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A review by finesilkflower
Amalia: Diary 1 by Ann M. Martin
5.0
Amalia has a creeper boyfriend.
Amalia Vargas is the first diary narrator character who's original to California Diaries and has never appeared in a mainline Baby-sitters Club book. She's a new eighth-grader at Vista, and one of the earliest friends she's made is James, a junior in a garage band who she's sort of dating. As the relationship gets more serious, though, James begins to exhibit signs of controlling abuserhood, signs that Amalia's sister recognizes because she works in a women's shelter. For a Very Special Episode book (as call California Diaries are), it actually works really well; James comes off as both attractive and creepy by turns, and he doesn't feel clunky and unreal like some VSE abuser boyfriends do.
Amalia is a very likeable narrator. Her writing style is loose and casual, and to me it feels most true to life/similar to the types of things I wrote as a teen. The notebook is peppered with drawings and comics in a cartoony style that also felt true to the way a talented-at-art eighth-grader would draw (and appeared to really have been drawn in ballpoint pen!) Amalia consistently has thoughtful, complex inner monologue, followed by vague, halting, inarticulate dialogue, which is both funny and sad and true to life. She aptly reads as a sweet, chill, laid-back girl who is drawn into this situation through a combination of low self-image (wowed by the older guy) and confusion (taking the path of least resistance when the guy assumes they're dating).
Continuity Errors: Amalia goes to Maggie's house for the first time, but she actually was there before according to [b:Maggie: Diary 1|275463|Maggie Diary 1 (California Diaries, #3)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389929840s/275463.jpg|3289033]. Dawn appears at a New Year's Eve party, although I believe she was supposed to be in Stoneybrook for the Christmas holidays, per [b:The Secret Life of Mary Anne Spier|304859|The Secret Life of Mary Anne Spier (The Baby-Sitters Club, #114)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1173565323s/304859.jpg|295875].
The Ambiguously Gay Ducky: This book contains the most textual evidence to date that Ducky is, at the very least, perceived by his peers to be gay or gender non-conforming.
"'Are they, like, you know... going out?'
"'Sunny and Ducky? I don't know. I think they're just friends.'
"We're at the car now, and James gives me this funny smile. 'That's what I figured.'
"'Why?' I ask.
"He kind of snickers to himself. Then he says, 'I just don't think Ducky's her type, if you know what I mean.'"
Later, James appears to tell Ducky, "You forgot your makeup," and demands "Since when are you trying to tell me about girls?" Amalia apologizes to him for James's behavior, Ducky just says, "I've heard worse."
Author Gratefully Acknowledges: Peter Lerangis for writing, Stieg Retlin for art.
Timing: December 20 to January 18, covering Christmas an ending on a cliffhanger (!) just as the Valentine's dance committee is ramping up.
Revised Timeline: This is where I figure out how old the character would be if time passed in the universe. I placed Dawn Diary 1 in the September after college graduation. That would make Amalia, who is the same about, about 21 or 22, a recent grad and let's say co-worker of one or more of the Dawn/Maggie/Sunny trio. In my fanfic brain, I'm going to say that Dawn and Maggie work for the same tech startup, and Amalia works with them. Early 20's is as ordinary a time as any to have a wavery self-image and to get caught up with an abusive boyfriend. It also makes more sense that a women's shelter would accept volunteers in their 20s than early teens.
Amalia Vargas is the first diary narrator character who's original to California Diaries and has never appeared in a mainline Baby-sitters Club book. She's a new eighth-grader at Vista, and one of the earliest friends she's made is James, a junior in a garage band who she's sort of dating. As the relationship gets more serious, though, James begins to exhibit signs of controlling abuserhood, signs that Amalia's sister recognizes because she works in a women's shelter. For a Very Special Episode book (as call California Diaries are), it actually works really well; James comes off as both attractive and creepy by turns, and he doesn't feel clunky and unreal like some VSE abuser boyfriends do.
Amalia is a very likeable narrator. Her writing style is loose and casual, and to me it feels most true to life/similar to the types of things I wrote as a teen. The notebook is peppered with drawings and comics in a cartoony style that also felt true to the way a talented-at-art eighth-grader would draw (and appeared to really have been drawn in ballpoint pen!) Amalia consistently has thoughtful, complex inner monologue, followed by vague, halting, inarticulate dialogue, which is both funny and sad and true to life. She aptly reads as a sweet, chill, laid-back girl who is drawn into this situation through a combination of low self-image (wowed by the older guy) and confusion (taking the path of least resistance when the guy assumes they're dating).
Continuity Errors: Amalia goes to Maggie's house for the first time, but she actually was there before according to [b:Maggie: Diary 1|275463|Maggie Diary 1 (California Diaries, #3)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389929840s/275463.jpg|3289033]. Dawn appears at a New Year's Eve party, although I believe she was supposed to be in Stoneybrook for the Christmas holidays, per [b:The Secret Life of Mary Anne Spier|304859|The Secret Life of Mary Anne Spier (The Baby-Sitters Club, #114)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1173565323s/304859.jpg|295875].
The Ambiguously Gay Ducky: This book contains the most textual evidence to date that Ducky is, at the very least, perceived by his peers to be gay or gender non-conforming.
"'Are they, like, you know... going out?'
"'Sunny and Ducky? I don't know. I think they're just friends.'
"We're at the car now, and James gives me this funny smile. 'That's what I figured.'
"'Why?' I ask.
"He kind of snickers to himself. Then he says, 'I just don't think Ducky's her type, if you know what I mean.'"
Later, James appears to tell Ducky, "You forgot your makeup," and demands "Since when are you trying to tell me about girls?" Amalia apologizes to him for James's behavior, Ducky just says, "I've heard worse."
Author Gratefully Acknowledges: Peter Lerangis for writing, Stieg Retlin for art.
Timing: December 20 to January 18, covering Christmas an ending on a cliffhanger (!) just as the Valentine's dance committee is ramping up.
Revised Timeline: This is where I figure out how old the character would be if time passed in the universe. I placed Dawn Diary 1 in the September after college graduation. That would make Amalia, who is the same about, about 21 or 22, a recent grad and let's say co-worker of one or more of the Dawn/Maggie/Sunny trio. In my fanfic brain, I'm going to say that Dawn and Maggie work for the same tech startup, and Amalia works with them. Early 20's is as ordinary a time as any to have a wavery self-image and to get caught up with an abusive boyfriend. It also makes more sense that a women's shelter would accept volunteers in their 20s than early teens.