Kristy and the Walking Disaster (RS#20)

Original Publication Date: 1989

Ghostwriter? No

Synopsis:

Sorry for not posting last week. This is just about my least favorite book (I find it boring). Also I was coaching (so you'd think this would interest me, but you'd be wrong) at a high school track meet last weekend and one of my high jumpers missed the mat when he landed. While he did make the height, he ended up in the hospital with a concussion. He's okay now, but no more track this season. I also gave a friend a baby shower. Mostly it's because I don't like this book, though. Anyway...

Kristy notices that several kids, including her younger siblings, need a lot more baseball practice. Most are old enough for T-ball or Little League, but don't have the confidence. Kristy starts a team for them (Kristy's Krushers) and the kids gradually get better. They even play a game against Bart's Bashers, coached by one of Kristy's neighbors...one she has a crush on. It's a very high scoring game: 16-11, Bashers. The Krushers are proud they held their own against the other team, which is comprised of older, stronger, better players.

The "walking disaster" bit in the title refers to Jackie Rowdowsky, whose clumsiness makes it hard for him to play. But he gains confidence, which helps.

This is just a really boring book to me. Clearly, most of the kids just need coaching (Matt Braddock needs an interpreter). I'm not sure why an already-existing team wouldn't work, but whatever. Then we wouldn't have this glorious plot.


Established or continued in this book:


The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: Cheese Doodles and mini candy bars under her bed; unspecified candy in her pants pocket; Twinkies, Doritos, Mallomars, and Gummi Bears.

Jessi declines helping Kristy coach because "I'm a dancer, not an athlete." I understand that ballet is different from baseball, but ballet is also a pretty athletic endeavor.

Claudia's spelling is starting its downhill slide. She and Mallory are co-writing a notebook entry and Mallory doesn't seem to even understand what some the words are supposed to be.

There's some nice Kristy-Watson bonding.


Their Families:

Karen and Andrew's custody arrangement seems almost like National Guard duty. They're at Watson's every other weekend and two weeks in the summer. "One weekend a month, two weeks a year."

The story of how Kristy first met Karen and Andrew remains intact.

Kristy's mom is still talking about wanting another kid and "she's at least 37."

Watson is "a huge baseball fan," which will pop up in later books.

Karen is so spoiled. I don't care that you know how to spell, your shirt will have the same name as the rest of your team or you don't need to be a part of it. The Krushers (not Crushers) would still have 19 players which is more than enough. Coaches don't need entitled brats on their teams. And I say that having coached my own brother in three different sports (but he IS a team player).

Claire Pike only throws tantrums related to baseball. I can't imagine that won't cause continuity issues.


The Club:

Suspiciously absent from a list of the BSC's expenses is paying Charlie to drive Kristy to and from meetings.

The Kuhns are introduced.


SMS: Nothing new.


PSA time: nothing, really.

Misc:

Wow. Kristy actually uses "us sitters" as the object of the sentence, i.e.; in the correct manner.

But then she screws it up a couple chapters later.

And again.

Archie Rodowsky is left-handed. But...so is Kristy. That's why she plays first base and uses a left-hander's glove (this will be confirmed in Kristy's Portrait Book). She claims it's harder to pitch to Archie, but it should be easier. FOUL.

Close but not quite, Kristy. Waving is "Hello" in sign language not "Hi." For the latter, just sign the letters "H" and "I" in a fast and fluid manner.

Bart Taylor has a rottweiler.


The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 1

Halloweens in 8th grade: 1

BSC Fights: 4

SMS Staff: 13 (2 6th grade, 3 7th grade, 4 8th grade, 2 elective, 1 vice-principal, 1 secretary)

Students: 32 8th graders, six sixth-graders

Clients: 18

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 32 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, Cheese Doodles, a chocolate bar, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers, cupcakes, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, gumdrops, Gummi Bears, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, mini candy bars, Oreos (Double Stuf), pretzels, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, Tootsie Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)

Crushes: Claudia-3 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne), Dawn-1 (Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-4 (Toby, Pete Black, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor)