Jessi has also won the lead role in the ballet Coppelia. Because
being super sitter and super ballerina is not enough, she arranges for Matt
Braddock and his classmates to come see the ballet and keeps it a secret from
her friends. She also makes friends with one of the girls in her ballet class
who also has a deaf sister.
Interesting Tidbits
This book is dedicated to Cary. Huh. (Added note: I found this article that explains the origin of the name Cary Retlin: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2012/08/scholastics-great-idea-legacy-baby-sitters-club/55900/ )
One of these days, I'm going to open up a package of cocoa and hold a Jessi
book up to the contents, simply because they always describe her as having
cocoa-colored skin.
Jessi wakes Becca up in the morning by putting Squirt down on top of her.
She says there's no nicer way to wake up in the morning. I hope she changed his
diaper first.
Jessi says that Claudia is the most sophisticated eighth grader she knows.
Is this because she hasn't met Stacey yet?
Ohhh, so this is the book! A few months ago my friend Tessie was trying to
touch her tongue to her nose, and I reminded her that there's a BSC book that
said that if you could do it, you'd need a really big bra "eventually
(like when you were eighteen)." Kristy is the only member of the club who
can do it, and she's flat chested at thirteen, so I don't think that holds up.
Not that I thought so before that, but, you know. Also, what if I guy can do
it? Does that mean he'll need a really big jockstrap someday? (BTW, it's Dawn
who brings up this particular piece of idiocy.)
Jenny P eats pudding from a goblet with a silver spoon, while all dressed
up (natch.)
Heh heh heh. Mary Anne, while babysitting Jenny: "We're going to have
fun if it kills us."
Jessi. Do not compare being black and being deaf. It just makes you look
ignorant.
Real book: The Secret Language by Ursula Nordstrom. Jessi and Mal
tell the neighborhood kids Matt knows a secret language so they'll be more
accepting of them. Haley "helps" by teaching the kids all the insults
she knows. This leads the Pike kids to make up their own insults.
Another great quote: "I was sure 'bathroom' was one of the most
popular signs in sign language. It was probably the first one ever made
up." This is in response to the fact that Katie Beth, one of Jessi's dance
classmates and rivals, has a younger sister who is deaf. The sister goes to
boarding school and Katie Beth and her family do not know how to sign at all.
Jessi teaches her a few signs.
Claudia spelling: secrit, langage, babysiting, invinted, entirtane,
Micheal, Kristys, baketball, borthers, siting, gost, dicided, litle. She also
uses its for it's, scars for scares, and which for witch.
Stupid Karen is serving "ghost pate" at Old Ben Brewer's party.
To distract her, Claudia teaches some sign language. So Karen...tells a ghost
story in sign language.
When Jessi has news during club "new business," she raises her
hand. (This is also before Mal and Jessi feel comfortable answering the phone
at meetings.)
Heh heh again. Logan calls during a meeting and talks to MA, who ends the
conversation red faced. Later, MA mentions that Tigger learned how to fetch.
Dawn: "You're just trying to distract us from Logan." MA: "You're absolutely right."
Really long set up: Kristy's mom wishes she were pregnant, setting up #24.
Matt tells Jessi he loves her and she's his best grown-up friend. She can't
decide what the bigger compliment is: love or grown up.
Not much to say about this stinker. Entire chapters go by, and there's just
not anything to belittle or make fun of.
Mrs. Braddock's name is Carolyn.
Jessi's family, the Braddocks and the BSC all go to a restaurant/ice cream
parlor called Good-Time Charley's (sounds like a strip club). Jessi's sure that
Claudia will order a butterscotch sundae, and she does....and mushes it around
so it looks like diarrhea. (The book never says diarrhea, but trust me.)
Outfits
Jessi: leotard and jeans
New Characters
Haley and Matt Braddock (9 and 7)--34 and 32
Next week: if I don't get to the library--and don't hold your breath--it
will probably be #48, Jessi's Wish. We're going to go from the hearing impaired
to a child with cancer. Why are so many Jessi stories "very special
episodes?"
Cool article! Thanks for linking to it.
ReplyDeleteOne particular part of this book that bugged me was the description of Jessi's name sign. She makes a J shape and uses that sign to mimic dancing. The J sign is a dynamic sign and doesn't really work the way it's described in the book. Had she said something like, "I held one hand flat with the palm up and signed J over it, like I was signing 'dance'" then it would have worked better.