This was always one of my favorite BSC books, must have read it hundreds of times (I even remember many of the outfits). However, I was always confused by the cover image, the book never has Stacey on a sitting job where she is practicing cheers. I'm guessing it is probably Charlotte Johanssen, Stacey's favorite charge, but only a guess.
And, to prep you for this cheertastic recap...
If you were a female teen in the late 90s/early 00s, and don't know that opening sequence by heart, then, well, you're probably not reading this blog anyway, so whatever.
So, Stacey arrives at school one day with Claudia, and gets hit in the face with a snowball, thrown by none other than the star of the SMS basketball team, RJ Blaser (yeah, we've never heard of him before, and likely never will again after this book). RJ is described as being 6 feet tall (in 8th grade? Trying to remember my 8th grade basketball team now...) and wears a varsity letter jacket (letterman's jackets in middle school? Come on, AMM, that doesn't happen, does it? Plus, varsity? Would junior varsity just mean the 7th grade team?). Ahh, snowball to the face, gotta love middle school flirting. RJ invites Stacey to a movie that weekend, "Mall Warriors II." And the rest of the week, all the members of "The Group", meaning the basketball players and the cheerleaders, start to be really nice to Stacey, inviting her to eat with them, passing notes in class, etc.
Stacey goes on her date, several of the cheerleaders and other basketball players are at the movie as well, plus Cokie Mason and Sabrina Bouvier (which is confusing - here she is mentioned as a classmate of Stacey's, but I'm pretty sure that she is contestant in the child beauty pageant that is featured in another book, so...are there two Sabrina Bouviers of different ages in Stoneybrook? Or did AMM/ghost writer just make a continuity error?). They then go out to Pizza Express with several of RJ's friends, and Stacey realizes that she has nothing in common with RJ (she gives the date a 3 out of 10. Ouch, bro...). However, she is feeling some serious sparks with RJ's teammate, Robert Brewster (yes, that Robert, who becomes Stacey's boyfriend for much of the series).
Stacey then attends the next basketball game, which is her first, and apparently the game is packed because the SMS Chargers (the first time I think we've heard what the mascot is) are undefeated (Stoneybrook must be a hotbed of great athletes, because the SMS baseball team was also undefeated, but that's a different story...). Kristy spends the whole game trying to explain the game to Stacey (yeah, she thought they were saying "fowls" instead of "fouls", bless her heart). Oh, and apparently AMM doesn't understand basketball either, because the game is tied with 3 seconds left, and one of the SMS players hits a shot, and they win by one point. Now, I know that is technically possible if he hit a foul (not fowl) shot, but it wasn't written that way, so SMS should have either won by 2 points or 3 points. Sigh... Anyway, after the game, Stacey hugs Robert and the cheerleaders encourage her to try out for the squad - "she's definitely pretty enough" says Sheila to Darcy (more characters you can forget about after this book). Robert asks Stacey out on a date, and Stacey decides to try out (the book keeps referring to this as "auditioning" for the squad, I just never used that term for cheerleading tryouts, not even for dance team, but maybe since I never "auditioned" for either, I wouldn't know...).
Robert and Stacey have their date (which she was stressing about because she had a "hair kink" that day, gosh, that happens to me every day #thickhairproblems). Robert gets all deep, tells her that he doesn't like the status of the jock, because players will cheat off of dorks, not do their assignments and still get Cs, and players and cheerleaders will routinely skip classes for "emergency drills" and not get in trouble.
However, angst aside, Robert and Stacey hit it off, and they continue to go out, hitting up concerts and going on double dates with Mary Anne and Logan.
Meanwhile, Stacey enlists Jessi's help in coming up with a routine for the tryout (I get the Jessi is a great dancer, but is a ballet dancer the best person to prep you for a cheerleading routine? I mean, I guess that's all Stacey has to work with, but that is two completely different styles of dance - Sparky Polastri would not approve).
The cheerleaders take Stacey outside during lunch one day (which is against the rules, and confirms to Stacey what Robert told her) because they want to preview Stacey's routine. Stacey shows them, and apparently they are blown away by her ballet-inspired routine, because their jaws drop and tell her "you are, like, really good." Stacey passes the first round of tryouts, and Sheila tells her that she has nothing to worry about. Then, Stacey overhears some of the other cheerleaders gossiping about her in the bathroom (girls, you always check the stalls before gossiping, always...). They say that maybe she is too good for the squad, and apparently one of them had a crush on Robert and is jealous of Stacey. So, after the final round, in which Stacey is clearly the best (according to Stacey, granted), Stacey gets the shock of her life when they announce that Kathleen Lopez won the spot (you can forget that name too), not Stacey. After the announcement, Corinne, the cheerleader with the thing for Robert, tells Stacey that she was better than the whole squad and that they felt threatened by her. Now, for one thing, that explanation would never happen in real life, most likely the squad would just never mention it and start ignoring Stacey again. Plus, I mean, really? Better than the whole squad? A girl who never had formal dance/cheer/gymnastic training, only practiced for a few weeks before the tryouts, is "better than the whole squad"? I mean, AMM, why do you always make the BSC members be the best at whatever they do? Claudia is the best artist who wins awards, Mallory wins writing awards, Jessi wins roles over older ballet dancers, can't some of the BSC just be mediocre?
Anyway, Stacey goes crying to Robert, he immediately quits the baskeball team out of protest (because, yeah...), and the teachers start to "investigate academic abuses" by the athletes. Kathleen Lopez, the girl who beat Stacey, quits the squad once she learns that she wasn't the best one. The cheerleaders write a snarky editorial in the SMS paper about "jealous people" trying to ruin athletics at SMS, while Stacey and Robert write their own editorial about trying to bring justice and fairness to SMS. Yeah, we know how editorial writing goes at SMS...
Deep Thoughts by Stacey:
* "Ok, time-out- Do I sound hopelessly boy-crazy? I'm not. I may not be boy-crazy, but I'm boy interested." Pfft. There is literally a book called "Boy Crazy Stacey", you keep telling yourself that, girl.
* "I just want a gorgeous, smart, considerate guy who takes my breath away and happens to love me even more than I love him." Seems like Stacey might have a match.com profile in her adult years...
* "Logan is cute with a capital Q"
* "Robert is a 9-1-1."
Cheer Fashion!!
What Stacey Wore: "I had wolfed down my breakfast, put on my new plum-colored corduroy pants and white down jacket for the first time, and taken a nice, slow walk to school with my friend Claudia." When Stacey fell down in the snow in this outfit, her butt left a purple imprint thanks to her pants. Let that purple butt imprint mental image get you through the day...
What Claudia Wore: "For instance, at the BSC meeting she was wearing baggy wool men's pants, gathered at the waist with a black leather band (umm, Stace, that's called a belt, sweetie); 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."
What Stacey Wore (RJ date outfit): "I chose a black-and-white plaid unitard with a tank-style top, covered with a black, oversized cotton knit jersey." Sooo...no skirt or anything over the unitard. That's....interesting. And very Jessie J.
What Claudia Wore (basketball game): "She was wearing a sequined vest over a man's white shirt and bell-bottomed spandex pants."
What Stacey Wore (Robert date outfit): "I decided on a pair of new jeans with a brand new white cotton cardigan with gorgeous floral embroidery and a scalloped, crocheted neckline. On my feet were suede ankle boots. Flat-bottomed suede ankle boots." Umm...I'm confused, is Stacey wearing some kind of top under that cardigan?
So, somehow I had never watched this when it came out, so I was really excited to get this off of Netflix (of course, I had to wait until my husband went out of town for a couple of days to watch it, not sure he is that understanding of my BSC project...). And shockingly, this did not disappoint at all, followed the books pretty well, a lot of the regular sitting charges were featured, plus Rachel Leigh Cook and Larissa Oleynik were in this - 90s awesomeness!!
Here is the cast of characters:
Kristy, played by Schuyler Fisk:
Claudia, played by Tricia Joe:
Mary Anne, played by Rachel Leigh Cook:
They even gave her reading glasses in one scene!!
Stacey, played by Bre Blair:
I had total hair envy of Stacey for the entire movie, look at those luscious, shampoo-commercial locks there.
Dawn, played by Larissa Oleynik (Alex Mack in the house!!)
Mallory, played by Stacy Linn Ramsower (that's a mouthful):
Jessi, played by Zelda Harris:
Logan, played by Austin O'Brien:
This was the first casting choice that really disappointed me, not how I pictured Logan Bruno at all (plus his accent sounded more Australian than Southern in the movie, boo)
Cokie Mason, played by Marla Sokoloff:
Alan Gray, played by Aaron Michael Metchik:
Totally not how I pictured Alan Gray, the goofball prankster and Kristy's nemesis
I don't really feel like doing a plot synopsis for the movie, so I'm just going to do a list of highlights and moments that made my BSC fangirl cheer.
Highlights:
* Kristy wears a Krushers shirt!! Love that they throw in little details like that
* Dawn is full on hippie in this movie, and her biggest regret is that she wasn't born on Earth Day - I guess the screenwriters must have read this one, didn't they?
* Claudia's room is freaking huge!! And surprisingly clean, which really bothered me. At the meetings, Mal and Jessi sat on the floor, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Dawn sat on the bed, Stacey in the desk chair, and Kristy in the director's chair. Love that they got the sitting positions correct.
Isn't that room huge? This is just a random hangout scene, which is why the sitting positions from the meetings don't match up in this shot.
* Kristy has the great idea to start a summer camp for the BSC kids, and they will charge admission per kid. They want to save up money to buy a clubhouse, so that they can stop meeting in Claudia's room. Of course, even though they manage to find a clubhouse and get it fixed up, they decide to donate it as a greenhouse to Dawn's neighbor (played by Ellen Burstyn) and keep meeting in Claud's room
* Claudia has to take a summer school class for science, she struggles, but manages to pass when the BSC members/campers make up a rap about the human brain
* Jessi wears an ABT shirt at one point, which I know stands for American Ballet Theatre, thanks to Center Stage. Again, props on the details
* Apparently Mary Anne's last name is pronounced "Spear" - I always pronounced it "Spy-er" (well, still do, actually, I can't change after 20+ years, deal with it, AMM)
* Cokie Mason and her crew torment the girls all summer, plus Cokie keeps trying to steal Logan from Mary Anne, even invites him to a Smashing Pumpkins concert right in front of MA at one point. I'm surprised they used a real band there
* Several regular BSC kids are featured, including Rosie Wilder, Jackie Rodowsky, and Vanessa Pike (who rhymes!!)
* Stacey meets Rosie Wilder's cousin from Switzerland, a 17 year old named Luca, and she falls in LUV (to use a Stacey-ism). She lies and tells him she's 16, and of course it blows up in her face, but he eventually forgives her and kisses her at the end of the movie. Luca says he'll be back next summer, and Stacey's response is "I'll be 14." Umm, Luca will be 18 at that point, still creepy
* Kristy's dad, the phantom Mr. Thomas, randomly shows up, she sneaks around and hangs out with him all summer (only telling MA, not the rest of the BSC or her Mom). He promises to take her to an amusement park for her birthday, and of course, ends up abandoning her there. Stacey calls Luca, and he drives the girls over there to rescue Kristy
* Kristy gets all flaky because of her dad, shows up late to camp and even misses several meetings. Now, you know that if another member of the BSC did that, she would be all over that girl's butt (cough*Claudia*cough)
* Jackie Rodowsky, the Walking Disaster, finally hits a home run at the end of the movie, and the ball knocks Cokie Mason out of a tree and into a dumpster. Pretty awesome, actually
* Logan and Alan Gray are best friends? What the...?
* Alan Gray has a crush on Dawn, tries to show her that by being an annoying doofus, however after he confesses, she agrees to go out with him at the end of the movie. Guess he has a thing for BSC members, doesn't he?
* At the end of the movie, the girls say that they have spent the best years of their lives in Claudia's room. I think most girls of our generation feel the same way, don't we?
What Claudia Wore:
The one with the flies!!! It's crazy how I can remember specific lines and images from certain books even after the 20+ years since I first read the series. This one was one of my favorites, so maybe that's why so many details of this one jumped out at me this time.
So, we start this one with Stacey visiting her dad in NYC, going shopping (where she almost asks her dad to buy her a cropped purple suede fringed jacket - how 80s is that, yikes - but instead gets heart-shaped black-and-white checkerboard sunglasses), plus has brunch on Sunday with Laine, pre-breakup. She gets back to the 'Brook late Sunday evening, so she actually rewears her train outfit to school the next day (which is nice to see, AMM makes it always seem like Stacey and Claudia have these magical, never-ending, Cher Horowitz-type closets. Even Kate Middleton recycles outfits, AMM. Wonder if Duchess Catherine was a BSC fan?). Anyway, that Monday afternoon, the BSC meeting turns out to be a momentous one, at least for this story's purposes. Kristy (whom Stacey refers to as "a little babyish," hee hee) announces that an old historic home is about to be torn down in Stoneybrook, which Stacey thinks is super lame. However, the phone rings, and Dr. Johanssen calls with an interesting proposition. Charlotte's grandfather is having surgery and will be hospitalized for a week (back when insurance companies let you stay that long for a procedure), and the Johanssens want to go stay with him, but don't want Charlotte to miss school. So they ask if Stacey would mind having Charlotte stay with her for the week, and that they would pay her accordingly. Ok, I know Stacey considers Charlotte like a little sister, but this just seemed a little weird. You think maybe they would want Charlotte to stay with the Ramseys, since Becca and Charlotte are best friends, or have some family member from the other side of the family come stay for the week. Whatevs, AMM. Anyway, somehow Mrs. McGill enthusiastically agrees to this, because this is Stoneybrook, after all.
Stacey decides to decorate the guest bedroom for her "little sister," putting some Raggedy Ann bedsheets on the bed (oh, I remember the Raggedy Ann bedsheets!!) and places some of her old stuffed animals (any of her stuffed pigs, I wonder?) on the bed. Charlotte is super homesick the first day, so Stacey decides to walk her down the street to look at the old house that is about to be demolished. The workers have already left for the day, so they walk around the perimeter of the house. Suddenly, Stacey sees a face in one of the turret windows, but dismisses as her imagination. Then, both she and Charlotte hear what sounds like chains being dragged across the floor from somewhere inside, plus some sort of moaning sound. Then, as she and Charlotte walk around the back of the house, they spot a huge swarm of flies right by the back door, which reminds Stacey of The Amityville Horror, which she had recently seen with Claudia (really?!? Not sure if my parents would have let me watch something like that at 13, but then, I do remember watching Alfred Hitchcock movies at a sleepover in 6th grade, so I guess it's plausible...). Anyway, the flies are too much for Stacey, she and Charlotte are seriously spooked and run back to the McGill house.
The next BSC meeting, Stacey brings Charlotte along (with Kristy's permission, of course), and they recount their adventures at the house. Kristy manages to find a book about the history of Stoneybrook in Watson's library, and it contains an old map of the town. Apparently, the old home was built on top of an ancient graveyard (because...of course it is. The thing that gets me, though, is that I don't see there being any way of them not knowing about the graveyard already. Something tells me that something like that would be a story passed down to each generation, to scare young kids and such. I mean, our town had the old Thompson family burial plot, buried deep within the woods, that kids had to hike out to on a dare at some point. Now, of course, those woods have disappeared, and the family graveyard is in the middle of a neighborhood, stupid surburban expansion...). Kristy brings the old book and map over to Stacey's house, so that she and Charlotte can study them as well, and Claudia actually goes to the library *gasp!!* to find out who actually owned the house. She finds out that the last owner's name is Ronald Hennessey, and that he is currently alive and well, and is resident as Stoneybrook Manor.
Meanwhile, back at the McGill house, things get even worse. Charlotte wakes up with a sore throat, and when she starts running a fever, Mrs. McGill races her to the pediatrician, Dr. Dellankamp (who seems to be the only pediatrician in Stoneybrook, she is mentioned in several books). It turns out that Charlotte has tonsillitis, and she gets prescribed a massive dose of penicillin and has to stay home from school for several days (which kind of defeats the purpose of Charlotte staying with the McGills in the first place...). Charlotte puts up a major fuss, and Stacey yells, "Shut your whining, you little brat!! I have to give myself insulin injections every day!!" Ok, it didn't happen that way, but after Stacey shows Charlotte what she has to do every day to stay healthy, Charlotte sucks it up and takes her medicine. After a few days, she gets better and can start delving back into the mystery of the Hennessey house.
Stacey and Charlotte decide to take another stroll by the house, and this time, they see a fire coming out of one of the windows. Stacey runs to get a wheelbarrow that is full of rainwater, but by the time she gets back, the fire has disappeared, and there are no scorch marks on the window. That night, both Stacey and Charlotte have nightmares about the house, so Kristy, naturally, calls an emergency meeting. Stacey knows that this is important, because "we rarely have emergency meetings." I might have laughed out loud at that, because they have an emergency meeting every other book - you know, with the vampires, the wedding, missing cats, stolen diamonds, the list goes on and on... At the meeting, Mallory admits to having a nightmare about the house, too, and Claudia confesses that she felt a hand on her arm when she was walking by the house, but no one was there. Kristy decides the best course of action is to go visit Mr. Hennessey at Stoneybrook Manor to find out the history of his home.
The next day, Kristy, Claudia, Stacey, and Charlotte visit Mr. Hennessey, where he spins tall tales of all the ghosts of his house, including one called "Old Rubbernose" and a lady in a green velvet dress. The girls leave the nursing home even more determined to solve the mystery, and they all decide to attend the actual demolition of the house the next day. While there, Stacey sees the house burst into flames, but since no one else reacts, she realizes she is having some kind of vision. She sees Mr. Hennessey walking around in the flames, so she rushes to the nursing home, where she finds out that Mr. Hennessey passed away overnight. He left a letter for her, where he explains that he was just having fun with them the other day, that none of the ghost stories were true. When she meets back up with the rest of the BSC, Kristy explains that Charlie talked to some of the workmen during the demo, and found out that the moaning sound came from the old pipes, the flames were caused by a worker using a torch, and that they mass of flies were actually a hive a bees disturbed by the construction. The girls realize that there is no mystery, and Stacey wisely decides to not tell them about her "vision."
The Johanssens come home, and Charlotte tells them all about the mystery, which Stacey tries to laugh off as just something fun, and Mrs. McGill informs Dr. Johanssen about Charlotte's tonsillitis. And somehow the Johanssens decide that even though Charlotte got sick and had nightmares while with Stacey, that Stacey can still be Charlotte's go-to sitter. Because...yeah.
The Mystery Fashion!!
What Stacey Wore: "For example, I had dressed for my train ride in a white jumpsuit, layered over a blue tank top. I had on white push-down socks with blue hearts all over them, a wide blue patent leather belt, and a wild necklace made of all kinds of plastic sea creatures in a rainbow of colors."
What Stacey Wore (the next day at school) - "The same white jumpsuit, pink shirt, and oops!, red socks."
What Stacey Wore: "I'd gotten this pink polka-dotted short skirt with suspender straps and had worn it with an oversized white T-shirt. I had on my pink high-top sneakers, folded down to show their striped lining. I'd also worn these great earrings Claudia had given me for my last birthday. They had all these little pink plastic hearts dangling down from one bigger heart."
What Claudia Wore: "One earring was shaped like a little a little record, and the other looked like a stereo."
What Claudia Wore: "She was sitting on her bed, chewing grape bubblegum and blowing purple bubbles, which matched her tie-dyed T-shirt dress."
Lauren Conrad likes the purple tie-dyed look too, Claudia
So this book isn't an actual part of the series, just one of those related "special edition" type books that usually accompany a YA series like this. This book is made up of a series of letters and postcards from one member of the club to another, and each page literally has a postcard or letter you can actually pull out of an envelope and read. The cover claims that there is even a "friendship bracelet from the BSC inside!!," however, since this is a library copy, no telling when and where the friendship bracelet ended up. I feel deprived.
So this book takes place the summer after 8th grade (now which 8th grade year is unclear...). Kristy is in the hospital with appendicitis, plus a staph infection post-surgery, and she gets a chain letter from her cousin, Robin (I think she is one of the cousins mentioned at Elizabeth and Watson's wedding). By the way, do y'all remember the old school chain letters? I never passed them on, thought it was lame, and never had a catastrophic accident befall me. Anyway, Kristy's letter is a somewhat typical chain letter, "you must pass this on or bad luck will haunt you" (I know Mary Anne had a bad experience with a chain letter at one point, haven't reread that one yet. Patience, Iago...). This chain letter has a twist, though - the recipient must reveal a secret to the next person in the chain. So this book has each link/letter of the chain, plus some other random postcards thrown in to provide more exposition. Woo-hoo.
And since this is summer, the BSC members are scattered all over the country on vacations - Claudia and Stacey are at her dad's in NYC; Jessi is vacationing with Mallory and her family in Sea City, NJ; Mary Anne and Dawn are visiting her family in California (I get that MA is Dawn's stepsister, but just seems a little weird for her to be visiting Mr. Schafer in California...); Logan is with extended family in Louisville, KY; and Shannon is at Camp Erie, a summer camp in PA. But fret not, the BSC has set up an answering machine in Claudia's room until they are all back in the 'Brook (and Kristy is released from the hospital).
Y'all ready for some BSC skeletons?
Kristy, to Stacey - after updating Stacey about her hospital stay, Kristy confesses that she sometimes hates her father (the phantom Mr. Thomas, not Daddy Watsonbucks), and, at times, even wishes he were dead. Kristy thought Stacey would understand since she just recently went through her own parents' divorce.
Stacey, to Mallory - After telling Mal about the fab time she and Claudia are having in NYC (they've hit up MoMA and Bloomingdale's, where Claudia bought a pair of leopard print socks and Stacey bought a t-shirt with a Monopoly board printed on it), Stacey reveals her deep, dirty secret - she dyed her hair red right after moving to Stoneybrook for the first time. She later panicked, then redyed it blonde right before her parents got home from work. They never knew the difference, of course, because what are the chances she picked the right shade of blonde dye? Guess that's where they got the idea to do the same for Mallory in California, huh?
Mallory, to Jessi - This one seems kind of like cheating, since Jessi and Mal are on vacation together and literally staying in the same bedroom, but oh well. Mallory confesses that she once cheated off her on an English test for which Mal had forgotten to study. Mallory apologizes and hopes that Jessi will forgive her.
Jessi later leaves Mal a note telling her that she knew it all along and had already forgiven her. BFFs forever!!!
Jessi, to Mary Anne - Jessi reveals to MA that she and her sister, Becca, once played with matches, accidentally dropped one, and burned a hole in their living room rug. They moved a chair over a few inches to cover the hole, but their parents found it anyway while cleaning. However, Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey figured that it happened at their last party since they have some friends who smoke. Jessi doesn't tell them differently (honestly, I probably would have done the same thing as Jessi here, blame it on the smokers, girl).
Mary Anne, to Claudia - After telling Claudia about how she and Dawn went to Disneyland, Mary Anne admits to Claudia that she has recently been going to a therapist. She says that she has been feeling overwhelmed with life changes (you know, Dad getting remarried, moving houses, breaking up and reuniting with Logan, I haven't read any of these books yet, deal with it), and that her grades started dropping in school. Her therapist helped her process everything, and now she is slowly feeling more in control (was the therapist ever mentioned in any of the books? Just seems like a pretty big thing to just throw into a chain letter book without it being mentioned elsewhere in the series...).
Claudia, to Dawn - After updating Dawn on the dibbly fresh time she is having in NYC, Claudia confesses that she once stole $1 from Mimi's purse so that she could buy a Twinkie. First of all, remember when you could buy a snack like that from a convenience store with just a dollar? Good times. Second of all, this "secret" just seems stupid, I mean, you know Mimi would have given Claudia money if she asked for it, just seems pointless and out of character for Claudia.
Dawn, to Shannon - Dawn admits to Shannon that she pranked Mary Anne on the flight to California by telling MA that she saw Cam Geary, Mary Anne's favorite actor, in first class. MA spends the whole flight trying to sneak a peek into first class to catch a glimpse of her Tiger Beat crush. Mary Anne even later writes a fan letter to Cam, telling him that they were on the same plane. Oh, sweetie... And Dawn seems to like pranking MA, I will have another example of this coming to Project BSC soon...
Shannon doesn't continue the chain, I guess because the only club member left at that point is Logan, and what 13 year old girl wants to reveal a deep, dark secret to a boy? Plus, in the midst of these big reveals, the BSC plans a "Glad You're All Better" party for Kristy when she is released from the hospital. Big fun in Stoneybrook.
Oh, and sorry, neither Claudia nor Stacey described any of their outfits in any of the letters or postcards. No friendship bracelet from the BSC, no outfits, my day has been ruined.
Upon seeing this cover, all I could think was, "Stacey's mom has got it going on." And now that song is stuck in my head (and yours too, probably. You're welcome). And check out Maureen rocking that pencil skirt, very nice (my two cents, this would have looked better with some killer black heels, but hey, sometimes comfort trumps style...)
So this one opens with Stacey and her mom having a little family book club, and this week's selection is "Pride and Prejudice" (oh, and Colin Firth will forever be Mr. Darcy, sorry Matthew Macfayden). First of all, props to Stacey's mom (hee hee), ok, Mrs. McGill, for making Stacey read Jane Austen in 8th grade, I don't think I really picked those up and fell in love with everything Austen until late high school or early college. Stacey does indicate that she is really enjoying the novel (if she didn't, she would forever become my least favorite BSCer). Anyway, Stacey and Mrs. McGill get into this deep discussion about women marrying for money (in the novel and in real life) and then segue into a heart to heart about her parents' divorce, which is somewhat nice to see (plus, you know AMM loves to throw an after-school special-type of PSA every now and then). Stacey does ask if her mom will ever start dating (umm...a little personal, Stace. Your parents got divorced early in your 8th grade year, this takes place just before Thanksgiving, so your mom has been divorced for either a couple of months now...or since this is the revolving, never-ending school year, about 10 years, in which case, that is a valid question, Stace). Her dad does have a girlfriend, Samantha, and Stacey thinks her mom should be ready, too. You can't hurry love, Stacey, you'll just have to wait (so says Diana Ross, anyway).
Anyway, Stacey hurries to the BSC meeting, where a brand new client calls at 5:27 (which pisses Kristy off, that girl has a complex). The client's name is John Brooke (Little Women shout out!!!), who is a single father and needs a sitter for his son and daughter (unfortunately, their names aren't Daisy and Demi, rather Jodi and Ewan. Shucks...). Stacey gets the job, and then the girls get to gossiping. Claudia is now back in 8th grade, and Mallory is complaining about being bullied in school (again). Apparently, SMS recently did a week long program where students got to teach the classes (remember when Saved by the Bell did that?), and Mallory got selected to teach 8th grade English. Umm...why would you have a 6th grader teaching an 8th grade class? That's just asking for trouble. Ever since then, kids have continually teased Mal in the hallways, calling her "Spaz" and stuff. Basically, Mallory hates everything about school and has been looking into transferring to a private school, like Stoneybrook Day, Shannon's school, but that is too expensive. Plus, Mallory announces that she and her parents will be visiting a boarding school this coming weekend (Hogwarts, maybe? I mean, she is 11 years old. Mallory would totally be Hufflepuff). The BSC is shocked, but supportive.
Anyway, Stacey shows up for her sitting job for the Brooke kids, and is surprised to find John Brooke will actually be home the entire time. It turns out that he is a writer of detective novels (Momma Brooke left to go be a newscaster in the ATL), and he needs a sitter so that he can stay in his study and write. Stacey rolls with it, and really enjoys spending time with Jodi and Ewan. After her job is over, Mrs. McGill stops by to pick up Stacey (has this ever happened? I never remember reading about parents coming to pick up the girls from the sitting jobs before, usually they either ride their bikes home or the clients drive them home). Upon seeing Maureen at the door, John Brooke is all, "Stacey's mom has got it going on" and gets his game on. Maureen lingers, flirting back, and eventually agrees to go on a date with John (he's taking her to see a play that he wrote - pretentious much, John?)
Stacey is extremely excited about this date, however Jodi and Ewan are rather upset, they think that their dad and Mrs. McGill will get married and they will have a wicked stepmother. The next time Stacey babysits for the Brookes, John mentions to Stacey that he thinks Maureen is "luminous" (ok, not sure why someone would tell his girlfriend's 13 year old daughter that, but hey, it's a great compliment, at least). However, Jodi and Ewan go from being angelic charges to little hellions, Jodi especially. She breaks into his study and steals his computer mouse, then throws it into a tree. Jodi also gets on his computer and deletes an entire chapter of his book. And John gets crazy angry - not understandable levels of anger, we're talking crazy-scary-this-guy-may-be-the-BTK-killer-next-door type angry. Stacey feels a little scared by his outburst, but once he calms down, she dismisses it as normal levels of anger. Maureen, however, doesn't ignore her woman's intuition. She notices that John consistently shows up either inconveniently early (like 11:30 am for Thanksgiving dinner) or really late. She is concerned about how he treats his kids, his thoughtlessness (doesn't offer to help with Thanksgiving dinner), and the worldviews he expresses in his books. Basically, she thinks he is a self-centered douchebag. Stacey tries to convince her mom that John is her "Mr. Darcy," but mamma knows best, sweetie, Maureen knows he is more of a Wickham. Even Stacey's boyfriend, Ethan, tells her to get over herself and support her mom. Finally, Stacey accepts the breakup, and tells Jodi and Ewan (who were upset because they thought the breakup was their fault) that she considers them her "honorary brother and sister" (umm...awkward much? Think John will want the daughter of the woman who dumped him still showing up to hang out with his kids?). And we never hear about the Brooke family again. Convenient, AMM.
Fashion in the house!!!
What Claudia wore: "Claudia pushed her hair back to reveal a pair of long, shiny earrings dotted with small clay beads. Then she drew out a long beaded necklace, which had fallen beneath the bib of her tie-dyed overalls."
House of Holland, Spring 2013 Collection. Claudia is back in style, y'all.
No lie, my adult self was totally stoked when I found out that AMM was releasing a prequel to the BSC series, so lots of anticipation with this one. Hopefully it doesn't let me down like Star Wars: The Phantom of the Menace (I'm looking at you, Jar-Jar Binks...).
This book starts the last day of 6th grade at SMS/New York City, and the chapters are alternately narrated by Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey. Obviously, Kristy's, MA's, and Claudia's stories are intertwined, and the book ends with the great idea. Let's get it started (HAH!), let's get it started in here!!!
Kristy - After school ends, Kristy goes home and finds her mother getting ready for a date with Watson Brewer (he's taking her to Chez Maurice, home of the most dibble French food ever). Kristy is huffy to see Watson at her house, so she decides to write her dad at his last address in California, telling him about school ending, Claudia's crazy outfits, and her upcoming birthday, dropping some pretty substantial hints that she would like him to come visit for her birthday. However, about a week later, the letter is returned as undeliverable, which means that the phantom Mr. Thomas has moved again and not told the kids where he was. Plus, Watson starts spending more time at their house, further depressing Kristy. He asks Kristy to babysit for Karen and Andrew, but she refuses, so Sam volunteers. What the...? I absolutely cannot imagine Sam babysitting voluntarily, just...bizarre. Kristy feels like her night has been ruined by Watson and his perfect dad skills. She decides the best way to distract herself is to get Mary Anne into babysitting, and she encourages MA to take charge and be assertive for the first time in her life (aww...). She goes to Claudia's birthday party with Mary Anne, and they spend the whole time swimming and avoiding the boys. However, after seeing how grown up Claudia's party was, Kristy decides to not have a sleepover, and just do a family dinner instead. Kristy invites MA and Claudia to her dinner, but Claudia has other plans, and Kristy feels snubbed. Kristy keeps up her irrational hope that her father will show up for her birthday, and as she blows out the candles on her cake, she looks around her backyard for him. He's not there, of course, and Kristy is upset, but doesn't let her mother know. Mary Anne gives her a hug and sits beside her the rest of the night, just being her friend (another aww...). Kristy ends the summer older and wiser, knowing who her true family is.
Mary Anne - This summer starts out the same as the previous one, with Mr. Spier picking out Mary Anne's outfits everyday and leaving a long list of rules (for instance, Mary Anne must call Mr. Spier at work by 9:30am). She hates her bedroom, which has been painted pink for ages, because her favorite colors are navy blue and yellow (personally, I always pictured MA as a pink, flowery girl, even in later books. Interesting). However, as she is digging around in her attic one day, she comes across a box filled with some of her mom's old stuff, including a couple of dolls. She decides that even though she doesn't want to play with them, she would like to make them some new outfits. Kristy suggests that they ask Claudia for help, since she is the queen of fashion. However, when they show up at Claudia's house with the dolls, Claud tries to hide her horror and quickly jumps at the chance to go downtown with Mimi. Mary Anne feels a little hurt, but decides to make some new doll clothes herself as best as she can. Then Kristy delivers the game changer. She calls and asks Mary Anne to help her babysit the Pikes (those blue-eyed and dark haired kids - even the prequel is lacking in consistency, AMM). Mary Anne has never babysat before, and is super nervous. She asks Mr. Spier for permission, and he promptly tells her that she is too young. Mary Anne counters with the fact that Kristy and Claudia both babysit, and Mr. Spier finally agrees, with stipulations. Mary Anne must always babysit with another sitter, never by herself, even if she is only sitting for one kid, and she must call and check in with her dad every half hour (I'm sure the parents of the kids she's sitting for will wonder why the babysitter is on the phone so much when they get that phone bill, way to make your daughter look responsible, Richard). However, the sitting job goes fine, and Mary Anne realizes that she loves babysitting. MA also has her birthday coming up, and when her dad asks what she wants, she lists "craft kits, doll design clothes set, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and a hamster" - however, after attending Claudia's grown up pool party, she decides that she doesn't want to do a birthday party. A few days later, MA gets a phone call from Mrs. Newton, asking her to babysit for Jamie for a couple of hours. Kristy is unable help MA, so she calls Claudia to come be her joint-babysitter (Mr. Spier's rules, after all). Claud is hesitant, but decides to help her anyway. Mrs. Newton is understandably shocked when two sitters show up, but MA explains her dad's rules and assures her that she will only pay for one and that it will be split between the two girls. Mrs. Newton rolls with it, because this is Stoneybrook, after all. Later on, as a surprise for Kristy's birthday, Mary Anne organizes "Kristy Day," in which several neighborhood kids, plus several of their friends (Mariah and Miranda Shillabar, Lauren Hoffman, girls we never hear about again) show up and have a parade down Bradford Court for Kristy. Mr. Spier finds about this, and decides that Mary Anne is responsible enough to sit on her own now. But still not responsible enough to wear blue jeans to school. Wish I was kidding, y'all.
Claudia - Claudia is looking forward to her twelfth birthday this summer, and decides that instead of the slumber party she usually has, she would rather have a boy-girl pool party. Her neighbors, the Goldmans, offer to let the Kishis use their pool (what the...? No way I would let a bunch of 12 year olds have a pool party at my house if one of the kids wasn't mine, just seems weird). The Kishis agree, and Claudia excitedly makes a list of who she wants to invite: Emily Bernstein, Pete Black, Rick Chow, Dorianne Wallingford, Darnell Harris (never heard this name before), and Polly Hanson. She debates about inviting Kristy and Mary Anne, since they have grown apart, but she quickly realizes that she can't leave out her oldest friends. Janine, Miss "School is my world, math feeds my soul" (reminds me of how Ashley Wyeth felt about her art), also gets to invite a few of her friends. The day of the party arrives, and everyone shows up as expected. Claudia is a little embarrassed by Kristy and Mary Anne, so she spends most of her time talking with her other friends. Then one of Janine's friends, Frankie Evans, arrives, and Claudia is instantly in love. Frankie is 14 and will be a freshman at SHS with Janine. Surprisingly (wait, this is Stoneybrook, so no big surprise, I guess), Frankie seems just as taken with 12 year old Claudia, and spends most of the party flirting with her, much to Janine's displeasure (apparently big sister has a crush, too). Janine tries to get Frankie's attention away from Claudia, and ends up falling in the pool with all of her clothes on (I can neither confirm nor deny that I may have an incident like that in my past). After the party is over, Frankie gets Claudia's number, and a summer romance is born. Claudia starts spending all her time with Frankie, never having time for Kristy and Mary Anne. Frankie comes over to Claudia's house to see her art (sorry, that just sounds like a phony, make-out excuse), and Mrs. Kishi flips out when Claudia takes Frankie to her room. Claudia has to leave the door open, and Mrs. Kishi stays upstairs as well, "folding laundry." Needless to say, Janine gets more and more huffy, and Mr. and Mrs. Kishi, as well as Mimi, get more and more concerned. Claudia even misses Kristy's birthday dinner in August because she already had a date with Frankie planned (she does send Kristy a nail polish kit as a gift, which is kind of funny). Likewise, she misses "Kristy Day" for the same reason. However, towards the end of the summer, things start to go awry. Claudia goes to the community pool one day with Frankie, and they meet up with a bunch of his high school friends. He basically ignores Claudia once they get there, and the girls get all snarky with Claud. Frankie gets all shady with Claudia, and eventually gives her the "we're in different places right now" brush-off. Claudia is crushed, and she realizes that she has missed Kristy and Mary Anne this summer. Nothing can beat old friends in a time of crisis...unless it's new friends...
Stacey - It's summer in NYC, and Stacey is currently fighting with Her Royal Meanness (Stacey's words), aka Laine Cummings, aka Snotty McSnotterson (that one's mine). Stacey was diagnosed with diabetes this past fall, and she and her parents have been keeping it on the down low, even from the Cummings family. However, Stacey's problems with La Loser started even before that, since the summer before the 6th grade (which is the summer before The Summer Before, is your mind blown?). Laine had gone away to a month-long summer camp in Maine, and when she came back, she started getting all shady with Stacey, avoiding her calls, not saving her a seat at lunch.
However, the friendship struggled along in name, at least, until a sleepover in 6th grade. Stacey and Laine were sharing a bed at a friend's house, and as a result of her diabetes, Stacey wet the bed. Of course, this would seem a logical time to tell your BFF about your diabetes, but no, she doesn't say anything, and Stacey instantly becomes the pariah at her school. When she finds out that they will be moving to Stoneybrook over the summer, Stacey is actually relieved that she can leave the city and the Snot behind her. She continues to babysit in her apartment building, and right before the move, her parents decide to throw her a surprise farewell party, inviting her babysitting charges, the Cummings, and several of her 6th grade classmates. Laine goes ultimate Mean Girl at the party, and tells Stacey (out of earshot of the adults, of course) that she only came to the party because her parents made her, and that the other girls only came to the party because she made them. Retract those claws, Regina George. The girls then proceed to tease Stacey non-stop about the time she wet the bed, and then Laine proceeds to "accidentally" spill her drink on Stacey's outfit.
Needless to say, Stacey wakes up extremely happy on moving day, just so filled with joy of getting away from McSnotterson. She falls asleep on the car ride, and her parents wake her up as they arrive in Stoneybrook. She is all shocked to see that the 'Brook has restaurants, department stores, and businesses (ok...has this girl never left NYC, never driven anywhere on vacation? This is just a little ridiculous, AMM). Plus, all of the neighbors around the McGills bring them food to welcome them, and Stace remarks how friendly people are here, "just like in the city." Umm...what? Granted, I've never been to NYC, but something tells me that when you move into a new apartment, you don't get casseroles and pies from your neighbors there. I'm not picking up what you're putting down there, AMM. Anyway, the first day of 7th grade arrives, and her student guide is Emily Bernstein (Miss anti-Spirit). Stacey sits with Emily and her friends, including Claudia, at lunch, and is impressed with Claudia's "sophisticated" style. And it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship...
The Fashion Before!!!
What Claudia Wore: "Claudia was wearing willowy black pants, cinched at the waist with a drawstring, and a boldly patterned summer shirt with ties that she was adjusting around her midriff. Her midriff would have been bare, but Claud had slithered into a lacy black tank top before she'd put on the shirt. On her feet were delicate silvery sandals, and her hair, which was loooong and thick, was held away from her face with two silver combs."
What Claudia Wore (pool party edition): "I was wearing a bikini with silver jewelry, hair combs, silver sandals, and a shirt that I got for my birthday." (She thinks she looks at least 14)
I'm feeling some Naomi Clark from 90210 (the new version) in this one...
What Claudia Wore (1st day of 7th grade): "Claudia was by far the most fashionable dresser I had seen at school, with her big earrings and chunky bracelet, her bell bottoms (which I was sure she had decorated herself), and her fluorescent green hat that looked like a bejeweled engineer's cap."
What Mary Anne Wore: "Mary Anne was dressed in a blouse, floral capri pants, and sandals."
What Mary Anne and Kristy Wore (pool party edition): last year's bathing suits, Mary Anne's had a mermaid on it
So, the only thing about this book I remember is some reference to Laine looking 18 or 19, but Claudia only looking 15, so I was interested to see what context this comparison came from.
Stacey is living in New York, pre-divorce, and her apartment building is having some big meeting about the homeless in the neighborhood, and all the parents are asking Stacey to babysit. She has the brilliant idea to invite the older BSC girls up for the weekend to help babysit plus visit the city. It turns out that SMS is conveniently out of school that Friday, so they can have an extended visit. Stacey is all excited, she plans to have a party at her place Friday night for her NYC friends to meet the 'Brookies. Stacey's parents give her permission to miss school on Friday to see her friends (yeah, pretty sure my parents would not have gone for that...).
Stacey meets the BSC at Grand Central Station, and they decide to go grab lunch out somewhere before the party that night. However, they have to drop off the luggage at Stacey's apartment beforehand, because apparently Claudia packed a full trunk for the weekend (Stacey acts all baffled by this, like she never overpacks or anything). Dawn acts all terrified of everything in the city, the taxis, the elevators, the potential muggings. This strikes me as out of character for Dawn, who is always portrayed as Miss Independent. However, she calms down when they get to the Hard Rock Cafe (I'm pretty sure that I thought the Hard Rock Cafe was the epitome of cool at 13, too). Dawn spots a "Save the Planet!" sign by their table and makes a joke about how 60's hippie that seems (apparently, she hadn't become an eco-nazi herself yet.) Stacey gets all embarrassed when Kristy orders filet mignon, because she pronounces it "fill-ut mig-nun." She gets further embarrassed when Mary Anne starts pulling out all of these tourist brochures for NYC at the table. She gets over herself, though, and the girls go to Bloomingdales after lunch (where MA manages to almost shoplift some makeup, good times.)
They get back to Stacey's apartment in one piece, and start getting ready for the party that night. Mary Anne makes this huge deal about having Stacey approve everyone's outfit, but doesn't wear what Stacey chooses for her, rather wears her own new outfit instead (which, of course, embarrasses Miss NYC as well.) Laine arrives about an hour before the party to help set up, and the claws come out. Claudia and Laine start trading barbs about who is Stace's actual best friend. Dawn gets mad at Mary Anne when she overhears MA telling the NYC kids how Dawn is terrified of the city. Kristy starts dancing with Cody, one of NYC boys, and then Claudia cuts in, so Kristy gets mad at Claudia. After the party, Laine decides to go home (to the Dakota, of course) instead of sleep over with the BSC girls.
The atmosphere is still frosty when the girls wake up on Saturday, however the put aside their differences since they have to collectively babysit 10 kids today. All the kids are dropped off at Stacey's apartment, and they decide to take the kids to the Museum of Natural History, then to the Children's Zoo at Central Park. They temporarily lose a kid at the museum, but quickly find him before any harm is done. The girls relax after that, and then go to Central Park, where they see an old guy with a long white beard riding a giant tricycle and towing a red wagon with 3 white Persian cats in it. That is too crazy not to be true, AMM. Stacey laughs, and Claudia says that is the first time Stacey has acted somewhat excited since they got there, that she acts all like a jaded snob who has seen it all before. She apologizes, and the BSC make up. Aww...
When they get back to the apartment, Laine, who acts like the bigger person, invites the whole group to a Broadway show. Apparently her dad is a big Broadway producer, and she got them all house seats to a show, plus they get to use her family's limousine (funny note: Mary Anne explains to Logan what a limo is in her postcard back home, umm...we have limos in the South, MA, not just pickup trucks and tractors). Stacey decides to act like a tourist that night so that she can have as much fun as the BSC. When the show is over, Claudia and Laine make up and even exchange addresses so they can be pen pals. Happy, happy, joy, joy.
Party Clothes!!
Kristy - a white turtleneck with a little red and blue hearts all over it, a red sweater, jeans, and sneakers. (Not sure if I can picture Kristy with wearing a shirt with hearts on it)
Claudia - a sleek black outfit covered with silver stars and sparkles, her hair simple for once, brushed back from her face and held in place by a white beaded headband. Stacey thought Claudia looked at least 15 years old in this outfit.
Dawn - an oversized peach-colored sweater dress, lacy white stockings, and black ballet slippers (I like this except for the color of the dress, peach, yikes)
Stacey - a short, short yellow dress that flared out just above her hips, white stockings, yellow push down socks, and these new shoes that her parents hated
Mary Anne - what Stacey calls "Little House on the Prairie," ruffly white blouse, long paisley skirt, and these little brown boots
Mary Anne was ahead of the boho trend.
Laine - a short black dress, black stockings, and simple black flats. On one wrist was a single silver bracelet, on her dress was on of those silver squiggle pins. Even though this outfit seems remarkably similar to Claudia's, Stacey thinks that Laine looks at least 19. Umm...no sweetie, 13 year old Laine doesn't look 19.
Stacey's outfit on the cover is totally Cher Horowitz:
Stacey is living in New York City, but her parents have been fighting pretty much non-stop. Her father calls her mother a "selfish spendthrift" because she dropped $400 on jewelry at one store, then spent $1568.00 at Tiffany's another day. Hello. My husband would be pissed at me, too. Mrs. McGill says she shops because she is bored and says her husband is a workaholic who is never home for Stacey. Of course, we know the details of this fight because Stacey is listening outside the front door. Instead of going inside, Stacey runs away crying to her friend Laine's apartment (Laine lives in the Dakota, which is mentioned every single time Laine is in these books).
When Stacey returns home, her parents tell her that they have decided to get a divorce. She then gives her parents the silent treatment for the next few days, and puts on her best "I don't care about my parents" outfit when she goes to school the next day (more on that later). Apparently her parents called to school to warn them of the situation, so even though Stacey shows up tardy to every class, the teachers don't say anything. She thinks about the other kids in her class that have had parents divorce recently, the "divorced kids," and wonder what type of living arrangement she will end up having with her parents.
When she returns home, her parents sit her down and give her the news: Mr McGill will be staying in New York but will be moving to a different apartment on the West Side, and Mrs. McGill wants to return to Stoneybrook. Stacey gets to decide which of her parents with whom she will live. She debates the merits of both locations, even makes a pro & con list for NYC and the 'Brook (basically, fabulous shopping vs. the BSC), but still can't make up her mind.
Meanwhile, Mrs. McGill and Stacey take a day trip to Stoneybrook to go house hunting, and they fall in love with a house built in the 1880s that happens to be right behind the Pike's home (remember, Jessi moved into Stacey's old house, so that's out of the picture). After having a BSC sleepover (where Stacey paints her toes with a sparkly pink polish, then adds a green dot in middle of each toe), she decides to move back to Stoneybrook with her mom, and visit her dad every few weeks. Laine gives Stace one of those best friend necklaces with half of a heart, and she keeps the other half, so the BFFs can stay connected. So much feels going on...
On an unrelated note, this book again talked about how thick of a Southern accent Logan has, remember he's from Louisville, KY. Really? Now, I'm not doubting that KY-ers (that made my inner adolescent giggle) have an accent, but I am seriously doubting that it is as Scarlett O'Hara thick as AMM keeps describing. Basically, AMM is giving Logan the Hollywood stereotype of the Southern accent, and as a Southerner, that pisses me off a little. There are many variations of Southern, the coastal (Savannah, Charleston), the mountain/hillbilly (found in the Appalachians, can almost sound Cajun-ish), the farmer/country boy, the redneck, plus the metropolitan forms found in Birmingham/Atlanta/Nashville. New Orleans is its own animal, and you would need a book to break down the Texas variants. And don't get me started on the distinct regional dialects found within each individual state, either. We don't all sound like Forrest Gump, AMM. Ok, rant over.
Yay!! Fashion, fashion, fashion time!!!
What Stacey wore: "I put on one of my better outfits - short red pants with purple suspenders over a bright yellow and black sweatshirt. On my feet I put my purple push-down socks and a pair of red hightop sneakers. I added jewelry - a big necklace with wooden bananas and oranges strung on it, and a dangly earrings shaped like sunglasses. I rolled up a red scarf and tied it in my hair like a headband." Wow. I just...no. She should have stuck with yellow plaid.
What Laine wore: "Like, right now, she was wearing this amazing black pants suit. It was made from stretchy cotton. The bottoms of the legs were cuffed, and the top was short-cropped. She was wearing a leopard-skin leotard under her top. Her fluffy brown hair had been permed several weeks earlier and had grown out to the perfect stage. From her ears dangled tear drop shaped blue and green stones, and on one wrist were about twenty silver bangles."
(Ok, I know this isn't a pantsuit, but come on, it's Lisa Turtle).
And in the rare case where an outfit described in the book is actually featured on the cover, what Claudia wore: "Her hair was flowing down her back, pulled away from her face by a headband with a huge pink rose attached to it (very Carrie Bradshaw). She was wearing a long, over-sized black-and-white sweater, skin-tight black leggings, pink-and-black socks, and black ballet slippers. Her jewelry was new, and I could tell she made it herself. Her necklace was a string of glazed beads that she'd probably made in her day pottery class. And from her ears dangled an alarming number of plastic charms attached to gold hoops."
Bonus BSC outfits!!!
Kristy - jeans, sneakers, sweater, and turtleneck
Mary Anne - a new flared green dress
Dawn - a pair of jeans with zippers up the legs (I totally had a pair of those in elementary school!! Does that mean I rocked the California Casual look at TES?)
Jessie - had her leotard under her clothes (yeah, not much description here...)
Mallory - wearing a totally new outfit - a sequined sweatshirt, a short skirt, and pink leggings.
