Thursday, December 12, 2013

Girl Talk # 2: Face-Off!

By. L.E. Blair. Published in 1990


Katie loves to ice skate, so it’s good that the new skating rink is the best place to hang out for junior and senior high school kids in Acorn Falls. That includes people she doesn’t necessarily want to see, like Stacy the Great, who spends her time flirting with eighth-grade hottie, Scottie Silver. But Scottie skates by, steals Katie’s hat, and takes off. Katie is a fast skater, and is able to catch him by a belt loop, and they end up crashing into another couple.

Katie’s sister, perfect Princess Emily, sees this, and tells their mother about it. She tells Katie she needs to act more ladylike.

Kate is a flag girl. She doesn’t hate it, but she doesn’t love it either. She mainly does it because her sister and her mom want her to. Stacy the Great is also on the squad. The day after the skating incident, Stacy makes fun of Katie for wearing an undershirt instead of a bra. Katie gets upset, turns in her uniform, and quits the squad. When she tells her mom and sister, they’re surprised and upset.

The subject of the boys’ hockey tryouts comes up at lunch. Apparently they’re a Very Big Deal. Scottie and his friends start saying how the whole team is right there, and Scottie’s the best skater in the county. Randy argues that, and says that Katie is. Then she adds on that Katie will be trying out for the team.

On the day of tryouts, the coach tries to tell Katie she can’t tryout. But then Alison speaks up, and gives us an awesome history lesson on Title IX. So suck on that, Coach Budd.  So they let her do it, and she has to go into the visitor’s locker room to change. Only she can’t find the light switch, and it’s her first day wearing a bra. She has trouble getting the bra off. Finally she does, and gets into her pads and things, and makes it out onto the ice. But oh shit, her bra is hanging out the back of her pants. Everyone laughs, but the coach just kindly tells her to go finish changing.

The rest of the first day is spent just doing drills. When she gets home that night, her mom and sister are pissed. They get into a fight, and Katie says her dad (who’s dead) would have let her do it.

The second day goes much like the first, only someone turned the light on for her, and she didn’t wear the bra. However, on the third day, things get more difficult. They have their first scrimmages, and the guys are tough on her, constantly hitting her and checking into her into the walls. She feels a little sorry for herself, and figures the coach isn’t calling them on it just to get rid of her. But after practice, Scottie tells her she better stop acting like a wimp. She gets mad, and tells him they aren’t going to stop her. He doesn’t say anything, but kisses her on the cheek. Go Katie.

Katie makes the team. Her friends are thrilled for her. Her mom isn’t happy, but she doesn’t forbid her to do it.

Phone call chapter. Scottie calls Katie and tells her not to be late to their game, but that it won’t really matter, since she won’t be playing anyway. Through various other calls, the girls figure out he called because he like-likes Katie.

During their first game, Katie doesn’t expect to play, but she feels pretty cool sitting on the bench in her uniform. But then their left wing gets hurt, and she’s the only other person who’s been playing that position, so she’s in the game. And she has an assist to Scottie, and they win. Scottie and Katie walk to Fritzie’s together after the game.











o   Like everyone else, I always loved reading about characters’ fashion choices. But my second favorite? Reading about how their rooms are decorated. So here’s Katie’s bedroom.

Room Porn: Her wallpaper has little rosebuds all over it and it’s really faded, and there are pink gingham tie-back curtains with lace trim. The carpet is blue, and all her furniture is white with gold trim. She has a matching white wall unit filled with books and stuffed animals, and there’s a big white dollhouse her dad made her.

o   Apparently PB&J sandwiches are baby food, but cheese sandwiches are ok.


o   The girls play an unnamed game at their sleepover. But it’s a fun game! And if you get answers wrong, you have to put zit stickers on your face! Gee, I don’t know, could you possibly be talking about this game?:


Subtle advertising there.

o   Apparently the school just has all the hockey pads and everything for them to use. Really? That shit’s expensive.

o   Sabrina’s dog has puppies. They offer one to Katie, but she knows her mom won’t let her have one. So she gets to name one, and she can pretend it’s hers. Aww.

o   This book doesn’t downplay the hockey terminology, and I appreciate that.

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