Kristy and the Secret of Susan (RS#32)

Original Publication Date: 1990

Ghostwriter? No, this one's all Ann

Synopsis:

(Sorry for the long time between updates. Moving, ugh.)

Kristy starts a month-long sitting job for the Felders' autistic daughter, Susan. She is very autistic, only speaking to sing along with the songs she plays on the piano or to tell people what day of the week a date fell on or will fall on. She has no connection to the outside world. Kristy is hired to give her parents a few hours' break each week while they get ready to send her to another boarding school (institution?). Kristy thinks she can bring Susan out, and works to change her. She takes her to meet her new next-door neighbors, the Hobarts, who have just moved from Australia. They're getting teased about being different, particularly by two bullies, Zach Wolfson and Mel Tucker. Mel also poses as a "friend" of Susan's, which thrills (naive) Kristy, until she realizes he's treating her a sideshow freak, charging neighborhood kids a dollar to see her perform her tricks (piano and the dates). The Hobarts end up fitting in (one is even invited to Zach's birthday party...and another starts going out with Mallory), but Susan makes no progress. Kristy comes to see Susan off to her new school, and learns that her parents are expecting a second child, another daughter named Hope. They mention they've had several tests done and, while autism can't be detected in utero, the baby looks healthy so far.

While I've read a lot of criticism about Kristy's attitude ("I can change her, no matter what her parents say!"), I think it's realistic for a head-strong thirteen-year-old who's never met anyone with autism before. I also think it's realistic that her parents would want their other child to have no difficulties in life. My nephew has some congenital defects and some delays, but since he's only two it's hard to tell how severe. While none of us would change his personality for the world, I can tell that you that given the chance to fix his physical deformities (for example, he was born with fused fingers and toes, among other things), I'd do it in a heartbeat.


Established or continued in this book:


The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: Mentos in her dresser drawer, Twinkies and Oreos

Kristy thinks Mary Anne is prettier than she (Kristy) is, and that Dawn is "drop-dead gorgeous" but doesn't realize it. Maybe that's why Mary Anne initially described Dawn as nice-looking but not exactly pretty: it's all relative.

Kristy also describes both Claudia and Stacey as boy-crazy. Usually it's just Stacey, but she is currently tied with Claudia for crushes at five each.

Claudia gets nervous as the Hobarts swing faster and higher, because she's heard that it might be possible to go over the top. How about, instead of making seem dumber, she's scared because she broke her leg on a swing?

Stacey's still feeling under the weather (foreshadowing!).


Their Families:

Boo-Boo the cat only gets along with Shannon the dog.

People used the tease the eight Pike kids by calling them Spiders.

Nannie knows how to knit, and from the description of the sweater she's making Emily Michelle, she might know intarsia or fair isle (which are complicated).


The Club:

New clients: the Felders (Susan, who's severely autistic) and the Hobarts (four boys, the three youngest of whom they sit for).

Kristy credits David Michael with starting the BSC by being its inspiration.

I've mentioned before that during the school year, Kristy should just walk to a friend's house or stay at the library to wait for the meetings so Charlie doesn't have to drive her, but this REALLY doesn't make sense: when sitting for the Felders, she has Charlie drive her there right after school. Why?

Jessi's long-term job with Braddocks is mentioned here only in past tense.


SMS:

SMS has a "special-ed" class.


PSA time:

Mrs. Felder gets this right: from what my (Deaf) ASL teacher told us, "handicapped" is preferable to "disabled." While both mean essentially the same thing, the latter is more blunt in saying that the individual lacks an ability. She made the analogy that disabled is to handicapped as dumb is to mute.


Misc:

It's pretty mean the way the neighborhood kids make fun of the Hobarts because they have different slang. But they might be justified about mocking Vegemite. A lot of Australian food is delicious (mmm, Caramel Koalas and Chocolate Frogs), but Vegemite is disgusting.


The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 2

Halloweens in 8th grade: 1

Summers after 8th grade: 1

BSC Fights: 5

SMS Staff: 15

Students (other than the BSC): 35 8th graders, five sixth-graders, five unspecified

Clients: 24

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 38 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, Cheese Doodles, a chocolate bar, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers, cupcakes, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, gumdrops, Fritos, Gummi Bears, Heath bars, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, Mentos, mini candy bars, Oreos (Double Stuf), popcorn, pretzels, pretzel sticks, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, taco chips, Tootsie Roll Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)

Crushes: Claudia-5 (Guy, Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne, Will Yamakawa), Dawn-1 (Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-5 (Toby, Pete Black, Pierre D'Amboise, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor), Mallory-1 (Ben Hobart)

Dawn's Wicked Stepsister (RS#31)

Original Publication Date: 1990

Ghostwriter? No, and Ann wrote the one just before this, too

Synopsis:

We open with the resolution of last book's cliffhanger: Mary Anne catches Sharon's bouquet. Dawn tries not to be upset by it, focusing instead on the excitement of having a sister. Their parents spend the night at a hotel while the girls spend one last night at the Spiers' house. The next day, they all move in to the Schafers'.

Things are tense. Richard is a neat freak and Sharon does things like putting shoes in the vegetable crisper; the Schafers are vegetarian and the Spiers are omnivores. While the parents are usually painfully polite about things, Dawn and Mary Anne have several spats in their shared--and cramped--bedroom. We get to see lots of Mary Anne cattiness, like her boasting about having a boyfriend and implying that Dawn's fat. Things get so bad that Dawn realizes her idea of their sharing a room was a bad one. But how to get Mary Anne out of Dawn's room and into the guest room? A reasonable discussion perhaps?

Don't be silly. Use the secret passage to terrify Mary Anne into leaving! With her brother's help, Dawn comes up with an elaborate plan and succeeds in making Mary Anne believe the ghost of the secret passage is out to get her. Mary Anne moves into the guest room, the family decides to be more open with each other and not try to change each other's habits, and life goes much more smoothly.

And the moment you've all been waiting for. From the last entry: ...Dawn surprises Mary Anne with a silver hair clip, as a "Now We're Sisters" present. I repeat, DAWN gives it to MARY ANNE. Stay tuned for what may be the most famous continuity fail...

And in this book, Dawn is looking for extra sitting jobs to earn money to buy Mary Anne a "Now We're Sisters" present because MARY ANNE surprised DAWN with one at the wedding. But in a bit of continuity win, Dawn gives Mary Anne a cat pin that she knew she'd like. The pin was one of Mary Anne's ideas for a birthday present for Sharon.


Established or continued in this book:


The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: pretzels in her closet, Tootsie rolls and pretzel sticks in her desk

I think this is the first time that Claudia is described as actively not liking sports, rather than just not being on a team. Mary Anne hates sports, too, but I think that's been mentioned.


Their Families:

When Mary Anne comments that she and Dawn are stepsisters, Dawn corrects her "Just sisters." My mom has several varieties of siblings (full, step, half; and some of them adopted) but she's always just called them her brothers and sisters.

Dawn's parents were married 16 years ago, which is about when Stacey's parents got married. Must have been a bad year.

Dawn's mom doesn't drink coffee.

Dawn's dad is dating Carol in this book.


The Club:

Mary Anne recalls the Phantom Phone caller storyline from RS#2, including the burglar alarms she set at the Thomas house. Dawn recounts the Mother's Day surprise from RS#24.

"Mary Anne has not made a single scheduling mistake." Well, she did forget to write down a job in RS#27 until Dawn reminded her to. Dawn also gives the wrong reason for Mary Anne's being the secretary, but since Dawn wasn't in Stoneybrook when the BSC first formed I'll let it pass.

Dawn also says Kristy has never missed a meeting, but she missed a few in the first four books and another when Louie died.

Mallory leaves a meeting sick, which is a first for any BSC member. She turns out to have chicken pox for the second time. This is the book in which every Pike has something: the triplets share a case of viral pneumonia, Nicky breaks three fingers, Vanessa ends up with a badly sprained ankle and some abrasions, Claire and Margo get bronchitis, Mrs. Pike hurts her knee and is on crutches, and Mr. Pike burns his hand badly. Mallory, by the way, ends up with chicken pox scars in "unmentionable places."


SMS: Nothing new


PSA time:

Dawn seems to think that time zones are a miracle of modern science (that's the term she uses when describing the time difference between the East and West coasts). Someone needs to explain to her how Earth revolves and rotates around the sun. Hint: it's not that modern.


Misc:

No one thinks to keep Tigger out of the way of the movers. Idiots. Although, it taught me to be sure the cat was safely stowed in a bathroom with a litter box, water, and food when I moved.

I find it bizarre that Dawn thinks dividers for silverware drawers (Richard's idea) are weird. What did they do before, just throw all the forks, knives, and spoons in a drawer haphazardly? She also criticizes Richard for going over their phone bill. But that makes perfect sense: what if they were overcharged?

Mom, if you read the bit about chicken pox scars and start to feel bad about the almost-invisible one on my chin again, don't. I like it.


The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 2

Halloweens in 8th grade: 1

Summers after 8th grade: 1

BSC Fights: 5

SMS Staff: 15

Students (other than the BSC): 35 8th graders, five sixth-graders, five unspecified

Clients: 22

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 37 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, Cheese Doodles, a chocolate bar, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers, cupcakes, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, gumdrops, Fritos, Gummi Bears, Heath bars, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, mini candy bars, Oreos (Double Stuf), popcorn, pretzels, pretzel sticks, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, taco chips, Tootsie Roll Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)

Crushes: Claudia-5 (Guy, Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne, Will Yamakawa), Dawn-1 (Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-5 (Toby, Pete Black, Pierre D'Amboise, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor)