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American Literary TimelineIntégréTéléchargement
American Literary Timeline Colonial Period Age of Reason Romanticism Transcendentalism Anti-Transcendentalism Realism Naturalism Regionalism Modernism Contemporary Colonial Period 1620-1750 • Paved the way for the rest of the country's literature. • Much of the writing was done by explorers and travelers, who were sending accounts of the "New World" back to Europe • Others that dominated this era were the Puritans whose definition of good writing was writing that brought home a full awareness of the importance of worshipping God and of the spiritual dangers that the soul faced on Earth, and the literature that was produced by the Puritans reflected this. Popular genres: sermons (see Jonathan Edwards), diaries, personal narratives Age of Reason / Revolutionary 1750-1800 • Period when authors were focused more on their own reasoning rather than simply taking what the church taught as fact. • Cultivation of patriotism. The main medium during this period were political pamphlets, essays, travel writings, speeches, and documents. • Also during this period many reforms were either made or requested. For instance during this time the Declaration of Independence was written. Abigail Adams Benjamin Franklin Thomas Jefferson Thomas Paine Romanticism 1800-1860 After the "Age of Reason" came to an end, the people of America were tired of reality; they wanted to see life as more than it was. This was the Era of Romantics. • Popular genres: short stories, poems, and novels. • Traits: the imagination dominated, intuition ruled over fact, and there was a large emphasis on the individual/common man, and on nature or the natural world. • Gothic literature was also introduced at this time, which is a sub-genre of Romanticism. This genre included stories about characters that had both good and evil traits. Gothic literature also incorporated the use of supernatural elements. Washington Irving Nathaniel Hawthorne Edgar Allan Poe Herman Melville Transcendentalism 1830-1880 • Subgenre of Romanticism • Stressed individualism, maturity and self-reliance. • Authors used nature to gain knowledge or to return to a life of self-reliance and individualism. • Also stressed the fundamental idea of a unity between God and the world, that each person was a microcosm for the world. • Transcendentalists were know for their concern for reform (abolition, women's rights, etc) Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Walt Whitman [Sarah] Margaret Fuller Anti-Transcendentalism 1830-1880 • Also called Gothic Literature. • As opposed to Transcendentalism, which focused on the natural world and its relationship to humanity, and the quest for understanding of the human spirit, AntiTranscendentalism focused on the limitations of mankind, and its potential destructiveness of the human spirit. For instance, water brings life, but its excess, i.e. a flood, can bring death and destruction. • Acknowledged sin, pain, and evil • Supernatural forces were common Nathaniel Hawthorne Herman Melville Realism 1850-1900 • Took place during the Civil War. At a time when a war was taking place, people were tired of Transcendentalism and Anti-Transcendentalism. For one thing they were both extremes of the same spectrum: one was nice and happy and "frilly;" the other was dark and destructive. People wanted to see things how they were, so Realism came about. • Realism also came about as a reaction to Romanticism, in which there were heroic characters, and adventures, with strange and unfamiliar settings. In response, Realist authors tried to write truthfully and objectively about ordinary characters in ordinary situations. Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens] Bret Harte Sarah Orne Jewett James Henry Naturalism 1865-1915 • Subgenre of Realism • Viewed people as hapless victims of immutable natural laws. Free will is an illusion, and things that happen in the universe, happen and could not happen any other way. • A defining characteristic of Naturalism is that its characters' lives are shaped by forces they cannot control. Stephen Crane Jack London Theodore Dreiser Frank Norris Regionalism 1865-1915 • Subset of Realism • Authors would write a story about specific geographical areas. By writing about regions the authors explore the culture of that area, including its languages, customs, beliefs, and history. Willa Cather William Faulkner Kate Chopin Frank Norris Modernism 1900-1950 • One of the most experimental types of writing. • Modernist authors used fragments, stream of consciousness, and interior dialogue. The main thing that authors were trying to achieve with Modernism was a unique style, one for which they could stand out. • During this period Technology was taking incredible leaps and two World Wars took place; there was destruction on a global scale. The younger generation began to take over the main stage. Ernest Hemingway F. Scott Fitzgerald John Steinbeck Robert Frost Postmodernism /Contemporary 1950-present • Authors are writing in a plethora of genres. • There are more different types of writing being done at one time than at any other period in history: fantasy, fiction, science fiction, horror, political writings, romantics, plays, and poems, anything and everything. J. D. Salinger Stephen King Joyce Carol Oates End of Power Point • The following slides are accessible from the slides above Edward Taylor (c. 1644-1729) • Taylor was a minister who studied at Harvard College, and whose works were never published by Taylor, himself, until they were discovered in the 1930s. He wrote such pieces as Metrical History of Christianity, which is mainly a history of Christian martyrs. Colonial Period John Woolman (1720-1772) • The best known work by a Quaker was written by this man, simply named Journal in 1774. This journal was a complete and full account of his life in a pure, heartfelt style of great sweetness that has attracted many American and English writers for many years after Woolman had passed away. Colonial Period Anne Bradstreet (c. 1612-1672) • The first publication of a book of poems in America was also the first publication by a woman in America. She also wrote The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America in 1650. Colonial Period William Bradford (1590-1657) • He was elected governor of Plymouth shortly after the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. He was essentially the first historian of the new colonies. His participation in the voyage of the Mayflower and being governor made him the ideal person for this job. He wrote Of Plymouth Plantation in 1651. Colonial Period Abigail Adams (1744-1818) • She wrote letters that campaigned for women's rights. Her grandson, Charles Francis Adams, published The Familiar Letters of John Adams and His Wife Abigail During the Revolution, which was just what it said it was: letters written by Abigail and her husband. Age of Reason Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) • Franklin is well known worldwide for his discoveries in the world of science and also for works that he contributed to, such as the Declaration of Independence, and his theories on electricity. His works were all new ideas, things people never thought of before because they always took what they got as fact. Age of Reason Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) • Jefferson is bets know for writing the Declaration of Independence. The document came about as a response to these times; people were thinking for themselves, and one of the major things the Americans discovered was that they didn't need England. So Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence to formally state that. Age of Reason Thomas Paine (1737-1809) • Paine wrote mostly pamphlets that would spur ideas and immediate action. In the document "The American Crisis," Paine wrote about the oppression that America suffered from Britain, and propelled America into a war with Britain. Paine, to this day, is well known for his propaganda. Age of Reason Washington Irving (1789-1851) • Irving was the first "famous" American author; he's also known as the "Father of American Literature." He wrote travel books, short stories, and satires. Some of his works include; Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle, and Devil and Tom Walker. Romanticism Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) • Poe had a bad childhood that made him despise the world, and his works reflected this. He is credited for creating the modern short story and the detective story. He also challenged two long-standing theories: one, that a poem had to be long, and two, that a poem had to teach you something. Some of his works include, "The Raven,", "Bells," "Annabelle Lee," and "Dream." Romanticism Herman Melville (1819-1891) • In his time Melville was not entirely recognized, however, in the more recent years he has been considered one of the top rated novelists of all time. He is most well known for his epic novel Moby Dick. Romanticism Anti-Transcendentalism Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) • Emerson had a strong sense of a religious mission, though he was accused of subverting Christianity. He left the church saying, "to be a good minister, it was necessary to leave the church." One of his major works includes Nature, published in 1836. Transcendentalism Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) • Thoreau Lived his life, to do just that, live his life. He was never rich and, for the most part, lived with little money all his life. The work he is most well known for is Walden, published in 1854. Transcendentalism Walt Whitman (1819-1892) • Whitman was born on Long Island and was, for most of his job life, a carpenter; he was a man of the people. Most of his learning career was done on his own, after he left school at the age of eleven. His major work was entitled Leaves of Grass, published in 1855. Over the years he made many rewrites for this book. Some of his famous poems are, "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking," and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd." Transcendentalism [Sarah] Margaret Fuller (1810-1850) • Fuller was born in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts. She learned Greek and Latin at a very young age, and later learned German and Italian. After her father, a congressman, died she became a schoolteacher. She worked with Ralph Emerson as editor of The Dial, a literary and philosophical journal, for which she wrote many articles including "The Great Lawsuit. Man versus Woman, Woman versus Man," in which she spoke for the equality of men and women. Some of her other works include Summer on the Lakes, published in 1844, and Women in the Nineteenth Century, published in 1845. Transcendentalism Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) • Hawthorne was a Puritan who utilized his writings to express his dark, and gloomy outlook on life. Some of his works include; Twice Told Tales, published in 1837; The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850; and The House of the Seven Gables, published in 1851. Anti-Transcendentalism Romanticism Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens] (1835-1910) • Twain is know by many as the greatest American humorist and one of our greatest novelists. He was known for using vernacular, exaggeration, and deadpan narration to create humor. Twain wrote many great novels including, the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, published in 1876 and The Prince and the Pauper, published in 1881. Realism Bret Harte (1836-1902) • Harte was born in New York, and later worked in California on The California writing stories. He worked with other wellknown authors while at The California, authors like Mark Twain, Charles Warren Stoddard, and Prentice Mulford. He was later appointed Secretary of the United States Branch Mint at San Francisco; he held this office until 1870. He then became the editor of Overland Monthly, where he published "The Luck of Roaring Camp," which brought him instant fame. Some of his works included; "The Heathen Chinese," a poem published in 1870, Devil's Ford, "The Twins of Table Mountain," "By Shore and Sedge," and "A Millionaire of Rough and Ready." Realism Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909) • Jewett grew up with books all around her, it was only fitting that she grow up to be a writer. The early years of her life were much like the story she wrote in A Country Doctor. Some of her works include; Miss Tempy's Watchers, originally published in 1888; The Dulham Ladies, originally published in 1886; A White Heron, originally published in 1886. Realism James Henry (1843-1916 ) • His father was an important theorist and lecturer, and his older brother was a famous American philosopher, William James. He attended Harvard College. His early stories depict the leisurely life of the well-to-do. In his time he wrote many short stories including; "The Short Story of a Year," published in 1865; "Gabrielle de Bergerac," published in 1869; and "Guest's Confession." Realism Stephen Crane (1871-1900) • Crane's writing was known for attacking patriotism, individualism, and organized religion; it also confronted the meaninglessness of the world. His work was also very well known for its imagery and symbolism. The work he is most famous for is Red Badge of Courage, which was set in the Civil War. Some of his other works include The Open Boat, published in 1894 and "An Episode of War," originally published in 1890. Naturalism Jack London (1876-1916) • London was born in San Francisco, California; he lived a hard life, switching from job to job for whatever money he could get, after his father abandoned him at a young age. He is one of the most highly acclaimed writers of all time; his stories of life and death struggles are vivid and engaging. Some of his works include; The Call of the Wild, published in 1903; White Fang, published in 1906; "Lost Face," published in 1910; and "The Night Born," published in 1913. Naturalism Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) • One of Dreiser's favorite fictional devices was the use of contrast between the rich and the poor, the urbane and the unsophisticated, and the power brokers and the helpless. Some of his works include; Twelve Men, published in 1919; A Book About Myself, published in 1922; The Color of a Great City, published in 1923; An American Tragedy, published in 1925. Naturalism Frank Norris (1870-1902) • Norris studied in Paris, at the Univ. of California, and Harvard. He also spent several years as a war correspondent in South Africa (1895-96) and Cuba (1898). Some of his works include; The Responsibilities of the Novelist, published in 1903; The Octopus, published in 1901; and The Pit published in 1903. Naturalism Willa Cather (1873-1947) • Cather has been called one of the most interesting female writers in American literary history. She was a teacher, a journalist and a critic, as well as a writer. She has a talent for presenting settings and characters that are rich in language and imagery. She also won a Pulitzer Prize. Some of her works include; April Twilights, published in 1903; and O Pioneers!, published in 1913. Regionalism William Faulkner (1897-1962) • He served in both the Canadian and the British Royal Air Force. He wrote most of his novels on a farm in Oxford, Mississippi. Some of his novels include The Hamlet, published in 1940; The Town, published in 1957; and The Mansion, published in 1959. Regionalism Kate Chopin (1851-1904) • Chopin loved literature as a child and secluded herself in it after her grandmothers death. She never achieved much until 1884 when she finally decided to pursue a career in writing. Some of her writing includes "Desiree's Baby," published in 1893 and "The Awakening," published in 1899. Regionalism Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) • Hemingway won a Pulitzer Prize and Noble Peace Prize for Literature. He used concise, direct, spare, objective, precise, rhythmic writing styles to create larger than life heroes, big game hunters, etc. Some of his works include; The Sun Also Rises, published in 1922; A Farewell To Arms published in 1929; For Whom the Bell Tolls, published in 1940. Modernism F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) • Fitzgerald wrote about the times. In his novel The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, he wrote about the roaring twenties, a time when no one cared about the future and they had fun with what they had then. Some of his other works include; The Side of Paradise, published in 1920; and The Beautiful and the Damned, published in 1922. Modernism John Steinbeck (1902-1968) • Steinbeck wrote about both the pains and joys of life. The Grapes of Wraith, published in 1939, his most well known work told the story of families trying to survive and stay together during the depression. In other works like Tortilla Flat, published in 1935, Steinbeck wrote about the joys of life. Some of his other works include East of Eden, published in 1952; Of Mice and Men, published in 1937; and The Pearl, published in 1947. Modernism Robert Frost (1874-1963) • America's best known and most loved poet, Frost wrote his poems in a traditional verse form. He used the plain speech of rural New Englanders. Some of his works include; "Death of the Hired Man," published in 1951; "Birches," published in1920; and "The Road Not Taken," published in 1920. Modernism J. D. Salinger (b.1919) • Salinger studied at NYU, and Columbia University. After which he decided to devote his life to his writing. His writing career was interrupted by World War I, where he served in the U.S. Army. His most well known work was his novel Catcher in the Rye, published in 1951, a novel about a high school student who tries to run away from his life that he thinks is "phony." Some of his works are A Perfect Day for Bananafish published in 1948; For Esmé With Love and Squalor, published in 1950. Contemporary Stephen King (b.1947) • King writes novels that frighten people. Some of his major works are; Carrie published in 1974; The Shining, publishing in 1998; Salem's Lot, published in 1993; and The Stand, published in 1991. Contemporary Joyce Carol Oates (b.1938) • Oates received a typewriter at the age of fourteen and trained herself to write novel after novel through high school and college. She earned an M.A. in English at the University of Wisconsin. Some of her works include; Blonde, published in 2000; Wonderland, published in 1971; and The Tattooed Girl, published in 2003. Contemporary Robert Jordan (b.1948)• He went to the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, where he received a degree in physics. Jordan's main area of expertise is in the genre of fantasy. He is currently in the process of writing a series of novels entitled The Wheel of Time. Some of the novels from this series are The Eye of the World, published in 1990; Crossroads of Twilight, published in 2003; and The Novel: New Spring published in 2004. Contemporary


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Sam Phillips
Sam Phillips Biography (Wikipedia)
Sam Phillips (born Leslie Ann Phillips January 28, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter. She began her career in the contemporary Christian music industry but, uncomfortable with that image and industry, she re-branded herself as "Sam"—transitioning into the mainstream market after meeting producer T Bone Burnett. Her albums include the critically acclaimed Martinis and Bikinis in 1994. She has also composed scores for the television shows Gilmore Girls and Bunheads.
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Immigration New Zealand
"Breaking new ground"
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Van Gogh and Gaugin: The Studio of the South
Druick, Douglas W.; Peter Kort Zegers and Britt Salvesen
Place Published: New York
Publisher: The Art Institute of Chicago; Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam; Thames & Hudson
Date Published: 2001
Edition: First American edition
Binding: Hardcover
Book Id: 43473
418pp. Folio [32 cm] Gray cloth over boards with an orange ink stamped title on the backstrip. Very good. The edges of the covers are gently bumped, and there is minor soiling on the fore and bottom edges of the text block. The dust jacket is in very good condition, with multiple very small, light stains on the jacket's spine.
A catalog published on the occasion of a landmark exhibition, and featuring 510 illustrations, over 300 in color. With contributions to the text by Kristin Hoermann Lister and the assistance of Mary C. Weaver.


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February 21, 2017
SVT Super Chiller #7, The Haunted Burial Ground: The "Old Ones" Probably Don't Approve of This Book Either
Summary: It's almost Halloween, and Steven decides to pull a little prank on Jessica by making her think she's being followed by a tall, headless man. Apparently there's a local myth about two skeletons, one without a head, being seen on Sleepy Hollow Road. Jessica's relieved that this one is actually Steven and his friend Scott, who managed to ride a bike with one on the other's shoulders. Impressive! Jessica quickly forgets about the prank since she's so excited to talk to Scott – he's in a band called the Skeletons, and he's hot. Scott thinks Jessica's 13, which is apparently super-mature compared to 12.
Elizabeth also has a new friend, Kala, who's only in town for about a month before her family moves somewhere else. She's Native American, and her time at Sweet Valley Middle School gets off to a rough start when Bruce, Aaron, and Jake Hamilton pull a prank of their own. They use fake blood and a rubber axe to make Kala think Jake has been attacked.
Elizabeth rescues Kala from the ridiculous boys and tries to assure her that the boys didn't target her for any personal reasons. She invites Kala to come with her to work with Houses for the Homeless, Sweet Valley's versions of Habitat for Humanity. At the worksite, Liz introduces Kala to Jack Whitefeather, a project chairman who cheers Kala up partly just by being another Native American in a town that doesn't have many.
Jessica runs into Scott again (with Steven and Joe), and they start talking about music. He's learning "Monster Ball," a new duet from Johnny Buck and Melody Powers. Jessica's thrilled, as she loves the song, and she tries to get Scott to invite her to sing it with him. He humors her, but he's not that interested in singing with a kid. Jess decides that the Unicorns should throw a Halloween party and invite the Skeletons to play – maybe then Scott will bring her on stage to sing with him. Not only would she get attention and sing with a hot guy, but all the Unicorns would be jealous.
Unfortunately for Jess, the Unicorns don't want to throw a party, for possibly the first time ever. They think a Halloween party would be childish. Jess talks them into it by pointing out that they can dress up as celebrities instead of ghosts or witches. The girls want to have the party someplace distinctly Halloween-y, and they settle on an old house Lila's father's company is about to tear down. He vetoes the idea as too dangerous, but approves of a shack on Sleepy Hollow Road, as long as the girls fix it up (using their Houses for the Homeless skills) so it's safe. They also have to be respectful of an elderly couple living next door.
The Unicorns celebrate with a sleepover at Jessica's, the same night Elizabeth has invited Kala over. The girls try to use a Ouija board to find out of the shack is haunted, but Ellen messes up the session by making the board warn the girls to stay away. She doesn't want to have the party at the shack because they'll have to do so much work to get it ready. Fair enough. Elizabeth thinks they can donate the shack to the homeless shelter's Nature Club Scouts after the party, which makes their work more worthy.
Since no one wants to bother with the Ouija board if Ellen's just going to screw with them, the girls decide to have a séance. Jessica bumps the table to mess with everyone, leading to a fight. In the middle of everything, Kala seems to fall asleep. As the girls try to channel a spirit to ask about ghosts on Sleepy Hollow Road, Kala starts talking in a weird voice, telling the girls, "Do not disturb the old ones." Alice interrupts the séance to send everyone to bed before the girls can figure out what's going on. Kala wakes up but doesn't remember the séance.
The girls see skeletons outside the house as they're going to bed, but the ever-logical Liz quickly figures out that skeletons don't wear sneakers. She busts them as Bruce and Jake. The girls invite them in, and as everyone's chatting, Kala comes downstairs to tell them that the "old ones" are resting and shouldn't be disturbed. The girls think she means Alice and Ned. Kala seems to be sleepwalking, though Janet, who already dislikes Kala because she had the nerve to talk to Denny Jacobson at school, thinks she's faking. The next morning, Kala says she doesn't remember much of what happened at the sleepover.
Jessica stalks Scott, Steven, and Joe so she can invite the Skeletons to play at the party, but she can't get Scott alone. The Unicorns are starting to sour on the party, since it'll require so much, so Jess gets them interested again by telling them the Skeletons are playing. Elizabeth and Kala check out the shack, and Kala mentions a dream she had about a bat telling her that they need to leave it alone. Minutes later, the Unicorns arrive, and Jessica stumbles into a cave and is swarmed by bats. One swoops down on Janet, which disturbs Kala, since she imagined that exact thing happening after her dream.
The girls start the clean-up process, but Elizabeth's mood darkens when a man from Fowler Construction tells them the shack is scheduled to be demolished right after the party. I hope the Nature Scouts can afford the rent on a place in an office park, instead of the clubhouse Liz wanted for them.
The girls clean up a bunch of trash, which they bag up for a special pick-up by trash collectors. But Jake, Bruce, and Aaron pull yet another prank, hiding themselves in garbage bags to scare the girls. Jake gets busted and tells the girls that Bruce and Aaron are in other bags – bags the trash collectors have just picked up. The kids run after the garbagemen and rip open their bags, but the boys aren't inside. When they return to the shack, there are two bags there, containing the boys. They say that someone moved them, telling them to let the "old ones" rest.
Elizabeth finds an arrowhead on the property, because every children's book that has anything to do with Native Americans includes someone finding an arrowhead. Kala talks more about her dreams, which featured a bear and an eagle. As Jess continues trying to get Scott alone to ask him about the party, the other Unicorns work on reinforcing the shack so it's safe. The girls ignore Mr. Fowler's instructions to respect the elderly couple nearby, dumping trash bags in their yard so they don't have to take them to the dump (since the trash collectors are mad at them and won't come back). Despite the Unicorns' attitudes, Liz still wants the party to go ahead, for Jess's sake, so she tries to keep the peace.
Ellen thinks she sees a bear in the woods, and Elizabeth sees a bird she thinks is an eagle. She tells Kala, who's had another dream about all those animals; they want her to tell the others again not to disturbed the "old ones." Then Ellen finds a skull in a creek, which the Unicorns decide to turn into PR for the party.
Liz helps Jess get Steven away from Scott so Jess can finally ask him about playing at the party. She basically dares him to play in a creepy shack. Scott agrees, as long as Jessica sings with him…and as long as she spends a night in the shack before the party, to ensure no ghosts will come after him. Jessica easily agrees and enlists the Unicorns, Elizabeth, Amy, and Maria to spend the night as well. Kala can't make it, since she hasn't been feeling well. I guess channeling ancient Native American spirits or whatever takes a lot out of you. But Kala shows up in the middle of the night, warns the girls that the "old ones" don't like having their rest disturbed, then leaves.
Liz goes to see Kala in the morning, but Kala doesn't remember going to the shack. They go back to the property and find more arrowheads, as well as a vase depicting an eagle, a bat, and a bear. Elizabeth thinks this means the property is a Native American burial ground. Kala must be channeling the spirits of people buried there, who don't want their resting place disturbed so an office park can be built. Sure.
The girls go to Fowler Construction to beg the crew to stop the construction, which goes over as well as you would expect. It turns out that people paid to do a job won't listen to two 12-year-olds who want them to stop working because dead people said to. The girls then go to Mr. Fowler's office to talk to the man in charge, but he doesn't consider their argument strong enough to stop the construction.
On Halloween, everyone gathers for the party, which Kala decides to skip, since the "old ones" are so against any disturbances there. But she gives Elizabeth some Native American clothing in the hope that the "old ones" will see it as a peace offering. Everything at the party goes fine until it's time for Jessica's duet with Scott. Things get really loud, and the shack begins to shake. The vase Elizabeth found gets smashed. That can't be good.
There's so much noise and so many people dancing that the shack collapses. Somehow, no one's hurt, despite beams falling all over the place. Everyone sees a couple of skeletons, one of them headless, leaving the debris. The headless one retrieves its head – the skull Ellen found – and the two of them head off together. Everyone thinks someone's playing another prank, but all the usual suspects are present and accounted for.
Jack Whitefeather confirms that the shack is on a Native American burial ground, so Mr. Fowler wisely decides not to tear it up for an office park. His company is also going to build the Nature Scouts a clubhouse. Mr. Fowler is actually a pretty good guy. Kala thinks this will please the "old ones," and the sighting of an eagle seems to confirm this. Okay, well, thanks for stopping by, Kala. No one will ever mention you again.
Thoughts: Kala: "It was my grandmother's name. She was Native American." Elizabeth: "Wow. That means you're part Native American." What would we do without Liz?
Ghostwriter, please do your homework. It's Melody Powers, not Melodie.
Lila knows what "macabre" means. I'm impressed.
When Elizabeth and Kala are meeting with the jerky foreman: "He gave her braid a friendly tug." I hope Kala gave his shin a friendly kick.
February 14, 2017
SVT #82, Steven's Enemy: Oh, Brother
Summary: Having not learned her lesson from the last time she decided to trade in Denny for a better model, Janet has her eye on an SVH freshman named Doug. The other Unicorns decide to go to the next SVH JV basketball practice to check him out and let her know whether they approve. (I doubt any of them would say no. It's not like Janet's looking for an honest opinion here.)
Speaking of basketball players, Steven has recently been switched from starting center to guard in favor of a new kid named Ben Oliver. Steven hates Ben, even though he seems like a perfectly nice guy. But Steven isn't going to be overshadowed by a kid who always knows the answer in class and probably thinks he's smarter than everyone just because he's a year younger than the other freshmen, having skipped seventh grade. To make matters worse, Ben is running against Steven for class treasurer.
Steven's campaign goes negative against Ben, though Cathy objects, insisting that Ben is a great guy. Steven's furious that she would find even one good thing about his arch-nemesis. He thinks he's a shoo-in for treasurer. The Unicorns attend the next basketball practice, and Jessica immediately develops a crush on Ben. She has no idea that he's her brother's enemy, and he has no idea that getting involved with her would make Steven mad.
The vote for treasurer is too close to call, so the freshmen vote again. This time, Ben wins. Steven acts like a jerk about it even though Ben is gracious. His day gets worse when he comes home to find Ben there, about to take Jessica to Casey's for ice cream. Steven goes all overprotective brother, refusing to let Jess leave with Ben. I can't believe he thinks that'll work. Jessica ignores him and goes off with Ben. Then Cathy and Joe are friendly toward Ben at school, just making Steven madder.
Jessica and Ben plan a double date with Janet and Doug, which Steven tries to get Ned and Alice to cancel. Even though their 12-year-old daughter will be going out with a high-schooler, Ned and Alice are fine with the situation (I think they made Ben 13 so the age gap wouldn't be so big. But still, a sixth-grader and a ninth-grader?). Steven practically threatens to get violent with Ben, which gets him sent to his room. Hey, an attempt at effective Wakefield parenting for once!
Elizabeth has already started to suspect that Jess is only with Ben to bug Steven, and after the double date, it seems like Jess might only stick with the relationship for that reason. Ben and Doug are both kind of annoying, and Jessica and Janet are starting to realize that dating a high-schooler isn't as glamorous as they'd expected. Still, Jess isn't going to pass up the chance to talk up the date so Steven gets even madder. She plays it off like they're just friends, so Ned and Alice can't really object. After Steven overhears the Unicorns talking about Veronica, he decides to handle the Jess/Ben situation (JessBen is an awful couple name; let's hope that, say, Jessica Chastain and Ben Affleck never get together) on his own.
Steven asks Veronica out, I guess not worrying about what Cathy will say if she finds out. Jess is as furious as Steven is every time he sees her with Ben. Though he's pleased with his plan, Steven gets upset again when he hears a rumor that Cathy voted for Ben in the election. He immediately believes this, which is dumb, but that's par for the course for Steven in this book. However, Cathy then confirms this, claiming she has a good reason. Steven's too angry to listen to her.
Now at the side of a high-schooler, Veronica is suddenly popular. Even the Unicorns want to spend time with her, despite the tricks she's pulled on Jessica in the past. Steven is happy with his revenge plot, but clearly still wants to be with Cathy, as he gets jealous when he hears that she's been spending time with a guy named Howie. Later, Steven hears Ben telling Doug that Howie lost a bunch of the class' money for a class trip while he was serving as treasurer. Ben has to do a lot of work to make it back. He knows Cathy voted for him, but only because she didn't want Steven to have to be stuck with the debt (which she found out about while tutoring Howie in math). Okay, but couldn't she have told him that?
Steven suddenly gets that Ben isn't a bad guy after all, and his jealousy comes from…well, nowhere, really. He tries to make up with Cathy, but she's understandably tired of dealing with him. Steven takes Veronica to Casey's, and Cathy shows up with Howie. Jessica spots Steven and flings a cherry at him. Steven fires back, innocents are dragged into the fight, and the whole restaurant gets trashed in a food fight. Mr. Casey kicks everyone out, surprisingly not banning them all for life.
The tension has been cut, and all the people who have been fighting make up. Ben and Veronica end up together, because why not? Then Ben has to quit basketball because being treasurer requires too much work, so Steven gets his position back. Everything is awesome again! At least until Steven dumps Cathy for a dumb reason and this whole thing starts over again!
The B-plot is really just setting up a future book: Amy's suspicious of her parents, who keep having secret conversations and arguing. She thinks they're going to split up, possibly because of a woman named Jane, as Mr. Sutton wrote a letter to her but hasn't sent it yet. Liz finds a picture of Mr. Sutton with his arm around a woman, and the words "love, Jane" on the back.
She keeps this from Amy for a while, and when she finally tells her what she saw, Amy blows up at her. She accuses Liz of not wanting Amy to have a family as perfect as the Wakefields. What? Okay, Amy. They make up later, but things between Mr. and Mrs. Sutton don't get any better. We get a cliffhanger when Jane calls the house and the Suttons ask Elizabeth to leave so they can discuss something in private. If you know the title of book #83, you can guess what the discussion's about.
There's also a teeny C-plot where Elizabeth learns that Bruce is going to release a pig in Mrs. Arnette's class, so she publishes a story about it in the Sixers ahead of time. She and her friends are amused by how angry Bruce gets. I wish they'd done more with this plot; I thought it was funny.
Thoughts: Normally I would call Elizabeth a killjoy for ruining someone's prank, but doing it to mess with Bruce makes me root for her.
Jessica considers wearing leggings with an Oxford shirt. Ick.
If the freshmen elected someone who's bad at math to be their treasurer, they kind of deserve whatever happens.
February 7, 2017
SVT #81, Robbery at the Mall: Once Again, Elizabeth Does What an Entire Police Department Can't
Summary: Maria Slater has suddenly become interested in directing (in case her career as an actress never gets back off the ground), so she's excited when her dad gets a new video camera and lets her have his old one. She's going to film a performance the Boosters are doing at the mall the next day to generate press for the opening of a new food court. This is a Big Deal, because things in Sweet Valley aren't exciting enough with random visits from celebrities and people almost dying all the time. I mean, it can't be too important if the main entertainment is some 12-year-old cheerleaders.
Everything's going fine at the press event until everyone hears glass being smashed and realizes there's been a robbery at a jewelry store. Jessica, who was about to jump on top of the Boosters' pyramid (whatever), gets distracted and crashes. Lila's angry that Jess wasn't more professional. She thinks she should have Jessica's role in the Boosters, and she wants to prove that she's the better cheerleader.
Elizabeth has more important things to worry about – there's a mystery afoot. Her parents don't want her to look into the robbery, since she put herself in danger when she was investigating the charm school. But no way will Elizabeth turn her back on an opportunity to be like Christine Davenport, the heroine of her beloved Amanda Howard mysteries. Why leave the police work to the police when this 12-year-old has everything it takes to catch a robber?
The Boosters gather to watch Maria's video of their performance (after Lila wins a high-jump competition with Jessica in her bid to prove that she's a better Booster). The video is a disaster as apparently Maria is incompetent and can't even figure out where the camera lens is. Jessica and Lila try to brush it off with a fence-walking contest. What is this, Anne of Green Gables? Guys, don't go on the roof, okay? Anyway, Lila wins again.
While the kids are at school, another store at the mall is robbed. A security guard, MacDuff, gives a TV interview, and since he was present during the first robbery, Amy wonders if he's pulling an inside job. Meanwhile, Jessica and Lila compete to see who can hold the most grapes in her mouth. Jess wins, but really, aren't they both losers for this sort of stuff?
Since Elizabeth is writing about the new mall restaurants for the Sixers, she and her friends have a good excuse to keep hanging out at the mall. She and Todd go to a record store and chat with an employee who has a scar on his hand. Liz realizes that he was working elsewhere in the mall the last time she was there. Back in Jess/Lila Land, Lila wins a swimming competition. Their friends are at least entertained by their rivalry.
There's another robbery, and Todd encourages Liz to go to the mall and investigate. She talks to a cop, offering to give a witness statement since she was at the mall during a previous robbery. She'd love to read the police reports and give her input. Amazingly, the cop doesn't laugh in her face, but he also doesn't indulge her fantasy that she'll write about the robberies for the Sixers and, I don't know, win a Pulitzer. Elizabeth talks to the employee from the record store instead; he's now working at a Chinese restaurant.
Lila and Jess' next competition is hanging upside-down from monkey bars. Jess wins, so she's only one point behind Lila. They'll have one more contest, after which Lila thinks she'll be declared the winner and will get to take Jessica's place at the top of the pyramid. If Jess wins, there will be a tie-breaker, but Lila clearly doesn't think that will happen. The girls decide that whoever is the overall winner gets to pick her costume for the food court's official opening, where the Boosters will be serving hors d'oeuvres. The loser gets last pick.
In a break from all the stealing going on at the mall, Maria's house is robbed. She's confused because all the family's valuables are left alone, but her videotapes are stolen. Liz thinks that someone got a hold of Maria's address after she gave it to the cop she offered to help. Jessica is on board with Amy's theory that MacDuff is the robber – since he works at the mall, he would have easy access to all the stores.
Elizabeth realizes that Maria's tape from the Boosters' performance might contain evidence. Yeah, everyone reading figured that out, like, 50 pages ago, Liz. Since Maria didn't keep it with her other tapes, it wasn't stolen. Liz, Maria, and Amy watch it, and though the quality is horrible, they're able to make out what looks like a hand taking a necklace. Well, at least it's more than the police have found. They stake out the mall for a little while and see MacDuff at the Chinese restaurant, off-duty. Not long after, the Chinese restaurant is the next place to be robbed.
Lila and Jessica's last contest is a bike race through an obstacle course. Jess wins, so the girls need a tiebreaker. They agree to a hot dog-eating contest at the mall. Lila wins, which I find really hard to believe. I can't see her eating even one hot dog, let alone more than Jessica. But whatever, this means Jess could get stuck with a horrible costume at the opening.
Elizabeth stalks MacDuff, overhearing him on the phone, sounding sketchy. He catches her and she gets in major trouble with her parents. She's even grounded! Undeterred, she continues her investigation, watching Maria's tape again. This time Liz is able to see that the hand stealing the necklace has a scar on it. She knows she's seen that scar before, but because she's actually a much, much worse detective than she thinks, she doesn't remember where. She thinks it's MacDuff's.
There's a big party for the food court opening, and Elizabeth convinces Amy and Maria to sneak in with her. They don't have invitations, but they pretend they were invited to cover the story for the Sixers. The record store/Chinese restaurant/various other stores guy is now working as a coat check. Just seconds after arriving, Elizabeth sees the scar on his hand and realizes she's been investigating the wrong suspect.
Ironically (I guess), Liz turns to the person she just stopped suspecting to help her capture her new suspect. MacDuff is displeased that she's still investigating, but he listens when she tells him the guy with the scar is probably the robber. The robber sees them together and figures out he's busted, so he takes off. Elizabeth chases him, and MacDuff chases her. Jessica sees her sister being pursued by the guy she still thinks is a robber and decides to stop him by jumping out in front of him. Oh, and by the way, she's dressed as a giant hot dog. The visual from this scene is one of my favorite things from this whole series.
So of course the robber is caught, and Elizabeth is hailed a hero (though Jessica should get half the credit for risking her physical safety). The Wakefields are so proud of their little detective that they give her back some of the privileges they took away when they grounded her. Steven calls bull, as do I, but we shouldn't expect anything less from Ned and Alice. Maria is still horrible with her video camera, but she's happy that her video helped catch a criminal. Maybe someone will let her know that the director doesn't have to handle the camera, so her cinematography skills probably won't have an effect on her career goals.
Thoughts: "The Valley Mall: An International Dining Extravaganza." You have seven restaurants, four are American, and the Mexican one is called the Taco Shack. Calm down, Valley Mall.
Elizabeth describes a coconut-orange smoothie as a "platonic experience." What are you on, Liz?
Janet picks a costume that consists of "a pair of short denim overalls, a red-checked blouse, and a blond wig with two braids." I call bull again.
Elizabeth has black velvet leggings. WHAT?
This week in Adventures in Out-of-Context Passages: "'Stop!' the hot dog shouted with Jessica's voice."
January 31, 2017
SVT #80, The Gossip War: Are You Now or Have You Ever Been a Member of the Unicorn Club?
Summary: Janet's birthday is coming up, and for the Unicorns, that's basically on the same level as a national holiday. Ellen is determined to throw her birthday party and organize the planning and purchasing of her gift. Jessica's mad because she wants that honor (not to mention the awesome hostess gift Janet will give her in return), but since Steven has been hogging the phone so much to talk to Cathy, it's hard for her to call the other Unicorns or be let in on their plans. Ellen thinks they should get Janet a gift certificate for a psychic reading. Janet, Betsy, and Kimberly have recently become beatniks, so the girls' usual ideas for gifts for Janet are things she's no longer interested in.
Ellen gets right to the party planning by calling a bunch of the Unicorns and asking them to support her plan to have the party at her house. She's very invested in this and works on it harder than probably anything else she's ever worked on. Jessica tries to stage a coup and get the Unicorns to agree to have the party at her house instead, but even the Wakefields' pool doesn't sway them.
Jess sees an ad for three-way calling and gets excited about the possibility of having mini-conference calls with her friends. Ned won't pay for it, so Jess recruits Elizabeth to help her stage a chaotic situation that would be eased with three-way calling. The girls are working on group projects for history, and they make Ned keep calling the houses where they're working so he can arrange their rides home. After very little work, Ned cracks and gets the three-way calling. I don't know why Jessica doesn't ask for her own phone line instead. Then she wouldn't have to deal with Steven hogging the phone all the time.
Ellen scores another win when Janet asks her to host and run a Unicorn meeting she can't attend. I'm surprised they have meetings when Janet can't come. Janet strikes me as the type who doesn't want people hanging out without her. Jessica has to miss the meeting as well, which thrills Ellen, since they're going to vote on where Janet's party will be held. The meeting doesn't go great, not least because Ellen's father crashes it, wearing a hat with an octopus on it, and embarrasses his daughter. But the Unicorns vote to have the party at Ellen's, so she's happy.
Mandy calls Jessica that night to tell her about the vote. She admits that she wanted to have the party at the Wakefields', since Ellen's father will be grilling at Janet's party, and he's not great with barbecuing. The last time he did, Mandy almost choked on a dry hot dog. Since the three-way calling is up and running, Jess brings Ellen into the conversation to find out what to bring to the party. Ellen's suddenly become disorganized again and can't remember what Jess was supposed to be in charge of. The two of them fight and Mandy hangs up, not wanting to deal with their drama.
Jessica calls Lila, and once she's clarified things, Jess hangs up on Ellen and complains to Lila about how annoying Ellen is, and how Mr. Riteman almost gave Mandy food poisoning. Except she's still getting the hang of three-way calling and doesn't hang up on Ellen properly, so Ellen hears her. Lila hangs up for real, so Jess and Ellen can fight in peace, but they easily make up. Lila doesn't know this, though, and she tells Belinda about Jessica's accusation about Mr. Riteman. The two of them wonder if they should still have Janet's party at Ellen's house.
Belinda then tells Grace that Mandy had food poisoning, and Grace tells Tamara that Ellen's father poisoned Mandy. The whole thing turns into a big game of Telephone, with Mandy's condition slowly growing worse. Kimberly mentions her aunt, a teacher, having food poisoning once, and Betsy misunderstands and tells Mary that Mr. Riteman poisoned a teacher. The tale gets back to Belinda, who now thinks Mr. Riteman poisoned both Mandy and the teacher. They tell Lila that Mr. Riteman was in jail for attempted murder.
Jessica's oblivious to the whole thing until Kimberly and Betsy tell her. She realizes the rumor stems from her fight with Ellen, and she confronts Lila, who says she only told one person about it. Jess is ready to set the record straight when the other Unicorns decide to revote on the location of Janet's party. They want it at the Wakefields' instead. Jess thinks this is more important than clearing up a rumor, so she doesn't say anything. Kimberly gives Ellen the news that the party is no longer at her house because of what her father did. Ellen thinks she means wearing the dorky octopus hat.
Janet's the first person to mention to Ellen that everyone thinks her father's a murderer (the rumor has now expanded so that Mr. Riteman is a serial killer). Ellen's shocked at the accusation; her father has never even gotten a speeding ticket. She even calls her dad to get him to tell Janet that he's not a killer. Janet realizes that someone has started a vicious rumor about Ellen, and she's determined to get to the bottom of it.
The school projects the kids have been working on are about the Cold War era, and Elizabeth has been teamed with Lila and not-yet-dead Olivia. They get the idea to talk to Mrs. Harrington about her experiences in Hollywood during blacklisting. Liz realizes how much damage was done to people's careers simply because others spread rumors about them. Jessica's like, "Yeah, I get it, I get it."
Janet believes that Mandy started the rumor about Mr. Riteman, so she kicks her out of the Unicorns. Poor Mandy. She just wanted an edible hot dog, that's all! Grace, Mary, and Belinda are appalled at Janet's actions and side with Mandy. The other Unicorns shun Mandy for being a traitor. Jessica tries to make peace between the two groups, but each side accuses her of being a spy for the other.
Elizabeth helps Jessica come up with a plan to work everything out. No, it doesn't involve just confessing that she accidentally started a rumor. They use three-way calling to let Lila overhear Elizabeth telling Olivia that Johnny Buck is going to make a surprise appearance at Janet's party. Then Jess has Mandy overhear the same thing. The rumor spreads through both groups, picking up more and more exaggerations as it moves. Eventually one side thinks Johnny Buck is going to play Janet a special song at the party, and the other thinks he's moving to Sweet Valley.
Everyone shows up to the party excited for Johnny Buck but trying to act like they don't know he's coming, since it's supposed to be a surprise. Jessica breaks the news that it was all a rumor they let get out of control. Everyone realizes how ridiculous they've been, and they all make up. (I guess Mandy's let back in the club, too.) Jessica actually feels bad for Ellen and gives her Janet's hostess gift, which is a book of poems neither of them wants anyway. Lila uses the experience in her, Liz, and Olivia's presentation on McCarthyism and how rumors can ruin lives. I'm sure these girls will never gossip again…
There's also a pointless not-even-good-enough-to-be-considered-a-B-plot where Alice has a difficult client. No one cares.
Thoughts: Ellen is more pathetic than she usually comes across. She's desperate to be liked and prove her worth. I'd feel sorrier for her if she weren't so annoying.
All of the Unicorns decided to wear gold and white to school one day (in honor of Johnny Buck's new album, Gold Heart), but Jessica didn't get the message. She wore purple as usual, so the other girls made her sit at the end of their lunch table "so she wouldn't wreck the color scheme." That is some Mean Girls craziness right there.
Janet: "When you think of the ocean, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?" Jessica: "Um, food?" Janet: "Food." Jessica: "Yeah, everything makes me think of food." I guess Jess and I aren't so different after all.
The SVMS spring musical CANNOT be Hair. There's no freaking way.
Ellen's father is peak embarrassing dad and I love him.
January 24, 2017
SVT Super Chiller #6, The Curse of the Golden Heart: Half-Hearted
Summary: Once again, it's spring break in Sweet Valley, so the twins, Steven, and a couple friends are spending time at the beach. The twins decide to go snorkeling, and Jessica suggests that they explore a part of the beach they're supposed to stay away from. Elizabeth comes across what looks like a shipwreck and takes a couple of keepsakes from the bottom of the ocean. Back on land, they run into a man who's staring out at the water and generally being a little creepy.
The twins want to keep up their ocean exploration, so they decide to take scuba lessons. They find a teacher and get Steven, Joe, Amy, Lila, and Janet interested in his class. The teacher happens to be the man the twins saw on the beach, Joshua Farrell. He's Scottish and talks like a stereotypical Scotsman ("aye," "lass," etc.). Some of the kids who signed up for lessons are unsure about hanging out with Joshua, but Steven thinks his experience will give them a better…well, experience.
Liz throws away something she got from the ocean, unable to tell what it is, since it's covered in barnacles. The next day, the twins get chain letters talking about a curse from someone named Carlotta. If they don't forward letters to six people, they'll be punished for taking half of something that's not theirs. Any reader over the age of five can figure out what that means, but Liz doesn't put 2 and 2 together that the thing she took from the ocean and then threw away is the "half of something." Jess quickly writes the letters, but Elizabeth dismisses the threat of a "curse."
Lila receives one of Jessica's letters, but she can't forward her own because her dad's secretary is out of town, and she does all of Lila's correspondence for her. Lila doesn't even write her own thank-you notes. So Elizabeth and Lila are both facing a curse. Liz is rewarded with a nightmare about being on a pirate ship during a storm. Two men swordfight, and she realizes one of them looks like Joshua.
The kids head to the beach to meet Joshua for their first scuba lesson. At first they can't find him, and Liz gets spooked by an empty wetsuit that seems to be moving on its own. But the lesson starts and everything goes fine, except for Lila, who loses a watch. Her day gets worse as she falls down the stairs at home, rips her robe, and breaks a nail. She figures she's suffering from the curse and needs to get her letters written right away. She uses her father's computer without his permission, but she's so unfamiliar with modern (well, modern in the '90s) technology that she basically breaks it.
At the next scuba lesson, it's Elizabeth's turn to have a bad day. When she looks at Joshua underwater, it seems like there's no face behind his diving mask. Liz is so stunned that she passes out and almost drowns. Everyone tells Liz (very nicely) that she doesn't have to continue the lessons if she doesn't want to, and no one will think any less of her. Liz, to her credit, wants to keep going with them.
Lila's still having a rough week, as she accidentally emailed her chain letter to everyone at her father's company. I'm impressed that they all have email. On the bright side, she's sent more than her requisite six letters, so she's no longer in danger of being cursed. Liz, however, still is. She has another dream about the ship, this time featuring Joshua's swordfighting opponent, a man with a red beard. He seems to be in love with a woman on the ship. Joshua's supposed to be manning a post on deck, but he leaves it.
A scorpion winds up in Elizabeth's lunch bag one day, so everyone thinks she's cursed. She still won't write the letters, because she's Elizabeth. One of Lila's letters was received by a man named John Filber, who tracks down the twins (totally not cool, guy), having gotten their address from the Fowlers' cook (TOTALLY not cool, cook). He wants them to come to the beach with him so he can show them something. Surprisingly, Jessica's the one who immediately says no, but the twins do agree to meet him there the next day.
John shows them something shiny caught in some coral under a pier, and tells them his father brought him to see it as a child. He was warned to never touch it or he'd be a victim of Carlotta's curse. He's had dreams just like the ones Liz has been having, where he's on a sinking ship and sees a couple being separated. Okay, fine, but why are you getting 12-year-olds involved in your problems?
The scuba students have a cookout on the beach, and Joshua tells them a story about a pirate named Red Beard. He was in love with a woman named Carlotta, and they were going to travel to America together. Her uncle, a governor, gave them a gold heart-shaped locket, and they split it in half. Their ship wrecked, thanks to the bosun, who left his post to look for a treasure map Red Beard supposedly had. Joshua tells the kids that the bosun's ghost is restless because he's never been able to find the pieces of the heart and get the couple back together.
Elizabeth finally realizes that she might have half of the locket, but she can't find it. She gets another chain letter, which offers her a reward. She just has to deposit $100,000 in a bank account so Carlotta can pay for her child's medical treatments. It's totally not a scam at all. Steven finds the thing Liz threw away, and yes, of course, it's half of the locket. It has part of a treasure map on the back, which means the bosun wouldn't have found it in Red Beard's quarters, and he caused a shipwreck for nothing.
The twins and Steven figure out that the thing Filber showed them at the pier has to be the other half of the heart. Before they go confirm this, Liz does some library research and finds out that the bosun was…dun dun DUN…Joshua. That's right, the kids have been taking scuba lessons from a ghost. She thinks Filber is one of his descendants. Liz soon has another dream, this one of Carlotta confirming that the bosun is still around – in fact, he sent the chain letter. Liz knows she needs to get the other half of the heart and put the pieces together to end the curse.
Steven accompanies the twins back to the beach, and they get the second half of the heart. Then Filber shows up, demanding the pieces so he can follow the treasure map. Liz puts the pieces together to end the curse, then hands the reunited locket over to Filber, not wanting to put herself or her siblings in danger over a piece of jewelry. Then, awesomely, Filber drops the locket in the water as he's running off. Joshua's watching from nearby, and Elizabeth sees him disappear. Way to get a 12-year-old to do all the work so you can be at peace, dude.
Elizabeth tells Jessica and Steven that Joshua was the bosun, and he sent the chain letter so Elizabeth would get the second half of the heart. Since they believe in curses but not ghosts, Jess and Steven decide that Elizabeth was behind the whole thing and doesn't want to admit that she sent the letters. Liz just lets it go. That night, she dreams of Red Beard and Carlotta being reunited. Aww, some dead people got a happy ending. How sweet.
Thoughts: The story of Carlotta is supposed to be well-known, but none of the kids has heard it. And how has no one ever noticed the remains of the ship or searched them?
Why would Lila's driver take the girls to a bus stop so they can catch a bus to the beach? He can't just drive them to the beach? Because – and I know I've said this before – no way would Lila take public transportation if she didn't have to.
The librarian at Sweet Valley's public library is probably the only person in town who can tell the twins apart without thinking about it. Jessica's probably never even been there.
Sweet Valley has no benches downtown. What's up with that, S.V.?
Of course Elizabeth took a calligraphy course last summer. That's one of the least surprising things I've ever read.
January 17, 2017
SVT #79, Jessica's Blind Date: Print Media Really Isn't Dead
Summary: Jessica has recently started to think that a 12-year-old boy might not make the best boyfriend. Aaron Dallas may be cool and popular, but he's not exactly mature. She tries to avoid him in the cafeteria, getting delayed by Elizabeth, who's trying to find a tutor for Amy. Jess suggests that she run an ad in the Sixers. She's unable to run off before Aaron can reach her, so she agrees to go get ice cream with him after school. But he's childish, ordering bubblegum ice cream with rainbow sprinkles, and wearing a Donald Duck shirt. They have a fight about how she's snobby and he's immature, and that's it for their relationship.
Going off of Jess' suggestion to run an ad in the paper, Elizabeth comes up with the idea to start a Classified section. Jessica decides to run an ad looking for a date to a party at Rick Hunter's house. Liz balks at running it, since she wants the Sixers to be a serious paper, like The New York Times. (No, seriously, she makes that comparison. I don't think the Times prints cafeteria menus, though.) But Jets gets her way, of course.
The ad gets Jess a few responses, including one from a high schooler who says Johnny Buck is his cousin. Jess is naïve enough to believe that, as well as believe that a guy old enough to drive is looking for a 12-year-old girlfriend. She goes to meet him at the Dairi Burger, but it turns out to be Steven pulling a prank. Still, there are some guys at SVMS who are interested in Jessica, or at least her personal-ad persona, Gorgeous Blond.
Lila's having guy problems of her own now, as Jake forgot their one-month anniversary. I didn't realize they were officially dating. He probably didn't either, which explains not acknowledging their anniversary. Jess suggests that Lila write a personal ad, too, keeping quiet the fact that she wrote the first one. After they write Lila's ad, she tells Janet, and suddenly a bunch of girls at SVMS want to find new guys.
Suddenly the Sixers is super-popular, though not for the reasons Elizabeth would prefer. Everyone's reading the paper just for the Classified section, which is now mostly the Personals section. She's also annoyed that Amy ran an ad, and they fight about it. The only good thing she has going for her right now is that Todd has no interest in running an ad or finding a new girlfriend.
Unimpressed with the guys who responded to her ad, Jessica reads the other ads and comes across Athletic Guy. He likes pineapple pizza and roller coasters, just like she does. She writes him a letter but doesn't get a response. She's disappointed until she realizes that she didn't give him the number of her response box, so he couldn't write her back. Instead, he places a new ad asking for her contact info.
The two start writing each other like this is You've Got Mail, and Jess is smitten. A bunch of other girls who wrote ads have also made new love connections, and with Rick's party coming up, they all decide to meet there for their first official dates. The only pair not going on a blind date to the party is Elizabeth and Todd. Liz is also happy because she's turned the Classified/Personals section into a profit center. Charging people $1 to place an ad, the Sixers makes about $200.
Athletic Guy shows up to the Wakefields' house to get Jessica for the party, and she's floored to see that he's Aaron. He, like Tom Hanks, already figured out who she was but didn't say anything. Jessica, like Meg Ryan, is glad he's Athletic Guy. They've learned a bunch about each other, and I guess now their relationship is going to be fine. They even skip the party so they can get pineapple pizza together.
This was probably a good idea, since the party isn't great. All the new couples are complete mismatches, like Janet and Ken, Sophia and Rick, and Ellen and nerdy Donald Zwerdling. Everyone quickly realizes that they were happier with their original people. So the paper made $200 while everyone went back to relationships they were already in. I think Elizabeth comes out on top here.
Thoughts: Please enjoy the song stylings of Mr. Johnny Buck:
"Bringin' me down
Bringin' me up
Rockin' me round
Just like a pup
She's my roller coaster baby
My roller coaster gal
See if you can catch her
My roller coaster pal."
Everyone gets pretty dressed up for a party at a teenage boy's house. These kids go to parties practically every week; they can't consider this a special occasion.
Mandy: "How did you come up with the name Awesome Dude?" Jake: "It fit me." Mandy: "Oh. I should have known." For some reaso, that cracked me up.
January 10, 2017
SVT #78, Steven the Zombie: Steven Voodoo Dolls, Now from Mattel!
Summary: The kids at SVMS are studying the Civil War-era south in Social Studies, and they each have to do some sort of project. Lila's somehow allowed to throw a party and call it a project. Everyone will dress up in period costume and eat food from the era. Jessica's stuck for an idea until she reads about voodoo and decides to try it out on Steven. He's been bugging her more than usual lately, and messing with her Johnny Buck poster (using a marker to make him cross-eyed) is the last straw. She decides to make a Steven voodoo doll and torture it, getting revenge on him while also completing her project.
Jess turns an old G.I. Joe into a mini-Steven, using pieces of her brother's lucky shirt as clothes. She tells Elizabeth what she's up to and swears her to secrecy. She starts doing things like poking and tickling the doll, and is surprised when she gets a reaction out of the real Steven. Meanwhile, Elizabeth has befriended a kid named Benjamin from the homeless shelter. He has some mysterious pain in his leg that doctors can't figure out. Jessica wonders if she can use voodoo to heal as well as harm. She makes a doll for Benjamin and mixes up some ingredients that she thinks will be healing.
Steven isn't feeling well, and Jessica gives herself the credit. She's convinced that her voodoo doll is working. She makes him twitch around while he's with Joe, who mentions to Jess that her brother has been acting strange lately, kind of zombie-like. Later, Jessica makes Steven randomly do a headstand in front of Cathy. He starts being really nice to Jess, which makes her wonder exactly what's going on with the voodoo.
The night of Lila's party, Jessica is ready to wow with her costume. Most of the girls are going as Scarlett O'Hara, and Janet has decided that whoever has the best costume gets to be acting president for a week when she goes on vacation. Lila has told all the guys coming that whoever has the best Rhett Butler costume gets to dance with her. Jess schemes to get Janet to announce that the best Rhett gets to dance with the best Scarlett, hoping that she and Aaron will win.
Since she didn't have time to get a good costume, Jess (with a hint from Amy) decides to make a dress out of the family's curtains. She also uses temporary brown hair dye, but her hair turns out orange. She briefly wonders if she's somehow brought on a punishment for using voodoo. Elizabeth saves the day with a hat and encourages Jess to be confident that she can pull off her costume. It works, and Jessica is named the best Scarlett, with Aaron as her Rhett. She manages to get the curtains back home and her hair back to blond before Ned and Alice notice anything.
In other Jess success, Benjamin's leg is doing better for no apparent reason. She's sure that her voodoo is working on both him and Steven. Elizabeth is skeptical. Steven gets weirder and weirder, being especially nice to Jessica even while he doesn't feel well. He also keeps twitching after she stops using the doll on him. Jess starts worrying that she's gone too far. She even has a nightmare that Steven drowns trying to save her from drowning.
She decides to try to heal Steven the way she (allegedly) healed Benjamin. She plays easy-listening music for the doll and makes sure it's comfortable. She gets spooked when she later hears Steven humming a song she played for the doll. He's still sick, and Jess is afraid that she didn't stop her voodoo in time. She wakes up from another nightmare and discovers that the doll is lying in some water. She runs to Steven's room to make sure he's okay, but she can't wake him up.
Jessica freaks out and wakes up the rest of the house. In response, Steven cracks up and reveals that he was faking. Later, the truth comes out: Elizabeth told him what Jessica was up to, so he made sure he could always see what she was doing with the doll, then acted it out to mess with her. None of the voodoo actually worked. Steven really is sick, but it's just the flu. (Of course, this doesn't explain how Benjamin miraculously got better…)
Jessica still has a project to complete, so she gets Steven to agree to come to her class and demonstrate how the "voodoo" works. The two of them and Elizabeth work out a system of coughs so Liz can signal to a blindfolded Steven what Jess is doing to the doll. The demonstration goes perfectly, though Mrs. Arnette doesn't like the implications. She gives Jess a C+ and tells her never to talk about or practice voodoo again. Jess caps off the experience by buying Steven a replacement for his lucky shirt and asking him to stop being so nice to her, since it's weird.
In the B-plot, Todd volunteers himself and Elizabeth to cook a southern meal for their class. Todd is a horrible cook and can't even follow directions properly, so every practice meal they cook turns out terrible. Todd apparently never bothers to taste what he's cooked, so he thinks everything's great. He's even thinking about becoming a chef someday. Instead of telling him that he's screwing up and needs to pay attention, since they're doing this for a grade, Liz just pretends everything's fine.
Jessica suggests that Elizabeth change markings on measuring cups and labels on measuring spoons so Todd's mistakes will actually be the right steps. Elizabeth does, but the meal still turns out awful. People in the class even get sick, including Mrs. Arnette. Everyone thinks Liz and Todd just pulled a prank, which I don't get, because there's no way Liz would do something like that, especially with a grade on the line.
Elizabeth confesses her actions to Todd, who isn't upset. He's just glad that he didn't screw things up, and still has a future as a chef. Later, in exchange for helping Jess with her project, Liz makes her tell Todd that she had the idea to sabotage everything, so Liz is off the hook. Todd doesn't care. That was pretty pointless.
Thoughts: So has everyone at SVMS seen Gone With the Wind? Seems unlikely.
Jessica knows what the Spanish Inquisition is but not who Patrick Henry is. Sure, okay.
Dear ghostwriter, no 14-year-old boy says "blouse."
Jessica: "Mom! Dad! Wake up! I've killed Steven! Come quick!" Ned: "What time is it?" Priorities, Ned.
"I thought it was working, so in theory, it did kind of work." With logic like that, Jessica has a future as a politician.
January 3, 2017
SVT #77, Todd Runs Away: Put the Ball in the Hoop and Stop Trying to Get Good Grades
Summary: Todd is the new star of SVMS's basketball team, which is in the middle of a winning streak thanks to him. Everyone at school loves him, including the Unicorns. His dad is especially proud because he wanted to be a pro basketball player but had to give up his dream because of knee problems. So now he lives vicariously through his son, though he won't admit it.
SVMS is offering a new creative writing class that Mr. Bowman gets to pick students to participate in for a few weeks. Apparently the students who are chosen can't opt out, which is dumb, since it's an after-school thing. Todd is worried that he'll be chosen, since he has basketball practice right after the class is supposed to take place. Plus, he thinks there will be a lot of extra work. Of course, he does get chosen, and Mr. Bowman won't let him back out. He thinks Todd shows a lot of potential as a writer and wants him to develop his skills.
The class is taught by a guy named Mark Ramirez who's brought in from outside the school. He's every cliché you've seen in the young, hip teacher who wants to connect with his students. They can call him Mark! Todd is immediately interested in writing and puts in a lot of work on a story about making a difficult decision. He even skips out on shooting hoops with his father. Mr. Wilkins is concerned that Mark is assigning too much work. The thing is that he really isn't – he tells the kids to write a story that's three pages long or so, and Todd just chooses to do a lot of work on it.
It pays off, as Mark thinks Todd wrote the best story in the class. But all that writing took time away from practice, so Todd doesn't play as well as usual in the next basketball game. Mr. Wilkins is ticked. How dare Todd enjoy writing as much as he enjoys basketball! How dare he want to do well in a class if it'll conflict with a sport! How dare he want to go see a play with his class when he should be practicing! He's also mad that Mark doesn't use textbooks to teach. Shut up, Mr. Wilkins.
Todd's father says he can make his own choice about going to the play; of course Mr. Wilkins wants him to choose to go to practice instead. He doesn't, and in the next game, Todd misses the winning shot. The team's winning streak is over. What's nice is that the coach doesn't hold it against him, because the coach is a better parent toward Todd than his own father is. Now Mr. Wilkins wants Todd to drop out of the writing class, since it's taking too much time away from basketball.
Todd talks to Mark, who gets him to realize that he likes writing and doesn't necessarily want to choose basketball over the class. Todd gains some courage and tells his dad he's not dropping the class. Mr. Wilkins is furious and decides to go after Mark. He goes to the principal, Mr. Clark, and complains that Mark gives his students too much work. Mrs. Wilkins, by the way, is useless in this book. Apparently she's totally okay with her husband basically bullying their child.
Some of Todd's friends see his father going in to talk to Mr. Clark and wonder what's going on. Todd worries that his dad is going to get Mark fired. Mr. Wilkins says nothing happened in the meeting, but then Todd overhears him calling Alice in an attempt to rally all the parents against Mark. His classmates think he complained to his dad about Mark, and now Mark's going to get in trouble. Instead of explaining what's really going on, Todd ditches school to avoid everyone.
Mr. Clark suspends Todd from the basketball team for skipping school, so Todd's life is just getting worse. He ditches school again, this time planning to run away. Now that he can't play basketball, his father's mad at him, and his friends have all turned on him, he doesn't see a reason to stay in town. The kid thinks $50 and a can-do attitude will help him get by in San Diego. Good luck renting an apartment, buddy. Apparently he's learned nothing from the assignment about making difficult decisions. He's just giving up and not making any decisions.
Mr. Clark changes his mind about Todd's punishment, letting him back on the team as long as he serves a few detentions. Todd, however, is already on his way to the bus station when the news gets out. Todd's friends find out about the new punishment, and Elizabeth tracks Todd down and lets him know about it. He doesn't care and continues his plan to run away. But Liz knows something's up and follows him to the bus station. When he falls asleep waiting for his bus, Liz calls his parents.
Now that he's realized how distraught Todd has become, Mr. Wilkins finally feels bad. He comes to the station and reveals that he actually talked to Mark and learned he's a good guy. Todd will be allowed to come to practice a little bit late, and he won't have to do as much work in the class. Which…he didn't have to do that much work in the first place. He wanted to. But why would Mr. Wilkins want to encourage Todd in an activity he likes when he can push him to be successful at a sport he has a 2% chance of playing professionally someday? What's Mr. Wilkins' damage?
In the B-plot, the twins have realized separately that it's time for them to start wearing bras. They're too nervous to actually talk to each other about it (and Alice is too useless a parent for them to talk to her), so Jessica leaves a magazine ad for bras in Elizabeth's closet in hopes of starting a conversation. Liz finds it and hides it in Jessica's room. Eventually they "find" the ad together and agree to go bra shopping together.
There's a pep rally on Wednesday, so the girls decide to go to Kendall's then, since everyone at school will be occupied. But they spot Rick Hunter's mother at the store and worry that she'll say something to Rick about seeing them there. The next time they go, they see Caroline Pearce and run away before she can see what they're shopping for. Panicking about Mrs. Hunter was an overreaction, but I have to say, leaving before Caroline could see them was a good move.
The twins go back to Kendall's a third time, but they can't just sneak in and out with their purchases: They're customers 1,000,001 and 1,000,002, and Kendall's wants to use them in their ads for the next year. Plus, they get 10% off anything they buy for the year. Wow, 10%. Way to be generous, Kendall's. The girls panic and run again.
On their fourth attempt, right before a big basketball game, the girls encounter a super-loud employee who doesn't get that 12-year-old girls buying their first bras might want a little discretion. They finally manage to get their bras, but on the way home, the bag breaks and the bras fall out in front of some of their guy friends. Womp womp. It's probably more embarrassing for the guys than for the girls. The twins decide to buy from a mail-order catalog next time. Wait until the Internet comes around – they'll be ecstatic.
Thoughts: Continuity alert: Pamela Jacobson exists again.
First description of Mark: "Instead of a suit and tie, he was wearing faded jeans and high-top sneakers." That means he's fun, guys! He's not like a regular teacher, he's a cool teacher!
"I already know what I want to write about: a girl who has to choose between being a mystery writer and a journalist." Now I have to choose between telling Elizabeth to shut up and telling her to stuff it.
"That class is going to ruin your chance to make something of yourself." Is this the first time a parent has argued AGAINST school being vital to a child's future?
December 27, 2016
SVT #76, Yours for a Day: Indentured Servitude Has Never Been So Romantic
Summary: Valentine's Day is approaching, as is a Valentine's Day dance at SVMS. The Unicorns (spurred on by Mandy) are organizing a fundraiser for the local children's hospital (appropriately named Children's Hospital) in which students can hire a personal servant for a day or two. Ellen wants to call it Yours for a Day, but the other girls say that's dumb since the fundraiser takes place over two days. But that's what the book is called, so I guess Ellen wins in the end. Anyway, for $5 you can hire someone for a day, and for $10 you get someone over two days. The "servants" don't have to pay, but they also don't get compensated, so servants are just volunteering out of the kindness of their hearts.
Mandy has a crush on a guy named Peter Jeffries, but she's too nervous to ask him to the dance. When she calls to talk to him, she just hangs up the phone. Oh, Mandy, we've all been there. She also can barely speak to Peter when he comes by the Unicorns' table to sign up to be a servant. Jessica realizes that if Peter and Mandy (who will be a master) get paired up, she can order him to take her to the dance. How romantic.
At the drawing, Mandy winds up as Jessica's servant, which Jess is thrilled about. Not only is she paired with a friend (the other girls were worried about being paired with people they don't like), but she can order Mandy to ask Peter to the dance. The drawback here is that the Unicorns are working as both servants and masters, and Jess winds up as Lloyd Benson's servant. Lila's working for Peter, and Janet's working for Winston. Ha ha!
Lloyd's annoyed with Jessica for the earthquake stuff in the last book, so he makes her do lots of stuff for him. If Jess were really smart, she would have Mandy do it for her. Instead, she tells Mandy that her only task is to ask Peter to the dance. Mandy manages to pull herself together and do it…but Peter already has a date to the dance. Aw, Mandy. At least he's nice about having to turn her down.
Still, Mandy feels humiliated and gets mad at Jessica. She gets a little pleasure out of watching Jessica do dumb things on Lloyd's orders, like eat gross cafeteria food and help him with science experiments. Aaron feels bad for Jess and tries to think of a way to get her switched to him so Lloyd can't mess with her anymore. Elizabeth correctly guesses that Lloyd won't agree to a switch since he's eager to get revenge on Jessica.
Jessica is also hoping to switch, and she even asks Elizabeth to be Lloyd's servant. Liz balks, but since Jess rigged the drawing for her and Amy (see the B-plot), she eventually agrees. But Lila and Mandy, scheming against Jessica, pull their own switch. Jessica was supposed to work for Belinda, so the girls get Belinda to switch servants with Mandy, making Jessica serve Mandy instead. In the meantime, Aaron convinces Lloyd to switch with him, thinking he'd get Jessica. Now he has Elizabeth as a servant.
The usually-not-vindictive Mandy makes Jessica sing "Feelings" in the cafeteria so she'll be humiliated like she inadvertently humiliated Mandy. The song makes Grace Oliver cry, but not from horribleness. She and Winston had been going out, or whatever the 12-year-old equivalent of that is, but they had a huge fight and aren't speaking. Grace asked Peter to the dance, but now she wants to make up with Winston and go with him. Jessica realizes that she has the opportunity to make everyone happy.
She goes to Lloyd, who's Grace's master for the day, and gets him to switch servants with Winston. Winston thinks he's getting Jessica as a servant, but he's getting Grace. They quickly make up and will be going to the dance together. Half of Jess' plan is a success, even though the switch means Lloyd will be Janet's master.
Jessica tries to negotiate with Lila to get her to make Peter, her new servant, ask Mandy to the dance. Lila wants too much in return, so Jess just calls Peter on her own. But it turns out that her work is done, and Mandy and Peter have already decided to go to the dance together. Once Peter learned that Grace was going with Winston, he asked Mandy, the person he'd wanted to go with in the first place. He wasn't sure Mandy liked him, but once Jessica made her ask him to the dance, he realized she did. So Jess' meddling helped a couple get together!
The new couple has a great time at the dance, and the master/servant fundraiser makes $800 for the hospital. Jessica's the only one who's not happy at the end, since Janet makes Lloyd a certificate entitling him to another day of servitude from Jessica. I guess it's a small price to pay for a successful fundraiser.
In the B-plot, Elizabeth and Amy are annoyed with Todd and Ken, who are just acting like typical preteen boys. They play a prank on the boys, getting them to eat mayo instead of vanilla pudding. They think this makes them even, especially when the guys send the girls on a scavenger hunt for what the girls think will be invitations to the dance. They get the invitations, but they also get drenched with cold water. The girls decide they need more revenge.
Elizabeth and Amy get Jessica to rig the master/servant drawing so Todd will be Liz's servant and Ken will be Amy's. Then they make the guys do things like wear embarrassing ties, walk on their hands in the cafeteria, and give the wrong answers in class. The guys handle things well, and still want to take the girls to the dance. They're even going to get them corsages. The girls think they've learned their lesson and are going to be gentlemen from now on.
On Valentine's Day, the girls spend most of the dance sneezing. They figure out that the guys got one last revenge by putting sneezing powder in their corsages. The girls get revenge right back by making them sing "Feelings" in front of everyone. I guess this evens things up, as the pranks stop. The girls were definitely winning that war anyway.
Thoughts: Grace is in a lot more books than I remembered. I really didn't think she was ever mentioned again after The Big Camp Secret.
I can't believe Amy and Elizabeth didn't think the guys might try to get them back after everything they had to do as servants. I would expect Elizabeth to be smarter than that.
"Daddy would give more, but he already donated a whole wing to the hospital, and he didn't want to overdo it." Oh, of course not. There's such a thing as helping too many sick children.
December 20, 2016
SVT #75, Jessica and the Earthquake: (Not a) Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
Summary: Jessica wakes up in the middle of the night during what she later finds out is an earthquake. It's minor – only a 3.2 – but it's Sweet Valley's first in 20 years, so it's kind of a big deal. It becomes an even bigger deal for Jessica when she learns that she was the only person at school who woke up. I don't know why anyone cares, but they do. Jessica uses her overactive imagination to spice up the story a little. She tells people that she woke up before the earthquake, and must have sensed that it was coming. Super-nerd Lloyd Benson is intrigued and starts following her around, wanting her help with a project on earthquakes.
With news of an aftershock possibly coming, Lila and Janet, who are sick of Jessica's embellishments, decide to get some revenge. They urge her to predict when the aftershock will come, then plan a big part at the Fowlers' so everyone can experience it together. At first Jess loves all the attention, but when Lila and Janet try to call her bluff, she gets worried. If she predicts an earthquake and nothing happens, she'll be humiliated. She's already humiliated enough by Lloyd's sudden obsession with her.
Everyone is really excited about the possibility of Jessica proving her earthquake-sensing powers. A ton of people are invited to Lila's party, and Bruce even has souvenir T-shirts made. Since the date of the party is on them, Jessica's prediction better be right or no one will want a shirt, and she'll have to deal with Bruce's anger on top of everything else. Jess tries to put a stop to the party, but everyone wants earthcake, a cake Lila and Janet will decorate to look like Sweet Valley, then cut in half like it's been split by an earthquake. I have to admit, that's pretty clever.
Desperate for her prediction to come true, Jessica does an earthquake dance (a variation on a rain dance) before the party. This involves her hopping around her room, chanting, "Earthquake, earthquake, please come soon. If you don't come, I'll be ruined." I have a feeling that if Lila and Janet saw this, they'd be satisfied with their revenge. Elizabeth sees Jess dancing and tries to cheer her up, noting that there's a chance the aftershock will come just when she said.
At the party, Jessica frets that she's going to be embarrassed in front of everyone. People are making a huge deal out of the aftershock – Aaron is even taking bets from people on what time it will occur. Jessica says it'll happen at 8:30, so everyone spends the party checking the time. Bruce warns that if the aftershock doesn't happen that night, Jess will have to pay for all his unsold shirts. Hey, Bruce, no one asked you to make shirts. That's your own problem.
8:30 rolls around, and guess what? No earthquake. Jessica pretends that the vibes she was getting before were just off a little, but everyone's lost interest. Jessica sulks off somewhere in the basement and takes a nap. As Lila brings the earthquake down to the party, the aftershock hits. Lila takes a header into the cake. Oh, sweet justice for Jess. Too bad she slept through the whole thing. (Fortunately, Amy takes a picture.)
In the B-plot, Steven's new favorite band, the Katybugs, comes out with a video about animal cruelty and why people should be vegetarians. Steven's so disturbed by the images and ideas that he reacts like Lisa in that Simpsons episode where she can't eat lamb chops after seeing a lamb at a petting zoo. He gets very Dawn Schafer about the whole thing, annoying his family and friends with his self-righteousness.
In what I think might be an attempt to shove him out of his new habits by overloading him, Ned and Alice have the whole family adopt Steven's new diet. The twins aren't happy, though Elizabeth at least puts forth an effort. Steven quickly grows tired of his new self-imposed restrictions (the boy loves a bacon cheeseburger), but he knows he can't back down, because his family and friends will call him out for being a hypocrite. Cathy tells him she understands his convictions, and she does what she can, but she's not going to change her whole lifestyle just because some animals are cute.
Steven finally breaks down and decides to have some spaghetti and meatballs. But the earthquake hits and he drops the jar holding the sauce, ruining the last bit of non-healthy food in the house. The twins figure out what happened and follow him to Hughie's Burger Shack (competition for the Dairi Burger? Oh, no!) after school. They catch him about to eat a burger and tease him about it. At this point he doesn't really care anymore, and he agrees to stop trying to push his beliefs on other people if it means he can eat some meat.
The C-plot is connected to the A-plot: Elizabeth and Amy think they can only be true reporters if they experience something themselves, so they decide to stay up all night for a few nights in case the aftershock comes. That way, at least one of them will be able to write about it from first-hand experience. This leads to the girls falling asleep in school and even struggling to stay awake at Lila's party. Of course, they're awake for the aftershock, so they end up able to write their article without learning a lesson about responsible journalist procedures, or something.
Thoughts: These kids act like they've never experienced an earthquake before, but even if there hasn't been one in Sweet Valley in 20 years, they can't all have lived in S.V. their whole lives. None of them has ever been to L.A.? San Francisco? Any other freaking place in Southern California?
Alice has nothing to say about Elizabeth and Amy trying to stay up all night multiple nights in a row. I mean, of course.
Lloyd talks about "the magical terror of earthquakes." Please get a life, Lloyd.


text:
Many leading funds, including Paulson & Co., Capital World Investors and Wellington Management, filed forms 13-D and 13-G (and form 4) with the SEC this week, on Monday to Wednesday, indicating that they had amended their ownership in U.S. traded public companies operating in the basic materials and energy sectors (other articles focused on the institutional ownership filings this week in the healthcare and technology sectors can be accessed by clicking on the above hyperlinks). The following are the most notable institutional trades based on our analysis of those filings (for more info on Forms 13-D and 13-G, and how to interpret that, please refer to the end of this article):
Novagold Resources Inc. (NG): NG is a Canadian company engaged in the exploration and development of gold, silver and copper in Alaska and British Columbia. On Monday, famed hedge fund company Paulson & Co., with over $35 billion in assets under management, including $13.9 billion in 13-F assets per their latest Q4 filing, filed SEC Form 13D/A indicating that it holds 34.6 million shares, an increase from the 30.0 million shares it indicated holding in an earlier SC 13D filing at the beginning of March.
Paulson has been gradually building up its position in the company, having just added 2.75 million shares in Q4 to their prior quarter 20.20 million shares in the company, and then reporting adding another 7.0 million shares in February. NG currently generates losses, and trades at 7.3 P/B compared to the average of 2.3 for its peers in the gold mining group.
Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF): CLF is a mining and natural resources company, producing iron ore pellets, lumps and fines iron ore, and metallurgical coal products. It operates six iron ore mines in MI, MN and eastern Canada; two iron ore mining complexes in western Australia; five metallurgical coal mines located in WV and AL; and one thermal coal mine in WV. On Tuesday, Los Angeles-based Capital World Investors, with over $262 billion in 13-F assets, filed SEC Form SC 13G/A indicating that it holds 16.3 million shares, an increase from the 10.6 million shares it held at the end of Q4.
CLF reported in its Q4 two months ago, missing analyst earnings estimates ($1.30 v/s $1.61) and beat revenues ($1.66 billion v/s $1.62 billion); its shares currently trade at 5-6 forward P/E and 1.6 P/B compared to averages of 7.0 and 34.4 for its peers in the iron mining group.
Besides CLF, Capital World Investors also filed SC 13G's for Newfield Exploration Co. (NFX), an independent oil and gas company engaged in the exploration and development of crude oil and natural gas properties in the U.S., Malaysia and China, in which it reported holding 6.9 million shares, a decrease from the 15.4 million shares it held at the end of Q4.
C & J Energy Services (CJES): CJES provides hydraulic fracturing and coiled tubing services, with a focus on complex, technically demanding well completions, to the large exploration and production companies with unconventional resource positions. On Monday, leading private equity firm Greenwich, CT-based General Atlantic LLC filed SEC Form SC 13D indicating that it holds 3.4 million shares, a new position for it since the end of Q4. CJES shares trade at a current 5.5 P/E and 2.3 P/B compared to averages of 17.7 and 1.5 for its peers in the oil field services group.
Other major institutional filings this week in the basic materials and energy sectors included:
- ION Geophysical Corp. (IO), a provider of seismic products and services to the oil and natural gas industry worldwide, in which Fidelity Investments filed SEC Form SC 13G/A indicating that it holds 8.2 million shares, a decrease from the 18.8 million shares it held at the end of Q4; and
- Rexx Energy Corp. (REXX), an independent oil and gas company operating in the Illinois Basin, the Appalachian Basin and the southwestern region of the U.S., in which Wellington Management filed SEC Form SC 13G indicating that it holds 6.1 million shares, a new position for it since the end of Q4.
General Discussion
Form 13-D is commonly referred to as "beneficial ownership report," and is required when a person or a group of persons acquires beneficial ownership of more than 5% of the voting class of a company's equity securities; form 13-G is the abbreviated version of the form that is allowed under certain circumstances.
The information in forms 13-D and 13-G is extremely timely as it is required to be filed within 10 days after the purchase, in contrast to 13-F quarterly filings by Institutions that are filed every three months. The information contained in 13-F filings, thereby, can as much as 18 weeks old by the time it is disseminated to the public. Furthermore, by virtue of their 5% ownership in public companies, the information contained in the 13-D and 13-G filings indicates only high confidence or high conviction moves by institutions and insiders, and hence can be interpreted to be of greater relevance to the investment community than the 13-F quarterly filings. Furthermore, 13-D and 13-G filings often are a precursor to a hostile takeover, company breakups and other "change of control" events, and often they will include a letter to management explaining the reason for their taking a large stake in the company.
Credit: Fundamental data in this article were based on SEC filings, Zacks Investment Research, Thomson Reuters and Briefing.com. The information and data is believed to be accurate, but no guarantees or representations are made.
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.
Disclaimer: Material presented here is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this article should be taken as a solicitation to purchase or sell securities. Before buying or selling any stock you should do your own research and reach your own conclusion. Further, these are our opinions and we may be wrong. We may have positions in securities mentioned in this article. You should take this into consideration before acting on any advice given in this article. If this makes you uncomfortable, then do not listen to our thoughts and opinions. The contents of this article do not take into consideration your individual investment objectives so consult with your own financial adviser before making an investment decision. Investing includes certain risks including loss of principal.