Book Ve. Movie

The story begins with Nancy noticing someone moving into the townhouse next to her, Joan Egypt. Joan rebels against all the rules and regulation for what you could have out on your townhouse lawn. Mr. Hoffer, the head of the Live Oak Estates Home Owners Association is constantly making up rules and regulation to rule out whatever it is Joan has on her lawn. Finally Joan finds something that would cause Mr. Hoffer to get rid of his beloved stature if he made any sort of rule for Joan's lawn ornament.

I liked this story because Joan made a difference that would change the way Mr. Hoffer thought the townhouses should look like. I do not believe Joan handled the situation about what would be appropriate to have on your lawn in an aggressive matter. She simply obeyed the regulations with flexibility. It seemed like before Joan moved into the townhouse no one had ever spoke up or would act on anything that would be against what Mr. Hoffer would say even if there was not any regulation against it, like the couple who painted their front door red and moved soon after they were told to repaint it.

Joan may have gone too far with her lawn ornaments. However, she did it to express her individuality, something that was important to her. Every time Mr. Hoffer would say something about Joan's lawn her neighbors were sure to support her. The time Joan put a gnome out in her front yard and would tell the children in the neighborhood "No alarm will sound. The gnome is not alarmed. I don't mind if you approach the gnome." Mr. Hoffer said it would cause all the neighborhood hoodlums to gather around the townhouses and litter the place up. Mrs. Scott one of Joan's supporting neighbors was the first to say that if Joan had to get rid of her gnome that Mr. Hoffer had to do something about his talking car that would tell people to back way as soon as they were anywhere near the his car.