Whiny Kid: Hangin' Out With Cici

Francine Pascal's Hangin' Out With Cici is the last book I read for the Shelf Awareness Challenge. It's from Chapter 7, and is my 7th book. I'm quite sure I haven't read this book before, because the whiny tone of the narrator seared into my brain, and the scars are life-long. If not longer.

Victoria, the whiny narrator, gets flung back in time where she befriends her young mother. Then she gets flung back where she gets along better with her mom because now she knows her mom used to be nice. And a crazy trouble-maker. The premise is fun, but the main character is a trial, being petty, self-centered, and not that bright. I'm not sure why the mom found her such an immediately great friend. I'm glad Pascal pulled back from her characters a bit for the hundreds of Sweet Valley High books.

This is the last day of the Shelf Awareness Challenge, and I managed to read 7 of the 8 books I wanted. I couldn't find any of my selections from Chapter 8 in my local libraries, and I wasn't ready to perform heroic searches. It was fun going back to the sort of books I read back then, and seeing what I like now and what I would have liked then. I think the tone and poetry of the book matter more now; I don't demand beauty but I'm impatient with ugliness. I guess that means I'm getting old.

Wimpy Parents: Domestic Arrangements

I skipped to the last chapter for this Shelf Discovery book, because I'm finding Cici (Chapter 7) rather whiny. I remember Norma Klein as writing about well-off New York City types, which fits with the city family in Domestic Arrangements. The most mature person in the family is fourteen year old Rusty, who has heard her parents talk about self expression and freedom and modern times all her life, and who really thinks people believe in that stuff. So she is surprised when her parents, well, actually only her father, gets so upset when he finds her having sex with her sixteen year old boyfriend.

The father can't bear to be the kind of old fogey who says "no," so instead he tries to have conversations about maturity and emotional consequences, but it's clear he has no idea what he is talking about. I wish he'd mention venereal disease sometime, though. Rusty knows about pregnancy (she asks for a diaphragm for Christmas), but the other dangers of sex are an unknown to her. Since the family already allowed Rusty to pose topless in a movie production, he's lost all the moral credibility he occasionally wishes he had. The mom thinks that everyone should feel comfortable exploring whatever they feel comfortable with, and Rusty takes a long time to figure out it's OK to say "no" to her boyfriend. (She already knows how to say "yes" when she wants to.) It's up to Rusty to figure out appropriate boundaries for herself since her parents are utterly useless in giving any guidance, even when she asks for some. But Rusty probably will be all right, since she does have faith in herself. I'm very glad she turned down the role of Lolita, though.

As a kid, I would have thoroughly enjoyed this titillating book, rooting for the sweet and generous Rusty and being glad that she didn't have to suffer for her lack of virginity (she even has unprotected sex once and gets away with it!). As a parent, I want to throw rotten tomatoes at her family and her boyfriend.

Hey, my library shelves this in Adult Fiction. I guess it was written before YA had its own shelves, but that's kinda funny. B+

Mommy Meanest: Don't Hurt Laurie

Poor Laurie. Willo Davis Roberts just won't let her catch a break in Don't Hurt Laurie. Her mother is a good stepmom to her new husband's kids, but when mom gets stressed she beats her own daughter. The stepdad travels a lot, so he doesn't really notice anything, and mom is smart enough to make sure they move frequently, so there is always a new hospital to take the abused child to.

But Laurie is plucky and keeps looking for reasons to be happy, including the new friend they make who shares a secret puppy with her. Sadly, the new friend has some mysterious disease that keeps him back in the hospital for operations, and the secret puppy chews his rope and comes bounding up to stress out mom. But don't give up! Laurie's step brother knows that it is just not right for an adult to beat a child with a poker, so he helps them all head for his grandmother's house. She's sensible, so mom is talked into going for counseling, and and soon as she is all better, the kids will go home. Police involvement not necessary.

Reading this as a kid, I'd appreciate the child centered options and solutions; Roberts has written many books that I enjoy. As an adult, I was appalled at how hard it was for Laurie to get help, and how easily the fix was presented. I read it as much as a sign of how attitudes have changed as for itself. This is my fifth chapter book for the Shelf Discovery Challenge. C+

Dead Sister: Beat the Turtle Drum

Since the Shelf Discovery Challenge is about to end, I have to hurry up and review the books I read. My Chapter 4 pick was Beat the Turtle Drum, by Constance C. Green, about two sisters who are good friends. Joss, the younger girl, is ready to celebrate her birthday with the gift of a horse in the garage for a week. The sisters are shown as good friends; different enough to irritate each other sometimes but also loyal and valuing their respective strengths. So it's rather sad when one sister falls out of a tree and dies (while the older one watches).The rest of the book covers the grief of the family, shock and rage and disbelief and denial and through to a hope of acceptance. It's a well done book, with little sentimentality but a lot of telling detail. I would have hated it as a child because I had a little sister and I would not want to practice her death. I wonder if I read it and managed to forget it? I did have a bit of deja vu as I read.I do have one question -- what is a turtle drum? Did I just miss that? B

Fluffy Vampires: First Drop of Crimson

I believe Jeaniene Frost has a long series out about her vampires; First Drop of Crimson appears to be a spin-off about a secondary character. It's a standard romance -- boy promises to help save girl from a demon, they fall in love but each think the other isn't serious, they face danger together and alone, and live happily ever after. And the "ever after" means just that, since vampires are immortal.

Denise, the heroine, is a widow who lost her husband to a supernatural attack. She's not sure she wants to get involved with a vampire, especially one who is just helping her because she blackmailed him. Spade, the hero, has everything, including looks, money, helpful minions, super powers, blah blah blah, but he doesn't want to fall in love with a short-lived human. And there is the demon, the demon-blood, the vampire drug-lords, and a few other plot threads whipping about. It's a fun, fluffy read, although at the end everyone seems to forget the huge problem they've spent most of the book worrying about. Hey, they are officially in their happy-ever-after, so I guess they know they don't have to worry about pesky vampire mafia types anymore. B

House Calls; Dr. Frau

Grace H. Kaiser's memoir Dr. Frau casually describes a time and place radically different from my own. She was a woman doctor in the 50's, when that was an unusual and often unappreciated female role. She made house calls, including many home births for Amish, Mennonite, or just anti-hospital families. She married and had four kids, while running her medical office out of her house and juggling the timing for the births among office hours, cooking meals, and home repair. It's a fascinating glimpse into the world of the Amish, where children weren't told about pregnancy so the mothers stayed quiet while birthing, as well as the world of a doctor fifty years ago, when babies weren't fed for twelve hours after birth but doctors drove through snow and floods to attend the mother. The foreword warns that it is highly fictionalized, since doctors aren't really supposed to attend and tell, but I hope the spirit is still accurate. Fun read; I wish I remembered where I heard about it.

Little Pleasures: Small Adventures of Popeye and Elvis

Barbara O'Connor's The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis is another Cybil's book, from the kidlit blog awards. It's a slim book about a boy, Popeye, who earned his nickname when his loser uncle accidentally knocked out his eye with a BB gun. Popeye is a bit timid and bored, and when Elvis and his noisy family arrive in an enormous camper, he's delighted to find a new friend. Both boys eagerly embrace the tiny mystery of the boats they find in the creek, and they have just enough time to solve the puzzle and push Popeye's boundaries open a little bit. It's a cozy read that I'll offer to my kids, especially the one who has been giving himself nightmares with more bloodthirsty fare. B