LS #29, Karen's Cartwheel

Karen is excited because some of the kids in her gymnastics class are going to be chosen to be on an invitational team. Karen is absolutely positive that she will get to be on the team, because she loves gymnastics and wants to perform in malls while people clap for her. Unfortunately, Karen can't do a cartwheel, even though everyone else in her class can. This doesn't stop her from having super lame fantasies about Daddy bringing the whole family to watch her do gymnastics in a shopping mall and everyone crying with pride. Karen practices her cartwheels over and over.

Here's the cover. Karen has pulled her hair into a side ponytail to help her balance on the beam. Smart thinking, Karen.


When the teacher announces the class members who have made the team, she says there are three kids. After she announces the first two, Karen waits for her to open her mouth again, then leaps up and yells "Yay I made the team!" only to discover that the teacher had called some other kid's name. Karen is embarrassed. I am entertained. Here is a drawing of that shining moment:

I love it.

Karen becomes obsessed with the idea that if she can just perfect her cartwheel, she'll be able to join the team. She is kind of obnoxious about it.

Meanwhile, Daddy has taken Karen and her friends to the toy store at the mall, where they fell in love with some dolls and really wanted them, but their parents won't buy them. Karen, Hannie, and Nancy start an odd-job business to earn money. They make signs to hang up in their neighborhoods. Daddy hires Karen to dig up dandelions from the backyard. Then on a weekend, he pays the girls to clean out the garage. Mrs. Porter sees the girls cleaning Watson's garage and hires them to clean hers, too. Karen, naturally, is kind of an asshole while cleaning the garage, taking the four brooms in the garage to be proof that Mrs. Porter is a witch. She also declares that a book they find is a book of spells.

Karen remembers that her gymnastics teacher lives in the neighborhood, so she shows up at the woman's house uninvited to show her how good she is at cartwheels now, and when that does not earn her a spot on the team, she asks to be hired to do odd jobs. Her teacher agrees. Karen shows up at 8:30 the next morning and digs up dandelions, walks the dog, sweeps the driveway, and waters the garden. Then Karen decides that since she did all that work, she doesn't want to put her money in the communal pot to buy the dolls with Hannie and Nancy. Hannie and Nancy, naturally, are a little annoyed at this because they have all agreed to pool their money. They have a brief fight but make up and then do a few more jobs until they have $41 to buy the matching dolls. They name them Merry, Kerry, and Terry, and then the Doll Sisters are mentioned in the Little Sister books off and on until pretty much the end of the series.

Karen is still upset though, because she is not good enough at gymnastics to be on the invitational team. Mrs. Porter sees that she is upset and asks what is wrong. Karen explains. Mrs. Porter says that Karen is good at a lot of things, and it's okay if she is not the best at everything. She shows Karen a picture of herself as a youngster (from the photo album which Karen had previously decreed to be a spellbook) and says that she was good at ice skating but always wanted to be an actress. Karen realizes that she can't be the best at everything she tries.

Karen has another gymnastics class and they get to watch the kids on the invitational team. Karen realizes she was not good enough at gymnastics to be on the team, like her teacher has been telling her all along. But she still enjoys gymnastics and has fun with the other kids in her class.

Overall, this book isn't really good or really bad. My score: 5/10.

Foods eaten in this book: pizza, ice cream, Orange Julius, popcorn, M&Ms, corn on the cob, fish, salad, peach.