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A review by daybreak1012
Stacey's Mistake by Ann M. Martin
4.0
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.
*******
It's such a trippy experience to me, rereading these books. Sometimes, I remember the whole story, crystal clear. Other times, I remember the premise well enough, though not all the details. And then there are the books, like this one, where I could not tell you what happens in it, but as I am reading, it all floods back; it's as if my subconscious knows what is going to happen next, so it isn't surprising, but my conscious brain doesn't remember it until I'm actually reading the words.
What I liked about Stacey's Mistake:
It made me nostalgic - Having grown up in Connecticut myself, I know that NYC is only a stone's throw away. One quick bus or train ride, and you're there. I went into the City multiple times before relocating to points further south. Many of those times, it was as a young adult, going into the City to see it dressed up for Christmas and catch a show, on or off Broadway. But my first trip in would have had me just about the age of the girls in this book. I remember being a combination of dazzled, overwhelmed, and somewhat freaked out. New York City was about as far away from the environment I grew up in -- a sleepy suburb, not little by square miles, but also I think the only building over three stories high would probably be the hospital. NYC, by contrast, was a lot. And the reactions of the various CT-BSC members were mostly reflections of how I felt in that same experience.
Giggling at some lines that I am reminded I took with me - A reference to Dawn nearly causing an avalanche on an escalator (the irony of this being that I hate everything about escalators). One of the little kids they sat for using the word 'hangaber' which I have been known to refer to a burger as such, if I am in a silly mood.
Some really good takeaways - There was some gentle broaching on the topic of homelessness, which, at least in the time I grew up -- and these books were written -- wasn't something to which a girl from CT would have had much exposure. I thought it was handled very well, both in explanation and in the adults trying to find a way to address and better the situation. Also, Stacey's realization that she was taking some pretty amazing things for granted, things she was initially annoyed with her friends' awe over, and that she didn't want to lose that sense of wonder.
What left me conflicted:
I was left questioning something - I know that this is a different time, some three decades later, but were adults really allowing 13-year-olds to wander to streets of NYC completely unchaperoned, much less in charge of a group of younger kids? Maybe this is my CT still affecting my thinking and this is not uncommon practice for parents to teach their barely teenage children to navigate their area? I couldn't decide whether to file this under things I didn't care for or things that left me conflicted. Opted for conflicted because I think it's a better descriptor for how I feel about it.
I didn't initially have the fondest memories of reading this particular installment. My original rating of it, based on recollection, was a middle of the road three stars. I don't know if I wasn't giving it enough credit in my memory or if I just enjoyed it more as an adult, but parts of it delighted me to the point that I could not justify failing to give it another star.
*******
It's such a trippy experience to me, rereading these books. Sometimes, I remember the whole story, crystal clear. Other times, I remember the premise well enough, though not all the details. And then there are the books, like this one, where I could not tell you what happens in it, but as I am reading, it all floods back; it's as if my subconscious knows what is going to happen next, so it isn't surprising, but my conscious brain doesn't remember it until I'm actually reading the words.
What I liked about Stacey's Mistake:
It made me nostalgic - Having grown up in Connecticut myself, I know that NYC is only a stone's throw away. One quick bus or train ride, and you're there. I went into the City multiple times before relocating to points further south. Many of those times, it was as a young adult, going into the City to see it dressed up for Christmas and catch a show, on or off Broadway. But my first trip in would have had me just about the age of the girls in this book. I remember being a combination of dazzled, overwhelmed, and somewhat freaked out. New York City was about as far away from the environment I grew up in -- a sleepy suburb, not little by square miles, but also I think the only building over three stories high would probably be the hospital. NYC, by contrast, was a lot. And the reactions of the various CT-BSC members were mostly reflections of how I felt in that same experience.
Giggling at some lines that I am reminded I took with me - A reference to Dawn nearly causing an avalanche on an escalator (the irony of this being that I hate everything about escalators). One of the little kids they sat for using the word 'hangaber' which I have been known to refer to a burger as such, if I am in a silly mood.
Some really good takeaways - There was some gentle broaching on the topic of homelessness, which, at least in the time I grew up -- and these books were written -- wasn't something to which a girl from CT would have had much exposure. I thought it was handled very well, both in explanation and in the adults trying to find a way to address and better the situation. Also, Stacey's realization that she was taking some pretty amazing things for granted, things she was initially annoyed with her friends' awe over, and that she didn't want to lose that sense of wonder.
What left me conflicted:
I was left questioning something - I know that this is a different time, some three decades later, but were adults really allowing 13-year-olds to wander to streets of NYC completely unchaperoned, much less in charge of a group of younger kids? Maybe this is my CT still affecting my thinking and this is not uncommon practice for parents to teach their barely teenage children to navigate their area? I couldn't decide whether to file this under things I didn't care for or things that left me conflicted. Opted for conflicted because I think it's a better descriptor for how I feel about it.
I didn't initially have the fondest memories of reading this particular installment. My original rating of it, based on recollection, was a middle of the road three stars. I don't know if I wasn't giving it enough credit in my memory or if I just enjoyed it more as an adult, but parts of it delighted me to the point that I could not justify failing to give it another star.