Maxwell 15: Simplifying Thanksgiving into Less than Regular Dinner

[bluelady]

What made me think this was supposed to be a book for adult readers?  Did I dream that?

 

[Eternalbluepearl]

I found an article on how to be sanitary while face painting:

http://paintertainment.blogspot.com/2015/04/face-painting-and-hygiene-nitty-gritty.html?m=1

[anjulibai]

Sarah's response to a comment on the blog:

Quote

Sarah Maxwell says:

November 21, 2017 at 10:40 am

I did.  I totally agree with you. I LOVE Christmas and Christmas books, but they’re hard to come by. I’m already dreaming of my next story (not Moodys though!).

Two things:

1) No Sarah, Christmas stories are NOT hard to come by. They are ridiculous common. New ones come out every freaking year. You might not think they are Christian enough, but they are out there. Go to a fucking bookstore!

2) So this sort of confirms she has been working on a non-Moody book, like she said in the past. I really think she can't think anything up. The next story she writes is definitely going to be a Moody book. 

[fundiefan]

5 hours ago, Odd1Out said:

"Those who’ve previewed Sunflower’s Christmas Miracle describe it as: electrifying, vivid, captivating, engaging, and wholesome." - quote from blog post. 

Meaning : My family members read it and answered a survey I created where they circled these words I had listed to describe the book. 

I was reading that line in the break room at work. The audible chuckle followed by the vocalized  'electrifying my ass' got me a few strange looks. 

I wonder how often I verbally respond to Maxwell BS? Since I live alone, there is no one to stare at me funny when I do. 

[Tatar-tot]

1 hour ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

I found an article on how to be sanitary while face painting:

http://paintertainment.blogspot.com/2015/04/face-painting-and-hygiene-nitty-gritty.html?m=1

Great article with tons of great advice.  Someone needs to pass it onto the sweet spinsters. 

[Granwych]

On ‎11‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 9:44 AM, usedbicycle said:

Mary's writing hurts my eyes ("sticky is everywhere").

But I'm glad she has been allowed to pour hundreds of dollars into this hobby without Steve taking it away. I wonder if Steve insists their hobbies be strictly used as ministry tools. I would think Anna and Mary would love to start a small business and work birthday parties. Who or what is preventing them from doing that?

3 guesses--1)  Steve    2)  Steve   3)  Steve.

[theologygeek]

Oh my goodness.  That poor thing has no idea what 14 year olds are reading in school.  John Steinbeck books were the required reading when I was 14 and a freshman in high school.  From what I read in the preview, Sarah's "novel" is suitable for an 8 year old.  Ten year olds have even passed that type of book already.  How could her father let her sell that?  It's so embarrassing. 

[usmcmom]

I was reading through Chelsy's blog and came across this "adventure" where she and her cousin were locked out of their truck. They had to call for help and she had this to say about the young man who helped them: 

Quote

Within 15 minutes the pros arrived. Well, their company logo arrived, along with a boy who looked more like a teenage bum than someone who would actually be able to successfully unlock our truck. However, he got it unlocked, and we were eternally grateful, and we got in the truck and laughed and laughed. =)

Maybe when she's married, she and her new sisters-in-law can go sit at airports, coffee shops, fabric stores...and make fun of the attire of other patrons. 

[FloraDoraDolly]

26 minutes ago, theologygeek said:

Oh my goodness.  That poor thing has no idea what 14 year olds are reading in school.  John Steinbeck books were the required reading when I was 14 and a freshman in high school.  From what I read in the preview, Sarah's "novel" is suitable for an 8 year old.  Ten year olds have even passed that type of book already.  How could her father let her sell that?  It's so embarrassing. 

Sarah doesn't need to know what 14-year-olds are reading in school because her audience doesn't go to school. They don't read Steinbeck. The only literary classics they read are carefully edited clips anthologized in the Bob Jones or A Beka textbooks.

[catlady]

At 14, I would have been in grade 9; we read Shakespeare's Julius Caesar that year.

[JermajestyDuggar]

Wow after reading that link, I'm glad my kids aren't into getting their faces painted! I never even thought about all the germs that could be spread if a person doesn't take the right precautions. 

[divadivine]

6 hours ago, Odd1Out said:

"Those who’ve previewed Sunflower’s Christmas Miracle describe it as: electrifying, vivid, captivating, engaging, and wholesome." - quote from blog post. 

Did Stevehova hook someone up to an electroshock machine? Did he wear thick socks and run across carpet several times to create static electricity and then touch someone else? That’s the only way anyone could describe the drivel Sarah writes as electrifying. 

Hiiiiiiiya Stevehova! You’re still an asshole! 

[theologygeek]

15 minutes ago, usmcmom said:

I was reading through Chelsy's blog and came across this "adventure" where she and her cousin were locked out of their truck. They had to call for help and she had this to say about the young man who helped them: 

Maybe when she's married, she and her new sisters-in-law can go sit at airports, coffee shops, fabric stores...and make fun of the attire of other patrons. 

She has some nerve saying that someone looks like a "bum."  That is a terrible thing to say.  Very mean and hurtful.  And she should talk.  There is a picture of her and John on The Knot site with their feet up in a place of business.  It looks like they were raised by wolves.  My grandson even knows better than to do something like that and he is a little boy. 

[sparkles]

I know I just have a pitiful public school education but help me out here. Sarah says: "I brought the Moodys back in, although they’re now ages 12-21." And, here are the character descriptions:

Moses— 12, is confident and pretty dramatic. He has a compassionate heart and loves adventure, especially having to do with snow.

Melissa—Melissa is Moses’ twin. This girl is handy in the kitchen and adds a sparkle to life.

Maddie—At 16, Maddie is the middle child and tries hard to act her age, but sometimes it’s not that easy.

Mitch—At 21, Mitch is the kind of big brother everyone wants: strong, caring, and dependable.

Mr. Gibson—Sunflower’s retired animal catcher has been friends with the Moodys for years, and his wife died recently. He operates a small dog kennel on his property.

Max—He’s the oldest Moody young adult, the pastor of their church, and he’s married to Elisa, and has a little girl, Hannah.

Mollie—Mollie is right between Max and Mitch age wise, and she’s married to Lucas, a missionary, and serving the Lord in Africa.

So Mitch is 21, which is at the top of Sarah's stated age range, but Max is the oldest? Okay, she does says "oldest young adult," but what the hell is a "young adult" in the first place and why doesn't she just leave out the "young adult" bit and give his numerical age (or Mollie's for that matter)? Is Mitch the oldest or is Max? And if Max is the oldest, then the age range of the Moody spawn is greater than 21. MY BRAIN HURTS!

Maybe you should have gotten the family to more attention to pesky details like this instead of helping you "brainstorm the story plot."

I think Mr. Gibson's "jist" is Sarah's way of giving him some "color." Only much like she did by giving whatever M toddler in the first book a childish speech impediment, the little quirks were very inconsistent. One random "jist" doth not a character make.

[FloraDoraDolly]

4 minutes ago, sparkles said:

I think Mr. Gibson's "jist" is Sarah's way of giving him some "color." Only much like she did by giving whatever M toddler in the first book a childish speech impediment, the little quirks were very inconsistent. One random "jist" doth not a character make.

Mr. Gibson spoke this way in the previous Moody books. I thought maybe Sarah was trying to give him a "black" accent without specifying his race.

[sparkles]

6 minutes ago, FloraDoraDolly said:

Mr. Gibson spoke this way in the previous Moody books. I thought maybe Sarah was trying to give him a "black" accent without specifying his race.

I thought he did but I only read the first because it was free and didn’t want to go back and look. I do remember that she’s still very inconsistent with things like that though. Is Mr. Gibson also the one who said the kids could call him by his first name but Mr. Moody!Steve said no?

[theologygeek]

43 minutes ago, catlady said:

At 14, I would have been in grade 9; we read Shakespeare's Julius Caesar that year.

We did A Midsummer Nights Dream in sixth grade.  I was Helena.  Still remember some lines too! 

[anjulibai]

12 minutes ago, theologygeek said:

We did A Midsummer Nights Dream in sixth grade.  I was Helena.  Still remember some lines too! 

I played Helena in 7th grade, but I've forgotten the lines.

I remember reading Lord of the Flies in my 6th grade class, when I was 11 or 12. Steinbeck's The Red Pony was in 7th or 8th grade, so 12-14, and I think Of Mice and Men was 9th grade, so 14-15. A Midsummer Night's Dream and Taming of the Shrew were also 7th/8th grade, so 12-14. We also read the Hobbit in 7th grade. 

On my own, I remember reading The Prince of Tides and Great Expectations in middle school. 

That Sarah thinks this book is on the middle school level is yet another proof how out of touch the Maxwells are. 

[mango_fandango]

Maybe the 21 thing refers to the kids still at home?? 

[JermajestyDuggar]

46 minutes ago, theologygeek said:

She has some nerve saying that someone looks like a "bum."  That is a terrible thing to say.  Very mean and hurtful.  And she should talk.  There is a picture of her and John on The Knot site with their feet up in a place of business.  It looks like they were raised by wolves.  My grandson even knows better than to do something like that and he is a little boy. 

I think many fundies are raised to be superficial and judgmental. 

Well if a Moody marries, he becomes extended family. 

[lilith]

5 hours ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

Yes, she got coffee in a small town for research and there was a party for the end of the Moody series I believe. I guess Sarah is sticking with what she knows. The world's most boring family. 

The second most boring, after the Maxwells. The Moody’s are actually Sarah’s idealised family, enacting the shenanigans she wishes occurred in the Maxwells lives.

So sad to see Molly married and missioning in Africa - as Sarah has absolutely no imagination I imagine this was her dream.

The writing actually seems to be even more awkward than her previous books. There is no way in the world my 10 year old would read it - he loves Rick Riordan and Harry Potter and is obsessed with Greek mythology. For a major project at school this year he has plotted a fantasy novel based around a self created pantheon of gods/goddesses and written the first 2 chapters. And they are better written than Sarah’s propaganda, and show far more imagination. Yet I still wouldn’t encourage him to publish them in their current form. I am encouraging him to develop and grow as a writer.

And my 14 year old........ she wouldn’t know what to say if I presented her with this. She has a taste for dystopian novels with strong female leads and a regrettable fondness for bittersweet love stories (John Green and the like). She’s also trying to read the classics - 1984 at present. And she too is a far better writer than Sarah, not because she’s amazingly gifted but because she reads widely.

Does anyone else think Moses is kind of being a dick in the sample chapter? Running around with a trolley, nearly hitting people when he rounds corners, then being snooty when someone objects? I would not be impressed if my 12 year old behaved that way in a supermarket. And, Sarah, there is nothing novel or interesting about white chocolate chips.

I just want to add - this isn’t a big brag about my kids. We are a family of readers, but the vast majority of their public school peers are better read than Sarah and can produce less stilted and more believable dialogue.

[theologygeek]

36 minutes ago, anjulibai said:

I played Helena in 7th grade, but I've forgotten the lines.

I remember reading Lord of the Flies in my 6th grade class, when I was 11 or 12. Steinbeck's The Red Pony was in 7th or 8th grade, so 12-14, and I think Of Mice and Men was 9th grade, so 14-15. A Midsummer Night's Dream and Taming of the Shrew were also 7th/8th grade, so 12-14. We also read the Hobbit in 7th grade. 

On my own, I remember reading The Prince of Tides and Great Expectations in middle school. 

That Sarah thinks this book is on the middle school level is yet another proof how out of touch the Maxwells are. 

Think hard.  It will come back to you!  Finish this line.  No cheating.  "I paint the pansies violet blue and fill the buttercups...

[Naga Viper]

The chocolate chips quote:

“I’ll get the white chocolate chips—doesn’t that sound strange—white chocolate—and meet you at the checkout!” Moses said.

Moses is gonna have his little mind blown when he discovers mint and peanut butter chips exist and have for quite some time. Poor Sarah; on top of everything else, her stories always read like unintentional period pieces because she has no clue about those sorts of details.

Also, I see they don't teach the proper use of curly apostrophes at SOTDRT. Far from the worst thing in the world, but to have one of the major characters speak in (shitty, fake) dialect and get those wrong in every instance? Get a real proofreader, Steve.

[crawfishgirl]

My girls both read The Hunger Games in 5th grade. They may have been a bit young for the subject matter, but they wanted to do so and I didn't want to discourage them. 

I remember reading Shakespeare in English class in junior high. I didn't enjoy it. However, I liked George Orwell. 

Sarah's book would be such a letdown after that. 

[socalrules]

So with the books selling for $5.95, how much profit could Sarah actually be making when costs are taken into account? How many books does she actually sell? Will she even sell the 200 autographed copies? I can’t imagine fundy families will buy more than one copy each. The kids just have to take turns reading it.

The sample was painful. I feel bad because Sarah likely put a lot of work into it and has no idea it appears to be a first draft. I feel like Sarah should read an old Babysitter Club book because that’s the type of writing I think she is going for even though she has likely never heard of the series. I say this as a fan as a kid. 

 I think Molly had to be off in Africa because Sarah has no frame of reference for how an adult Moody/Maxwell Woman not named Terri is supposed to live her life.