For those of you who haven't read it....
Rachel and Stephanie are best friends. Rachel is abnormally intelligent and Steph is abnormally optimistic. Alison, a new girl, becomes friends with them, but three is definitely a crowd. Between Steph's lying about her parents being divorced, the stick up Rachel's ass, and Alison's neverending cluelessness, the three get in a monster fight. But of course, they are able to make up by the end of the book, thank god. But the MOST important part of the book is the very hot ninth grader they are all in love with, named Jeremy Dragon.
* Steph hangs a picture of a teenage Richard Gere over her bed, cause she thinks he's hot. I couldn't track down a picture of Richard Gere at that age, but I have a hard time picturing it. She names him "Benjamin Moore", after the brand of paint.
* How does Stephanie surprised when her parents finally announce their separated?
Steph, her mom, and brother moved to a new house
Dad doesn't talk to mom on the phone even
Dad won't go to dinner with mom when he gets home for the holidays
Dad has a Thanksgiving morning breakfast meeting? I hate how Steph's parents lie to her, and then get mad when she believes the lies
Steph's mom goes to Venice for Christmas, instead of spending it in CA with her husband and children, and Steph STILL doesn't get that this is permanent!
Steph's dad has a new girlfriend, and she STILL doesn't get it!
Mom goes out to a party in NYC all dressed up, and Steph decides to tell her dad all about it to make him jealous. I think she's FINALLY getting it...
* Facts about Jeremy Dragon AKA the many reasons why we all love him:
Wears a chartruese jacket that belonged to his dad
Plays left wing on the soccer team
His family bought Stephanie's old house and he sleeps in her room!
Has very hairy legs
Is smart enough to be in enriched math, but dumb enough to think Macbeth is a tv show
Dates another 9th grader named Dana Carpenter
He plays Joe, as in the earthly father of Jesus, in a holiday play
He gave Dana his ID bracelet (like a hospital bracelet? I don't know?), and wears her favorite pin, pinned on his underwear
Cheated on Dana with Marcella, the 8th grade slut, in both a closet and at the movie theater
* I've gotta admire the balls these girls have, because it takes serious guts to be 13 years old, go out on Halloween, trick or treat at Jeremy Dragon's house, and recite verses from Macbeth instead of saying "trick or treat"
* I have never seen anyone stress eat like Steph, some of the many examples I found:
Doughnuts
Most of the thanksgiving left overs (pumpkin pie, stuffing, turkey)
Potato chips
When she was in CA, she went out with her Dad for "huge dinners and finished every mouthful"
Peanut butter
Rye bread and cream cheese (ewww!)
It's mean when Eric calls her El Chunko, but that is some crazy stress eating!
* I love how Steph imagines her doctor talking about her at the dinner table, with her two sort-of bf that is in Steph's class . I've included some dialogue for your enjoyment:
"I could hear Dr. Klaff saying, Stephanie Hirsch was in for her yearly check-up today. Her breasts are beginning to develop.
It's about time, Peter would say, between mouthfuls.
She's probably going to get her period soon, Dr. Klaff would say, helping herself to more linguini.
I'm glad you mentioned that, Mom, Peter would say. From now on I'll keep a look-out for anything red on the back of her pants.
That's very thoughtful of you, Peter, Dr. Kalff would say. So many boys your age act foolish about menstruation. Here, have some more bread."
In other words, Stephanie is NUTS, and it's HILARIOUS!
* OUTFITS! Judy Blume books are not really known for their fashion attempts, but this book does not let the reader down:
* Alison: "Gauzy blue shirt and skirt", okay, that sounds fairly normal.
* Rachel: "She was all in white. I couldn't tell if her white pants were the designer jeans she tried on...but I know we hadn't seen her top, which was pleated and shaped like a lampshade. She had a white flower in her hair too. A gardenia, I think." We're getting weirder. I'm not a huge fan of white jeans, and how is a shirt "shaped like a lampshade". I can picture the pleated thing (sort of), but is Rachel really wearing a lampshade? I keep picturing something like a hoop skirt, but that goes around your torso? How did Max Wilson ever get close enough to dance with her in that getup?
* Steph: "a dark green skirt and top, made of something that felt like sweatshirt material. The skirt swirled around and the top had a lacy collar and little animals marching up and down the sleeves" Where to begin?!?! So she's wearing a sweatsuit with a lace collar (sounds like something Martha Stewart would wear to clean house), with animal print? I don't even think it's animal print, I think it's something like little mini giraffes and elephants printed up and down the sleeves of the sweat suit. All I can think of is the My Little Pony sweatsuit I had when I was in kindergarten. Yeah, I thought it was awesome, but I was also FIVE!
* Rachel may be brutally honest, but at least someone finally calls Steph out on what's going on with her parents. I don't like how Steph wants her friends to be all honest with her, but then blatantly lies to her them.
* Steph got her first period at the dance! I love how Judy Blume made menstruation trendy!
* All three girls got their first kisses at the dance!
Yes, that is my recap of 296 fabulous pages of teenage angst and hormones. Judy Blume, if you ever read this, I am not being sarcastic, I seriously LOVE your books. When I was younger I felt like they were written just for me, and if I didn't love them so much, I would never spend this much time writing about them. Plus, it's nice to know that I'm not the only nerd out there still reading 1980's YA lit while in their twenties. But I'm a children's/YA librarian, so at least I can pretend it's work related!
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21 comments:
Man I loved this book, though I think the outfits that are described are kind of ugly. Alison was into giant shirts and baggy pants, hee. I love how naive Steph is. And reading Judy Blume books made me want to get my period so bad. Too bad they're not as glamorous as her books make them seem.
What DID Richard Gere look like at 17? Hmm.
LOL, and Rachel's lampshade. I love what you wrote about that. I keep reading this and laughing and wanting to leave more comments...but I should probably stop.
Omg, I so loved this book. I think I read it like 20 times wishing I could be friends with those girls...wow, just writing that makes me feel lame lol. Anyways, I always felt like Steph's outfit at the dance was unfair. It's like they made her look like crap cuz she was heavier. And I can't even recount the amount of time I spent trying to imagine the lampshade top...it still bothers me. Allison always seemed like a ditz to me. I felt like rachel was going to be the first to start getting a little slutty...she was so 'mature' and all. Hated Steph's pops. Her mom seemed sort of out of it too. Honestly the character I related to the most was Steph! lol Although the stress eating was a little much...
Yay for Judy Blume!
Oooh, this sounds like a good read! I'll have to keep my eyes open when thrifting next!!
So glad I clicked over from Dairi Burger to read your blog! I think of this book every time I see Benjamin Moore paint.
BTW, I'd like to learn more about YA library studies. Could you email me at ekunkelmann @ yahoo dot com? Thanks!
I totally didn't remember this book, but was sure I'd read it... until the part about Macbeth and trick-or-treating! AHH! I was lame enough to think what they were doing was cool.
I just found your blog and it's great! I was such a huge Judy Blume fan growing up (and am still a fan, honestly). I loved this book when I was younger--looking back though, it's really silly, but at the time I thought it was pretty deep.
Keep it up! :-)
oh, and Richard Gere looks pretty young here. Definitely not 17 and I *do not* see the attraction: http://www.filmsy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/richard-gere-hoax-movie-3-29-07.jpg
ewww, yeah young Richard Gere is definitely not a hunk!
Um, AMAZING. I loved that conversation with the dr. at the dinner table. Also, I remember Steph going crazy with the Tgiving leftovers. She ate a turkey sandwhich which she could barely fit in her mouth, and the rest of the pumpkin pie.
And when she heard Jeremy was sleeping in her old bed, she jumped in the lake to cool off.
Jeremy was also so fricking hot. I love hairy legs.
I am very excited to say that I just ordered a bunch of ya books off of ebay and this is one of them.
I totally forgot about all the comfort eating, hairy legs and animals marching up the sleeves of sweaters.
I'm pretty sure that even when I first read this book that animals on your sweater was kinda lame. Rachel was who I wanted to be...
Eeeee!!!!!!! Another YA lit blog!!! *happy dance*
Keep 'em coming, this is awesome!
I don't really remember this book. I have a clearer memory of Here's To You Rachel Robinson, which I think may be the sequel, and I thought Steph was a huge bitch. She always seemed to be making digs at Rachel because she was a nerd and not as much of a "normal teenager" as Stephanie, and nerdy, not-normal!me wanted to kick her in the head.
And ouch, those OUTFITS! Finally someone's found something worse than the BSC outfits.
haha, awesome! my sister recapped "Forever" on her blog. I love this book so so so much.
Ok Kristen, i must read your sisters recap version. Do you think you could post the link please!
The more snarky YA recaps I can read, the better!a
When's the next update?? More Judy Blume please!
I couldn't remember reading this book until I read this! I must have repressed it.
I am literally peeing myself with exicitement at the prospect of reading the Forever recap. I really want to reread that book but, as I was 10 years ago, i'm too chicken to get it out the library...
i think this one's it:
http://that80sbrat.wordpress.com/2007/11/02/whee/
a bit wordy, haha
check back early next week (think tuesday) for an update. I need to get Deenie out of the library...
This was my favourite book when I was nine years old. I identified with Rachel the most, though after reading this and Here's To You, Rachel Robinson, I kept waiting for a book narrated by Allison, not realizing that these were written many years before I actually read them.
Judy Blume says there's still a possibility of writing a book from Alison's point of view. They came out with a book called "BFF" which is just "Just as Long as We're Together" and "Here's to You, Rachel Robinson" put together with a little note from Judy Blume about friends. I think she mentioned it in that note...or maybe at her web site. I can't remember.
It was on her website, I saw it too! Alison is definitely underrepresented, so it's about time!
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