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Pen Pals #1
Boys Wanted
Made heady by the intoxicating proximity of boys at a nearby school, Lisa, Shannon, Amy, and Palmer--boy-crazy seventh-graders in an all-girls school--decide to place an ad for pen pals in the boys' school newspaper.
136 pages, Paperback
First published August 2, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 27, 2016
As someone who loves to write letters, a series called "Pen Pals" caught my eye right away. (It was also a free book from my daughter's school - score!)
YA books are a treat for me, as I usually like the harder sci-fi. This was no different. I loved the 80s-ness of it. The girls talked about using a Walkman, Cyndi Lauper being a favorite artist, and one girl went to a Halloween dance as Joan Jett. It really appealed to my inner-third grader. ;)
The book is basically this: four girls at an all girl's school decide to place an ad with the neighboring boy's school for pen pals. The first book was all about them deciding how to go about meeting them. As this is a series, I'm guessing that the rest of the books are about their relationships with the pen pals and the trials of being a teenager.
I gave this book four stars not because it was bad, but because the book wasn't long enough for my liking. It was fluff and a quick read (it took me a month to read it because it was lost in my daughter's room) but it was GOOD fluff. The writing was good, the girls were likable and just about any girl growing up in the 80s could relate to them, right down to their clothing choices and their worries about chocolate causing acne.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to hunt down the rest of the series for my daughter. (Yeah, we'll stick with that.)
YA books are a treat for me, as I usually like the harder sci-fi. This was no different. I loved the 80s-ness of it. The girls talked about using a Walkman, Cyndi Lauper being a favorite artist, and one girl went to a Halloween dance as Joan Jett. It really appealed to my inner-third grader. ;)
The book is basically this: four girls at an all girl's school decide to place an ad with the neighboring boy's school for pen pals. The first book was all about them deciding how to go about meeting them. As this is a series, I'm guessing that the rest of the books are about their relationships with the pen pals and the trials of being a teenager.
I gave this book four stars not because it was bad, but because the book wasn't long enough for my liking. It was fluff and a quick read (it took me a month to read it because it was lost in my daughter's room) but it was GOOD fluff. The writing was good, the girls were likable and just about any girl growing up in the 80s could relate to them, right down to their clothing choices and their worries about chocolate causing acne.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to hunt down the rest of the series for my daughter. (Yeah, we'll stick with that.)
April 8, 2022
This was so much fun to read 30 years later!! Yup, Palmer is still a total snot 🤣
Did Not Finish
October 6, 2021DNF
January 14, 2009
Oh, man. If only they could show the cover it'd be a big trip down memory lane.
July 30, 2026
Boys Wanted: Pen Pals (Updated)
We’re introduced to the four roommates (Palmer Durand, Amy Ho, Lisa McGreevy, and Shannon Davis) at Alma Stevens (an all-girl boarding school). Palmer is wealthy, blond, stylish and already bored. Amy is a punk-style, plays the guitar, and is well traveled. Lisa is bold, creative, and ready to explore school activities. Shana is shy, quiet, and eager to joint the school paper. She’s the youngest, and is there on scholarship.
Each girl has a different worry. Amy is worried about the strict dress code. Shannon also worries about her clothes looking plain in comparison to the other girls. Lisa is missing home. Palmer isn’t a fan of the all-girl environment.
The girls from Fox Hall order a “Monstro” pizza from a local pizza place called Figaro’s. The girls start to talk about the lack of boys. They are all talking about dating. Palmer and Shannon have been on “semi dates”-their parents were there. Lisa says she hasn’t been on a date and fears she never will. There’s an all-boys school nearby called Ardsley Academy, and sometimes they have joint dances. Lisa says she’s heard about them from her brother. They’re no fun unless you have a boy to invite.
Kate interrupts them and gives them a stern reminder that its lights out time and breaking the rules results in demerits. Before they go to sleep, Lisa and Shannon talk some more about the issure of meeting boys. Lisa says she’s going to find a way to beat the system.
Monday morning at breakfast, Lisa shows her suitemates a draft of a ad seeking books to write to them. Amy is amused. Shannon is hesitant but intrigued. Palmer flat out is against it. Kate comes over and lectures the suitemates on their clothes and makeup. She invites Shannon to join “The Ledger” as a “gofter”.
Kate gives Shannon a tour of “The Ledger”. She’s told her duties (sorting mail, sweeping, typing, delivering items, and helping with ads). It’s grunt work, but Shannon decides she’s got to start somewhere. At lunch, Lisa mentions the idea for the name again. Palmer doesn’t want her name associated with it. So, Lisa comes up with the idea to use code names. , They all come up with the name “The Foxes of the Third Dimension”. The Third Dimention is a reference to their site.
They decide to have the letters delivered to the newspaper office where Shannon can secretly get them. Amy is excited because she’s made the chorus. Palmer says its not a good fit for her. Still, it’s the only opportunity at Alma for her to sing.
Times passes. There are no letters. Shannon blames herself for including single-sex education as part of the ad. It might have sounded to intellectual. Mrs. Grayson arrives holding an add from the Ardsley Lion newspaper. She says a group of girls has placed an unsual add and it’s caused quite a stir at Ardsley. A lot of boys have been responding to the ad.
Shannon discovers one day when she goes to the Ledger that Kate has hidden the letters in his desk in a thick folder. All the suitemates discuss what to do. Lisa says they should try to get the letters back. Shannon thinks they should confess, but Palmer says no. They decide to sneak into Kate’s room and get the letters while she’s out.
So, they make Shannon do it. She grabs the letters, and they run back to their room. Only she accidently leaves her pencil in Kates room. The pencil has the name of her father’s garage on it. Kate returns and catches Shannon. Shannon tries to lie and say she was waiting for her, but notices the pencil. Then she hears Lisa call to Shannon to hurry up or they’ll open them without her. She then takes the letters back and storms off.
The girls get summoned to meet with the headmistress Mrs. Prynn.She mistakenly thought the ad was part of a secret sorrority prank. She says every year girls try to have these. They assure her they just did it to have a social life. She’s understanding about, and she likes the idea of letter writing. So now they have the green lighd, and Shannon doesn’t have to worry about losing her scholarship.
They finally get a chance to read the letters. A lot of them are boring, but one letter stands out from four boys that call themselves “The Unknown”.They write “The Unknowns” back and ask for their real names and descriptions of how they look. Palmer gets mad and confronts Amy, getting calligraphy ink on her yellow cashmere sweater. May’s already in a bad mood because she got kicked out of the chorus. Palmer starts to go off on her about her clothes, nails, and guitar playing. Amy pops back at Palmer about being messy and leaving her clothes everywhere. Amy tells them about choir and they’re all encouraging. They tell her each voice is unique. Amy goes out for soccer instead.
)She was let go we find out, because she couldn’t read music). I Palmer wants to take the sitting room and turn it into her room, but the others shut this down immediately and agree that the sitting room is for everyone. Palmer then says she wants to switch roomates, but Shannon and Lisa are happy with each other. So, Amy and Palmer have no choice but to redo their room. Kate and Shannon both apologize to each other. (Kate for reporting the Foxes. Shannon for entering Kate’s room. There’s an awkward moment when Shannon asks about the picture Kate has of an old boyfriend Bob Giraldi. Kate snaps at Shannon and she backs down.
After a bike trip, the Foxes read the letters. They decide to draw letters randomly. Lis gets Rob Williams. Rob describes himself as “no ninety pound weakling”, says he’s appeared as a center-fold, and asks Lisa about deepest dreams and desires.
Shanna picks Mars, who simply says he’s a GOD. Palmer gets John Adams. He has neat handwriting, says he’s a poet and a jock, and believes boys and boys and girls should attend co-ed schools. Amy picks Simmie Randolph the third. His letter is full of scratched-out errors. He says he’s “indescribable”. Amy likes him, but so does Palmer. Palmer tries to get her to trade but Amy says no deal.
In Lisa’s letter, she tells Rob about her brother Reggie, who goes to Ardsley, and that he said Rob was ok. She says she’s five ft six inches and tall for her age. Her dreams are traveling to Europe and Alaska, and she dreams of one day going to art school. She talks about liking French and asks if he likes French. She aks if he is a “real” model.
In Amy’s letter to Simmie, she talks about her family’s background. She talks about the music artists she likes (Cyndi Lauper and Joan Jett). She mentions her dream of becoming a recording art. She tells him about how her father wants her to be a scienteist, though she only likes biology. She says she’s stong in math. Her hobbies are joggig, ice-skating, and calligrapy. She tells him she’s on the scoer team and she’s glad he’s her pen pal.
Palmer’s letter to John is short. She admits she isn’t into poetry, but his might be different. Shannon doesn’t know what to write Mars. Lisa motivates her by playing the game “If y ou were a … what would you be?” Shannon can then write her letter. She tells her her interest are reading, biking, baking brownies, and working on the school newspaper. She has a large family that inclues grandparents, a sister, and three brothers.
She wants to be a writer, and her secret ambition is to become an astronaut. Rob answers back to Lisa. He admits he’s not a model. Although, he was in the newspaper for rescuing a mon and a baby from a flood in Alaska.He says he’s been driving since 11. He tells Lisa to send him a picture, and says he’s five feet nine inches. Simmie tells Amy her letter is “amuzing”. He says he’s done some traveling, but only loved in Palm Beach. He asks if she speaks Chinese. John sends Palmer a poem with a peom that spells out TORTURED/ He admits it was rejected by the literary magazine. He says he plays tennis, and asks Palmer for a picture.
Mars says Shannon’s name has an “earthly ring”. He asks her for a picture. Amy and Shannon worry about what the boys will think of their pictures. Shannon says she can probably get Kate to take their pictures with The Ledger’s Polaroid camera. When she asks, Kate says she’d better be the one taking the picture/ She apologizes for snapping, and says she’ll take the picture tomorrow.
In Lisa’s second letter to Rob, a story about getting lost and ending up at a circus. She complains about not having phones in their rooms. Then asks him for a photo. Amy tells Simmie about all the places she’s lived (Sydney, England, Thailand, and New York. She says she can write some Chinese characters. She tells him about her grandmother’s breakfasts (bacon, egg, and rice). Palmer says Joem’s poem was “hard to understand”. She says tho sshe recognized the acrostic. She asks him for a picture.
Shannan asks Mars about his favorite subjects and what the food is like at Ardsley. She tells him about the cook, Mrs. Worth, and how they’ve given her the nickname “Mrs. Butter”. She asks what he meant by calling her “ears. Butter.” Nothing goes right on the day they have to take photos. Shanna wakes up with a pimple. Kate shows up and takes the pictures, but then sees a picture of Shannon’s sister and recognizes her as the girl who stole Bob from her. She then storms out. Shann feelts guilty because Kate thinks she hide the truth from her. Before they send the letters, Shannon slips Dorren’s picture inside her letter to Mars.
Rob loves Lia’s picture and compliments her red turtleneck. He asks about her pocket watch. He tells her about being in Alaska and working with wildlife and musk-ox. He says he hopes one day they’ll both be in Europe and bump into each other. Simmie tells Amy her likes her hair and calls her earrings “amuzing”. He says he hopes to meet her one day. John apologizes to Parlmer for not liking the poem, but he says he has others. He tells her he made the football team and is in traning. Her asks her to tell him more about herself. He compliments her picture and tells her she’s beautiful.
Mars simply tells Shannon she’s a GODDESS. All the Foxes agree that Shannon got the best response. Palmer points out that the boys didn’t say anything back about sending *them* pictures, and she worries they might be “disgusting”.Amy and Palmer get into it again, and Lisa has to remind them about their friendship being the most important thing.
The Foxes ask the Unknowns again for a picture. They send back the response that they don’t have any pictures to send them. They then send them a personality questionnaire. Rob responds for all of them and says they don’t have time. They have too much work. Lisa suspects that they’ve lost their penpals.
The Foxes see a poster announcing the Halloween Trickster Mixer (a costume dance) coming up. This will be a joint party, and Ardsley is invited. Lisa and Palmer thinks this will be a great opportunity to meet their pen pals. Shannon tho panics. If she meets Mars he’ll discover her lie. Shannon eventually confesses to her friends. Amy comes up with a way to hide her face (and hair which is the biggest ifference between Doreen and Shannon. Doreen has blond hair. Shannon’s is brown). Amy says she can go as a refridgerator complete with shelves and fake food. The head is hidden in a cereal box “helmet”. Kate gives Shannon an alternate idea (to go as an astronaught) instead of skipping the dance.
The girls get ready for the dance. Amy goes as Joan Jet, Lia as a peasant girl, and Palmer as She-ra. At the mixer, the Foxes search for their pen pals who have told them they’ll be coming as tMusketers. They don’t see them, but Amy sees a guy in a gross chicken head. They see Brenda with Musketters but they aren’t the Uknowns. They start seeing chicken heads everywhere and then the Foxes are surrounded. They talke off their heads, and it’s the Unknown. They explain that someone else got the Musketter costumes. They all pair up and Shannon is left with Mars. Mars tells Shannon to take off her helmet. When she does he sees the truth and storms off. Shannon goes back to her dorm and cries.
Shannon writes Mars a private letter and apologizes. He writes her back; he confesses, completing by saying he was a good. He tells her his real name is Arthur Martinez. He admits he was intimated by her picture. He anicked at the mixer and ran because he didn’t want to deal with the truth. He tells her Dorren is pretty but so is she. He wants to keep writing her.
My Thoughts:
*When I think of The Fox's idea is that back when this book was written versus today, with all the other ways to communicate going on with Skype, social media, and texting. Today, guys frankly have gotten lazy, and they (some, not all) barely want to text you. Or, on the other hand, they just want to text you. I'm sure there are some guys out there that don't mind reading letters and maybe even writing them, but personally, I find it a very rare thing today that they'd want to actually sit and write letters. It just seems kind of dated.
This bike trip: where to start with what the Foxes decide is appropriate? Ok, so when you think of bike trips you think of warm weather, sunny days. Maybe spring. Maybe fall. Maybe summer. If this is August, which typically is when school starts (or September) it's still relatively warm. Lisa has on a turtleneck with bike shorts? I'm burning up just thinking about this combination. I hope these are the longer tights version. Amy has on cowboy boots. To ride a bike? This isn't a square dance. Palmer a tweed pantsuit. Is she going hiking? She also has binoculars. Just the closest to being dressed for what I think would go is Amy's bodysuit and tee shirt. Shannon has tights on under the biking shorts. (Sighing). Just NOOOO!
Rating: 7. The first time I read this book, I gave it a 6. On this read, I'll give it a 7 because it was a pretty good intro to the series. It really shows how far we've come in terms of communication. And it shows that you can't compare yourself in looks to someone else (unfavorably) because how you see yourself isn't necessarily how the person that you're trying to get to know might see you. Then it just puts you back in the setting of dorm life if you've ever lived it.
We’re introduced to the four roommates (Palmer Durand, Amy Ho, Lisa McGreevy, and Shannon Davis) at Alma Stevens (an all-girl boarding school). Palmer is wealthy, blond, stylish and already bored. Amy is a punk-style, plays the guitar, and is well traveled. Lisa is bold, creative, and ready to explore school activities. Shana is shy, quiet, and eager to joint the school paper. She’s the youngest, and is there on scholarship.
Each girl has a different worry. Amy is worried about the strict dress code. Shannon also worries about her clothes looking plain in comparison to the other girls. Lisa is missing home. Palmer isn’t a fan of the all-girl environment.
The girls from Fox Hall order a “Monstro” pizza from a local pizza place called Figaro’s. The girls start to talk about the lack of boys. They are all talking about dating. Palmer and Shannon have been on “semi dates”-their parents were there. Lisa says she hasn’t been on a date and fears she never will. There’s an all-boys school nearby called Ardsley Academy, and sometimes they have joint dances. Lisa says she’s heard about them from her brother. They’re no fun unless you have a boy to invite.
Kate interrupts them and gives them a stern reminder that its lights out time and breaking the rules results in demerits. Before they go to sleep, Lisa and Shannon talk some more about the issure of meeting boys. Lisa says she’s going to find a way to beat the system.
Monday morning at breakfast, Lisa shows her suitemates a draft of a ad seeking books to write to them. Amy is amused. Shannon is hesitant but intrigued. Palmer flat out is against it. Kate comes over and lectures the suitemates on their clothes and makeup. She invites Shannon to join “The Ledger” as a “gofter”.
Kate gives Shannon a tour of “The Ledger”. She’s told her duties (sorting mail, sweeping, typing, delivering items, and helping with ads). It’s grunt work, but Shannon decides she’s got to start somewhere. At lunch, Lisa mentions the idea for the name again. Palmer doesn’t want her name associated with it. So, Lisa comes up with the idea to use code names. , They all come up with the name “The Foxes of the Third Dimension”. The Third Dimention is a reference to their site.
They decide to have the letters delivered to the newspaper office where Shannon can secretly get them. Amy is excited because she’s made the chorus. Palmer says its not a good fit for her. Still, it’s the only opportunity at Alma for her to sing.
Times passes. There are no letters. Shannon blames herself for including single-sex education as part of the ad. It might have sounded to intellectual. Mrs. Grayson arrives holding an add from the Ardsley Lion newspaper. She says a group of girls has placed an unsual add and it’s caused quite a stir at Ardsley. A lot of boys have been responding to the ad.
Shannon discovers one day when she goes to the Ledger that Kate has hidden the letters in his desk in a thick folder. All the suitemates discuss what to do. Lisa says they should try to get the letters back. Shannon thinks they should confess, but Palmer says no. They decide to sneak into Kate’s room and get the letters while she’s out.
So, they make Shannon do it. She grabs the letters, and they run back to their room. Only she accidently leaves her pencil in Kates room. The pencil has the name of her father’s garage on it. Kate returns and catches Shannon. Shannon tries to lie and say she was waiting for her, but notices the pencil. Then she hears Lisa call to Shannon to hurry up or they’ll open them without her. She then takes the letters back and storms off.
The girls get summoned to meet with the headmistress Mrs. Prynn.She mistakenly thought the ad was part of a secret sorrority prank. She says every year girls try to have these. They assure her they just did it to have a social life. She’s understanding about, and she likes the idea of letter writing. So now they have the green lighd, and Shannon doesn’t have to worry about losing her scholarship.
They finally get a chance to read the letters. A lot of them are boring, but one letter stands out from four boys that call themselves “The Unknown”.They write “The Unknowns” back and ask for their real names and descriptions of how they look. Palmer gets mad and confronts Amy, getting calligraphy ink on her yellow cashmere sweater. May’s already in a bad mood because she got kicked out of the chorus. Palmer starts to go off on her about her clothes, nails, and guitar playing. Amy pops back at Palmer about being messy and leaving her clothes everywhere. Amy tells them about choir and they’re all encouraging. They tell her each voice is unique. Amy goes out for soccer instead.
)She was let go we find out, because she couldn’t read music). I Palmer wants to take the sitting room and turn it into her room, but the others shut this down immediately and agree that the sitting room is for everyone. Palmer then says she wants to switch roomates, but Shannon and Lisa are happy with each other. So, Amy and Palmer have no choice but to redo their room. Kate and Shannon both apologize to each other. (Kate for reporting the Foxes. Shannon for entering Kate’s room. There’s an awkward moment when Shannon asks about the picture Kate has of an old boyfriend Bob Giraldi. Kate snaps at Shannon and she backs down.
After a bike trip, the Foxes read the letters. They decide to draw letters randomly. Lis gets Rob Williams. Rob describes himself as “no ninety pound weakling”, says he’s appeared as a center-fold, and asks Lisa about deepest dreams and desires.
Shanna picks Mars, who simply says he’s a GOD. Palmer gets John Adams. He has neat handwriting, says he’s a poet and a jock, and believes boys and boys and girls should attend co-ed schools. Amy picks Simmie Randolph the third. His letter is full of scratched-out errors. He says he’s “indescribable”. Amy likes him, but so does Palmer. Palmer tries to get her to trade but Amy says no deal.
In Lisa’s letter, she tells Rob about her brother Reggie, who goes to Ardsley, and that he said Rob was ok. She says she’s five ft six inches and tall for her age. Her dreams are traveling to Europe and Alaska, and she dreams of one day going to art school. She talks about liking French and asks if he likes French. She aks if he is a “real” model.
In Amy’s letter to Simmie, she talks about her family’s background. She talks about the music artists she likes (Cyndi Lauper and Joan Jett). She mentions her dream of becoming a recording art. She tells him about how her father wants her to be a scienteist, though she only likes biology. She says she’s stong in math. Her hobbies are joggig, ice-skating, and calligrapy. She tells him she’s on the scoer team and she’s glad he’s her pen pal.
Palmer’s letter to John is short. She admits she isn’t into poetry, but his might be different. Shannon doesn’t know what to write Mars. Lisa motivates her by playing the game “If y ou were a … what would you be?” Shannon can then write her letter. She tells her her interest are reading, biking, baking brownies, and working on the school newspaper. She has a large family that inclues grandparents, a sister, and three brothers.
She wants to be a writer, and her secret ambition is to become an astronaut. Rob answers back to Lisa. He admits he’s not a model. Although, he was in the newspaper for rescuing a mon and a baby from a flood in Alaska.He says he’s been driving since 11. He tells Lisa to send him a picture, and says he’s five feet nine inches. Simmie tells Amy her letter is “amuzing”. He says he’s done some traveling, but only loved in Palm Beach. He asks if she speaks Chinese. John sends Palmer a poem with a peom that spells out TORTURED/ He admits it was rejected by the literary magazine. He says he plays tennis, and asks Palmer for a picture.
Mars says Shannon’s name has an “earthly ring”. He asks her for a picture. Amy and Shannon worry about what the boys will think of their pictures. Shannon says she can probably get Kate to take their pictures with The Ledger’s Polaroid camera. When she asks, Kate says she’d better be the one taking the picture/ She apologizes for snapping, and says she’ll take the picture tomorrow.
In Lisa’s second letter to Rob, a story about getting lost and ending up at a circus. She complains about not having phones in their rooms. Then asks him for a photo. Amy tells Simmie about all the places she’s lived (Sydney, England, Thailand, and New York. She says she can write some Chinese characters. She tells him about her grandmother’s breakfasts (bacon, egg, and rice). Palmer says Joem’s poem was “hard to understand”. She says tho sshe recognized the acrostic. She asks him for a picture.
Shannan asks Mars about his favorite subjects and what the food is like at Ardsley. She tells him about the cook, Mrs. Worth, and how they’ve given her the nickname “Mrs. Butter”. She asks what he meant by calling her “ears. Butter.” Nothing goes right on the day they have to take photos. Shanna wakes up with a pimple. Kate shows up and takes the pictures, but then sees a picture of Shannon’s sister and recognizes her as the girl who stole Bob from her. She then storms out. Shann feelts guilty because Kate thinks she hide the truth from her. Before they send the letters, Shannon slips Dorren’s picture inside her letter to Mars.
Rob loves Lia’s picture and compliments her red turtleneck. He asks about her pocket watch. He tells her about being in Alaska and working with wildlife and musk-ox. He says he hopes one day they’ll both be in Europe and bump into each other. Simmie tells Amy her likes her hair and calls her earrings “amuzing”. He says he hopes to meet her one day. John apologizes to Parlmer for not liking the poem, but he says he has others. He tells her he made the football team and is in traning. Her asks her to tell him more about herself. He compliments her picture and tells her she’s beautiful.
Mars simply tells Shannon she’s a GODDESS. All the Foxes agree that Shannon got the best response. Palmer points out that the boys didn’t say anything back about sending *them* pictures, and she worries they might be “disgusting”.Amy and Palmer get into it again, and Lisa has to remind them about their friendship being the most important thing.
The Foxes ask the Unknowns again for a picture. They send back the response that they don’t have any pictures to send them. They then send them a personality questionnaire. Rob responds for all of them and says they don’t have time. They have too much work. Lisa suspects that they’ve lost their penpals.
The Foxes see a poster announcing the Halloween Trickster Mixer (a costume dance) coming up. This will be a joint party, and Ardsley is invited. Lisa and Palmer thinks this will be a great opportunity to meet their pen pals. Shannon tho panics. If she meets Mars he’ll discover her lie. Shannon eventually confesses to her friends. Amy comes up with a way to hide her face (and hair which is the biggest ifference between Doreen and Shannon. Doreen has blond hair. Shannon’s is brown). Amy says she can go as a refridgerator complete with shelves and fake food. The head is hidden in a cereal box “helmet”. Kate gives Shannon an alternate idea (to go as an astronaught) instead of skipping the dance.
The girls get ready for the dance. Amy goes as Joan Jet, Lia as a peasant girl, and Palmer as She-ra. At the mixer, the Foxes search for their pen pals who have told them they’ll be coming as tMusketers. They don’t see them, but Amy sees a guy in a gross chicken head. They see Brenda with Musketters but they aren’t the Uknowns. They start seeing chicken heads everywhere and then the Foxes are surrounded. They talke off their heads, and it’s the Unknown. They explain that someone else got the Musketter costumes. They all pair up and Shannon is left with Mars. Mars tells Shannon to take off her helmet. When she does he sees the truth and storms off. Shannon goes back to her dorm and cries.
Shannon writes Mars a private letter and apologizes. He writes her back; he confesses, completing by saying he was a good. He tells her his real name is Arthur Martinez. He admits he was intimated by her picture. He anicked at the mixer and ran because he didn’t want to deal with the truth. He tells her Dorren is pretty but so is she. He wants to keep writing her.
My Thoughts:
*When I think of The Fox's idea is that back when this book was written versus today, with all the other ways to communicate going on with Skype, social media, and texting. Today, guys frankly have gotten lazy, and they (some, not all) barely want to text you. Or, on the other hand, they just want to text you. I'm sure there are some guys out there that don't mind reading letters and maybe even writing them, but personally, I find it a very rare thing today that they'd want to actually sit and write letters. It just seems kind of dated.
This bike trip: where to start with what the Foxes decide is appropriate? Ok, so when you think of bike trips you think of warm weather, sunny days. Maybe spring. Maybe fall. Maybe summer. If this is August, which typically is when school starts (or September) it's still relatively warm. Lisa has on a turtleneck with bike shorts? I'm burning up just thinking about this combination. I hope these are the longer tights version. Amy has on cowboy boots. To ride a bike? This isn't a square dance. Palmer a tweed pantsuit. Is she going hiking? She also has binoculars. Just the closest to being dressed for what I think would go is Amy's bodysuit and tee shirt. Shannon has tights on under the biking shorts. (Sighing). Just NOOOO!
Rating: 7. The first time I read this book, I gave it a 6. On this read, I'll give it a 7 because it was a pretty good intro to the series. It really shows how far we've come in terms of communication. And it shows that you can't compare yourself in looks to someone else (unfavorably) because how you see yourself isn't necessarily how the person that you're trying to get to know might see you. Then it just puts you back in the setting of dorm life if you've ever lived it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2019
I remember loving this book when I was younger, but reading it again made me wonder how I stuck with it. It really dragged the first few chapters, but when it did finally pick up pace it was a smooth and easy read.
April 19, 2019
As an adult reading these, 3 stars, but loved this series as a kid.
August 14, 2021
This dddrrraaagggeeeddd on and on. The girls are all thinly sketched personalities and the boys are literally all interchangeable.
January 4, 2024
It’s a good book and I am obsessed with the pen pal series now .
March 3, 2011
I read this book for my "YA of the 80's & 90's" challenge. I vividly remember reading this series in school, and not only do I remember reading the series, but I found a few penpals through the books as well. It's hysterical to read the book now as an adult, and there definitely some things I wanted to nickpick about the book (for example, all of the friends were so supportive & understanding off one of the girls when she decided to lie. 13 year old girls are not known to be understanding of anyone!) But the charm of the book just shines through, and I admit to laughing out loud, literally, on more than one occasion & sharing bits of the book with my coworkers (of my age group) who I knew would enjoy the flashbacks (for example, one of the characters dresses up as She-Ra for a costume party). This is a must read!
November 8, 2012
I read some of this series when I was younger, so thought I'd try to get through the whole lot. Read this one in just a few hours. One of the characters is annoying me already and I'm sure that'll continue. Really enjoying my trip down memory lane
May 23, 2011
Oh my gosh I loved these books!!! They were some of my absolute favorites! I think I must have been somewhere between 6th and 8th grade or something, but I loved them!
November 30, 2012
Palate cleanser.
January 27, 2016
I loved this series when I was young - can't remember the age that I was - perhaps 11-13. I just know I loved these books!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews