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Girl Talk #24
Cousins
Sabrina eagerly anticipates the arrival of her fashionable cousin, Zoe, who has grown up in Europe, but Zoe turns out to be quite different from what Sabrina expected.
- GenresYoung AdultChildrens
118 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1992
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June 30, 2024
Cousin
Sab's cousin is coming to visit from France, and she can’t wait to tell her friends. Only she has to battle for the bathroom with Sam. Sam tells her (her) Katie says to meet her in front of the pizza place. So, Sabs catches a ride there with Allison. Sabs tells them about her cousin Zoey whose a model. Her dad owns some art galleries and he’ll be opening one in Minneapolis. Her parents have to stay in France to finish some business so she’ll be staying with Sabs. She’s twelve so she’ll be in their class. They all think she sounds chic and sophisticated and hope she’ll like it. Sabs wants to pick her out a present. So, they pick her out a long, strand, of faux pearls. Then they go hang out at Katie’s place (to get some tips on the ins and outs of the lifestyles of the rich and famous). She notices that they have a maid and that Katie’s mom dresses differently. Her house is also neat as a pin. Then there’s Katie’s father who always looks polished. She’s not sure how she can compete. But she hopes it's enough time to reinvent her family.
Sabs is worried that Acorn Falls and her family won’t measure up. So the first thing she does is try to get her mom to cook more exotic meals than the hotdogs and beans she‘s making. But when she picks a recipe (veal), she realizes how gross it sounds. Then she tries to pick out her dad’s attire and get him to smoke a pipe (well just perpetrate like he is) and he pretty much makes her feel silly. At school, she talks Zoe up to Stacey and Bz. Zoe’s so beautiful. Zoe’s so glorious. Zoe’s a big-time model. She even thinks about learning French and Italian because she has a dream Zoe speaks all these other languages (Except English and Spanish) and they can’t communicate. Sabs even dress in international clothes all week. When her dad finally brings Zoe home.. she’s heavy set with red, frizzy, hair. Sabs is disappointed.
Zoey will be sharing a room with Sabrina. Sabrina wonders why Zoey has to be so different and what Stacey and the rest will make of her. She’s pretty but she’s normal and plain. Her clothes are normal (which sound WAY better than Sabrina’s clothes). Mentally, Sabrina criticizes the fact that Zoey likes to snack. She thinks maybe she should set a good example of eating healthy and Zoey will follow. So she makes popcorn in the hot, air, popper. Sam puts on some music videos and Zoey starts to dance with Mark. She’s actually good! Sabrina accidentally leaves the popPer on and popcorn goes flying everywhere. This turns into a popcorn fight. Mar, Sam, and Zoey are having a ball. They all hate the popcorn so Sam instead gets them chocolate pudding. Sabrina doesn’t want any or any popcorn and thinks about how much she’s dreading school.
Sabrina decides to give Zoey a makeover. Maybe she can tell the kids at school she models plus sized clothes. She finds out Zoey’s modeling was for baby clothes. She stopped at five when cubby wasn’t cute anymore. At dinner, Sabs tries to “persuade” Zoey to eat healthy by just eating a salad herself. It doesn’t work. So after dinner, she works on her clothes and hair. Surprisingly, she’s stunning! In minutes she’s changed her hair, clothes, and taken off the makeup just as they’re about to leave for school. She says it was fun but that wasn’t the real her.
On Sunday, Sabs, her brothers, and her cousin go to an amusement park. The rest of her friends meet up with her there. Randy makes a crass comment about Zoey’s modeling must have been for big diapers and Sab’s doesn’t appreciate it. Sabs says she’s not that bad. Allison said that it's just that she built her up so much. Katie's ays I bet she’s great and has some great stories. Randy says it doesn’t matter that she’s a little overweight. At school, Zoeey says she likes BH but it’s different. They find out her locker partner is Laurel. At lunch, Stacey finally sees Zoey and calls her fat. Zoey though is unphased and acts friendly to her. Stacey doesn’t know what do to with this. She embarrasses Stacey and she flees.
Stacey gets her back by giving her a ugly, ancient, pea-green one-piece suit. But Zoey just makes a joke out of it and she’s such a good player no one cares. At the end of the class, there’s miraculously a gym suit in her size and the teacher makes Stacey apologize. Zoey tells them later it's not the first time. She’s used to it. She says Stacey is the one with the problem. She’s so insecure that she makes herself feel big by cutting people down. At Fitzes, they find out Stacey is throwing a dance contest called “Dances Through the Ages for a history project. Zoey says she knows tons of dances she’s learned in other countries. They all decide to enter. And the inner gets extra credit. Zoey says she and Sabrina can be partners. Of course, Stacey shows up with a put-down. But Zoey says don’t let her get to her. They’ll have a great dance. Sam asks Katie to go with him. Billy asks Allison to go with him. Allison says she wants to do a tribal dance. Randy says she’ll do the dance with Allison and Billy. Sabrina is annoyed because she’s left with Zoey. She decides not to go bowling with them that night.
Sabrina vents to Katie and then Allison. Allison calls her out for being as shallow as Stacey. She tells her she’s making a big deal out of nothing. Allison apologizes for comparing her to Stacey but tells her don’t worry about what everyone else thinks. Randy then calls and says she’s at the bowling place and Zoey’s been hanging out with Nick all night. It looks serious. Sabrina blows this off, but Randy says he asked her to be his partner. Sabrina who just minutes ago was bitching about going with Zoey is now upset that she has a new partner. Zoey tells her later about Nick. She then asks Sabrina does she have a problem with her because of her weight. Sabrina says it’s *her* that has the issue. Zoey tells her she’s not stupid and she knows what Sabrina has been up to with the popcorn and the salad. This makes them both burst out laughing. Zoey apologizes and they both say it’s in the past and they hug. They stay up all night talking.
Arizona asks Sabrina to be his partner and she’s THRILLED! They make plans to practice at his house. The dance they decide to do is a minute. Zoey and Nick will be doing the Charleston. She has the perfect dress but no accessories. Sabrina then presents her cousin with the faux pearls. Sabrina finds a peach lace dress in the drama department that she thinks will be perfect. Stacey confronts Zoey about stealing *her boyfriend& as a partner. But Zoey says she’ll have to take that up with Nick. Stacey vows to get even and storms off. Sabs gets the idea to wear her hair like Marie Antoineet, but the wig her mom gives her to make her hair taller is black. So she gets the idea to pour powder all over it. Only Randy pours too much. Luckily Katie brushes it off so it looks just right.
Arizona is late, but then shows up in a full suit from the 18th century that he got from a costume shop. He tells Sabrina he loves her hair. They rehearse a minute before the contest. Arizonna tho starts to sneeze uncontrollably (from the powder). His eyes start to turn red. He’s allergic to talcum powder. Sabrina’s wig comes undone just as the contest starts. Stacey tries to sabotage Nick and Zoey’s music by speeding it up, but Zoey keeps right up with the music. Stacey and Winston do a dance of the Niles and it’s bad.. She does win for the best costume. Sabrina and Arizonna get chosen. Allison, Randy, and Billy get chosen (they win). Katie and Sam get called for best dancers. So do Laurel, Nick, and Zoey. Zoey and Nick win. Sabrina realizes how great her cousin is after all.
My Thoughts
This was BAD! SOOOO BAD! I HATED this Sabrina and she was so out of character. I mostly see Sabrina as “eccentric”. She’s kind of out there with her clothes and how she’s always so hyper about everything. She annoys me sometimes a little bit because in every single book at first, she liked someone different so it made her look kind of flighty. But I never saw her as shallow. I was actually thinking the SAME EXACT thing Allison called her out on (acting like Stacey). One of the people I love most in this whole world is overweight and to me, it's never made the slightest difference. But what I could relate to is how to respond when that person speaks of themselves in negative (yet teasing) way about it. What do you say when someone makes a comment about themselves being so fat or a fat ass? Just like Zoey, they seem to happy and accept that they’re on the heavy side but at the same time, it doesn’t quite strike you as “right” to hear them refer to themselves in a way that makes it seem like they’re not. It can really be awkward! I just hope this side of Sabrina doesn’t come out in this series again because it should NOT have took a dance contest to make her realize how great her cousin is as a person. And then it just shows how dumb it is to care about what other people think. I never try to care about what other people think of me and I think I’m all the better for it!
Rating: 3
Sab's cousin is coming to visit from France, and she can’t wait to tell her friends. Only she has to battle for the bathroom with Sam. Sam tells her (her) Katie says to meet her in front of the pizza place. So, Sabs catches a ride there with Allison. Sabs tells them about her cousin Zoey whose a model. Her dad owns some art galleries and he’ll be opening one in Minneapolis. Her parents have to stay in France to finish some business so she’ll be staying with Sabs. She’s twelve so she’ll be in their class. They all think she sounds chic and sophisticated and hope she’ll like it. Sabs wants to pick her out a present. So, they pick her out a long, strand, of faux pearls. Then they go hang out at Katie’s place (to get some tips on the ins and outs of the lifestyles of the rich and famous). She notices that they have a maid and that Katie’s mom dresses differently. Her house is also neat as a pin. Then there’s Katie’s father who always looks polished. She’s not sure how she can compete. But she hopes it's enough time to reinvent her family.
Sabs is worried that Acorn Falls and her family won’t measure up. So the first thing she does is try to get her mom to cook more exotic meals than the hotdogs and beans she‘s making. But when she picks a recipe (veal), she realizes how gross it sounds. Then she tries to pick out her dad’s attire and get him to smoke a pipe (well just perpetrate like he is) and he pretty much makes her feel silly. At school, she talks Zoe up to Stacey and Bz. Zoe’s so beautiful. Zoe’s so glorious. Zoe’s a big-time model. She even thinks about learning French and Italian because she has a dream Zoe speaks all these other languages (Except English and Spanish) and they can’t communicate. Sabs even dress in international clothes all week. When her dad finally brings Zoe home.. she’s heavy set with red, frizzy, hair. Sabs is disappointed.
Zoey will be sharing a room with Sabrina. Sabrina wonders why Zoey has to be so different and what Stacey and the rest will make of her. She’s pretty but she’s normal and plain. Her clothes are normal (which sound WAY better than Sabrina’s clothes). Mentally, Sabrina criticizes the fact that Zoey likes to snack. She thinks maybe she should set a good example of eating healthy and Zoey will follow. So she makes popcorn in the hot, air, popper. Sam puts on some music videos and Zoey starts to dance with Mark. She’s actually good! Sabrina accidentally leaves the popPer on and popcorn goes flying everywhere. This turns into a popcorn fight. Mar, Sam, and Zoey are having a ball. They all hate the popcorn so Sam instead gets them chocolate pudding. Sabrina doesn’t want any or any popcorn and thinks about how much she’s dreading school.
Sabrina decides to give Zoey a makeover. Maybe she can tell the kids at school she models plus sized clothes. She finds out Zoey’s modeling was for baby clothes. She stopped at five when cubby wasn’t cute anymore. At dinner, Sabs tries to “persuade” Zoey to eat healthy by just eating a salad herself. It doesn’t work. So after dinner, she works on her clothes and hair. Surprisingly, she’s stunning! In minutes she’s changed her hair, clothes, and taken off the makeup just as they’re about to leave for school. She says it was fun but that wasn’t the real her.
On Sunday, Sabs, her brothers, and her cousin go to an amusement park. The rest of her friends meet up with her there. Randy makes a crass comment about Zoey’s modeling must have been for big diapers and Sab’s doesn’t appreciate it. Sabs says she’s not that bad. Allison said that it's just that she built her up so much. Katie's ays I bet she’s great and has some great stories. Randy says it doesn’t matter that she’s a little overweight. At school, Zoeey says she likes BH but it’s different. They find out her locker partner is Laurel. At lunch, Stacey finally sees Zoey and calls her fat. Zoey though is unphased and acts friendly to her. Stacey doesn’t know what do to with this. She embarrasses Stacey and she flees.
Stacey gets her back by giving her a ugly, ancient, pea-green one-piece suit. But Zoey just makes a joke out of it and she’s such a good player no one cares. At the end of the class, there’s miraculously a gym suit in her size and the teacher makes Stacey apologize. Zoey tells them later it's not the first time. She’s used to it. She says Stacey is the one with the problem. She’s so insecure that she makes herself feel big by cutting people down. At Fitzes, they find out Stacey is throwing a dance contest called “Dances Through the Ages for a history project. Zoey says she knows tons of dances she’s learned in other countries. They all decide to enter. And the inner gets extra credit. Zoey says she and Sabrina can be partners. Of course, Stacey shows up with a put-down. But Zoey says don’t let her get to her. They’ll have a great dance. Sam asks Katie to go with him. Billy asks Allison to go with him. Allison says she wants to do a tribal dance. Randy says she’ll do the dance with Allison and Billy. Sabrina is annoyed because she’s left with Zoey. She decides not to go bowling with them that night.
Sabrina vents to Katie and then Allison. Allison calls her out for being as shallow as Stacey. She tells her she’s making a big deal out of nothing. Allison apologizes for comparing her to Stacey but tells her don’t worry about what everyone else thinks. Randy then calls and says she’s at the bowling place and Zoey’s been hanging out with Nick all night. It looks serious. Sabrina blows this off, but Randy says he asked her to be his partner. Sabrina who just minutes ago was bitching about going with Zoey is now upset that she has a new partner. Zoey tells her later about Nick. She then asks Sabrina does she have a problem with her because of her weight. Sabrina says it’s *her* that has the issue. Zoey tells her she’s not stupid and she knows what Sabrina has been up to with the popcorn and the salad. This makes them both burst out laughing. Zoey apologizes and they both say it’s in the past and they hug. They stay up all night talking.
Arizona asks Sabrina to be his partner and she’s THRILLED! They make plans to practice at his house. The dance they decide to do is a minute. Zoey and Nick will be doing the Charleston. She has the perfect dress but no accessories. Sabrina then presents her cousin with the faux pearls. Sabrina finds a peach lace dress in the drama department that she thinks will be perfect. Stacey confronts Zoey about stealing *her boyfriend& as a partner. But Zoey says she’ll have to take that up with Nick. Stacey vows to get even and storms off. Sabs gets the idea to wear her hair like Marie Antoineet, but the wig her mom gives her to make her hair taller is black. So she gets the idea to pour powder all over it. Only Randy pours too much. Luckily Katie brushes it off so it looks just right.
Arizona is late, but then shows up in a full suit from the 18th century that he got from a costume shop. He tells Sabrina he loves her hair. They rehearse a minute before the contest. Arizonna tho starts to sneeze uncontrollably (from the powder). His eyes start to turn red. He’s allergic to talcum powder. Sabrina’s wig comes undone just as the contest starts. Stacey tries to sabotage Nick and Zoey’s music by speeding it up, but Zoey keeps right up with the music. Stacey and Winston do a dance of the Niles and it’s bad.. She does win for the best costume. Sabrina and Arizonna get chosen. Allison, Randy, and Billy get chosen (they win). Katie and Sam get called for best dancers. So do Laurel, Nick, and Zoey. Zoey and Nick win. Sabrina realizes how great her cousin is after all.
My Thoughts
This was BAD! SOOOO BAD! I HATED this Sabrina and she was so out of character. I mostly see Sabrina as “eccentric”. She’s kind of out there with her clothes and how she’s always so hyper about everything. She annoys me sometimes a little bit because in every single book at first, she liked someone different so it made her look kind of flighty. But I never saw her as shallow. I was actually thinking the SAME EXACT thing Allison called her out on (acting like Stacey). One of the people I love most in this whole world is overweight and to me, it's never made the slightest difference. But what I could relate to is how to respond when that person speaks of themselves in negative (yet teasing) way about it. What do you say when someone makes a comment about themselves being so fat or a fat ass? Just like Zoey, they seem to happy and accept that they’re on the heavy side but at the same time, it doesn’t quite strike you as “right” to hear them refer to themselves in a way that makes it seem like they’re not. It can really be awkward! I just hope this side of Sabrina doesn’t come out in this series again because it should NOT have took a dance contest to make her realize how great her cousin is as a person. And then it just shows how dumb it is to care about what other people think. I never try to care about what other people think of me and I think I’m all the better for it!
Rating: 3
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2018
kolegyna na nas vytiahla dospievajuce casy. a v tejto knihe sa prejavila Sabrina. trocha si usla v povrchnosti ale vsetko skoncilo dobre
October 3, 2014
I finally can review this book!! I search this book like millions way long. i read Girl Talk when i was in junior high. I miss the gang, Sabrina, Katie, Randy and Allison. The book so attracted my heart as a teen. So thanks for this book i rewrite again more seriously and intensively. I want read all the series, but it must be difficult to find them. :(
July 8, 2013
when I was a kid I had a lot of these books it's funny that I found these books. they were like reading a diary
June 24, 2016
all books from this serial were with me in my childhood and puberty-time ;) and in that time it was great. One time...I will read it with my daughters
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews