I've read this before but I don't really remember the plot, aside from the obvious. Of course I enjoyed the CA set books as a kid, so this was one I read a few times. I have been looking forward to revisiting this one though, because AMM's generalizations so far about California have been hilarious. Now with a whole book set there, who knows what she'll come up with? You would think a little research into California would correct all this, even if she never went there herself, but clearly that didn't happen.
The basics:
Spring break has arrived, and Dawn is going to visit her father and Jeff in California for two weeks. The BSC throws her a farewell party at Kristy's house. Dawn feels guilty about leaving her mom, but is really excited about her trip. She just worries that no one will be there to look after her mom, and do things like make sure she has her keys and matching earrings.
After a rough flight with a terrible stewardess, Dawn lands in Orange County and reunites with her dad and Jeff. She hasn't seen them in awhile, and everyone is really excited. Her dad was able to take the first week off work, and he takes them to Disneyland one day, then the beach with friends another. Her old best friend Sunny surprises her with her own babysitting club, The We 💓 Kids Club. Dawn gets to attend a meeting, and is impressed by how relaxed and informal it is. They even have healthy snacks. Sunny arranges for Dawn to get a job babysitting for her old favorite charges too, Clover and Daffodil.
Dawn is having such a great time, in fact, that she starts to have mixed feelings about it. She doesn't want to remember everything she loves about California, because she already secretly wants to move back like Jeff did. After her babysitting job goes really well, she realizes she went all day without thinking about anyone from Connecticut, and feels even more torn between her two worlds. Now she starts letting herself really dream about staying. She mentions it to her dad, and he and Jeff are thrilled. Her dad kindly reminds her to really think it through, so she makes a pro/con list. California is the clear winner.
Despite this outcome, the thought of staying still makes her feel guilty. She wants to talk it through with someone who will listen, but she can't get a hold of Mary Anne, and Sunny just pressures her to stay. Dawn gets frustrated and on one of her last days in CA, she changes her mind, deciding to go back to CT. Her dad is very understanding, even though Jeff is upset. When she calls her mom to explain what she's been struggling with, her mom says she knew if she went to CA she would consider staying, but she'd miss her so much if she did.
When Dawn returns to CT after her trip, the whole BSC and her mom greet her at the airport. She's happy to be home, thinking about all the people she would miss and how the BSC needs her.
Timeline:
Spring break of 8th grade, and spans 2 weeks. Finally an easy answer!
My thoughts:
I had a LOT of strong feelings and opinions about this book, so everyone get comfortable!
I've already ranted about the Schafer's custody situation, and how messed up it was for their mom to move them across the country from their dad and everything they had ever known. Especially considering they were probably still heartbroken from the divorce. That alone would be enough to really mess a kid up. I'll try to avoid going over the same stuff again, but this book had a lot to do with all of those issues.
It was heartbreaking to me that Dawn couldn't even take a vacation to see the rest of her family without worrying about how her mom would do alone. She's the kid, and should not be forced to parent her mom, or to feel guilty over her. If Ms. Schafer can't clean up her own damn house, put her kids first when making big decisions, or even wear matching shoes on a date, she was not ready to become a parent in the first place. It all seems so selfish to me. How hard would it be, if she's really so close to Dawn, to open her eyes and notice how all of these things affect her daughter? I definitely think a big part of the reason Dawn wanted to stay in California after this trip was because she gets to be a kid there. She has less to worry about, so she can actually relax and have fun. Her dad is the complete opposite of her mom: calm, organized, level headed, practical. These are all traits that Dawn also exhibits herself. Her mom should be able to focus on her children instead of herself for long enough to see this, figure it out, and get her act together. I dislike her all the more after this book. She's by far my least favorite BSC parent.
Even when Dawn was having fun in this book, you could tell she couldn't fully enjoy it because of her guilt over wanting to live in California again. She's already been feeling that way since Jeff left, back in #15. She just will not leave her mom alone. After she finally lets herself seriously consider staying in California, she still ends up changing her mind back to CT really quickly. We aren't even told why, other than that she misses the people there...but that's a given, no matter which place she decides to live. The real reason is because she feels like her mom would never be okay without her. Later on, when her mom is happily married, she ends up moving back to CA finally because she knows someone else will be taking care of her. That burden is finally lifted from Dawn's shoulders, and she's free to make her own choice.
Dawn also says she wishes her mom could move back to CA too, but she knows it's impossible and quickly lets the idea go. The thing is though, it's not impossible at all at this point. It would be the selfless thing for Mrs. Schafer to do. She should be with her young children, and she should admit her mistake in taking them away from their home and loving father. Mr. Schafer seems really concerned and kind towards her in here, when asking Dawn how her mother is getting along. He would definitely help her move back and get on her feet again.
Also, the letter Dawn's mom sends her? Total guilt trip. She tells Dawn after that she always knew the trip would make Dawn consider staying in CA. Knowing that then, she wrote Dawn a letter about how she couldn't wait to pick her up at the airport, how big her smile would be, and how much she would miss her? All true things of course, but seems low to me. At least give her some space to be her own person and think while she's away. Let her come to you if she wants to talk, which she ultimately does.
On to a new topic finally, haha: Kristy's brother Sam was called Sam Brewer in here, even though his last name should be Thomas. There are tons of continuity errors like this later on, but this book isn't ghost written. The weirder thing is that this mistake happens in at least one other book later that I can remember. It's always just with him though. Kristy, Charlie, and David Michael are always Thomas. It had me wondering if Sam had decided to change his name? If so, we would really need a mention of it from Kristy at some point. It wouldn't be implausible. He really likes and respects Watson, and hates his own father. I did some research though, and apparently it is just an error, and he is a Thomas. Still, really weird to see the same error repeated...
Reading this really inspired me to try the California Diaries series. I've never read any of those, because I had moved on from the BSC by the time they were popular. I have heard that Dawn is awful in them though, and I'm not sure I want her character to be ruined for me.
Misc:
*It was awfully nice of the BSC girls to let Karen hang out with them at their sleepover. Most older siblings and friends would never.
*Dawn kept saying her stewardess looked like a kewpie doll? I had no idea what that was, so I had to look it up:
It's so much more disturbing than I imagined!*Dawn was crazy excited to go to Disneyland, but in the SS #1 she was bored and unimpressed by Disney World because she had gone to Disneyland so many times. Yet in here she goes on and on about loving it.
*Apparently in the 80s Disneyland had a 3D Michael Jackson video attraction? Sounds terrifying.
*Jeff really missed Dawn, and kept taking tons of pictures of her, showing off, and trying to keep her attention. It was really sad. This family is so messed up.
*Dawn describes herself as even tempered: not around Kristy though, LOL.
*Sunny's babysitting club has a recipe file, which I thought was a really good idea. They cook with their charges and bring over easy, healthy recipes for them, then keep track of all the creations. It was nice to see a new, fresh idea that someone besides Kristy came up with. I also liked how they showed how a club can be fun and informal while still being successful.
*One of the meals Dawn enjoys in CA is fish fillets covered in cheese sauce? How is that healthy?
*Do we ever find out why the Schafers got divorced? This book made me really curious.
*Another book that never happened listed in the back: #43, Stacey's Revenge.
California stereotypes:
I think this deserves its own category this time!
*Everyone in California is not a hippy. See the following names from this book: Dawn, Sunny, Sunshine, Clover, Daffodil.
*Putting broccoli on a pizza does not make it healthy.
*All Californians are not blond! Yet Dawn, her whole family, and all her friends are.
*People in Cali do not only go to the beach during the summer.
*Everyone does not eat healthy, nor does everyone eat almost meatless. We also don't eat tons of seafood and avocados.
Books mentioned:
*Sunny has Ghost in Whitcomb Briar, Seven Gothic Ghosts, and Spirits Spooks and Ghostly Tales. Unfortunately, these all seem to be fictional. I wonder why they didn't promote real books this time? There are tons of spooky stories for kids out there, even in the 80s.
My rating:
4 stars, this was a good read, with a lot going on under the surface. Of course, I could be overthinking it, but what else is a blog for?
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