A review by daybreak1012
Claudia and Mean Janine, by Ann M. Martin
3.0
Before I get to my actual review, a quick disclaimer: Ever since I learned that Netflix was reimagining one of my favorite childhood book series, I had decided that I would be embarking on a re-read of this series, reliving a series of books that helped to shape me into a voracious reader. I am so excited to embark on this travel back in time. I don't expect to be mentally stimulated -- I mean, I'm not exactly a pre-teen middle-schooler these days -- but I make no apology for choosing to enjoy this series from the perspective of adulthood. Don't expect me to have any sort of psychoanalyst or feminist sermonizing on the appropriateness of the situations or the effects on a young girl reading these books; there's plenty of that to go around already. I'm here for the nostalgia and the meander down memory lane.
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As many times as I re-read this series growing up, this was never one of my favorites. I didn't skip over it, but I always cringed as I finished the book before it, because I knew the next book wasn't one I looked forward to all that much.
What I liked about Claudia and Mean Janine:
Andrew - That little dude's personality made me laugh right out loud. He gets overshadowed by his tornado of a big sister, but when he smirked and growled? The best.
Claudia's relationship with Mimi - Theirs was a relationship I always enjoyed. It was one of the few ways I was able to connect with Claudia's character and it resonated deeply.
What I didn't care for:
Claudia and Janine's bickering - I'm not a parent, but when these two sniped and sparred, it was enough to set my teeth on edge. I remember squabbling with my brother when we were kids and now I totally understand why it drove the adults in our lives nuts.
What left me conflicted:
The subject matter - On the one hand, it addressed a stressful and scary situation a child might find themselves facing with a beloved grandparent. On the other, man, was it ever something heavy, and (I can see now that I know I'm an enneagram 9) as a child, I would rather numb out those kinds of thoughts than face the fear it churned up in my mind.
I know exactly why I didn't much like this one when I was a child: I was close to my Gram like Claudia was close to Mimi, and Mimi suffering a stroke filled me with terror. I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to my beloved Gram. (As irony would have it, my own Gram did have a stroke, although I was an adult when it happened, and my sweet Gram did not recover.) Reading this as an adult, having lived through it now, I was right back there alongside Claudia; it strikes a chord deep in my psyche still, though I am now better equipped to handle it. I had originally rated this book two stars, remembering how much I dreaded it while growing up, but in retrospect, the subject matter was dealt with so gently that I've granted it a third. It still wasn't one of my favorites though.
**********
As many times as I re-read this series growing up, this was never one of my favorites. I didn't skip over it, but I always cringed as I finished the book before it, because I knew the next book wasn't one I looked forward to all that much.
What I liked about Claudia and Mean Janine:
Andrew - That little dude's personality made me laugh right out loud. He gets overshadowed by his tornado of a big sister, but when he smirked and growled? The best.
Claudia's relationship with Mimi - Theirs was a relationship I always enjoyed. It was one of the few ways I was able to connect with Claudia's character and it resonated deeply.
What I didn't care for:
Claudia and Janine's bickering - I'm not a parent, but when these two sniped and sparred, it was enough to set my teeth on edge. I remember squabbling with my brother when we were kids and now I totally understand why it drove the adults in our lives nuts.
What left me conflicted:
The subject matter - On the one hand, it addressed a stressful and scary situation a child might find themselves facing with a beloved grandparent. On the other, man, was it ever something heavy, and (I can see now that I know I'm an enneagram 9) as a child, I would rather numb out those kinds of thoughts than face the fear it churned up in my mind.
I know exactly why I didn't much like this one when I was a child: I was close to my Gram like Claudia was close to Mimi, and Mimi suffering a stroke filled me with terror. I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to my beloved Gram. (As irony would have it, my own Gram did have a stroke, although I was an adult when it happened, and my sweet Gram did not recover.) Reading this as an adult, having lived through it now, I was right back there alongside Claudia; it strikes a chord deep in my psyche still, though I am now better equipped to handle it. I had originally rated this book two stars, remembering how much I dreaded it while growing up, but in retrospect, the subject matter was dealt with so gently that I've granted it a third. It still wasn't one of my favorites though.