May 2010 Book Club Discussion: First Day, Worst Day

[tomswift2002]

First Day, Worst Day
Series: The Clues Brothers
Written by: Franklin W. Dixon
Illustrated by: Marcy Ramsey
Published by: Minstrel Books
Publishing Date: November 1997

Okay it is time to start the May 2010 discussion of the Frank and Joe Hardy:/The Hardy Boys Are: The Clues Brothers #3 First Day, Worst Day.  Please leave your comments and opinions on this book here on this forum.

[tomswift2002]

I guess I'll start this discussion.

I finished the book a few days ago.  Now then the story isn't like the other series, whether you are talking about the books in the Original continuity or the Casefiles or even the Undercover Brothers, of course the story style is probably closer the UB's in the fact that the "crime" isn't committed by a gang,  but by one person who the Hardy's have to track down.  And the "criminal" doesn't get carted off to jail in this book, since the book is written with 2nd and 3rd Graders in mind, so the resolution is really that someone made a mistake which caused the rest of the story to occur, and at the end everyone apologizes to Tony Prito for accusing him of doing the "crime". 

Anyway it was a pretty interesting story, and because the Clues Brothers series is really in its own "league", because the series was aimed specifically at a younger audience (and I haven't read the Secret Files yet, so I can't compare it to that series) I'm not going to give it a grading by comparing it to the other Hardy Boys series, since there is really no comparison.  So I'll give it a 7.0 out of 10.

[MacGyver]

Honestly, I find it hard to have much to say about The Hardy Boys: Clues Brothers series in general since there really isn't much to the stories. (And they're aimed at a younger audience obviously.) But still- it's cool that we have at least one of the books in the lineup to discuss- and it'll be cool to compare it to the Secret Files series. From what I recall of the book, it was a fun read. It was interesting to get some backstory on The Hardy Boys first moving into Bayport and starting at their school and meeting some of their friends. (They had already met Chet Morton in the first book in the series if I recall correctly.) But in this book, Joe gets blamed for something at school and the Hardys have to clear his name. I'm thinking Tony Prito also first shows up in this book. Good read and probably one of the more memorable books in the series, judging from the few I've read.

[tomswift2002]

But in this book, Joe gets blamed for something at school and the Hardys have to clear his name. I'm thinking Tony Prito also first shows up in this book. Good read and probably one of the more memorable books in the series, judging from the few I've read.

As far as I know (considering that I haven't read CB #2 The Karate Clue) this is Tony Prito's first appearance in the series.  And its not Joe that gets blamed for pulling the fire alarm, but Tony (Joe just gets the dubious title of being a tattletale in the story because he was thinking to himself when the principal came into the classroom to try to find out who had pulled the alarm, and Joe mentioned that Tony had gone to the bathroom at the time, so Tony and all the other kids started calling Joe a tattletale).

But I just finished the 2 Secret Files that have been released so far and I gave both of them a 6.5 out of 10, so right now I would say that the Clues Brothers just edges out the Secret Files when comparing the two series.

[MacGyver]

Okay- thanks for clarifying on the plot line. From what I do know of the Secret Files, that series includes a quick comic at the end of the story. I wonder if that ups the rating any? lol

[hardygirl847]

Wow...long time no see everyone! It's the end of the school year so it's quite busy. FYI I am reviewing without any knowledge of #1 or 2 and not reading the Secret Files yet.

1. Joe not liking girls??? WHAT! Lol It's cute to read that and know in the back of your mind that he can't keep himself away from girls later on!

2. Tony is made out to be a prankster or sorts in a few other stories I've read (mainly Danger on the Diamond), so it would make sense that he would be introduced this way. Obviously we learn the truth of the matter but it correlates with his later personality at least.

3. Chet is always eating...At least this character trait was not lost. 

4. I work with young kids because I'm a sub and I actually thought a lot of it was portrayed correctly. I like that the teachers weren't too stereotypical. The Time Out Room does not exist in the districts I've worked in but it was interesting as Tony's punishment. The third graders and 4th graders would not have had lunch together. However, I guess since Bayport is on the East coast and is fictional...I suppose it could happen. Some schools have recess that overlaps with other grades but not where they are together the whole time. I
realize that this was necessary for them to figure out who did the crime and talk ,etc.

5. I LOVED and laughed out loud when Joe said *It's just that this mystery is so....mysterious." HAHAHA Love it! SO Joe! Such a 8 yr old thing to say too!

6. Frank, at age 9, was very much the logical one. He made his list of suspects. Joe comments on how he is just like Dad. I thought it was cute and nice to have as a foreshadow into their teen years. We all know what they are like when they get older. It's nice to see how they were (and how similar) when they were young.

Well like you've already said...the Clues Brothers are in a league of their own. You definitely cannot compare these 72 wholesome pages to the gritty, adventure, and danger of the Casefiles. The language, flow, plot characteristics, etc are so different than the other series. WIth that said, I still would include it in my classroom library. It's a great book for boys to relate to and girls to enjoy. It's not hard to read and would fit a lot of primary readers' levels.

It has a good message about why not to pull the fire alarm and it has a happy ending. It also touches the subjects of excluding people (Joe being the tattletale), judging people (why Zack had to go to the office), and that everyone makes mistakes (the principal missing the memo and blaming Tony). It's always good to include some type of morale or lesson in young children books.

With nothing to compare it to, I would give it a 6 or 7 in the "young readers" category.

I still have to read Secret Files to see how it or they hold up against one another.

[tomswift2002]

4. I work with young kids because I'm a sub and I actually thought a lot of it was portrayed correctly. I like that the teachers weren't too stereotypical. The Time Out Room does not exist in the districts I've worked in but it was interesting as Tony's punishment. The third graders and 4th graders would not have had lunch together. However, I guess since Bayport is on the East coast and is fictional...I suppose it could happen. Some schools have recess that overlaps with other grades but not where they are together the whole time. I
realize that this was necessary for them to figure out who did the crime and talk ,etc.

I've never head of a Time Out Room either, but I'm wondering if the author was thinking of the Detention room that some school's have (when I went to school in Manitoba and Ontario, sure there were detentions, but there were no specific rooms).

The lunch/recess thing confused me as well, since when I was in elementary school everyone went for lunch and recess at the same time, unless there was a situation where the lunch room was too small so only a certain number of classes were allowed to go at a time, and then the different grades were usually told to go at different times, or the younger grades would eat in the lunch room while the older grades ate in their classroom, or vice versa, with a hall monitor stopping in every few minutes.

[hardygirl847]

The Time Out room is very much like a typical Detention Room but I don't remember a specific room either. Education varies in all aspects across the country and globe. So it's possible that the author had this experience or used it to extenuate Tony's punishment.

Lunch in the district I work for is very different. I also know of places that don't have recess at all! So that varies as well. The author had to use this time to his or her advantage and thus made it this way. I don't remember how it was when I was little but I know now they all have separate lunches. A lot of times it is out of necessity and because there would be too many kids in the cafeteria.

Whether the author used personal experiences or just made it up for the sake of the story, it was still believable enough. That is the most important part.