Thoughts before reading:
I remember checking this out from the library when I was a kid, just excited to have found a new BSC book that I'd never read. I wasn't interested in the books about dating though, because I was too young to care yet. For that reason, I know I never re-read this, and I don't remember anything about it now. I do recall that I didn't like it when Mary Anne got a boyfriend, because she was so relatable to me and that made her much less so. Even as a kid I knew it wasn't realistic that such a shy, awkward character would be the first in a group of friends to get a serious boyfriend. It made her seem different, like just another of the cool kids.
On the cover of the last Mary Anne book, #4, she looked about 10. Now here she looks about 17 already. Don't get me wrong, this cover is cute, but if you hold them up together it's pretty funny. Logan looks cute though, and I do remember that this kid is Jackie Rodowsky.
The graphic novel of this book is actually the next coming out in the series! I've put it on pre-order and will definitely be reviewing it when I get it.
The basics:
On the first day of 8th grade, the BSC is eating lunch together when Mary Anne spots Logan, thinking he's Cam Geary. (Recall from the last book, this is her big celebrity crush.) Stacey sets her straight that he's a new kid from Kentucky. Mary Anne is completely smitten and a little jealous that Stacey has talked to him.
Meanwhile, Kristy gets the idea to advertise the club at PTA meetings. Business has been good, she just wants to keep growing things and find clients nearer to her new house. This new round of fliers leads to an immediate business boom that the girls struggle to handle. Logan hears them talking about it in the cafeteria one day and comes over to tell them about all the sitting he did in Louisville. The girls are impressed and invite him to the next meeting.
It turns out, however, that the meeting is super awkward with Logan there. No one is used to a boy being present, so they feel like they can't be themselves. Claudia accidently tells a story about a bra strap being snapped by a boy at school, which also makes Logan uncomfortable. The only good thing to come out of the meeting is a call from new clients, the Rodowskys. They live near Logan so he gets the job, and Mary Anne will also go to see how he does.
Logan and Mary Anne sit for just one of the family's three boys, Jackie. He's a huge handful though, always into something. Still, Logan handles him well, and Mary Anne is ultimately impressed. They also bond and do a little flirting. She gives the BSC a good report, and they all want him as a sitter but don't want him at meetings. Everyone is unsure how to handle this, but Logan ends up saying he doesn't want to join. He does ask Mary Anne to the upcoming Remember September dance though, and she accepts.
We also find out via a babysitting chapter that Stacey is planning a surprise for Mary Anne's upcoming birthday. She knows Mary Anne doesn't like too much attention, so she's going to throw a party and then just have a surprise cake at the end.
Mary Anne is nervous about the dance, so the BSC cancels their meeting to help her get ready. The girls also all go shopping for outfits together. When the night arrives, Logan brings Mary Anne an orange flower, and they dance together, goofing off and having a good time until her shoe flies off. She's mortified and spends the rest of the dance on the bleachers.
Despite this setback, Logan isn't upset with how things go, and Mary Anne has fun. She asks Logan to be her date to Stacey's party. They end up going together and having fun again, until Stacey brings out the cake and gifts. Mary Anne panics because everyone's looking at her and she runs out to hide at home.
The next day, lonely and thinking no one will ever speak to her again, she asks her dad for a cat to keep her company. He surprises her by saying yes. She calls Logan to apologize and invite him to go to the animal shelter with her. Logan immediately apologizes for the surprise party, and they go pick out Tigger together. Mary Anne also apologizes to Stacey, and the BSC brings her gifts over.
Logan finally admits the reason he doesn't want to join the club is because the meeting was too awkward. Kristy decides to make him an associate member instead. Now basically he will help cover jobs but not attend their meetings, so everyone is pleased.
Timeline:
Starts the last day of summer vacation, then 8th grade begins, and our linear timeline ends. We're only 10 books in, and for the rest of the series the time is going to be a mess...
My thoughts:
I actually really enjoyed this book this time around. There was a lot going on in here, and I didn't remember any of it, which made it fun. The relationship with Mary Anne and Logan was handled pretty well so far. We got to see her go from being unable to speak around him to able to call and ask him out. We also know why he's putting up with this when he could probably have his pick of more out-going girls (one of Mary Anne's fears). He explains that he likes her because she takes people seriously and listens to them, while also having a good sense of humor. I thought this was a really sweet scene, but I do wish we heard from Mary Anne why she likes Logan. All we know from her own POV is that he looks like her favorite movie star, which isn't much of a reason. I can't help but wonder if she likes him because he's showing an interest in her.
It was also realistically addressed how difficult it is for the girls to handle school, the club, sitting, and all of their other interests. I like that this is brought up at all, because I feel like it's another thing overlooked later on. These girls are only 13, and they have schedules adults would struggle with. They do end up working quite a bit, and they all need their own interests and social lives too. There's no way they could constantly take on any job that the club needs them to. I only wonder why they don't seek out quite a few more associate members.
Reading Claudia's babysitting chapter, I remembered how much I HATE reading her writing. When I was a kid I read everyone's handwritten entries except for hers. It's bad enough that they make her writing so sloppy, but they have to make the spelling absurd. Can she really not spell "have"? I'd really think reading all those Nancy Drews would help her learn basic spelling just by accident.
There's also a babysitting chapter where Kristy is sitting for her own siblings and invites Dawn over for a sleepover because Mary Anne is out with Logan. They get to talking, and Kristy tells her that she feels left behind because Mary Anne is ahead of her for the first time. Kristy's always been the outgoing, boisterous one, and done everything first before. Besides just being a nice moment, it was good to see a rare moment she talks about her feelings. I also wonder if her not being interested in dating is another clue that she doesn't like boys? She also says in here that she still thinks kissing is gross. Nothing wrong with that of course, but it would be a rare 13 year old who really thought that. Plus, Ann M. Martin has always said Kristy is her favorite.
I definitely saw the whole thing where Mary Anne runs out on her party coming, but I felt really bad for all her friends and Logan. They were just trying to do something nice, which she could have just appreciated despite her discomfort. She came really far in this book, so it was a disappointing reaction. She's old enough to have a little grace under pressure. It was nice that she took all the first steps to apologize though.
Misc.
*Mary Anne is still only 12 when this book starts, making her the youngest member of the BSC.
*I've always pictured Cam Geary looking like a young Kirk Cameron, circa the Growing Pains era. It didn't hurt that I loved watching reruns of that show on Nickelodeon during my BSC years.
*When school starts Mary Anne is thinking about how special 8th grade will be, with a real graduation at the end, and then starting HS...and just think, it will only take about 20 years for her to get there!
*Fun fact: Mary Anne gets her first bra during this book, although we don't get to read about it. Can't have been a good time, with how her dad can be...
*Logan's flirting and Mary Anne's shyness was actually really cute.
*Stacey goes to the Remember September dance with Howie Johnson, Claudia with Austin Bentley.
*Unlike Stacey a few books ago, Mary Anne actually questions whether she can be in real love at her age.
*I always wondered when Mary Anne got Tigger, so that was fun to read about too.
Books mentioned:
*Stacey has Tik Tok of Oz, Paddington Takes the Air, and Happy Birthday to You (Dr Seuss) in her kid kit.
My rating:
4 stars, I was pleasantly surprised.
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