Wednesday, October 15, 2008

“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.
  • 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 6th 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?

13 comments:

nikki said...

So many excellent outfits in this book! And that unitard was truly truly terrible...

BananaBomb said...

At my school, the Staceys weren't the cheerleaders; the Mallorys were! It was definitely NOT a status symbol to be a cheerleader. All of our teams sucked anyway.

Is this the one where Stacey biffs it into the snow and her pants leave a stain in it? Hilarious.

Stacey's new cardigan: My mother-in-law has one just like it. She's 80.

zanne said...

That unitard is awful! Why would you wear that on a date?! I also hate how they always make a point of saying Claudia's outfits look cool on her. I doubt any of her weird outfits look good.

Anonymous said...

Yes, in book #11, Shannon says her and her younger sister babysit. However, I'm pretty sure every book after that she is the sittee, so I'll give the ghostie partial credit for being consistent after #11.

And I'll give Stacey a pass for being shocked at special treatment at a middle school level. College? Sure. High School? Maybe...if the school is perhaps in a more rural area. But middle school? Teachers getting shook down by 13 year olds? I mean, I remember reading the part where Robert wrote an essay about a book that consisted of one sentence- I did not read this book, and I believe he got a B on it. Hell yeah I would be shocked to see that happen over an eighth grade basketball player. Evidently the ghostie was watching a little too much 90210 and tried to incorporate it in the book.

Also, 10 to 1 the ghostie watched Clueless right before writing this book, and tried to make up their own slang based on the movie. Some of it was just painful to read.

Anonymous said...

I feel like the phrase "911" was maybe from Clueless? Or maybe something like it. Which makes sense, because the book was probably written around the same time as the movie.

Janet said...

Why would students be making the cheerleading cuts? Wouldn't a teacher/and or coach be in charge of that?

Anonymous said...

I also think it's pretty funny that Stacet gets mocked for being a Baby-Sitter - as one of the few thirteen year olds with a steady job, they should be sucking up to her in hopes of sharing her extra wealth! Getting mocked for hanging out with eleven-year-olds, though. That makes a bit more sense.

Devika said...

My middle school barely had intramural sports, let alone competitive sports that would actually need cheerleaders or coaches.

BSC Snarker, aka Kristen said...

My middle school didn't, but our town sponsored recreation sports/cheerleading teams. In third grade I was on the cheerleading team for about two weeks before dropping out.

But those teams let anyone play. I would imagine most school/community sports do that, at least in the lower grades.

colleenn said...

Bananabomb - yes! That is what I remember most about this book for some reason, Stacey falling in the snow and her plum-colored corduroys making a stain. ha.

I also remember Jessi chanting "Who's the best? Stace and Jessi! Yaaaaaay team!" or something like that after their cheerleading "lesson" and I thought that was geeky and obnoxious. And then at the basketball game she makes some comment about "I hope it goes into overtime so I can stay up reeeeeeal late" and Stacey thinks she sounds immature.

Anonymous said...

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?

the ghostwriters probably did not read the books

britt said...

I was a cheerleader in middle school, but we were competition-only, no cheering on other teams or anything like that. The team was made up of geeky girls (I was one!), middle-of-the-road average girls, AND popular girls. It was actually a good time. I lost about 20lbs that year from the workout. It was a legitimate sport, rather than an activity.

Haids said...

I laughed so hard at your unitard comment that I cried. Well played!