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)