Jessi and the Awful Secret, #61

The little boy's sweatpants on the cover look like those crazy pants Justin Bieber has been sporting lately.

Am I right? By the way, if you need a laugh, google Justin Bieber fashion images, pretty entertaining.

So this is one of the Jessi ballet-centric books. I must confess, I think I learned how to pronounce most ballet terms from the Jessi books (I only took one year of ballet when I was four, with Mrs. Trotter, so I think that was a little too young to know how to pronouce arabesque and jete). Plus, this book is one of the "special episodes" of the BSC series, in which AMM addresses a touchy topic (like she did with Stacey and divorce).

So, one day, at the end of ballet class, Madame Noelle announces, in her exaggerated French accent (I get the feeling that AMM knows as much about French accents as she does about Southern accents), that the school will be hosting a six week ballet class for less privileged urban kids (Lebowski's Urban Achievers!!) and that they will be needing students to volunteer to help teach the class. Jessi immediately volunteers, as does another student in her class named Mary Bramstedt (Jessi has this total mean girl thought when Mary volunteers: "She dances like a robot." That was way harsh, Tai).

Anyway, after class that day, all the girls are in the locker room, and Mary starts complaining about how her jumps are too low. Another girl in the class, Mindy, suggests that Mary lose weight so that her jumps will be higher. Jessi is confused by this, because she thinks Mary is too skinny as it is, but thinks it's crap advice anyway, because the only way to jump higher is to practice, so she doesn't really give it too much thought.

In our Who's Who of the BSC, Jessi talks about her BFF Mallory and how great of a writer she is, that she even won a prize on Young Author's Day. She then gives her description of Mal (*cough*red hair, brown eyes*cough), and explains how Mallory doesn't think that she is pretty. Jessi then says that after you know Mal awhile, she starts to look pretty. Really? That's like describing how someone looks by saying "she has a good personality." And yes, I know that people's personalities can make them seem more attractive, just seemed out of place to see Jessi say that about Mallory. Plus, she mentions that Mallory regularly attends archery club meetings. Umm...what? We'll see if Katniss Pike is ever mentioned again...

So, rehearsal begins for the Lebowski Urban Achievers' dance program, and several other teenage ballet students from other classes are helping as well. Jessi feels all important when the other teenagers invite her to go to Burger King with them after class (would 15 and 16 year olds invite an 11 year old to eat with them? I'm thinking not...) While there, Mary agonizes over what to order, doesn't want to get a salad because the dressing is loaded with fat (umm...dressing comes in packets on the side, Mary...), ends up ordering a small fry and a Coke. Jessi notices that she is only breaking the fries into little pieces and moving them around on her tray, not eating them. Jessi starts to say something, but Mr. Ramsey walks in and she gets all embarrassed that everyone sees her leaving with her dad like a little kid (Jessi, you are a little kid, relax), so she forgets about Mary for the time being.

Meanwhile, in BSC land, Shannon has cut back on her school activities and wants to hang out with Kristy more. However, Special K is crazy busy with softball and babysitting, and suggests that the other BSC members hang out with Shannon instead. Stacey, Claudia, Dawn, and Mary Anne start meeting Shannon at the mall, going to movies, and whatever else 13 year old girls do for fun. Kristy starts to get upset the more they hang out with Shannon, gets all testy with Shannon and the BSCers, and finally they realize that Kristy is afraid that she is getting replaced by Shannon in the group. Relax, sweetie, this did not start with "Shannon's Great Idea," so I'm sure this will work out in the end.

Back in Step Up!: Stoneybrook, Jessi gets more concerned about her classmate. Mary has lost several pounds, plus she has bouts of dizziness and even faints several times during rehearsals. Jessi writes Quint, her New York boy toy, for advice, plus brings it up at a BSC meeting (heaven forbid we speak to a responsible adult about this instead...). Stacey suggests that Mary may suffer from anorexia (remember when the BSC thought Stacy was anorexic?) The BSC members use some of Janine's psychology textbooks (because she is conveniently taking a psychology course that semester in her for-fun college courses...) to look up eating disorders, and Jessi decides to confront Mary at their next class. Of course, Mary doesn't react well to this accusation, gets defensive, and says she doesn't need advice from "a kid." And this is why we go to adults in these situations, Jessi. Finally, Jessi speaks to Madame Noelle, and Mary gets the help she needs, getting treatment from a doctor, a pyschologist, plus family counseling with her parents. Every after school special must have a happy ending, right?

Oh, and Daddy Watson Warbucks donates two scholarships to the dance school so that two of the Lebowksi Urban Achievers can continue to study ballet.

At the end of the book, AMM writes a letter to the readers about healthy weight, dieting, and body image. She mentions that she has received thousands of letters from readers about getting diet advice, which struck me as, well, odd. I get that many of her readers will be suffering from body image issues, I remember that age well, but just that thousands of readers actually wrote AMM about the topic? I don't think it ever occurred to me to actually write a letter to a celebrity, and if it did, it would be to ask Joey McIntyre to marry me, not asking about diet advice. I mean, regardless, good for AMM for addressing the topic, even if it came across as something fairly easy to fix in this story.

Let's get some fashion to cheer things back up in here:

What Claudia wore: "For example, today she was wearing a neon green tank top under a white oversized man's shirt and fuschia pink stirrup pants. The shirt was rolled at the sleeves and belted with a colorful woven belt. Claudia finished the outfit with dangly ceramic-bead earrings she'd made herself in pottery class."  The color combo is very Katy Perry. Also, stirrup pants, wow, that brings back bad memories from elementary school. Not one of the 80s finest fashion moments...