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Fabulous Five #17
Celebrity Auction
When Wakeman Junior High is vandalized and the students are blamed, Beth Barry comes up with a fantastic idea that will raise money and clear the students' names. She plans an auction of items owned by celebrities--with hilarious results.
132 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1990
About the author
Betsy Haynes
123 books112 followersABOUT ME
Maybe it's because my feisty grandma chased tarantulas around with a broom when we lived on an oil lease property when I was a baby that made me love danger and adventure. And maybe it was my father's spending nights as a trombonist with the bands of his day and his days spent drawing sketches that sparked my artistic side. Do you suppose that because my mother stood only four feet ten inches tall that I feel like a giant at five feet? And I'm sure my FBI (Full Blooded Italian) step-father, his seven brothers and sisters and their families are responsible for my LOVE of Italian food. That's who I am. Who are you?
My First Book, Peppy The Frog That I Wrote In The 2nd Grade
I'll always be a child at heart. Whenever I close my eyes, wonderful, funny, awful, embarrassing memories of middle school/junior high come flooding back to fill the pages of my contemporary novels. My childhood friendships and rivalries with old enemies all find their way into my books. I've even spied on my own kids for story ideas.
Unlike most kids who can't wait to grow up, I've gotten younger--at least my stories have. I've stepped into the world of 7 to 10 year olds.
I and my husband, Jim, live in Texas on Lake Lewisville north of Dallas. We are owned by our greyhound, Miller. Our favorite things to do are traveling the world and boating.
Maybe it's because my feisty grandma chased tarantulas around with a broom when we lived on an oil lease property when I was a baby that made me love danger and adventure. And maybe it was my father's spending nights as a trombonist with the bands of his day and his days spent drawing sketches that sparked my artistic side. Do you suppose that because my mother stood only four feet ten inches tall that I feel like a giant at five feet? And I'm sure my FBI (Full Blooded Italian) step-father, his seven brothers and sisters and their families are responsible for my LOVE of Italian food. That's who I am. Who are you?
My First Book, Peppy The Frog That I Wrote In The 2nd Grade
I'll always be a child at heart. Whenever I close my eyes, wonderful, funny, awful, embarrassing memories of middle school/junior high come flooding back to fill the pages of my contemporary novels. My childhood friendships and rivalries with old enemies all find their way into my books. I've even spied on my own kids for story ideas.
Unlike most kids who can't wait to grow up, I've gotten younger--at least my stories have. I've stepped into the world of 7 to 10 year olds.
I and my husband, Jim, live in Texas on Lake Lewisville north of Dallas. We are owned by our greyhound, Miller. Our favorite things to do are traveling the world and boating.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 12, 2018
Celebrity Auction (Updated)
Beath paints her hair before school to match her sweatshirt to make a bold fashion statement. Her parents however, are horrified and make her wash it out. On the way to school, Keith sprays her with green slime as a joke. She doesn’t see it that way. When Beth gets to school, she finds out Wakeman Junior High has been vandalized over the weekend. Police are there and are taking photos.
There’s talk going around that the culprits are Seven Melchior and his ninth-grade friends. On the inside, the school is trashed (broken glass, graffiti, scattered books). Beth’s homeroom is assigned the cafeteria (which has spilled food everywhere). Some of the teachers and parents use the vandalism as proof that kids today have no moral standards.
Beth and his friends feel like this is an unfair judgement. The whole student body is being accused for the actions of a few “bad eggs”. So, Beth comes up with an idea to raise the money to pay for the damages to prove they are responsible. Some of the ideas they come up with are having a bake sale, having a car wash, having a dog wash, and having a garage sale. Beth really thinks the garage sale is a good idea, but Keith puts it down. This upsets Beth. None of the other kids -other than a few girls- are really into the idea either.
At lunch, Melanie makes a comment about Trevor Morgan that gives Beth another idea. They (and then later in a meeting it turns into all the students) will write to celebrities and ask for memorabilia to donate to the auction. The only problem is how will they get the addresses. They’ll look in magazines and find out what studios are associated with the celebrity they want to write.
Beth has a date with Keith to hang out at her house abd kusteb ti a Brain Damage tape. She even get permission for him to be in her room. Only he doesn’t hsow up. The next day, he tells her “he forgot”. Then he turns down hanging out with her without telling her why. Jon finds a book with celebrity addresses for the Fabulous Five. Beth’s dad nly sees it as kids trying to get attention from rock stars-which disaapoints her-.
The other students don’t really have the best mindset for Beth’s idea. At first, they don’t want to give the school the money. Then not a lot of them show up for a meeting at Bumpers for the action because they don’t believe the celebrities will respond, and they shouldn’t have to pay for what someone else did. Beth also tells the students they’ll make Steve and his friends pay for what he did. After the meeting, Beth calls Keith, and at first he doesn’t recognize her voice. She invites him over, but he says he has company and it’s a girl. Beth hangs up on him.
Beth wonders if Keith is trying to break up with her. Later, he calls back and says “it’s a joke”. Beth decides to write Trevor Morgan a personal letter. She tells him about the vandalism situation and asks for his help. She decides to break up with Keith. Beth goes to Dracovitch with a plan to prove Stevie and his friends were behind the vandalism. Beth’s attempts to call it off with Keith fall because he’s always around his friends. She starts to think he’s avoiding her. Beth notices Seve and his friends never touch anything.
Beth is able to get Tucker and John’s pates from their lunch tray and gives the plate to Mr. Dracovitch. He sees the fingerprint under a microscope. They’ll then spread the rumor that Mr. Dracovitch is analyzing a fingerprint from the vandalism. This will hopefully put pressure on the boys to slip up and get caught. Beth breaks up with Keith in the hall. He’s nonchalant about it. It works. After school, Beth overhears Steve demanding to know which one of his stupid, idiot, friends took his gloves off. He tells them they have to do something about it. Trevor writes Beth back. He includes a signed band picture, a picture of himself, and four free concert tickets.
Beth’s plan worked. The vandals broke into a classroom and were apprehended by the police (plate in hand). Beth finds out Keith is going around telling everyone he broke up with her. The donations from celebrities pour in daily. Auction night turns out to be a huge success. After the auction, Keith tells Beth he doesn’t mean to act like an ass, but when he gets around his friends, he just does. He says the boys put a lot of pressure on him. Everyone’s been telling him he’s a jerk. Beth forgives him and they get back together.
My Thoughts:
A celebrity would NOT have their address publicly listed in a book today or then. I’ll add IF THEY WERE SMART! That just screams STALK ME! HARASS ME! LEAVE THINGS IN MY MAILBOX AND ON MY DOORSTEP! COME BY ANYTIME YOU WANT TO! Most of them seem to value their privacy. Even the ones that act a fool in public don't want fans popping up. And while yes, they do find out these things why in the world would they make it easier?
*I know that it's traumatic to have your school vandalized, but would it really make you throw up? It's not like there was a slaughter, Hunger Games style and there were dead, decaying bodies, blood, and guts splayed all over the hallway. OR
*She could have stuck around for the next scene where they have to clean up soiled food that had been out in the heat for three days. Then that would have been a better reason for her to get sick and throw up. That would have done it for me!
*One of Beth's suggestion is a car wash. She skips all OVER the obvious and goes to it's the wrong time of year. Um, how about you're in the seventh grade and in JUNIOR High and no one has a car. Unless she's counting on the parents for this.
*You just know that Keith is going to grow up to be one of those guys whose a jerk to his girlfriend one minute and then the next he's sweet-talking her about how much he loves her. In other words, bipolar. He's already showing signs.
*Maybe ok I know cartoons come on all times of the day. There's even a channel dedicated to them. But the first place my mind went was the time this book was probably published, and back then, would Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles come on at 7 at night? Cartoons back then usually aired in the morning hours. I can see it coming on at 7 AM. 7 PM is a little late. But maybe that's just me.
*Seriously? Christie knows Mr. Bell's number just off the top of her head? Who knows their principle's home number, and why would you want to?
*(Raises eyebrows) "Dear celebrity"? I do hope this was just a reading to indicate the celebrity is who the letter is for and that they're at least going to put their individual names in the letter. "Dear Celebrity" just sounds like they're lumping them all in a group and not recognizing them as individuals.
*Since when do you have a boyfriend in the seventh grade? I didn't get a boyfriend until I was in the ninth grade, and even then there were limits to it. And then to have not one but THREE!
Rating: 6 So the auction is a success which in itself is impressive and paints celebrities in a positive light, which to be fair, they usually do like to get in involved in a good cause for whatever reason. It reflects good on them after all. Whether it be their hearts are actually in it or for the attention brought their way. But it felt too easy. They respond immediately PERSONALLY. I don't know how this works BUT before twitter, and Facebook, and My Space were a thing did celebrities take the time to read their fan mail and respond to it? It's a little far-fetched to believe it would even go directly to their home addresses instead of to a fan club. And then I think Keith got off easy. I don't remember him being like this in other books. Notice he doesn't tell Beth he won't do it again? He just says he's sorry and gives a flimsy he doesn't know who he is when he's with them. I'm sorry. That's just not good enough. Bipolar. You act one way with me alone and are a jerk when you're with your crew. That doesn't fly with me. But Beth is like so many women who excuse guys bad behavior by trying to rationalizing it and accept it. I don't think Trevor meant in his letter to excuse Keith's behavior by telling her to understand what he's going through.
Beath paints her hair before school to match her sweatshirt to make a bold fashion statement. Her parents however, are horrified and make her wash it out. On the way to school, Keith sprays her with green slime as a joke. She doesn’t see it that way. When Beth gets to school, she finds out Wakeman Junior High has been vandalized over the weekend. Police are there and are taking photos.
There’s talk going around that the culprits are Seven Melchior and his ninth-grade friends. On the inside, the school is trashed (broken glass, graffiti, scattered books). Beth’s homeroom is assigned the cafeteria (which has spilled food everywhere). Some of the teachers and parents use the vandalism as proof that kids today have no moral standards.
Beth and his friends feel like this is an unfair judgement. The whole student body is being accused for the actions of a few “bad eggs”. So, Beth comes up with an idea to raise the money to pay for the damages to prove they are responsible. Some of the ideas they come up with are having a bake sale, having a car wash, having a dog wash, and having a garage sale. Beth really thinks the garage sale is a good idea, but Keith puts it down. This upsets Beth. None of the other kids -other than a few girls- are really into the idea either.
At lunch, Melanie makes a comment about Trevor Morgan that gives Beth another idea. They (and then later in a meeting it turns into all the students) will write to celebrities and ask for memorabilia to donate to the auction. The only problem is how will they get the addresses. They’ll look in magazines and find out what studios are associated with the celebrity they want to write.
Beth has a date with Keith to hang out at her house abd kusteb ti a Brain Damage tape. She even get permission for him to be in her room. Only he doesn’t hsow up. The next day, he tells her “he forgot”. Then he turns down hanging out with her without telling her why. Jon finds a book with celebrity addresses for the Fabulous Five. Beth’s dad nly sees it as kids trying to get attention from rock stars-which disaapoints her-.
The other students don’t really have the best mindset for Beth’s idea. At first, they don’t want to give the school the money. Then not a lot of them show up for a meeting at Bumpers for the action because they don’t believe the celebrities will respond, and they shouldn’t have to pay for what someone else did. Beth also tells the students they’ll make Steve and his friends pay for what he did. After the meeting, Beth calls Keith, and at first he doesn’t recognize her voice. She invites him over, but he says he has company and it’s a girl. Beth hangs up on him.
Beth wonders if Keith is trying to break up with her. Later, he calls back and says “it’s a joke”. Beth decides to write Trevor Morgan a personal letter. She tells him about the vandalism situation and asks for his help. She decides to break up with Keith. Beth goes to Dracovitch with a plan to prove Stevie and his friends were behind the vandalism. Beth’s attempts to call it off with Keith fall because he’s always around his friends. She starts to think he’s avoiding her. Beth notices Seve and his friends never touch anything.
Beth is able to get Tucker and John’s pates from their lunch tray and gives the plate to Mr. Dracovitch. He sees the fingerprint under a microscope. They’ll then spread the rumor that Mr. Dracovitch is analyzing a fingerprint from the vandalism. This will hopefully put pressure on the boys to slip up and get caught. Beth breaks up with Keith in the hall. He’s nonchalant about it. It works. After school, Beth overhears Steve demanding to know which one of his stupid, idiot, friends took his gloves off. He tells them they have to do something about it. Trevor writes Beth back. He includes a signed band picture, a picture of himself, and four free concert tickets.
Beth’s plan worked. The vandals broke into a classroom and were apprehended by the police (plate in hand). Beth finds out Keith is going around telling everyone he broke up with her. The donations from celebrities pour in daily. Auction night turns out to be a huge success. After the auction, Keith tells Beth he doesn’t mean to act like an ass, but when he gets around his friends, he just does. He says the boys put a lot of pressure on him. Everyone’s been telling him he’s a jerk. Beth forgives him and they get back together.
My Thoughts:
A celebrity would NOT have their address publicly listed in a book today or then. I’ll add IF THEY WERE SMART! That just screams STALK ME! HARASS ME! LEAVE THINGS IN MY MAILBOX AND ON MY DOORSTEP! COME BY ANYTIME YOU WANT TO! Most of them seem to value their privacy. Even the ones that act a fool in public don't want fans popping up. And while yes, they do find out these things why in the world would they make it easier?
*I know that it's traumatic to have your school vandalized, but would it really make you throw up? It's not like there was a slaughter, Hunger Games style and there were dead, decaying bodies, blood, and guts splayed all over the hallway. OR
*She could have stuck around for the next scene where they have to clean up soiled food that had been out in the heat for three days. Then that would have been a better reason for her to get sick and throw up. That would have done it for me!
*One of Beth's suggestion is a car wash. She skips all OVER the obvious and goes to it's the wrong time of year. Um, how about you're in the seventh grade and in JUNIOR High and no one has a car. Unless she's counting on the parents for this.
*You just know that Keith is going to grow up to be one of those guys whose a jerk to his girlfriend one minute and then the next he's sweet-talking her about how much he loves her. In other words, bipolar. He's already showing signs.
*Maybe ok I know cartoons come on all times of the day. There's even a channel dedicated to them. But the first place my mind went was the time this book was probably published, and back then, would Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles come on at 7 at night? Cartoons back then usually aired in the morning hours. I can see it coming on at 7 AM. 7 PM is a little late. But maybe that's just me.
*Seriously? Christie knows Mr. Bell's number just off the top of her head? Who knows their principle's home number, and why would you want to?
*(Raises eyebrows) "Dear celebrity"? I do hope this was just a reading to indicate the celebrity is who the letter is for and that they're at least going to put their individual names in the letter. "Dear Celebrity" just sounds like they're lumping them all in a group and not recognizing them as individuals.
*Since when do you have a boyfriend in the seventh grade? I didn't get a boyfriend until I was in the ninth grade, and even then there were limits to it. And then to have not one but THREE!
Rating: 6 So the auction is a success which in itself is impressive and paints celebrities in a positive light, which to be fair, they usually do like to get in involved in a good cause for whatever reason. It reflects good on them after all. Whether it be their hearts are actually in it or for the attention brought their way. But it felt too easy. They respond immediately PERSONALLY. I don't know how this works BUT before twitter, and Facebook, and My Space were a thing did celebrities take the time to read their fan mail and respond to it? It's a little far-fetched to believe it would even go directly to their home addresses instead of to a fan club. And then I think Keith got off easy. I don't remember him being like this in other books. Notice he doesn't tell Beth he won't do it again? He just says he's sorry and gives a flimsy he doesn't know who he is when he's with them. I'm sorry. That's just not good enough. Bipolar. You act one way with me alone and are a jerk when you're with your crew. That doesn't fly with me. But Beth is like so many women who excuse guys bad behavior by trying to rationalizing it and accept it. I don't think Trevor meant in his letter to excuse Keith's behavior by telling her to understand what he's going through.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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July 29, 2020As a kid every Saturday we went to Kmart, and every Saturday my mom would let me buy one thing, and it was ALWAYS a fabulous five book. (The cover looks like a spiral notebook cover... I thought that was very clever)
I also managed to track down all the Taffy Sinclair books at a thrift store.
I wonder if this series is still at my parents I would definitely read them again.
I remember in the Taffy books Melanie was chubby and it make references to her eating brownies and then one day she was like NO i don't want the brownie... and then she got skinny.
This is a very vague memory... so don't quote me on this one, what you CAN quote me on is that Taffy had a crooked bicuspid, and Jana ate cream cheese and jam sandwiches,... which I tried because of her and they were DIS-GUS-TING, and I never trusted her again.
I also managed to track down all the Taffy Sinclair books at a thrift store.
I wonder if this series is still at my parents I would definitely read them again.
I remember in the Taffy books Melanie was chubby and it make references to her eating brownies and then one day she was like NO i don't want the brownie... and then she got skinny.
This is a very vague memory... so don't quote me on this one, what you CAN quote me on is that Taffy had a crooked bicuspid, and Jana ate cream cheese and jam sandwiches,... which I tried because of her and they were DIS-GUS-TING, and I never trusted her again.
May 4, 2013
The night before I read this, I had a lovely bachelorette party. Today, I have a mild, non debilitating hangover that mostly focused in my neck and shoulders. So I laid in bed with a heating pad and read 3 books.
Book 1 - Celebrity Auction! I found this in the donations at work and vaguely remembered reading other book(s?) in the series, and definitely a Taffy Sinclair book (from which I learned the definition of the word "conceited"). This is just as dumb and eighties as every other book I read in my preteenhood. Hair painting! Kids inventing ways to prove to adults that they are useful members of society! Low-down hoodlums! I found myself rewriting the ways challenges would have been totally eliminated by texting, the internet, and school security cameras. What a strange and mysterious time we grew up in, where you couldn't tweet your favorite celebrity and your sister was ALWAYS hogging the phone!
Book 1 - Celebrity Auction! I found this in the donations at work and vaguely remembered reading other book(s?) in the series, and definitely a Taffy Sinclair book (from which I learned the definition of the word "conceited"). This is just as dumb and eighties as every other book I read in my preteenhood. Hair painting! Kids inventing ways to prove to adults that they are useful members of society! Low-down hoodlums! I found myself rewriting the ways challenges would have been totally eliminated by texting, the internet, and school security cameras. What a strange and mysterious time we grew up in, where you couldn't tweet your favorite celebrity and your sister was ALWAYS hogging the phone!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews