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Post by silverneurotic on Sept 10, 2016 21:50:26 GMT -5
This was the book that introduced me to the series. My cousin brought it when she slept over and read me a few chapters and as a 3rd grader I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I started reading the series right after.
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Natasha
New To Stoneybrook
BSC Reread Update: no 115:Jessi's big break.
Posts: 198
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Post by Natasha on Mar 30, 2017 9:30:39 GMT -5
I loved this super special (my second favourite after New York, New York).
I liked Mallory's chapters the best and Dawn was pretty horrible to Carol. But at least towards the end she accepted her.
Stacey was an idiot in this super special.
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Post by Kylie90210 on Apr 23, 2017 21:21:14 GMT -5
The main things I remember about this one without rereading or reading this thread is Mall going blonde (I always wished she was blonde on the cover!), them winning the lotto, Stacey's cool car accident and I think that's about it... Oh and maybe Kristy being a pain about the we love kids club, but that could be another California book. Gee, seeing as it cost them so much of their winnings to go in this book, they went a lot after this!
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mallorypike
Sitting For The Papadakis's
If I were thirteen instead of eleven, life would be a picnic...
Posts: 1,636
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Post by mallorypike on Apr 24, 2017 22:11:19 GMT -5
It's so unrealistic for the girls to win the lottery especially enough money for them to do all that stuff to go to California! But then again they traveled to Europe and around the USA, they got shipwrecked, and they went through a lot of adventures a lot of adults don't even get to experience. Lucky babysitters, haha. This is one of my favorite SS. Mallory's plot sounds pretty relatable for a tween girl, but when she re-dyed her red, you'd think that secret would be revealed eventually. Also, wouldn't she have to re-dye her hair every few months or so? Jessi's was boring because I don't really care about Derek Masters. I forgot about Claudia's...another vacation boyfriend, right? I forgot about Dawn's, too. Kristy and MA babysat, of course, but I liked how MA bonded with that little girl who has asthma. Stacey got involved with an older and reckless crowd, and she got into a car accident, which is the most "exciting" and teenager-y thing IMO. I'd say that my favorites were Mal and Stace. I feel like rereading this book!
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Post by sparklymouse on Apr 25, 2017 0:03:00 GMT -5
Haha, I can picture Mallory picking a totally off shade of red by mistake and then her roots growing in much darker.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,234
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Post by oldhickory on Mar 15, 2018 14:55:35 GMT -5
If this book were exactly the same except the totally ridiculous lottery part, this would be a great book. I really love this one.
- It's good to see Stacey interested in something totally different, but the fact that it was with a bad crowd makes it feel less new, more of a rehash than it really was. Stacey's interests are pretty limited throughout the series so I enjoyed seeing her starting an extreme sport. It would have been easy to give this story line to Kristy.
- Mallory isn't usually my favorite, but I liked her story even though parts of it didn't really sound like her. The part when she wants to be an extra seems most out of character. She never seeks attention, but all of a sudden she's talking like she's born to be on TV. I wish they would have told her that it's fine to have that same confidence with her red hair, or that having red hair doesn't prohibit her from going after the things she wants, but they kind of said "it's good to have regular old Mallory back" and didn't give her much support. It's like she's destined to be the uncool friend behind the scenes for eternity.
- I LOVE the parts where the girls interact with the adults. In particular, Claudia telling Mrs. Bruen when she's leaving for her date, and Stacey having a heart-to-heart with Jack and Carol after the accident. I think Jack gets less credit than he deserves. Even though this chapter was really about Dawn accepting Carol (and therefore pretty heavy on the Carol side of things) I thought Jack was kind and sweet and protective of Stacey. I wish we could have seen the phone call to Stacey's parents.
- I wasn't a huge fan of Terry. It was rude and bizarre of him to assume that Claudia spoke French. And I don't love how being around Terry made Claudia feel stupid, but I find it totally normal for her character and I have felt the same way before.
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Post by CharlotteTJohanssen on Feb 23, 2020 11:14:02 GMT -5
I did a reread if this on the archive library loan and there’s a lot more that I didn’t like as much when I was a kid like Mallory and stacey’s parts.
I love Mary Anne and stephie together, they were so cute! I like how they bonded.
Not usually a fan of Jessi books but I loved her plot line. If Jessi ever stops dancing she’d be a good actress. Maybe that’ll be her back up plan and work with Derek more.
Kristy with the Dewitt boy’s was funny, I like how she couldn’t even control them.
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Post by wistfuldreamer86 on Mar 3, 2020 0:30:08 GMT -5
Despite the silly, lottery plot-line, I also enjoyed this SS more than others.
It was fun to see all the girls in CA and how they each reacted to the west coast life. Stacey being into surfing wasn't that hard to believe and it was interesting to see her trying something new. It's not that hard to picture since that was such a "cool" thing to do in the 90s. And I liked the lesson she learned from hanging around the older kids though like someone else said, it does seem like we just had the same plotline only a few books ago with Dawn. And it's weird that Dawn knew these kids but didn't realize they were so reckless? That part was weird. But I liked how the whole thing brought Carol and Dawn together. And I liked that Dawn wanted the adults in her life to be responsible and not her buddies.
It was weird how Terry expected Claudia to speak all these foreign languages but maybe she said something on the first day they met and we didn't get to hear about it? Claudia being insecure about her intelligence is nothing new and fit her character quite well. I don't think it was Terry's fault that she felt stupid, she was the one putting on an act after all. He was fine with her being into movie stars and art. She was just too insecure to be real with him. Though this also seems like a rehash of what Dawn went through with the older boy a few books ago.
As a random aside, it was weird how Dawn was described as eating chicken in this one. Wasn't she a vegetarian just a few books ago? Or am I getting things mixed up?
I actually liked the Universal Studios chapters a lot. I didn't really enjoy that narrative in the first SS but liked it in this one. I think it was just more entertaining because the girls were together in every scene, we just got different takes on the same thing.
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Post by CharlotteTJohanssen on Mar 4, 2020 17:17:51 GMT -5
I actually liked the Universal Studios chapters a lot. I didn't really enjoy that narrative in the first SS but liked it in this one. I think it was just more entertaining because the girls were together in every scene, we just got different takes on the same thing. The universal chapters became some of my favorite chapters on a reread. I like the differences between the kids and how they looked at things differently.
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Post by hannah26 on Jun 22, 2020 15:45:27 GMT -5
I luv this book! I read it twice I think. Stacey catching the surf bug and hanging out with her new cool surfing friends was sooo funny!
It was interesting how Dawn's dad had a housekeeper. I don't know if this was because he was a guy living on his own or because having domestic help is more common on the U.S. West Coast. Dawn's dad wasn't described as super rich and no one in Stoneybrook apart from maybe Kristy has a housekeeper. The lifestyle on the West Coast just seemed to be so different from the East Coast.
It also touched on the subject of new stepmum kinda material coming into a young girl's life. Dawn doesn't take to her dad's girlfriend Carol in the beginning. Dawn doesn't like Carol because she thinks Carol tries too much to be their friend and acts too young. But Carol might only have been trying to be friendly since she wasn't her actual parent and wasn't sure how to handle the situation. She likes Carol more towards the end though. I think the book was trying to suggest that in these situations things get better with time.
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Post by m0drnmoonlight on Sept 24, 2020 17:40:09 GMT -5
I luv this book! I read it twice I think. Stacey catching the surf bug and hanging out with her new cool surfing friends was sooo funny! It was interesting how Dawn's dad had a housekeeper. I don't know if this was because he was a guy living on his own or because having domestic help is more common on the U.S. West Coast. Dawn's dad wasn't described as super rich and no one in Stoneybrook apart from maybe Kristy has a housekeeper. The lifestyle on the West Coast just seemed to be so different from the East Coast. It also touched on the subject of new stepmum kinda material coming into a young girl's life. Dawn doesn't take to her dad's girlfriend Carol in the beginning. Dawn doesn't like Carol because she thinks Carol tries too much to be their friend and acts too young. But Carol might only have been trying to be friendly since she wasn't her actual parent and wasn't sure how to handle the situation. She likes Carol more towards the end though. I think the book was trying to suggest that in these situations things get better with time. In Little Miss Stoneybrook...and Dawn, when Jeff leaves CT and moves back to CA to live with his dad, Sharon mentions that Jack will be hiring a housekeeper ahead of Jeff moving. Which never made sense to me, since it would just be him and Jeff at the time. I started this book years ago and never finished it so I can't really say too much on it. I'll just echo my comment from years ago and say I was annoyed that the girls went to the mall while on vacation. Like when I'm on vacation, I try to do things that I can't do at home. If it was like Mall of America or another attraction, then it would at least make sense to me.
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Post by hurricanebill on Oct 12, 2020 3:28:09 GMT -5
Re-watching the O.C. and I can see Stacey’s surfer friends being like the teens on the O.C. 😉
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Post by booklover85 on Jan 28, 2021 10:47:59 GMT -5
I find California Girls to be one of my least favorite Super Specials, mainly because how unrealistic it is for the Pike's and Ramsey's to allow their 11 year old daughters to fly by themselves across the country to a strangers house.
Good concept. The girls needed to be older though and Mal to be treated less as a chew toy.
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livvy
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 394
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Post by livvy on Feb 14, 2022 19:31:09 GMT -5
What the hell is Dawns problem with Carol anyway? Because she doesn't act her age? I'm 44 but I don't act it. Hasn't the ghost writer ever heard of you're only as you feel. So what? Carol seemed nice enough to me. I think Dawn is mad at her father for going out with someone so young.
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Post by m0drnmoonlight on Feb 16, 2022 12:51:32 GMT -5
I agree, Dawn felt like she was trying to find things to complain about with Carol, even when the other girls liked her. It could be she just didn't think Carol was good enough to date her dad, kind of like how Kristy was so against Watson when he first started dating her mom.
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