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Post by aln1982 on Apr 14, 2006 16:31:17 GMT -5
I just read this one today and found a lot of differences between the newer and older books. Can't believe that I didn't realize until I got on this board that the later ones were ghost written. I really liked the BSC going to Disney in this one - probably because I absolutely love Disney and am getting ready to go there myself in about a month. I thought Ann did a pretty decent job describing it. It was always my fantasy about what it would be like if the BSC went to Disney. It's too bad I didn't know about this book's storyline sooner. As for the book itself and the plot, I liked it for the most part. I loved Stacey's chapters with Marc - especially thought his friendship with Margo and Claire was sweet. Also liked Kristy's chapters and friendship with the old guy on the boat - the "Grandfather" relationship that I've been waiting for. - note on this, it mentioned that Nannie is 73. Makes the whole surrogate mom for EM in later books seem even worse. Byron was actually developed into his own character in this book - liked that. I noticed that he was also his own personality in Boy Crazy Stacey. The ghost writers must have decided to lump him with A and J. I liked Dawn at Disney but thought that she acted like an idiot following that boy. A SIT kind of like in Stacey vs. the BSC. Also, I was wondering about the neatness thing. I know she was described as really neat in another early book but thought I remembered her having problems sharing a room with MA because she was so messy and MA was the neat one??? Anyone able to shed some light on this? Possibly another inconsistency or I'm remembering wrong. Didn't much care for the plot with Alex and MA but thought it was funny when Alex got in the Dopey car with MA and the Pike girls. I could clearly picture so many things in this book, which is why I think I liked it.
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Post by hitzpink on Apr 14, 2006 17:57:37 GMT -5
Overall, I prefer a lot of the other Super Specials to this one. I do like that Mallory isn't a sitter yet and Jessi's nowhere to be found, though. I thought that Stacey's, Kristy's, and Mary Anne's chapters were terribly boring. Oh, and Claudia's too. =/
The premise of the book (Mr. Pike wins a vacation for his entire family and 2 sitters, and Watson randomly decides to bring *his* entire family plus the rest of the BSC along) is so unrealistic! I do like the Disney World chapters, though. And I loved when Karen went off and got a manicure.
Oh - Mallory was so dorky with her spying! Ugh! Who goes on a cruise to Disney World and spends the entire time spying on strangers and writing down their conversations in a journal?
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Apr 14, 2006 18:18:39 GMT -5
Kristy was so irresponsible in this one! I can't believe she allowed Karen to go wandering around a cruise ship alone and when Karen didn't return immediately, she just sat at the side of the pool looking worried. Karen was likely to have been gone for an hour!
I like the Disney chapters as well, mainly because it's my dream to go there eventually with the family.
Nannie really should've been about 63. When she had Elizabeth, it was more realistic to have kids in your 20s, not late 30s. But I guess they didn't look into it that much.
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inge
Junior Sitter
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Post by inge on Apr 15, 2006 12:28:45 GMT -5
Nannie wasn't that important back then, so I guess her age didn't matter that much. Knowing time in Stoneybrook, she may have become a lot younger when she started taking care of EM.
This is one of my favorite SS', actually. Although it did bug me how the girls would leave their friends completely all alone - like Dawn left Claudia all by herself to run after some strange boy. What kind of a friend is she? Things like this happen on multiple occasions in this book, but I can't remember them all.
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Post by sparklymouse on Apr 15, 2006 18:26:59 GMT -5
I think they must have de-aged Nannie a bit after this, although she did break a hip in a Little Sister book. I just can't imagine her hauling Emily all over the place at that age. (Did Emily ever have to walk? Nannie, Watson, or Elizabeth always seemed to be carrying her.)
I swear on every vacation the girls went off on their own. Not in a group, but alone alone. I wouldn't want to spend 24/7 with even my closest friends, but it was kinda weird sometimes. Especially in California Girls they seemed to spend more time doing things by themselves or with people they just met than with each other.
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Amalia
Sitting For The Braddocks
Her Original Point of View
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Post by Amalia on Apr 15, 2006 23:35:11 GMT -5
Well, I can understand why they would want alone time in this one. They were stuck in a stuffy, "cozy" cabin on a rocking ship (don't know how noticeable), where differing preferences clashed.
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inge
Junior Sitter
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Post by inge on Apr 16, 2006 8:59:33 GMT -5
^ I agree on not wanting to be with your friends all the time. But I would hate tp be stuck on some weird island alone. I understand that Kristy wants to 'bond' with her new family and stuff, but if this family wanted family time, they shouldn't have taken two other babysitters with them. It actually always kind off bugged me how they would not care about what their friends were doing as long as they had fun themselves in the SS and how they ALWAYS would fall in love. They always seemed so extremely close in Stoneybrook and nobody had those short crushes. Oh well.
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Post by sotypical42483 on Apr 18, 2006 12:19:51 GMT -5
I loved the arguing between Kristy and Dawn in this one.
Unlike a lot of people, I wasn't too bothered by Mallory's spying. I guess I'm as nosy as she is, I'd find it to be kinda interesting...
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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 Apr 18, 2006 20:33:28 GMT -5
If Mal caught her parents in the act in the bedroom, I don't think she would have minded. It would have been informative for her. Kristy was so petty, which is something I loved about her in this one.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
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Post by macca on Apr 18, 2006 21:09:21 GMT -5
If Mal caught her parents in the act in the bedroom, I don't think she would have minded. It would have been informative for her. She'd have taken notes in her stupid spying-journal.
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jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
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Post by jen on Apr 18, 2006 21:24:38 GMT -5
With those notes, she could've been a writer of erotic romance at the tender age of 11.
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inge
Junior Sitter
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Post by inge on Apr 19, 2006 10:20:16 GMT -5
"another Pike kid in the making?" by Mallory Pike
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2006 2:12:45 GMT -5
Word. For what again...naming a new product? He's a lawyer right...not an advertising exec.
But then again, the premise of this is no where as outlandish as SS 5...the girls winning the lotto. Seriously...it would take at least a month to claim the money (about half of which is lost to taxes) and then Sharon or whoever would have to claim it on their income form come April. But, whateva.
Reading this SS again after reading other super specials bugs me a bit--I hate the lame polaroid/camera illustrations. I like the SS with the realistic illustrations (think Snowbound or Shadow Lake). I mean the Ocean Princess looks like a large boat, not a cruise ship.
But you can't really find much fault in a book where timid Mary Anne checks out a girl in a bikini.
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Post by sugarmonkey on Apr 20, 2006 9:18:11 GMT -5
I read in one of the books,an early one I think, that Mr. Pike is a lawyer for a certain company. If he was employed at one place maybe that's how he was able to name a new product.
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Post by aln1982 on Apr 20, 2006 16:21:22 GMT -5
I was thinking that Mr. Pike was in advertising but must be wrong. IS someone's father in advertising? I know Watson is insurance and Richard is a lawyer. What does Stacey's dad do in NYC? Jessi's dad? Claudia's?
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