Original Publication Date: 1989
Ghostwriter? No
Synopsis:
Remember how Stacey's parents have been fighting? Well, they're divorcing now. Stacey takes the news hard, as I imagine anyone would. She's mad they won't try to work things out, and that they've put her in the position of dealing with the fact that parents are splitting up. Both parents decide to move to new places, her dad to the East Side and her mom back to Stoneybrook. They tell Stacey she will decide where (and with whom) to live, which seems like an incredibly difficult position for her. She ends up choosing Stoneybrook over New York, which means living with her mom rather than her dad. Even though she's confident she's picked the PLACE that's best for her, she can't deny that she'll miss being in New York with Laine, her baby-sitting charges, and, most of all, her dad. The book ends with her acknowledging that: she's going to be happy in Stoneybrook, but something will always be missing.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: Oreos in her closet, Lifesavers, Twinkies, and taco chips
Stacey describes Kristy as "wiry."
Dawn is vegetarian in this book rather than just eschewing red meat.
Stacey makes a brief reference to the fad doctor she had to see in RS#3, and we see Judy again a few times.
Stacey's a grade ahead in math, like I was.
Laine (who we learn has brown eyes) gives Stacey half of a best friends necklace.
Stacey impresses herself by moving beds from one room to another with Claudia and her mom's help. I've moved beds all by myself as a teenager; it's not that hard. But then, I don't have THE DIABETES (but I do have asthma).
Their Families:
Becca plays a make-believe game that she's working in an office, which gets recalled in a later book.
Stacey's dad proposed to her mom in Central Park on a carriage ride.
The Club:
Kristy's Krushers have yet to beat Bart's Bashers.
Charlotte Johanssen has tonsillitis.
SMS: Nothing new
PSA time:
"The divorce rate is 50%." That's misleading; it's for all marriages, not first marriages. So, not half of everyone who marries will divorce. (Still is a lot of divorce, though)
Misc:
Again with the Brontosaurus garbage (and not capitalizing the Latin names). Stacey's baby-sitting charge wants to know if one could beat a Stegosaurus in a fight. At least diplocids and stegosaurids are from the same time period (Jurassic).
What kind of terrible real estate agent would show someone the crummy homes first then the nice one in a good neighborhood which is still in the client's price range? Stacey's mom ends up taking, too: behind the Pikes' house. It's the one that was owned by the foreign neighbors who the Pike kids spied on while playing Secret Agents.
I used to think living in a big apartment building sounded glamorous, going off Stacey's descriptions. Now that I've lived in dorms and apartments (not in New York's Upper West Side, though)...I can't wait to move to the new duplex tomorrow and then to a house down the road.
Stacey's mom asks her to open the envelope Laine gave her (to keep her entertained on the trip back to Stoneybrook), saying "Open it before I have an accident. I'm dying of curiosity!" When I read that as a kid, I didn't realize she meant a CAR accident.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 2
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
Summers after 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: 22
Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 36 (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, taco chips, Tootsie Roll Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)
Crushes: Claudia-4 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne, Will Yamakawa), Dawn-1 (Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-4 (Toby, Pete Black, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor)
6/26/10
Jessi and the Superbrat (RS#27)
Original Publication Date: 1989
Ghostwriter? Yes, Jan Carr
Synopsis:
Jessi is starstruck: she's just found out that Derek Masters, an actor on a popular TV show, is from Stoneybrook (one of many celebrities...). Not only that, his family (Mom, Dad, and brother Todd) is moving back to Stoneybrook while the show's on break, she gets to sit for him! She's still a bit dazed when she meets him, but quickly realizes he's a regular kid. Unfortunately, his classmates at Stoneybrook Elementary (where he re-enrolls) don't quite get this: the girls fawn over him and the boys are jealous. One boy in particular is giving him problems. John, the Superbrat as Jessi calls him, does things like tossing Derek's lunch out the window, throwing him baseballs coated in chewed gum, tying his shoelaces together, and so on. Of course, once Derek settles in, the Superbrat problem evaporates, because Derek was actually doing some of those things, and telling people someone else did was his was talking about it.
Also predictably, Derek gets a part in a TV movie and the family must move back to Los Angeles. Derek suggests Jessi try out for parts, too, so she can move to California with them. Jessi's been involved in a series of tryouts for a production of Swan Lake at the prestigious (?) Stoneybrook Civic Center, and thinks maybe ballet isn't her thing. She goes pretty far with the idea of becoming an actor, but ultimately decides to stay with ballet. Of course, she gets a part in the corps as a swan maiden for the production.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: M&Ms under her bed
While waiting to start a BSC meeting, Kristy chews on the TIP of a pencil. Not the eraser, which would be bad enough, but the graphite tip. Ew.
I think it would make sense for Mallory to get a little starstruck, as she does. In Super Special #11, she gets all flustered meeting her favorite author, and in other books she gets weird around famous people (Henrietta Hayes, her ideas about becoming a California girl, and so on).
Kristy's handwriting is messy in this book. I wonder why...did the person who wrote her notebook entries get hurt or something?
Jessi didn't have shoes for her first ballet class; her mom hadn't had the time to take her to buy any.
Hooray for Claudia the Peacekeeper! (She helps Derek make some friends when a group of boys shows up at a playground and things start out a little tense)
I really like the (tiny) bit about Claudia realizing that Todd Masters could use some one-on-one time since his brother's so famous. Given the Claudia-Janine dynamic, she would be the right person to notice that.
Their Families:
Becca still has a rock collection (not gemstones or anything; ones she thinks are interesting).
Karen's bossiness is showing more.
The Club:
New clients: the Masters family.
Mary Anne forgot to write down a baby-sitting job!
SMS: Nothing new
PSA time: Nothing new
Misc:
Hannah Crawford was this book's original owner.
The BSC talks about "winning over" the Superbrat. Why would you want to be friends with such a jerk? I'd want him to leave me alone, but I wouldn't want to be all buddy-buddy with him.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 2
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
Summers after 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: 22
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-4 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne, Will Yamakawa), 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
Synopsis:
Jessi is starstruck: she's just found out that Derek Masters, an actor on a popular TV show, is from Stoneybrook (one of many celebrities...). Not only that, his family (Mom, Dad, and brother Todd) is moving back to Stoneybrook while the show's on break, she gets to sit for him! She's still a bit dazed when she meets him, but quickly realizes he's a regular kid. Unfortunately, his classmates at Stoneybrook Elementary (where he re-enrolls) don't quite get this: the girls fawn over him and the boys are jealous. One boy in particular is giving him problems. John, the Superbrat as Jessi calls him, does things like tossing Derek's lunch out the window, throwing him baseballs coated in chewed gum, tying his shoelaces together, and so on. Of course, once Derek settles in, the Superbrat problem evaporates, because Derek was actually doing some of those things, and telling people someone else did was his was talking about it.
Also predictably, Derek gets a part in a TV movie and the family must move back to Los Angeles. Derek suggests Jessi try out for parts, too, so she can move to California with them. Jessi's been involved in a series of tryouts for a production of Swan Lake at the prestigious (?) Stoneybrook Civic Center, and thinks maybe ballet isn't her thing. She goes pretty far with the idea of becoming an actor, but ultimately decides to stay with ballet. Of course, she gets a part in the corps as a swan maiden for the production.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: M&Ms under her bed
While waiting to start a BSC meeting, Kristy chews on the TIP of a pencil. Not the eraser, which would be bad enough, but the graphite tip. Ew.
I think it would make sense for Mallory to get a little starstruck, as she does. In Super Special #11, she gets all flustered meeting her favorite author, and in other books she gets weird around famous people (Henrietta Hayes, her ideas about becoming a California girl, and so on).
Kristy's handwriting is messy in this book. I wonder why...did the person who wrote her notebook entries get hurt or something?
Jessi didn't have shoes for her first ballet class; her mom hadn't had the time to take her to buy any.
Hooray for Claudia the Peacekeeper! (She helps Derek make some friends when a group of boys shows up at a playground and things start out a little tense)
I really like the (tiny) bit about Claudia realizing that Todd Masters could use some one-on-one time since his brother's so famous. Given the Claudia-Janine dynamic, she would be the right person to notice that.
Their Families:
Becca still has a rock collection (not gemstones or anything; ones she thinks are interesting).
Karen's bossiness is showing more.
The Club:
New clients: the Masters family.
Mary Anne forgot to write down a baby-sitting job!
SMS: Nothing new
PSA time: Nothing new
Misc:
Hannah Crawford was this book's original owner.
The BSC talks about "winning over" the Superbrat. Why would you want to be friends with such a jerk? I'd want him to leave me alone, but I wouldn't want to be all buddy-buddy with him.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 2
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
Summers after 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: 22
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-4 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne, Will Yamakawa), Dawn-1 (Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-4 (Toby, Pete Black, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor)
6/16/10
Claudia and the Sad Goodbye (RS#26)
Original Publication Date: 1989
Ghostwriter? No, Ann took this on by herself
Synopsis:
Here's one of those really sad books. Mimi dies. Even though you know going into in what's going to happen, it's still a surprise when it does. Mimi's been doing worse, needing blood transfusions and being admitted to the hospital a couple of times, but the transfusions seem to help. The second time she's admitted she doesn't even need stay as long, but the night before she's about to go home she dies. Of course, Claudia and her family are heartbroken. Initially, Claudia seems to be taking things well, reminiscing with friends and so on (including Stacey, who comes for the funeral). But it seems so surreal to her that she can't quite come to grips with it. Claudia finds herself feeling upset with Mimi for leaving but is able to come to terms her death and remember good times she had with her.
During all this, Claudia and Mary Anne host a Saturday morning art class for some clients. Corrie Addison joins it, as her mom had the idea. She's always the first one dropped off and the last one picked up. Claudia gets fed up with the way her parents are always trying to get rid of their kids (her brother is Sean Addison) and finally tells Mrs. Addison that Corrie feels unwanted. Her parents make more of an effort to spend time with Corrie. Claudia doesn't think things will be perfect, but hopes they will be better.
The book ends with Claudia unveiling a collage she made for Mimi, full of things to remind her family of Mimi. The BSC and the Kishis think it's perfect, and it gets hung up in Mimi's old bedroom.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: Oreos inside a hollow book, Cheetos under her bed
This books has pretty much the least-awkward mention of Jessi's race. Instead of "she's African-American, but we never notice" or "she could even be purple but we'd still be friends with her" it's just "Jessi and Mal are...different in some ways. The biggest difference is Jessi is black and Mal is white." That's it. Good job, book.
Claudia describes a row of Nancy Drews on her bookshelf...I thought she hid those.
Their Families:
The book specifies that Claudia's maternal grandfather died just after Janine was born (previously it was simply before Claudia was born).
Stacey's parents are fighting more.
There was again no mention of Russ and Peaches visiting Mimi in the hospital (they do come to the funeral).
Nannie has officially moved in with Kristy's family.
The Club:
Claudia says that she and Mary Anne decided to hold the art class in the Kishis' basement after some planning, but Claudia suggested that right when the idea came to her.
The Perkins girls still have a doll named Caroline Eunice.
SMS:
Dori Wallingford's name is now spelled Dorrie.
Claudia's back in school, and camp was in the summer...hello, round two of eighth grade!
PSA time:
When I read this book as a child, it taught me that if I defrost meat, I need to cook it and I can't just stick it back in the freezer.
Misc:
Claudia gets Mimi a teddy bear instead of flowers when she's in the hospital in case she wants "something to hug" which I think is a really sweet thought.
While she takes a little far, I think Claudia has a point about Mimi not really being in the casket. Her body is. It's like C. S. Lewis said, "You don't HAVE a soul; you ARE a soul. You have a body."
I wonder if Ann M. Martin would have kept Mimi alive longer if she'd known the series would go on as long as it did.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 2
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
Summers after 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: 21
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-4 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne, Will Yamakawa), 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, Ann took this on by herself
Synopsis:
Here's one of those really sad books. Mimi dies. Even though you know going into in what's going to happen, it's still a surprise when it does. Mimi's been doing worse, needing blood transfusions and being admitted to the hospital a couple of times, but the transfusions seem to help. The second time she's admitted she doesn't even need stay as long, but the night before she's about to go home she dies. Of course, Claudia and her family are heartbroken. Initially, Claudia seems to be taking things well, reminiscing with friends and so on (including Stacey, who comes for the funeral). But it seems so surreal to her that she can't quite come to grips with it. Claudia finds herself feeling upset with Mimi for leaving but is able to come to terms her death and remember good times she had with her.
During all this, Claudia and Mary Anne host a Saturday morning art class for some clients. Corrie Addison joins it, as her mom had the idea. She's always the first one dropped off and the last one picked up. Claudia gets fed up with the way her parents are always trying to get rid of their kids (her brother is Sean Addison) and finally tells Mrs. Addison that Corrie feels unwanted. Her parents make more of an effort to spend time with Corrie. Claudia doesn't think things will be perfect, but hopes they will be better.
The book ends with Claudia unveiling a collage she made for Mimi, full of things to remind her family of Mimi. The BSC and the Kishis think it's perfect, and it gets hung up in Mimi's old bedroom.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: Oreos inside a hollow book, Cheetos under her bed
This books has pretty much the least-awkward mention of Jessi's race. Instead of "she's African-American, but we never notice" or "she could even be purple but we'd still be friends with her" it's just "Jessi and Mal are...different in some ways. The biggest difference is Jessi is black and Mal is white." That's it. Good job, book.
Claudia describes a row of Nancy Drews on her bookshelf...I thought she hid those.
Their Families:
The book specifies that Claudia's maternal grandfather died just after Janine was born (previously it was simply before Claudia was born).
Stacey's parents are fighting more.
There was again no mention of Russ and Peaches visiting Mimi in the hospital (they do come to the funeral).
Nannie has officially moved in with Kristy's family.
The Club:
Claudia says that she and Mary Anne decided to hold the art class in the Kishis' basement after some planning, but Claudia suggested that right when the idea came to her.
The Perkins girls still have a doll named Caroline Eunice.
SMS:
Dori Wallingford's name is now spelled Dorrie.
Claudia's back in school, and camp was in the summer...hello, round two of eighth grade!
PSA time:
When I read this book as a child, it taught me that if I defrost meat, I need to cook it and I can't just stick it back in the freezer.
Misc:
Claudia gets Mimi a teddy bear instead of flowers when she's in the hospital in case she wants "something to hug" which I think is a really sweet thought.
While she takes a little far, I think Claudia has a point about Mimi not really being in the casket. Her body is. It's like C. S. Lewis said, "You don't HAVE a soul; you ARE a soul. You have a body."
I wonder if Ann M. Martin would have kept Mimi alive longer if she'd known the series would go on as long as it did.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 2
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
Summers after 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: 21
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-4 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne, Will Yamakawa), Dawn-1 (Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-4 (Toby, Pete Black, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor)
6/6/10
Baby-Sitters' Summer Vacation (SS#2)
Original Publication Date: 1989
Ghostwriter? No
Synopsis:
The BSC (except Shannon, of course. Sigh) is going to Camp Mohawk in New York, as are several charges. The older ones will be counselors-in-training (CITs) and Mallory and Jessi are Junior CITs. Here's what happens:
Stacey gets a cold, poison ivy, impetigo, pinkeye, and lots of mosquito bites.
Kristy has to comfort Charlotte Johanssen, who's in her cabin (and really is acting like a baby: she cries watching a nature film when a bullfrog's puffing out its throat scares her). She also gets made over by the other three CITs who are watching the eight-year-olds with her, in preparation for the dance with the boy CITs (the boys stay on the other side of the camp's lake).
Claudia gets pretty close to a Will Yamakawa, one of the boy CITs. His grandmother also lived with his family, like Mimi, but she died the month before camp. They talk about that some, which is interesting given the book that's coming up next.
Dawn ends up counselor for her cabin briefly when the regular counselor's mother suddenly becomes ill. She also takes her group of eleven-year-olds on an overnight camping trip, during which the quiet girl who keeps to herself is revealed to be a nature expert who saves the day when they're lost (I know, I'm shocked, too).
Mary Anne's three co-CITs are very sophisticated and don't believe that Mary Anne has a boyfriend. She earns their respect by attempting to sneak around the lake one night to deliver Logan a note, and later by allowing them to attempt to pierce her ears (but they don't go through with it).
Jessi and Mallory end up in a cabin with four other stuck-up eleven-year-olds. Among other nasty deeds, they other girls call Jessi and Mallory Oreos (yes, it makes no sense, but it's clear they meant to be racist). As Junior CITs, Jessi and Mallory help the eight-year-olds, including Becca and Charlotte, put on a rehearsal for Parents' Day. Mallory and Jessi cast Becca and Charlotte as twins in their play to teach their cabinmates a lesson (because Becca's black and Charlotte's white). They think the other girls will be mortified, angry, or apologetic. It's a book, so of course things work out (three apologize, the fourth doesn't say a word), but I think in real life the other girls wouldn't have even noticed.
Logan mostly has to deal with his co-CITs teasing him about Mary Anne. She wrote an overly sappy letter, not intending to send it but hoping her co-CITs would finally believe her about her having a boyfriend. Fortunately, all the strangers Mary Anne and Logan will never see are impressed with them to stop questioning their relationship.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: none (she buys some at the camp, but it's not the same)
Dawn watches The Parent Trap every week (which is how she got the idea the BSC should go to camp).
When Charlotte Johanssen is crying, it's Mary Anne who has Kleenex to offer her. That makes sense.
Stacey isn't getting perms anymore, but body waves.
Claudia shouldn't have the top bunk. This is the second Super Special in which she's stepped on the hand of the person in the bottom bunk.
Dawn has trouble finding north. So do I. I can kind of figure it out by the sun if I know what time it is, or by where certain constellations are, but I don't just know like some people. Unless I'm in Canada; I can find you anything you want in Canada.
Claudia expresses an interest in learning to knit, from Mimi if possible.
Mary Anne swears off ever having her ears pierced after her co-CITs aren't able to go through with the ice-cube-and-needle routine.
Ah, this is the book. Stacey lets us know she has to test her urine as well as her blood every day.
Their Families:
So formal with the postcards! They're addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. [father's first and last name]." When I send mail to my parents--even my wedding invitation--the mail's addressed to "Mom and Dad."
There's some hinting at Stacey's mom doing too much shopping, at least partially out of boredom.
Stacey's mom continues to say "Have fun and be careful."
Mimi's mind is continuing to fail.
Jessi's dad is named Alex (but it will later change to John). EDIT: Alex is a funny first name, considering his son is John Phillip Ramsey, JR. Thanks, Nikki!
Claudia thinks her parents will want her to marry a Japanese man.
Hmm. Stacey's parents call her when she's in the infirmary, wanting her to come home. First Stacey talks to her mom, then her dad gets on the other phone and says they think it's a good idea for her to come home. Stacey's mom immediately says that Stacey's probably fine. I wonder...Welcome Back, Stacey is just a few books away. If her parents hadn't been fighting, would her mom have so readily agreed with Stacey? That is, is she saying Stacey should stay just for the sake of disagreeing with her dad?
The Club: Nothing new
SMS: Nothing new
PSA time: Nothing new
Misc:
Are you supposed to pick nail polish based on how well it matches your eyes? Because that's what Kristy's co-CITs do, and it seems odd to me.
The camp's doctor is only there certain days. That seems really dumb.
Who else, when reading this, was confused by the sentence "Heather is an Iroquois, which means she can't swim"? It's not really clear that campers are assigned different tribes based on swimming ability...I thought it meant that people descended from the Iroquois were bad swimmers or didn't swim because of a cultural taboo.
Claudia and Will exchange addresses. I wish we could have seen mention of her writing him a letter in the next book (Claudia and the Sad Goodbye) to talk about losing a grandmother.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 1
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
Summers after 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-4 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne, Will Yamakawa), 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:
The BSC (except Shannon, of course. Sigh) is going to Camp Mohawk in New York, as are several charges. The older ones will be counselors-in-training (CITs) and Mallory and Jessi are Junior CITs. Here's what happens:
Stacey gets a cold, poison ivy, impetigo, pinkeye, and lots of mosquito bites.
Kristy has to comfort Charlotte Johanssen, who's in her cabin (and really is acting like a baby: she cries watching a nature film when a bullfrog's puffing out its throat scares her). She also gets made over by the other three CITs who are watching the eight-year-olds with her, in preparation for the dance with the boy CITs (the boys stay on the other side of the camp's lake).
Claudia gets pretty close to a Will Yamakawa, one of the boy CITs. His grandmother also lived with his family, like Mimi, but she died the month before camp. They talk about that some, which is interesting given the book that's coming up next.
Dawn ends up counselor for her cabin briefly when the regular counselor's mother suddenly becomes ill. She also takes her group of eleven-year-olds on an overnight camping trip, during which the quiet girl who keeps to herself is revealed to be a nature expert who saves the day when they're lost (I know, I'm shocked, too).
Mary Anne's three co-CITs are very sophisticated and don't believe that Mary Anne has a boyfriend. She earns their respect by attempting to sneak around the lake one night to deliver Logan a note, and later by allowing them to attempt to pierce her ears (but they don't go through with it).
Jessi and Mallory end up in a cabin with four other stuck-up eleven-year-olds. Among other nasty deeds, they other girls call Jessi and Mallory Oreos (yes, it makes no sense, but it's clear they meant to be racist). As Junior CITs, Jessi and Mallory help the eight-year-olds, including Becca and Charlotte, put on a rehearsal for Parents' Day. Mallory and Jessi cast Becca and Charlotte as twins in their play to teach their cabinmates a lesson (because Becca's black and Charlotte's white). They think the other girls will be mortified, angry, or apologetic. It's a book, so of course things work out (three apologize, the fourth doesn't say a word), but I think in real life the other girls wouldn't have even noticed.
Logan mostly has to deal with his co-CITs teasing him about Mary Anne. She wrote an overly sappy letter, not intending to send it but hoping her co-CITs would finally believe her about her having a boyfriend. Fortunately, all the strangers Mary Anne and Logan will never see are impressed with them to stop questioning their relationship.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: none (she buys some at the camp, but it's not the same)
Dawn watches The Parent Trap every week (which is how she got the idea the BSC should go to camp).
When Charlotte Johanssen is crying, it's Mary Anne who has Kleenex to offer her. That makes sense.
Stacey isn't getting perms anymore, but body waves.
Claudia shouldn't have the top bunk. This is the second Super Special in which she's stepped on the hand of the person in the bottom bunk.
Dawn has trouble finding north. So do I. I can kind of figure it out by the sun if I know what time it is, or by where certain constellations are, but I don't just know like some people. Unless I'm in Canada; I can find you anything you want in Canada.
Claudia expresses an interest in learning to knit, from Mimi if possible.
Mary Anne swears off ever having her ears pierced after her co-CITs aren't able to go through with the ice-cube-and-needle routine.
Ah, this is the book. Stacey lets us know she has to test her urine as well as her blood every day.
Their Families:
So formal with the postcards! They're addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. [father's first and last name]." When I send mail to my parents--even my wedding invitation--the mail's addressed to "Mom and Dad."
There's some hinting at Stacey's mom doing too much shopping, at least partially out of boredom.
Stacey's mom continues to say "Have fun and be careful."
Mimi's mind is continuing to fail.
Jessi's dad is named Alex (but it will later change to John). EDIT: Alex is a funny first name, considering his son is John Phillip Ramsey, JR. Thanks, Nikki!
Claudia thinks her parents will want her to marry a Japanese man.
Hmm. Stacey's parents call her when she's in the infirmary, wanting her to come home. First Stacey talks to her mom, then her dad gets on the other phone and says they think it's a good idea for her to come home. Stacey's mom immediately says that Stacey's probably fine. I wonder...Welcome Back, Stacey is just a few books away. If her parents hadn't been fighting, would her mom have so readily agreed with Stacey? That is, is she saying Stacey should stay just for the sake of disagreeing with her dad?
The Club: Nothing new
SMS: Nothing new
PSA time: Nothing new
Misc:
Are you supposed to pick nail polish based on how well it matches your eyes? Because that's what Kristy's co-CITs do, and it seems odd to me.
The camp's doctor is only there certain days. That seems really dumb.
Who else, when reading this, was confused by the sentence "Heather is an Iroquois, which means she can't swim"? It's not really clear that campers are assigned different tribes based on swimming ability...I thought it meant that people descended from the Iroquois were bad swimmers or didn't swim because of a cultural taboo.
Claudia and Will exchange addresses. I wish we could have seen mention of her writing him a letter in the next book (Claudia and the Sad Goodbye) to talk about losing a grandmother.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 1
Halloweens in 8th grade: 1
Summers after 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-4 (Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Trevor Sandbourne, Will Yamakawa), 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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