Tuesday, May 26, 2009

“Why was I always choosing between my parents?”…..BSC # 58: Stacey’s Choice

Memory Reaction


So, either Stacey was really annoying in this book, or I was a bratty pre-teen. Or maybe a little of both. Cause my memory of this one is how Stacey was super-over-dramatic and annoying. Her mom gets pneumonia and Stacey acts like if she leaves her mom alone to go to school, or to see her dad, her mom will be totally helpless. Not to sound insensitive, but her mother is an adult. She doesn't need you that much.


I also remember a major typo in the book where they mention Mary Anne’s mom showing up to take care of Mrs. McGill. It stuck in my head cause, you know, Mary Anne’s mom is dead. It is in chapter two of every book, so the ghostwriter has no excuse for that one.


Revisited Reaction


I think I am going to go with Stacey is over-dramatic and annoying. Cause..yeah, she just is. Her mother passes out at a job interview and ends up in the hospital. They diagnose her with pneumonia (which is serious, but not a HUGE deal) and send her home. Stacey decides that since her mom always takes care of her when she is sick, she should do the same for her mom. Which is admirable, but remember how Stacey always says she wants her parents to leave her alone when she is sick? Maybe she should be a little understanding. Maybe I am biased because I like to be left alone when I’m sick, but it still seems a little over the top.


Stacey eventually decides she can’t miss weeks of school to stay with her mom, and she decides to line up “mom sitters.” She gets all the parents of BSC clients to come over to watch over her mom. Which, really? I think her mom can handle being alone for a couple hours. If an emergency happened she could call a neighbor. She is supposedly friends with Mal’s mom, who lives right near there. But, whatever.


Meanwhile, Stacey’s dad gets promoted to Vice President of his company, and they have a dinner in his honor. Her dad brings Stacey as his guest, but since Mrs. McGill is sick, Stacey is worried about going to NYC for so long. She finally decides to go for the night, but come back in the morning (instead of staying all weekend). Her dad gets a visiting nurse to show up, and Stacey lines up “mom sitters,” but Stacey still insists on calling home every five minutes and leaving the dinner (in honor of her dad) early so she can get up at 5 am for an early train.


When she gets home, they realize there were multiple people lined up to take care of Maureen (is that her mom’s name?) Then she and her dad argue, then reconcile, and Stacey angsts about being the child of divorced parents. Then her mom recovers and gets a job at a department store where she can get employee discounts. So everything is good.


Meanwhile, the BSCers who are not being melodramatic are dealing with a new sitting issue. The neighborhood kids decide to spend all their time ordering things from catalogues. Random stuff like “moon dust,” a “bust developer,” lotion for crows feet, a slicer and dicer, etc. After awhile the kids realize it is crap and since they have no money left, they write songs/skits/etc to try and sell it. No one buys anything, but most of the parents give them money for the show. So everyone is happy.


High/Lowlights

  • Stacey is surprised her mom only went on two job interviews in one day. How much time does she think an interview takes?
  • Are the kids in BSC-land really going to buy stuff like bust developers and baby-bottle liners? And are their parents really letting them?
  • I totally remember this scene: Krsity says how she once ordered an album called “Sixties Rock and Roll by the Original Artists.” And it was all covers by a band called the Original Artists. I think of that every time I see commercials for collections of old music.
  • Jessi talks about how she once unwittingly signed up for a “cassette club” – where she got a lot of tapes for a low price, then needed to keep sending money. How does a kid join one of those things without their parents’ involvement?
  • In this book, they talk about a new restaurant called “The Rosebud Café” – which is where Logan works later on. But they keep referring to it as “Ye Olde Ice-Cream Parlour.”
  • In the mail order thing, the Barrets get a personalized book for Marnie. They send her name and stats and get a book about a girl named Marnie. It actually sounds cool – like a longer mad-lib or something.
  • Vanessa Pike orders a bust developer, and Claire keeps asking her what it is for. No one will tell her, not even Mr. Pike. It is actually kind of funny. And Kristy makes jokes about wanting to use it as well.
  • Ouch, this is cold. Stacey’s dad tells her she is the only one he has to bring to the dinner, and she is all, “maybe that’s cause you’re a workaholic.”
  • So, Patsy Kuhn, who is 5, is deemed too little to order any stuff with her siblings. Meanwhile, Claire Pike and Suzi Barrett both get to do it. They are both five too, right?
  • Stacey’s dad is promoted to Vice President…do we know what he does? Because I can’t believe he is the only Vice President in his company? The one I work for has dozens.
  • Okay, this is freaky. The part that talks about “Mary Anne’s mom” says “Dawn’s mom.” Now, I know that mistake was in the book. I got this one from the library, and it has a new cover, so I guess they fixed the type in a reprint. Is it wrong that I am upset to see it fixed. It feels like a cover up or something.
  • Stacey’s outfit for the big dinner: “a hot pink (fake) silk jacket which fell to [her] knees, new black leggings, pink-and-black socks, and a black body suit. [She] planned to wear the outfit with black flats, and to dress it up with some jewelry and maybe a couple of barrettes.” I actually think that sounds cute, but it is not exactly formal-ware.
  • Stacey shops at “Zingy’s” which is the store they mention a lot. But this time, it is in downtown Stoneybrook, not the mall.
  • One of these companies the kids buy stuff from sells “moon dust,” and it claims there are only twenty in the world. Isn’t that just blatant false advertising? Also, would anyone over ten fall for it? It doesn’t seem like a smart business plan.
  • Wow, when Stacey goes to New York, she packs her outfit for the dinner, but plans to wear the same outfit (as the day before) on the train home. I am shocked that Stacey of all people would do that.
  • Stacey’s dad introduces her to the president of his company, and she is all amazed at first…I guess thinking that it was the president of the U.S.?
  • I can’t believe Stacey’s dad lets her decide when they leave. The dinner isn’t even over, and Stacey is all, “we must leave so I can get up at the crack of dawn.” That should be when he tells her he hired a visiting nurse for her mom.
  • This is kind of random, but when I was reading the book, I started thinking about that homeless woman, Judy, that Stacey talks about in some of the NY books. Then she actually mentions her to her dad (who just sort of shrugs).
  • The kids make up rap songs to sell their crap, so they all get together to rehearse. And poor Mallory is sitting for one family, then has to watch like a dozen of them at once.
  • Mrs. Barrett gives the kids a quarter for their show. That seems…cheap. When I was little, my friend and I had a lemonade stand and when we sold stuff for a quarter, people gave us twice that. (Which is why, I now always stop when I see kids selling lemonade). But anyway, she wouldn’t have to give them any, if she hadn’t let her kids waste their own money.
  • Apparently the kids made up a skit about the bust developer. I really want to know what this was like.
  • Ha, Claud actually does buy wrinkle remover from the kids.
  • So, Stacey’s mom missed her job interview at Bellar’s cause she was sick. So, when she calls the company about it, they just reschedule. Cause I am sure a company would just wait to make a hiring decision.

20 comments:

Amy said...

I totally dropped one of those cards in the mail in the sixth grade. Got the free CDs, then came the bills for others. The trouble I got in was outstanding.

Devika said...

I don't know if it's an only child thing, a sick kid thing (I had a blood disorder as a toddler), or just a neurotic thing, but I tend to freak out a little any time my parents are sick or hurt. Even now that I live miles away from them, I still get worried!

nikki said...

My son has two books with his name in it. They are very cute and he is absolutely enamored with the one where he visits Sesame Street.

Bust developer, I totally could use that!

maria said...

I was waiting for you to blog on this book just because of that 'Mary Anne's mom' bit. Totally blatant mistake. My version has the typo.

The subplot is cute. Not annoying like most of them are.

Stacey is stupid. Maureen was better by the weekend of the dinner. She could have stayed with her dad.

megan said...

In the mail order thing, the Barrets get a personalized book for Marnie. They send her name and stats and get a book about a girl named Marnie. It actually sounds cool – like a longer mad-lib or something.

they really had those. i have one and its awesome! so do my siblings.

booboobrewer said...

I'm pretty sure when they say "ye oldie ice cream parlour" they're making a joke.

In Stacey and the Mystery of Stoneybrook, she re-wears a jumpsuit to school that she wore the day before on the train. I would expect Claudia to not try to wear the same outfit twice, actually...in fact I think there is a statement to that effect in some book.

Molly said...

So glad I'm not the only person who thinks Stacey was being bratty in this book. She was really rude to her father, and if she'd been my daughter, after a few "I just want to rest"s, I'd have started locking the damn door.

I can understand not wanting to be away for the entire weekend, I guess, but she couldn't have taken a later train? I don't know where exactly in CT Stoneybrook is supposed to be, but it's mentioned as being a fairly short train ride. Is two hours going to make that big a difference? And why oh why were her parents letting her do all this?!

I enjoyed the subplot to this one, though.

Kristina said...

I have almost no memory of the A-plot with Stacey, but a very clear memory of the sub-plot with the kids buying all that crap...

odd what we remember!

Anne said...

Having read this book last week I can also confirm that in the "original version" of the book, they do call Sharon "Mary Anne's mom". It bothered me too

Jannie aka girl talk said...

I also totally joined one of those CD clubs when I was about 15- yeah probably a little old to fall for that crap but one of my uncles fell for that at the age of 21!!! So ordering from catalogs is bad? I had such the Lillian Vernon catalog ordering obsession a few years back- and I think QVC is the new catalog shopping and I LOVE QVC!! And oh God when I was like 11 I always wanted to get the bust developer and sea monkeys advertised in the back of Teen magazine!!

BSC Snarker, aka Kristen said...

Oh yeah, I do remember Stacey re-wearing a jumpsuit in that other book. But, I think she wore it with a different shirt.

The only things I ever remember ordering as a kid are membership in the BSC fan club, and some glossy photo of Elijah Wood (back when I was 11, and he was cute).

hungryandfrozen said...

I remember this book. For some reason the title made the whole thing seem a lot more dramatic than it really was. I like the sound of her outfit though (minus the socks?)

And I always felt like her head looked all huge and mannish on the cover and then it was the picture they used for Stacey in the later books down the side. Bothered me a smidge...

Beth said...

Funny - I also don't remember the main plot of this book, but I totally remember the sub-plot, especially the bust developer.

Paigealicious! said...

I signed up for BMG when I was in sixth grade, too! My parents weren't mad, just confused as to why they kept getting bills for CDs. They made me cancel my subscription.

"I totally remember this scene: Krsity says how she once ordered an album called “Sixties Rock and Roll by the Original Artists.” And it was all covers by a band called the Original Artists."
I have an album by a band called "Various Artists."

Anonymous said...

Wow, this is one of the few books from the series that I have never read. I had to rely on the library for any of the books after #60 though, because I stopped getting them in the mail :)

Anonymous said...

In this book, they talk about a new restaurant called “The Rosebud Café” – which is where Logan works later on. But they keep referring to it as “Ye Olde Ice-Cream Parlour.”


that is what kristy calls it as a joke

Anonymous said...

* Okay, this is freaky. The part that talks about “Mary Anne’s mom” says “Dawn’s mom.” Now, I know that mistake was in the book. I got this one from the library, and it has a new cover, so I guess they fixed the type in a reprint. Is it wrong that I am upset to see it fixed. It feels like a cover up or something.



i got the book with the typo i did not notic it so thanks

Jennifer said...

"I also remember a major typo in the book where they mention Mary Anne’s mom showing up to take care of Mrs. McGill."

How did I miss this? This is something I think I'll have to go check..


"I totally remember this scene: Krsity says how she once ordered an album called “Sixties Rock and Roll by the Original Artists.” And it was all covers by a band called the Original Artists. I think of that every time I see commercials for collections of old music."

I think of this too!


Another thing I remember from this book is that the cover is one of the pictures in one of my BSC calendars from before this book came out.

Jennifer said...

Okay, so I finally got around to re-reading this book....mostly because I was curious about how I could remember much of the plot (more B than A) and not remember something like them mentioning Mary Anne's mom. I believe it was on the bottom of page 109.

And I totally agree on Stacey being unreasonable about leaving her mom and then getting up at 4:30 to get ready to catch the train home. But my question is when the mom's were double booked AND there was a nurse there why didn't at least one parent go home? Couldn't Mrs. Kishi and Mrs. Arnold (not to mention Mrs. Pike) figure out that there must have been an overlap in the schedule and that a sleeping Maureen didn't need three people there between 6 and 8 in the morning?

edkchestnut said...

No, because this is Stoneybrook and no adult can make any intelligent decision without at least one member of the BSC there to help. Thank God Stacey showed up when she did.