#8, Boy-Crazy Stacey

I love the early books. They were the ones I read over and over and over again when I was a kid. This one was a favorite. Unfortunately my first copy of it didn't survive the years so I have the new cover version and it looks wrong because this book should be yellow. The cover shows Scott the lifeguard patching up a cut on Claire's foot. He is meant to be eighteen, but in the picture he looks like he's in his  mid-30s. Stacey and Claire are wearing beach coverups in the picture, so we do not get to see the bikini Stacey describes to us as being very skimpy.

All of you with the classic yellow cover are agreeing with me here. It just looks wrong.

The reason Stacey is at the beach is that the Pike parents can't stand their kids, so they've hired Stacey and Mary Anne to come along on their vacations as mother's helpers. Stacey's a little nervous because she knows Mary Anne the least of any of the girls in the BSC, and she hasn't been away from her parents since her diabetes diagnosis. Oh, and the part where she'll be watching eight kids for two weeks.

Mary Anne and Stacey go over to the Pike house the day before the trip to talk to Mrs. Pike about their expectations. Mrs. Pike tells them that even though she and the Mr. don't believe in making rules for the children or forcing them to do things they don't want to do, they are very strict about not allowing them to go in the ocean when no lifeguards are on duty. This is basically the only rule they have in Sea City. These are the same people who Mallory will complain about constantly in later books because they treat her like a baby and never let her do anything.

Stacey's mother is nervous about Stacey going away for two weeks. It's so weird to read the books before Stacey's parents get divorced and her mom and dad are working together to be overprotective and annoying. Stacey tells us that when she arrives at the Pike house, Mary Anne and her dad are both crying. This strikes me as out of character for Richard, but at the same time, I'm sure it's one of the few times she's gone away from home without him.

The Pikes are taking two cars for the trip, and they're talking about trying to stay together and what to do if they get separated, and it just makes me think of how much things have changed since this book was written, because these days both parents would doubtless have cell phones and it wouldn't be a big deal if they got separated.

There is a whole chapter of them driving to Sea City and the kids actually squabble instead of playing lame car games and having a singalong or something. Margo gets a little carsick but doesn't throw up, which is nice because in later books she basically barfed constantly and nobody wants to read about that.

Oh and when they get to the beach house the parents have one room, the boys have another, Margo and Claire share, Vanessa and Mallory share, and Mary Anne and Stacey share. Mallory tells them that if they don't like the room they've been given, they can trade with someone or there are lots of empty rooms on the third floor. If there are so many empty bedrooms why do all the kids have to share? I don't understand. You'd think at least the older ones would want a little space for once.

The next chapter is when Stacey catches her first glimpse of Scott. You have to imagine that with little hearts around it and stuff, because Stacey is completely and totally convinced that Scott is the cutest and most interesting guy in the entire world. The next day while she is supposed to be watching the Pike kids at the beach, she is checking out the lifeguards instead. She eventually goes over and talks to "the hunk" and finds out that his name is Scott, he is eighteen, and he will be starting college in the fall.

The Pike Parents go out to a romantic dinner and Mary Anne and Stacey take the kids out to eat at Burger Garden and it is not as boring as babysitting chapters usually are. My favorite bit is when the kids are squabbling over who will sit where and Stacey says, "A six foot mouse has been waiting for five minutes for us to sit down," because I can totally picture the person in the mouse costume being completely annoyed already just seeing 10 kids walk in with no adults and fight over table arrangements. Then they go out on the boardwalk and out for ice cream. This book is one of the first where Vanessa is going through a "rhyming phase" and again it's not nearly as obnoxious as in later books where she speaks exclusively in rhyme. She only does it some of the time.

Also there is a part where Mr. Pike is cooking breakfast and Stacey has to tell him what she can and can't eat of the food he's preparing, and she can't have cheese omelet because it's "processed cheese" and this reminds me that in at least one other early book, Stacey had to have a burger instead of pizza because she couldn't eat the cheese on pizza because of her diabetes for some reason. But then later in the series she could.

Anyway the next day Stacey is busy hanging around the lifeguard stand talking to Scott and basically ignoring Mary Anne who is doing most of the work taking care of the Pikes. She brings him sodas and makes him sandwiches. I don't really understand why she's making him lunch but I'm old and cranky and wouldn't be bringing soda or sandwiches to any 18 year old who is perfectly capable of packing a lunch. At the end of the day, Scott gives Stacey a present: his lifeguard whistle.

The next day is rainy and Mary Anne and Stacey take the kids to play mini-golf and again, it's not all that boring for a babysitting chapter. I totally feel the annoyance of the people in line behind them as Claire takes a billion strokes on each hole.

The next chapter, on the other hand, is a random throw-in of Kristy sitting for her sibs back in Stoneybrook and I skip it every single time I read this book because it does nothing but break up the flow.

Mary Anne and Stacey get a night off and go out to dinner and then hang around the boardwalk and ride the ferris wheel and it sounds like fun. Mary Anne is really patient with Stacey as she picks out a present for Scott, but after they come out of the store with it, they see Scott making out with a girl, and Stacey bursts into tears and leaves the box of chocolates on a bench.

The next day Stacey pretends to have a headache so she doesn't have to go to the beach. Byron stays home with her and they go for a walk and talk about why he's afraid of the ocean and this is basically the scene that makes it clear that Byron is the sensitive triplet, which in fanfiction translates to Byron being the gay triplet. Seriously, in all the BSC fanfiction I have read, he is always the gay triplet. Mind you I haven't read anything near all the BSC fanfic that's out there, but I've read enough to know.

A couple of days later, Stacey is at the beach with half of the Pike kids while Mary Anne takes the others to Trampoline World and to play miniature golf again, and she meets Alex, a guy mother's helper who has been hanging out with Mary Anne quite a bit. She also meets Alex's cousin Toby, who is fourteen and is dressed in cool clothes and seems to like her too. Alex and Toby go on a double date with Mary Anne and Stacey on their night off, and they have a great time, and Toby wins a teddy bear for Stacey and gives her her first kiss. It's hard for Stacey and Mary Anne to say goodbye when they see the boys on the beach the next day, which is their last in Sea City, but they have to, and Mary Anne manages not to cry in front of the Pike kids. Stacey also says goodbye to Scott.

Back in Stoneybrook, Stacey sits on the back porch and drinks iced tea and tells her parents about her vacation, and then she calls Mary Anne to chat and finds out that Mary Anne and Alex got $5 rings engraved with each other's initials. Then of course Stacey has to call Claudia and tell her all about everything that happened, because that is what best friends are for.