Mary Anne Saves the Day (GN#3)

Original Publication Date: 2007

Ghostwriter? No, the text copyright is for Ann M. Martin.

Illustrator: Raina Telgemeier

Synopsis:

This graphic novel version of Mary Anne Saves the Day is faithful to the original book. Some fun additions are Mary Anne daydreaming of wowing her classmates with a new look, and a visualization of a nightmare that the other three members of the BSC make up and shut her out. The drawings that flesh out the fights, meeting Dawn, and other events are done very well.


Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: Ring Dings


Their Families:

It just occurred to me that Mary Anne and her father are shown praying before meals, one of the few times we see a character participating in a religious activity. And Mary Anne's father is fairly strict and controlling in the early books. Later religious characters are sometimes portrayed as straw men, like Merry Dow's censorship-crusading mother. I wonder if Martin has had some less-than-pleasant interaction with holier-than-thou types.

Richard Spier is illustrated with a beard. I've always pictured him clean-shaven, probably because my dad is a lawyer and doesn't have facial hair.

Mary Anne's internal dialogue says her mom died of cancer. Previous books had her dying of some sort of lingering illness, and cancer certainly fits the bill.

Mary Anne and her dad:



Dawn arranges a meeting for her mom and Mary Anne's dad (pretty much exactly how I pictured it):




The Club (and clients):

Mary Anne's handwriting:



Mr. Prezzioso tips Mary Anne and Dawn each $50 instead of $20.

Mary Anne with a sick Jenny:



The Pikes:



Dawn officially joins the club:




SMS:

The Shillaber twins are brunettes. There were three sets of twins in my class, a total of four girls and two boys. For some reason I've been associating the set of blonde-haired fraternal sisters with the Shillabers rather than the brown-haired identical sisters (the boys were also identical). I didn't realize that until I saw the drawing and the Shillaber twins weren't blonde.



PSA Time: Nothing stood out


Misc:

Martin dedicates this book to her "Beth McKeever Perkins, my old baby-sitting buddy. With Love (and years of memories)," and Telgemeier gives "thanks to David Saylor, Cassandra Pelham, Ellie Berger, Marion Vitus, Alisa Harris, Alison Wilgus, Zack Giallongo, Steve Flak, Phil Falco, Braden Lamb, and John Green. And of course, thanks to my husband, Dave Roman, for always encouraging me to do my best."