Claudia and the Bad Joke (GN#15)

Publication Date: 2024

Ghostwriter? No, the text copyright is for Ann M. Martin.

Illustrator: Arley Nopra

Synopsis:

One of my very favorite BSC books! 

Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: The "pant brushes" make an appearance

Their Families: 

The Kishi family

The Club (and clients): 

I was hoping this version would fix Claudia owing dues from her time in the hospital, but nope. That's just rotten. Also, who has the audacity to call the BSC back to baby-sit again with no attempt to make things right after your kid causes a sitter to break her leg so badly that she needs to be in a cast for months? 

I remember this scene well from the original

SMS:

Ashley Wyeth visits Claudia in the hospital.

Claudia's homeroom calls her when she's recovering at home

PSA Time:

A good rule for practical jokes: Confuse, don't abuse. 

Misc:

Martin dedicates this book to the memory of "Lyman Chamberlain Martin--Grandpappy--who always liked a good joke."

Nopra dedicates it to "my family, who never stopped believing in me. For my grandmas, who I thought of fondly during the making of this book. For Thoa, who I could always count on to have my back. To everyone who reminded me to drink water, thank you! And for Bengee, who cheered me up when I needed it the most. You made me laugh and you are infinitely awesome for that!"

The way Claudia reacts to having her leg broken is impressive when you remember she's 13. I nearly cut off part of my finger with hedge trimmers when I was 32, and like Claudia I had to take care of the kids (my toddler and preschooler) while treating the injury and figuring out a ride (we only had one car at the time, and my husband was at work 40 minutes away). My injury wasn't nearly as bad as Claudia's, but there were logistics to consider.  And I purposely didn't call my mom until after I'd been seen at the hospital, because like Mimi, she wouldn't have been able to get to in a timely fashion and she would have just worried. Maybe Claudia's level-headedness was in the back of my mind.

Mary Anne brings a cute stuffed animal for Claudia instead of Tigger--expressly saying she wanted to bring the cat, but that this was more practical.

The Baby-sitters Club Netflix TV show: Claudia and the Sad Goodbye

Netflix has a new original series: The Baby-sitters Club! The second season and final covers eight books: Kristy and the Snobs, Claudia and the New Girl, Stacey's Emergency, Jessi and the Superbrat, Mary Anne and the Great Romance, Dawn and the Wicked Stepsister (notice the title change?),  Claudia and the Sad Goodbye, and Kristy and the Baby Parade. 

The plots are largely the same as the original books, so I won't rehash that except for the episodes that veer way off. But here are some things I noticed:

What stood out as surprisingly (not necessarily good or bad) different to me:

Mimi dies quietly in her sleep, without a drawn-out hospital stay. The suddenness of it helps the audience feel as shocked as Claudia.

Ashley Wyeth is still around--because she's Janine's girlfriend.

What I was happy stayed the same:

Another not happy about it same thing--Stacey's parents are fighting, badly.

Other interesting touches: 

Claudia has a few shirts with portraits of artists on them, like Salvador Dali and Frida Kahlo. 

A personal thing--Claudia narrates that she has the next 80 years to feel sad about her grandparent's passing, so why start now? She's 13, so she expects to die at 93. My grandfather just passed away, at 93.

The Baby-sitters Club TV Netflix Series: Claudia and the New Girl

Netflix has a new original series: The Baby-sitters Club! The second season and final covers eight books: Kristy and the Snobs, Claudia and the New Girl, Stacey's Emergency, Jessi and the Superbrat, Mary Anne and the Great Romance, Dawn and the Wicked Stepsister (notice the title change?),  Claudia and the Sad Goodbye, and Kristy and the Baby Parade. 

Unlike the original book, this episode focuses on Mallory trying to fit into the club and Claudia at first failing to help her (bringing to mind Hello, Mallory!), before some advice from Ashley Wyeth helps her be a better friend. Ashley's insight also helps Claudia understand Janine a little more.

What stood out as surprisingly (not necessarily good or bad) different to me:

Ashley Wyeth is Janine's friend here, and a well-known artist thanks to her social media following.

Dues change from a flat rate per week to a small flat rate with an added set percentage of each sitter's earnings for that week, and the club will donate half their dues to charity. The members will take turns picking a charity. Stacey goes first, picking the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

What I was happy stayed the same:

Claudia's self-confidence struggles are well-portrayed, fueled by Kristy naming Dawn (the alternate officer) as acting president rather than Claudia (the vice president).

Other interesting touches:

Janine's interested in cryptocurrency.

Claudia and the New Girl (GN#9)

Publication Date: 2021

Ghostwriter? No, the text copyright is for Ann M. Martin.

Illustrator: Gabriela Epstein, with color by Braden Lamb

Synopsis:

The plot is, as expected, pretty much like the non-graphic version. With as art-driven as this story is, it was really nice to have it in a visual medium.


Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy:

chips and cookies on the floor

 

Their Families: nothing new

The Club (and clients): 

The notebook isn't meant to be used like this!

The club is introduced this way instead of the Chapter Two info-dump:

 
SMS:

Mrs. Hall, English teacher:

New student Ashley Wyeth:

SMS lunchroom:

PSA Time:

Something I noticed more reading this after having kids, is how thoughtful it was of Claudia, only 12 in the book, to ask permission of both Jackie and his mom before sculpting him--especially when the sculpture is intended to be on public display. I rarely post pictures of my kids online, and usually try to have their faces obscured when I do.

Helmets are a good idea when biking!

Misc:

Martin dedicates this book to "the loyal readers of the Baby-sitters Club."

Epstein dedicates it to "my mom, who breathed life into our house with her pottery and paintings, and my dad, who showed me the political power of comics. Thank you to DK and Shep, whose classes and advice made me fall in love with learning again and changed my life for the better. And to both my grandmothers, Barbie and Sonia, for being my biggest cheerleaders."

The illustrations really help this story, in my opinion. It's easier to understand Ashley's body language, and how she doesn't view Claudia as an equal. That's not to say the BSC isn't acting jealous and petty when Claudia makes a new friend, but Ashley isn't looking for a friend and isn't really one to Claudia. Part of seeing that is my being older and having viewed my children and my husband have "friends" who view the relationship as transactional, but seeing the characters is a big part, too.

Twenty-first century alert! Instead of looking for a payphone to let the BSC know she'll be late to the meeting, Claudia borrows Ashley's cell phone--which is a smart phone!

One of the notes the BSC leaves Claudia:

Ashley's award-winning fire hydrant:

The Baby-sitters Club Netflix TV Series: Claudia and Mean Janine

Netflix has a new original series: The Baby-sitters Club! The first season covers the first eight books plus a sort of adaptation of of the second super special, Baby-sitters Summer Vacation. AND...it's set in the present day (2019/2020), updated accordingly, and much more diverse. The plots are broadly the same as the original books. Here are some things that I noticed...

What stood out as surprisingly (not necessarily good or bad) different to me:    

Claudia and Trevor spend more time together--not really dating at this point, but getting to know each other better.

The BSC redecorates Mary Anne's room together, with Claudia leading the charge. First, Claudia and Stacey talk with Richard about a misunderstanding from earlier, and all make amends. Mary Anne doesn't feel that the room is quite right at first, but when she and her dad put up some mementos of her mom's, she loves it.

Sam hangs out more with the BSC, which helps develop his relationship with Stacey.

Mary Anne meets Logan here, who's not a transfer student. His sister (Kerry, I assume) is showing pottery at the same art show Claudia shows her paintings at.

With the plots being set a couple decades later than in the books, Mimi's age is adjusted accordingly. Thus, she was a child during World War II...living in the US...and spent three years in an internment camp. Mimi's awful memories about her time there resurface after her stroke.

What I was happy stayed the same:

Claudia has her junk food art show!

The show depicts stroke recovery and Claudia's worry and confusion well.

Other interesting touches: 

Claudia's earrings look hand-made.

There's speculation that Janine is on the autism spectrum. Same for Mary Anne's dad.

I liked seeing the BSC families coming together to support the Kishis.

I'm glad the internment camps were brought up. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I learned about them at a young age, but a lot of people in other parts of the US have said they were never mentioned in school.

The Humpty Dumpty picture from Mary Anne's infancy is revealed to have been her mother's when Alma was a baby.

The Baby-sitters Club Netflix Series: Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls

Netflix has a new original series: The Baby-sitters Club! The first season covers the first eight books plus a sort of adaptation of of the second super special, Baby-sitters Summer Vacation. AND...it's set in the present day (2019/2020), updated accordingly, and much more diverse. The plots are broadly the same as the original books, although here the focus is more on the school dance and Claudia's relationship with her parents in regards to her grades, and the only phantom calls we see on-screen aren't a shy boy trying to ask someone out. Here are some other things that I noticed:

What stood out as surprisingly (not necessarily good or bad) different to me:

Trevor is an artist like Claudia instead of a poet, which is how he and Claudia notice each other in the first place. Because he knows her better in this version, he actually asks her out to the Halloween Hop in the first place instead of calling, getting nervous, and hanging up.

Stacey offers Claudia her own math test to pass off as Claudia's, since Claudia failed hers and her parents won't allow her to go to the dance with a failing grade. Claudia takes her up on the offer, too. Claudia does come clean on her own to her parents, rather than being found out. Her parents aren't thrilled about her lying, but they do acknowledge that she's putting in an effort and has improved a bit. They don't let her attend the dance, but they are more obviously supportive of her than some of their book appearances seem.

Janine is more overtly antagonistic toward Claudia in the series, which makes Claudia's reactions to her more understandable. Janine's the one to suggest that the Kishi parents not allow Claudia to attend the Halloween Hop if she fails her test.

Karen has more of a creepy child vibe than an overbearing one.

The titular phone call turns out to be Mary Anne, calling from an old phone to talk to Kristy.

What I was happy stayed the same:

I love the scene with Claudia and Mimi cooking together.

Mary Anne and Kristy communicate by flashlight.

Other interesting touches: 

Mary Anne has to use a flip phone as part of her punishment for not calling her dad to let him know she's running late.

Claudia dresses in a style evocative of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, hoping it will inspire her to understand math better.

Claudia and Mean Janine (GN#4)

Original Publication Date: 2008

Ghostwriter? No, the text copyright is for Ann M. Martin.

Illustrator: Raina Telgemeier

Synopsis:

Like the others, this graphic novel version of Claudia and Mean Janine is faithful to the original book. The second Claudia-narrated book was chosen instead of Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls because it was a story that included more about Claudia's family and would also translate better to a visual medium.

Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: M&Ms, cookies, low-carb pretzels for Stacey and Dawn, candy bars, Gummi bears, taffy, lollipops, chips, gum

No name-brand candies were harmed in the drawing of this book:

Their Families:

Claudia shows her family the portrait she painted:

Kristy, Dawn, and Jeff:

The Club (and clients):

Claudia's handwriting (and spelling):

Dawn's handwriting:

Claudia with the Newton kids:

Summer playgroup:

At the end of the book, Claudia says she'll have to cut back on baby-sitting a little. The new school is starting and she wants to be able to focus at least some on her studies. Kristy suggests they invite Mallory Pike to join, who helped then with the summer playgroup.


SMS:

Some SMS teachers:

PSA Time:

Baby powder, especially the kind with talc, isn't recommended for babies anymore.


Misc:

Martin dedicates this book to her "Aunt Adele and Uncle Paul," and Telgemeier gives "thanks to everyone who helped make this project a reality! Dave Roman, Marion Vitus, John Green, Ashley Button, Janna Morishima, David Saylor, David Levithan, Cassandra Pelham, Eliie Berger, Sheila Keenan, Kristina Albertson, Phil Falco, Vera Brosgol, Dr. Laurie Kane, the Green family: Bill, Martha, and MarMar, and most especially, Ann M. Martin."

The storm that opens Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls opens this book. Some other elements of that book are in here, too. For example, Kristy's mom and Watson aren't married yet.

Claudia and the Mystery of the Secret Passage (TV#8)

What happens:

The BSC is putting together a bulletin board of old photographs: "Stoneybrook through the Years." While working on the project, Claudia and Dawn venture in the secret passage and the Schafer/Spier house. The passage looks nothing like I imagined it: there are windows! And insulation! It looks like an attic instead of the dark, narrow, rickety hallway-sort of thing in my head. But the entry looks pretty good to me. It's a panel that pull out from Dawn's wall, which is smaller than I imagined (I'd thought of it as the entire wall) but just a panel makes more sense.

Anyway, Claudia finds an old note in the passage. Apparently there was some feud between sister years ago over a lost diamond ring. The girls decide to hold a seance to try to tell the letter-writer's sister that the lost ring wasn't her fault. The girls find a broken diamond ring in the passage, which they assume is the one the letter meant. Janine points out that the letter has transparent tape on it, which the BSC learns was invented in 1930. Since this episode is from the early 1990s, the girls might now be grown adults and the BSC can return the ring, ending the feud that might still be going on between the girls. A jeweler confirms the style of ring was popular in the 50s, and he happens to recognize the name from the letter, and gives the girls some more information. They track the sisters down to a flower shop they now own. The sisters still disagree over who lost it, but their feud was over decades ago.

Several of the girls are having trouble with their sisters. Becca, Karen, and Vanessa are feeling ignored by Jessi, Kristy, and Mallory, respectively, and Janine is getting on Claudia's nerves. While in the books Claudia can come off as ungrateful to Janine, here Janine is actually very dismissive and belittling of Claudia. Claudia calls Janine out on this, and then later graciously thanks Janine for her tip about the tape. During their conversation Janine clearly makes an attempt to not talk down to Claudia. And Janine is busy...baking cupcakes? She explains that they're for the sisters picnic that Jessi, Mallory, and Kristy planned for their little sisters (Stacey invites Charlotte Johanssen too), because Janine has a little sister, too. The sisters from the flower shop also show up to the party.


Things I noticed:

The captioning spells Kristy as "Christy" in the first scene. Also, Johanssen is spelled "Johansson."

Vanessa Pike has a brief appearance, and she wears glasses and rhymes, and later on Margo and Claire show up, but with red hair instead of brown. Emily Michellel, Becca Ramsey, and Squirt show up too. (A pair of twins in matching frilly dresses walks by in another scene...the Arnolds humoring their mother?)

Kristy's actor is wearing braces on her teeth.

Funny! Claudia holds up some broccoli and declares it "Dawn's wedding bouquet." Dawn puts some carrots up to her ears and says they're Claudia's earrings.

The girls have thick, red plastic flashlights, just like I did in the 80s.


Special guest stars: Kelly Bishop as Flora, Ashley Chase as Karen, Jane Chen as Janine, Najah Dupree as Becca, Stephi Lineburg as Vanessa, Maeve McGuire as Bettina

Claudia and the Missing Jewels (TV#6)

What happens:

At a craft fair, Claudia's jewelry gets "discovered" by a local shop owner, who commissions some earrings. Kristy helps her with the sales side of things, and is a very enthusiastic supporter. But following a sitting job for Karen Brewer, the earrings go missing. Claudia's stressed, because if the earrings aren't ready in time, she'll have to refund the $50 deposit, which she already generously volunteered for a club activity. Kristy is convinced the thief is Julie, the Brewer-Thomas housekeeper Kristy doesn't like. But soon there's more to go on than just ill will: the BSC spies her wearing a pair of Claudia's earrings! This lead to an awkward confrontation when Kristy accuses Julie of stealing. But Karen had given Julie the earrings as a birthday present.

So then Kristy goes to confront Karen, who first says she was going to give the earrings back, then that they were a present, then that they came from her "treasure tree." The rest of the BSC surmises that Karen came up with the stunt as a way to get Kristy's attention. When Kristy gives Karen the attention she's demanding she deserves, Karen shows her a hollow in a tree where she's been stashing things that aren't hers. Kristy apologizes for ignoring Karen, and gets the treasures back where they belong, which include the rest of the earrings Claudia made. Realizing that Julie had also been ignored, the BSC throws Julie a small surprise birthday party, complete with a pair of earrings that Claudia made, legitimately hers this time. The episode ends on the party, so we don't get to see Claudia sell her wares, and this ends up more of a Kristy episode.


Things I noticed:

Again, the actress playing Claudia is really good with kids. Come babysit my kids, Jeni F. Winslow!

There's a small armchair in Kristy's room. In the books, several of the girls have armchairs in their rooms.

The scenes with the club spying on Julie are pretty funny. They're all wearing giant, conspicuous sunglasses and hiding poorly. At one point, Jessi gets distracted by buying some gum from a candy machine, very much like an eleven-year-old.

Karen seems to be visiting for longer than just a weekend. This episode was filmed before she and Andrew started staying every other month. It's not summer, as Kristy's doing homework in a scene.

The scene with Kristy accusing Julie of stealing...the BSC sees someone in possession of a stolen item, and they're wrong for bringing that up? It's not like it's that far a leap of logic to assume that she'd taken them. Of course the diplomatic thing to do would be to exclaim, "Oh, you found them! Thank you so much!" but these are teenagers.

Also...Karen feels ignored because Kristy wanted some quiet when she was working on a book report, and then some space to hang out with Claudia (the later scene when Karen wanted to show Kristy something and Kristy rudely brushed her off is different). Karen's response is to steal stuff, hide it, give it away under the guise of being nice, and Kristy's the one at fault?


Special guest stars: Ashley Chase as Karen (who does a great job as the over-excited kid),Gina Gallagher as Charlotte Johannsen, Danny Tamberelli as Jackie Rodowsky, and Missy Yager as Julie

Claudia

Books narrated: 31

#2 Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (no ghostwriter) my favorite Claudia book
#7 Claudia and Mean Janine (no ghostwriter)
#12 Claudia and the New Girl (no ghostwriter)
#19 Claudia and the Bad Joke (no ghostwriter)
#26 Claudia and the Sad Goodbye (no ghostwriter)
#33 Claudia and the Great Search (no ghostwriter)
#40 Claudia and the Middle School Mystery (ghostwriter: Ellen Miles)
#49 Claudia and the Genius of Elm Street (gw: Peter Lerangis)
#56 Keep Out, Claudia! (no ghostwriter)
#62 Claudia’s Freind Friend (gw: Nola Thacker)
#71 Claudia and the Perfect Boy (gw: Suzanne Weyn)
#78 Claudia and Crazy Peaches (gw: Jahnna Beecham/Malcolm Hillgartner)
#85 Claudia Kishi, Live from WSTO! (gw: Peter Lerangis)
#91 Claudia and the First Thanksgiving (gw: Nola Thacker)
#97 Claudia and the World’s Cutest Baby (gw: Peter Lerangis)
#101 Claudia Kishi, Middle School Dropout (gw: Ellen Miles)
#106 Claudia, Queen of the Seventh Grade (gw: Peter Lerangis)
#113 Claudia Makes up Her Mind (gw: Peter Lerangis)
#117 Claudia and the Terrible Truth (gw: Ellen Miles)
#123 Claudia’s Big Party (gw: Vicki Berger Erwin)
#128 Claudia and the Little Liar (gw: Suzanne Weyn)

M#6 The Mystery at Claudia’s House (gw: Ellen Miles)
M#11 Claudia and the Mystery at the Museum (gw: Ellen Miles)
M#16 Claudia and the Clue in the Photograph (gw: Ellen Miles)
M#21 Claudia and the Recipe for Danger (gw: Ellen Miles) my favorite Claudia mystery
M#27 Claudia and the Lighthouse Ghost (gw: Peter Lerangis)
M#32 Claudia and the Mystery in the Painting (gw: Vicki Berger Erwin)

Claudia’s Book (gw: Nola Thacker)

FF#4 Claudia’s Friendship Feud (gw: Laura Dower)
FF#7 Claudia Gets Her Guy (gw: Ellen Miles)
FF#12 Claudia and the Disaster Date (gw: Nola Thacker) my favorite Claudia FF

Portrayed by Jeni F. Winslow in the TV show and Tricia Joe in the movie. The TV episodes "Claudia and the Missing Jewels" and "Claudia and the Secret Passage" are centered around her.

Claudia’s Crushes-14 (first place)
Guy, Terry, Austin Bentley, Timothy Carmody, Arthur Feingold, Alan Gray, Frankie Harris, Mark Jaffe, Woody Jefferson, Josh Rocker, Jeremy Rudolph, Trevor Sandbourne, Georgio Trono, Will Yamakawa

Claudia started hiding candy in her room as early as second grade. She drinks coffee, and her favorite potato chip flavor is sour cream and onion. She also has a particular fondness for tacos. She doesn't like the “butter” that movie theaters have for popcorn.

Claudia babysits to fund her wild clothes, which her parents won’t pay for. They must save a lot of money, because very few items of her clothing aren't wild. The Summer Before indicates that Claudia’s wild clothing obsession started around the time she was old enough to baby-sit, possibly only because she could finally buy what she wanted. Claudia shops a lot at thrift stores and flea markets, which explains how she can stretch her meager earnings into so many outfits. Claudia wears about the same size clothing as Dawn. She wears a size seven shoe. Janine wears the same shoe size per The Mystery at Claudia’s House.

Claudia’s school troubles started early: she still couldn't read in the first grade. Claudia’s family checks her homework following a letter the school set about her falling grades as established in Kristy’s Great Idea. Janine finds the homework so boring she will sometimes give Claudia the answers. Despite her struggles in school, Claudia’s IQ is above average.

Claudia is often very insecure. A particularly sad example is from Claudia and the Genius of Elm Street, in which we learn that she fears the rest of the BSC mocks her spelling behind her back. She also has a habit of blaming herself for other people’s medical problems if she and the other person had a recent fight (see: Mimi’s stroke, Peaches’s miscarriage).

Hilarious quote from Mary Anne + 2 Many Babies: "[Claudia]'s very exotic-looking. No brown hair and brown eyes for her. She's Japanese-American." Because, as we all know, people of Japanese-only descent have magenta eyes, and none are brunettes.

Claudia hates spiders.

Claudia learned to knit from Mary Anne, who learned from Mimi.

After breaking her leg in Claudia and the Bad Joke, Claudia can tell when bad weather is coming due to her leg aching.

Claudia likes to sleep in late.

During summer vacations, Claudia has taken sailing lessons (not just in Baby-sitters' Island Adventure).

In Claudia and the Middle School Mystery, Claudia thinks measuring baking ingredients is a waste of time. No wonder her baking experiments in Claudia and the Recipe for Disaster are awful.

Claudia is pretty sure she has type O blood. No mention of Rh factor. I'm O+. A good way to find out your blood type is to donate blood.

Claudia likes Bach. Claudia likes the art of Salvador Dali. He’s one of my favorites, too.

Claudia makes her own greeting cards.

Claudia has different lucky colors on different days.

While working on her personals column for the SMS newspaper, Claudia sees an ad from a boy who looks to be a good match for her. It turns out to be Alan Gray, and Claudia quickly changes her mind. But they do get together in the Friends Forever series and make a decent couple.

Claudia takes tissues with her to baby-sitting jobs, in case the kids she’s watching start crying.

Claudia gets sick to her stomach if she tries to read or write in a moving vehicle.

Claudia has a computer in room by the end of the series.

Only Claudia and Mallory stay in the same house for the duration of the series.

Claudia’s Family

Claudia lives with her parents, John and Rioko (maiden name Yamamoto), and older sister, Janine. Her maternal grandmother, Mimi, lives with them until she passes away in Claudia and the Sad Goodbye.

The Kishis give out raisins and dried fruit for Halloween. Consequently, they don’t get many trick-or-treaters.

In Boy-Crazy Stacey Claudia’s family takes a summer trip to a mountain resort in New Hampshire. In Everything Changes, they forget about this and take their first family summer vacation trip, also in New England (Maine).

Claudia's father is a partner at an investment firm and her mother is head librarian. Their favorite restaurant is Chez Maurice. Kristy’s Great Idea tells us that Claudia’s parents have been married for 20 years. So Claudia’s mom became pregnant after about four years (with Janine). When my husband and I celebrate our twentieth wedding anniversary, we will have at least two daughters, who will be almost Janine’s and Claudia’s ages—the older will turn 16 three months later, and the younger will have turned 13 three months earlier.

Claudia’s dad’s birthday seems to be around March. He buys her lottery tickets from time to time.

Mrs. Kishi’s bank PIN is Claudia’s birthday. Oddly, the ATM she uses stocks bills other than twenties, because she usually gets $50.

Mrs. Kishi’s favorite color is blue. Mimi’s was purple.

Mimi was still in Japan during World War II, but was probably pretty young, teenager or in her twenties. Mimi came to the US when she was 32. Claudia’s maternal grandfather died before she was born, but after Janine was born. Mimi's last name was Yamamoto, according to a postcard Claudia addressed to her in a Super Special. Her first name started with an L, which, from what I understand, wouldn't really happen with a Japanese name. If I recall, L is an uncommon letter.

Initially, only Mimi knew that Claudia hide Nancy Drew books, according to Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls.

Janine takes classes at the local university and has an IQ of 196. According to the Guinness Book of World Records the highest IQ belongs to Marilyn vos Savant, who was awarded the title in 1985 for her 190 IQ. Guinness discontinued the category in 1990.

Claudia’s pretty sure that Janine talks in larger-than-necessary words to screw with people.

Janine hides candy in her room like Claudia does. She makes a point of cleaning her room every Saturday morning, so she probably has a better idea of her current candy inventory than Claudia does.

Janine used to walk Claudia, Kristy, and Mary Anne to school.

Aunt Peaches and Uncle Russ are supposed to live fairly close to Claudia’s family even before they move (the move is prompted by the impending arrival of a baby; that pregnancy ends in miscarriage but they do have a little girl later, for whom Claudia is the godmother), but they don’t visit when Mimi is in a coma following her stroke. They also aren't mentioned as visiting her when she’s dying. But they make a trip to visit when Janine wins an academic award…

Mr. and Mrs. Goldman live next door to the Kishis.

Claudia and the Disaster Date (FF#12)

Original Publication Date: 2000

Ghostwriter? Yes, Nola Thacker.

Synopsis:

Claudia and Alan Gray are still tiptoeing around the idea of dating. Alan seems to genuinely want to show Claudia a good time, but Claudia's unsure because of all the jokes he's pulled in the past. They go out to see a movie and Claudia doesn't even tell the BSC because she's worried she'll be judged, and also a little worried about hurting Alan if word spreads that he was up to old tricks. Kristy doesn't help matters by refusing to see that Alan might be trying to change, or at least that there's more to him than the prank-pulling boy she met in first grade. At Alan's suggestion, the entire BSC (Dawn included, as she's visiting for the summer) joins him, Cary Retlin, and Pete Black for an outing. Alan's on his best behavior, which almost seems fake to Claudia. Later he and Claudia talk, and she tells him that he can relax and be himself. A little while later, at a party in Claudia's backyard, he is able to be funny without being a jerk. Claudia and Alan agree to officially be boyfriend and girlfriend.

Also, Claudia and Erica Blumberg have a temporary job at the Stoneybrook Library, helping in the children's room until a new librarian is hired. Erica takes advantage of being at the library to continue searching for her birth parents after her shifts are over (she eventually realizes where her parents keep her birth certificate and finds out her parents' names--they didn't name her, she's just "Baby Girl"--and talks with her mom and dad, after which she's not as interested in finding her birth parents). Claudia suggests redoing the mural for the children's room, which her supervisor is thrilled about but which mom is unenthusiastic. Claudia comes up with a really nice idea for the mural, only to discover that her supervisor has told the kids they can "help" with the painting. It doesn't go well, and Claudia's mom is even less thrilled. She and Claudia have a heart-to-heart and Claudia fixes the mural, painting the image she had in mind and having the kids put their handprints around it as a border.


Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: candy corn, mixed nuts, and cheese-filled pretzels in her closet (tucked inside a boot), a chocolate bar, Oreos, cereal

Claudia doesn't like movie theater popcorn butter. That seems odd.

Dawn seems to have mellowed a bit, especially in this book and the last California Diaries book (coming up next). She's less judgmental than she'd be portrayed in lots of later books. Until she spouts off something about pesticide use in golf courses.


Their Families:

Claudia is pretty sure that Janine talks in larger-than-necessary words to screw with people. Remember Janine, never use a large word when a diminutive one will suffice.


The Club (and clients):

Kristy's back to YOU MUST NOT BE A SINGLE SECOND LATE mode for BSC meetings.


SMS:

SMS has book orders for all its grades. My school only did them through sixth grade. I got a lot of BSC books that way.


PSA Time:

"Fewer" and "less" are not synonyms. Fewer refers to things you can count; less to things you can't. So you add fewer tablespoons of sugar to a recipe and the resulting food is less sweet.


Misc:

This is Claudia's last book, and the last Friends Forever book, not including the Super Special which will have its own post after the last California Diary.



The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 12

Halloweens in 8th grade: 6 (plus one in seventh)

Thanksgivings in 8th grade: 5

Winter holidays in 8th grade (that BSC members celebrate in the plot of a book, not just reference): Christmas-6, Hanukkah-2, Kwanzaa-3

Valentine's Days in 8th grade: 6

St. Patrick's Days in 8th grade: 1

Summers after 8th grade: 13

BSC Fights: 13

SMS Staff and Faculty: 69

Students (other than the BSC): 218: 123 8th graders (not including Amelia Freeman, who is deceased), 31 7th graders, 48 6th graders, 16 unspecified. Baby-sitters' Winter Vacation tells us that SMS has about 380 students.

Clients: 38 families

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 151

Crushes:
Stacey-13
Claudia-13
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-3
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-2
Abby-0

Claudia Gets Her Guy (FF#7)

Original Publication Date: 2000

Ghostwriter? Yes, Ellen Miles. Also, special thanks is given to the helpful staff at Central Vermont Adult Basic Education.

Synopsis:

Now that Jeremy and Stacey have broken up, Claudia's wondering whether Jeremy has (or maybe still has?) feelings for her. She doesn't have too much time to worry about it, as she and Erica Blumberg are busy helping with an English as a Second Language class. They're assigned families to talk to so that the immigrants can learn American English as it's spoken by native speakers. Claudia's family is from Japan, and she has a good time helping them out with different things.

Jeremy gets pushed back to the front of Claudia's mind pretty quickly when she finds out that there's going to be a dance for Valentine's Day. She decides to write him a note asking him to go with her. Worried she might spell his name wrong, she addresses the note "To a good friend" and slips it his locker. Well, she puts it a locker. Alan Gray's, to be precise. He finds her after reading the note, and before Claudia can explain the mistake, he tells her the note was the nicest thing anyone's ever written him, how special he thinks she is, how much it means to him that she's noticed how he's trying to act more mature, and that yes, he'd love to go to the dance with her. And Claudia realizes that there is more to Alan than the class clown, and decides to give him a chance. He shows her that he can be very thoughtful and sweet. Cary Retlin, who's friends with Alan, cautions Claudia not to lead Alan on or take advantage of the fact that he likes her, and Claudia promises to be careful. She surprises herself at the dance, when she ends up dancing with Jeremy and realizes she'd rather be dancing with Alan. Now that she's gotten to know him, Claudia discovers she really likes him!


Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: Snickers bars in her sock drawer, Gummi Bears behind her books, M&Ms under her mattress, peanut M&Ms and pretzels under her bed, Combos, Raisinets

Erica Blumberg calls Claudia on the Kishi's main phone line rather than using Claudia's number. Maybe she tried Claudia's number but got no answer...still, it seems weird for Claudia to get a call NOT in her room without mentioning having her own line.

Claudia's very perceptive that she shouldn't go on too much about her concerns regarding Jeremy when talking to Erica, realizing that Erica has her own things on her mind (she's still searching for her birth parents).

Claudia and Stacey finish patching things up.

With the Alan Gray development, Claudia and Stacey are tied at thirteen apiece for the highest number of crushes BSC members have had (although Stacey's dated more of her crushes than Claudia has).


Their Families: nothing new.


The Club (and clients):

In the last book, Claudia couldn't attend the going-away party because she was sitting for the Rodowskys. This book starts with her at that sitting job.


SMS:

New-to-us student: Stephanie Boxer (7th).


PSA Time: nothing stood out.


Misc:

My copy of this book was once bought at a West Virginia bookstore named Paperback Palace.

The funny bone is actually a nerve, so no, you can't really break it. You can hurt it, of course.

Another Valentine's Day!



The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 12

Halloweens in 8th grade: 6 (plus one in seventh)

Thanksgivings in 8th grade: 5

Winter holidays in 8th grade (that BSC members celebrate in the plot of a book, not just reference): Christmas-6, Hanukkah-2, Kwanzaa-3

Valentine's Days in 8th grade: 6

St. Patrick's Days in 8th grade: 1

Summers after 8th grade: 12

BSC Fights: 13

SMS Staff and Faculty: 69

Students (other than the BSC): 218: 123 8th graders (not including Amelia Freeman, who is deceased), 31 7th graders, 48 6th graders, 16 unspecified. Baby-sitters' Winter Vacation tells us that SMS has about 380 students.

Clients: 38 families

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 151

Crushes:
Stacey-13
Claudia-13
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-3
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-2
Abby-0

Claudia and the Friendship Feud (FF#4)

Original Publication Date: 1999

Ghostwriter? Yes, Laura Dower.

Synopsis:

Now we get Claudia's side of the story regarding Jeremy. She felt betrayed because she perceived the situation as Stacey weaseling her way into Jeremy's good graces (...not really) and then really betrayed by some of the nasty things Stacey said during their blow-up fight (that I can get behind more). Anyway, it's November, and they're still not talking to each other. Claudia does feel bad for her part in the fight, and wonders about making up someday, but she's not ready for it, at least not yet. So she's relieved when a sitting job for the Pikes comes up and Stacey says she's busy and can't sit with Claudia (Mary Anne and Kristy are also busy). The BSC ends up having Erica Blumberg fill in (it's not totally out of left field; Erica came to a BSC meeting after the mess in Claudia and the Terrible Truth), and she and Claudia get along really well. They start spending time together and talk about a lot of things, including Erica confiding in Claudia that she was adopted as an infant and wants to search for her birth parents. But Claudia keeps making references to Stacey, and makes Erica feel like she's just a stand-in. Another complication in Claudia's life is that Jeremy wants to be friends, even though Stacey and Claudia still haven't made up yet (a talk with Claudia's aunt does get her considering it, at least).

Claudia and Stacey end up sitting together for the Pikes, and have what starts as a promising conversation, but Claudia realizes that Stacey thinks Claudia is trying to steal Jeremy, and Stacey hasn't really apologized for the mean things she said. They end up back where they were. But Claudia does apologize to Erica, and they go back to being friends. The next day at school, Claudia finds out that Jeremy is now in her English class, and they talk a bit. So Claudia might not be friends with Stacey yet, but she's close with Erica and friendly with Jeremy.


Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: Oreos in her closet

Mallory sends the BSC a letter saying she'll be home for Thanksgiving and that she has a crush on a boy she met in a writing workshop. That's three crushes for her.


Their Families:

Kristy and her brothers (it's unclear if David Michael was included in this) were invited to spend Thanksgiving in California with Patrick and Zoey. They were asked too late to make the plans, but Kristy is happy that the offer was made at all.

Vanessa Pike takes ballet.

Byron's sort of becoming the odd man out among the triplets.

Jordan is very ticklish.


The Club (and clients):

Kristy contemplates asking Logan to fill in before thinking of Erica.


SMS: nothing new.


PSA Time: nothing stood out.


Misc:

It's Thanksgiving...again.



The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 12

Halloweens in 8th grade: 6 (plus one in seventh)

Thanksgivings in 8th grade: 5

Winter holidays in 8th grade (that BSC members celebrate in the plot of a book, not just reference): Christmas-5, Hanukkah-2, Kwanzaa-3

Valentine's Days in 8th grade: 5

St. Patrick's Days in 8th grade: 1

Summers after 8th grade: 12

BSC Fights: 13

SMS Staff and Faculty: 68

Students (other than the BSC): 215: 121 8th graders (not including Amelia Freeman, who is deceased), 30 7th graders, 48 6th graders, 16 unspecified. Baby-sitters' Winter Vacation tells us that SMS has about 380 students.

Clients: 38 families

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 150

Crushes:
Stacey-13
Claudia-12
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-3
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-2
Abby-0

Claudia and the Little Liar (RS#128)

Original Publication Date: 1999

Ghostwriter? Yes, Suzanne Weyn

Synopsis:

Claudia and the rest of the BSC are helping out with a basketball team aimed at elementary aged girls. Haley Braddock is one of the girls on the team, but Claudia's been having some trouble with her lately. Haley has been avoiding her homework and lying about whether it's done. She blames Claudia for "telling on her" when Claudia does her job and tells the Braddock parents what their daughter is doing. For example, Claudia mentions that Haley finished a specific book report and her parents recognize it as last month's assignment. Haley starts spreading the word that the BSC exists solely to tattle on the kids, and makes quite a few of the charges very wary of the sitters. She also tries repeatedly to get Claudia in trouble by lying to her parents about what Claudia does while sitting. Mary Anne suggests role playing, and it finally comes out that Haley's been avoiding homework because she's having trouble understanding certain concepts in school. Once the problem is out in the open, the Braddocks can work on solving that. Haley apologizes to Claudia for trying to get her in trouble.

Manwhile, Claudia's also finding that she and Josh don't seem to have much together, and they're drifiting apart. They agree to go back to being friends.


Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: carrots and celery (for Stacey), Ring Dings behind her dresser, Chhez Doodles under her bed

Stacey's still in the Math Club.


Their Families:

Claudia's dad celebrates his birthday in this book.

I guess Janine doesn't have a driver's license despite being 16, because Claudia indicates that she can't drive some art supplies over. Although she might have meant that there's no car available for her to drive.


The Club (and clients):

Ooh, good continuity: the Segers are still the Rodowskys' next-door neighbors.

But then all of a sudden the Braddocks aren't walking distance from the Kishis...


SMS: nothing new.


PSA Time:

Guess what a Deaf seven-year-old can do to communicate with someone who doesn't sign? WRITE. Claudia could have avoided a difficulty if she or Matt had thought to communicate through writing. Even with the spelling issues.


Misc:

This is Claudia's last regular series book.



The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 11

Halloweens in 8th grade: 6 (plus one in seventh)

Thanksgivings in 8th grade: 4

Winter holidays in 8th grade (that BSC members celebrate in the plot of a book, not just reference): Christmas-5, Hanukkah-2, Kwanzaa-3

Valentine's Days in 8th grade: 5

St. Patrick's Days in 8th grade: 1

Summers after 8th grade: 11

BSC Fights: 13

SMS Staff and Faculty: 68

Students (other than the BSC): 216: 122 8th graders (not including Amelia Freeman, who is deceased), 30 7th graders, 48 6th graders, 15 unspecified. Baby-sitters' Winter Vacation tells us that SMS has about 380 students.

Clients: 38 families

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 144

Crushes:
Stacey-12
Claudia-11
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-2
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-2
Abby-0

Claudia's Big Party (RS#123)

Original Publication Date: 1998

Ghostwriter? Yes, Vicki Berger Erwin.

Synopsis:

Claudia's parents are going out of town for the weekend, and Claudia decides to have a small party while they're gone. She's been feeling pulled between her obligations to her BSC friends, her seventh-grade friends, and her boyfriend, so is looking forward to having a chance for everyone to get to know each other and hang out with all of them. Janine's also been wanting to spend more time with Claudia, which Claudia thinks is nice, but she can only be so many places at once. Janine agrees to help with the party, so Claudia's thrilled that everyone who wants a piece of her can be involved. Predictably, more people come than planned (it seems that some guests invited other guests) and things get a bit out of hand. Of course, during the party, Claudia's aunt and uncle show up. In the ensuing awkwardness, Janine and Claudia fight, but patch things up the next morning as they're cleaning.

Subplot is about Melody and Bill Korman. They keep getting in fights with each other (Bill seems to get blamed for more than his fair share, which I'm sure is part of the problem, but it's oddly never brought up). Jessi suggests doing something to force the two to work together, so Mary Anne, who has the next sitting job with them, pretends to lose the house key while on a walk and they work together to retrace steps and actions until they find where Mary Anne hide it in their baby sister's stroller.


Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: M&Ms, Snickers, and pretzels in her desk drawer, more M&Ms under her bed, a Hershey bar in a purse in her closet. She also likens her feeling of being stretched different directions to being a piece of taffy pulled apart.

Mallory's still being teased at school, and it's affecting her sleep.


Their Families:

Okay, Claudia might have a point about Janine using big words to show off her intelligence. Janine says that her ex-boyfriend was taking up her time "geometrically instead of arithmetically" as a way to say he was taking up too much of her time. That just sounds like gibberish; if she wanted to make a math pun then she should have stuck with something more like "exponentially instead of linearly."

It's been mentioned that Janine also has a sweet tooth, and true to form, the first night the parents are out of town, Janine makes a dessert of blondies topped with ice cream and caramel sauce.

Janine and Claudia change in front of each other. I suppose Vanessa and Mallory do as well, since they share a room. Maybe that's normal though; I don't have any sisters.


The Club (and clients):

Abby sometimes runs from her house to BSC meetings instead of getting a ride with Kristy. Still don't get why they don't just hang out with another club member for a couple hours or study or something after school...


SMS: nothing new.


PSA Time:

While the Korman kids think they're locked out of the house, they wonder if they should break a window to get back in. My first thought was that one of them should wrap a hand in a shirt to protect the skin from broken glass, but Bill suggests a better idea: throw a rock or heavy shoe through the window. Far less chance of getting cut that way.


Misc:

So, at 13 and 16, Claudia and Janine have their first night at home without their parents. I've never spent the night at my parents' without them there, and I'm going to 29 this year. I went from home to the college dorms to an apartment with my husband (just before our senior year of college), and didn't even spend a night there alone until a while later when he worked an overnight shift. I was probably 22 or 23 before I was alone overnight. My older brother was probably 21ish, and my younger brother...I'm not sure he has yet! My parents did go out of town once when he was 18, and he had a small party with my parents' permission, but my husband hung out upstairs for the duration. My brother's quite a bit younger than I am, which is probably why my parents didn't do overnight trips when I was living at home.


The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 11

Halloweens in 8th grade: 6 (plus one in seventh)

Thanksgivings in 8th grade: 3

Winter holidays in 8th grade (that BSC members celebrate in the plot of a book, not just reference): Christmas-5, Hanukkah-2, Kwanzaa-3

Valentine's Days in 8th grade: 4

St. Patrick's Days in 8th grade: 1

Summers after 8th grade: 11

BSC Fights: 12

SMS Staff and Faculty: 67

Students (other than the BSC): 216: 122 8th graders (not including Amelia Freeman, who is deceased), 30 7th graders, 48 6th graders, 15 unspecified. Baby-sitters' Winter Vacation tells us that SMS has about 380 students.

Clients: 37 families

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 143

Crushes:
Stacey-12
Claudia-11
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-2
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-2
Abby-0

Claudia and the Terrible Truth (RS#117)

Original Publication Date: 1998

Ghostwriter? Yes, Ellen Miles.

Synopsis:

Claudia goes to sit for the Nicholls, the family who moved into the Addisons' place. Right away, she notices that the two boys are almost too polite, and seem worried about upsetting their father. More odd is that their mother has the same worry. And they react so fearfully to making small mistakes, like putting a little tear in a kid-kit book. Then Claudia hears their dad screaming at them, saying some nasty stuff that parents tend to avoid. The kids themselves do some name-calling casually, as if they're used to it. Claudia thinks it's all very strange, but doesn't quite connect the dots beyond thinking the father is unusually strict. She's confused by how nice their father acts when she's around (which is actually pretty creepy when you think about how abusers are, and I'm glad it was included in the book). But cracks start to appear in the act.

As Claudia's leaving a sitting job, she hears the father hit one of his sons (he thinks Claudia's left, but she forgot her jacket). She goes back to the room where they are desperate to do something, but can't think of what to do and just stutters out a goodbye and leaves. Now, obviously, she should have called the police as soon as she had a chance, but she is only 13 and hasn't had any real experience with this sort of thing; she's unprepared. She does at least consult the BSC right away, and the girls all talk to Claudia's mom together. Her mom then talks to Mrs. Nicholls, who works with her at the library, and also calls a social worker friend of hers. But Mrs. Nicholls denies everything, and the family stops using the BSC, calling Erica Blumberg instead.

But Erica calls Claudia when she's sitting for the boys, asking for help. The boys have several bruises and an unconvincing story to explain them. Claudia calls her mom, who goes to the house with Mrs. Nicholls. Claudia shows up to give Erica moral support...and sees Mr. Nicholls's car in the driveway, too. There's a very loud fight going on inside. A moment later, the door opens and the boys come out with their mom, Erica, and Claudia's mom. They all pile in to Mrs. Kishi's car and take off for Mr. Kishi's office (after dropping Erica off with her mom), because Mr. Nicholls won't think to look for them there. They call social services, and eventually the police to get a restraining order. Claudia keeps the boys occupied while her parents get the mom set up for a long drive to her sister's, even filling up her gas tank for her and getting food ready. If I were in a crisis, I'd want the Kishis helping me. The book ends without all the loose ends tied up, but with the reassurance that the boys are safe.


Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: Junior Mints, Milky Way bars, Chips Ahoy, Oreos, Sour Patch Kids, peanut M&Ms, Triscuits

Claudia used to "fingerpaint" with her baby food. My toddler was fingerpainting with the frosting on a doughnut we got after church; maybe she'll be artistic like Claudia. She already has a sweet tooth!


Their Families:

Claudia's aunt and uncle (Peaches and Russ) leave Lynn with the Kishis for a week. The baby is six months old. My toddler is 27 months old and hasn't been away from us over night yet (but soon will, I hope). While this is a bad idea for a nursing mother, they leave formula for Lynn so either she's been weaned by now for any of a variety of reasons or she was on formula from the start--which isn't necessarily a bad thing; some women can't produce milk well or need medications that would passed through the milk.


The Club (and clients):

The BSC invites Erica to the meeting after all this goes down, which is nice of them. It gives her a bit of closure.


SMS: nothing new.


PSA Time:

At one point, Claudia refuses the offer of a ride home from Mr. Nicholls based on intuition (it's before things really escalate). Listening to your intuition is often a good idea, as long as it doesn't prevent you from living a normal life, for example, if it slips into paranoia. Most reasonable people are correct when they have a sense that something isn't right.

If you have a reason to suspect abuse, report it. Better safe than sorry. And don't assume someone else will take care of it; too many people do that and then nothing gets done. The book is right when it points out that it's a serious accusation, but the police or whoever you report it to will know how to investigate and will take the proper steps. You can report anonymously, too.


Misc:

I 100% agree with Claudia: there are few things better than a baby falling asleep on your chest. My own goddaughter did that a lot when she was a baby (I watched her three days a week for a while).

St. Patrick's Day happens during the course of this book. By the way, the proper response to "Top of the morning to you!" is "And the rest of the day to yourself."


The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 10

Halloweens in 8th grade: 6 (plus one in seventh)

Thanksgivings in 8th grade: 3

Winter holidays in 8th grade (that BSC members celebrate in the plot of a book, not just reference): Christmas-5, Hanukkah-2, Kwanzaa-3

Valentine's Days in 8th grade: 4

St. Patrick's Days in 8th grade: 1

Summers after 8th grade: 10

BSC Fights: 11

SMS Staff and Faculty: 67

Students (other than the BSC): 214: 120 8th graders (not including Amelia Freeman, who is deceased), 29 7th graders, 48 6th graders, 15 unspecified. Baby-sitters' Winter Vacation tells us that SMS has about 380 students.

Clients: 37 families

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 138

Crushes:
Stacey-12
Claudia-11
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-2
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-1
Abby-0

Claudia Makes up Her Mind (RS#113)

Original Publication Date: 1997

Ghostwriter? Yes, Peter Lerangis

Synopsis:

Claudia is disappointed to find out that the seventh grade class color for the SMS Color War (a school spirit thing combined with charity fundraising) is orange. I can relate; my school kept giving my year pink even though we expressly said we didn't want it and even coordinated to all come in black on one of the Class Color days. The yearbook staff even printed our senior year signatures in pink, the ink from which ran and made all our senior pictures look like we had sunburns. Anyway, Claudia decides to head up the committee for the Color War and come up with ways to make the orange work.

In other words, Claudia is doing really well in seventh grade. Her grades, self-esteem, everything. So naturally, the guidance counselor recommends that Claudia go back to eighth grade, assuming that Claudia's progress will continue. She leaves the decision up to Claudia, who suddenly finds herself pulled to both grades. Claudia's also torn on what to do about her relationship with her boyfriend, Mark Jaffe, who's becoming increasingly distant. Especially when Josh Rocker is so nice...

After talking with Mark, he and Claudia agree that a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship isn't right for them. Things start to fall into place. Several days after Claudia and Mark break up, Josh asks Claudia out and she accepts. Josh also helps Claudia figure out the grade decision, and Claudia agrees to move back to eighth grade. Her last act as Queen of the Seventh Grade is winning the Color War and accepting a check for her grade's chosen charity (an adult literacy program).

And because this is the BSC, we have a kid subplot. The charges hear about the Color War and want their own, so the BSC accomodates them.


Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: Heath bars, candy corn, marshmallow jack-o-lanterns, orange lollipops, Doritos, orange soda, carrots (last one's for Stacey, of course)

Mallory should be an editor. She's been correcting people's word choices and grammar a lot.


Their Families:

Janine thinks genes can't skip generations, but that's actually really common. Maybe she meant in the specific case of personality skipping a generation, but that's not how it's phrased.


The Club (and clients): nothing new.


SMS:

New-to-us students: Jennifer Blye, Brandon Klein, Michael King, Nadine Luongo (7th) Sara Erickson (6th). We also find out that Frank O'Malley, a seventh grader introduced in an earlier book, is moving to Oregon, so I'll be subtracting one from the total number of students.

According to Claudia, Alan Gray has a crush on Kristy. He just doesn't know how to show it without being a moron.


PSA Time: nothing stood out.


Misc:

This book was withdrawn from circulation at the Smiths Grove Branch Library, like another I have.

So, there's this bit of dialogue...one boy to Claudia: "That's okay, you can make it up to me." Another boy, listening in: "Didn't I hear that line in a bad movie?" Oh, dear...he doesn't mean a low-budget B movie when he says bad, does he?

The last book was an October one, and this one is in mid-November, but no mention of Halloween. Stacey suggests Christmas shopping, since they forty-five days until the holiday, and Claudia and Kristy think that it's a little early for that. I...actually have some Christmas gifts ready for 2013. I bought them in January on clearance...and might have even picked up a thing or two in late December, I can't remember.


The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 10

Halloweens in 8th grade: 6 (plus one in seventh)

Thanksgivings in 8th grade: 3

Winter holidays in 8th grade (that BSC members celebrate, not just reference): Christmas-3, Hanukkah-1, Kwanzaa-2

Valentine's Days in 8th grade: 3

Summers after 8th grade: 10

BSC Fights: 11

SMS Staff and Faculty: 67

Students (other than the BSC): 214: 120 8th graders (not including Amelia Freeman, who is deceased), 29 7th graders, 48 6th graders, 15 unspecified. Baby-sitters' Winter Vacation tells us that SMS has about 380 students.

Clients: 37 families

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 134

Crushes:
Stacey-12
Claudia-11
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-2
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-1
Abby-0

Claudia and the Mystery in the Painting (M#32)

Original Publication Date: 1997

Ghostwriter? Yes, Vicki Berger Erwin

Synopsis:

The BSC is called upon by the granddaughter of a recently deceased local artist to help watch her son
while she goes through the estate. Claudia is interested, naturally, and soons discovers that after some particularly harsh reviews, the artist destroyed much of her artwork. But maybe there are a few paintings left somwhere...

Of course, since this IS a BSC mystery, she finds a painting that she thinks might be covering some original artwork by the deceased artist. It's not, but others are. And there's this whole craziness with someone posing as a real estate agent and an estranged relative of the artist trying to steal the painting and locking Claudia in a closet...it's a little out there. But the mystery is solved and the would-be theives foiled.

At the same time, the BSC helps set up an interactive art exhibit for children at the Stoneybrook art museum.



Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: M&Ms under a pillow, Ho Hos and a Hershey bar in her closet, pretzels and Hershey's Kisses in a desk drawer, white cheddar popcorn and Gummi Bears

It's pretty minor, but the description of Mary Anne seems to mix up the chronology of certain events in her life, indicating that she got her dramatic haircut before getting a cat.

Claudia always carries tissues with her when she's sitting, in case her charges start crying. Not a bad idea.

Abby's allergic to paint? Just...all paint? There are so many kinds!


Their Families:

Claudia's mom wears a pair of earrings to work that Claudia made her. They're in the shape of open books. That's sweet of Claudia to make something meaningful to her mom, and sweet of her mom to wear them to work.

The BSC gets this job because Kristy's mom is friends with the granddaughter, who inherited much if not all of the estate. I wonder if they were friends before Kristy's mom married Watson or if being in "high society" lead to connections to local artists.


The Club (and clients):

The Addison parents still don't pay much attention to their kids.


SMS: nothing new.


PSA Time: nothing stood out.


Misc:

This is Claudia's last mystery book.

There's a yellow/orange cat featured in the book, and it's mentioned that the late artist had a few in her lifetime, all of which are implied to have been female. Almost all yellow/orange cats are male, just as almost all tri-colored calico cats are female (the rare male ones are sterile, at that).


The numbers:

Starting 8th grade: 10

Halloweens in 8th grade: 6 (plus one in seventh)

Thanksgivings in 8th grade: 3

Winter holidays in 8th grade (that BSC members celebrate, not just reference): Christmas-3, Hanukkah-1, Kwanzaa-2

Valentine's Days in 8th grade: 3

Summers after 8th grade: 10

BSC Fights: 11

SMS Staff and Faculty: 67

Students (other than the BSC): 210: 120 8th graders (not including Amelia Freeman, who is deceased), 26 7th graders, 47 6th graders, 15 unspecified. Baby-sitters' Winter Vacation tells us that SMS has about 380 students.

Clients: 37 families

Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 131

Crushes:
Stacey-12
Claudia-10
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-2
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-1
Abby-0