Young Adult Revisited

You probably don't remember Sara Eastborne because I think she only appeared in the book where Jessica entered the beauty contest because Sara took dance classes from the same teacher. She now gets her very own book and her very own chance to bitch about her twin brother Tim. Though she tells everyone that he's a straight A student and star of the track team who lives with their dad on the East Coast, he's actually in reform school after becoming an alcoholic and stealing a car. I think you get why she kept his real self a secret. Sara also has a boyfriend named Bob. Bob is rich and snotty, which means that his parents are even worse. He takes her to dinner at the country club to meet them and then snaps at her for not paying attention. When she drifts off and thinks about her brother, his mom asks what she thinks about tanning beds and acts super disapproving when she can't respond. Bob lectures her on making a bad impression on his parents, despite the fact...

For some reason, Mary Anne is now Mallory's best friend. Mrs. Pike apparently went back to work, and the two keep getting jobs picking up the other kids from school and sitting for them at home. Mallory confesses that she really liked Riverbend and really wants to go but isn't sure how to tell anyone, especially Jessi. Though she told her siblings, Vanessa is the only one who really gets it. When the letter finally comes, she learns that she not only got in but that she got a full scholarship. That's when the kids finally put things together and realize that she's leaving and won't live there anymore. Mary Anne convinces her to tell Jessi about her acceptance letter. Jessi naturally isn't happy and gets really cold about the whole thing, telling her that she hopes she finds what she's looking for. That pretty much sets the tone for the book. While sitting at the Pike house, Jessi encourages the kids to tell Mallory that they don't want he...

While Lila is super excited to show off some new bracelets her dad brought her back from NYC, Caroline comes in with some big news about a new girl in school. Jessica originally ignores her because she already heard about the new girl from Elizabeth. When Maria Slater actually walks into the classroom though, Jessica can't get over how familiar she looks or how she looks so much older and more sophisticated than anyone else. They become tentative friends, though Maria wants to check out the school newspaper too. Steven has the cold, which he passes onto Jess. She winds up staying home sick from school, and the two fight over the television before deciding to watch a sci-fi movie about aliens. One of the kids in the movie is Maria. Jessica flips out and decides that they absolutely must become friends. She even invites Maria over to hang out at her house. After she leaves, Jessica discovers her backpack. While looking it through it to find her phone number, she finds a re...