First mate's log:
April 22, 1971
Bobby told me that he feels like a loser because he's the only kid in his family who doesn't have a trophy. Even Cindy just won one for being the best jacks player on the playground. I know how he feels, and not just because I was the youngest in my family, and my brother and sister were better at everything than me. Even on the island, when it was just the castaways, I felt like everyone was better at something than I was.
I told him he'll probably win something when he's older, but the only times I've won anything, it turned out I didn't actually win and the radio was just wrong or something.
Carol Brady's diary:
April 24, 1971
Bobby has been unhappy because all of his brothers and sisters have won trophies and he hasn't. Mike and I encouraged him to try other things, but he's turning out to be a sore loser when he plays games against his siblings. I feel bad for him but I have to admit Greg and Marcia weren't wrong when they called him a little stinker.
April 26, 1971
One thing that happened when Mr. Howell decided to "develop" our island is that we got a park. I mean, there's still the jungle, but that's been cut back a lot. This is tamed nature, so kids and old people can go there safely.
But now the park is going to be torn down to put up a courthouse, so that law cases don't have to all go to Blenford. (Not that there are a lot of them, or lawyers, on our island, but just in, well, in case.) The Brady kids are especially unhappy, since they can remember this island before it was tamed. There's still the playground at school, where Cindy won her jacks trophy, but they can't go there after school or on weekends like they can go to the park.
I don't go to the park much myself. I prefer to head into the jungle if I want to be in nature. But I feel bad for the kids and the old people.
April 28, 1971
Bobby has found a way to maybe win a prize. He's trying to sell the most magazine subscriptions of any kid on the island. Not only has every member of the family bought multiple subscriptions, but Mike and I have told our friends about it so that Bobby can sell to them.
He's happier about that but sad because the park is going to be cleared for a courthouse. The park has only been here for a couple years and, yes, I suppose we need a courthouse as a further sign of civilization, but the park is important to the children, not just my children. I'm going to see if the Brady's Island Women's Club will take this up as a worthy cause.
April 30, 1971
Bobby is sad and mad not just about the park, but also he found out that he's not as good a magazine salesman as he thought. He still wants a trophy or some kind of prize, so he entered a contest to sell subscriptions. I ordered some comic books from him. He was doing really well, but he just found out that his parents talked their friends into buying subscriptions, so he feels like he didn't really make the sales. And Cindy blurted out that the family was taking a lot of pity subscriptions. I'm still getting my comics, but I do feel bad for the poor little guy.
May 2, 1971
Mike and I meant well, but Bobby found out about how we helped him with sales and he's given up that contest. He is still working on the campaign to save the park though, along with the other kids and BIWC. Anyway, as Mike says, "parents can be human, too," and we've learned a lesson about not interfering too much. With Bobby's quest to be a winner I mean, not with the park.
May 4, 1971
The Brady kids are passing around a petition to save the park, so I signed it. I also suggested they sue to save the park, but Greg pointed out that they'd need a courthouse for that.
May 6, 1971
I don't know what to do about the campaign to save the park. We seemed to be making progress getting support for it, but I just hung up after talking to Mr. Howell. It's all very complicated, but he's hoping to earn money by having Mike design the courthouse, which can't happen if the park isn't demolished. Mike would make some money, too, of course, but I don't know if that would be more important than his family's happiness. Of course, the extra money would be nice, but there's the principle. And what about all the other families and people who use the park?
May 8, 1971
Bobby has finally found something he thinks he can win, an ice-cream-eating contest. The Kartoon King Show, which is shown live from Blenford (except for the cartoons of course, which were made in the '30s through '50s), is holding the contest in a couple days, and Bobby was one of the first kids to call in. First prize is a gold trophy shaped like an ice cream scoop, and all the ice cream you can eat for a year. I'd be more excited about the ice cream, but even though Bobby loves ice cream enough to eat a lot on TV, he's more interested in the trophy.
May 10, 1971
Well, Bobby entered an ice-cream-eating contest on television, so Mike and I took him over on the boat to appear on the show. I made the mistake of seeing that he wore a nice suit, since he'd be on TV, and of course he got ice cream all over it, except for his brown jacket, and it was chocolate ice cream. The kids had to eat without spoons, and with their hands behind their backs.
Poor Bobby didn't win, but his brothers and sisters gave him a nice trophy for being a good brother. Well, it was one of Greg's old trophies, but Bobby appreciated the thought. I just wish Alice didn't think to throw a party for him, with lots of ice cream.
Meanwhile, the campaign to save the park continues, despite Mr. Howell. Mike encouraged me and the children to continue the fight. I appreciate his support.
May 12, 1971
Mr. Brady found a new place for the courthouse, where the dump is now! Yeah, we didn't used to have a dump either. When we first lived on the island, we used most stuff so we didn't have much trash left over, and there were so few of us that we could just dump the trash in the lagoon or bury it in the jungle. Now they just have to find a new place for the dump.
May 14, 1971
Mike saved the day by drawing blueprints for the courthouse to go where the dump is. Greg pranked us by saying that the new dump would be where the park is, but actually Mr. Howell wants it on the edge of the jungle. Mike will have to design that, too, but he's just glad it all worked out. And, yes, he gets to make his family, all the families happy, and make some extra money at the same time.
He says we might be able to afford another trip to the mainland, which would be lovely. Probably this summer, when the kids are out of school.
