Original Publication Date: 1994
Ghostwriter? Yes, Jahnna Beecham and Malcolm Hillgartner
Synopsis:
This is, sadly, another book in which Claudia gets angry with someone close to her, that person has something bad happen, and Claudia thinks it's somehow at least partially her fault, as if her anger caused it.
Anyway, Claudia starts out thrilled: her aunt Peaches (given name Miyoshi) and uncle Russ are going to have a baby! Peaches is about two months along, and she and Russ are moving to Stoneybrook. Since their old house sold so quickly they're going to stay with the Kishis for a month. Claudia gets some help preparing the house from a new sitting charge, Natalie Springer (who volunteers to come and clean; she's not forced to). Natalie ends up being very clingy, since she has no friends. The BSC decides to help, but Natalie's bossiness with her peers gets in the way. But some new friends help her overcome that.
Claudia's attention is also being demanded of her by her aunt, who recently quit her job in anticipation of the baby. Claudia accompanies her shopping, helps her make fancy dinners, and goes with her on a midnight craving run. Her grades falter and she gets in trouble with her parents. Frustrated, she blows up at Peaches. They walk on eggshells around each other for a few days. Claudia decides that she has some blame in the situation, and is ready to apologize and get back to normal.
Then Peaches has a miscarriage.
She has to be admitted to the hospital overnight (she's late first trimester or early second; she may have needed surgery). When she comes back to the Kishis' she and Claudia are able to patch things up. The doctors also say that it will be safe for her to try for another baby when she's ready. Peaches and Russ say they will, but not for a while yet.
Greer at http://blog.stoneybrookite.org/ is diligently posting about the BSC Challenge. Here are my next answers:
Favorite BSC organized event: the outing in Stacey's Mistake. It was fairly sensible, they were well-prepared, and it sounded like a blast for the kids.
Favorite vacation spot: I like the road trip they go on in BSC in the USA. It was fun to read about the different areas, especially since I've been a few road trips (seen all the CONUS!). I just wish Seattle had gotten a little more screen time...
Favorite holiday book: Christmas is my favorite holiday, but the BSC books that feature Christmas don't really do it justice in my opinion. However, I do love Mary Anne's Bad Luck Mystery, which is a Halloween book. Spooky, entertaining, and funny.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: pretzels
I've never liked "Claud" as a nickname. Sounds like "clod" to me.
Claudia's still writing for the school newspaper.
No wonder Claudia has such trouble with school; she thinks there's only one hour between 4:00 and 6:00.
Their Families:
Now, I know a lot of people think you shouldn't reveal pregnancies until after the first trimester because of the risk of miscarriage or potential backlash from an employer (I happen to disagree when it's my pregnancy; if the worst happened I'd rather have shared some happiness while it lasted). That said, I would not call anyone to share the news before 8:00 am, like Peaches does.
Karen informs Natalie Springer that no, Claudia is NOT her friend because Stacey is Claudia's best friend. Then Kristy claims Karen worries that Natalie has so few friends. Maybe it's because people are jerks to her, KAREN.
The Club:
New client: Natalie Springer, a classmate of Karen's.
SMS:
School's back in session.
PSA Time:
Trust me, I know how exciting it is to be waiting on the arrival of a baby. But save your money and don't go buy everything for the baby right away. You'll probably have a baby shower or two; wait until after that. Then you can see what's still left and use the gift cards you're bound to receive.
Peaches says something that is important: pregnancy loss isn't something to assign blame over. Especially with miscarriage, it's almost always something that just happens without any external factors. But she also says, "It was probably for the best." No one except the mother is allowed to say things like that. Also not allowed, "You can always try for another." Not helping, those.
Misc:
Claudia has a wonderful, touching idea: to have Mary Anne, who learned to knit from Mimi, teach Claudia to knit. That way, Claudia can knit something for Mimi's grandchild. BUT: the ghostwriters clearly don't knit. Mary Anne thinks a blanket is too complicated and suggests booties instead. A simple baby blanket is the perfect beginner project while even simple booties have complicated steps. The description of knitting sounds like someone who's watched knitting but never done it.
The numbers:
Starting 8th grade: 7
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: 47
Students (other than the BSC): 165; 101 8th graders, 6 7th graders, 42 6th graders, 15 unspecified
Clients: 31
Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 95
Crushes:
Stacey-11
Claudia-8
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-2
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-1
12/2/11
Dawn and Whitney, Friends Forever (RS#77)
Original Publication Date: 1994
Ghostwriter? Yes, Nola Thacker
Synopsis:
Dawn gets a regular sitting job, but an unusual one. She's to be a companion for a twelve-year-old named Whitney who has Down syndrome. Whitney doesn't know that her parents are paying Dawn for her time, which predictably causes an issue when it slips out. But Dawn and the parents apologize for the deception and Whitney eventually accepts it, but not after trying to prove that she's grown up by taking two girls Dawn is sitting for to a carnival without telling Dawn. It turns out fine, but does scare Dawn. Whitney is even made a member of the We ♥ Kids Club, though of course she'll go on jobs where another sitter is present.
During this time, Dawn's dad goes on dates with several women, trying to fill the hole left by Carol. Dawn and Jeff get subjected to "family dates" with a few. Some women just don't click, and one is outright nasty to Whitney. But by the end of the book, Jack starts seeing Carol again, and after talking it over with his kids, proposes to her. She accepts, and no one commits felony theft over it.
Greer at http://blog.stoneybrookite.org/ is diligently posting about the BSC Challenge. Here are my next answers:
Favorite BSC fight: The fight in Mary Anne Saves the Day is just so funny. "Sheep are in!"
Favorite BSC love interest: Will Yamakawa, the boy Claudia meets at Camp Mohawk. I wish they'd stayed in touch. They did exchange addresses, and some letter back and forth after Mimi's death would have been appropriate.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: none
Dawn is noticeably silent on exactly WHY her dad and Carol broke off their engagement.
Their Families:
Dawn counts the ghost of Ben Brewer as a member of Kristy's household, which makes sense for her.
Oops, one of Jack Schafer's dates calls him Richard (page 69). He's Jack again on page 114.
The Club:
Mrs. Barrett is now engaged to Franklin DeWitt.
California:
Sunny's still a little boy-crazy; or at least, she places a high importance on dating.
PSA Time: nothing stood out.
Misc:
This book takes place in the summer and Jeff goes to bed after sunset, at which point Dawn and Sunny decide it's not too late to call Stoneybrook. Sunset in Anaheim in July is around 8:00. So, they're calling at the earliest maybe 11:30 pm Eastern Time. At the end of the book something similar happens. I think the author (Nola Thacker in this case) got confused and was thinking Eastern Time is three hours BEHIND Pacific.
Yeah, food does get all mixed together in your stomach regardless of how much you keep it separate while eating, but you know what? There are no taste buds in your stomach.
Dates with your family sound weird, Dawn? I don't know what you're talking about: A Date with Your Family.
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: 47
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
Ghostwriter? Yes, Nola Thacker
Synopsis:
Dawn gets a regular sitting job, but an unusual one. She's to be a companion for a twelve-year-old named Whitney who has Down syndrome. Whitney doesn't know that her parents are paying Dawn for her time, which predictably causes an issue when it slips out. But Dawn and the parents apologize for the deception and Whitney eventually accepts it, but not after trying to prove that she's grown up by taking two girls Dawn is sitting for to a carnival without telling Dawn. It turns out fine, but does scare Dawn. Whitney is even made a member of the We ♥ Kids Club, though of course she'll go on jobs where another sitter is present.
During this time, Dawn's dad goes on dates with several women, trying to fill the hole left by Carol. Dawn and Jeff get subjected to "family dates" with a few. Some women just don't click, and one is outright nasty to Whitney. But by the end of the book, Jack starts seeing Carol again, and after talking it over with his kids, proposes to her. She accepts, and no one commits felony theft over it.
Greer at http://blog.stoneybrookite.org/ is diligently posting about the BSC Challenge. Here are my next answers:
Favorite BSC fight: The fight in Mary Anne Saves the Day is just so funny. "Sheep are in!"
Favorite BSC love interest: Will Yamakawa, the boy Claudia meets at Camp Mohawk. I wish they'd stayed in touch. They did exchange addresses, and some letter back and forth after Mimi's death would have been appropriate.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: none
Dawn is noticeably silent on exactly WHY her dad and Carol broke off their engagement.
Their Families:
Dawn counts the ghost of Ben Brewer as a member of Kristy's household, which makes sense for her.
Oops, one of Jack Schafer's dates calls him Richard (page 69). He's Jack again on page 114.
The Club:
Mrs. Barrett is now engaged to Franklin DeWitt.
California:
Sunny's still a little boy-crazy; or at least, she places a high importance on dating.
PSA Time: nothing stood out.
Misc:
This book takes place in the summer and Jeff goes to bed after sunset, at which point Dawn and Sunny decide it's not too late to call Stoneybrook. Sunset in Anaheim in July is around 8:00. So, they're calling at the earliest maybe 11:30 pm Eastern Time. At the end of the book something similar happens. I think the author (Nola Thacker in this case) got confused and was thinking Eastern Time is three hours BEHIND Pacific.
Yeah, food does get all mixed together in your stomach regardless of how much you keep it separate while eating, but you know what? There are no taste buds in your stomach.
Dates with your family sound weird, Dawn? I don't know what you're talking about: A Date with Your Family.
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: 47
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
11/30/11
Claudia and the Clue in the Photograph (M#16)
Original Publication Date: 1994
Ghostwriter? Yes, Ellen Miles
Synopsis:
From my favorite Super Special (and one of my favorites overall) to a mystery. Yeesh. At least this one has a darkroom.
Remember how in Stacey's Lie Claudia was interested in--and pretty good at--photography? It wasn't just a one-time thing. She's taking a photography class in SMS's summer school. It inspires her to come up with an idea of a project for Dawn: the BSC and the charges will go around Stoneybrook one day and take pictures, selecting the best for a photo album for her, "A Day in the Life of Stoneybrook." Claudia finds herself and Mary Anne taking a lot of shots of the bank's architecture...and then finds out a large sum was stolen that day. There's even a scary bit when a mysterious figure opens her bathroom/darkroom door and ruins her film (but it was Janine). At first, it looks like there's nothing in the pictures, but when she enlarges them she notices something odd and it helps solve the case. There's a lit window, and with some other information, the police are able to nab the bank VP.
Greer at http://blog.stoneybrookite.org/ is diligently posting about the BSC Challenge. Here are my next answers:
Favorite minor character: Sam Thomas, I think. I really like the Sam-Stacey pairing. And Mimi is way up there, of course.
Least favorite minor character: The obvious answer is Mr. Nichols, who beats his kids (Claudia and the Terrible Truth). I also don't like the Jeremy character from the Friends Forever series. We get a character from my neck of the woods and he's a jerk? Not cool, Ann, not cool.
Favorite parent: I think Richard Spier and Elizabeth (Thomas) Brewer both did an admirable job in very difficult circumstances.
Least favorite parents: Well, obviously, Patrick Thomas is an awful parent. Shannon's parents are also very distant and clueless. They remind me of a family I nannied for; the parents seemed to actually clock out when I arrived and didn't pay a whole lot of attention to their kids at any point. It showed in the kids' behavior, too.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: Hershey's kisses in a box of pastels, jaw breakers, Fig Newtons, pretzels
I keep forgetting that Logan's supposed to have curly hair. His pictures never do, but we're often told so.
This isn't the first time Shannon has been the distraction during a BSC mystery investigation. Those drama camp lessons must be good for something.
Kristy gets "a craving" for pizza...hmm, wanting salty food...is she becoming a woman?
Their Families:
The Kishis must be loaded. Just running out to set up a temporary darkroom, with all the equipment and chemicals needed, can't be cheap. She's not just developing photographs, but the negatives too.
On page 23, we're informed that one of Mallory's brothers is named Gordan. Did Claudia's spelling troubles infect the editor? (He's Jordan again on page 31)
Richard Spier would have an old Brownie camera.
Mrs. Kishi's bank PIN is Claudia's birthday.
The Club: nothing new.
SMS:
Photography teacher/stuck doing summer school: Mr. Geist
Math teacher/stuck: Mr. Davies
PSA Time:
A robbery happens when the victim is aware of the theft as it happens (like a mugging). The bank in this story wasn't robbed; it was burgled.
Misc:
This is the first time Sgt Johnson features prominently. And he lets the BSC in the interrogation room with a suspect...?
The ATMs in Stoneybrook give out tens, fives, or fifties (Claudia's mom routinely gets $50).
It really makes no sense how Claudia' film negatives get destroyed. I've developed film and pictures, and you open the film canister and put it on the developing solution in a sealed bag. You can sit outside on a bright sunny day under a tanning lamp, and as long as no one opens the bag your film will be fine. Claudia even mentions the bag that's used for this purpose. Her individual prints might have been exposed to light too early and ruined, but the negatives would still have been intact.
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: 47
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
Ghostwriter? Yes, Ellen Miles
Synopsis:
From my favorite Super Special (and one of my favorites overall) to a mystery. Yeesh. At least this one has a darkroom.
Remember how in Stacey's Lie Claudia was interested in--and pretty good at--photography? It wasn't just a one-time thing. She's taking a photography class in SMS's summer school. It inspires her to come up with an idea of a project for Dawn: the BSC and the charges will go around Stoneybrook one day and take pictures, selecting the best for a photo album for her, "A Day in the Life of Stoneybrook." Claudia finds herself and Mary Anne taking a lot of shots of the bank's architecture...and then finds out a large sum was stolen that day. There's even a scary bit when a mysterious figure opens her bathroom/darkroom door and ruins her film (but it was Janine). At first, it looks like there's nothing in the pictures, but when she enlarges them she notices something odd and it helps solve the case. There's a lit window, and with some other information, the police are able to nab the bank VP.
Greer at http://blog.stoneybrookite.org/ is diligently posting about the BSC Challenge. Here are my next answers:
Favorite minor character: Sam Thomas, I think. I really like the Sam-Stacey pairing. And Mimi is way up there, of course.
Least favorite minor character: The obvious answer is Mr. Nichols, who beats his kids (Claudia and the Terrible Truth). I also don't like the Jeremy character from the Friends Forever series. We get a character from my neck of the woods and he's a jerk? Not cool, Ann, not cool.
Favorite parent: I think Richard Spier and Elizabeth (Thomas) Brewer both did an admirable job in very difficult circumstances.
Least favorite parents: Well, obviously, Patrick Thomas is an awful parent. Shannon's parents are also very distant and clueless. They remind me of a family I nannied for; the parents seemed to actually clock out when I arrived and didn't pay a whole lot of attention to their kids at any point. It showed in the kids' behavior, too.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: Hershey's kisses in a box of pastels, jaw breakers, Fig Newtons, pretzels
I keep forgetting that Logan's supposed to have curly hair. His pictures never do, but we're often told so.
This isn't the first time Shannon has been the distraction during a BSC mystery investigation. Those drama camp lessons must be good for something.
Kristy gets "a craving" for pizza...hmm, wanting salty food...is she becoming a woman?
Their Families:
The Kishis must be loaded. Just running out to set up a temporary darkroom, with all the equipment and chemicals needed, can't be cheap. She's not just developing photographs, but the negatives too.
On page 23, we're informed that one of Mallory's brothers is named Gordan. Did Claudia's spelling troubles infect the editor? (He's Jordan again on page 31)
Richard Spier would have an old Brownie camera.
Mrs. Kishi's bank PIN is Claudia's birthday.
The Club: nothing new.
SMS:
Photography teacher/stuck doing summer school: Mr. Geist
Math teacher/stuck: Mr. Davies
PSA Time:
A robbery happens when the victim is aware of the theft as it happens (like a mugging). The bank in this story wasn't robbed; it was burgled.
Misc:
This is the first time Sgt Johnson features prominently. And he lets the BSC in the interrogation room with a suspect...?
The ATMs in Stoneybrook give out tens, fives, or fifties (Claudia's mom routinely gets $50).
It really makes no sense how Claudia' film negatives get destroyed. I've developed film and pictures, and you open the film canister and put it on the developing solution in a sealed bag. You can sit outside on a bright sunny day under a tanning lamp, and as long as no one opens the bag your film will be fine. Claudia even mentions the bag that's used for this purpose. Her individual prints might have been exposed to light too early and ruined, but the negatives would still have been intact.
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: 47
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
11/28/11
The Baby-sitters Remember (SS#11)
Original Publication Date: 1994
Ghostwriter? No, this one's all Ann
Synopsis:
The BSC has a sleepover, and the topic of memories comes up. What's your most vivid memory?
Kristy: her first sitting job, for her brother. Her mom has a housekeeper who is unreliable (she can't afford anyone better) and one morning the housekeeper cancels and Kristy's brothers are unavailable. She's 10 at the time. She does such a good job that her mom fires the housekeeper the next day and Kristy and her older brothers watch David Michael.
Stacey: the time just before her diabetes diagnosis. It's the beginning of sixth grade, and she's part of an exclusive clique. Then comes the fateful sleepover when she wets the bed. She is eventually diagnosed with diabetes, but she's out of the clique. Oh, and the memory prompts her to write to her dad about the experience. "Dear Dad, remember when I was horribly embarrassed?"
Claudia: her first homework assignment. It's from her first grade art class, and the students are to draw a self-portrait and bring it the next day. Claudia uses most of the colors in her box of 64 crayons to make a butterfly, but gets chewed out by the teacher when everyone else draws people. It's really mean of the teacher, too, berating six-year-old Claudia in front of the class for not taking things seriously when Claudia honestly believed she'd done a good job with a metaphorical portrait. Mimi understands completely, and puts the teacher in her place. Claudia still has the drawing, on which she wrote her name: "CALUDIA."
Jessi: when Squirt had colic. Jessi's parents have a healthy baby after losing two. They know the sex of both babies (boy then girl), so unless there was testing done on the tissues, the babies died in the late second or even third trimesters which would make these stillbirths. Anyway, Squirt is born and very colicky. Jessi's resentful of the disruption at first. But then she finds that she's the only one who can calm her baby brother, and bonds very closely with him.
Logan (not at the sleepover; Mary Anne told him about it): first meeting Mary Anne. It's basically a summary of Logan likes Mary Anne! from his perspective.
Mallory: meeting her favorite author. When she was ten, Mallory got dressed up and went to a book signing of her favorite author, bouquet in hand for her hero. Since she's Mallory, she gets a serious case of shy and can't speak, instead breaking down in tears.
Shannon: a bad experience with a new girl. She gets burned in eighth grade by the jerk new girl, this prompts her to shun Kristy later.
Dawn (written in a letter since she's out West): her parent's divorce and the move to Stoneybrook. It's pretty much what you'd expect, culminating in meeting Mary Anne.
Mary Anne: a sitter she had at eight years old. Mary Anne's worried the sitter will be strict, so Mary Anne is allowed to have Kristy spend the night (her dad's on a business trip). But they find out when they play some pranks that she's pretty fun-loving, so it works out great. Mary Anne remembers the good humor the sitter had and uses that to be a good sitter herself. Pretty forgettable story, in my opinion, but noseinanovel has some good points about it in the comments.
(Mine, by the way, is probably when I hurt my knee badly at a military training encampment. It pops up randomly in my head. Or, if you count what I can picture exactly as it happened, it's a few months ago when I was having some trouble adjusting to motherhood and was holding my two-month-old daughter, feeling down. She looked up at me, put her tiny hand on my cheek, and smiled.)
Greer at http://blog.stoneybrookite.org/ is diligently posting about the BSC Challenge. Here are my next answers
-Least Favorite Super Special: I never read Baby-sitters' Island Adventure as a kid, so when I read it for the first time a couple years ago I just couldn't get over how unrealistic it was. It was still entertaining though; I like Super Specials in general. However, if you include the Super Mysteries, then it's a tie for all four because I just don't like the mysteries very much.
-Favorite Minor Character: I can't think of a good one; I'll have to come back to this
-Least Favorite Minor Character: same, I'll have to come back to this
-Favorite Sitting Charge: Henry and Grace in New York would be fun to sit for. And the Pikes would be exhausting, but fun also. Andrew Brewer always seems really sweet and good-natured.
-Least Favorite Sitting Charge: Betsy Sobak. Really? You broke your sitter's leg badly due to your idiocy, kinda halfway apologize but really make excuses, and then everything's supposed to be okay?
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: none mentioned
The reason Kristy wants to be in charge and do everything for herself is that she wants to be like her mom. Awww...
When Kristy is trusted to watch David Michael alone, Mary Anne still has sitters herself. Although, I think in most states now it's illegal to leave ten-year-olds home alone.
The girl (Marty) who switched schools in Stacey's memory goes to a boarding school in Massachusetts. I wonder if it's Riverbend Academy...
Claudia can't read in first grade.
So, in Kristy and the Baby Parade, Jessi doesn't know what colic is. Yet her most vivid memory is about colic...Squirt should have had a different ailment.
Mary Anne once wrote a fan letter to Louisa May Alcott.
Their Families:
When Mary Anne, Kristy, and Claudia were young Janine used to walk them to school. She can read and walk at the same time.
Kristy's dad took off before she learned to ride a bike without training wheels. My dad helped me learn, which makes that fact about Kristy's growing up seem extra sad.
Stacey's parents might screw up some things, but I have to say that they do a good job trying to get to the root of the problem right away.
Jessi's family doesn't know the sex of Squirt before he's born, so that cements it: the previous pregnancies ended in stillbirth and her mom had to go through labor. Most places even today (in the US) won't do a whole of lot testing until a woman's had three miscarriages, so the babies must have been developed enough and big enough to tell the sex by looking. If I were to ever be in a situation like that, God forbid, I don't know if I could bear to be conscious during labor. I know Jessi's parents are fictional, but I feel terrible for them right now.
Jessi's mom is a strong advocate of (are you ready) breast feeding!
Logan's mom can knit (so can Mary Anne).
Shannon implies that her parents don't love each other.
It's possible that Dawn's dad was having an affair. He's always out late, he doesn't keep his stories straight...Although her dad says "our lawyers will cite irreconcilable differences."
The Club: nothing new.
SMS: nothing new.
PSA Time:
Reusing things from the first baby for your subsequent ones? Great idea. However, for the carseat, make sure it still complies with safety regulations and if it's more than five years old, the plastic may have degraded to the point that it's no longer safe.
Misc:
In the Chapter Two, Kristy lists the BSC members in a sentence that ends "Logan (associate member), and Dawn (our ?)" I wonder if that's an editing error. Maybe the question mark was meant to be a placeholder until Ann M. Martin (no ghostwriter for this book) could think of the right descriptor. But the question mark works too, so I don't know.
In Stacey's story, she mentions how Laine created a group of friends at school. When one girl switches schools, Laine says they'll have to replace her. This reminds me of when my best friend and I were discussing apostolic succession (basically, the reason the Catholic Church has a pope and cardinals and bishops and all that) and whether it had a basis in the Bible. I brought up how the apostles had replaced Judas after his defection and death, and she said, "Yeah, it would be weird if when I moved, my friends all decided to elect someone to take my place."
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
Ghostwriter? No, this one's all Ann
Synopsis:
The BSC has a sleepover, and the topic of memories comes up. What's your most vivid memory?
Kristy: her first sitting job, for her brother. Her mom has a housekeeper who is unreliable (she can't afford anyone better) and one morning the housekeeper cancels and Kristy's brothers are unavailable. She's 10 at the time. She does such a good job that her mom fires the housekeeper the next day and Kristy and her older brothers watch David Michael.
Stacey: the time just before her diabetes diagnosis. It's the beginning of sixth grade, and she's part of an exclusive clique. Then comes the fateful sleepover when she wets the bed. She is eventually diagnosed with diabetes, but she's out of the clique. Oh, and the memory prompts her to write to her dad about the experience. "Dear Dad, remember when I was horribly embarrassed?"
Claudia: her first homework assignment. It's from her first grade art class, and the students are to draw a self-portrait and bring it the next day. Claudia uses most of the colors in her box of 64 crayons to make a butterfly, but gets chewed out by the teacher when everyone else draws people. It's really mean of the teacher, too, berating six-year-old Claudia in front of the class for not taking things seriously when Claudia honestly believed she'd done a good job with a metaphorical portrait. Mimi understands completely, and puts the teacher in her place. Claudia still has the drawing, on which she wrote her name: "CALUDIA."
Jessi: when Squirt had colic. Jessi's parents have a healthy baby after losing two. They know the sex of both babies (boy then girl), so unless there was testing done on the tissues, the babies died in the late second or even third trimesters which would make these stillbirths. Anyway, Squirt is born and very colicky. Jessi's resentful of the disruption at first. But then she finds that she's the only one who can calm her baby brother, and bonds very closely with him.
Logan (not at the sleepover; Mary Anne told him about it): first meeting Mary Anne. It's basically a summary of Logan likes Mary Anne! from his perspective.
Mallory: meeting her favorite author. When she was ten, Mallory got dressed up and went to a book signing of her favorite author, bouquet in hand for her hero. Since she's Mallory, she gets a serious case of shy and can't speak, instead breaking down in tears.
Shannon: a bad experience with a new girl. She gets burned in eighth grade by the jerk new girl, this prompts her to shun Kristy later.
Dawn (written in a letter since she's out West): her parent's divorce and the move to Stoneybrook. It's pretty much what you'd expect, culminating in meeting Mary Anne.
Mary Anne: a sitter she had at eight years old. Mary Anne's worried the sitter will be strict, so Mary Anne is allowed to have Kristy spend the night (her dad's on a business trip). But they find out when they play some pranks that she's pretty fun-loving, so it works out great. Mary Anne remembers the good humor the sitter had and uses that to be a good sitter herself. Pretty forgettable story, in my opinion, but noseinanovel has some good points about it in the comments.
(Mine, by the way, is probably when I hurt my knee badly at a military training encampment. It pops up randomly in my head. Or, if you count what I can picture exactly as it happened, it's a few months ago when I was having some trouble adjusting to motherhood and was holding my two-month-old daughter, feeling down. She looked up at me, put her tiny hand on my cheek, and smiled.)
Greer at http://blog.stoneybrookite.org/ is diligently posting about the BSC Challenge. Here are my next answers
-Least Favorite Super Special: I never read Baby-sitters' Island Adventure as a kid, so when I read it for the first time a couple years ago I just couldn't get over how unrealistic it was. It was still entertaining though; I like Super Specials in general. However, if you include the Super Mysteries, then it's a tie for all four because I just don't like the mysteries very much.
-Favorite Minor Character: I can't think of a good one; I'll have to come back to this
-Least Favorite Minor Character: same, I'll have to come back to this
-Favorite Sitting Charge: Henry and Grace in New York would be fun to sit for. And the Pikes would be exhausting, but fun also. Andrew Brewer always seems really sweet and good-natured.
-Least Favorite Sitting Charge: Betsy Sobak. Really? You broke your sitter's leg badly due to your idiocy, kinda halfway apologize but really make excuses, and then everything's supposed to be okay?
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: none mentioned
The reason Kristy wants to be in charge and do everything for herself is that she wants to be like her mom. Awww...
When Kristy is trusted to watch David Michael alone, Mary Anne still has sitters herself. Although, I think in most states now it's illegal to leave ten-year-olds home alone.
The girl (Marty) who switched schools in Stacey's memory goes to a boarding school in Massachusetts. I wonder if it's Riverbend Academy...
Claudia can't read in first grade.
So, in Kristy and the Baby Parade, Jessi doesn't know what colic is. Yet her most vivid memory is about colic...Squirt should have had a different ailment.
Mary Anne once wrote a fan letter to Louisa May Alcott.
Their Families:
When Mary Anne, Kristy, and Claudia were young Janine used to walk them to school. She can read and walk at the same time.
Kristy's dad took off before she learned to ride a bike without training wheels. My dad helped me learn, which makes that fact about Kristy's growing up seem extra sad.
Stacey's parents might screw up some things, but I have to say that they do a good job trying to get to the root of the problem right away.
Jessi's family doesn't know the sex of Squirt before he's born, so that cements it: the previous pregnancies ended in stillbirth and her mom had to go through labor. Most places even today (in the US) won't do a whole of lot testing until a woman's had three miscarriages, so the babies must have been developed enough and big enough to tell the sex by looking. If I were to ever be in a situation like that, God forbid, I don't know if I could bear to be conscious during labor. I know Jessi's parents are fictional, but I feel terrible for them right now.
Jessi's mom is a strong advocate of (are you ready) breast feeding!
Logan's mom can knit (so can Mary Anne).
Shannon implies that her parents don't love each other.
It's possible that Dawn's dad was having an affair. He's always out late, he doesn't keep his stories straight...Although her dad says "our lawyers will cite irreconcilable differences."
The Club: nothing new.
SMS: nothing new.
PSA Time:
Reusing things from the first baby for your subsequent ones? Great idea. However, for the carseat, make sure it still complies with safety regulations and if it's more than five years old, the plastic may have degraded to the point that it's no longer safe.
Misc:
In the Chapter Two, Kristy lists the BSC members in a sentence that ends "Logan (associate member), and Dawn (our ?)" I wonder if that's an editing error. Maybe the question mark was meant to be a placeholder until Ann M. Martin (no ghostwriter for this book) could think of the right descriptor. But the question mark works too, so I don't know.
In Stacey's story, she mentions how Laine created a group of friends at school. When one girl switches schools, Laine says they'll have to replace her. This reminds me of when my best friend and I were discussing apostolic succession (basically, the reason the Catholic Church has a pope and cardinals and bishops and all that) and whether it had a basis in the Bible. I brought up how the apostles had replaced Judas after his defection and death, and she said, "Yeah, it would be weird if when I moved, my friends all decided to elect someone to take my place."
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
11/21/11
Kristy and the Vampires (M#15)
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
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
11/12/11
Stacey's Lie (RS#76)
Original Publication Date: 1994
Ghostwriter? Yes, Suzanne Weyn
Synopsis:
Stacey's dad is taking a break (or attempting to, anyway) from his workaholic tendencies and offers to take Stacey on a two-week vacation anywhere, up to and including Europe. Naturally, she chooses nearby Fire Island, where her boyfriend will be working during the summer. Her dad also says Stacey can bring Claudia along. But Stacey doesn't tell her dad or Claudia that Robert will be there since she wants to avoid conflict. Naturally, it blows up in her face, causing some issues when Mary Anne, Kristy, and Shannon visit for the Fourth of July (the BSC actually takes a few days off, since Jessi and Mallory are working at a community center during this time). Stacey's dad feels used when he finds out and is mad at her too.
However, Stacey's dad has a secret of his own: he's been going off to meet up with his girlfriend. Just like Stacey, he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, so he'd been avoiding the issue altogether. Knowing that her dad has the same well-meaning but misguided flaw helps Stacey sort things out.
Subplot: Haley Braddock and Vanessa Pike get in a big feud but it gets sorted out.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: Cheetos under her pillow
Stacey's taking pre-algebra in eighth grade. I took it in seventh, a year ahead. I'm better at math than Stacey!
Wasn't Dawn's extended visit to California supposed to be about six months? She left in early autumn, and now the school year's ending.
Claudia's showing an interest in photography.
Their Families:
You can see Stacey's parents trying to be civil about each other around Stacey. It's not working that great, but at least they're not having shouting matches in hospitals.
The Club:
Stacey describes Shannon as the newest member of the BSC, but she was an associate before Mallory and Jessi joined.
SMS: summer vacation
PSA Time: Nothing stood out.
Misc:
Stacey says that a restaurant won't be very busy at six in the evening. When does she usually eat? Claudia thinks it's early for dinner, too. Although she does turn out to be right...is the East Coast into late dinners?
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: 94
Crushes:
Stacey-11
Claudia-8
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-2
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-1
Ghostwriter? Yes, Suzanne Weyn
Synopsis:
Stacey's dad is taking a break (or attempting to, anyway) from his workaholic tendencies and offers to take Stacey on a two-week vacation anywhere, up to and including Europe. Naturally, she chooses nearby Fire Island, where her boyfriend will be working during the summer. Her dad also says Stacey can bring Claudia along. But Stacey doesn't tell her dad or Claudia that Robert will be there since she wants to avoid conflict. Naturally, it blows up in her face, causing some issues when Mary Anne, Kristy, and Shannon visit for the Fourth of July (the BSC actually takes a few days off, since Jessi and Mallory are working at a community center during this time). Stacey's dad feels used when he finds out and is mad at her too.
However, Stacey's dad has a secret of his own: he's been going off to meet up with his girlfriend. Just like Stacey, he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, so he'd been avoiding the issue altogether. Knowing that her dad has the same well-meaning but misguided flaw helps Stacey sort things out.
Subplot: Haley Braddock and Vanessa Pike get in a big feud but it gets sorted out.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: Cheetos under her pillow
Stacey's taking pre-algebra in eighth grade. I took it in seventh, a year ahead. I'm better at math than Stacey!
Wasn't Dawn's extended visit to California supposed to be about six months? She left in early autumn, and now the school year's ending.
Claudia's showing an interest in photography.
Their Families:
You can see Stacey's parents trying to be civil about each other around Stacey. It's not working that great, but at least they're not having shouting matches in hospitals.
The Club:
Stacey describes Shannon as the newest member of the BSC, but she was an associate before Mallory and Jessi joined.
SMS: summer vacation
PSA Time: Nothing stood out.
Misc:
Stacey says that a restaurant won't be very busy at six in the evening. When does she usually eat? Claudia thinks it's early for dinner, too. Although she does turn out to be right...is the East Coast into late dinners?
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: 94
Crushes:
Stacey-11
Claudia-8
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-2
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-1
11/5/11
Jessi's Horrible Prank (RS#75)
Original Publication Date: 1994
Ghostwriter? Yes, Peter Lerangis
Synopsis:
Jessi signs up to be part of the Sixth Grade Plot Device, I mean, Sixth Grade Follies. It's a sketch show the class puts on annually to rib the SMS faculty and staff. One sketch will be making fun of her current Short Takes teacher, Mr. Trout, and Jessi isn't sure it will go over well as he seems particularly awkward and not really the type to take a joke well. Jessi decides to portray him despite how poorly the class treats him, justify it by telling herself it will make him feel included and it's not that mean of a joke, and besides, she doesn't want to ostracize herself from her (white) classmates when she's fitting in so well. The other sixth-graders and the teachers in charge of the show agree that it will be funny and the Mr. Trout won't take it the wrong way. They couldn't be more wrong: it's the final humiliating straw after so many pranks and the total lack of respect that Mr. Trout leaves without notice. Jessi feels awful and even tries to start a petition to invite him back, but it goes over like a lead balloon. As it turns out, he's decide (correctly) that he's not cut out for teaching. Jessi is able to write him an apology letter at least, and he writes back, assuaging her guilt.
Subplot is the BSC charges putting on a similar thing about the BSC members.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: tortilla chips
I didn't realize how long Jessi's "joker" personality stuck with her. I thought she had become the black ballerina caricature by now.
Having had hair the color of Shannon's at one point (mine got darker as I got older) I am thrilled that hers is described as dark blonde instead of dirty or dishwater blonde.
There's a scene when one of Jessi's classmates is dropped off at her house for a meeting and his dad walks him to the door and meets her parents before leaving. Jessi isn't sure whether he'd do that if her family were white, and I can see that she'd be concerned. That she wonders about this sort of thing regularly makes the part with Mallory and Jessi's extended family in a later Super Special make a bit more sense.
Jessi does a vocal prep exercise she says she learned from Shannon, and it is indeed one that Shannon did a few books ago (saying "you-ee" up and down scales).
Their Families:
Jessi's family has a rhododendron bush in their yard, which I only mention because the Coastal Rhododendron is my state's flower (Washington).
Karen and Andrew now switch houses every month, a change which occurred in the Little Sister series. Which I am not subjecting myself to reading.
The Pike boys have learned to clean up their own spilled milk! Hooray!
The Club:
And we're back to keeping official BSC time with Claudia's clock.
Jessi seems oddly observant of exactly what time it is, and other BSC members have shown that in the past. At first it's weird, but consider how Kristy has them trained.
SMS:
Students: Ben Abbott, Lauren Aronsen, Jeff Atkinson, Craig Avazian, Sanjita Bates, Ashley Bedell, Tom Block, Jimmy Bouloukos, Liz Cohen, Maria Fazio, Sarah Green, Bobby Gustavson, Sandra Hart, Renee Johnson, Lisa Mannheim, Justine Moss, Mark O'Connell, Randy Rademacher, John Rosen, Mara Semple, Jamie Sperling, George Weiss (6th); Kate Condos--possible sister to sixth grader Maya Condos? (7th). Janet O'Neal, from Poor Mallory! also reappears, still a jerk. 22 new sixth grade students in one book!
I'm not counting Mr. Trout in my faculty/staff tally since he's only here for this one book. Those who do count are teachers Ms. Bernhardt, Mr. Jazak, and Ms. Vandela.
PSA Time: Nothing stood out, aside from the obvious "Don't be horrible to another human being" lesson.
Misc:
Jessi internally thinks of nose piercing as an African style. While I kinda see what she means, I tend to think of it originating in South America, but not for any good reason beyond seeing a couple Discovery Channel documentaries.
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: 6
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: 94
Crushes:
Stacey-11
Claudia-8
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-2
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-1
Ghostwriter? Yes, Peter Lerangis
Synopsis:
Jessi signs up to be part of the Sixth Grade Plot Device, I mean, Sixth Grade Follies. It's a sketch show the class puts on annually to rib the SMS faculty and staff. One sketch will be making fun of her current Short Takes teacher, Mr. Trout, and Jessi isn't sure it will go over well as he seems particularly awkward and not really the type to take a joke well. Jessi decides to portray him despite how poorly the class treats him, justify it by telling herself it will make him feel included and it's not that mean of a joke, and besides, she doesn't want to ostracize herself from her (white) classmates when she's fitting in so well. The other sixth-graders and the teachers in charge of the show agree that it will be funny and the Mr. Trout won't take it the wrong way. They couldn't be more wrong: it's the final humiliating straw after so many pranks and the total lack of respect that Mr. Trout leaves without notice. Jessi feels awful and even tries to start a petition to invite him back, but it goes over like a lead balloon. As it turns out, he's decide (correctly) that he's not cut out for teaching. Jessi is able to write him an apology letter at least, and he writes back, assuaging her guilt.
Subplot is the BSC charges putting on a similar thing about the BSC members.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: tortilla chips
I didn't realize how long Jessi's "joker" personality stuck with her. I thought she had become the black ballerina caricature by now.
Having had hair the color of Shannon's at one point (mine got darker as I got older) I am thrilled that hers is described as dark blonde instead of dirty or dishwater blonde.
There's a scene when one of Jessi's classmates is dropped off at her house for a meeting and his dad walks him to the door and meets her parents before leaving. Jessi isn't sure whether he'd do that if her family were white, and I can see that she'd be concerned. That she wonders about this sort of thing regularly makes the part with Mallory and Jessi's extended family in a later Super Special make a bit more sense.
Jessi does a vocal prep exercise she says she learned from Shannon, and it is indeed one that Shannon did a few books ago (saying "you-ee" up and down scales).
Their Families:
Jessi's family has a rhododendron bush in their yard, which I only mention because the Coastal Rhododendron is my state's flower (Washington).
Karen and Andrew now switch houses every month, a change which occurred in the Little Sister series. Which I am not subjecting myself to reading.
The Pike boys have learned to clean up their own spilled milk! Hooray!
The Club:
And we're back to keeping official BSC time with Claudia's clock.
Jessi seems oddly observant of exactly what time it is, and other BSC members have shown that in the past. At first it's weird, but consider how Kristy has them trained.
SMS:
Students: Ben Abbott, Lauren Aronsen, Jeff Atkinson, Craig Avazian, Sanjita Bates, Ashley Bedell, Tom Block, Jimmy Bouloukos, Liz Cohen, Maria Fazio, Sarah Green, Bobby Gustavson, Sandra Hart, Renee Johnson, Lisa Mannheim, Justine Moss, Mark O'Connell, Randy Rademacher, John Rosen, Mara Semple, Jamie Sperling, George Weiss (6th); Kate Condos--possible sister to sixth grader Maya Condos? (7th). Janet O'Neal, from Poor Mallory! also reappears, still a jerk. 22 new sixth grade students in one book!
I'm not counting Mr. Trout in my faculty/staff tally since he's only here for this one book. Those who do count are teachers Ms. Bernhardt, Mr. Jazak, and Ms. Vandela.
PSA Time: Nothing stood out, aside from the obvious "Don't be horrible to another human being" lesson.
Misc:
Jessi internally thinks of nose piercing as an African style. While I kinda see what she means, I tend to think of it originating in South America, but not for any good reason beyond seeing a couple Discovery Channel documentaries.
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: 6
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: 94
Crushes:
Stacey-11
Claudia-8
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-2
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-1
11/4/11
Kristy and the Copycat (RS#74)
Original Publication Date: 1994
Ghostwriter? Yes, Nola Thacker
Synopsis:
Kristy decides to join the SMS softball team and is one of only four new players to make the cut (I would expect that the team has 15 players, tops). In order to be accepted by the team, Kristy and the other three are subjected to hazing: they must vandalize a school shed or the other players will force them to play badly so as to get them kicked off the team.The girls are intimidated enough to go ahead with it, and the next morning are horrified to learn that the shed burned down after they left and a witness to the fire was badly hurt and is hospitalized in critical condition. Kristy wants to confess, fearing that the matches two of the other girls used to light the cigarettes ignited the flammable paint. Before she works up the nerve to confess, it the people who started the fire confess so Kristy...gets away with vandalism.
You may be wondering what any of this has to do with a copycat. That's a subplot with Karen wanting to be thirteen and shadowing the older BSC members.
What do I take away from this? Hazing is stupid and Karen's annoying no matter what she does.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: Gummi worms, pretzels, and an ice cream cake (to celebrate Kristy's making the team)
Kristy at least tries to remember the lesson she learned about over-scheduling herself in Kristy for President. She has Stacey and Claudia take over the Krushers during her softball season, but I have a hard time believing that a middle school sport isn't more demanding than a grade-school one coached by a thirteen-year-old.
Mary Anne's height is inconsistent. Sometimes she's really short like Kristy, sometimes she's grown a few inches, sometimes she's back to be being really short.
Their Families:
In this book, Karen and Andrew's mother calls for a sitter, rather than Watson pawning his kids off on the rare weekend he sees them.
The Club:
Official Club Time is kept by Kristy's watch in this book, rather than Claudia's clock.
SMS:
Students: Bea Foster, Coreen ?, Marcia ?, Tallie ? (8th), Tonya ? (7th), Dilys ? (6th).
Coach Wu seems to work at the school aside from coaching judging by her being there in the morning, so one more tally mark for SMS faculty and staff.
PSA Time:
These books seriously misunderstand carb-loading. Eating a lot more of any kind of food than you usually would within 12 hours of your workout isn't going to help. It is a good idea to be sure your body has enough caloric energy to do what it needs to, but consistency and actual athletic training should play a part.
Misc:
Really, Kristy, you don't teach your softball team about strike zones? I understood those really early on and I didn't play except one season of T-ball.
There's a bit with Kristy in need of new baseball shoes because her cleats are worn down, but not wanting to break in new shoes blah blah blah. The cleats on baseball shoes are replaceable, like track and field spikes.
I've grudgingly accepted that the BSC books have trouble with the difference between "we" and "us" but this book actually confuses "you're" with "your." *twitch*
In true BSC fashion, I have named the kitten after a person, one of the ones who found him: Joel.
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: 6
BSC Fights: 8
SMS Staff and Faculty: 41
Students (other than the BSC): 141; 101 8th graders, 5 7th graders, 20 6th graders, 15 unspecified
Clients: 29
Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 94
Crushes:
Stacey-11
Claudia-8
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-2
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-1
Ghostwriter? Yes, Nola Thacker
Synopsis:
Kristy decides to join the SMS softball team and is one of only four new players to make the cut (I would expect that the team has 15 players, tops). In order to be accepted by the team, Kristy and the other three are subjected to hazing: they must vandalize a school shed or the other players will force them to play badly so as to get them kicked off the team.The girls are intimidated enough to go ahead with it, and the next morning are horrified to learn that the shed burned down after they left and a witness to the fire was badly hurt and is hospitalized in critical condition. Kristy wants to confess, fearing that the matches two of the other girls used to light the cigarettes ignited the flammable paint. Before she works up the nerve to confess, it the people who started the fire confess so Kristy...gets away with vandalism.
You may be wondering what any of this has to do with a copycat. That's a subplot with Karen wanting to be thirteen and shadowing the older BSC members.
What do I take away from this? Hazing is stupid and Karen's annoying no matter what she does.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
Claudia candy: Gummi worms, pretzels, and an ice cream cake (to celebrate Kristy's making the team)
Kristy at least tries to remember the lesson she learned about over-scheduling herself in Kristy for President. She has Stacey and Claudia take over the Krushers during her softball season, but I have a hard time believing that a middle school sport isn't more demanding than a grade-school one coached by a thirteen-year-old.
Mary Anne's height is inconsistent. Sometimes she's really short like Kristy, sometimes she's grown a few inches, sometimes she's back to be being really short.
Their Families:
In this book, Karen and Andrew's mother calls for a sitter, rather than Watson pawning his kids off on the rare weekend he sees them.
The Club:
Official Club Time is kept by Kristy's watch in this book, rather than Claudia's clock.
SMS:
Students: Bea Foster, Coreen ?, Marcia ?, Tallie ? (8th), Tonya ? (7th), Dilys ? (6th).
Coach Wu seems to work at the school aside from coaching judging by her being there in the morning, so one more tally mark for SMS faculty and staff.
PSA Time:
These books seriously misunderstand carb-loading. Eating a lot more of any kind of food than you usually would within 12 hours of your workout isn't going to help. It is a good idea to be sure your body has enough caloric energy to do what it needs to, but consistency and actual athletic training should play a part.
Misc:
Really, Kristy, you don't teach your softball team about strike zones? I understood those really early on and I didn't play except one season of T-ball.
There's a bit with Kristy in need of new baseball shoes because her cleats are worn down, but not wanting to break in new shoes blah blah blah. The cleats on baseball shoes are replaceable, like track and field spikes.
I've grudgingly accepted that the BSC books have trouble with the difference between "we" and "us" but this book actually confuses "you're" with "your." *twitch*
In true BSC fashion, I have named the kitten after a person, one of the ones who found him: Joel.
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: 6
BSC Fights: 8
SMS Staff and Faculty: 41
Students (other than the BSC): 141; 101 8th graders, 5 7th graders, 20 6th graders, 15 unspecified
Clients: 29
Types of candy in Claudia’s room: 94
Crushes:
Stacey-11
Claudia-8
Dawn-5
Jessi-3
Mallory-2
Mary Anne-2
Kristy-1
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