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Full House: Stephanie #16
Wish Upon a VCR
Big shot -- or not? Stephanie can't wait to buy her own VCR. So she needs extra money, and fast. What luck! She's found the perfect way to earn it -- working part-time at the television station. She thinks she'll be meeting big stars, writing scripts...practically running the show! Soon Stephanie's bragging about the cool things she'ss get to do. Her friends can't wait to see her in action. But what will happen when they turn on the TV -- and see what Stephanie really does? Big shot -- or not? Stephanie can't wait to buy her own VCR. So she needs extra money, and fast. What luck! She's found the perfect way to earn it -- working part-time at the television station. She thinks she'll be meeting big stars, writing scripts...practically running the show! Soon Stephanie's bragging about the cool things she'ss get to do. Her friends can't wait to see her in action. But what will happen when they turn on the TV -- and see what Stephanie really does?
144 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1996
3 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Devra Newberger Speregen
114 books16 followersDevra Newberger Speregen has written more than 100 books, including young adult fiction, non-fiction, puzzle books, activity books, and nearly 30 biographies for young people. Speregen serves as a regular contributor to Young Judea Magazine and BabagaNewz Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 27, 2026
My mom loved Full House. I didn't. I thought it was cheesy and dull, even as a kid. But I was in fact Raised By Television, so I'm pretty sure I've seen every single episode because watching TV is always preferable to not watching TV, even if it's a show you don't like. I sat through entire episodes of Manimal, for heaven's sake.
Anyhoo, for the aforementioned reason that I was not a fan of Full House, it probably doesn't make much sense that I would find a book based on said show to be a nostalgic read. But dammit, it's just so '90s. I miss the '90s. And Stephanie was pretty much the only character in that Filled Home that I found tolerable--she was flawed, but in the way typical pre-teens are flawed, and Jodie Sweetin played the character with a dry, understated sensibility amidst a cast of exaggerated caricatures.
(Want to know what I found annoying about everybody else? DJ was self-righteous and always did the same "comedic reaction" face like she was smelling something foul, Michelle was a brat and way too cutesy, Danny was one-dimensional with his obsessive cleanliness, Joey was a nightmare man-child, Jesse was too tame to sell the rock star image, Becky was both dull and obnoxiously neurotic, and the less said about Nicky and Alex, the better. Steve and Kimmy Gibbler were both fine, actually.)
The book came out in 1996, clearly as an affordable way to continue capitalizing on the franchise after it had been cancelled. No inflated salaries to pay and all that. I remain unclear on how old Stephanie is supposed to be in this book--probably because I skimmed it, but also due to the fact that Jodie Sweetin looked way older than the 13 she was when the show went off the air. Watching it in reruns as a kid, I thought she was in high school for sure. Assuming Danny wasn't breaking any labor laws by giving her a job at his studio, she must have at least been 14. I only mention it because I was picturing her as at least old enough to drive a car and wondering why none of her errands as a gofer involved leaving the studio.
A plus of the book format is the lack of laugh track. The story feels more authentic without having to hit some artificial laugh line every fifteen seconds. The dialogue is still cheesy, but in a low-key way that doesn't make you groan because it isn't calling so much attention to itself. If you're reading this because you're a fan of the series, though, the characters do feel off-model for that reason. You also might be disappointed that Stephanie's school chums are two girls who (to my knowledge) never appeared on the show, retconning Gia straight out of existence. Which is fine with me to be honest.
The story is that Stephanie wants to save up for a TV and VCR in her own room (well, the room she shares with Michelle), primarily so she doesn't miss an episode of her favorite teen soap, the name of which I've already forgotten. I don't know why, but I'm a sucker for fictional soap operas like Invitation to Love on Twin Peaks. The era of the monoculture is long gone, so revisiting a time when kids would call each other on the landline phone during commercial breaks to summarize plot beats, exchange opinions and make predictions feels warm and cozy.
In any event, Danny offers Stephanie the opportunity to work at the public access station that produces his talk show, Wake Up, San Francisco! for two hours before school every weekday, provided she can keep her grades up. Stephanie imagines a glamorous job that involves meeting celebrities and sitting in with the writing staff, but is quickly disillusioned when her actual duties turn out to be things like manning the coffee station or filling out cue cards. To make matters worse, another girl Stephanie's age (I think her name is Mandy) consistently receives the plum assignments like assisting the makeup department or making the celebrity guests comfortable in the green room. Stephanie begins to despair as her schoolwork suffers, her lack of sleep begins to affect her mood, and Danny becomes so insistent about not giving Stephanie special treatment that he winds up making her miserable.
I enjoyed Wish Upon a VCR. It plays on all the anxieties you start to develop about your first job as you approach adulthood and the specter of employment looms ever larger in your future. It doesn't always make sense--the adults are unreasonably short-tempered with Stephanie, considering she's only 14 and has never even had a cup of coffee, let alone made one before. (This is part of why I kept thinking she must be older.) And given that DJ worked the same job when she was younger and seems surprised at the way Stephanie is only being given the most tedious assignments, it reads as odd that Danny has so much trouble recognizing that he's making the job an unbearable nightmare for his middle daughter. But the things that don't make literal sense are forgivable to build the atmosphere of an anxiety dream, with trivial mishaps repeatedly conspiring to block Stephanie from the rare moments that would actually make the work exciting or fulfilling.
I love how on the cover they made Jodie Sweetin open a book on her lap while also holding a television remote. Someone was clearly concerned about Stephanie coming across as dumb or something.
Anyhoo, for the aforementioned reason that I was not a fan of Full House, it probably doesn't make much sense that I would find a book based on said show to be a nostalgic read. But dammit, it's just so '90s. I miss the '90s. And Stephanie was pretty much the only character in that Filled Home that I found tolerable--she was flawed, but in the way typical pre-teens are flawed, and Jodie Sweetin played the character with a dry, understated sensibility amidst a cast of exaggerated caricatures.
(Want to know what I found annoying about everybody else? DJ was self-righteous and always did the same "comedic reaction" face like she was smelling something foul, Michelle was a brat and way too cutesy, Danny was one-dimensional with his obsessive cleanliness, Joey was a nightmare man-child, Jesse was too tame to sell the rock star image, Becky was both dull and obnoxiously neurotic, and the less said about Nicky and Alex, the better. Steve and Kimmy Gibbler were both fine, actually.)
The book came out in 1996, clearly as an affordable way to continue capitalizing on the franchise after it had been cancelled. No inflated salaries to pay and all that. I remain unclear on how old Stephanie is supposed to be in this book--probably because I skimmed it, but also due to the fact that Jodie Sweetin looked way older than the 13 she was when the show went off the air. Watching it in reruns as a kid, I thought she was in high school for sure. Assuming Danny wasn't breaking any labor laws by giving her a job at his studio, she must have at least been 14. I only mention it because I was picturing her as at least old enough to drive a car and wondering why none of her errands as a gofer involved leaving the studio.
A plus of the book format is the lack of laugh track. The story feels more authentic without having to hit some artificial laugh line every fifteen seconds. The dialogue is still cheesy, but in a low-key way that doesn't make you groan because it isn't calling so much attention to itself. If you're reading this because you're a fan of the series, though, the characters do feel off-model for that reason. You also might be disappointed that Stephanie's school chums are two girls who (to my knowledge) never appeared on the show, retconning Gia straight out of existence. Which is fine with me to be honest.
The story is that Stephanie wants to save up for a TV and VCR in her own room (well, the room she shares with Michelle), primarily so she doesn't miss an episode of her favorite teen soap, the name of which I've already forgotten. I don't know why, but I'm a sucker for fictional soap operas like Invitation to Love on Twin Peaks. The era of the monoculture is long gone, so revisiting a time when kids would call each other on the landline phone during commercial breaks to summarize plot beats, exchange opinions and make predictions feels warm and cozy.
In any event, Danny offers Stephanie the opportunity to work at the public access station that produces his talk show, Wake Up, San Francisco! for two hours before school every weekday, provided she can keep her grades up. Stephanie imagines a glamorous job that involves meeting celebrities and sitting in with the writing staff, but is quickly disillusioned when her actual duties turn out to be things like manning the coffee station or filling out cue cards. To make matters worse, another girl Stephanie's age (I think her name is Mandy) consistently receives the plum assignments like assisting the makeup department or making the celebrity guests comfortable in the green room. Stephanie begins to despair as her schoolwork suffers, her lack of sleep begins to affect her mood, and Danny becomes so insistent about not giving Stephanie special treatment that he winds up making her miserable.
I enjoyed Wish Upon a VCR. It plays on all the anxieties you start to develop about your first job as you approach adulthood and the specter of employment looms ever larger in your future. It doesn't always make sense--the adults are unreasonably short-tempered with Stephanie, considering she's only 14 and has never even had a cup of coffee, let alone made one before. (This is part of why I kept thinking she must be older.) And given that DJ worked the same job when she was younger and seems surprised at the way Stephanie is only being given the most tedious assignments, it reads as odd that Danny has so much trouble recognizing that he's making the job an unbearable nightmare for his middle daughter. But the things that don't make literal sense are forgivable to build the atmosphere of an anxiety dream, with trivial mishaps repeatedly conspiring to block Stephanie from the rare moments that would actually make the work exciting or fulfilling.
I love how on the cover they made Jodie Sweetin open a book on her lap while also holding a television remote. Someone was clearly concerned about Stephanie coming across as dumb or something.
December 28, 2024
I remember how much I loved this book when I first read this
March 30, 2025
Yeah, I know. I'm reading a lot of corny stuff lately. But look. This was a lot of my reading diet as a kid, and I turned into a pretty well rounded reader anyway. So. 😂
May 10, 2016
For some reason this is the only full house book (other than "The Great Pet Project" from the Michelle series) that I have any real memory of. I have no idea why it made an impression, but I remember a surprising amount of the plot for how long ago I read it. I must have liked it more than the others - not surprising since most of the Stephanie books seem to revolve around boys and romance.
April 10, 2016
Full of complaining. Oh poor Stephanie, having to make coffee for people at her first job. Not having time to watch tv. Being tired all the time. Having to work for something expensive that she wants. Welcome to the real world.
Read
February 5, 2009i understood that we cannot do to many works at a time.
Currently Reading
October 12, 2011Indefinite loan of my VCR so she can watch the VHS tapes Kelly gave her
10/12/11 It seems that since I've moved, she now owns my VCR.
10/12/11 It seems that since I've moved, she now owns my VCR.
February 19, 2015
Stephanie in one of her more spoiled weeks. This story just made incredibly sleepy. You'll get that reference if you read the book.
March 12, 2014
Another fun Full House re-read. I always loved this one as a kid, and it was just as enjoyable now.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews