SS #10 Sea City, Here We Come!

Summary

It's time for another trip to Sea City, and the whole club (minus Shannon) ends up there for one reason or another this time around. Here's the rundown:

Kristy has another big game with the Bashers planned before she takes off for the beach. The problem? A good chunk of her team is on vacation, so she's forced to recruit a bunch of new (and awful) players at the last minute to avoid forfeiting. It's no surprise that the Krushers lose spectacularly (34-1), but Kristy is actually kind of proud of her team for not giving up.

Claudia is taking a summer school math class. Am I the only one who's a little surprised that this is apparently the first time that she's had to go to summer school? Anyway, she ends up doing pretty well in the class. So well, in fact, that her new friends (that we never hear from again)start calling her "the smart one."

Jessi has been hired by the Pikes to be the second mother's helper (along with Mallory). She's determined to be Super Sitter, and she does a decent job of it. Too bad that being a Super Sitter leaves her so exhausted by the end of the trip that she's ready for another vacation!

Dawn runs a Mini Camp at her house with Mary Anne. they finish up camp with a sleepover in the barn, where Dawn tells a pretty decent ghost story about Jared Mullray's supposed fiancee. Then, she sits for Franklin DeWitt/Harris's kids when they come down to Sea City for the weekend to spend time with the Barretts, and stays on as a guest of the Pikes. She also puts up with a lot of crap from Stacey.

Mary Anne is also a guest of the Pikes. She's excited to spend time with Logan, who comes down with Franklin and the kids for the weekend. Logan is pretty aware of what went on between Mary Anne and Alex the last time they were in Sea City, and he's kind of nervous that they'll rekindle what little romance they had back then. As it turns out, Logan has nothing to worry about. So, in honor of Mary Anne's homecoming, he borrows a horse and carriage from a friend of his and drives Mary Anne back to her house from the Pikes'.

Mallory....oh, lord. Toby (as in, Stacey's 15-year-old ex boyfriend, Toby) starts paying attention to her, and even asks her out. She's flattered at first, but after calling Ben Hobart, she decides that he's the only one she wants to date for the time being.

Stacey is crabby and jealous that Toby likes Mal after dumping her during their last visit to Sea City, and she pretty much spends the whole trip being a little twit to everyone. She also feels a little strange being there as a mother's helper for the Barretts, not the Pikes, and has to deal with a stressed-out Mrs. Barrett, who's nervous about her first vacation as a single parent.

Bill is the hurricane that hits the east coast, causing damage in both Stoneybrook and Sea City. In fact, Sea City is evacuated, and since none of the Pikes, Barretts, or BSC members make it out before the causeway is under water, they hole up in the Sea City Elementary School gym for a night.

Rating: 3.5

Thoughts and Things

• The Karen chapter was so totally unnecessary. Why, Lerangis, why???


• I used to get irritated at Stacey's behavior in this book, but I'm a little more understanding than I used to be. After all, if an ex of mine starting trying to get with someone like Mallory, I'd be mad, too. Don't get me wrong, I normally like Mal, but let's face it; she's only 11, and she's not exactly a supermodel.


• I don't think I need to dwell too much on the age difference between Mallory and Toby. What I'm REALLY surprised about is the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Pike were apparently totally fine with their 11 year old going out with a 15 year old! There's just something wrong with the whole situation, and if I were a parent, there's no way that would happen.


• This book needed more Sea City and less random stuff (see first bullet point). 9 of the chapters didn't even take place in Sea City!


• I wanted this Claudia outfit when I was younger: "...she was wearing ripped cut-off jeans held up by a frayed rope belt, a t-shirt with the collar torn off, huge white socks all bunched up around the ankle, and old-fashioned black lace-up shoes." Does Claudia only have one ankle?


• Mallory was a really crummy sitter in this book. She was constantly leaving the kids alone or ignoring them to flirt with Toby, go off with her friends to complain about Stacey, and leaving them with other sitters (who were supposed to be on vacation) so she could go shopping for stuff for her big date. Once, near the end of the vacation, she even told Margo and Claire to go outside and play by themselves so she could sleep longer. Geez.


• Someday, I'm going to have a Heath/Skor taste test.
  

Finally, I'd like to thank both Ali at Travel Rambling and Jannie at Fitzie's Soda Shoppe for giving me the Beautiful Blogger Award! I guess I'm supposed to pay it forward and give the award to some of my favorite blogs, but most of you have already been given this one. :) So, I guess I'll skip right to the 7 interesting facts about me:

1. I have a sweet tooth that would rival Claudia's.
   
2. I never learned to ride a bike.


3. Until I went to London last March, I had never been off the west coast of North America.


4. The first BSC book I ever read WAS the first BSC book: Kristy's Great Idea. For some reason, my grandmother had a copy of it and Phantom Phone Calls. I borrowed them and was hooked.


5. When I was really little, I was scared of Jesus. No kidding. It was the idea that you had to die to meet Him that bothered me. He and I are on better terms now. ;)


6. I can clearly remember things that happened when I was two.


7. I never cook Pop Tarts.