Sweet Valley Kids #32 Left Back!
Exclamation mark! Kisho is not simply “left back” he is “Left Back!” He must be stupid! And has no place in Sweet Valley unless he can be deemed “terrific” instead.
Luckily for him, he gets Saint Elizabeth’s approval and he is terrific. Honestly. I really enjoyed this book. J A few plot holes but hey, it’s Sweet Valley. I think the holes caused by the giant Earthquake in SVH really represent the plot-holes from every book.
Cover: Poor Kisho looks sad whilst Liz is protecting him and scowling at a bitchy Lila and Jessica. This never happens as in the book, Liz BARELY DOES A DAMN THING to stick up for him. >L She is punished though by being depicted as wearing a tie-dye monstrosity as a sweater. Take that Liz.
(If Liz always dresses so badly/boringly, why does Jess always borrow her clothes?)
Chapter 1- The New Boy
School time and the twins want to know when the new boy is arriving. Mrs Otis says soon and they start the reading lesson. This gives us our “Twins are not the same person” speech which I will skip. The new boy arrives and is introduced as Kisho Murasaki. I keep trying to write Kishi. Damn you Claudia Kishi, you ruined fashion now you ruin words. He’s Japanese which *spoiler alert* will be a major plot point. God forbid we break Sweet Valley tradition. Kisho is friendly and seems nice. The kids read out loud and then Mrs Otis asks Kisho to read. Great teacher skills there Mrs O, let’s not give the boy time to settle down or anything. Kisho has trouble but slowly manages it.
Chapter 2- Grandparents’ Day Cards
Really? This is a day? We must not have Grandparents’ Day over here. The kids get to make cards for their grandparents. Amy McSlutton says she’s going to draw herself and her grandma on bicycles as they cycle everywhere.
Amy. Bike. In the same sentence.
…........
….Amy.
…........
…..Bike.
….Must.....not.... make vulgar joke. ><
I’ll just leave this link here. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Town%20Bike
Caroline asks why Kisho has a funny name and Kisho explains has to explain to the poor simpleton that he is Japanese and that it is a Japanese name. Kisho turns out to be a good artist- he’s drawn himself on his card but with blue hair. This child rocks. Winston says his grandma has blue hair and is 85. Kisho tells us it’s his birthday in 8 days and he will have a party and invite the class. This boy has social skills and knows how to work a room! The kids comment on how Kisho will be good at sport as he is bigger than them. Kisho goes quiet. Liz guess that Kisho doesn’t like sport but all Jess heard was “lalalalalalalalalalaJessicaissoawesomelalalalalalaboyslalalalalalalashinythingslalalalalalaPARTY!”
Chapter 3- Party Invitations
Next day, Kisho gets Liz’s name wrong thinking she’s Jessica but laughs and says “At least I didn’t call you Winston!” Dudes, this guy is funny! :D He gives them their invites. Math time! Kisho is awesome at maths. You may think Ghostie was going with a stereotype there but I don’t really think so- the twins are in awe but Kisho explains he studied it already in the second grade last year. Elizabeth “can’t help asking” if this is his second year in the second grade. Just to spell it out for the Sweet Valley vultures ready to swoop. Yep, Kisho is going to be 9 when everyone else is 7 or 8. Lila concludes that he is stupid and a “Dumbo”. I disagree, Disney elephants and Kisho are awesome. Lila’s not going to his party! Jessica the Sheep declares this as well. Aww. L
Lila hating on Dumbo = Not cool.
Chapter 4- Dumbo
Playtime. When asked about what they’re getting Kisho for his birthday, Jessica charmingly replies that they’re not going because he’s been LEFT BACK! “So?” asks Amy with a shrug (give the girl a kewpie doll). Kisho appears and the girls start to leave in response, all but Amy (Liz unwillingly but still leaving). Lila, Ellen and Jessica pause to say they can’t come to his party and say mean things about nursery rhymes and playing with rattles. Elizabeth notices that Charlie Cashman isn’t joining in which surprises her as he can be a bully. WHAT, LIKE YOUR SISTER? GODAMN YOU LIZ. Kisho runs away, Lila smiles and Charlie yells at them and runs after Kisho.
Chapter 5- Kisho’s Adventures
Next day at school Liz leaves a pouting Jess to go talk to Charlie and Kisho. Turns out Kisho was born in Japan and left when he was 4 to New York, then to Oklahoma. His parents are professors and have lots of new jobs. This is why he has been left back- he’s missed lots of school and still doesn’t read English well. Obvious explanation. Why didn’t he just say that earlier when they were teasing him? Or he could have told them to go stuff themselves in Japanese. Why didn’t they assume this anyway? Gah! Morons. Kisho asks Liz and Charlie over to see photos of the plane ride- they agree and Charlie also wants to play space explorers after school. It’s a bit of a random suggestion but he’s a good guy so we’ll allow it. Charlie stops Liz to say that if she’s wondering why he’s being nice to Kisho, well he can be nice to anyone he wants! Liz nods and thinks about how she needs to stand up to Jess. *spoiler alert* She doesn’t.
Chapter 6- Dumbo’s Friend
Timothy? :D No. Bit disparaging of Ghostie is it not? Calling poor Kisho that? We’re meant to be on Kisho’s side! Liz is playing space explorers with Charlie and Kisho. Jessica is getting teased about how Liz likes Kisho. Like, likes Kisho? I’m not sure if that’s what Ghostie’s getting at, not even the Toddster gets any romantic hints in these books. Jess storms over, demanding Liz stops playing with the Dumbo. Liz says he’s not and Jessica demands to know why he was left down. Liz says she doesn’t know.
Um what? YES YOU DO LIZ, HE LITERALLY JUST TOLD YOU IN THE LAST CHAPTER. GOD LIZ.
Instead Liz just “wishes” everyone was nicer to Kisho. The conclusion reached here? They leave the park. Stale mate.
At home, Alice and Ned are making dinner. Together. And they get all the kids to do a chore. Why are Alice and Ned so much more well-adjusted in SVK? Liz asks them why kids have to repeat a grade. She’s given a very sensible answer but Jessica still thinks Kisho is stupid.
Chapter 7- Secret Plans
Mrs Murasaki picks up Charlie and Liz and Kisho after school despite the wrath of 137 suns being directed at them in a “big frown” (Jessica’s alone on the school bus, haha!). Kisho has a messy room, partly due to the move, partly because he’s a kid. They look for the photos in boxes. Liz finds the books , one being “Sailor Seagull” which she also talked about in #24 Cousin Kelly’s Family Secret. Theory: I think Liz has read one book in her life, the philosophical existential “Sailor Seagull” and is just trying to impress us by referring to it over and over again. I’ve recapped 3 books so far and she’s mentioned it in 2 of them. The kids are impressed when Kisho speaks in Japanese to his grandmother over the phone. Elizabeth tries to understand but can’t because the Dumbo can’t speak Japanese. Kisho shows them a book that starts at the back with the text printed top to bottom. When I read this years ago, this stuck with me. Well done Ghostie, you taught me something in an interesting way! :D The story is about a character living in an apartment with 17 cats. I think this is foreshadowing the future of Enid Rollins. 17 “terrific” cats I’m sure. Charlie shares that his family are from Italy and that people made fun of them for not knowing English. Ahh see, Charlie has a motivation for being nice! He has layers! I enjoy this. :D They laugh over the idea of Mrs Otis teaching in another language and confusing Lila and Jess. Oooh, plan!
And I’m saying it now; these three characters should have had a spin-off together. I love this friendship. They would play together as children and grow up together…. Kisho would be the nice boy that Elizabeth falls for, Charlie would break some hearts and be the Bad Boy with issues but with a heart of gold that only Kisho and Liz would see (the Shawn Hunter of the group). Kisho would go through a Goth phase, dyeing his hair electric blue and Liz would become edgier, with a choppy bob and spiky jewellery, breaking away from Jessica. They would be close but more like normal sisters, inspiring a lot less “twin” plot and hence a lot less crazy stalkers. Then Liz and Kisho would amicably split after college and she would see Charlie (who has been secretly in love with her all this time) in a new light….and maybe him in a smokin’ suit- yeah, I’m fusing Shawn Hunter and Barney Stinson. Liz would be his Robin Scherbatsky. Yes. If we can have “what might have been” parallel worlds in Spiderman, and Star Trek and Dallas…why not in Sweet Valley?
………Oh wait, we do. Sweet Valley Confidential. My bad! Let’s continue.
Chapter 8- Different People
Kisho, Charlie and Liz are discussing a secret. Jessica is temper-tantrumming that she doesn’t know it. Caroline isn’t interested (what?!? Caroline the Gossip?!?) because Kisho’s a dummy. I think someone’s a little worried about her own capabilities. In fact, definitely so as Mrs Otis has just overheard her. Ha! Now for some good old fashioned lecturing….no. Mrs Otis says hello and sits down. Way to discipline, Mrs O! However, she does give a lesson on all the different cultures in America and how people should be patient and learn things at their own time. Jessica gets that she’s being told to be nicer and this makes sense. Not because of the humiliation and pain Kisho’s feeling- but because if everyone liked Kisho, Jessica can’t get teased for Liz liking him. I’ll give you a sparkly unicorn (her name is Swift Wind) if you’re surprised by this train of thought.
Chapter 9- The Surprise
The surprise is Charlie and Kisho’s grandparents visiting the class to talk about their countries! It’s pretty interesting. J Lois Waller suggests they learn a word in Italian and Japanese. Mrs Otis asks her to choose a word and write it on the board. She chooses the word “good”. I’m surprised it’s not the word “food”. Maybe her SVK persona is just that of “Crybaby” rather than “Fat”. The grandparents leave and the twins discuss how nice they were. Jessica suggests getting Kisho a pack of 64 crayons for his birthday party. That makes me really want crayons. However, umm Jessica? You told him you weren’t coming then bullied him to tears! NO PARTY FOR YOU WITCH UNTIL YOU APOLOGISE!
Chapter 10- Happy Birthday
But she’s a Wakefield and she’s Jessica which means that she totally doesn’t need to apologise, or learn a lesson. The twins watch Alice wrap the crayons and ask where their family is from. CONTINIUITY, OH YES! SVK is usually quite good for continuity. Alice says that their great-great-grandmother Alice Larson! came from Sweden in 1866.The twins ask for a Swedish word (Bork bork bork?) TM http://daniellafromage.livejournal.com/ and get “god” meaning good. Hurrah! The twins go to the party which is serving Japanese food. A game of baseball is suggested and Caroline and Lila fight over getting Kisho in their team. “Kisho has lots of friends now” says Elizabeth. Oh well, all’s well that ends well huh Liz?
Mrs Wakefield drives a bunch of the kids home and discuss Halloween which is coming up. Jessica wants to be something beautiful and win the Best Costume prize. I’m going as ChunLi this year. I’m just telling you that because I think it’s awesome. However, Caroline announces that she’s going to win the prize…. Maybe she, Jess and Lila could team up, they were fairly like Macbeth’s witches in this book. Or perhaps they could go as the Plastics?
Find out in CAROLINE’S HALLOWEEN SPELL. :D