Kristy and the Baby Parade (RS#45)

Original Publication Date: 1991

Ghostwriter? Yes, Ellen Miles

Synopsis:

The biannual baby parade is coming, and Kristy thinks it would be fun to enter Emily Michelle in. Jessi also thinks Squirt would have a good time, and the other girls mention various infants they sit for. Mrs. Prezzioso has also asked Kristy to help decorate baby Andrea's stroller for the parade. Kristy thinks entering all these babies would be too much work, and suggests that, with the exception of Andrea, the babies be entered together in the float division, rather than individually in the stroller division. The rest of the BSC agrees and the girls get to work...without communicating. This results in the babies' costumes clashing with the parade float and the sitters being embarrassed to be seen on it, which leads to a fight and very tense parade. They do survive, and make up later. Plus Andrea wins first place in the stroller division.

Far more interesting is the brief subplot, in which the sitters take an infant care class, at Mrs. Prezzioso's suggestion. She's doing a project at Jenny's school and needs more help watching both children for a month, and finds the class. I'd rather have read a book about that.


Established or continued in this book:


The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: M&Ms in her sock drawer, Yodels in her paint box, Doritos in her closet, Snickers under her pillow, Triscuits under her bed

Dawn's having won a baby pageant comes up.

Claudia's digital clock has white numbers.

Ah, this is the one. Jessi doesn't know what colic is. But in the eleventh Super Special she claims her most vivid memory is being able to calm Squirt when he was colicky.

Kristy's happy to see Mary Anne and Logan together, which is consistent with her reaction to the split they have later.

Mallory can sew.


Their Families:

Shannon (the dog) is still a puppy. Tigger's still a kitten, too. Just as the BSC stays in the same grade, I think the animals never grow up.

Sam and Charlie fish.


The Club:

Now that there's a new baby, the Prezziosos are no longer dressed to the nines (maybe sixes or so).

New client: the Salems, with twin babies Ricky and Rose.


SMS: nothing new


PSA time:

The babies on another float wear masks (they're dressed as animals)...probably not a good idea to put something over the nose and mouth of someone who doesn't have good motor skills yet. Use face paint.


Misc:

This is a pretty boring book. Good information in the part about the baby class, though: don't leave babies alone on changing tables, use the stove or a bottle warmer to heat up milk (i.e.; not a microwave), etc.


The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 3

Halloweens in 8th grade: 2 (plus one in seventh)

Valentine's Days in 8th grade: 1

Summers after 8th grade: 2

BSC Fights: 6

SMS Staff: 19

Students (other than the BSC): 62; 39 8th graders, nine sixth-graders, nine unspecified

Clients: 25

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 50 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, candy hearts, Cheese Doodles, Cheetos, a chocolate bar, chocolate-covered cherries, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers (unspecified and whole wheat), cupcakes, dark-chocolate caramels, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, Fig Newtons, Fritos, gumdrops, Gummi Bears, Heath bars, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, Mentos, mini candy bars, Necco wafers, Oreos (Double Stuf), Planter's Peanut bar, popcorn, potato chips, pretzels, pretzel sticks, red hots, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, taco chips, Tootsie Roll Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Triscuits, Twinkies, Yodels)

Crushes: Claudia-7 (Guy, Terry, Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Woody Jefferson, Trevor Sandbourne, Will Yamakawa), Dawn-4 (Travis, Lewis Bruno, Parker Harris, Richie Magnesi), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-7 (Toby, Kelsey Bauman, Pete Black, Ross Brown, Pierre D'Amboise, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor), Mallory-1 (Ben Hobart), Jessi-1 (Quint Walter)

New York, New York! (SS#6)

Original Publication Date: 1991

Ghostwriter? No

Synopsis:

What's this? Another two-week school vacation? Time for a trip, then! This time, it's New York City, to stay with Stacey's dad (Stacey, Claudia, and Dawn) and Laine (Mary Anne, Kristy, Mallory, and Jessi).

Claudia and Mallory take art lessons at the Fine Arts League of New York. Mallory enjoys it, learning a bit about art though ultimately deciding she prefers a different style of drawing and writing overall, but Claudia has a rough time of it. The teacher is harsh with Claudia but generous with praise when talking to Mallory. Of course, this is because Claudia has so much potential that the teacher wants to push to her to realize just how good she can be.

Kristy finds a stray dog. She hides him in Laine's apartment, thinking she'll be able to bring him home, but her mom and stepdad say no, so she has to find an owner for the dog before leaving New York. The dog ends up going to a nine-year-old boy who adores him.

Mary Anne does some of her walking guide book bit, which works well since she and Stacey end up babysitting some British children, Alistaire (whose name I can't read without thinking of Alastair Sim from the 1951 A Christmas Carol) and Rowena, and taking them around NYC sightseeing (including the World Trade Center; weird). Their parents on visiting for work (they're something like diplomats), and while Mary Anne and Stacey are watching the kids, they notice someone following them, and think someone's out to kidnap the children.

Just like when she visited in RS#18, Dawn is terrified of NYC. But she does eventually go into the city (she'd been hiding in Stacey's dad's apartment) after meeting one of Stacey's neighbors, Richie, who has a broken ankle but more importantly, loves NYC and shows Dawn that there are plenty of good things about it.

Jessi goes to a ballet at the Lincoln Center and meets a dancer a little older than she, Quint, who's good enough to audition for Juilliard but nervous because the other boys in his neighborhood tease him for dancing ballet. Jessi prompts him to try out anyway, and he gets in.


Established or continued in this book:


The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: none mentioned

Mary Anne worries that when she says goodbye before going on a long trip it might be the last time she sees whoever she's leaving.

Jessi briefly gets to be the funny one again, instead of just the Black Ballerina caricature she's on her way to being.

It's too bad Claudia didn't continue keeping a diary after making one of the NYC trip, because it would have helped her spelling.


Their Families:

Stacey's dad is still a workaholic, but trying to curb that tendency.

The Pikes' computer does graphics. Ooh.


The Club: nothing new


SMS: on vacation


PSA time:

No! Brontosaurus is the head of an Apatosaurus on the body of a Camarasaurus! It was only created because Marsh and Cope got in a pissing contest over who could discover the most species of extinct animals and they got sloppy. Stop thinking it ever existed! If you really like the name Brontosaurus, because "thunder lizard" is a good name, look up Eobrontosaurus.


Misc:

This book was given as an eleventh birthday present to a Kirsten H. in 1991. Kirsten, happy most-likely-belated thirtieth birthday!

Stacey mentions cockroaches. Ugh. I'm so, so glad that I live in the Pacific Northwest, where roach species prefer wooded areas to house interiors.

Does the petting zoo still cost a dime? Stacey says it always will, but I can't find the information online.

Another question for you New Yorkers (I've only been the city once, for about two hours, so I don't know): when you take a cab with a baby or young child, do you put a carseat or booster seat in the cab?


The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 3

Halloweens in 8th grade: 2 (plus one in seventh)

Valentine's Days in 8th grade: 1

Summers after 8th grade: 2

BSC Fights: 5

SMS Staff: 19

Students (other than the BSC): 62; 39 8th graders, nine sixth-graders, nine unspecified

Clients: 24

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 48 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, candy hearts, Cheese Doodles, Cheetos, a chocolate bar, chocolate-covered cherries, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers (unspecified and whole wheat), cupcakes, dark-chocolate caramels, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, Fig Newtons, Fritos, gumdrops, Gummi Bears, Heath bars, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, Mentos, mini candy bars, Necco wafers, Oreos (Double Stuf), Planter's Peanut bar, popcorn, potato chips, pretzels, pretzel sticks, red hots, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, taco chips, Tootsie Roll Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)

Crushes: Claudia-7 (Guy, Terry, Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Woody Jefferson, Trevor Sandbourne, Will Yamakawa), Dawn-4 (Travis, Lewis Bruno, Parker Harris, Richie Magnesi), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-7 (Toby, Kelsey Bauman, Pete Black, Ross Brown, Pierre D'Amboise, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor), Mallory-1 (Ben Hobart), Jessi-1 (Quint Walter)

Dawn and the Big Sleepover (RS#44)

Original Publication Date: 1991

Ghostwriter? Yes, Peter Lerangis

Synopsis:

Stoneybrook Elementary School has started a pen pal program with a school on a New Mexico Zuni reservation. Dawn learns about while sitting for the Pikes, and wishes she could have a pen pal. When a fire destroys the New Mexico school, Dawn has a chance to help with the program in a different way.

She organizes a food and clothing drive and the whole BSC helps the elementary students with fundraisers. It all culminates in a sleepover at the SES gym, with pizza donated from the local pizza parlor, pancakes and juice courtesy of the grocer, and prizes from a toy store. The students then get to send off all they collected, which is met with gratitude and surprise in New Mexico. The principal there writes a very gracious thank you note and mentions that the students there are now working to raise money to further help themselves, and maybe sponsor a trip to visit Stoneybrook. Sadly, we never get to see that happen. But the kids have fun with the whole thing.


Established or continued in this book:


The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: dark-chocolate caramels under her pillow,

Those of you who have read Dawn Saves the Planet know how conceited Dawn got in that one. This book might shed some light on that. When Dawn mentions her idea to Kristy, Kristy starts off as if she's going to take over (but doesn't), which Dawn is internally irritated about, but decides the most important thing is that the Zunis get help. Later, she's recognized for her efforts. She must have been expecting something similar in the later book.

Still...Dawn is so judgmental in the books she narrates. There are all these parenthetical asides: (sometimes really bossy) (she said it took that long, but I think she was exaggerating) They're all over.


Their Families:

The Pike boys learned Op-Talk back in #40 (Claudia and the Middle School Mystery) precisely because Pig Latin is so well-known, but now they're acting like Pig Latin is their own special, secret language.


The Club:

Haley Braddock somewhat lets the cat out of the bag about the donations coming to New Mexico (it's supposed to be a surprise) under the guise of a fortune teller, and gives the return address as one care of Mary Anne. She doesn't tell anyone about it, and fibs that she just forget to mention it to Mary Anne. The only reason I bring it up is later Haley starts lying to try to get out difficult situations.


SMS:

SMS has the same school secretary still; good continuity.

8th grade students: Kristin Reinhardt, Jodi Reynolds, Nicole Rogers, Ray Stuckey

8th grade teachers: Mr. Blake (homeroom), Ms. Berner (math)


PSA time:

Speaking of thank you notes, be polite and write them. It encourages people to give you further gifts.

In general, it's best to give money to relief agencies like the Red Cross to help people. In-kind donations certainly have their place (for example, I often knit baby blankets to donate to a local crisis pregnancy center). But sending a check only costs a stamp, and not even that if you donate online, instead of the postage for large packages. Plus, a relief agency that's right in the area of the place needing help can use the money to buy things from local stores, supporting the local economy. If you're moved to donate an actual item, check with relief agencies to see what's needed. You don't want to overwhelm people who are recovering from a disaster with dozens and dozens of toys when they really need clean underwear.


Misc:

Vanessa's pen pal says her teacher is "an Anglo, like you." Mallory thinks that means a Caucasian, but I'm pretty sure it means someone from England. Granted, in a later Super Special we'll learn that the Pikes are at least part English, but when that comes right after the younger Pikes hearing that their pen pals are Native Americans, not Indians, it seems like that should have been mentioned, too. Then again, considering the pen pals are from New Mexico, it could have been worse. She didn't call Vanessa a gringo.

I organized my school's first blood drive, and had a local pizza place donate pizzas for the workers' lunch break. I think I might have gotten the idea for the pizza from this book.


The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 3

Halloweens in 8th grade: 2 (plus one in seventh)

Valentine's Days in 8th grade: 1

Summers after 8th grade: 2

BSC Fights: 5

SMS Staff: 19

Students (other than the BSC): 62; 39 8th graders, nine sixth-graders, nine unspecified

Clients: 24

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 48 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, candy hearts, Cheese Doodles, Cheetos, a chocolate bar, chocolate-covered cherries, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers (unspecified and whole wheat), cupcakes, dark-chocolate caramels, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, Fig Newtons, Fritos, gumdrops, Gummi Bears, Heath bars, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, Mentos, mini candy bars, Necco wafers, Oreos (Double Stuf), Planter's Peanut bar, popcorn, potato chips, pretzels, pretzel sticks, red hots, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, taco chips, Tootsie Roll Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)

Crushes: Claudia-7 (Guy, Terry, Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Woody Jefferson, Trevor Sandbourne, Will Yamakawa), Dawn-3 (Travis, Lewis Bruno, Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-7 (Toby, Kelsey Bauman, Pete Black, Ross Brown, Pierre D'Amboise, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor), Mallory-1 (Ben Hobart)

Stacey's Emergency (RS#43)

Original Publication Date: 1991

Ghostwriter? No

Synopsis:

Finally, all the foreshadowing (since book 30) about Stacey's not feeling well comes to fruition. Stacey's been intensely hungry and thirsty, and sneaking candy. It all comes to a head when she's visiting her father in New York and she ends up admitted to the hospital for two weeks. Of course, everyone's worried: Charlotte Johanssen becomes a hypochondriac, Laine visits almost every day, Stacey's mom comes to stay with Laine's family for the duration of Stacey's hospital stay, the older BSC members make a trip to New York to visit, the people back in Stoneybrook send cards, and so on.

To make matters worse, her parents have been using her as a go-between, rather than talking to each other like civilized human beings. Yes, they're divorced, but they should try harder to be polite to each other for their daughter's sake. They can't even hide their anger for each other while she's in the hospital. Stacey eventually has enough of this, and yells at them for their behavior. After she apologizes for the way she talked to them but not for what she needed to tell them, they agree to try to not put her in the middle. We'll see how well that goes.


Established or continued in this book:


The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: root beer barrels and M&Ms in her desk, Ring Dings in her dresser

Okay, I don't usually read too much into these books as far as sexuality goes, but even I had to raise my eyebrow at Stacey's description of her and Claudia: "[We] are pretty interested in boys (I've even been described as "boy-crazy"), and we like action!"

According to Stacey, Claudia has low self-esteem. It's nice of Stacey to be concerned about her friend.

Logan has continued to be an alternate sitter despite Mary Anne breaking it off with him.

Stacey's still taking French (though not doing well in it).

Stacey and Laine get along so well here. It's too bad that won't last.

Mary Anne still does catch-and-release with spiders.

Jessi mailed Stacey a letter. She's a self-described terrible letter-writer, so she must be working to change that.


Their Families:

Stacey's parents must have had a really bad divorce. Not only can they hardly stand to be in the same room as each other, they check up on each other through Stacey and can't talk civilly on the phone.


The Club: nothing new


SMS:

SMS has either a student store or a vending machine; Stacey was able to buy a chocolate bar there. It also has at least two stories.

Cokie Mason got a nose job. The BSC has a good laugh about that, but when the Pikes won't let Mallory get one, they're too strict.

8th grade student: Ross Brown


PSA time: nothing new


Misc:

Stacey briefly wonders about people dealing with more severe cases of diabetes before insulin injection was possible. Laura, Carrie, and Grace Ingalls all died due to complications from diabetes. Probably a good thing they only got candy at Christmas.

Stacey's right about not having privacy in the hospital. Even though I was healthy after my daughter was born, every time I fell asleep someone would come in to check my temperature or her hearing or to tell me I had a visitor. (By the way, please check with a nurse or someone before visiting a patient in the hospital, regardless of the reason for being admitted. It's just polite, like calling before visiting someone at home.)


The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 3

Halloweens in 8th grade: 2 (plus one in seventh)

Valentine's Days in 8th grade: 1

Summers after 8th grade: 2

BSC Fights: 5

SMS Staff: 17

Students (other than the BSC): 58; 35 8th graders, nine sixth-graders, nine unspecified

Clients: 24

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 47 (bubble gum, Butterfingers, butterscotch candy, candy hearts, Cheese Doodles, Cheetos, a chocolate bar, chocolate-covered cherries, cookies, Cracker Jacks, crackers (unspecified and whole wheat), cupcakes, Ding-Dongs, Doritos, Fig Newtons, Fritos, gumdrops, Gummi Bears, Heath bars, Hershey's kisses, Ho Hos, jawbreakers, licorice, licorice whips, Lifesavers, M&Ms (regular and peanut), Mallomars, marshmallows, Mentos, mini candy bars, Necco wafers, Oreos (Double Stuf), Planter's Peanut bar, popcorn, potato chips, pretzels, pretzel sticks, red hots, Ring Dings, root beer barrels, salt water taffy, Snickers, taco chips, Tootsie Roll Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies)

Crushes: Claudia-7 (Guy, Terry, Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Woody Jefferson, Trevor Sandbourne, Will Yamakawa), Dawn-3 (Travis, Lewis Bruno, Parker Harris), Mary Anne-2 (Alex, Logan Bruno), Stacey-7 (Toby, Kelsey Bauman, Pete Black, Ross Brown, Pierre D'Amboise, Scott Foley, Sam Thomas), Kristy-1 (Bart Taylor), Mallory-1 (Ben Hobart)