Even if they make fun of you and call you a girl….BSC Readers Request: Logan's Story

My hotel gives me 15 minutes of free internet access, and I am using some of it to post this....I officially have no life.

Readers’ Request: Logan’s Story

Memory Reaction

I think I was really excited to see this book. I got such a kick out of Logan describing the BSC from his perspective - almost using the standardized language, but not quite. I am sure it screwed up my expectations for a boyfriend at that age, because all he talks about is how wonderful Mary Anne is. He keeps saying how glad he is to see Mary Anne, and how she makes him feel good, and how he only really baby-sits to make her happy.

The second Logan book, has much more in terms of snark value, but this is the only one I have been able to track down. I am pretty sure it has a lot of sports scenes and Logan getting picked on scenes.

Revisted Reaction

This book is kind of stand alone, in that it doesn’t fit within the numbered scheme the rest of the books have. Not really connected to that, the plot of this book makes NO SENSE. Seriously, it is the most contrived thing I have ever read. Dawn’s brother, Jeff, gets his appendix out, so she and her mom go to California to be with him. But they are gone for 2-3 weeks and the BSC needs Logan to step in as a full time member. So he does, but he has to start missing football practice and training sessions for the track team. Then his friends on the football team see him sitting for the Hobarts and make fun of him for being a “girl,” and he quits the club altogether. But then at the end he rejoins as an associate member. Oh, and he makes the track team, while his chief insulter doesn’t. Go Logan! And of course, that guy is out of the picture, the other guys decide to be normal teenagers and tell Logan having a bunch of teenage girls hang around you is cool. So, happy ending.

My problem with this is, WHY would Dawn need to go to California for that long? Okay, she wants to see Jeff when he is in the hospital, but to be out of school for that long because her brother has appendicitis? Sharon and Richard were married then, so it is not like she would not have had anywhere to go if her mom had left. BUT even forgetting that, why would Logan have to upgrade his membership in the club? BSCers have gone on vacation before, right? Normally they go together and don’t even worry about the sitting jobs they are missing. Couldn’t Logan just have taken on some extra jobs without actually going to meetings?

There is also a sub-plot about a health fair where the BSC wants to set up a booth. It is about as boring as you would expect. Even the kids don’t want to go, which is a little amusing. But the BSC forces them too, and they have fun. So it is like every project the BSC ever does.

High/Lowlights

• Logan totally doesn’t want to take Dawn’s place temporarily, but is afraid to tell the girls.

• Logan calls Mary Anne his OTHER interest after sports. But don’t tell her he said that! Seriously, the book actually says not to tell Mary Anne.

• Logan’s dad is uncomfortable with Logan being in the BSC. Logan thinks he justifies it by telling himself Logan does it because he is “hot for Mary Anne.” Which, is kind of true.

• Logan on Claudia: “Her skin is perfect, and she has these gorgeous almond-shaped eyes…She also has a really hip, sexy way of dressing.” But don’t worry. He assures us he is just describing and he and MA are totally in love.

• Logan’s little brother has a toy dinosaur named “Tricera Tops.”

• Thank God for Logan’s description of Jessi. When I read the books narrated by girls, I could never quite figure out what they were trying to say about Jessi’s race. They always use that flowery language and beat around the bush. But being the male he is, Logan was straight to the point and says that she is black. I seriously had no idea. Seriously, thank you Logan.

• The Pike kids actually draw straws to see who has to use an upstairs bathroom. But they only make one person go upstairs and the other six use the downstairs one. That…makes no sense. And certainly doesn’t save any time.

• I think the ghostwriter was going for irony here – Claudia ponders health ideas while eating a Twinkie. That or I am just looking way to closely for hidden meaning.

• Claudia’s parents are supposed to be strict, right? So, why do they let Logan hang out in Claud’s bedroom all the time?

• Stacey gives a little PSA about how important it is to donate blood. I think you are preaching to the wrong audience ghostwriter – kids can’t give blood.

• So Logan loses one of the Hobarts at the health fair and the chief insulter, King, finds him. You would think this would lead to some truce between Logan and King, but it…really doesn’t. King just makes fun of him more.

• This King guy (that is his last name, BTW) is a real jerk. Not for making fun of Logan, but because he makes fun of four-year-old Johnny Hobart. To his face. Who does that?

• Jeff Schafer sounds really obnoxious. He (supposedly) asks his doctor how long until he will play tennis, and when hearing two weeks, says the oldest joke in the world, or “fantastic. Who’s going to teach me.” And the BSC all laughs.

• One of Logan’s friends gets the hots for Claudia, so he gives him her number. But then she hangs up on him since she thinks it is a joke.

• Okay, Logan likes hanging out with girls because “you can talk about what you are feeling without being made to feel dorky.” He also likes hanging out with guys for many reasons including the fact that he can wrestle with them. Mary Anne sure lucked out with that “sensitive” boyfriend she found, huh?

• It is really mean that the BSC makes Logan miss all these football practices to babysit, but none of them consider skipping art class, ballet lessons, etc. for the same reason. Of course, Logan doesn’t really speak up about it either.

• I can’t figure out why Logan’s teammates on the football team go to this health fair the BSC are at. It doesn’t seem like the type of thing a teenage boy would do. Except, it is necessary to move the plot forward.

• Thirteen-year-old boys really are dumb. Just an observation.