Original Publication Date: 1989
Ghostwriter? No
Synopsis:
Mary Anne leaves her kitten, Tigger, playing on her front lawn when she leaves for a BSC meeting. When she comes back, he's gone. She doesn't really worry until he still hasn't shown up the next morning. She and the rest of the BSC end up papering her neighborhood with posters. All that comes of it is a fake ransom note, sent by a kid who wanted to make a quick $100. We never find out his identity, but does anyone else have money on Mel Tucker or Sean Addison?
At the same time, Logan is acting distant and has a short fuse. Mary Anne is confused by this, especially when she's sitting at the Bruno's and Logan's younger brother shows her why his allergies have been acting up: his sister Kerry is hiding Tigger in her closet. Mary Anne's worried that Logan knew and didn't tell her. Logan had no idea, of course; he's under a lot of pressure from his baseball coach and took it out on Mary Anne. The Brunos do punish Kerry, but also decide she can have a hairless pet. We don't find out what. Hey, maybe she'll get a hairless cat. They don't even have eyelashes (and consequently get eye infections all the time).
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: Fritos, Doritos, Heath bars, Double Stuf Oreos, and M&Ms under her bed,
When Tigger knocks his cat toys behind the fridge, Mary Anne buys him new ones. She should get a whatchamacallit (we never used the proper name) like my parents have: http://www.hometech.com/hts/googlebase.html?item=EC-902225
Mary Anne hates being called "miss."
Mary Anne still loves getting the mail, even after the last book she narrated (Mary Anne's Bad Luck Mystery). She even gets excited when she receives a mystery letter (the ransom note).
Apparently, Logan's baseball coach schedules practices randomly. I've coached middle school (cross country) and the parents and kids had a schedule from the start of practices and meets.
Claudia and Dawn like to sleep in late, like Kristy.
Claudia worries that Tigger might be dead, and is sad because even though Mary Anne doesn't remember her mom's death, Tigger would still be another death in the family. I think that's sweet, in a way, that Claudia would be worried like that, for that reason. There's also a touch of foreshadowing about Mimi.
Their Families:
Mary Anne's dad is dating Dawn's mom again.
Mary Anne's dad doesn't like to ask for favors. I can understand that.
Logan's brother, Hunter, is allergic to just about everything in the world, and probably things in outer space as well. He has a pretty Spartan room, with no curtains...or bedspread. I don't get that; won't he get cold in the winter?
When Mary Anne is describing her dad, she mentions that he's still somewhat strict, and one of her examples is that Logan can't come in the house if she's home alone. I think that's perfectly reasonable.
Tigger's claws are "as sharp as pine needles." I've played with two nine-week-old kittens in the past week, and they can already draw blood (I didn't get scratched, but just when they walked over me, I could feel it). Maybe Tigger has a calcium deficiency or something.
Tigger is fifteen inches long, with tail. I'm going to grab a measuring tape...my husband's cat, Eddie, is 32 inches long from nose to tail (he'll be 12 in July). Both are American short hair cats.
Tigger doesn't wear a collar. Neither does Eddie, but that's because he's not allowed outside anymore (he picks too many fights). When he was allowed out, he always wore his tags.
Jessi gives Squirt a cheese sandwich instead of the grilled cheese sandwiches she and Becca eat, because her brother's so young. But if you let the grilled cheese cool down, wouldn't that be easier? The cheese would stay between the bread.
Squirt does fake sneezes. My younger brother used to do that, too, pretty realistically.
The Club:
The BSC starts sitting for Logan's family.
Foul! Jessi says Charlotte doesn't have a pet, but her family has had Carrot the Schnauzer since the second book.
Dawn schedules an appointment, because Mary Anne is too upset over the ransom note.
Mary Anne reminds us that the Mancusi's snake got loose while Jessi was pet-sitting, but fails to mention that she herself is the one who let him escape.
Mrs. Barrett is awesome for reminding Dawn when she'll be back. I've babysat and nannied several times when the parents aren't sure how long they'll be gone.
The BSC remembers to take down the "Lost or Strayed" posters after they find Tigger. Hooray!
SMS: Nothing new
PSA time:
Yes, Mary Anne is right: milk usually isn't so great for cats. Most can't digest it well. On a similar note, hedgehogs are always lactose intolerant. Presumably, hedgehog milk is fine for them. Speaking of tiny animal milk...if you found yourself lost or stuck somewhere and there was no food, only rats, you'd be better off drinking their milk than eating them. Lots of protein.
You should cut up grapes before giving them to babies; they're just the right size and shape to be a choking hazard.
Misc:
When my husband's cat disappears, I look for him the same way Mary Anne looks for Tigger: thorough search of one room, close the door, move on to the next. Last time, I found him on top of the fridge.
Lucy Newton wears lavender overalls in this book. For some reason, that has always stuck in my memory.
Buddy Barrett is worried that his basset hound, Pow, will be kidnapped like he thinks Tigger was, because, he explains, sometimes people steal dogs and cats and sell them to people in other towns. He's read ahead to Mystery #7, Dawn and the Disappearing Dogs.
What did Kerry do with Tigger's waste?
Fish aren't pets. I like having them, but it's not like you can play with them. They're a decoration, somewhere between a pet and a plant.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 1
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
BSC Fights: 5
SMS Staff: 13 (2 6th grade, 3 7th grade, 4 8th grade, 2 elective, 1 vice-principal, 1 secretary)
Students: 32 8th graders, six sixth-graders
Clients: 20
Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 35 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, Cheese Doodles, a chocolate bar, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers, cupcakes, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, gumdrops, Fritos, Gummi Bears, Heath bars, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, mini candy bars, Oreos (Double Stuf), popcorn, pretzels, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, Tootsie Roll Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)
Crushes: Claudia-3 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne), Dawn-1 (Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-4 (Toby, Pete Black, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor)
5/25/10
Kristy and the Mother's Day Surprise (RS#24)
Original Publication Date: 1989
Ghostwriter? No
Synopsis:
Kristy and the BSC are wondering what to do for Mother's Day (while Mary Anne feels left out). Our Great Idea Machine comes up with a plan: they'll take their younger siblings out the day before Mother's Day, along with some charges, so the moms get some rest. Claudia finds a nearby carnival, and Stacey comes along to help. Those members without younger siblings make their moms personalized brooches, and Mary Anne decides that since her dad raised her alone, she'll get him a book he wants. And everyone loves the BSC.
But the real surprise is what Kristy's mom and stepdad announce. They've been asking how the Thomas and Brewer kids would feel about another sibling, leading Kristy and the rest to think that Elizabeth's pregnant. Nope! They (somehow managed, without telling the kids or needing to have social services visit the house or anything) adopted a two-year-old little girl from Vietnam. Welcome, Emily Michelle! Soon, Karen the Brat will name a rat after you.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: red hots in her pencil cup, Cheese Doodles under her bed, Cracker Jacks in her closet, M&Ms in a shoe box,
Claudia keeps most of her art supplies under her bed.
Their Families:
While Kristy makes a good point that families are not necessarily a mom, a dad, and 2.5 kids, I don't think Nanny qualifies as a one-person family. She's part of your family, Kristy. Along similar lines, one reason I love my granny is that she considers my nephew (husband's sister's son) part of her family. She's awesome like that.
I don't understand why it was a big deal for Mallory and Jessi to get their hair cut. It's not like they wanted to dye it wild colors or get expensive things done to it. Why did their parents care so much?
Sam and Charlie still play the cannonball game with David Michael, Karen, and Andrew.
There's more with Mimi deteriorating, building up for #26.
Stacey's parents have been arguing a lot.
The Club: Nothing new
SMS: Nothing new
PSA time:
Okay, I need to clarify this: the "greeting card people" did not invent Mother's Day. Neither did Hallmark. Various occasions to celebrate mothers have existed since ancient Greece. What we celebrate in the US was thought up by Anna Jarvis in 1907 to honor her late mother (Jarvis herself had no children). It quickly became commercialized, which Jarvis did not appreciate. Saying it's a Hallmark holiday is like calling Christmas a Hallmark holiday just because that store sells stuff for it.
Also, P. T. Barnum didn't say that there's a sucker born every minute; his rival did.
Misc:
I am always confused about how to write Mother's Day. Where should the apostrophe go? Anna Jarvis said it should be singular possessive, but I don't know... It's meant for all mothers, so it's plural. But if I'm just writing to my mom then should it become singular? Or should I forget it altogether and say it's a day about mothers and fine with no apostrophe? I feel like Janine in Kristy's Great Idea, standing outside Claudia's door contemplating whether The Baby-sitters Club should have an apostrophe.
This book takes place in April and May.
A Molly Gordon owned this book. And also a purple pen.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 1
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
BSC Fights: 5
SMS Staff: 13 (2 6th grade, 3 7th grade, 4 8th grade, 2 elective, 1 vice-principal, 1 secretary)
Students: 32 8th graders, six sixth-graders
Clients: 19
Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 33 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, Cheese Doodles, a chocolate bar, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers, cupcakes, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, gumdrops, Gummi Bears, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, mini candy bars, Oreos (Double Stuf), popcorn, pretzels, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, Tootsie Roll Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)
Crushes: Claudia-3 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne), Dawn-1 (Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-4 (Toby, Pete Black, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor)
Ghostwriter? No
Synopsis:
Kristy and the BSC are wondering what to do for Mother's Day (while Mary Anne feels left out). Our Great Idea Machine comes up with a plan: they'll take their younger siblings out the day before Mother's Day, along with some charges, so the moms get some rest. Claudia finds a nearby carnival, and Stacey comes along to help. Those members without younger siblings make their moms personalized brooches, and Mary Anne decides that since her dad raised her alone, she'll get him a book he wants. And everyone loves the BSC.
But the real surprise is what Kristy's mom and stepdad announce. They've been asking how the Thomas and Brewer kids would feel about another sibling, leading Kristy and the rest to think that Elizabeth's pregnant. Nope! They (somehow managed, without telling the kids or needing to have social services visit the house or anything) adopted a two-year-old little girl from Vietnam. Welcome, Emily Michelle! Soon, Karen the Brat will name a rat after you.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: red hots in her pencil cup, Cheese Doodles under her bed, Cracker Jacks in her closet, M&Ms in a shoe box,
Claudia keeps most of her art supplies under her bed.
Their Families:
While Kristy makes a good point that families are not necessarily a mom, a dad, and 2.5 kids, I don't think Nanny qualifies as a one-person family. She's part of your family, Kristy. Along similar lines, one reason I love my granny is that she considers my nephew (husband's sister's son) part of her family. She's awesome like that.
I don't understand why it was a big deal for Mallory and Jessi to get their hair cut. It's not like they wanted to dye it wild colors or get expensive things done to it. Why did their parents care so much?
Sam and Charlie still play the cannonball game with David Michael, Karen, and Andrew.
There's more with Mimi deteriorating, building up for #26.
Stacey's parents have been arguing a lot.
The Club: Nothing new
SMS: Nothing new
PSA time:
Okay, I need to clarify this: the "greeting card people" did not invent Mother's Day. Neither did Hallmark. Various occasions to celebrate mothers have existed since ancient Greece. What we celebrate in the US was thought up by Anna Jarvis in 1907 to honor her late mother (Jarvis herself had no children). It quickly became commercialized, which Jarvis did not appreciate. Saying it's a Hallmark holiday is like calling Christmas a Hallmark holiday just because that store sells stuff for it.
Also, P. T. Barnum didn't say that there's a sucker born every minute; his rival did.
Misc:
I am always confused about how to write Mother's Day. Where should the apostrophe go? Anna Jarvis said it should be singular possessive, but I don't know... It's meant for all mothers, so it's plural. But if I'm just writing to my mom then should it become singular? Or should I forget it altogether and say it's a day about mothers and fine with no apostrophe? I feel like Janine in Kristy's Great Idea, standing outside Claudia's door contemplating whether The Baby-sitters Club should have an apostrophe.
This book takes place in April and May.
A Molly Gordon owned this book. And also a purple pen.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 1
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
BSC Fights: 5
SMS Staff: 13 (2 6th grade, 3 7th grade, 4 8th grade, 2 elective, 1 vice-principal, 1 secretary)
Students: 32 8th graders, six sixth-graders
Clients: 19
Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 33 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, Cheese Doodles, a chocolate bar, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers, cupcakes, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, gumdrops, Gummi Bears, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, mini candy bars, Oreos (Double Stuf), popcorn, pretzels, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, Tootsie Roll Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)
Crushes: Claudia-3 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne), Dawn-1 (Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-4 (Toby, Pete Black, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor)
5/17/10
Dawn on the Coast (RS#23)
Original Publication Date: 1989
Ghostwriter? Yes, Jan Carr. This is the first time Ann used a ghostwriter. She decided to because she hadn't been to California and wanted the perspective of someone who had.
Synopsis:
SMS has one of its two-week vacations again, and Dawn takes the opportunity to visit her dad and brother in California. She has a great time with family and friends, enough that she almost decides to move back, like Jeff did. In the end, she chooses Connecticut, since she's made it her home. Her dad says she can come visit whenever she wants...and why not bring the BSC along, too? (cf SS#5: California Girls)
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: Ring Dings and Twinkies, Tootsie Roll pops in her knapsack
Dawn doesn't like her childhood nickname of "Sunshine" but it's a whole lot better than Stacey's: Boontsie.
Dawn's obsession with ghost stories started in fourth grade, when she and Sunny got into them.
Sunny also has a spider plant. Maybe Dawn got hers from Sunny or vice versa.
Their Families:
In this book, Dawn's mom and Mary Anne's dad have "cooled off." Dawn's mom is back dating the Trip-man from RS#9.
We get a nice look at Dawn and Jeff's relationship, and a glimpse of her dad; though they're on vacation behavior.
It seems like Dawn's dad jokes to fill time and empty spaces in conversation. That makes sense with how acts in SS#14.
Nicky Pike stills hangs out in the secret passage sometimes.
I thought Karen Brewer claimed Ben Brewer's ghost haunted the attic, and the third floor only because he was above it. Now he "lives" on the third floor.
There's foreshadowing for an addition to the Thomas-Brewer family.
The Club:
Sunny and Dawn's other CA friends have started the We ♥ Kids Club, loosely modeled after the BSC. They even have Kid-Kits. Speaking of...when I was at my parents' recently, I saw a box in the garage with glitter spelling out "Kid-Kit."
Claudia and Mary Anne sit for the Perkins, Newtons, and the Newton's cousins, the Feldmans (Feldmen?). AND...the oldest Feldmen mentions nursing, that babies get immunities from their mothers that way. I really thought that in BSC land, moms only used formula.
SMS: Nothing new
PSA time: Nothing new
Misc:
I think this is the first time we've seen the vegetarian Cabbages and Kings restaurant. But with that name, shouldn't it serve shellfish?
If a mammal having paws large for its body means it's still young (like Shannon the puppy), then my husband's eleven- or twelve-year-old cat is still a kitten. He stomps when he walks.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 1
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
BSC Fights: 5
SMS Staff: 13 (2 6th grade, 3 7th grade, 4 8th grade, 2 elective, 1 vice-principal, 1 secretary)
Students: 32 8th graders, six sixth-graders
Clients: 19
Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 33 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, Cheese Doodles, a chocolate bar, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers, cupcakes, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, gumdrops, Gummi Bears, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, mini candy bars, Oreos (Double Stuf), popcorn, pretzels, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, Tootsie Roll Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)
Crushes: Claudia-3 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne), Dawn-1 (Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-4 (Toby, Pete Black, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor)
Ghostwriter? Yes, Jan Carr. This is the first time Ann used a ghostwriter. She decided to because she hadn't been to California and wanted the perspective of someone who had.
Synopsis:
SMS has one of its two-week vacations again, and Dawn takes the opportunity to visit her dad and brother in California. She has a great time with family and friends, enough that she almost decides to move back, like Jeff did. In the end, she chooses Connecticut, since she's made it her home. Her dad says she can come visit whenever she wants...and why not bring the BSC along, too? (cf SS#5: California Girls)
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: Ring Dings and Twinkies, Tootsie Roll pops in her knapsack
Dawn doesn't like her childhood nickname of "Sunshine" but it's a whole lot better than Stacey's: Boontsie.
Dawn's obsession with ghost stories started in fourth grade, when she and Sunny got into them.
Sunny also has a spider plant. Maybe Dawn got hers from Sunny or vice versa.
Their Families:
In this book, Dawn's mom and Mary Anne's dad have "cooled off." Dawn's mom is back dating the Trip-man from RS#9.
We get a nice look at Dawn and Jeff's relationship, and a glimpse of her dad; though they're on vacation behavior.
It seems like Dawn's dad jokes to fill time and empty spaces in conversation. That makes sense with how acts in SS#14.
Nicky Pike stills hangs out in the secret passage sometimes.
I thought Karen Brewer claimed Ben Brewer's ghost haunted the attic, and the third floor only because he was above it. Now he "lives" on the third floor.
There's foreshadowing for an addition to the Thomas-Brewer family.
The Club:
Sunny and Dawn's other CA friends have started the We ♥ Kids Club, loosely modeled after the BSC. They even have Kid-Kits. Speaking of...when I was at my parents' recently, I saw a box in the garage with glitter spelling out "Kid-Kit."
Claudia and Mary Anne sit for the Perkins, Newtons, and the Newton's cousins, the Feldmans (Feldmen?). AND...the oldest Feldmen mentions nursing, that babies get immunities from their mothers that way. I really thought that in BSC land, moms only used formula.
SMS: Nothing new
PSA time: Nothing new
Misc:
I think this is the first time we've seen the vegetarian Cabbages and Kings restaurant. But with that name, shouldn't it serve shellfish?
If a mammal having paws large for its body means it's still young (like Shannon the puppy), then my husband's eleven- or twelve-year-old cat is still a kitten. He stomps when he walks.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 1
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
BSC Fights: 5
SMS Staff: 13 (2 6th grade, 3 7th grade, 4 8th grade, 2 elective, 1 vice-principal, 1 secretary)
Students: 32 8th graders, six sixth-graders
Clients: 19
Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 33 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, Cheese Doodles, a chocolate bar, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers, cupcakes, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, gumdrops, Gummi Bears, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, mini candy bars, Oreos (Double Stuf), popcorn, pretzels, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, Tootsie Roll Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)
Crushes: Claudia-3 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne), Dawn-1 (Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-4 (Toby, Pete Black, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor)
5/9/10
Jessi Ramsey, Pet Sitter (RS#22)
Original Publication Date: 1989
Ghostwriter? No
Synopsis:
Jessi's neighbors, the Mancusis, call on the BSC for pet-sitting services. They have a week-long vacation planned, a few dozen animals, and a pet-sitter who just canceled. Kristy thinks the BSC shouldn't pet-sit (remember Buffy and Pinky from the first book?) but the other 8th-grade members are sick of her bossiness, so Jessi is able to talk her into it. She has the time, since the Braddocks are on vacation and her ballet school is closed for the week. (Of course)
Things go pretty well. At one point, the snake escapes and the girls (Mary Anne is visiting) freak out stereotypically, but the other reptiles, dogs, cats, fish, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, and hamsters behave and do well under Jessi's care. but then she notices one hamster seems sick, and takes him to vet, where it's discovered that he is a she and she is pregnant and will give birth that weekend. (Of course)
Meanwhile, Dawn, Claudia, and Mary Anne stage something of a coupe, and demand elections for new positions. Things are tense and looking grim, but when they do hold the election, everyone votes everyone else back into their spots unanimously. (Of course)
The Mancusis have Jessi spread the word that they need homes for the ten baby hamsters. The Pikes get one, as does Jackie Rowdowsky, who just lost a class election to take care of the class rabbit. Jessi and her family also get their very first pet. (Of course)
I like this one, but it's predictable.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: potato chips under her bed, licorice sticks in her jewelry box, M&Ms in her pencil case, Doritos and popcorn under her pillows.
Dawn had a parakeet named Buzz that could talk. Do parakeets talk? My dad had one years ago and he only mentioned that he taught it to do a wolf-whistle when he walked into the room.
Their Families:
Becca has terrible stage fright.
Squirt was so-nicknamed by the nurses who took care of him when he was born, as he was the smallest baby in the nursery.
It's official: the Pikes' cat Sarge has disappeared. Jessi describes Mallory's family as having no pets.
The Club:
Mary Anne has yet to make a scheduling mistake in the club notebook.
Claudia sits for Jamie Newton at one point, when he has boundless energy. She's comments that she's never seen him so wound up. The only other time Jamie's been "wound up" was a time Claudia sat for him. He must have been really interesting this time.
SMS:
Jessi is still the only African-American in sixth grade.
PSA time:
Jessi tells us that the snake isn't poisonous. If that's the word the Mancusis used, that's amusing. Snakes (well, some) are venomous. Something you choose to interact with (say you eat a mushroom) is poisonous. Something that chooses to interact with you (a snake bites you) is venomous. Question carefully people who reassure you that their sharp-toothed animals aren't poisonous.
Misc:
The "tense" dog-walking scene (the Perkins' dog, Chewy, briefly joins them and the dogs see a squirrel) always reminds me of the scene in Little House on the Prairie, when Pa has to keep his horse down to a walk while a huge wolfpack trots along with them. I don't know why.
I grew up with the catch-and-release method for indoor spiders as well. Mom always liked us to take the spiders across the street and dump them in the neighbors' yards so they would have a harder time coming back.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 1
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
BSC Fights: 5
SMS Staff: 13 (2 6th grade, 3 7th grade, 4 8th grade, 2 elective, 1 vice-principal, 1 secretary)
Students: 32 8th graders, six sixth-graders
Clients: 19
Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 33 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, Cheese Doodles, a chocolate bar, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers, cupcakes, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, gumdrops, Gummi Bears, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, mini candy bars, Oreos (Double Stuf), popcorn, pretzels, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, Tootsie Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)
Crushes: Claudia-3 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne), Dawn-1 (Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-4 (Toby, Pete Black, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor)
Ghostwriter? No
Synopsis:
Jessi's neighbors, the Mancusis, call on the BSC for pet-sitting services. They have a week-long vacation planned, a few dozen animals, and a pet-sitter who just canceled. Kristy thinks the BSC shouldn't pet-sit (remember Buffy and Pinky from the first book?) but the other 8th-grade members are sick of her bossiness, so Jessi is able to talk her into it. She has the time, since the Braddocks are on vacation and her ballet school is closed for the week. (Of course)
Things go pretty well. At one point, the snake escapes and the girls (Mary Anne is visiting) freak out stereotypically, but the other reptiles, dogs, cats, fish, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, and hamsters behave and do well under Jessi's care. but then she notices one hamster seems sick, and takes him to vet, where it's discovered that he is a she and she is pregnant and will give birth that weekend. (Of course)
Meanwhile, Dawn, Claudia, and Mary Anne stage something of a coupe, and demand elections for new positions. Things are tense and looking grim, but when they do hold the election, everyone votes everyone else back into their spots unanimously. (Of course)
The Mancusis have Jessi spread the word that they need homes for the ten baby hamsters. The Pikes get one, as does Jackie Rowdowsky, who just lost a class election to take care of the class rabbit. Jessi and her family also get their very first pet. (Of course)
I like this one, but it's predictable.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: potato chips under her bed, licorice sticks in her jewelry box, M&Ms in her pencil case, Doritos and popcorn under her pillows.
Dawn had a parakeet named Buzz that could talk. Do parakeets talk? My dad had one years ago and he only mentioned that he taught it to do a wolf-whistle when he walked into the room.
Their Families:
Becca has terrible stage fright.
Squirt was so-nicknamed by the nurses who took care of him when he was born, as he was the smallest baby in the nursery.
It's official: the Pikes' cat Sarge has disappeared. Jessi describes Mallory's family as having no pets.
The Club:
Mary Anne has yet to make a scheduling mistake in the club notebook.
Claudia sits for Jamie Newton at one point, when he has boundless energy. She's comments that she's never seen him so wound up. The only other time Jamie's been "wound up" was a time Claudia sat for him. He must have been really interesting this time.
SMS:
Jessi is still the only African-American in sixth grade.
PSA time:
Jessi tells us that the snake isn't poisonous. If that's the word the Mancusis used, that's amusing. Snakes (well, some) are venomous. Something you choose to interact with (say you eat a mushroom) is poisonous. Something that chooses to interact with you (a snake bites you) is venomous. Question carefully people who reassure you that their sharp-toothed animals aren't poisonous.
Misc:
The "tense" dog-walking scene (the Perkins' dog, Chewy, briefly joins them and the dogs see a squirrel) always reminds me of the scene in Little House on the Prairie, when Pa has to keep his horse down to a walk while a huge wolfpack trots along with them. I don't know why.
I grew up with the catch-and-release method for indoor spiders as well. Mom always liked us to take the spiders across the street and dump them in the neighbors' yards so they would have a harder time coming back.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 1
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
BSC Fights: 5
SMS Staff: 13 (2 6th grade, 3 7th grade, 4 8th grade, 2 elective, 1 vice-principal, 1 secretary)
Students: 32 8th graders, six sixth-graders
Clients: 19
Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 33 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, Cheese Doodles, a chocolate bar, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers, cupcakes, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, gumdrops, Gummi Bears, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, mini candy bars, Oreos (Double Stuf), popcorn, pretzels, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, Tootsie Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)
Crushes: Claudia-3 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne), Dawn-1 (Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-4 (Toby, Pete Black, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor)
5/2/10
Mallory and the Trouble with Twins (RS#21)
Original Publication Date: 1989
Ghostwriter? No
Synopsis:
Mallory gets short-term steady sitting job (aren't they all?) with a new client, the Arnolds. Her charges are eight-year-old identical Marilyn and Carolyn. At first, things seem okay, but soon the twins start to misbehave. Their parents dress them the same, even down to their nail polish, so when they take off their ID bracelets, Mallory can't tell them apart. They do this when Claudia sits for them too, going so far as to send the wrong twin to her piano practice.
Mallory eventually figures out that the girls want to be treated like individuals, just like her triplet brothers do. Once the girls realize Mallory does actually want to get to know them, they behave better. Mallory also helps them talk to their mom about dressing differently. They end up with permission to spend their birthday money on new outfits, and are much happier.
Inspired, Mallory talks to her parents about updating her look. She ends up with permission to get pierced ears and a new haircut and to spend babysitting money on clothes.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: NONE!
If Mallory's eyes are bad enough that wouldn't be able to read the twins' ID bracelets from a short distance, why would she ever consider going anywhere but down the hall without her glasses?
Claudia's leg aches when rain's on the way.
Dawn is taller than both Mary Anne and Mallory.
Mallory knows how to make coffee. I don't, so that impresses me. I barely know how to order it.
When they go to the mall, Dawn gets two holes in each ear, Claudia adds an extra hole (it doesn't specify which side), and Mallory and Jessi each get one. Mary Anne remarks that Jessi looks "pretty sexy." (Kristy and Mary Anne leave the mall with their earlobes intact)
Mallory also gets braces and a new haircut. Her stylist tells her cutting her hair shorter will let it relax, which I don't get. My hair is wavy/curly and really thick. Right now it's to my mid-back so it weighs itself down and mostly ends up wavy or in loose curls. If it's much short than my shoulders, it becomes an afro (seriously, when I was three I had a white-blonde afro).
Their Families:
Supposedly, the triplets have distinct personalities. But is this every expanded upon? Byron's "sensitive" and likes to eat, Jordan takes piano lessons, and Adam's the other one. Have I missed anything?
I think Mallory's parents are right to be cautious in giving contact lenses to an eleven-year-old. They're more work that glasses and the person getting them needs to be able to handle that (maybe Mallory is, but she needs to prove that). I got my first pair when I start heading the ball more in soccer, at age 13.
The Club:
Associate members don't pay dues (which makes sense).
The Arnolds are introduced.
This books marks the first time that one of the girls really steps in to talk to the parents about a problem the kids are having. Mallory wonders if she's overstepping her bounds, but we all know that as time goes on, the girls worry less and less about that.
SMS: Nothing new.
PSA time:
Another difference between a yard sale and an estate sale is that the owner of the items being sold at the latter tends to be dead.
Misc:
Mallory doesn't know what a shoe tree is.
I hope Nicky's model of the solar system made with balls isn't supposed to be to scale, because the sun is a tennis ball.
My friends and I must have liked this book. Jessi reminisces about pretending to be twins; Mallory about pretending to be foreign. I can recall being on a ferry ride with three other friends and two pretended to be fraternal twins while the other and I pretending to be French. I also remember thinking that I'd have to wait until I was 16 (like my mom had been) to get my ears pierced. Instead, when I was seven and we walked by a boutique, I asked Mom and she stunned me by saying yes!
Carolyn says she has "pretty much money." What a strange way to put it.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 1
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
BSC Fights: 4
SMS Staff: 13 (2 6th grade, 3 7th grade, 4 8th grade, 2 elective, 1 vice-principal, 1 secretary)
Students: 32 8th graders, six sixth-graders
Clients: 19
Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 32 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, Cheese Doodles, a chocolate bar, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers, cupcakes, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, gumdrops, Gummi Bears, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, mini candy bars, Oreos (Double Stuf), pretzels, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, Tootsie Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)
Crushes: Claudia-3 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne), Dawn-1 (Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-4 (Toby, Pete Black, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor)
Ghostwriter? No
Synopsis:
Mallory gets short-term steady sitting job (aren't they all?) with a new client, the Arnolds. Her charges are eight-year-old identical Marilyn and Carolyn. At first, things seem okay, but soon the twins start to misbehave. Their parents dress them the same, even down to their nail polish, so when they take off their ID bracelets, Mallory can't tell them apart. They do this when Claudia sits for them too, going so far as to send the wrong twin to her piano practice.
Mallory eventually figures out that the girls want to be treated like individuals, just like her triplet brothers do. Once the girls realize Mallory does actually want to get to know them, they behave better. Mallory also helps them talk to their mom about dressing differently. They end up with permission to spend their birthday money on new outfits, and are much happier.
Inspired, Mallory talks to her parents about updating her look. She ends up with permission to get pierced ears and a new haircut and to spend babysitting money on clothes.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: NONE!
If Mallory's eyes are bad enough that wouldn't be able to read the twins' ID bracelets from a short distance, why would she ever consider going anywhere but down the hall without her glasses?
Claudia's leg aches when rain's on the way.
Dawn is taller than both Mary Anne and Mallory.
Mallory knows how to make coffee. I don't, so that impresses me. I barely know how to order it.
When they go to the mall, Dawn gets two holes in each ear, Claudia adds an extra hole (it doesn't specify which side), and Mallory and Jessi each get one. Mary Anne remarks that Jessi looks "pretty sexy." (Kristy and Mary Anne leave the mall with their earlobes intact)
Mallory also gets braces and a new haircut. Her stylist tells her cutting her hair shorter will let it relax, which I don't get. My hair is wavy/curly and really thick. Right now it's to my mid-back so it weighs itself down and mostly ends up wavy or in loose curls. If it's much short than my shoulders, it becomes an afro (seriously, when I was three I had a white-blonde afro).
Their Families:
Supposedly, the triplets have distinct personalities. But is this every expanded upon? Byron's "sensitive" and likes to eat, Jordan takes piano lessons, and Adam's the other one. Have I missed anything?
I think Mallory's parents are right to be cautious in giving contact lenses to an eleven-year-old. They're more work that glasses and the person getting them needs to be able to handle that (maybe Mallory is, but she needs to prove that). I got my first pair when I start heading the ball more in soccer, at age 13.
The Club:
Associate members don't pay dues (which makes sense).
The Arnolds are introduced.
This books marks the first time that one of the girls really steps in to talk to the parents about a problem the kids are having. Mallory wonders if she's overstepping her bounds, but we all know that as time goes on, the girls worry less and less about that.
SMS: Nothing new.
PSA time:
Another difference between a yard sale and an estate sale is that the owner of the items being sold at the latter tends to be dead.
Misc:
Mallory doesn't know what a shoe tree is.
I hope Nicky's model of the solar system made with balls isn't supposed to be to scale, because the sun is a tennis ball.
My friends and I must have liked this book. Jessi reminisces about pretending to be twins; Mallory about pretending to be foreign. I can recall being on a ferry ride with three other friends and two pretended to be fraternal twins while the other and I pretending to be French. I also remember thinking that I'd have to wait until I was 16 (like my mom had been) to get my ears pierced. Instead, when I was seven and we walked by a boutique, I asked Mom and she stunned me by saying yes!
Carolyn says she has "pretty much money." What a strange way to put it.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 1
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
BSC Fights: 4
SMS Staff: 13 (2 6th grade, 3 7th grade, 4 8th grade, 2 elective, 1 vice-principal, 1 secretary)
Students: 32 8th graders, six sixth-graders
Clients: 19
Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 32 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, Cheese Doodles, a chocolate bar, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers, cupcakes, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, gumdrops, Gummi Bears, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, mini candy bars, Oreos (Double Stuf), pretzels, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, Tootsie Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)
Crushes: Claudia-3 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne), Dawn-1 (Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-4 (Toby, Pete Black, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor)
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