“Just being friends with the cheerleaders made me feel good”….BSC # 70: Stacey and the Cheerleaders

Memory Reaction

This is another book where the back of the book gave too much away. I remember the description talks about Stacey dating Robert…but at the beginning of the book she is asked out by someone named RJ. I kept thinking they were the same person and that RJ was going to reveal he likes to be called Robert. But it turns out there is a second guy.

Also, I remember wondering why Stacey was shocked that athletes get special treatment. Cause I thought Claudia was supposed to be the dumb one.

Revisited Reaction

In this book, SMS suddenly has a champion basketball team, along with a bunch of super-cool players and cheerleaders. One of the basketball players asks Stacey out and so the cheerleaders start talking to her. The first date doesn’t work out, but then one of the other players, Robert, asks her out. That one does go well, and she ends up dating him “seriously.” Robert tells her all about how he gets special treatment from teachers for being on the team, and that he feels guilty about it. Stacey is shocked and thinks it is wrong, but she also likes hanging out with the “cool kids.” The cheerleaders make fun of the BSC, and Stacey starts to feel all conflicted about it.

The cheerleaders convince Stacey to try out for the squad, which she does. She thinks she is going to make it, because she over heard a couple of them talking about how awesome she is. However, they give the spot to another girl because they think Stacey would steal the spotlight. Man, 13-year-olds are bitchy. When Robert finds out about this, he quits the basketball team and it brings to light the issue of athletes getting special treatment. We don’t see this happen, but apparently Stacey and Robert get to go to some big meeting about it. Also, Stacey realizes that the BSC are better friends than the cool, cheerleaders. Or at least, she realizes it for now.

High/Lowlights

• Yea, an outfit on the first page (one of Stacey’s): “Plum-colored corduroy pants and white down jacket.”
  
  
• You know it is bad when Claudia thinks someone is dumb. But she does roll her eyes at this RJ dude for not getting a joke.

• Stacey really can’t say her love life is as dry as the Sahara. She has had multiple boyfriends by the age of 13, she is practically in a rain forest.

• Kid Kits did not come to be because Kristy thought kids were having trouble adjusting to new sitters. It was to compete with that other club in The Truth About Stacey. Why is continuity so hard for these ghostwriters?

• Claud outfit: “baggy wool men’s pants, gathered at the waist by a black leather band; a white tuxedo shirt with rolled up sleeves; Capezio type flats with mismatched white and black socks, and a glittery bow-tie barrette in her hair.” And you’ll never believe it, but “on Claud it looked cool.” Why do they always say that? If it was really a cool outfit it would be obvious from the description she looked good.

• Stacey’s date outfit: “a black and white plaid unitard with a tankstyle top, covered with a black, oversized cotton knit jersey.” I had to check to make sure a unitard was what I thought it was, and sadly, it is.

• Yeah, it is a little rude of RJ to make people in the movie theater move over so you can get seats together where you want. But not that rude. Stacey was the one who complained about sitting too close/too far away. She can’t have it both ways.

• Jessi helps Stacey prepare for her try-out because she is the greatest dancer who ever lived (or whatever). The cheerleaders find this hysterical, because they think it is dorky to hang with 6^th grade babies.

• The new girls Stacey is hanging out with use the phrase “9-1-1” to describe someone being cute. Like, they are so cute you are going to pass out and have to call 911. I feel like I know that expression from something else, but maybe it is just from this book.

• Heh, the girls in the cool group make fun of Stacey for going through a “stage” where she baby-sits.

• Claud outfit: “a sequenced vest over a man’s white shirt and bell-bottomed spandex pants.” Stacey actually calls it weird. Ha.

• Stacey is talking to the cheerleaders after a game, and Kristy actually blows a whistle from the stands to announce that they have to leave for the sleepover. Then everyone laughs. Honestly, she couldn’t have walked down and tapped Stacey on the shoulder? No need to make a scene.

• Wasn’t Tiffany eleven before? And a sitter herself? I swear Shannon talks about her sister being a sitter in the early books. But here, she is ten and needs a baby-sitter.

• Stacey: “new jeans with a brand-new white cardigan with gorgeous floral embroidery and a scalloped crocheted neckline. On my feet with suede ankle boots.” That sentence is written very badly.

• Stacey is surprised that basketball players get special treatment from teachers. Does she live under a rock? Wait until she gets to college and finds out athletes get full scholarships when they shouldn’t have even been admitted.

• I wouldn’t find it impressive if a guy said he wasn’t interested in a girl he went out with once, but doesn’t tell her he is not interested and is really nice to her all the time.

• The first time Jessi sees Robert, she actually says “wow, is that him?” Then gets embarrassed.

• Wouldn’t a school have already had a system in place for making sure athletes had good grades?