Things I've Read Recently (79)

If you're new around here, Things I've Read Recently is a series of posts I do that are basically mini-reviews of books that I either forgot to review, didn't have enough to say for a full review, or just didn't want to do a full post about for whatever reason.

Three Sisters by Norma Fox Mazer

Published: January 1st, 1986 by Scholastic
Genre: Contemporary YA
Binding: Paperback
Page Count:
Part of a series? Nope.
Got via: Library reject.
Amazon / AbeBooks

Summary (from goodreads): All the talents in Karen's family were taken up by her older sisters: Liz is the beautiful one; Tobi is a talented artist. And Karen - she's just the little Freed girl.

The only one who takes her seriously is Scott, Liz's almost-fiance. He helps her find a summer job. He lets her take care of him when he's sick. He understands how she thinks, who she is. And when he kisses her, Karen is sure she's found someone who thinks she's special.

Funny how wrong a little sister can be.

Thoughts: This is a weird book. The voice is strange. Maybe I'm just not that used to reading third person these days, but it was very removed. Surprisingly, despite being written in the peak of the 80s, it's not technology or fashion that dates this book the most, but the attitude. Because I am sorry, but if you are 21, and the guy you are dating, who is your age or older, comes onto your fifteen year old sister and kisses her, you do not get mad at HER. You get angry at him, and possibly murder him and bury his body in the woods where no one can ever find it.

Seriously that boggled my mind. Honestly, it's no wonder that YA started having overly-perfect and idealized male characters. Every dude in this book besides their dad is a creep! And even their dad is kind of bland. Karen's boyfriend won't spend 5 minutes without pushing her for sex she's not ready to have, or interested in having, he can't say anything nice about her but "she's okay", and he immediately starts dating her best friend after they break up. Liz's "almost-fiance" is, again, a 21 year old who thinks it's okay to kiss a 15 year old and then pretty much blames her for it. Tobi's boyfriend is a 35 year old professor (with a 14 year old daughter) dating his 18 year old student, and physically and emotionally abuses her.

The weirdest part of this is it's kind of a dull book. Not a ton happens and the plot is really slow. I dunno, it was just kind of boring. My copy is also really beat up and I actually had to tape it back together to be able to read it, so I'm just gonna pass this one along. Not one I'd reread. This was re-released as an ebook in 2015, and I can't say I'd really recommend it, even though I've enjoyed other books by the author.

Do You Want Fries With That? by Martyn Godfrey

Published: It was released in 1996 from Scholastic Canada.
Genre: Contemporary MG
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 153 plus an About the Author
Part of a series? No.
Got via: It's a library weed.
AbeBooks

Summary (from goodreads): Brittany and her best friend Laura are all ready for a great spring break. Florida, Disney World, MGM Studies - it's as if someone has taken their order for a dream vacation! And meeting the drop-dead gorgeous star of Do You Want Fries With That?, their favorite TV show, would be the perfect dessert.

Too bad the order is delivered by Brittany's overprotective father. "Talk to him," Laura advices. But he still treats her like a little girl.

Just when Brittany thinks she's had all she can take, things start happening. Before you know it, dessert arrives - complete with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry on top!

Thoughts: A few years ago I reread a childhood favourite by this author, There's a Cow In My Swimming Pool, which actually shares a couple of traits with this one. The girls in this one have only been friends for a couple months, just like that one, it's set over a school holiday, and the character types are pretty similar. Looking at the author's goodreads profile, I think I managed to find two of the most similar books he's written, among some pretty varying premises like historicals and fantasy, which I find amusing.

Honestly I liked this one more than I expected. It's cute. Very wish fulfillment, but there's nothing wrong with that. And this kind of "child actor celebrity has a harder life than you'd think and wants to be normal sometimes" plot was actually pretty common during this time period. I think the Baby-Sitter's Club had a book with a very similar premise. For some reason, it was a thing for a while.

I still liked the dynamic of the girls only having known each other for two months and still figuring each other out, and the subplot of Britt dealing with her dad treating her like she was a very small child was good, especially because the book pointed out when they were both not acting their best, and when he was actually right about things. Also, Britt is Latina and biracial, and the author doesn't overstep in my opinion. It's mentioned at the beginning, and then the book isn't about that, which I think is probably the best choice for a white dude in the 90s, you know?

All in all, I liked this fine. Plus it's a pretty slim book, so it's not gonna take up a ton of shelf space when I keep it, which I do believe I will. Also, props to the cover artist for really nailing an actual scene in the book.

Fun trivia time: The show in this book is a comedy show set in a fast food restaurant. Where apparently a 13 year old can get a job and work the fry station so, some lax labour laws in this world. There was actually a Canadian teen sitcom called Fries With That? in 2004, although it was based on a Quebecois show, and totally unrelated to this book. I just find that amusing.

Who Let Girls in the Boys' Locker Room? by Elaine Moore

Published: This edition was released in 1994 by Rainbow Bridge, which is an imprint of Troll.
Genre: Contemporary MG
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 144
Part of a series? Yeah, there's a sequel. I'll... go into that.
Got via: I think a yard sale or something. There's no library marks or anything.
Amazon / AbeBooks

Summary (from goodreads): Smidge, Skye, and Keisha are three very different girls with one thing in common: they love to play basketball. So when budget cuts eliminate the girls' basketball team, they accept Jefferson Junior High's offer to join the boys' team!

But playing with the boys is more of a challenge than the girls expect. The boys won't accept girls on their team - or in their locker room! As the big game against Jefferson's arch-rival approaches, the girls must prove themselves to be an important part of the team. And the boys must face a tough question: Can boys and girls ever be teammates - or friends?

Thoughts: Hey, can we talk about this school's sexism? Because this school has a sexism problem, before any of the plot even starts. Budget cuts mean that the school no longer has the funds to have two separate basketball teams. The book doesn't necessarily call it "the boys' team", I will give it credit for that. The summary is off there. It's the only team. But why is automatically majority boys? There's 8 boys on the team and 3 girls. Originally 9 and 2! That's kind of messed up. Why aren't the boys trying to join the girls' team?

Anyways, this is quite dated. Like, what eleven-year-old carries a purse at school? And it's just not amazing by any mean. It's very average. I also think the premise of the second book sounds transmisic and offensive. I would not recommend searching this one out, honestly (although I liked other books by the author as a kid) and I'm gonna be passing it on. I wish I had more to say about this one, but there just isn't a lot to it. Props for the food descriptions, though. The girls have a sleepover at one point and it made me want pizza so badly.

Veronica the Show-Off by Nancy K. Robinson

Published: Goodreads says it was published in 1982, but my copy has the copyright date as 1986. Either way, it's from Apple Paperbacks, which was a Scholastic imprint.
Genre: Contemporary MG
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 128 pages
Part of a series? There are actually four book in this series. I used to own one of them as a kid, but I don't think I ever read it.
Got via: It's a book from a library, but not one I've ever been to. It's from a public school in Regina. Totally random and no idea how I ended up with it.
Amazon / AbeBooks

Summary (from goodreads): Veronica is starting a new school. She wants to make friends. She tells everyone about all the wonderful things she has... even if she doesn't really have them.

Soon everyone at school is tired of Veronica the Show-off. But then a very odd girl named Hilary and a mystery at the library teach Veronica something new: When you're busy being a friend, there's no time to worry about finding one.

Thoughts: What a strange book. I dunno, I think maybe this one is just one you'd need to have more nostalgia for to really enjoy, because for me I just found Veronica a little annoying. Maybe more than a little. And because the book is so short, it doesn't do a whole lot to grow Veronica's character or give us insight on her feelings or anything like that.

Like honestly she gets a little stalker-ish, and if her actions were seen in today's world, they'd seem very creepy indeed.

Also, there's some casual racism towards Native American people, ableism including a slur for little people, and fatmisia from Veronica's mother. So that would definitely keep me from recommending this one. All in all, I just wasn't that impressed by this one and I think I'm just going to pass it on. Short review because there's just not that much to this one. Sorry!!

This was an interesting round! Do you know any of these books? What are your thoughts?

Peace and cookies,
Laina