Thoughts before reading:
I've never read this one before, and I can't drum up much excitement for it either. I really just want to get back to the regular series. By now I've hit the point where sometimes I have to read a few books just to get to the next book in the regular series, which can be frustrating. It tends to make it feel like I'm not making any progress, but I am glad to be finally reading the real continuity order for the first time.
I do like this cover though! The kids shown here, who I'm assuming are Claire and Margo, are so cute! Too often the characters shown on the covers look really strange, so this is a nice change.
The basics:
When this story opens, the blizzard is already over, and we learn the BSC girls are keeping records of their experiences during the snowstorm in an attempt to get to write an article for the local newspaper. We then go back to before the storm to start finding out what happened to everyone. (Same format as the BSC Island Adventure, basically.)
The Winter Wonderland dance is coming up at SMS, and for the first time all seven BSC members have dates. Even Kristy's excited about it, since she's going with Bart. Everyone has also eagerly been awaiting the first snowfall of the season, which keeps being predicted but not actually happening. In addition to the upcoming dance, everyone has a lot going on during this week. It's almost Christmas, and Dawn is extra excited because Jeff is coming for a visit. Mary Anne and Mallory have an almost 24 hour sitting job for Mal's siblings, from very early morning to 1 AM that same night, so Mary Anne will be staying two nights at the Pikes'. A big snowstorm is predicted on Wednesday, the same day as the job and Jeff coming, but after all the false alarms lately, no one believes it.
Wednesday afternoon arrives with the weather still clear, so Stacey's mom agrees to drive her to Washington Mall to get a perm for the dance. Kristy invites Bart over that afternoon to watch movies, since the BSC meeting that day is cancelled due to everyone being busy (a first!). Jessi has a part in the Nutcracker at her ballet school, and she has a rehearsal on Wednesday. Quint is coming in from New York for the dance that same day. Dawn and her mom go together to pick Jeff up from the airport. Claudia has a sitting job at the Perkins'. Mr. and Mrs. Pike leave for their trip early Wednesday morning, as planned.
As the afternoon wears on though, the snow hits hard, just as predicted. By the time Jessi's rehearsal ends, it's snowing so hard that no one's parents have been able to make it to the school to pick their kids up. Jessi isn't able to get through to her own parents, and she's extra worried since her dad was also going to pick Quint up at the station on his way to get her. She keeps busy helping the little kids at the school who are scared though, and it's not long before Quint shows up, having walked there from the station. They stay overnight at the dance school, until the next day when the roads clear and parents start arriving.
Dawn and her mom are still on the way to the airport when it starts snowing, and they almost get into several accidents on the way. When they finally arrive, it's only to learn Jeff's flight has been delayed due to the bad weather. It's then re-routed to DC. Dawn and her mom are stuck at the airport all night, until he finally lands around 11 AM on Thursday.
Bart ends up getting snowed in at Kristy's overnight, because the storm is too bad for him to even get home down the street. Kristy's mortified because her little siblings are already embarrassing her in front of him. She even wakes up early on Thursday morning so Bart won't see her right after she's woken up. Then she proceeds to shave her legs for the first time, do her hair, makeup, and dress up. Of course, her brothers have a great time teasing her about it all day.
On the way home from the mall, Stacey's mom is forced to pull over because she can't see at all in the snow. After realizing it's not going to let up anytime soon, she decides to try to make it home anyway, but now the car is stuck in the snow and won't move. They wait in the car, trying to keep warm and decide what to do, but the car runs out of gas and the heater stops working. Since there's also no food for Stacey, the situation is dire. Luckily a man driving by pulls over to help them. He lives nearby and invites them to come stay the night. Out of options, they accept the ride, even though Stacey's terrified of getting murdered (very valid, this is a perfect horror movie set-up...). He turns out to have a wife and a baby at home, and they are very welcoming.
Claudia ends up staying with the Perkins girls overnight, because their parents are also stuck and unable to come home. The power goes out, and she can't find Chewy. Her mom comes over to check on her and help out, but Claudia insists she doesn't need to stay the night. Chewy turns up in the morning, safe and sound. He was just stuck in the basement.
The Pike parents are also stuck of course, but the kids are mostly unconcerned. Mallory and Mary Anne become worried though, because there isn't enough food in the house for everyone (apparently Mrs. Pike only left enough for the one day?). Thursday morning Logan skies over to the Pike house to bring food for everyone, after Mary Anne calls him to whine about being hungry. That morning Mary Anne also notices that Stacey and her mom still aren't home. The BSC members all begin to call each other and check in, and they realize Stacey and her mom are missing.
Later that day, Stacey finally gets back home. Everyone reunites, the dance is still on, and their article gets published.
Timeline:
It's December, the second snowy season of 8th grade so far. The other was in #41. This book also has the first mentions of Christmas so far during the 8th grade school year.
My thoughts:
This was undeniably over the top and crazy, but it was very entertaining. There was actually a lot to enjoy in here, despite the wacky plot. I really enjoyed the family dynamics, something we rarely get to see. A lot of the BSC parents were actually around for this story, and for once they actually remembered their daughters are only 11-13 and need help from adults sometimes. I liked the way the adults were written also, overall. They actually acted like parents and made mostly decent decisions. It was also nice to just have something different, where we see the characters in totally new situations. The disaster was actually plausible too, compared with getting shipwrecked especially, haha. This actually read like something that could happen. Plus, no babysitting chapters!
By far my favorite aspect of this story was the playful banter between Stacey and her mom. I'm really loving their relationship dynamic now that it's just the two of them most of the time. It was too cute when her mom was teasing her for not dressing warmly enough, and Stacey replies that she only has to get from the car to the mall. Her mom's response? "I'm sure I never acted anything like you when I was 13", jokingly. She also switches Stacey's Tin Can Voices cassette tape for Vivaldi, which Stacey claims is cruelty to children. It's all much funnier in context of course, but trust me, it's a great scene.
Once again, the Pike parents were the worst adults in this book. Now, I don't live where it snows, so I'm no expert, and not familiar with what people do in these situations, but is it normal that everyone left home and made all these plans? Or was it just because no one really believed it would snow at all? With even a prediction of snow, I found it laughable that Mr. and Mrs. Pike would go out of town, and leave their kids with hardly any food in the house. How does this even really happen? Doesn't everyone have stuffed pushed to the backs of shelves or the freezer that never seems to go anywhere? Either way, why risk it? Just do a quick grocery run before leaving your children alone with babysitters too young to drive...
Misc:
*Everyone's dates for the dance are as follows: Claudia with Iri Mitsuhashi, Mal with Ben Hobart, Jessi with Quint Walter, Kristy with Bart Taylor, Dawn with Price Irving, Mary Anne with Logan, and Stacey with Austin Bentley.
*The Ramseys were letting Quint come from NYC for a dance with their sixth grader daughter, and stay with them for a few days? Damn, I bet Aunt Cecelia hit the roof!
*I found it very hard to believe that Mr. Spier would let Mary Anne stay over at Mal's on two school nights in a row, and babysit that long. What about her homework and other responsibilities? He's gotten very lenient.
*Dawn's mom accidently hit the neighbors' cow mailbox driving in the snow, and cusses in front of her for the first time, LOL
*This was another Super Special that actually had nice illustrations.
*The little Pike kids weren't upset in the slightest that their parents weren't able to get home. This is probably because they hardly see their parents anyway...
*I loved that no one's parents could make it home, but Mary Anne and Mallory still thought they could get pizza delivered...
*Kristy wasn't quite herself in this book, worrying so much about Bart staying over and her appearance. I'd panic too in her situation though. I did like her rant about how girls have to deal with hair and makeup, while boys don't, and how boring/time consuming it is to do all that everyday. That's exactly how I've always felt.
*There was a really long break in Stacey's chapters after her mom accepted the ride from the stranger, to build up tension about what happened to her. If I'd read this as a kid I would have been freaking out.
*Typo on pg 222: "I was pretty sure that a phone call saying Snowbound! was going to be published". Obviously supposed to be "an ARTICLE".
Books mentioned:
*Katy and the Big Snow, by Virginia Lee Burton
*The Night Before Christmas, by Various
My rating:
4 stars, highly entertaining and something different.
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