The
story of Abby! Dum da dum! Heh, drama.
From
Birth to Backpack: Abby as a small fry, looking identical to Anna but not
acting identically
Red and
Blue Just Won’t Do: In first grade, Abby and Anna’s teacher couldn’t tell them
apart, so she makes them each only dress in one color
Without
Dad: Abby’s dad dies in a car accident
The
Shooting Star: Abby’s family goes on vacation to Florida, but they don’t spend
any time together until Abby makes them enjoy each other’s company
New
Places, New Faces: Abby’s point of view on moving to Stoneybrook
Interesting
Tidbits
The
cover: Abby’s actually kinda cute here. And according to the note on the inside
of the book, that’s actually a real Aretha Franklin CD cover.
Abby
says she doesn’t approve of forcing kids to write about their lives instead of
living it. But we’re also talking about a girl who forgot she had to write a
whole autobiography assignment until the weekend before it was due, so that
explains a whole lot.
Anna is
eight minutes older than Abby, but she walked a couple of hours earlier than
Anna did. I would have thought, given their personalities, that Abby would have
walked early and Anna would have chilled for a month or two until she decided
to join her.
This is
stupid. Abby’s parents knew they were having twins. They even knew they were
having identical twins and that they were girls. But her parents were
completely surprised by the fact that their twins arrived early. I would think
that would be something they’d prepare for, since that’s pretty par for the
course for twins.
Oh,
Abby. She even makes preschool puns.
Abby
hates that no one can tell her and Anna apart in first grade and calls them
both Abby-Anna. Being five, she can’t vocalize what’s bothering her. You’d
think that the kids would figure it out eventually, since even then, the two of
them had completely different interests, but it’s not helped by the fact that
the two girls insisted upon identical school supplies and insist upon wearing
the same outfit. It’s the same story as the Arnold twins: twins with different
interests and different personalities, who dress identically. Only difference?
Mrs. Arnold made her daughters dress
that way. It just never occurred to Abby and Anna that they could wear
different clothes and still be twins.
I’ve
always wondered when schools switched to allowing twins to be in the same
classroom. When I was in elementary school, twins had to be separated so they
would develop separate identities. I can see how that would be difficult for
some twins, though, so I could see letting them stay together for a couple of
years.
Abby
and Anna switch colors so that Abby can prove no one can tell them apart. When
their dad comes to school at recess, he can tell they’ve switched but goes
along with their scheme. Unfortunately, the girls think their dad can’t tell
them apart either, and it depresses them enough that they tell their parents
what’s been happening at school
So,
school starts after Labor Day where Abby lives, yet by October 15—six weeks
later—there’s been enough time for a) everyone to confuse the Stevensons’
identities b) the two of them to wear their colors and c) the two of them to
look different long enough that they establish separate friends who know their
identities. Sure.
Abby
and her dad have an ongoing joke about Abby rolling her eyes and saying how
much she love meatballs. I’m not sure
if there’s something I’m not getting or if it’s just a lame joke. (That’s
actually the last thing she ever said to her dad before he died, so I have to
wonder how long it took before she ever ate another meatball.)
Oh, and
with all the pasta here—the spaghetti and meatballs Abby’s dad was going to
make for dinner that night, the ziti casserole a neighbor brings over after
hearing about the accident—all I can think is, isn’t Abby allergic to tomatoes?
Abby
overhears her grandfather say that his death was instantaneous, so her dad
didn’t suffer. I was Abby’s age when my grandfather died and no one told me
anything, but I overheard stuff. A lot of stuff. Some of it made it harder to
sleep and some of it made me easier. Honestly, looking back, I really wish
someone had just told me straight up that he had a DNR and they’d pulled the
plug, but I think they didn’t think I could handle it.
Even
though this book is really lame, I found myself trying not to cry when Abby and
Anna were talking to their mother. It had been a little more than a month since
their dad died, and there was no food in the pantry, no dishwashing detergent,
a house full of dirty dishes and full trashcans, and Abby admits she’s worn the
same pair of socks for three days in a row. Abby says they need to pull the house
together, and her mother says she needs to pull herself together. It’s sad because it’s actually realistic. I can’t
even imagine what it must be like to lose a husband…never mind having to carry
on for your daughters. Hard.
I like
this: Abby’s family pretty well fell apart after her father died. This was
partly because he was all about routine and traditions, and her mother couldn’t
stand to follow those routines because they hurt too much. They got back into
routines a couple months after her father died, when Rachel Stevenson decided
to pull herself together for the sake of her daughters. But it took them
several years to figure out that they needed to start new traditions as a way
to honor their father and become a family again.
Abby’s
friends from Long Island? Elvia, Jennifer and Joyce. I go back to the idea I
had last week that the writers just started using a random name generator at
some point and didn’t stop to think how many people named Elvia or Joyce were
born in 1984. (This book: 1997. Abby’s friends: 13.)
Oh, and
apparently all/most of Abby’s LI friends were also Jewish.
It’s so
much more obvious in the Abby books how all these characters are so
one-dimensional. When the Stevensons decorate their Stoneybrook house, Anna
picks out a four-poster bed and flowery, Laura Ashley-esque wallpaper—a match
for the types of clothes she is usually portrayed wearing—and is mostly
concerned about where she’ll put her stereo and CD collection. Abby picks a
traditionally-masculine wallpaper with tan and blue stripes and is interested
in a fold-out couch for her friends to sleep on. At their going away party,
their friends give Anna violin CDs and Abby a bunch of balls. It’s obvious
through all this that Anna is very introverted while Abby is—duh—the extrovert
of the two, and then of course, one likes sports and the other likes music….
Actually,
I think it would be a lot more interesting if Abby, the outgoing, smart-mouthed
one, dressed like a future nun and played the violin, while Anna, the
introverted, quiet one, were into sports and dressed like she had no fashion
sense.
Anna
says the title quote, followed by, “We have to go back to Old Woodbury.” (Their
mother reiterates that Abby also ‘has allergic reactions when she’s under
stress.’ So she’s suggesting that Abby’s allergic to her emotions?
Abby
acknowledges that she and Kristy have a lot in common, commenting how odd it
was that Kristy seemed to like Anna better when they first met. She does admit
that she was telling her crappiest jokes at the Thomas’ house when they spent
the night there, but otherwise seems confused as to why Kristy was so opposed
to her in the first place.
When
Abby makes a really bad rhyme-pun, Kristy compares her to Vanessa. This is both
awesome and awful at the same time. I can’t decide who should be more insulted,
Abby or Vanessa.
Abby
gets an A-. Didn’t some of the other girls get two grades, one for content and
one for mechanics? I know Claudia did, because she got a decent grade for
content and a lousy grade for mechanics like spelling.
Outfits
Five
year old Anna and Abby: white t-shirts, green cardigans, black jeans; overalls
and a yellow shirt (Abby); flower-print dress (Anna)
Nine
year old Abby: jeans, turtleneck, cowboy vest
Next:
#107
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