Thoughts before reading:
I've been looking forward to this one, because it was a big favorite growing up. I loved seeing Stacey out of the BSC, doing her own thing, something entirely new. Beyond that, I don't remember specifics, so we'll see how this actually goes. I'm just hoping she doesn't re-join the BSC in here, because it's only been a few books. After everything she went through in her last book, I'd like to see her enjoy some more freedom before going back. Either way, I know it isn't long, since she's back in the club before her next book, which I believe is #94.
The basics:
Stacey's been enjoying a nice lazy summer, with a lot of new free time, but she does miss her BSC friends. She has gotten close with a new friend though, a girl named Andi, who she met through Robert. Lately she's been getting to know Andi's group of friends better too, particularly since Andi is leaving on a family vacation. Stacey invites her and the other girls (Sheila, Mia, Jacqui, and Heather) over for lunch, to say goodbye.
It turns out that the other girls like the same music as Stacey does, and they have quite a bit of fun together. With Andi gone on her trip, Stacey keeps hanging out with them. Since Maureen is off at work most of the day, the girls mainly hang around Stacey's empty house, watching videos of their favorite rock group (U4ME), and helping themselves to whatever food they find. Despite being surprised by the way the girls help themselves to anything they want, Stacey figures it's not that big of a deal, and doesn't say anything.
This goes on until one evening when Maureen comes home to find the girls lounging around her living room, and the house is a mess. She tells Stacey it's time she got a summer job. Stacey, to her credit, actually likes the idea, and starts looking. (Never mind that she's only 13, and this is her time to enjoy summer and NOT have a job. Besides, work permits don't exist in the BSC-verse.) Despite her gung-ho attitude, all her job leads turn out to be dead ends, at least until Maureen gets her an interview. It's at the Bellair's kid center, the perfect job for her, and she's hired on the spot.
Stacey's new job is harder than she expected, as the center is crazy busy. Her new group of friends start coming by the mall to meet her after work every day though. They spend part of the afternoon browsing in Bellair's, slipping off whenever Stacey stops to chat with a coworker. None of the girls ever seem to buy anything either. After a few days of this, Stacey starts to wonder if they are using her to shoplift. (Well, this proves she's a lot brighter than Logan at least!)
During the next week, her new friends ask if they can buy a few things using her 10% employee discount. Stacey feels weird about it, but they convince her it's no big deal. She reluctantly agrees, but feels even more uneasy when the girls pick out really odd purchases (a silk robe, a sequined dress, calf skin gloves, and a straw hat, respectively).
Even after each girl pays Stacey back for the expensive merchandise right away, she doesn't catch on to what happened until they tell her that they returned the items for a full price refund. This doesn't sit well with her, but she's reluctant to end up friendless all summer, or to cause problems between Robert and his friends, so she doesn't say anything.
The girls buy Stacey lunch as her "commission", and plan for the U4ME concert coming up that weekend. They all go together to buy tickets for the show, then ditch Stacey alone in the long line.
Stacey's even more stunned when the girls start drinking before the concert. Once the show starts she forgets about it though, getting caught up in the music, until her friends start arguing with some nearby guys. Security comes over, and they all get pulled aside. One of the guards finds a flask in Stacey's sweater. Everyone's parents are called to pick them up. Maureen comes to get Stacey, and although she believes she wasn't drinking (it would cause her to have a diabetic reaction, so she really can't), she's still furious. The other girls also refuse to back up Stacey's claim that she didn't drink anything. Maureen points out to Stacey how naïve she's been, and how these girls have just been using her. Stacey realizes she's right on both counts. She also gets grounded for three days, and told to consider never wasting another second of her life with those girls. Stacey also tells her mom about the shoplifting and the profiteering.
Right away on Monday, the girls stop showing up outside Stacey's work, and she realizes she doesn't miss them at all. Robert backs her up, but never says he won't be friends with them anymore.
Meanwhile, Dawn has a 6 year old second cousin named Amy, who we've never heard of before, coming to stay with her family while her parents are in Europe for 3 weeks. (That's a really long time to leave a 6 year old with strangers...) Dawn and Mary Anne are excited, working hard to set up Jeff's room for her. Amy turns out to be really shy, and is absolutely heartbroken when her parents leave. (What did they expect from this arrangement??)
Amy remains gloomy and withdrawn, refusing to do anything. The only activity she ever suggests is hide and seek, then she immediately goes missing on Dawn and Mary Anne. She shows up at the Bellair's kid center, where Stacey happens to be working. She calls them to come and get Amy, which is the first time she's spoken to anyone in the BSC since she left, besides Claudia. When Dawn and Mary Anne come by, Stacey's surprised by how good it feels to see them.
Stacey takes some time to think about what she wants in a friend, and realizes that the BSC has everything she needs in spades, with everyone combined... and even though things were very bad when she left, they could be good again. She calls Claudia and asks if she can rejoin. Claudia brings up the issue at the next meeting, and Stacey is invited to the meeting after that one.
The BSC meeting is really awkward, with no one talking to Stacey. She apologizes to them, and asks if they can work things out. Claudia, Mary Anne, and Jessi immediately want her to come back, but Dawn objects and asks about Robert. (Really some nerve, since she was the one spying on them and scolding Stacey in public in #83...) Kristy decides to take her back, on probation.
Stacey quits her job at Bellair's, to devote more time to the BSC. (Too bad, since that was valuable experience, and probably way better for her.)
Timeline:
It's still summer vacation, probably July.
Misc. thoughts:
*Ghostwritten by Peter Lerangis.
*U4ME is Stacey's current favorite rock group.
*If my "friends" came over and just started eating anything they wanted, we wouldn't hang out at my house a second time. Huge pet peeve! I can't stand rudeness like this that's so easily avoided.
*Stacey (wisely) doesn't like nose jewelry.
*By the start of this book, Stacey and Claudia are talking regularly. They sneak babysitting chapters into this by claiming Claudia read them to Stacey over the phone. Right... I think they'd have better things to talk about. Plus, the BSC would be a sore spot.
*Sunny Winslow calls Dawn to tell her she just found out her mom has lung cancer. I've heard this plot carries into the California Diaries books.
*After hearing Sunny's bad news, Dawn can't stop thinking about returning to California to be with her.
*Stacey's a real pushover in here, and she's fairly clueless, which isn't like her. She's clearly been in the BSC too long, and out of practice dealing with regular teenagers.
*Robert calls Stacey "Toots", an inside joke between them. A grocer near her NYC apartment used to call all females that.
*After the events of this book, it's no surprise Stacey wants to rejoin the BSC, but what happened? It's not really made clear. In the last Stacey book, her and Robert were having a blast with his friend group, and she was making good new friends. Now, in this one, Robert's barely around, Sheila's different, and all these shady girls are around. What happened to Alex and those other kids?
*I didn't know there was a term, profiteering, for the scam where the girls returned clothes bought at discount for a full price refund.
*I REALLY don't like Dawn much this time around, but she's usually fine from her own POV. Go figure.
Books mentioned:
*Freckle Juice, by Judy Blume
*Esio Trot, by Roald Dahl
*The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss
*The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown
*Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf
My rating:
3.5 stars. Obviously not as amazing as I remember, but entertaining. This felt more realistic than most of the other books, at least. I have really mixed feelings about Stacey rejoining the BSC though. This book's events made it seem like a no-brainer, but there's also a bigger picture. If things had remained as they were in #83 with her new friends, this reconciliation wouldn't have happened. The situation here was a complete 180 that reduced a complicated situation to a very simple one. Her very valid reasons for leaving weren't addressed at all. Instead she was the contrite, apologetic one, like now it's just accepted as fact that she was in the wrong. Weak conclusion to a good story arc.
I do like that Stacey learned something about true maturity and what makes it, though.
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