Stacey and the Boyfriend Trap (FF#6)

Original Publication Date: 2000

Ghostwriter? Yes, Suzanne Weyn.

Synopsis:

Through a variety of coincidences, several of Stacey's former crushes and boyfriends are going to be in the area at the same time: Ethan, Robert, Toby from Sea City, Pete Black, Sam Thomas, Mr. Ellenburg, and of course Jeremy is around, too. Most of them are helping with a teacher's going-away party; Toby happens to be in town on the same day the party is scheduled and Ethan drops by for a visit while looking at a nearby art exhibit. All the guys end up at the party for various reasons. One good thing about the party: it finally allows a conversation between Claudia and Stacey that leads to their making up.

Back to all the guys. Seeing Stacey around so many ex-boyfriends makes Jeremy realize that he and Stacey have very little in common, especially compared to the other guys. They break up, but Stacey isn't too upset about it, because she realizes that Jeremy was right. The party goes well, and after it, Stacey and her mom give Ethan a ride to the train station so he can get back to New York. He and Stacey talk, and Stacey sees that maybe of all the guys, he's the best one for her.


Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: none mentioned

Stacey orders shrimp cocktail, but I'm almost certain that an earlier book mentioned she can't have the cocktail sauce due to her diabetes.

Stacey says she and Ethan aren't old enough to drink coffee, but they have before...plus, 13 and 15 isn't that young for someone to drink coffee once in a while. So I've heard; I still don't like it and I'm almost twice Ethan's age.


Their Families: nothing new.


The Club (and clients): nothing new.


SMS:

I'll have to subtract a teacher from my SMS roster: Mr. Zizmore is moving to Houston, where his wife has secured a job with NASA. But the number stays the same, since Mr. Ellenburg is hired to replace him.

Robert seems to not be completely back to his old self, which seems reasonable if he was suffering from depression. Unfortunately, clinical depression isn't something you recover from instantly.


PSA Time: nothing stood out.


Misc:

When Stacey tells the readers about Toby, she explains how she met him one summer, they broke up the next, then he went after Mallory the next summer. Thanks to the repeating cycle of the books, those last two summers are the same ones, taking place before eighth grade (and in the case of the latter, after eighth grade).

College and the military aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, ROTC has some great scholarships for people interested in military.



The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 12

Halloweens in 8th grade: 6 (plus one in seventh)

Thanksgivings in 8th grade: 5

Winter holidays in 8th grade (that BSC members celebrate in the plot of a book, not just reference): Christmas-6, Hanukkah-2, Kwanzaa-3

Valentine's Days in 8th grade: 5

St. Patrick's Days in 8th grade: 1

Summers after 8th grade: 12

BSC Fights: 13

SMS Staff and Faculty: 69

Students (other than the BSC): 217: 123 8th graders (not including Amelia Freeman, who is deceased), 30 7th graders, 48 6th graders, 16 unspecified. Baby-sitters' Winter Vacation tells us that SMS has about 380 students.

Clients: 38 families

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 150

Crushes:
Stacey-13
Claudia-12
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-3
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-2
Abby-0