Original Publication Date: 1994
Ghostwriter? Yes, Ellen Miles
Synopsis:
Sorry it's a bit since the last post. There were two baby showers, one of which I co-hosted, and my daughter's birthday was yesterday. Just a little busy. Anyway, the book. Derek Masters is back in town to shoot a TV movie called Little Vampires and Kristy is largely responsible for watching him on set. It doesn't take long for suspicious accidents to happen, and threatening notes to show up. The BSC is able to solve the mystery, of course. It was an obsessed fan of the (adult) star of the film, who thought that Derek was taking the attention too much away from her precious star crush.
Greer at http://blog.stoneybrookite.org/ is diligently posting about the BSC Challenge. Here are my answers so far
-Favorite sitter: Claudia. She seems to just do a really good job with her charges and I would both enjoy being sat by her and would trust her to watch my kid. I like Shannon a lot, too, but she's a big unknown.
-Least favorite sitter: Dawn. She spends so much convinced that she's right that I would think she'd try to undermine my authority if she were sitting for my kid.
-Favorite regular book: I have a few that I always enjoyed: Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls for the atmosphere, Mary Anne Saves the Day for the storyline, and Claudia and the Bad Joke probably because of how many times I've been on crutches.
-Least favorite regular book: Again, a couple. I hate Kristy and the Walking Disaster, Kristy and the Baby Parade, and Mary Anne to the Rescue because they're just so boring. And I hate Dawn and the School Spirit War because of how stupid everyone is in it.
-Favorite mystery: I generally don't like the mysteries, but Mary Anne and the Secret in the Attic is a book I enjoy. It doesn't seem as far-fetched as some of the others.
-Least favorite mystery: So many to choose from! Probably Dawn and the Surfer Ghost. I just can't get myself to care about the book at all.
-Favorite Super Special: Tie between Snowbound! and The Baby-sitters Remember because so many entertaining stories happen in them.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: Oreos, Starburst, Twix
Mallory acts a little starstruck, just like when she first met Derek. She also gets to be an extra in movie because the director loves her look, which must be great for her self-confidence.
Dawn's still in California. Her six-month stay seems to be on its ninth or tenth month now.
Their Families:
Haven't heard lately if Sam Thomas is still in the Math Club.
The Club: nothing new.
SMS:
Cokie Mason's in here a bit, playing her usual part of a rich, self-centered social climber.
PSA Time: Nothing stood out.
Misc:
Books like this make me glad I'm not into acting. It sounds tedious to reshoot and reshoot over and over.
This book was published in 1994, the year after Jurassic Park, one of my favorite movies. Near the end of the movie when the kids, Grant, and Sattler are running away from the raptors in Visitor Center, the girl falls and her stunt double looks directly at the screen. However, in post-production they were able to digitally replace the stunt double's face with the actress's face. Too bad that technology wasn't around for Derek's movie or they wouldn't have to worry about him doing his own stunts (smaller budget for a TV movie, I'm sure).
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 6
Valentine's Days in 8th grade: 2
Halloweens in 8th grade: 3 (plus one in seventh)
Thanksgivings in 8th grade: 1
Summers after 8th grade: 7
BSC Fights: 8
SMS Staff and Faculty: 45
Students (other than the BSC): 165; 101 8th graders, 6 7th graders, 42 6th graders, 15 unspecified
Clients: 29
Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 95
Crushes:
Stacey-11
Claudia-8
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-2
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-1
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7 comments:
Yippee! New post!
I always liked this mystery (as I do much of the mystery series.) I've always like the Masters family too so any book with them is one I'm on board with.
Was Carson an adult? I'd always gotten the impression he was about BSC/Sam or Charlie Thomas' age, kinda like the Rob Pattinson or Zach Efron of BSC-world. (And being that the movie is Little Vampires, Rob seems a little more appropriate right now, even though I believe he's a bit older than I'd thought Carson was.)
30 Day Challenge - My answers:
Fave sitter - Mary Anne, because I think I'm most like her
Least fave sitter - Abby, but I've only read one book (Kristy and the Dirty Diapers) with her in it. Maybe if I'd read one of 'her' books, it'd be different.
Dawn does undermine parents' authority. She tells Buddy he can't play with a toy gun (that I'm sure Mrs./Mr. Barrett bought for him.) I'm sure if they're buying him the toys, it's all right for him to be playing with them.
Fave regular book - Mary Anne Misses Logan. Not necessarily because they get back together (because I've always been a Mete shipper), even though I'm happy MA got what she wanted. I think I like the book because I've always wanted to do the kinds of school projects they do at SMS, and this author one would've been right up my alley, as I've always been a reader.
Least fave regular book - Kristy for President, just because I hate the Jamie Newton storyline with a passion.
Fave mystery = tied between Kristy and the Missing Child and Claudia and the Recipe for Danger. Missing Child because that's something that could believably happen and also because I'm always so touched by how Jake asks Kristy to let his mom know where he is. *tear* And by the 8th grade class giving Kristy an award for finding Jake. *another tear* Recipe for Danger because I've always wanted to be in a baking contest like that. If I had to pick just one, RfD, because I'm a baker at heart. (And it helps that I LOVE Chocolate Cherry Cake, too.)
Least fave mystery - I also don't love DatSG (very obvious who the new snack shack worker was) but I might pick Kristy and the Haunted Mansion because 1. It's not haunted, 2. What DAs they are for even staying in the house. Which one of them never heard of sleeping in the van?! and 3. I figured out the mystery the second I heard about Dorothy.
Fave super special - tie between Snowbound and Starring the Baby-Sitters Club. I found Snowbound both realistic and relatable and StBSC because I've always wanted to be in a production like Peter Pan. I was involved as crew in a HS production of Jack and the Beanstalk and that was awesome and I wish I'd gotten to do more of that. (Even better to act in the play but I'm pretty sure I'd out-shy/out-stage fright Char Johannsen so probably better not to do the acting thing.)
KatV is so great for Mal! I have a soft-spot for Mal as the first BSC book I ever read was Poor Mallory! Also I'm like her with the love of reading. (I always chaffe a bit at the bit in Mary Anne and Too Many Boys when Vanessa decides not to tell Mal that Chris wanted to go out with her = because it'll be better if Mallory doesn't know the whole story. Why? Who would that be better for? I can't help but think that would've boosted Mal's confidence through the roof.)
You're right, Kristy and the Missing Child could at least happen, unlike a lot of the mysteries! And a lot of people don't like the Jamie Newton subplot of Kristy for President. I can totally see coming home after Dawn sat for my kids and they're crying about the baby cows who were orphaned when I heartlessly slaughtered their parents for the leather in our couches.
Fun reading your opinions!
Re: Carson. His age is not outright stated, but he acts like a young adult. Which I guess makes him 14 in BSC years, right?
Yeah, I know, right! I didn't think they'd pinpointed Carson's age but I was wondering if I might've missed it.
"She also gets to be an extra in movie because the director loves her look, which must be great for her self-confidence."
Mallory must have thought it totally made up for being rejected as an extra for the filming of a crowd scene in "California Girls". The director told her he'd like to let her in the scene but her looks weren't quite right (thanks to her dying her hair blonde!)
Yep, bonclyde, just what I was thinking! The director picks her out of a group of people, "Hey, Red!" Hooray for Mallory!
Claudia is one of my favorites also. I guess it's because like Claudia, i also love junk food and reading Archie comics (in opposed to Nancy Drew), I also like to dress funky and create my own styles, and I didn't really care for school either (though i did get average grades).
I don't blame you for not liking Dawn. I used to be a fan of hers up until book 60. Now she's my least favorite.
I loved Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls due to the fact that Claudia got her first crush (I'd take Trevor over Jeremy Rudolph any day), Kristy and Alan going to the first dance together, and the English muffin pizzas that Mimi made.
Man was Dawn and the School Spirit War terrible. All that for a month of school spirit? how annoying! And most of the Kristy books are terrible, except for some like Kristy's Big Day and Kristy and the Snobs.
Mary Anne and the secret in the Attic is a good book and it's one of my favorite mysteries too. It introduces Mary Anne's parents and explains about Mary Anne's mom. Plus it reminded me of that Rugrats episode with chuckie wanting to know all about his mom.
I agree, I liked Dawn in books like The Ghost at Dawn's House, but in so many others...ugh. I'm with on Jeremy Rudolph too. I was especially annoyed because he's from my state. :)
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