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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
Vanessa/Claudia kept stuffing her face the whole way through, constantly pulling snacks out of her backpack, mumbling all her words. At one point she picked up the clock and said, “This would make a fabulous hat!”
3 stars. Oh, Jessi. I adore you so but this story just wasn't good. It did her character no favors and felt out of character for her. I didn't like it. I did like how she tried to correct the situation in the end but this was a disappointing Jessi book which is rare as I usually always love when she leads the stories. This was a miss unfortunately.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As a kid my best friends sister had the whole BSC series on a book shelf in her room. I thought she was so grown up. And I envied this bookshelf. And would often poke my head into that room just to look at it.
And when I read BSC, I felt like such a grown up.
And while I might have still been a little too young to understand some of the issues dealt with in these books, I do appreciated that Ann M. Martin tackled age appropriate issues, some being deeper than others, but still important.
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I hated this book. Like really hated it. This is the first BSC book I've given 1 star. Jessi, the only black person in the entire state of Connecticut (slight exaggeration), pulls pranks and makes fun of a teacher for how he looks and acts, in front of the entire school. And then SHE gets upset when he is so embarrassed about it all that he actually leaves the school for good. Get over yourself Jessi. So yeah, this will probably be a short review, but let's go back to the beginning.
Jessi learns about the Sixth-Grade Follies, where the sixth-graders make up songs and skits and stuff, from Sanjita, a Puerto Rican student that Jessi is suddenly friends with. One of the two teachers in the school who like to dress up like Dolly Parton (?) tells the girls to signup because "we want to get a good cross section of the school!" ie: not only white students. Jessi is still interested because she's a natural comedian or something. She has class with Mr Trout, the teacher all the kids make fun of, because he dresses funny and is a nerd and has a bad toupee. He doesn't discipline the kids when they talk and laugh throughout the class and he just seems really lost in general. Now let's skip to What Claudia is Wearing, the important part of the book.
...At that meeting she was wearing '50s-style cat's-eye glasses frames, a plastic barrette in the shape of an alligator, a tie-dyed T-shirt, and bell-bottoms. And it looked fantastic. (Did it? Really?)
Back to Jessi sigh. The kids all drop their books at the same time, causing Mr Trout to jump and shriek, but not discipline them. Then someone steals his grade book which causes a domino effect of mishaps, leaving the entire class laughing hysterically. Then some of the kids figure out how to remove Mr Trout's toupee, hooking it to the roll-up map at the chalkboard. It's honestly cruel. Jessi thinks he's doing all the awkward stuff on purpose but later realizes he doesn't have any teacher friends either so maybe not. But that doesn't stop her from deciding to imitate him during the Follies. And that's the last straw for poor Mr Trout. He leaves town, quits his job with no notice, and doesn't tell anyone where he's going. Jessi feels awful about it all, after the fact. The other students and teachers even tell her that she shouldn't, that he was just overly sensitive. But yeah, I think she should. Jessi tries to start a petition of students that want him back, but no one signs it. She finally writes a letter to him, apologizing for everything, and he replies forgiving her. That's it.
In baby-sitting news, the Pikes and other kids get together and make their own BSC Follies, imitating Kristy's loud-mouth, Mary Anne's crying, etc. and it is infinitely funnier than Jessi's attempts.
Blogged at SeeJennRead
Jessi learns about the Sixth-Grade Follies, where the sixth-graders make up songs and skits and stuff, from Sanjita, a Puerto Rican student that Jessi is suddenly friends with. One of the two teachers in the school who like to dress up like Dolly Parton (?) tells the girls to signup because "we want to get a good cross section of the school!" ie: not only white students. Jessi is still interested because she's a natural comedian or something. She has class with Mr Trout, the teacher all the kids make fun of, because he dresses funny and is a nerd and has a bad toupee. He doesn't discipline the kids when they talk and laugh throughout the class and he just seems really lost in general. Now let's skip to What Claudia is Wearing, the important part of the book.
...At that meeting she was wearing '50s-style cat's-eye glasses frames, a plastic barrette in the shape of an alligator, a tie-dyed T-shirt, and bell-bottoms. And it looked fantastic. (Did it? Really?)
Back to Jessi sigh. The kids all drop their books at the same time, causing Mr Trout to jump and shriek, but not discipline them. Then someone steals his grade book which causes a domino effect of mishaps, leaving the entire class laughing hysterically. Then some of the kids figure out how to remove Mr Trout's toupee, hooking it to the roll-up map at the chalkboard. It's honestly cruel. Jessi thinks he's doing all the awkward stuff on purpose but later realizes he doesn't have any teacher friends either so maybe not. But that doesn't stop her from deciding to imitate him during the Follies. And that's the last straw for poor Mr Trout. He leaves town, quits his job with no notice, and doesn't tell anyone where he's going. Jessi feels awful about it all, after the fact. The other students and teachers even tell her that she shouldn't, that he was just overly sensitive. But yeah, I think she should. Jessi tries to start a petition of students that want him back, but no one signs it. She finally writes a letter to him, apologizing for everything, and he replies forgiving her. That's it.
In baby-sitting news, the Pikes and other kids get together and make their own BSC Follies, imitating Kristy's loud-mouth, Mary Anne's crying, etc. and it is infinitely funnier than Jessi's attempts.
Blogged at SeeJennRead
Fantastic books for young girls getting into reading!! Great stories about friendship and life lessons. The characters deal with all sorts of situations and often find responsible solutions to problems.
I loved this series growing up and wanted to start my own babysitting business with friends. Great lessons in entrepreneurship for tweens.
The books may be dated with out references to modern technology but the story stands and lessons are still relevant.
Awesome books that girls will love! And the series grows with them! Terrific Author!
I loved this series growing up and wanted to start my own babysitting business with friends. Great lessons in entrepreneurship for tweens.
The books may be dated with out references to modern technology but the story stands and lessons are still relevant.
Awesome books that girls will love! And the series grows with them! Terrific Author!
DNF. As a teacher, it bothers me to read about students being so cruel to a teacher.
Jessi and her classmates are excited for the 6th Grade SMS Follies. Jessi is invested in making these Follies a success, and is a part of the performance committee, the finance committee, and is cast in two roles. But she doesn't feel great about a part she is playing: that of Mr. Trout...a teacher who is constantly being made fun of by his students. After the Follies, Jessi learns that Mr. Trout quit. She feels responsible, and has to find a way to fix it.
I love the follies plot but the BSC books never go into events in a detailed enough way. I wish we'd had a little more dialogue in both shows we were told about.
And, sure, I knew Jessi's prank wasn't going to be horrible for real but...it wasn't even a prank? That said, it does ring true. I think every school has a teacher or two who take themselves a little too seriously to be teachers long term (understandably so--teaching middle school kids must be a nightmare, especially.)
So this one was fun although not unexpected. And I enjoyed the side plot more than the main.
And, sure, I knew Jessi's prank wasn't going to be horrible for real but...it wasn't even a prank? That said, it does ring true. I think every school has a teacher or two who take themselves a little too seriously to be teachers long term (understandably so--teaching middle school kids must be a nightmare, especially.)
So this one was fun although not unexpected. And I enjoyed the side plot more than the main.