The Roommate Liz wants her own phone so she can call Nancy, but her dad says she’s just 11. Maybe when she’s 13. But the boys remind him one of them IS 13 and one is 16 and they don’t have phones. Liz and Darcie start arguing over the phone and their mom says no one can make any calls that night unless it’s an emergency. Then Josh and Rose argue that *they* need to use the phone. Instead, Lizzie goes to her room to read her history assignment. Liz listens out for the phone since her mom just said she can’t *make* calls. But the only one that calls are salespeople for magazines.
Liz wants to tell Nancy about Samantha who wants to know if Lizzie is headed to the mall. Lizzie makes up an excuse about homework and Samantha waves her goodbye. Billy (one of the cutest boys in the sixth grade) comes up to her after this, speaks, and asks is she going to the fair. He says his mom needs ideas for booths and workers in the booths. A lot of people he asked turned it down. Lizzie isn’t really interested because the fair is for the little kids, but she likes the thought of being responsible. Plus, she doesn’t really want to turn him down because she has a crush on him. But Lizzie can’t think of any ideas for booths. Nancy has great ideas so that’s why she wants to talk to her.
Lizzie tells Nancy her news on the way to school. Nancy suggests puppets. So, they decide to do a puppet show like “Punch and Judy”. Amazingly, Lizzie doesn’t think this is childish. Billy is all for it! Sam and Candace overhear them talking about the puppet show. Candace asks what’s going on and Nancy tells them they’re doing a show for the school fair and then she says that Billy to work on the fair personally. Sam and Candace take their leave after Sam turns red (pink), Nancy admits that she did it to make Sam jealous. She wonders if they can work Sam into the script. Nancy’s mom gives them the good news she’s been promoted to be overwork and be over a whole hospital staff. She’ll have to be away for a couple of weeks. Nancy thinks that this means that she’ll have to go stay with her dad. But her mom says she found a place for stay that’s not far from their house. Lizzie finally works it out. She’ll be staying with *her*. Now they won’t have to worry about the phone or waiting to tell each other things the next day.
The first thing Lizzie finds out is that Nancy likes to sleep completely in the dark. So, she makes the adjustment and uses a bed lamp (the size of a penlight) to write in her journal. She has to go in the bathroom and write in it because she didn’t tell Nancy she writes in a diary. At the mall, Lizzie and Ericka run into Sam, Jessica, and Candace. Sam is kind of quiet while the others make sarcastic comments about her and Nancy staying together and making them “clones”.
The next day, Lizzie is surprised to find out that Nancy wakes up early and is immaculate. Lizzie is surprised because she thought Nancy would be messy because she doesn’t care about her appearance. She’s neat in her appearance but she’s a slob. Darcy has this program where someone is supposed to read with her for 15 minutes. Since everyone else is busy Nancy volunteers. Nancy is supposed to be practicing because she has dyslexia. Lizzie is a little upset because Nancy’s supposed to be working on history with her. But after she’s done Lizzie can’t find her. Come to find out, she’s been outside shooting hoops with Adam. But after true to her word, Nancy works on history and the puppet show with Lizzie. Later, they get into a disagreement about the light so Lizzie goes up to Gram’s apartment. She’s a little disappointed that she and Nancy didn’t have much time.
Lizzie thinks about how she and Nancy and she talk about what Sam has planned (why she’s been so quiet). Lizzie thinks she’s going to throw a party and invite Billy but not her. Nancy tho falls asleep. The next day, Lizzie sees Billy talking to Sam and her “ladies in waiting” and brings up the party (that Nancy wasn’t around to tell about). Later, they see Sam at the stationery store buying poster paint. She says they’re all working on posters for the booths and for the posters at school. She says she told Billy and he loved the booth. She says she’s going to have a booth where she’ll sell friendship bracelets. They’re very popular and all the little kids will love them. They’ll charge 10 or 15 cents and be in the school colors (green and blue). Nancy thinks she’s trying to horn in on the fair and Sam will just turn it into a fashion show. Nancy thinks the bracelets are lame. Lizzie thinks they’re a great idea and the popular kids will now come and they’ll be less work than the puppet show.
That night, Lizzie again thinks they’ll work on the puppet show, but instead, she starts to play basketball with Adam again. Darcie wants Lizzie to read Cloudy With a Chance with Meatballs, but Lizzie doesn’t want to read to her and she’s so distracted she’s not listening to her. Darcie ask that she read Charlotte’s Web but then Nancy comes back and starts to read to Darcy. Lizzie is annoyed but afterward they write the rest of the scenes for the show. On Friday night, Nancy rather play video games than talk about building the stage for the play. Adam suggests they use the boxes for the washer and dryer Gram and Ralph just bought. AGAIN Lizzie is annoyed! Nancy isn’t taking the puppet show seriously at all.
Saturday, instead of working on the stage, she goes off with Adam bike riding. Gram comes by and this lightens the mood but then Nancy starts to talk about riding and playing games with Adam and reading to Darcy and this sours Liz’s mood again. Half the day is gone and they haven’t started working. Nancy confronts her and asks her what her problem is. The fair is a week away. Lizzie says she just wants to get started. So, they do and get the stage completed. Dad is going to be gone for a week so he says he wants a preview of the puppet show. Lizzie suggests they do it a couple of times so they don’t make fools of themselves. Nancy says ok after she beats Adam again. Lizzie starts to wonder if she has a crush on Adam. Nah! It’s her *brother* and he’s 13. Plus if she asks she won’t admit it.
But she and Adam exchange playful remarks at breakfast. Nancy wants to go to the nature preserve the next day. Lizzie reminds her they’re supposed to be making puppets. Somehow, Adam ends up going bird-watching with her. They stay gone for 3 hours. Mom suggests Lizzie get started and Nancy can help when she gets back. She’s almost completed 1 (sorta) when she gets back. It flops tho. Nancy tho has a helpful suggestion. Instead of using a softball, they can use stylophone balls. They don’t get much done because dad wants to see the show. Nancy’s great at all the voices and really gets into it. Adam says after the nature preserve was fun and Nancy’s alright.
Adam even walks to school with them one day. They’re walking past Sam’s house and Jessica and Candace are there. Sam gets this look on her face. NANCY of all people is walking with the guy who doesn’t even know she exists. She asks Lizzie about it later. Lizzie wants to tell her that her brother is madly in love but all she tells Sam is she’s not sure what’s up with them. She’s too annoyed to defend Nancy or try to get to Sam.
After dinner that night, they make 4 more puppets. Lizzie waits on her but Nancy goes to help Darcy read and then starts to joke around with Adam. Nancy tells her she’s acting like a jerk about the show and starts imitating Lizzie. But Lizzie says she’s always too busy with her siblings and Adam is too old for her and its ridiculous. Nancy is about to scream but then she accuses Lizzie of being jealous of her because she likes to have fun. She says she’s so worried about Sam and impressing Billy that she’s forgotten how to have fun.
On the way to school Candace and Jessica tease Nancy about finally liking boys. Nancy just smiles She says she just doesn’t care what they think. In class, Sam defends the school fair. Samantha says the money from the bracelets will be used to buy books for the library. Lizzie can’t get up the energy to even make the puppet show sound good. Nancy goes to her house after school and Lizzie spends the afternoon in the attic.
Mom twists her ankle and Rose and Darcy freak out, but she tells them she just has to go to the hospital. Someone left a basket at the top of the stairs, she caught her hell in it. She kept her balance but lost it on the last steps. Everyone cateers to her until Josh comes home. Liz and Nancy are told to start dinner. Liz hopes this will make them put their issues aside, It does but just for a minute. Adam asks if she wants to play basketball but she turns him down to do her homework and finish the puppet. But Lizzie notices the WAY she says it. Like it’s a chore. Mon has a broken ankle. Gram calls but mom turns down her offer to stay with her. She says all the kids will have extra chores for a while. No one argues the res of the night. But later that night, Lizzie and Nancy fight over the light again. Then they argue about the things they didn’t know about each other. Darcie tells them to shut up or they’ll wake mom. Lizzie goes up to her fortress of solitude (the attic).
Samantha is up to her tricks. She tells Lizzie she needs to work out where her booth will be and she needs to ask Billy’s mom. Billy says she’s been calling his mom asking her what she could do, but now there wasn’t much to do. Lizzie knows she’s probably just hoping Billy will answer the phone. Billy says put their booth wherever she wants his mom wont care. Gram does stop by and brings some food to help out. Lizzie wants to talk to her but it’s not the right time. Gram can always tell when something’s wrong. Gram asks about the show and says she and Ralph wanted to see it but she and Ralph have to work that day. So, she asks to see it. Gram says that once they get the puppets right it’ll be a great show. On Thursday, Lizzie has a panic attack. They haven’t really rehearsed except once. They practice and it gets better but it’s still kind of flat.
On Saturday, Lizzie just tells Nancy she’s going to sleep in the attic. The show is called “The Clairmount Crazies”. The first show goes great. The second goes well. On the third, Nancy gets carried away and doesn’t let Lizzie say her lines. Then Lizzie forgets her lines. They bump into each other and fall down, but the audience thinks its part of the show. Then they fall out over Lizzie forgetting her lines. Billy comes over to check on them and tells them every one is coming to the next show. Nancy worries but her class has nothing but compliments for the show. Later they get into it again because dinner (spaghetti) gets messed up while Lizzie goes to answer some hang up calls and Nancy is outside.
Lizzie goes to Gram’s house and tells her everything. Gram says if Nancy really likes Adam she might not know what do do with those feelings and might have wanted to keep them to herself for a minute. Lizzie realizes Nancy wasn’t what she expected as a roommate so she used the puppet show as an excuse. She tells her to go home and talk to Nancy. But Nancy left and hadn’t come back. They think she’s gone to the nature preserve. Adman says she didn’t have her binoculars. She had her cat with her. Lizzie knows that she took her cast and when home. Lizzie apologizes and tells Nancy she just wanted her to herself because she always feels lost in her family. Nancy forgives her but says she can never ask her to do a puppet show again. And she admits she did like hanging out with Adam but it only lasted a hot minute. She’s still not ready. She says don’t tell Sam she doesn’t like Adam. It’s fun to see her jealous.
Tuesday evening, Nancy goes home. Saturday Nancy sleeps over and they have a laugh with the family over the puppet show. They have a pillow fight, eat chips, and stay up til two. The fair makes two thousand dollars. On the way home, Lizzie finds one of the friendship bracelets in the gutter. Nancy says she can throw it away inside but Lizzie keeps it.
My Thoughts: I could relate to this one. I had a family member stay with me for a while after they had surgery and.. Well lets just say it was VERY trying! They had all these habits that drove me UP THE WALL! 1. They use to like to have multiple sources of noise going on at night (the tv and their tablet) and I had to get up in the morning and go to work. 2) I’m one of those people like Nancy that has to have it completely dark. They liked to sleep with the hallway light on (and we weren’t in the same room and the light still bothered me). 3. I found out how EXTREMLY clingy they were. Me, I’m more of an independent person. I don’t need a lot of people interaction. She would like me to watch television with her at night. Thisi was okay when it was a television show we both liked. We had a few. Even afterwards, I might just linger around if it was one I didn’t particularly wanna see. But one I would NOT watch with her were football games (because I have ZERO interest in sports). One time, I remember I was doing something in my room and she kept whining and whining about watching a game with her and when I finally came IN the room, I was mad and flopped down on her bed and was about to shut my eyes and just go to sleep. Do you know she had the nerve to tell me “Oh can leave, your bringing bad karma!” Then the last, I had this juice I use to like. Now I don’t mind sharing but like I had to tell her one day sometimes there are things in people’s refrigerators they do NOT want you to touch. The family member was just used to sharing EVERYTHING so she didn’t understand this unspoken rule and it would kinda make me cringe when she kept on helping herself to it (and someone kept on offering it). Then the family member would just call me for the smallest things (that she could DEFINITELY do) but I kinda just had to grit my teeth and bear it. So, it’s definitely different when people in your life LIVE with you.
Rating: 6
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
cute story that reminded me of the Rugrats when Tommy and Chuckie couldn't get along staying together for extended periods of time. When you're not used to having someone live with you it can be difficult and obviously since the girls are 11 it comes out more here.
One of the things I didn't like though, was only Liz apologized. In my opinion, there were things that Nancy messed up with too. For instance, Liz says she's going to go sleep in the attic basically eliminating herself out of her own room and her best friend is just like okay. That would have been a great time to make up and realize what's going on, but again they're 11 so its expected that they won't make up until later in the book.