by stories about girls that age because I think it is an age where those relationships get so complicated.

I agree about Shannon's homelife, and I would say definitely not all, but a good handful of the hyper-overachieving people I knew during middle school and high school were doing it at least in part as a coping mechanism to avoid having to confront or even be physically present for all their own family dysfunction. I may be overreading too, but I always felt that was an element of why Shannon was so constantly driven to do so many different things, and to do them well enough to get lots of validation from other adults in her life.

[aln1982]

I need to reread as I don’t remember this one very well. I do remember liking Shannon’s memory and thinking it really went against how she sabotaged her own trip by purposely failing in Shannon’s Story. I can’t remember Claud’s memory at all so it must not have been that remarkable. Dawn’s either. I know I felt for Mal with hers. Kristy’s memory was probably my least favorite as there seemed like not much to it. Didn’t like MA’s at first but it is growing on me the more I think about it. My favorites were Stacey’s – even though it was a repeat – and Jessi’s. I also liked the scene with Logan coloring in Hunter’s coloring book (don’t ask me why. I am strangely attracted to weird things like this. ;D)

[blossom114]

i actually liked the repeats......maybe because it was told from a different POV ....and with Stacey.... the stuff had been mentioned..not really described in detail like it had been in her section....that's just me.

[bscfan24]

I've always liked seeing certain stories in a different character's perspective. It really lets the reader see how differently one person can see the same event. Or something like that.

I almost forgot about Logan hogging Hunter's coloring book. That was too cute. I remember one time I wanted to write a story in his POV, telling about how he moved and met Mary Anne. Basically, LLMA in his pov. I guess i've been weird like that.

Maybe someday I'll write that, if anyone would be interested lol.

[alula]

It's funny, because I usually really like alternate POV stories. I think maybe for me, these were too similar--I get more interested in alternate POVs when there's more divergence from the one I already know. More conflict or something.

I remember thinking Stacey's was definitely the best of those, though.

[janey83]

Sadly, I don't have my necklace anymore, either! I think I literally had it until a few years ago when it was donated to a thrift store. Anyway....

Dawn -- I love the Dawn stories. When I was younger, the thing with her dad staying out all night didn't really mean much to me -- but now, I see it as being unfaithful to Sharon, not being much of a dad (what dad goes out all night and doesn't want to spend time with his kids?), and you know he was out hitting on women.

Stacey -- the girls were mean, yeah, but I think I might have freaked out if my friend wet the bed while I was in it. My roommate in college wet her bed after a night of drinking and I still thought "ew".

Claudia -- love the flashbacks, how she liked collecting her friends every morning and Janine was their babysitter, by walking with them to school. Poor Claudia, my heart ached when she was embarrassed by the teacher.

Mary Anne -- again, love seeing the girls as little kids, and did anyone notice that Mary Anne's hair was NOT in pigtails? And if I'm not mistaken, I think she was wearing pants, not a skirt. Anyway...

Mallory -- is this the one where she wore tights with hearts on them? Or was that in Hello, Mallory?

Jessi -- yeah, I was shocked when I found out she hated Squirt at first........

Kristy -- bo-ring. I just don't really care for Kristy so much.

Shannon -- bland.

Logan -- eh, I could take it or leave it, I always flip past it.

I really like the cover of this book. Seeing the girls together, and at first, I thought Claudia was holding a popsicle, not a hair brush. And at first, it was hard to tell Shannon & Stacey apart, but I figured Shannon was conservative enough to wear the plain pajamas. And MA brought a teddy bear to the sleepover...wow.

[blossom114]

I just remembered the hairless cats thing!! Okay, at first I was a bit creeped out, but now I've actually MET a hairless cat, and his name is Gandalf. He's one of the cats at the place i volunteer at..or was.. He got adopted. He's a purebred sphinx... Okay he's butt ugly, I'll be frank. But he's just so SWEET. Feels like a fuzzy peach