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A review by aurigae
Kristy's Big Day by Ann M. Martin
4.0
Kristy's mom is (finally!) marrying Watson. Since Kristy is twelve (13 by now?) and also, well, Kristy, this is her big day.
Which, since she's giving up her childhood home and getting a stepfather and two stepsiblings, isn't entirely wrong. And Kristy's self-centeredness is nothing compared to her mother and Watson's. Other reviewers have explicated in detail how silly and presumptuous it is that Kristy's mother decides to sell the house (that her four children have lived in since birth) on the first offer despite insane schedule demands, that she then decides to move the wedding up so she and her husband can be married before the move-out date, and that she and Watson decide to still hold a pretty major wedding with 300 guests (followed by a honeymoon!) with minimal lead time.
Fortunately, in the BSC series, no problem is too big to be solved by a band of resourceful preteens. Some of Kristy's extended family and Watson's friends come to Stoneybrook to help out, and naturally they al have several young children. So the BSC is essentially putting on a week-long summer camp for fourteen kids with a median age of 5 whom most of them have never met. Most of the book is devoted to the daily logistics of this camp (which runs impressively smoothly) and it's a quick, fun read.
But there's no conflict! The big issue of the story is Kristy's trepidation about leaving her home, her bedroom, and her neighborhood (where Mary Anne and the rest of the BSC live), and her ambivalence about Watson becoming her stepfather. There's plenty of fodder for adolescent acting out, heartfelt scenes with Mary Anne and her mother, and bonding with Watson. But the tight timeline of the wedding and the excitement of the babysitting mega-job take over the story. Kristy angsts quietly to herself (very unKristy-ish of her) and finally decides to accept the new family her mother and Watson are forming. To be honest, I was a little bit disappointed in her. 3.5 stars.
Which, since she's giving up her childhood home and getting a stepfather and two stepsiblings, isn't entirely wrong. And Kristy's self-centeredness is nothing compared to her mother and Watson's. Other reviewers have explicated in detail how silly and presumptuous it is that Kristy's mother decides to sell the house (that her four children have lived in since birth) on the first offer despite insane schedule demands, that she then decides to move the wedding up so she and her husband can be married before the move-out date, and that she and Watson decide to still hold a pretty major wedding with 300 guests (followed by a honeymoon!) with minimal lead time.
Fortunately, in the BSC series, no problem is too big to be solved by a band of resourceful preteens. Some of Kristy's extended family and Watson's friends come to Stoneybrook to help out, and naturally they al have several young children. So the BSC is essentially putting on a week-long summer camp for fourteen kids with a median age of 5 whom most of them have never met. Most of the book is devoted to the daily logistics of this camp (which runs impressively smoothly) and it's a quick, fun read.
But there's no conflict! The big issue of the story is Kristy's trepidation about leaving her home, her bedroom, and her neighborhood (where Mary Anne and the rest of the BSC live), and her ambivalence about Watson becoming her stepfather. There's plenty of fodder for adolescent acting out, heartfelt scenes with Mary Anne and her mother, and bonding with Watson. But the tight timeline of the wedding and the excitement of the babysitting mega-job take over the story. Kristy angsts quietly to herself (very unKristy-ish of her) and finally decides to accept the new family her mother and Watson are forming. To be honest, I was a little bit disappointed in her. 3.5 stars.