Charles Synyard (@CharlesSynyard)

“Beth stormed upstairs and threw herself across her bed. Why did her younger brother have to have braces, anyway? she thought. And even though there had been little curlicues of paint flaking off the house, it hadn’t needed painting that badly! Getting a new outfit was far more important than those dumb things!” (15) And to get those important clothes, Beth did WHAT?! Finished reading Mall Mania, the March 1991 twenty-third book in the Fabulous Five series, by Betsy Haynes. Exuberant, dramatic Beth Barry is always a favorite, and how better can she shine, that in the always amusing role of a kid with some plastic in her hand? A girl and SHOPPING, what goes together better, especially when she doesn’t have to pay right away? The formula is simple and great, and there’s bound to be some delicious nostalgia: this was in the heyday of shopping malls, before Amazon. Unfortunately the delivery flubs in multiple ways. It’s hard to follow the progress of Beth’s shopping spree, or how big a pit she’s digging, because dollar amounts are not given for her buys, for how much credit she’s taking out. And—and this is pretty rare—I very much disagree with how Beth and her parents respond to the situation, in a manner Haynes implies is right and wise. What is the situation? Fabulous Five member Beth is in the Media Club at Wakeman Junior High, and as part of learning about television production, they are going to put on a TV show, The Wakeman Bulletin Board, to be shot on Friday evenings, and air Saturdays at 10 AM. Beth, along with Shawnie Pendergrast, gets to be one of the co-hosts for the first month! Housekeeping notes, Shane Arrington’s in the club, and as Beth mentions he and Melanie Edwards have just started going out, this immediately follows the last book, Melanie’s Valentine; it is late February. Also, one of the segments of The Wakeman Bulletin Board reads off the school lunch menu for the coming week, with the idea being that students can know when to bring a bag lunch, notably when the dreaded goulash is being served. Since meals everyone hates are still being served up, it appears that Tony Calcaterra’s idea about doing a series of taste tests to improve cuisine at Wacko, and agreed to by the school (in the twelfth book, Katie’s Dating Tips, as detailed here https://gab .com/CharlesSynyard/posts/114774137100303493 ), never panned out. If Beth’s gonna appear on TV, that means she’s gonna need some new, mature-looking clothes: she has a nice wardrobe but her tastes are VERY flashy. She wants to look as professional as Joan Lunden, Connie Chung, or Deborah Norville, the examples given. She can’t borrow any clothes from her Fabulous Five pals, because “Christie’s clothes were the perfect style, but she was too tall. Katie was a size smaller than Beth. Melanie’s wardrobe was too frilly, and Jana’s was too conservative.” (23) Shawnie invites Beth to go shopping with her at Tanninger‘s, the local department store. But this is a problem! Beth is the middle child of five, and money is sometimes tight, so her plea for a new outfit or two is immediately shot down. But Shawnie has the perfect solution: charge it, on HER card! “‘Beth,‘ she said, ‘I had the greatest idea after I went to bed last night. I was so excited, it took me an hour to get to sleep! I figured out how you can get the new clothes!… ”’Voilà!’ Shawnie said. ‘My credit card.’ “Beth frowned, not understanding. ”’Don’t you get it?‘ asked Shawnie. ‘We’ll put your clothes on my credit card at Tanninger’s.’ ”’Your card?‘ Beth asked, still not quite believing. ‘You have your own credit card?’ “Shawnie held it out. ‘Just look at the name,’ she said proudly. ”Beth leaned in closer. Sure enough, the name stamped on the department store’s card was SHAWNIE PENDERGAST… ”Beth understood. Shawnie’s parents both had high-paying jobs, and they worked all day and spent a great deal of time away from her. They were also very strict about where she could go and what she could do. Since they weren’t around to supervise her comings and goings, they didn’t let her leave the house very often. So they paid her off by spoiling her and showering her with material things, even her own credit card. Beth knew that some department stores would issue cards to kids if their parents consented and took responsibility for paying the bills, but she had never actually seen a kid’s card before. “‘I can’t let your parents pay for my clothes,’ said Beth. “‘They won’t,‘ Shawnie insisted. ‘The credit card bill comes later. That’s when you pay me back. Don’t you see? You pay me later instead of paying the store now.’ ”Beth thought a moment. It sounded great. She really would be paying for the clothes. She could have the clothes now, but pay for them when the bill came. ”’Okay,‘ Beth said, feeling a shiver of excitement. ‘And I promise, I’ll pay you back right away!’” (21-23) Unusually, the scene was not just abbreviated, but rewritten for the inside-the-book plot teaser on the first page, as you can see. That was the initial deal, and there is never any question of Beth having to pay interest, late penalties, or the like. Beth goes shopping with Shawnie three times, using her card (plus one time with the Fabulous Five, where they loan her money to buy a nice scarf in cash). The first outfit sounds quite appealing: ”Beth looked at herself appraisingly in the mirror. The dress really did look great on her. It had a short, straight, black skirt that fit well on her narrow hips and a wide, red belt that flattered her small waistline. The collar was red and black, and stood up high around her neck.” (24) She also winds up buying a red earrings, a blue blazer, and more outlandishly, a teapot for the desk on the set (not to drink out of, for décor; Shawnie buys some matching cups), and a new pair of shoes (which won’t even show up on screen). The while, Shawnie gives Beth the impression that she isn’t at all concerned about being paid back promptly. “Beth grinned. ‘I really appreciate what you’re doing for me, Shawnie. And I promise you’ll get paid back right away.’ “‘Hey,’ Shawnie said, smiling. ‘Do I look worried?’ ”Beth giggled. ‘Nope. Not at all.’” (30) Later, when Beth insists the navy blazer is “the very last thing I’ll buy. And I’ll start paying your parents back right away. I promise!”, “Shawnie dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand,” (70-71). So where‘s the worry? The problem is, after school Tuesday—after complementing Beth on some earrings she made at the Media Club meeting—Shawnie suddenly changes her tune. ”’Beth!’ she said, breathlessly. ‘I forgot to tell you—I was distracted by your earrings at the meeting. My parents will kill me if I don’t give you this message.’ Shawnie ran her finger across her throat and made a cutting sound. ‘They say you have to start paying them back for your purchases right away... My parents weren’t thrilled that I loaned you my card. They want the money for what you charged by the time the bill comes in. They don’t want to have to lay out the money themselves.‘“ (80) Or else they’ll, oh no, call up Beth’s parents! I didn’t like how Beth, and later her mom and dad, handled the situation. Beth refuses another loan from the Fabulous Five, as well as an offer of help from her boyfriend Kevin Masterson (who plays only a small part in Mall Mania, though on thinking about it, the answer to the first page’s question in bold, “HOW DO YOU SHOP WITHOUT MONEY?”, is bring your sugar daddy along)... even though the only other way to meet the Pendergrasts’ demand also involves borrowing money, only from her parents. They predictably flip (89-91), though as far as I could tell, the only really wrong thing Beth did was deceive her mom, letting her believe Shawnie was just lending Beth some new clothes, albeit without actually lying. Hardly even worth a chiding. If there is one thing Beth deserves reproof for, it is a bad choice of friends. When Shawnie explains why she has to get home soon during their first shopping trip, Beth recounts the trouble she caused everyone back in book eight, The Runaway Crisis. ”’Mom thinks I’m at home starting on homework. She’ll be there in a half hour, and I’d better be there!’ ”Obviously, Shawnie was still sneaking around. Beth felt sorry that Shawnie had to do that. Once Shawnie had run away and stayed in Katie’s basement because she was angry that her parents wouldn’t let her go on a march for hunger with a lot of Wakeman kids. Beth had thought Shawnie and her parents had resolved all that, but apparently there were still a few problems. She also could imagine how frustrated Shawnie was, having parents who seldom let her do things, but sometimes Shawnie’s reactions really went off the deep end.” (26) Whether Shawnie just has poor character, or her parents both ignore and spoil her, it’s clear the fault lies with the Pendergrasts, not Beth Barry. Although, as Mr. Barry says, “People can lose everything they’ve worked for if they get into debt over their heads” (actually, so long as they hold out their empty pockets, put on a sad face, and declare bankruptcy, they get to keep an awful lot), that is only interest-bearing debt. It’s common and normal for friends to loan one another money, and expect repayment whenever it‘s convenient. Unless you’re dealing with a loan shark, the lender isn’t going to change the terms of the loan after the money has already been borrowed out. Beth is also being blamed for creating the whole problem. Reread the initial “credit card offer” on 21-23, and compare it to how Shawnie represents her parents’ reaction on 80-81. It’s clear she made using her card out to be all Beth’s idea, even though she kept insisting on it, promising her folks wouldn’t mind. Beth is being framed, and her own parents, after a little probing, should have seen that. Parents have a duty to teach their children right from wrong, and to make them make amends for an injury if they have done wrong. But they also have an obligation to back them up and take their side when a supposed friend, or even her parents, are treating her unfairly. Given Shawnie’s record of bad behavior, and her folks’ refusal to correct her or rein her in, the best thing Mr. and Mrs. Barry could have done was call up Mr. and Mrs. Pendergrast, and tell them to lump it! They won’t have their daughter changing the terms of an agreement she made with theirs. Beth will repay them at her own convenience, as she was promised she could. However, in the future they would be discouraging Beth from hanging out with Shawnie, as she had proven a bad influence and an untrue friend. “Neither a borrower nor a lender be!”—would have loved if Beth had been caught zoning out during a mention of Poor Richard’s Almanac in class—sometimes it’s the second half that needs emphasis. But alas, you don’t always get justice in this world, or even in the world of early 90s tween girl literature. Beth’s ostensible journey deep into debt is hard to keep pace with, because the prices of what she buys on Shawnie’s card or borrowing from the Fabulous Five are never given. How much are we talking? When Beth daydreams of possible ways out, she imagines, ”Or maybe her father had just gotten a humongous promotion and raise, and to celebrate he would give each of the Barry kids a crisp, new one-hundred-dollar bill!” (84) Do all her debts total up to less than a hundred dollars? A hard amount for a girl her age to save in 1991, but considering what she got for it, still not that much. I’m guessing Beth was thinking, “If only I’d skimmed a few hundred off the top after the Celebrity Auction!” (see book seventeen). The lack of dollar amounts subtracts a lot from the realism, and was totally unnecessary. Certainly there was no lack of space: there are several blank pages between chapters. Flaws in the plot’s conclusion aside, isn’t the cover awesome? Andrew Bacha did a stellar job once again. I don’t think Beth and Shawnie bought that much in total, much less on one trip, or during a store-wide sale, but isn’t that a great image? They’re already loaded down with purchases, and Beth, making this huge grin, pivots in mid-step to head to another outlet, and Shawnie is wowed by the same sight. I mentioned Beth making jewelry earlier. That’s one thing that lessens the blow: she shows off her handcrafted earrings, as Junque Jewelry, during the second The Wakeman Bulletin Board, and makes money selling the creations to classmates. Would the station have run the segment, if they knew it was an infomercial? Bath Barry, entrepreneur! Will Beth be stylish on the cheap from now on? That could launch into a whole conversation about what looking good even is for, for a woman. Are handcrafts a good replacement for expensive store-bought items, or are the pricey purchases mainly important not for the looks, but for the status they convey: “This is a girl clothed in the best there is to buy.” That might be more important for other girls, always comparing themselves with others, than with the guys, who normatively are the ones who have to shell out, and for whom a humbly-dressed girl is simply one he hasn’t clothed in finery yet. It might have been nice if Haynes had had Keith react differently from the girls. The next book promises equally great doses of nostalgia: I could only laugh when Katie Shannon’s boyfriend Tony Calcaterra mentioned seeing Jose “Juiced” Canseco bat in run after run in a game against the Yankees on TV. Tony was amazed by the feat, but now, we know why. #BetsyHaynes #MallMania #FabulousFive #shopping #creditcards #credit #loans #debt #borrowing #malls #nostalgia #handcrafts #parenting #character #childrensliterature #childrensbooks #literature #books