Little Sister #39 Karen's Wedding: Chapter 14 "The Big Mistake"
Remember Karen complaining that Natalie makes mistakes? About that...
By Friday, Karen is still worrying. This despite Wednesday and Thursday going by and Ms. Colman not saying anything to her, so her job is still intact. But when youâre 7 years old, thatâs not enough, I guess.
Ms. Colman isnât in school on Friday, since her wedding is the next day, and she wonât be back for two weeks because sheâs going on her honeymoon after that. Instead, they have a substitute teacher named Mrs. Hoffman, whoâs also appeared in other Little Sister books.
Natalie then shows up to school, carrying a shopping bag from Bellairâs, but she looks awful, like she had been crying. Uh oh.
She hands the bag to Karen, who peeks inside and opens the box with the cup in it. Karen takes out the cup and she forgets about her flower girl situation momentarily because the cup is so beautiful. Her classmates âoohâ and âahâ over it and Ricky asks Karen to read it. âTo our best teacher: Ms. Cotman.â Oh no!
Natalie explains when she wrote out the message, she accidentally crossed the L and didnât notice. She thinks itâs all her fault the cup is wrong and since they donât have more money to buy another cup, she doesnât know what to do. I guess this is what Karen meant when she said Natalie doesnât pay attention and makes mistakes.
Mrs. Hoffman has everyone sit down so they can talk about it. And leaves us out of the discussion, apparently.
Little Sister #39 Karen's Wedding: Chapter 13 "Karen's Problem"
Karen continues to angst and that's pretty much it.
Over the next few days, Karen continues to worry about Caroline. Even though Ms. Colman hasnât said anything about Caroline replacing her, sheâs still anxious something will happen. By Tuesday, Lisa asks her whatâs wrong and Karen gives her the whole story.
Lisa reassures Karen that Ms. Colman cares about her very much and wants her to be her flower girl. She even points out thatâs how she introduced her at the party. Karen knows Lisa is right but she keeps worrying. She even starts feeling guilty because she knows Caroline should be flower girl, since Ms. Colman wanted her originally.
Instead of doing the logical thing and bringing this up to her teacher, she says she just couldnât do it.
Little Sister #39 Karen's Wedding: Chapter 12 "Caroline"
Karen meets her competition for the first time.
And hereâs the bratty Karen we all know. As she continues to fret about whether Caroline might usurp her flower girl role, she proclaims it isnât fair. âNo fair. I wanted to be the flower girl. I had been looking forward to that for weeks.â Girl, youâre still the flower girl, Ms. Colman said nothing about Caroline taking over!
They finish setting up for the party and the first people to arrive are Ms. Colman, Mr. Simmons and Ms. Colmanâs sister and her family. Karen feels a tiny bit of hope when sheâs introduced by Ms. Colman as âmy flower girl.â
As more guests arrive, Lisa invites Karen to show Caroline her room but Caroline is too shy so she holds back. Instead, Karen and Andrew sample the party food - onion dip, cheese, anchovies (Andrew spit his out) and caviar (Karen spit hers out).
As the kids grow bored, Caroline is now ok with going to Karenâs room. Karen shows Caroline her rat Emily Junior and while she says she likes animals, she declines the offer to hold her.
The girls also draw pictures and Caroline doesnât talk much. Karen realizes Ms. Colman was right and that Caroline is very, very shy.
Little Sister #39 Karen's Wedding: Chapter 11 "The Big Surprise"
It's party time but Karen isn't in the mood to party. Also Ms. Colman's family is kind of obnoxious?
Friday afternoon, Lisa, Seth, Karen and Andrew are hard at work getting the little house ready for the wedding party theyâre throwing. Karen says itâll mostly be friends of Ms. Colman and Mr. Simmons but sheâs excited to meet everybody and talk to them. Because girl loves attention.
At 4:45, the phone rings and Karen picks it up (and gets the usual âindoor voiceâ warning from her mom). Itâs Ms. Colman, who asks to talk to Lisa. Uh oh, is the wedding off? It canât be because Karen says her teacher sounds excited. Did she decide to make all her girl students flower girls, so Karen is no longer the special one?
After she hangs up, Lisa tells Karen that that afternoon, Ms. Colmanâs sister and her husband and daughter rang her doorbell and surprised her. Turns out they could come to the wedding after all and flew all the way from Oregon to be there. Theyâll be staying with Ms. Colman all week and will leave after the wedding. Wow, talk about imposing! Even if it was a surprise, a week before the wedding now she has to deal with hosting her sister and her family? Geez, poor Ms. Colman.
Ms. Colman, however, is overjoyed to have her family with her. But Karen says a knot formed in her stomach and she gets nervous. Ms. Colmanâs niece, Caroline, will be there and thatâs who she originally wanted as her flower girl. Will Ms. Colman replace her with Caroline now? I mean, a week before the wedding, probably not. But Karen is now anxious her important job is in jeopardy.
Little Sister #39 Karen's Wedding: Chapter 10 "Natalie's Job"
Karen's once again in charge until Natalie steals her thunder.
On Monday, the kids gather on the playground at recess to count all the money theyâve earned. âI took charge.â I love how Karen ends up the de facto leader of the classroom (not just here but in other books) and the others just go with it. Well, except for Pamela. This second grade class has dueling queen bees.
Addie, who uses a wheelchair, suggests everyone put the money on her wheelchair tray so she and Natalie can count it.
Whoâs that giant second-grader at the end of the line? Did Kristy show up with money too?
Natalie and Addie count the money, then double check the amount. In all, the kids now have $66.17, which is enough for the cup and the engraving and even some giftwrap.
Natalie volunteers to go back to Bellairâs and Karen responds, âWellâŠâ Oh come on, you donât have to do everything! Natalie also points out that getting the gift was her idea. She asks everyone what they should get engraved on the cup and they decide on, âTo our best teacher: Ms. Colman.â
As they head back inside, Pamela, Bobby and Karen warn Natalie to be careful with all the money and she reassures them everything will be fine.
Little Sister #39 Karen's Wedding: Chapter 9 "Hank's Car Wash"
Kristy does the unthinkable and scolds Karen and maybe Karen was right about Pamela being a pain.
On Sunday, Karen and her siblings head to Hankâs house, along with all the other kids. Kristy helps them make a sign advertising $2 for a car wash. I still think thatâs too cheap but Iâm also thinking in today's prices instead of 30+ years ago.
They have no customers at first and Karen goes down to the curb and starts to scream âCome get your car washed!â but Kristy claps her hand over her mouth and tells her she can wake up the dead. Wow, Kristy actually scolded Karen for once.
But it must have worked because a car pulls up. Itâs Pamela arriving but her dad wants his car washed so the kids get to work. And they earn a DOLLAR tip! After Mr. Harding leaves, another car shows up.
Not much to say about this illustration except Hank seems really tall for a 7-year-old.
Karen complains Pamela isnât much help. She wonât use the hose because she doesnât want to get sprayed. And she wonât use the wax because she doesnât want to get wax on her clothes. So she decides sheâll handle the money and make change for customers. This is the same girl who refused to eat pizza at Karenâs sleepover because she said it would give her bad breath, so Iâm not surprised sheâs so picky.
By the end of the day, theyâve earned $29. And Karen is relieved Ms. Colman didnât come across the car wash. BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T LIVE IN STONEYBROOK! God.
Little Sister #39 Karen's Wedding: Chapter 8 "The Long Saturday"
Geez, the adults of Stoneybrook are cheap.
That weekend, Karen and Andrew are at the mansion/big house. Karen decides now is the time to earn some money for Ms. Colmanâs present and Watson the Millionaire asks if she can cut the dead flowers off his rose bushes. For all her work, including wielding a pair of sharp scissors, she gets 50 cents. Geez, Watson, big spender!
Next, Elizabeth asks Karen to watch Emily Michelle for half an hour. God, do we ever see Watson or Elizabeth with Emily Michelle? If sheâs not with Nannie, sheâs with a babysitter. Anyway, Karen plays with her in the yard for half an hour and she earns another 50 cents. Which is only slightly less than what the BSC charges.
Across the street, Hannie is also earning money. Sheâs giving Noodle the Poodle a bath and says sheâs going to wash the porch windows when sheâs done. At lunchtime, Nancy calls and says she earned 75 cents. She also heard from Natalie, whoâs holding a lemonade stand with the twins, I think their names are Terri and Tammy? They earned $1.25. How much are they charging for lemonade if thatâs all they earned?
Throughout the afternoon, the kids all call each other to share how they earned money. Of note, Pamela cleans out her room and holds a garage sale - Karen remarks how she âcould not imagine wanting to buy Pamelaâs junkâ and I guess sheâs charging very little for her stuff because all these kids are earning pocket change. I know this is 1993 and itâs a different time than now but come on.
Also, Hank collects bottles and cans and returns them at the supermarket. He earns 35 cents - deposit in Connecticut is 5 cents so he only managed to collect seven bottles and cans?
Later in the afternoon, Ricky calls and complains he only earned $1.25 and suggests to his wife they all do a big project together so they can earn more money. Karen is still paranoid Ms. Colman will find out. Girl, she doesnât live in your town!
The kids all discuss it (over the phone, Iâm assuming) and decide the following day, theyâll hold a car wash at Hankâs house, since he lives downtown and there will be more traffic there. And Sam, Charlie and Kristy get roped into helping. Kristy can never escape babysitting!
Little Sister #39 Karen's Wedding: Chapter 7 "The Perfect Dress"
Karen has questionable taste and poor Andrew gets dragged along on a shopping trip.
On Tuesday after school, Karen goes with Lisa and Ms. Colman to find her flower girl dress. Andrew already starts complaining about shopping before they even leave and Lisa tells him to bring a book. Heâs four! Leave him home with a babysitter, thereâs a great service in Stoneybrook you could have called. Parents are always calling the BSC for when they, like, have to go to the grocery store, you could have had someone watch Andrew for this!
They pick up Ms. Colman and head to the mall. When they arrive, I guess Andrew forgot about shopping because he asks for chocolate chip cookies and Karen asks for an Orange Julius. All these years and I still donât know what an Orange Julius is. Wikipedia tells me itâs an orange and vanilla smoothie.
Lisa gets them their treats and they head to their first shop, Karenâs Boutique. Karenâs hopeful since the store has her name on it but thereâs nothing there they like. Ms. Colman suggests The Finery Shoppe and Karen tries on a dress Ms. Colman likes but Karen says it itches. And Andrew is bored.
We do get an illustration of this. Lisa looks like sheâs wearing a wig and Andrew is miserable.
They go to another shop called Tiger Lilyâs and Karen begs to try on âa gorgeous purple and orange dress with layers of lace and ruffles.â It sounds like a really ugly pageant dress. And orange and purple? Ms. Colman thankfully rejects it, saying itâs the wrong color.
Finally, they head to The Nutcracker. Karen tries on a dress everyone likes and they get a straw hat and gloves with it. And Andrew is still bored.
Little Sister #39 Karen's Wedding: Chapter 6 "Secrets"
The kids make a plan to earn money for Ms. Colman's gift. And Karen's the leader, apparently.
The kids hold another secret meeting on the playground the following Monday. Karen and her friends tell the other kids about the cup they found and explain they need about 40 more dollars.
As they think of ideas to earn money, Pamela says they can hold a bake sale downtown. Karen âshriekedâ no at her because Ms. Colman could find out about it. I mean, we already learned from an earlier chapter that Ms. Colman doesnât live in Stoneybrook, so what are the odds sheâll be there on a weekend?
Bobby instead suggests odd jobs and Karen decides thatâs perfect, since thatâs how she and Hannie and Nancy earned money to buy their Doll Sisters together. That's in another book and I think I own that one, so you'll see it on here eventually.
Little Sister #39 Karen's Wedding: Chapter 5 "Shopping"
Karen and her friends find a gift for Ms. Colman, thanks to Kristy. Maybe she is a shopping expert after all!
On Saturday, Karen, Hannie, Nancy and Natalie meet at the big house to go shopping with Charlie and Kristy. They all squeeze into the Junk Bucket and head to the jewelry store since Natalie says itâs fancy.
At the jewelry store, the girls are shocked at the prices they come across. Two-thousand dollars for a silver bowl! Eight hundred dollars for candlesticks! Natalie worries her idea wonât work out because she didnât realize wedding gifts were this expensive.
They try a gift store next. Karen finds a china picture frame for $9 but Natalie says it isnât special enough. Nancy finds a pen for $24 but Natalie says itâs too boring. Hannie then finds something âso not boring I do not even know what it isâ and Natalie says itâs too weird. More than 30 years later, Iâm still dying to know what exactly it was they saw. And see what I mean by the no contractions?
By this point, Natalie is really upset they havenât found anything and looks like sheâs about to cry. Kristy saves the day by suggesting they try Bellairâs department store because they have a fine gifts counter where sheâs bought many gifts. They head to Bellairâs and Iâm left wondering what fancy parties Kristy has been to. She gave Watson and Elizabeth a family tree as a wedding present! And it was so simplistic, it looked like Karen had made it.
Of course, we donât see the cup, just the girls in awe looking at it. And Hannie gets denied by not being in the illustration.
The salesman says they can even get the cup engraved. So the cost, including engraving, would be more than $60. The girls decide their class can raise the money to buy the cup.
Little Sister #39 Karen's Wedding: Chapter 4 "Presents"
Karen's a show-off (what else is new?) and the kids in Ms. Colman's class dream big.
On another day before school, Karen and her classmates meet to discuss what to get Ms. Colman as a wedding present. Natalie proclaims the present should be fancy - âLike gold or silver.â Ricky adds wedding presents have to be big. I know you kids go to a private school, but you donât have that much money! Except Karen, since Watson is a real, live millionaire.
Addie Sidney chimes in and says her cousin got 16 toasters and four blenders when she got married. Did wedding registries not exist in the 90s?
Pamela Harding (Karenâs mortal enemy) suggests a clock but no one seems interested.
Addie suggests dessert plates because her cousin got those and really liked them. Karen says Ms. Colman has plates and takes this opportunity to brag that she got to go to Ms. Colmanâs house. Shut up, Karen.
Pamela once again suggests a clock. Karen points out Ms. Colman has two and before she can show off again that sheâs been to Ms. Colmanâs house, Pamela cuts her off, clearly seeing through her bullshit.
While Karen defends herself, Hank Reubens says from the doorway that Ms. Colman is coming so they all decide to meet on the playground at recess. All I know about Hank is in another book, Karen says he bites the erasers off his pencils. I feel like every elementary school class had a kid who did that.
At recess, Karen suggests some of them can go shopping downtown one day. Charlie, who is already the BSCâs chauffeur, also apparently caters to the younger crowd because she says he can drive them. She adds Kristy can come along and give shopping advice. I know Karen worships Kristy but she notoriously is not a fan of shopping in the BSC books. But since it isnât for clothes, maybe they have a shot.
The kids pool their money and Hannie adds up the total - $19.11. Even with 90s prices, not enough for a fancy wedding gift.
Karen indirectly insults her teacher. Oh, and Lisa and Seth are giving a strange wedding gift.
Karen says Lisa and Seth have become good friends with Ms. Colman and Mr. Simmons and they eat dinner together often. Are they all part of the same swingers group too?
For those who donât know, it was a running joke in the LJ group that Lisa and Seth were swingers and thatâs why they went on vacation a lot on their own and were often leaving Karen and Andrew with Watson.
After school one day, Lisa brings Karen and Andrew to Ms. Colmanâs house with her. Ms. Colman apparently lives out in the country because they pass lots of pastures and farmhouses on the way and Karen calls her house âcozy.â Considering her dad lives in a mansion, this could be seen as a backhanded compliment, ouch.
Lisa and Seth are throwing Ms. Colman and Mr. Simmons a party as a wedding present. No, not THAT kind of party! Itâs kind of odd though, it isnât an engagement party because itâs a week before the wedding. Who throws a party a week before the wedding? Like, if they wanted to throw a party for them, couldnât they have hosted the rehearsal dinner? Why am I trying to find logic in a BSC book?
Karen also explains Ms. Colman and Mr. Simmons donât have much family nearby. Her mother lives in Chicago and her sister and her family live in Oregon and they canât make it to the wedding. Ms. Colman was sad because she was hoping her niece could be her flower girl. âIt is a good thing she has me, since I am an expert flower girl.â Being the teacherâs pet has benefits! Also, ugh, for some reason in Little Sister books, contractions are rarely used and it makes for really strange-sounding dialogue.
While Lisa and Ms. Colman work on party planning, Karen wanders around the house with Andrew and sees lots of pictures of a little girl her age. Ms. Colman explains itâs her niece Caroline, whoâs also 7 years old. She says Caroline loves to ride horses and play the piano and sheâs very shy.
This book came out in June 1993 and Karen is dressed exactly like I was at the time and I also happened to be 7. One thing I never liked about the Little Sister illustrations is the faces were always super detailed but the rest of the illustration wasnât. Like the rest looks like a sketch.
Ms. Colman and Lisa decide to take Karen shopping for a dress the following week and since the bridesmaids will be wearing pale blue, Ms. Colman decides Karen should match that.
Little Sister #39 Karen's Wedding: Chapter 2 "Other Weddings"
Apologies for the extremely short entry but you know how Chapter 2's in Little Sister books are.
Most of this is about how Karen and Andrew are Two-Twos, so I donât have to rehash it. Karen says sheâs an expert on weddings because she was the flower girl at Watson and Elizabethâs wedding and I think she was at Lisa and Sethâs wedding too.
I also like how she has something to say about everyone in her families except Charlie and Sam. They just get âCharlie and Sam are in high school.â Theyâre very one-note in the Little Sister series.
Little Sister #39 Karen's Wedding: Chapter 1 "The Flower Girl"
As if we needed more proof that Karen's the teacher's pet.
So weâre getting this out of the way on page one. Karen says in a month, her teacher Ms. Colman is getting married. And KAREN IS HER FLOWER GIRL.
What?!
Karen says itâs because her mom and stepfather Lisa and Seth are very good friends with Ms. Colman and her fiance, Mr. Simmons (we never learn his first name throughout the whole book). Thatâs ridiculous. Sheâs a teacher and she singles out Karen to be her flower girl? I know Karen is clearly the teacherâs pet but what about the other girls in her class? Talk about favoritism! Even as a kid I thought that was outrageous.
Also, if Lisa and Seth are their friends, why isnât Andrew the ring bearer? Then again, he refused to be in Watson and Elizabethâs wedding because heâs so shy so I guess that could be the explanation here. That came up in Kristyâs Big Day, which Iâve also done on this blog!
Anyway, Karen says sheâs super excited to be a flower girl and gives us a quick rundown on how much she loves Ms. Colman and her class at school (except for the class bully, Bobby Gianelli). Itâs all stuff thatâs in every Karen book so we donât have to go over it here.
On Monday morning, Karen is hanging out before school with Hannie and Nancy when theyâre approached by their classmate, Natalie Springer. Karen says she can be a very good friend but she also has a laundry list of everything wrong with her - she lisps, sheâs quiet, her socks droop, she sometimes doesnât pay attention and then makes mistakes, she worries a lot. Geez, Karen, tell us how you really feel.
Natalie tells the girls she has a great idea - their class can give Ms. Colman and Mr. Simmons a wedding present! Karen points out they already did - their class band played Here Comes the Bride at their concert as a surprise for Ms. Colman. That was two books ago and I do own that one so Iâll do it here eventually. I assume it explains how a bunch of second-graders learned a song on their own.
Natalie says the song was nice but since Ms. Colman invited the whole class to her wedding, they should buy a gift. The girls agree with her and Karen says when Lisa and Seth got married, they got lots of presents and Watson and Elizabeth also got lots of presents at their wedding. She calls herself an expert on weddings. Oh, pardon me! Also, it was a second wedding for both couples and they still got lots of presents?
So I havenât done a Little Sister book in awhile. Mainly because Iâm one of the BSC fans who really doesnât like Karen. I think sheâs an annoying spoiled brat and the BSC always indulges her behavior.
But I have a few of her books from my childhood collection and I managed to score a few more from trips to Savers. This one is one of the first Little Sister books I owned. I got it in a boxed set for Christmas one year. I canât stand Karen now but as a kid, I did like her, I read the Little Sister books before I moved on to the BSC. This was actually one of my favorites, as you can tell from the front cover being taped back on.
Hereâs the cover:
This is actually one of the better covers. Karen looks nice, though that hat looks a little too small for her head. For the longest time, I thought she was carrying a purse or wallet, which makes zero sense, but now I think itâs a bag of birdseed to throw at the bride and groom.
Andrewâs wearing his toy toolbelt to the wedding and someone on the ProBoard pointed out it goes over his jacket on one side and under it on the other and now I canât unsee it.
The BSC has Stoneybrook in a damn chokehold and we have a special message from Karen.
Thank you to everyone following along on this blog, I'm having so much fun writing new content!
New book starts next week and it's Karen's Wedding. Enjoy!
So remember Kristy sending that letter to the editor of the Stoneybrook News, seeing if she could get the BSCâs snow saga in the paper? Well not only did the editor like the idea, the article is going to be printed and the paper is going to PAY Kristy! WHAT?!
Like, this is days after the storm, none of their stories were super newsworthy except maybe Stacey. The storm itself is stale news by this point. The BSC should know that, they use âstaleâ as one of their slang terms. Iâm justâŠwhy? But theyâre the darlings of Stoneybrook, so Iâm sure the town will love reading about them no matter what.
Since this is the epilogue, letâs go through what each member said.
Mary Anne - She says Logan stayed with her and the Pikes until Dee and John came home. And his food delivery was what they had for lunch so she was grateful for that. Sheâs concerned about Kristy sharing ALL the details about her and Logan in the article too. She says the dance was wonderful, calling it âdreamy.â âKristy, you donât want all the details, do you? Theyâre private. Logan and I had fun, thatâs all.â UhâŠwhat happens at the dance, stays at the dance, I guess.
Dawn - She says Jeff is over his travel ordeal and they all took long naps when they got home from the airport. And turns out her big crush on Price Irving? She completely forgot about him when she was so concerned about Jeff. She says maybe Price isnât as important to her after all. I do remember her calling him boring in another book so I guess he wasnât such an amazing date.
Claudia - Lots of misspellings, too much to even single out. She played in the snow all day Thursday with the Perkins girls and says Jamie Newton and some other kids came over to play. Uh, Jamieâs four, whatâs he doing heading over to his neighborâs house on his own? Claudia says she kept an eye on all the kids from inside since she had to sit with the baby. You left a bunch of children, including two preschoolers, unattended? Claudia! You couldnât put Laura in a snowsuit or in her stroller and sit on the front steps or something? Also, she says she and Iri had a âgrateâ time at the dance and she thinks âmabeâ she likes him more than just a friend. Too bad we never hear from him again after this.
Jessi - Presented in its entirety. âHeaven. Iâm in heaven. The dance was wonderful. Quint is wonderful. Life is wonderful.â Girl, youâre 11! Between Jessiâs passionate message and Mary Anne wanting to keep things private, what was going on at the dance for the BSC?!
Mallory - Mallory says her parents got home at the right time because she and Mary Anne were getting sick of her siblings. Sick of babysitting? Blasphemy! âIf the storm had canceled the dance, I would haveâŠwell, Iâm not sure what I would have done, but it would have been drastic.â She just wants to be seen in public with other people, dammit! Sheâs also happy Ben didnât care that she isnât a great dancer. Ah, teenage love.
Stacey - Stacey apologizes again for scaring everyone. She says she and her mom sent a Christmas card to the Schiavones as a thank you and got one back. Maureen plans on inviting them to dinner next month. Sheâs also grateful she and her mom grew closer through the whole ordeal. Oh, and she calls out Austin for wearing aftershave even though he doesnât shave. Ouch. Though, typical teenage boy behavior.
Kristy - She says she and Bart had fun at the dance. In more typical teenage boy behavior, Bart showed the other boys how to turn their eyelids inside out. Gross. Kristy even wore makeup for the dance, saying it took her nearly two hours to do it all. Geez, how much did she put on? And after all that worrying about corsages, she got Bart a blue carnation and he got her an orchid. No concerns about colors clashing anymore.
Oh, and one last part from Karen. She found Emily Junior. David Michael ratnapped her. Also, Karen writes in all-caps and I always thought that was weird for a 7-year-old.
We end with a picture of the girls at the dance. Lots of 90s fashion galore.
Claudia looks the best, she actually managed to put together a super cute outfit! Good on you, Claudia!
What elseâŠStacey looks like she just did shots with the frat president at a kegger, Mallory looks high (maybe Sharon shared some of her stash with her), Kristyâs dress is kind of frumpy for a 13-year-old. And poor Jessi. Sheâs an awesome character but the illustrators always make her look so bad. Like with a few exceptions, she always looks like a man or something. Jessi, you deserve better!
