Thoughts before reading:
Finally, a book I read when I was a kid! It's been awhile. I enjoyed this when I was a kid, but it wasn't one I owned. Still, I think I read it several times, because I somehow still remember the basic storyline. Stacey's housesitting for Charlotte, but gets creeped out because it seems like someone else has been in the house while she's in school. Turns out to be a gardener or something. Yawn, but, at least this is something that could happen to a teenager.
The basics:
The Johanssens are going to France for two weeks, and they hire Stacey to watch the house while they are gone, and take care of Carrot, the family dog. She takes the job seriously, walking him twice a day, and spending time at the house to keep him company. At first, the job is also fun, but then some odd things start happening. One day there's a water glass in the sink that she doesn't remember using. Other days, it's things that she swears have been moved, or a missing newspaper. Carrot even starts acting erratically, getting into the trash and chewing on things. Stacey starts to get really spooked.
To add to this situation, there's an escaped criminal at large (sigh). A lot of the BSC charges are scared, and Stacey starts to wonder if it could be him getting into the house while she isn't there.
One day when Stacey arrives at the house, there's a meter reader outside, a woman with red hair. Stacey accidently mentions to her that the homeowners are out of town. Then she sees her back in the neighborhood a different afternoon, arguing with a man in a van. Inside the Johanssens house later, she notices a brush full of red hair, which no one in their family has.
Now very freaked out, she takes a list of the weird incidents to the BSC. They decide to only go to the house in pairs, so that Stacey will never be there alone. (Yet they don't tell their parents or any other adult.) On the last weekend of housesitting, the girls decide to have a stakeout. They all sleep over at Jessi's, and try dialing a special code on the Johanssens' answering machine from her house which allows them to listen to any noises in the home. (Was this a real thing??)
The stakeout turns up nothing, but when the girls go over to the house to bring a vase Stacey bought to replace the one Carrot broke, they find a new, unbroken vase already there. Then on the last morning, when Stacey and Claudia arrive at the house, they find a new phone number written on the memo pad. Stacey calls it, and it turns out to be a recording of train schedules. The girls rush to the station. Once there, they spot a red haired man, and start following him. While this is going on, the Johanssens' train comes in. To everyone's shock, the man goes over to greet them. Stacey heads over, and is introduced. He's a family friend, and was also staying at the house. He left Stacey a note, which she realizes Carrot must have shredded.
Naturally, the escaped prisoner is caught the same day.
Meanwhile, the BSC is also trying to have a Christmas party and sleigh ride for clients, but they're worried it won't snow. Then all the kids would be really disappointed, because Kristy let it slip out to the Arnold twins, who told everyone else. Luckily, Stoneybrook gets plenty of snow just in time, so everyone gets their sleigh rides. The BSC charges in attendance also give the girls presents they handmade for them, and Charlotte gives Stacey a pin from France.
Timeline:
It's early December again, disregarding the continuity of the last book.
Misc. thoughts:
*I liked all the descriptions of Carrot in here. He sounds so sweet!
*The girls play Pictionary at their sleepover too. It was nice to see them acting like the kids they are. That's gotten very rare.
*Mary Anne and Logan play Santa and Mrs. Clause at the Christmas party.
*In here we learn that Maureen studied abroad during college, where she fell for a man named Jean Paul. She wanted to marry him and stay in France, but her mom made her come home. Stacey's impressed.
*Mrs. J has an older sister who's a wealthy art dealer. She's the one they go to France with in here.
*Couldn't Carrot have just stayed at Stacey's house so he wouldn't be alone so much? This arrangement seemed sad to me.
*Ghostwritten by Ellen Miles.
Books mentioned:
None
My rating:
3 stars. This was a very average read, but an above average mystery. I was thrilled to read one that could plausibly happen to a kid, instead of the girls solving a crime. If only they had left out the escaped lunatic bit...
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