Sweet Valley High #50: Out of Reach
Sweet Valley High #50: Out of Reach
You'll remember I did a recap of SVH Senior Year “So Not Me” awhile ago. That book heavily features a Chinese girl named Jade Wu. This book also features a Jade Wu, except she's nothing like the Jade Wu of Senior Year fame. I can think of two reasons for this:
1.The Sweet Valley High ghostwriters don't keep very good track of the plot lines already used, so the Senior Year people simply had no idea this one existed!
2.The Sweet Valley High ghostwriters are under the mistaken impression that American high schools are only allowed one Asian student. And that one, unfortunate Asian student must keep all our Asian stereotypes alive by herself. (I'm tempted to call her “Token” throughout the recap, like the kid on South Park.)
Firstly, I wish I had a scan of the cover. It's got a snappy little gold, embossed medal that says it's Sweet Valley High's 5th anniversary! It's sort of in the same place you would put a Newbery Award, should SVH ever actually earn that honor (and I'm sure it will next year).
Amy Sutton exposits how excited she is about the SVH dance show. They're having a show, so they can raise money to have dance class at the school. (Just what SVH needs, less rigorous coursework.) Anyway, there's a part at the end that is reserved for the best dancer. Amy, of course, thinks this should be her. Jessica just kind of rolls her eyes thinking that Amy isn't the best dancer on the cheerleading squad, let alone the whole school.
Lila also scoffs. She says Jade Wu will get the part, since she's the best dancer. (Jade takes ballet classes, and is apparently very good.) Amy says Jade can't get it because she's not “All-American”; she's Chinese. Just when you think Amy can't get any more reprehensible they go and throw in some racism!
Jade, meanwhile, is upset. Her father won't let her audition for the show. She rages to her friend Melanie about how her father won't let her do anything because he likes her to do things like they're done in China. In China, apparently, they have no fun. It's true; look it up in your travel guide.
After school, Jade has to wait for the bus to take her to dance class. (How come in every other SVH book I read, the bus is some horrible death sentence but in this one it's okay for the Asian girl? Someone get me Al Sharpton on the phone!) She see as boy she likes named David. He's a painter, who is doing sets for the dance show. He invites her to try out, as if she didn't already know about it.
Jade asks her mother to let her be in the show. Her mother says her father will never let her “dance in public.” What's the point of all those fancy lessons if she's not allowed to dance in front of people? Her mother agrees to try to help her convince “Dr. Wu” (he's not a medical doctor, but a math Ph.D. Asians and math! How original!).
Dr. Wu comes home ranting about how Jade must marry and Asian boy and should have only Asian friends. Jade asks him about the show and he suspiciously asks if she would do ballet or that horrible “modern dance.” Jade insists ballet, but he's like, “No, I will not let you anyway! Psych!” Jade is sad and cries out how all she wants to do is dance! (The exchange just cribs the necessary portions from the singing prince scenes in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.)
At school, Jade sees David again in history class. They're learning about the Chinese Cultural Revolution and Jade just hates it. She doesn't want to learn about stupid China, she wants to learn about America. But of course the teacher calls her out and is like, “Jade, you're our token Asian student, tell us about Chinese customs.” Jade is understandably embarrassed. She lies and says her family isn't “traditional” Chinese. It's here we learn that Jade is very ashamed that her grandparents run a dry cleaners in Sweet Valley. Apparently this is what she thinks the teacher means by “traditional Chinese”? Jade wishes they would do something else. I really didn't want to mention this, because the scene is uncomfortable, but it becomes important later.
Jade goes to dance class and her teacher, Eve, tells her that disagreeing with parents is part of growing up. This is sort of glossed over, but I would think it would be worth pointing out that teenage rebellion is pretty universal. Jade somehow decides this means she should try out for the show no matter what her father says. Oh, and she's going to do that wacky “modern dance” too not that traditional ballet crap!
She runs into David again outside her lesson. David is working delivering packages (I think this means he's a UPS guy not, like, a sexual innuendo). He has to work to help support his family. And her we thought only poor Roger Barrett had to do that! Jade thinks that's dreamy.
At the audition, they have to go in groups first. Amy, predictably, completely sucks. Then she blames Jade for “throwing her off.” Then the best dancers go up individually, and Jade is the best. David wants to take her out the the Dairi Burger to celebrate but Jade can't go because she's not allowed to go on dates. She doesn't tell him this; she just lies. Never a good plan.
The next day, Jade is predictably chosen as lead dancer/soloist/whatever. David announces that he's doing the posters and fliers for the show and he's going to put Jade on them! He says she has “distinctive” features which Jade takes a offense to because she wants to fit in. But on the upside, at least he doesn't think all Asians look alike.
At the first rehearsal, Jade discovers two unsettling things that she really should've known about before. 1) Rehearsals last until six, when she needs to be home by five and 2) David's posters are going to be, like seen by people. That's what they're for, dingus.
Jade goes home. She tells her parents she got the lead. Her father freaks out and forbids her from dancing in public. (Along with no fun there is no dancing in China. It's like Footloose.) After he leaves, her mother says they'll keep the rehearsals a secret from him for now.
David unveils his poster and he made Jade look beautiful. Jade is touched. Then he asks her out again. She tells him no but doesn't tell him why. He gets all sad and pissy. He tells Elizabeth later that he thinks she must be a snob and looks down on him. Way to get the boy, Jade.
Jade, meanwhile, is happy. She likes dancing and she likes having an excuse to hang out with the other kids. She's getting along with them well. Her one worry is that her father still hasn't given her permission to be in the show. And, can I say, if I were in charge of this show I would be so pissed she hadn't told anyone this yet. At least let them train an understudy.
Just to make Jade more uncomfortable, the dance teacher announces there is going to be a talent scout coming to the show. She is looking to fill an internship at a dance company in L.A.
David asks Jade out again. Boy, he can't take a hint can he? Jade says no again. This time he asks her what her problem is. She swears she really does like him and to prove it she's going to tell him a secret! Her deepest darkest secret! You might think it's something relevant like her father not letting her date or be in the show. But you'd be wrong, wrong, wrong! She tells him her grandparents run a laundry. That's right! They dry clean! David is like “what?” Jade insists that's her embarrassing secret. David points out that his mother cleans other people's houses for a living, so he doesn't see the problem.
Speaking of the Chinese laundry, Amy's mother gets her shirts cleaned there. And when Amy sees they have the poster of Jade, she exclaims that she's going to be in that show. Jade's grandmother says her granddaughter will also be in the show! What a coinkydink! Amy realizes she is Jade's grandmother and decides she's going to tell the whole school how Jade's family cleans other people's clothes! That'll get her back for “stealing” the lead from her!
When everyone finds out about the laundry, Jade thinks David told. She snaps at him and he says he didn't tell! And furthermore he's not even sure why he would tell because it's a shitty secret! This me, standing behind David and saying, “I know, right.” It's not like they murder people or something.
Then, David throws a full scale hissy fit (which I'm not standing behind) and rips down the sets he's built for Jade's performance! He's such a girl! Everyone else is like, “What's her problem?”
Jade goes home and cries to her mother. Her mother, awesomely, is like, “Bitch, please.” She doesn't like that Jade is ashamed of her grandparents. She tells Jade she's not going to try to convince her father to let her dance if she keeps acting like a little shit.
Enter Elizabeth Wakefield, to the rescue! She knows that Amy was the one who blabbed Jade's “secret.” She calls Jade to ask her how she's doing, since Jade looked “tense” at the rehearsals. Liz is Head Twin in Charge of Everyone Else's Business again! She tells Jade about Amy. Then, the next day at school, Liz and Jade talk again and Jade confesses everything to Liz. After this conversation with Liz, Jade has a miraculous conversion and realizes she's been horrible to David! Also she shouldn't be ashamed of her family. It's good thing Liz is around to tell everyone what to do and how to feel, right?
David is still pissed. It seems he's dealt with other kids making fun of him because his family is poor. And he finds Jade's shame of her grandparents really distasteful. I have to say, my parents aren't poor and I still find it really distasteful. Then Elizabeth appoints herself in charge of his business and tells him he's all wrong about Jade and to give her another chance.
Dr. Wu finally relents and allows Jade to dance in the show. Except now that David's pissed at her, Jade doesn't really want to anymore. God, she's moody.
At the show, the talent scout arrives and Amy sucks up to him. Jade's nervous and doesn't think she can go through with it, until she sees that David has redone the set. He's back on the show.
Jade dances and everyone is impressed. Even her father liked the dance (of course) and he says the white people might not be so bad, since they clapped for her so nicely (what?). David comes to meet the fam, and Dr. Wu is impressed at his artistic talent but even moreso that he has a job (what?). It's “responsible.” Because all other white kids are total layabouts! Dr. Wu agrees to let Jade go on a date with him.
The talent scout barges in and says he loved Jade Wu! ...Well except the funny matter of her name. He wants her to go as “Jade Warren” if she's to take the internship. Like people won't just notice she's Asian? Jade tells him to go stuff it. She doesn't want his fruity internship where she can't be Asian.
Then she goes out with David and everyone is happy. Except me, who hated this book.
As a reminder, in this book Liz is with Jeffrey and Jessica is with A.J. In fact, A.J. And Jessica have just recently begun dating. Liz is upset that because of him, Jess is not paying attention to her chores. (This is different from normal, how?)
Anyhow, Ned Wakefield got an invitation to his 25th high school reunion and he's freaking out that he's old. He's concerned about his wrinkles and gray hair. Naturally, Jessica gets to the heart of the problem which is: how is this behavior going to affect her? She's afraid he's going to embarrass her with a mid-life crisis. So, for some reason I can't quite figure out, she decides she's going to take him to the Beach Disco? ... Don't try to get me to explain because I don't get it.
Jessica pretends she was going to the Beach Disco with A.J. but he backed out at the last minute. She acts like she simply cannot go alone, so she takes her father. I would think taking your father to Beach Disco would be even more embarrassing than taking your cousin to prom, but whatever!
When they get to the Beach Disco, Jessica has instructed her friends to help make Ned miserable. (She thinks if he hates youth culture he'll be happy being old? I guess?) They make him sit in the back of the Fiat Spider! Jeffrey sits them by the speakers! Ken steps on his foot! The horror. Ned thinks the music sucks, and in all likelihood, it does. He goes home early.
At the end of the book, Ned admits he was on to Jessica's clever ruse! He's decided that he “has to make peace with who [he is]”. I love it when the moral of the story is totally spelled out for us at the end in case we napped through the whole book, don't you?
You'll remember I did a recap of SVH Senior Year “So Not Me” awhile ago. That book heavily features a Chinese girl named Jade Wu. This book also features a Jade Wu, except she's nothing like the Jade Wu of Senior Year fame. I can think of two reasons for this:
1.The Sweet Valley High ghostwriters don't keep very good track of the plot lines already used, so the Senior Year people simply had no idea this one existed!
2.The Sweet Valley High ghostwriters are under the mistaken impression that American high schools are only allowed one Asian student. And that one, unfortunate Asian student must keep all our Asian stereotypes alive by herself. (I'm tempted to call her “Token” throughout the recap, like the kid on South Park.)
Firstly, I wish I had a scan of the cover. It's got a snappy little gold, embossed medal that says it's Sweet Valley High's 5th anniversary! It's sort of in the same place you would put a Newbery Award, should SVH ever actually earn that honor (and I'm sure it will next year).
Amy Sutton exposits how excited she is about the SVH dance show. They're having a show, so they can raise money to have dance class at the school. (Just what SVH needs, less rigorous coursework.) Anyway, there's a part at the end that is reserved for the best dancer. Amy, of course, thinks this should be her. Jessica just kind of rolls her eyes thinking that Amy isn't the best dancer on the cheerleading squad, let alone the whole school.
Lila also scoffs. She says Jade Wu will get the part, since she's the best dancer. (Jade takes ballet classes, and is apparently very good.) Amy says Jade can't get it because she's not “All-American”; she's Chinese. Just when you think Amy can't get any more reprehensible they go and throw in some racism!
Jade, meanwhile, is upset. Her father won't let her audition for the show. She rages to her friend Melanie about how her father won't let her do anything because he likes her to do things like they're done in China. In China, apparently, they have no fun. It's true; look it up in your travel guide.
After school, Jade has to wait for the bus to take her to dance class. (How come in every other SVH book I read, the bus is some horrible death sentence but in this one it's okay for the Asian girl? Someone get me Al Sharpton on the phone!) She see as boy she likes named David. He's a painter, who is doing sets for the dance show. He invites her to try out, as if she didn't already know about it.
Jade asks her mother to let her be in the show. Her mother says her father will never let her “dance in public.” What's the point of all those fancy lessons if she's not allowed to dance in front of people? Her mother agrees to try to help her convince “Dr. Wu” (he's not a medical doctor, but a math Ph.D. Asians and math! How original!).
Dr. Wu comes home ranting about how Jade must marry and Asian boy and should have only Asian friends. Jade asks him about the show and he suspiciously asks if she would do ballet or that horrible “modern dance.” Jade insists ballet, but he's like, “No, I will not let you anyway! Psych!” Jade is sad and cries out how all she wants to do is dance! (The exchange just cribs the necessary portions from the singing prince scenes in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.)
At school, Jade sees David again in history class. They're learning about the Chinese Cultural Revolution and Jade just hates it. She doesn't want to learn about stupid China, she wants to learn about America. But of course the teacher calls her out and is like, “Jade, you're our token Asian student, tell us about Chinese customs.” Jade is understandably embarrassed. She lies and says her family isn't “traditional” Chinese. It's here we learn that Jade is very ashamed that her grandparents run a dry cleaners in Sweet Valley. Apparently this is what she thinks the teacher means by “traditional Chinese”? Jade wishes they would do something else. I really didn't want to mention this, because the scene is uncomfortable, but it becomes important later.
Jade goes to dance class and her teacher, Eve, tells her that disagreeing with parents is part of growing up. This is sort of glossed over, but I would think it would be worth pointing out that teenage rebellion is pretty universal. Jade somehow decides this means she should try out for the show no matter what her father says. Oh, and she's going to do that wacky “modern dance” too not that traditional ballet crap!
She runs into David again outside her lesson. David is working delivering packages (I think this means he's a UPS guy not, like, a sexual innuendo). He has to work to help support his family. And her we thought only poor Roger Barrett had to do that! Jade thinks that's dreamy.
At the audition, they have to go in groups first. Amy, predictably, completely sucks. Then she blames Jade for “throwing her off.” Then the best dancers go up individually, and Jade is the best. David wants to take her out the the Dairi Burger to celebrate but Jade can't go because she's not allowed to go on dates. She doesn't tell him this; she just lies. Never a good plan.
The next day, Jade is predictably chosen as lead dancer/soloist/whatever. David announces that he's doing the posters and fliers for the show and he's going to put Jade on them! He says she has “distinctive” features which Jade takes a offense to because she wants to fit in. But on the upside, at least he doesn't think all Asians look alike.
At the first rehearsal, Jade discovers two unsettling things that she really should've known about before. 1) Rehearsals last until six, when she needs to be home by five and 2) David's posters are going to be, like seen by people. That's what they're for, dingus.
Jade goes home. She tells her parents she got the lead. Her father freaks out and forbids her from dancing in public. (Along with no fun there is no dancing in China. It's like Footloose.) After he leaves, her mother says they'll keep the rehearsals a secret from him for now.
David unveils his poster and he made Jade look beautiful. Jade is touched. Then he asks her out again. She tells him no but doesn't tell him why. He gets all sad and pissy. He tells Elizabeth later that he thinks she must be a snob and looks down on him. Way to get the boy, Jade.
Jade, meanwhile, is happy. She likes dancing and she likes having an excuse to hang out with the other kids. She's getting along with them well. Her one worry is that her father still hasn't given her permission to be in the show. And, can I say, if I were in charge of this show I would be so pissed she hadn't told anyone this yet. At least let them train an understudy.
Just to make Jade more uncomfortable, the dance teacher announces there is going to be a talent scout coming to the show. She is looking to fill an internship at a dance company in L.A.
David asks Jade out again. Boy, he can't take a hint can he? Jade says no again. This time he asks her what her problem is. She swears she really does like him and to prove it she's going to tell him a secret! Her deepest darkest secret! You might think it's something relevant like her father not letting her date or be in the show. But you'd be wrong, wrong, wrong! She tells him her grandparents run a laundry. That's right! They dry clean! David is like “what?” Jade insists that's her embarrassing secret. David points out that his mother cleans other people's houses for a living, so he doesn't see the problem.
Speaking of the Chinese laundry, Amy's mother gets her shirts cleaned there. And when Amy sees they have the poster of Jade, she exclaims that she's going to be in that show. Jade's grandmother says her granddaughter will also be in the show! What a coinkydink! Amy realizes she is Jade's grandmother and decides she's going to tell the whole school how Jade's family cleans other people's clothes! That'll get her back for “stealing” the lead from her!
When everyone finds out about the laundry, Jade thinks David told. She snaps at him and he says he didn't tell! And furthermore he's not even sure why he would tell because it's a shitty secret! This me, standing behind David and saying, “I know, right.” It's not like they murder people or something.
Then, David throws a full scale hissy fit (which I'm not standing behind) and rips down the sets he's built for Jade's performance! He's such a girl! Everyone else is like, “What's her problem?”
Jade goes home and cries to her mother. Her mother, awesomely, is like, “Bitch, please.” She doesn't like that Jade is ashamed of her grandparents. She tells Jade she's not going to try to convince her father to let her dance if she keeps acting like a little shit.
Enter Elizabeth Wakefield, to the rescue! She knows that Amy was the one who blabbed Jade's “secret.” She calls Jade to ask her how she's doing, since Jade looked “tense” at the rehearsals. Liz is Head Twin in Charge of Everyone Else's Business again! She tells Jade about Amy. Then, the next day at school, Liz and Jade talk again and Jade confesses everything to Liz. After this conversation with Liz, Jade has a miraculous conversion and realizes she's been horrible to David! Also she shouldn't be ashamed of her family. It's good thing Liz is around to tell everyone what to do and how to feel, right?
David is still pissed. It seems he's dealt with other kids making fun of him because his family is poor. And he finds Jade's shame of her grandparents really distasteful. I have to say, my parents aren't poor and I still find it really distasteful. Then Elizabeth appoints herself in charge of his business and tells him he's all wrong about Jade and to give her another chance.
Dr. Wu finally relents and allows Jade to dance in the show. Except now that David's pissed at her, Jade doesn't really want to anymore. God, she's moody.
At the show, the talent scout arrives and Amy sucks up to him. Jade's nervous and doesn't think she can go through with it, until she sees that David has redone the set. He's back on the show.
Jade dances and everyone is impressed. Even her father liked the dance (of course) and he says the white people might not be so bad, since they clapped for her so nicely (what?). David comes to meet the fam, and Dr. Wu is impressed at his artistic talent but even moreso that he has a job (what?). It's “responsible.” Because all other white kids are total layabouts! Dr. Wu agrees to let Jade go on a date with him.
The talent scout barges in and says he loved Jade Wu! ...Well except the funny matter of her name. He wants her to go as “Jade Warren” if she's to take the internship. Like people won't just notice she's Asian? Jade tells him to go stuff it. She doesn't want his fruity internship where she can't be Asian.
Then she goes out with David and everyone is happy. Except me, who hated this book.
As a reminder, in this book Liz is with Jeffrey and Jessica is with A.J. In fact, A.J. And Jessica have just recently begun dating. Liz is upset that because of him, Jess is not paying attention to her chores. (This is different from normal, how?)
Anyhow, Ned Wakefield got an invitation to his 25th high school reunion and he's freaking out that he's old. He's concerned about his wrinkles and gray hair. Naturally, Jessica gets to the heart of the problem which is: how is this behavior going to affect her? She's afraid he's going to embarrass her with a mid-life crisis. So, for some reason I can't quite figure out, she decides she's going to take him to the Beach Disco? ... Don't try to get me to explain because I don't get it.
Jessica pretends she was going to the Beach Disco with A.J. but he backed out at the last minute. She acts like she simply cannot go alone, so she takes her father. I would think taking your father to Beach Disco would be even more embarrassing than taking your cousin to prom, but whatever!
When they get to the Beach Disco, Jessica has instructed her friends to help make Ned miserable. (She thinks if he hates youth culture he'll be happy being old? I guess?) They make him sit in the back of the Fiat Spider! Jeffrey sits them by the speakers! Ken steps on his foot! The horror. Ned thinks the music sucks, and in all likelihood, it does. He goes home early.
At the end of the book, Ned admits he was on to Jessica's clever ruse! He's decided that he “has to make peace with who [he is]”. I love it when the moral of the story is totally spelled out for us at the end in case we napped through the whole book, don't you?