Thoughts before reading:
Not gonna lie, I've been very excited about getting to this one. We haven't had a Stacey book since #18, and she's hardly been in any of the other books since then either. I'm definitely ready for her to move back. I know I've already said this, but I really think she livens things up. She was my favorite character when I was a kid, and so far she's still one of them.
This book was also a childhood favorite, but I don't remember many of the details anymore. I do know that Stacey has to make a choice about where to live, New York or Stoneybrook. Not much suspense about what she picks though, based on this title...she's also already listed on the back cover as treasurer of the BSC again.
The basics:
Stacey's parents have been fighting a lot lately, which she's been upset over. She's returning home from a sitting job when she hears them going at it again. Since she can hear the nasty fight from the hall, she flees to Laine's instead of going in. Laine tries to offer some comfort, and Stacey also calls the BSC during their meeting so she can hear their voices. Afterward she finally returns home, where it's now silent. Her parents immediately sit her down and announce that they are getting a divorce. She's angry, but mostly because deep down she knows that they do need to separate.
The next day Stacey's in a fog, avoiding her friends, ignoring her parents, and worrying. After school her parents force her to sit and talk to them again. They discuss the custody agreement, which they are leaving entirely up to her to decide. Her mom wants to return to Stoneybrook, and her dad is staying in the city, but getting a new apartment. Stacey's now left to choose between her parents, friends, and schools.
After doing a lot of worrying over how hurt the parent she doesn't choose will be, Stacey gets overwhelmed by her problems. She decides to try and get her parents back together instead. Predictably though, none of her romance plans work out very well. Both of her parents are too busy looking for new places to live to even realize what she's up to. Her mom goes to look at houses in Stoneybrook one weekend, and Stacey tags along to see Claudia. Most of the houses they see are older and need work done, but there's one old 1880s era place they like. It's even right behind Mallory's house. Stacey gets to spend the night with Claudia too, and they have a BSC sleepover. It's a fun time, but she still thinks of NYC as her home.
Back in the city though, she comes to realize her mom is waiting on her decision to pick a house. The Stoneybrook house is too big for one person, so she starts looking around in Long Island. Stacey definitely doesn't want to live there, so she makes a pro/con list and ends up deciding to live with her mom. They buy the old house right away. Stacey then faces telling her dad, but he takes the news well. Both of them end up crying together though.
When Stacey and her mom arrive back in Stoneybrook to stay, they are greeted by the whole BSC and tons of kids waiting outside their new home. Claudia stays behind to help unpack when everyone else clears out. Stacey confides that she's not sure she made the right choice, and Claudia's very understanding. Despite these conflicting feelings, she ultimately decides she's glad to be back.
Timeline:
Sometime during the school year, and the events of this book take at least a few weeks.
My thoughts:
I felt terrible for Stacey in this book. She took the news about her parents about the way you'd expect a teenager to, getting snarky, slamming doors, and refusing to talk to them for awhile. Despite all this though, she does ask some mature questions and handle making some huge life choices. I've seen much older teens react way worse in various media, honestly (I'm looking at you right now, Dawson...). I think Stacey's anger was completely justified. It would be extra hard to go through a divorce as an only child, plus she's already had a lot of changes in her life. Within the last 2-ish years, she's been through 2 moves, the diabetes, being sick, and losing all her childhood friends. During all of this, her parents were her only stability. Now that's gone forever.
Now add to all of this the ridiculous set up of this book, where two adults make their 13 year old daughter choose between them. After her initial day of sulking, her dad flat out tells her she's had 24 hours to absorb the news and now they need to move on with things. I was immediately horrified. Both of the adults have had MONTHS by this point to process and make their decision! She only just found everything out! Then they leave the burden of deciding a custody arrangement on her? What a thing to do to a kid. That's so much guilt to put on her! She obviously knows whichever parent she doesn't choose is going to be hurt, and left living alone. Isn't this what legal custody arrangements exist to avoid? It would be a lot kinder to have a judge in family court privately discuss her wishes with her, and then make an official plan. As if this wasn't bad enough, of course they can't resist getting petty about it too. Her mom tries to guilt her, and her dad tries to bribe her. They are also still constantly fighting in front of their daughter, over every little thing, often making her cry.
By the end of all this madness, this book had me really impressed with Stacey. Given all these terrible circumstances, she actually handles herself really well. Setting aside some petty behavior that stemmed from her anger at her parents (again, I think she had every right to be angry) she deals with her new reality very maturely. She does end up making a choice, something that's very difficult for her to do. The final choice is the result of a lot of careful thought and list making too, not in any way impulsive. She takes her mom's guilt and her dad's bribery in stride. She's also able to keep from being swayed by her friends, a very impressive feat for a kid of any age. Then she handles telling her parents really well, staying calm and firm. I definitely ended this book liking her a lot more.
There's also a few other stand out moments for her character in here. In one, she mentions how she considers Judy, the homeless woman that hangs around her neighborhood, a friend. How many teenagers would say the same? Despite her good looks and "sophistication" that we always hear about in EVERY book, she's refreshingly down to earth, and not stuck up. Stacey also acknowledges her privileges again when, in the height of her misery about her parents divorce, she still thinks about how much worse she could have it after seeing Judy. Impressive perspective from a teenager. There's also some insight from Stacey about how insults can hurt just as much as fists, and they are just as impossible to take back. She discusses how being black, Jewish, Italian, etc. doesn't matter to her, because she only sees the person. Now if only she could educate the rest of Stoneybrook!
Misc:
*We learn Stacey's dad proposed to her mom on a carriage ride through Central Park
*Claudia tells Stacey she'll always be her best friend, no matter where she lives, during the time Stacey's struggling to make a choice. Claudia's a really good friend to her.
*Stacey says she likes to look good for herself, not others. That's a good thing to teach little girls, I approve.
*There's a lot of nice friendship moments between Stacey and Claudia in here. During one of them, they talk about Mimi and grief.
Books mentioned:
Stacey reads a ton of picture books to Henry and Grace, her favorite NYC sitting charges. Those mentioned are:
*Millions of Cats
*Outside Over There
*The Snowy Day
*The Owl and the Pussycat
*Angus and the Ducks
My rating:
4 stars, another tough childhood topic handled very well.
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