Tuesday, April 22, 2008

I have been known to be pretty outspoken when it comes to environmental issues....BSC # 57: Dawn Saves the Planet

I was about to read another BSC book last weekend when I realized that today was Earth Day and I had Dawn Saves the Planet just sitting on my shelf, waiting to be mocked. It seemed to make much more sense to post today.


Memory Reaction

I remember reading this book, and not getting why everyone thought recycling was some new/weird thing. My town had curbside recycling for as long as I can remember. I know this because it was my job to talk the recycle cans/papers to the street on Sunday nights, and I was always forgetting. So, anyway, I didn’t believe the set up of the book, which is that everyone is ignorant about recycling and our planet.

Revisited Reaction

Dawn is a bitch. Really. They should rename this book, “Dawn is a Bitch.” The set-up is, she is learning about the environment in science, and as part of a class project, she and Stacey (also in the class) teach a class to kids about saving the earth. Cause if it is possible to involve kids, these girls will. Unfortunately, Dawn takes everything WAY to seriously, and starts lecturing people every time they use a paper napkin, throw out an aluminum can, etc.

She also gets a “brilliant” idea to start a recycle center at school for Stoneybrook. The kids in school vote to set it up, but because she has been so obnoxious about the environment, they don't pick Dawn to be in charge. She, of course, acts like a bitch about it, and refuses to volunteer at the center. Then she is upset about not getting recognition at the ceremony about it. She also starts bossing around the rest of the BSC and just assumes they will help her with this stupid “green fair” the kids are putting on as part of their class. Finally, the other girls call her out on being a bitch and she promises to lighten up. Of course, I have read later books and know this doesn’t really happen. But we need to have those happy endings, right?

High/Lowlights

  • Dawn is a total dork in the science class, raising her hand for every question and practically shouting out answers, and just being overly excited about everything. Then she is surprised when Alan Gray makes fun of her.

  • In this book, Kristy is described as having chin length hair. I always pictured her with long hair that she pulled into ponytails.

  • Stacey outfit: “Today she was wearing floral leggings, a pink shirt with big sleeves, and a long vest covered in antique pins. A black fedora with a red cloth rose was perched on the top of her head.”

  • Heh, I totally still cut up six-pack rings before I throw them out. I don’t think it is from this book, I think it was from elementary school science.

  • According to this book, Styrofoam=the devil. That cracks me up because yesterday my company sent out a memo that they are going to stop stocking the kitchen with Styrofoam cups. Maybe Dawn got to an executive where I work.

  • The Rodowsky’s dog can bark along with “Home on the Range.” We don’t get to see it, though. Too bad. It would have been the highlight of the book.

  • Dawn bitches at Mary Anne for only writing on one side of the club record book, and Mary Anne almost cries. Nice way to treat your sister/best friend.

  • All the kids in Dawn and Stacey’s class turn into environment-nazis like Dawn. I bet the parents love that.

  • I don’t know, is it really better for a family with eight kids to use cloth napkins? Cause, that is at least ten extra napkins, three times a day, which adds up to a lot of extra laundry. And extra laundry uses more energy, which is also bad for the environment.

  • Dawn yells at everyone while trying to promote her recycle center idea, because they dare to throw out a can or use Styrofoam. Then she gets upset that Mary Anne finds her annoying, because it means Mary Anne doesn’t care about the planet.

  • Ha, ha, ha. Dawn tries yelling at Shawna Riverson about using Styrofoam, and Shawna just rolls her eyes. Dawn follows her down the hall lecturing her like a maniac, but Shawna still just rolls her eyes, and other kids laugh. I think I love Shawna. Even if she is a cheater….

  • Two 8th grade guys bring brie, pate, and sparkling cider into lunch at school. Then they spread out a tablecloth and drink from wine glasses. The idea was to piss off the teachers, but I can’t picture two guys pretending to have a romantic meal without getting picked on.

  • Stacey relates some gossip to Claudia that Claud missed because she was eating lunch at another table. Um….since when does the BSC eat at other tables without getting yelled at by the other girls?

  • Nicky Pike writes a letter to the president telling him how important it is to protect the environment. Don’t worry Nicky. I am sure anyone smart enough to be elected president, would totally understand the issues affecting the environment and would want to stop global warming and recycle.

  • Wow, Dawn gets an A on her project. Shocking.

  • Hey, Dawn you know what is probably bad for the environment? Flying on large jet planes across the country every other month.

  • At the end, Dawn gets to be co-chair of the recycling committee. You know, the one that is a huge deal in this book and is never mention again?

11 comments:

Fear Street said...

"Hey, Dawn you know what is probably bad for the environment? Flying on large jet planes across the country every other month."

SCORE!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, Dawn definitely needs to buy a terra pass everytime she flies back and forth from Palo City to the Brook. Erase that carbon footprint, bitch!
Also I seem to remember about this book that Dawn wanted people to use paper grocery bags instead of plastic. WTF? the plastic ones can be recycled and don't kill trees. Why not get canvas bags and forget the whole paper/plastic thing altogether.
I hate Dawn.

snappleaddict said...

I saw this book yesterday at the thrift store, but didn't buy it because of the haunting memories of the episode of the show called "Dawn Saves The Trees." Now I'm definitely glad I didn't spend 50 cents on it.

BadKat said...

When I was super little, there was no curb-side recycling. I remember because I had to crush cans to bring them to be recycled. It was pretty crappy

And I actually work in the area of disposable tableware. Some Styrofoam is actually recyclable. Wow, I am totally helping to save the earth, Dawn would be proud.

SJSiff said...

This book...oh my. According to the diary entries in the new cover versions of some of my books, Dawn was my favorite when I was a kid. In retrospect, I cannot fathom why. Maybe because I'm on the Pacific coast, though not CA? Because that's about all we have in common.

I, too, cut the six-pack rings. And I'm pretty sure I learned it before this book. But if I even briefly entertain the thought of just tossing them, I get this mental image of Dawn yelling at me, and cut them up.

Mary Ann said...

I think Dawn is the reason I hate hippies/tree-huggers. I could never stand Dawn, and I could never understand how she was always described as "California cool and casual" because she was neither of those things. The only thing she ever did watch bitch about the environment and being a vegetarian. Just like how she went off on Zach Braff in that one episode of the BSC series called "Dawn Saves the Trees" or something like that. Yep, that guy was totally Zach Braff.

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad that Dawn saved the planet. No more global warming!

Also, Stacey's doing the Blossom hat.

And why isn't Dawn ragging on the Pikes for having so many kids? Now, that's leaving a carbon footprint.

BSC Snarker, aka Kristen said...

And why isn't Dawn ragging on the Pikes for having so many kids? Now, that's leaving a carbon footprint.

Well, at least they live in the same house. Ten people sharing the electricity and all.

That episode of the TV show, was sort of like a remake of this book, only not. It was weird.

Anonymous said...

Oh guuuuys, don't be so hard on Dawn! It makes me so sad when people totally belittle ANY of the members of the BSC, because as a kid I adored them all! (And no, it never occurred to me that anyone would think that Mal was at all loser-ish until I read a BSC blog!).

Full disclosure: I'm definitely a Dawn! (:

Haids said...

Dawn was my favorite when I was little, because I was born in California and still have relatives there, but now that I'm an adult and looking back on her, she sounds like kind of whack job. I remember her hearing her classmates in the bathroom talking about how obnoxious she was being, and she cried and threw a temper tantrum.

It pisses me off now to see what a ridiculous amount of stereotyping is done regarding Californians. My family hailed from Southern California, and not one person I know down South is a health nut, nor are they easygoing and "California casual." HOWEVER...I do live in Seattle-ish now, and I can say that the people here are wayyyyyyy worse than Californians about "being green." When Ann M. Martin visits the Pacific Northwest, we can have a chat.

Anonymous said...

"Nicky Pike writes a letter to the president telling him how important it is to protect the environment. Don’t worry Nicky. I am sure anyone smart enough to be elected president, would totally understand the issues affecting the environment and would want to stop global warming and recycle."
...Kristen, did you have a crystal ball when you wrote this a decade ago? The irony of reading this in 2019 is hysterical.