Abby's Book

 

Thoughts before reading:

I have pretty mixed feelings about Abby so far, but it will still be interesting to learn more about her and her life before Stoneybrook. At least I hope so...

The basics:

*Abby and Anna were born on October 15th.

*Anna's 8 minutes older, but Abby walked first.

*The twins had their own private language, which caused them to be slow at learning English.

*The girls started preschool together at age 3.

*They used to trick people by switching places.

*Abby was surprised to see in preschool that not everyone has a twin, and she was scared she'd lose hers like the other kids must have.

*The twins always had identical toys and possessions when they were very young.

*Kids in first grade called them Abby-Anna, which they both hated. Their teacher wanted them to try wearing a color coded wardrobe so the class could tell them apart, and for their safety, and their parents agreed to the plan. (Abby would be red, Anna blue.) Kids teased them by calling them their colors instead of their names, so they hated the whole thing. When they told their dad, he suggested one of them cut their hair instead, which Anna agreed to do.

*After the haircut, people started treating them like 2 separate girls, and they started doing separate activities too. 

*Abby used to be in brownies.

*The twins 6th birthday was the first one where they got separate, different gifts, instead of identical ones.

*Their dad died in November of their 4th grade year, which the girls were at school. Their grandpa came to pick them up and break the news.

*Mrs. Stevenson's parents stayed with the family for a week. When they left, she returned to work.

*It was important to Mr. Stevenson to save the environment and not waste things. (Both of those are also important to me.)

*Their mom started wearing their dad's bathrobe while she was grieving, and stopped cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry until Abby said that their dad would have hated seeing things that way.

*By 5th grade, Mrs. S had become a workaholic.

*When their dad was alive, they went on camping trips every summer, and to Disney World once.

*During 5th grade winter vacation, Mrs. S planned a family vacation to Sanibel, an island off the Florida coast. (Is this a real place?) Abby felt like they weren't a real family anymore, because even during the vacation they didn't spend time together.

*To make up for being distant, they spent New Year's Eve together, which was the first family celebration without their dad. The three of them talked about how much he loved traditions, and decided to keep some of his and also start new ones. 

*By the end of 7th grade, Mrs. S was still heartbroken and wanted a fresh start. She announced the move to Stoneybrook, to the twins dismay. Their mom also wanted to give away all the furniture and start completely fresh, but Abby convinced her to keep some things. 

*Abby worked hard to befriend Kristy, because she could tell Kristy was wary of her. 

*Abby gets an A- on her project, and Anna gets an A.

Timeline:

N/A

Misc. thoughts:

*I thought they've said in other books that Mrs. Stevenson was going to school to be a chef before Mr. S died, and only started working in publishing in the city after he was gone? But in here it says she started that job back when the twins were in first grade.

*The picture of the Stevensons' new Stoneybrook house in here shows how huge and fancy it is, and Abby has said it's one of the smallest in the neighborhood. In here it says that it's "just as big as the other houses on the block". 

*Abby's allergies are the worst in September.

*Apparently Abby's hair has already grown out from her haircut in #104? Pretty crazy, since Mary Anne got hers cut in #60 and it still hasn't changed at all...

*Ghostwritten by Jeanne Betancourt.

Books mentioned:

None

My rating:

2.5 stars. More entertaining that I expected, at least. Also, this is the last portrait book! Another milestone reached in this project.

#106: Claudia, Queen of the Seventh Grade

 

Thoughts before reading:

I usually like the school plots, so this will hopefully be a decent read. The last few books have been really average for me, so something that stands out a bit would be nice.

The basics:

Claudia's starting to thrive in 7th grade: she has a new group of friends, and she even helps them with homework since she now understands the work. They even nominate her for Queen of the seventh grade for the upcoming dance (which they call a prom?). Claudia gets really into running, and the enthusiasm of her 7th grade friends. Despite this, she insists to her BSC friends that the whole thing is no big deal, but then she feels let down when they don't wish her good luck, or seem very interested. 

Claudia ends up winning, and a boy she doesn't really like, Mark Jaffe, wins King. He's cute and everything, but really cocky and immature. It's no big deal though, because the King and Queen have no real duties beyond organizing attendants for their "court", just for fun, but Claudia's determined to organize and help with the prom. She convinces the administration to let her and Mark run the prom prep. They agree, but Mark doesn't really want to do a bunch of work, so they immediately start fighting about it.

Predictably, the more they work together and spend time around each other, Claudia ends up liking Mark, and they end up kissing. After she confronts her BSC friends about how ambivalent they've been acting about her 7th grade friends and events, and they admit it was just because they miss her. (Basically, the same exact scenario that happens every time someone makes a new friend in these books.) 

At the prom, Claudia and Mark kiss again, which is a King/Queen tradition. 

Meanwhile, the Addisons have contacted the BSC again, for the first time since Sean was caught setting fires at the readathon. (This was back in #13, Mary Anne and the Library Mystery.) They need a regular sitter for Thursdays, because they now have their own business and meetings on those days. Everyone agrees to take them back as clients, particularly since the Addisons have been in family therapy with Sean. 

Mary Anne has the first job with them, and she's really nervous. Turns out she had a good reason to be... Sean is rude and hostile the whole time, because he thinks he's now too old for a babysitter. (The kids at school have been teasing him about it.) 

The problems with Sean continue and get worse, until the Addisons decide that he can be a co-sitter. The very first sitting job after this change, however, he leaves without telling Abby where he's going, and heads to the store on his own. Sean then lies to his parents and tells them no BSC members are available the following Thursday, so that they will leave him alone in the house. Stacey ends up having to go over and help him after the dishwasher floods the kitchen with soap. She learns that the kid bullying him is Mel Tucker. (Remember him? I guess the therapy didn't help much.)

Timeline:

Never specifically mentioned, but it's probably around March.

Misc. thoughts:

*Ghostwritten by Peter Lerangis.

*Russ says he was meant to live a hundred years ago, as a pioneer in the wild west. I definitely relate to that feeling.

*Claudia now has a bunch of 7th grade friends. Hooray for the return of non-BSC friendships! Those have been sorely lacking for a long time now.

*Apparently SMS has a King and Queen of each grade every year, followed by a prom. None of this has ever been mentioned before.

*Claudia has a bag of marshmallows in her underwear drawer, haha. 

*Mary Anne takes all the books out of her kid kit before going to her job at the Addisons, which I thought was hilarious.

*Claudia gets annoyed that no one's listening to her talk about her queenship at the beginning of a BSC meeting, but from day one Kristy's always insisted on discussing club business first, before anything else. Still, it would have been nice to see the other girls being more supportive of her finally adjusting to 7th grade.

*Giving Sean more freedom and making him a co-sitter was a terrible solution to dealing with an immature, emotionally troubled kid. More amazing Stoneybrook parenting ideas...

*I like that Claudia's 7th grade friends actually act their ages. They come across as a lot younger than Mal and Jessi are written a lot of the time.

*The 8th grade BSC members are all pretty annoying in here. They act like the 7th graders are insanely young and immature, despite having 6th graders in their club, and as friends. 

*Claudia thinks that kissing someone twice means you're in a relationship, which is perfect junior high logic.

*It's obvious that one of Claudia's new friends, Josh, likes her and is jealous of Mark, but she doesn't pick up on it. 

*It's starting to get really hard to get through these books again, and there's still quite a ways to go. Hopefully it picks back up again like it did last time there was a rut. 

Books mentioned:

*Mrs. Fish, Ape, and Me, the Dump Queen, by Norma Fox Mazer

*Call of the Wild, by Jack London

*Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen

*Henry and Beezus, by Beverly Cleary

*My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George

My rating:

1 star. I really didn't like this one at all. It felt like nothing new, not much happened, and it was really dull. I struggled to get through it, despite how short it is.

Mystery #28: Abby and the Mystery Baby

 

Thoughts before reading:

This sounds fairly terrible, but we'll see. It depends on how the whole abandoned baby thing is actually handled, of course.

The basics:

When Abby arrives home from school one afternoon, there's a baby on her porch all alone. He's tucked into a car seat with a bag of supplies, and appears well cared for, but there's no note or any indication of who he is. Abby calls Kristy, since her mom isn't home, and Kristy comes over with Nannie. Once they arrive, Kristy takes charge, like always, and calls Sgt. Johnson. He comes over to file a report. When Abby's mom gets home from work, everyone decides that the little guy will stay with them until his family is found. 

Abby adores the baby, who they start calling Eli. Her mom is good with him too, and watching them together, Abby gets the feeling that her mom knows more about this than she's saying. She tries looking around outside for additional clues, but doesn't find anything. Mallory and Jessi have been doing a writing group at the library though, and they tell her that there's a woman in their group who wrote a story about abandoning a baby. 

Meanwhile, the BSC is having a "writing month" for their charges, to give them a chance to write and share stories with each other. All the kids are smitten with Eli and his story, and end up writing about him. Abby finds a clue in Maria Kilbourne's story: she was home sick that day and saw someone in a green car, probably a woman, dropping off the baby at Abby's. 

Mrs. Stevenson starts looking for a nanny to help out with Eli during the day. A woman named Erin Amesely drops by to apply, but she's really nervous and timid, which makes Abby suspicious. Her mom seems to have no such reservations, and hires her on the spot. That same night, Abby's grandparents call to chat, but they carefully avoid discussing the baby, and don't seem interested in him at all, which leaves Abby feeling more confused. 

Erin turns out to be a good nanny, but Abby finds some of her behavior to be odd. Kristy thinks Erin is somehow involved in the Eli mystery. Mal and Jessi start trying to tail the woman from their writing group, but they never see her doing anything strange. Once they overhear someone ask her about her little boy, but she just says they must have her confused with someone else. Then Kristy hears Erin call the baby EJ and confronts her about it... she says she has a nephew with that name. 

Abby's throwing a BSC sleepover, and she calls her mom at work to ask permission to rent some videos. A temp at her office tells Abby that her mom is out on family business... which is weird, because she never mentioned anything about it. Later on Abby asks her mom about it, and she denies it. 

Frustrated by her mom's obvious lie, Abby decides to snoop around in her study. She finds a post-it note with "Miriam" written on it. Abby knows that's her mom's younger sister, but no one in the family has spoken to her for years. She tells Anna about it, and together they look through old family photo albums, trying to find her. It looks like she's been cut out of more recent photos, but there is one of her as a little girl... clutching the same blanket Eli came wrapped in. Abby hits the redial on her mom's phone, which calls a hospital in NYC, where she's able to confirm Miriam is a patient. Knowing her mom won't tell her anything, Abby decides to go to NYC right then, alone, to get some answers. 

When Abby reaches the hospital and finds Miriam's room, her mom is already there, crying. Mrs. S finally explains that Miriam has diabetes, but hadn't been able to afford to take good care of herself. No one in the family knew she'd even had a baby, but she'd broken down and decided to ask for help. When she arrived at the Stevenson's with her son (Daniel is his real name) she felt faint, so she left him on the porch with a note because she was no longer thinking clearly. Mrs. S suspected who the baby was right away, and the police were helping her look for Miriam, who had ended up in a diabetic coma. 

The family reconciles, and Miriam and Daniel will be going to Florida to stay with her parents for awhile to get help. 

Timeline:

It's February.

Misc. thoughts:

*They're still only having 1 sitter for the Pikes, despite the fact that the triplets are still causing problems with the younger kids instead of helping out.

*Remember when the girls going to NYC was a huge deal? Now it's constantly done.

*Ghostwritten by Ellen Miles.

*Out of all the things that could have been wrong with Miriam, they had to use diabetes, again? Not to mention it makes no sense that she could get to the house, but then was out of her mind, so she left her baby there alone with a note (which no one found anyway)? Wouldn't diabetic shock and weakness have caused her to pass out, not roam around? Why didn't she just go to the hospital with the baby?

Books mentioned:

None

My rating:

2 stars. This was a lot more readable than some of the mysteries, but the explanation for everything was just so bad... and didn't even make sense. Why wouldn't their mom just have explained some of the basics to the twins and avoid this whole scenario? 

#105: Stacey the Math Whiz

 

Thoughts before reading:

This plot sounds super mediocre, but at this point a Stacey book is very welcome, especially as a nice break between all the Abby books. I can't imagine the BSC fan base getting really excited over a book about a math club though.

Also, I really just hate this cover. Stacey looks nothing like she usually does, and in this particular picture she also looks about 35. No one gets that excited about math either, I don't care how much you love it.

The basics:

The chair of the SMS math department asks Stacey to join the mathletes. She's turned down the offer in the past, but this time they only have another month to go before their season ends, and they really want Stacey because her standardized test scores are among the highest in the district. Stacey agrees to think it over, but she thinks the whole thing is really nerdy. The BSC encourages her to try it though, and then she decides it will be fun. The problem was really that she was worried Kristy would be mad, or her friends would think she was a dork. Stacey has been tutoring Lindsay Dewitt though, which she won't have time to do now. To Claudia's dismay, she gets stuck taking over.

Stacey's dad turns up in Stoneybrook for the weekend, in a brand new car he just purchased. It turns out he's lost his job due to lay offs, but seems to be taking it well, and now he wants to spend more time with Stacey. He even wants to come over and cook for her and Maureen. Stacey's hesitant, but her parents have been getting along better lately, so she agrees. Maureen is surprised, needless to say, but the dinner goes fine.

At her first mathletes practice, Stacey's wary at first of some of the dorky kids on the team, but she quickly begins to enjoy herself. She's really good at the problems too, and her team is impressed. SMS even ends up winning their first mathlete contest. Stacey's thrilled, but that feeling quickly fades afterwards when her parents get into a misunderstanding about dinner. Her dad made reservations in the city, and forgot to tell her mom. It ends up being a really late night, and they have endless problems with the car: parking tickets, stolen hubcaps, a scratch. After this comedy of errors, Stacey starts to feel overwhelmed by how much time her dad wants to spend with her. 

With Stacey's help, her team gets all the way to the state finals. Her dad ends up getting concert tickets for U4ME the evening of the tournament though. She decides family should come before math, so she'll go to the concert instead... but then she's miserable at the thought of letting her team down, plus she's tied for number 1 player in the state, which would be jeopardized by missing a match. 

Mary Anne convinces Stacey to explain things to her dad (very good advice...). He's very understanding, and they all end up rushing to the contest together. Stoneybrook wins by 2 points, but it's a best 2 out of 3 competition. Afterwards, Ed takes Stacey and Maureen out to celebrate and announces he found a new job. Stacey tries to be happy for him, but she's hurt that he'll miss the last 2 finals and he doesn't seem to care. He's already back to his old workaholic self, it seems. 

During the second final, Stacey gets flustered, misses an easy question, and her team loses by a few points. Her dad never even calls to ask how it went. 

Stacey's on a roll at the last match though, but misses a question when she realizes her dad isn't there. He shows up at the end though, and she gets the final question right. SMS wins the state championship, and Stacey wins the individual score record. She talks to her dad afterwards, and he promises to still make time for her. 

Side plot: SES has a math fair. Also, despite all her apprehension, Claudia turns out to be a good tutor, using Legos and songs to help Lindsay understand subtraction and borrowing. 

Timeline:

No idea... I'm assuming it's sometime in January or February.

Misc. thoughts:

*Ghostwritten by Peter Lerangis. 

*It's really not healthy that the BSC members are afraid to try new things because of Kristy's reaction...

*Mary Anne is still doing the job with Victoria. That's a nice little bit of continuity. 

*On page 46, Ryan is misspelled as "Byan".

*Ryan and Marnie are apparently at friends' houses, at age 2? Right... Also, Claudia's expected to tutor Lindsay and babysit for other kids at the same time? More stellar parenting, and really unfair to Claudia and the kids.

*Mr. Dewitt "looks about as friendly as a cactus" when he learns Claudia's now tutoring Lindsay instead of Stacey. I feel bad for Claudia, but you really can't blame him.

*Ed McGill went to NYU.

*I also used to have a Sony discman in the 90s! I remember when those were the greatest thing ever too, haha. 

*Too bad Claudia doesn't have more confidence in herself... she's been a tutor before, for Emily Michelle, and she was good at it then too. 

Books mentioned:

None

My rating:

2.5 stars. This wasn't terrible by any means, but it was very average and forgettable. 

#104: Abby's Twin

Thoughts before reading:

Oh yay, another Abby book... this has been a pretty rough section of books for me. Hopefully things get better soon, because there's still quite a ways to go.

The basics:

SMS is doing health checks on the students, testing hearing, vision, and for scoliosis. The screener who checks Abby recommends she see a doctor for a more thorough scoliosis test. Abby's really worried about it, and starts panicking over the thought of having to wear a back brace. Anna got the same note, but she takes the news in stride. (No one else in the BSC has to be re-checked.) The girls tell their mom, who schedules the doctor's visits. 

Abby turns out to have a 14 degree curve in her spine, and only curves over 20 degrees require treatment. Anna's is 25 though, so they recommend a low profile brace for her. Abby feels guilty that she got off scot free while her twin has to go through this, so she vows to be extra caring and supportive. 

Meanwhile, Kristy wants to have a winter carnival to help cure the winter blahs (their charges have been bored lately, especially with the bad weather). To raise money, they're going to shovel snow for people. 

Shortly after Anna's diagnosis, Abby goes to the mall with the BSC to shop for carnival supplies. She invites Anna, who declines, but Abby still ends up feeling guilty. Abby decides she just needs to spend way more time with Anna. Right off the bat, however, this doesn't go well, since Abby keeps insisting that Anna do activities she doesn't want to do. Often she doesn't even like them. Then Abby decides to get her haircut like Anna's (at Gloriana's House of Hair, no less...) to show her support. She also goes along for her brace fitting appointment. 

Next, Abby decides to cheer Anna up with a new wardrobe, and her mom gives her $200 to spend on it. She asks Stacey for help shopping, which was a good choice, because Stacey has the good sense to pick out clothes that actually fit Anna's style. Abby doesn't listen though, and insists on sportswear to help Anna feel more comfortable, in bright colors to cheer her up. Unsurprisingly, Anna's not too enthused about her new clothes, prompting Abby to vow to work even harder.

Once Anna actually gets her brace and starts wearing it, Abby gets even more overbearing. Alan Gray accidently knocks Anna over in school one day, and Abby yells at him in the hall. After, Anna finally snaps and tells Abby that she's been driving her crazy by acting like this is happening to her instead, buying all clothes she'd like, forcing Anna to do things she doesn't want to do, and even volunteering her for the carnival. Abby calls her sister ungrateful and ends up storming off.

The BSC encourages Abby to try talking to Anna again, but her pride is too hurt. After talking to her mom she does try saying hello to Anna, but she turns away without answering. 

Anna does end up attending the carnival, where she scares Abby by sledding. She's perfectly fine after though, which makes Abby finally realize that all her worrying makes Anna feel worse about her situation. Both girls apologize to each other. 

Timeline:

It's January, which Abby hates: it's boring, there are no sports, and her dad died during this time of the year.

Misc. thoughts:

*Ghostwritten by Suzanne Weyn.

*I remember my junior high doing scoliosis checks too.

*Mal is described as having auburn hair again in this one, even though we're usually told she has red.

*Since when is Pow (the dog the Pikes inherited from the Barretts) fat? I don't remember this ever being mentioned before.

*The options for treating scoliosis are the Milwaukee brace and the low profile brace. I wanted to include a picture, but my internet is not having it today...

*Claudia sculpts Stacey out of snow. She sure does a lot of artwork inspired by her BFF...

*Kristy's actually understanding about Abby missing meetings for doctor's appointments. Maybe she's finally learned something.

*Charlie drives Abby and Anna to the train station? Does Kristy pay him for all these random errands? He barely even knows the twins, and the poor guy has his own life...

*Anna has to wear the brace 23 hours a day for 2-3 years. Yikes, I'd be upset too if I was her.

*Lots of details in here about the brace fitting process and appointments, which would be helpful to kids facing this same issue.

*Neither Abby or her mom thinks about the fact that Anna might want to pick out her own clothes? If their mom was willing to shell out $200 bucks, she should have sent the girls out shopping together to spend some bonding time, and to allow Anna to choose her own things.

*Error on page 126, double quote marks.

Books mentioned:

None

My rating:

3 stars. Not bad for an Abby book... this was a quick read, very believable story, and not too much filler. 

Mystery #27: Claudia and the Lighthouse Ghost

 

Thoughts before reading:

I have low hopes for this, although it sounds like the kind of spooky story that would have intrigued me as a kid. This reminds me somehow of those "spooky/mystery" Dawson's Creek novels they came out with when the show was really popular. 

The basics:

The Hatt family, old friends of the Kishis that we've never heard of before, own the old Stoneybrook lighthouse, and they're coming for a visit. Claudia overhears her parents arguing about it, in fact. Mary Anne remembers something bad happening there when she was young, but she never found out any details. 

Claudia's parents then tell her and Janine that the Hatts are moving to Stoneybrook, and will be staying with them for awhile, but not many other details. They're a family of 5, so things are going to be pretty tight. Claudia and Janine will have to share a room, which both girls are firmly against. To make matters even worse, Janine has just had a fight with Jerry and is in a terrible mood. 

When the Hatts arrive, Claudia's stunned to see their son, who she had known as "little Stevie", is now gorgeous. This cheers her up about the visit, even though Janine keeps flirting with him. (This is difficult for me to picture...) 

Adjusting to the increased household is a bit rough though. The Kishi house becomes so crowded that the BSC ends up having one of their meetings in the bathroom via call forwarding. Janine's eating some of Claudia's junk food. A charred hat and some threatening messages begin to show up at the house too, obviously directed at the Hatts. The BSC girls decide to do some research at the library after these incidents begin, and they learn that the incident at the lighthouse was 9 years earlier, and involved a 16 year old boy drowning in the icy water right outside the structure. His name was Adrian Langley. Mr. Hatt found him, and from there he was taken to the hospital, where he died a few days later. 

The girls decide to go talk to Mr. Langley, Adrian's father, who tells them he thinks Mr. Hatt shut his son inside the lighthouse on purpose, which prompted the boy to try jumping out to safety because he had severe claustrophobia. He also claims his family rightly owned the lighthouse, but Hatt cheated them out of it in court. 

The BSC girls then go to look around the lighthouse and find a letter with a gargoyle drawn on it, just like the one that sits outside SHS. They learn that the high school students call it Fred, and a gang of kids years back was using it as a symbol.

Steve Hatt starts talking about having a party at the lighthouse, and someone sets it on fire to deter him. His dad tells him to go ahead and have it anyway, tired of being intimidated. (The fire turns out to be smoke bombs, a false alarm.)

At the party, an old classmate of Adrian's turns up, sneaking around suspiciously. He tries to sneak out without being seen, but gets tangled in some lights outside. When confronted, he admits to being the leader of the gargoyles back in the day. Adrian was trying to join the group, and his initiation was to spend the night in the lighthouse. He then got claustrophobic and tried to jump out, causing him to drown. Mr. Hatt's name is finally cleared. 

Side plot: There's a comet called the Veehoff comet coming soon, that's only seen every 71 years. Everyone's talking about it, and Kristy plans a comet party for the BSC charges... who end up being very unimpressed by the comet. 

Timeline:

It's somehow still the Christmas season.

Misc. thoughts:

*Ghostwritten by Peter Lerangis.

*Sorry for the terrible summary on this one, but I just couldn't even get into this enough to even take good notes. It was so boring, and silly, and didn't make much sense either. For instance, why would Mr. Hatt have locked Adrian inside the lighthouse on purpose? How did none of this information about the SHS group and the initiation come out before now? 

*Janine and Jerry make up by the end.

*It was weird to see Claudia and Janine liking the same guy again, as they did in The Summer Before. I could see this being a problem when they were older, but by 13 and 16 it's a bit much that it's happened even once. 

Books mentioned:

None

My rating:

2 stars. Very generic mystery: silly, ridiculous, yet still dull. They really should have ended this series by now...

#103: Happy Holidays, Jessi

 

Thoughts before reading:

Jessi's last book was WAY back, #82, when Danielle tried to drive a car and hurt Vanessa Pike in the process. Why such a long gap? At this point in the series, Mal and Jessi are hardly getting any books or storylines. I didn't read this far before, so I never really noticed, but now I'm really curious what the reason for that was. Were they unpopular, and their books didn't sell as well? Or were they trying to slowly phase them out because they were so young, and as time went on it seemed more ridiculous? 

Also, Poor Jessi and Squirt look awful on this cover.

The basics:

Jessi's excited because the holidays are coming up, and her cousin Keisha's family is coming to visit and stay with the Ramseys for Kwanzaa. She mentions this to the BSC, and Kristy questions the concept of a holiday that excludes everyone not belonging to one race. Jessi's taken aback at first, but then realizes that people might think Kwanzaa is racist simply because they don't know anything about it (it's a quiet, family holiday). She has the idea to have a Kwanzaa festival in Stoneybrook. (This is a nice idea, actually. I'll admit that I knew nothing about Kwanzaa myself before this book, and it sounds like a really great alternative to consumerism.) 

Aunt Cecelia takes Jessi, Becca, and Squirt out Christmas shopping soon after, but spends the whole time nagging them and arguing with store employees. Becca and Jessi get bored and decide to jump out and scare her in one of the stores. Predictably, she gets angry instead, and becomes even more so after getting a parking ticket for parking in a handicap spot. 

Becca makes a poster of all the toys she wants for Christmas, and she wants to hang it in the kitchen. Aunt Cecelia makes a comment about the kids getting spoiled, and Mr. Ramsey is furious. Things get tense at home, but after the fight, Aunt Cecelia starts being extra sweet to the kids, even taking them back to the mall to see Santa. The mall's really busy though, and they end up rushing because Jessi has to be home by noon for a Kwanzaa festival meeting. In the car on the way home, Squirt won't stop crying, so Aunt Cecelia lets Jessi take him out of the car seat. (WHY would she allow this, when it's unsafe, illegal, and they were almost home anyway? This is painfully out of character and shamelessly just a plot device...) 

After Aunt Cecelia stops at a yellow light (she's a very over cautious driver), a car hits them from behind. Squirt is thrown to the floor, but conscious when paramedics arrive on the scene. He's rushed to the hospital, and they want to keep him there for a few days due to a possible concussion. He then ends up blacking out a few times and having to stay longer. 

Holiday spirit in the Ramsey house dwindles quickly after the accident. John (Mr. Ramsey) and Cecelia are fighting a lot, Becca gets the flu, and with everyone trying to visit Squirt as much as possible, there's just no time to decorate or shop. Mallory and her dad do help out by bringing them a Christmas tree though. Squirt's still in the hospital on Christmas Day, but is allowed to come home the next day. All the adults are still fighting, however, so Kwanzaa doesn't start any better. Squirt's really fussy too, and then he catches a cold. Aunt Cecelia threatens to move out one day, then returns 45 minutes later. The Ramseys are stressed about the hospital bills. 

When Keisha and her family arrive, they feel awkward due to the tension and constant bickering, until Keisha finally asks all the adults why they keep fighting. Squirt takes that moment to burp loudly, which breaks the tension. Everyone starts laughing, and from there they enjoy the festival and the last few days of Kwanzaa. 

Meanwhile, the BSC gets a new client, the Harris family. They have two boys, both really sweet, but they turn into a handful for Mary Anne after they invite a bunch of friends over to do Kwanzaa crafts. And that's pretty much it for side plot, haha. 

Timeline:

It's December: begins on December 1st in fact, and goes to the end of the month.

Misc. thoughts:

*Since when do the Ramseys celebrate Kwanzaa? This was never mentioned in the Secret Santa book, or any other holiday related one. Introducing it now makes it feel like a stereotype.

*Ghostwritten by Peter Lergangis.

*Jessi says the moment she sees Christmas decorations in store windows, she's a little kid again. So... she feels a few years younger? This girl is only 11, haha. 

*Kwanzaa lasts 7 days, with lots of feasts, crafting, gift-giving, visiting friends/family, and storytelling. It was conceived of in 1966 by an African American professor, Dr. Maulana Karenga. After witnessing race riots in LA, he sought to create a celebration to unify the African American community. To do this, he studied the rituals of African tribes, learning most take place around the winter harvest season. Then he combined parts of different rituals to create Kwanzaa. 

*Kwanzaa lasts from December 26th to January 1st. 

*"Kwanza" means "first" in Swahili, with one letter added to the end to make 7 letters. 

*Each day has a theme too: 

1: Togetherness

2: Self-determination

3: Collective work/responsibility

4: Cooperative economics

5: Purpose

6: Creativity (also feast day)

7: Faith

*The Kwanzaa background and info is from pages 7-8. I never knew any of this before, so I found it really interesting. 

*Aunt Cecelia is pretty much the worst customer ever in here, a retail worker's nightmare. She's also a real nagging shrew to the kids. Despite all this, I do think she has a point about Becca and her wish list poster. It doesn't do Becca any good to learn that Christmas just means getting tons of new stuff.

*I like the Harris family! They don't allow any TV on weekdays, and one whole wall of their family room is bookshelves. 

*BSC drinking game! Drink every time this book says "Kwanzaa". You won't last a whole chapter...

*Despite the ridiculous circumstances of the accident, everyone crying and Squirt lying motionless on the car floor was really emotional to read about.

*There was some good eating in this book... I've made Hoppin' John before, and it's delicious.

*Kristy wants to do a Kwanzaa skit on the history of the BSC, for publicity, haha. Considering all the problems they have with being short handed, she's always really concerned about advertising the club...

Books mentioned:

*Her Stories, by Virginia Hamilton

*The Seven Days of Kwanzaa, by Angela Shelf Medearis

*Crafts for Kwanzaa, by Kathy Ross

My rating:

2 stars. The main problem with this was that it was just SO boring. 

#102: Mary Anne and the Little Princess

 

Thoughts before reading:

I guess they were really just running out of ideas by this point... let's just hope this is better than it sounds. 

The basics:

The SMS football team is on a winning streak, so everyone's really into the game at the moment... except for Mary Anne. She's hanging out at Kristy's while she plays with Logan and some kids though, during which time she notices a moving van stop down the street. (Kristy promptly runs over with a BSC flier and gives it to the movers, hahaha.) From there, she starts putting a flier in the new family's (the Kents) mailbox every day. It actually works too: they end up calling the BSC. The Kents are looking for a companion for their 8 year old daughter, Victoria, to help her adjust to the US. She's a princess, distantly in line for the British throne. Mary Anne gets the job because she answered the phone, and doesn't get the chance to explain how the club works before being informed that she'll be picked up at home the next day.

Sure enough, the next morning a driver picks Mary Anne up in a limo for her interview. The family's nice, but she feels uncomfortable with all the formality, and is unable to find any common ground with Victoria. She gets the job, but can't wait to leave. Then when she gets home, no one's there, and Sharon has left her a note referring to herself as "mom" and mentioning they're having tofu for dinner. (Richard's on a business trip in Wisconsin.) Mary Anne starts feeling sorry for herself and ends up crying. 

Mary Anne remains nervous for her first sitting job with Victoria, but Sharon tries to put her at ease, even telling her to invite the Kents over for Thanksgiving dinner. None of this really makes her feel any better though, especially after Victoria turns out to be a spoiled brat (big surprise). That first day, she demands to go to Washington Mall after seeing it on TV, so Mary Anne, the nanny, and Victoria all end up going in the limo. Victoria charges anything she wants while there to her personal credit card. (Mary Anne also hates riding in the limo, because everyone stares.)

Richard's business trip gets extended, and he now won't be back until Thanksgiving day. Mary Anne and Sharon go shopping together to cheer themselves up, but even that doesn't please Mary Anne, who starts to feel like she's just a stand-in for Dawn after Sharon buys her an expensive sweater similar to one Dawn has, and wants to eat at a health food place for lunch. 

After spending more time with Victoria, Mary Anne starts to like her, realizing she just doesn't know how to make friends. She takes her to Logan's football game, and helps her mingle with kids her own age. Both go pretty well, until Victoria tells the other kids they can't go to NYC with her, instead inviting Mary Anne, Kristy, and Stacey. (Kristy almost says no, because it conflicts with a BSC meeting.) The girls all end up agreeing to come.

In NYC, Victoria's nanny, Miss Rutherford, is spoiling the trip for the girls by being paranoid about every little thing, so at Stacey's suggestion they give her the slip. After having some fun, they reunite at the UN to visit Victoria's parents. When she learns her parents aren't joining them for dinner because of work, her good mood vanishes, and she ends up refusing to eat anywhere besides Pizza Hut. (Stacey invites her dad to join them too, and he does.)

On Thanksgiving morning, Mary Anne and Victoria head to the airport in the limo to pick up Richard, and Dawn, who's visiting for the holiday. Victoria opens up to Mary Anne about how much she hates her parents going away, and how she's tried purposely not to make friends, because she's leaving in 6 months. Mary Anne uses her experiences with Dawn and Richard leaving to relate and explains that even though it's hard to lose people, you have to go on living. Victoria is cheered up a bit, and agrees to have a play date with Karen. 

Timeline:

It's November and chilly.

Misc. thoughts:

*Ghostwritten by Peter Lerangis.

*Apparently Kristy now offers new BSC clients a free hour of babysitting and a money back guarantee, haha.

*I'm surprised Mary Anne getting the job with the Kents without it being offered around didn't start a huge BSC fight. Less has.

*I loved stuff like this as a kid, so I really wish I'd gotten to it back then.

*Mary Anne's now helping Claudia with her homework. I guess they've finally become comfortable with each other again.

*I'm so tired of Mary Anne's pity parties... I know we all feel sorry for ourselves sometimes, but enough is enough. I doubt anyone else feels bad for her. She has zero idea how good she has it, and no ability to deal with anything.

*Druscilla's visiting her grandma, Mrs. Porter, again.

*Error on page 52? It says, "you may notice the cross out in Kristy's notebook entry," but there isn't one. I guess they forgot to add it in?

*Andrew thought "European settlers" were doggies, haha. (As in "setters".)

*Kristy has her younger siblings make a model Pilgrim village. I liked doing stuff like that for the holidays when I was a kid too.

*Mrs. Prezzioso takes pictures of the limo from her window. She definitely would...

*Why did Mary Anne have to get this job? I'd love to have seen Victoria go toe-to-toe with Stacey or Kristy instead.

*Since Sharon hardly ever sees her own daughter, I doubt Mary Anne was very fair off base with her feelings in here. She still comes across as very ungrateful though. She's annoyed when Sharon introduces her as her daughter, even. Plus despite wanting to get the health food, she does also get a turkey for Mary Anne and Richard. 

*Dawn now refers to turkey as a "brutally massacred, decapitated, and scorched bird carcass", despite the fact that she's eaten chicken for the whole series. Mary Anne even says she occasionally eats non-red meat. It just makes no sense to me that you could have these really strong views, but then eat meat anyway.

*Kristy calls into the BSC meeting she missed to check on things, from the United Nations building! Definitely not surprised.

*Dawn surprises her mom by coming for Thanksgiving, which was sweet. Mary Anne knew ahead of time, hence the pick up in the limo.

*In her back of the book letter, Ann M. Martin lists her favorite childhood books. Unsurprisingly, they've all been mentioned in the BSC books: A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz, Doctor Doolittle, Marguerite Henry's horse stories, James and the Giant Peach, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and Baby Island.

Books mentioned:

*Catherine, Called Birdy, by Karen Cushman

*Stone Fox, by John Reynolds Gardiner

My rating:

2.5 stars. Mainly a generic babysitting plot, and it will probably never be mentioned again. My least favorite kind...

#101: Claudia Kishi, Middle School Dropout

 

Thoughts before reading:

This was one of my top childhood favorites. As I've mentioned before, there were certain books I always reached for when I needed comfort, and those were the books I re-read the most. This falls into that category, as one I reached for when I had troubles or worries about school. I never had academic problems like Claudia (I was a bookish, nerdy, straight A's kid), but her problems in here with fitting in, feeling left out, alone, and being miserable at school, all spoke to me. This was also one of the very few BSC books I was still reading into junior high, for those reasons. 

This book is also notable for another reason: it's the highest I ever read in the series as a kid, therefore marking the end of my childhood BSC reading. Going forward, every book will be completely new. Despite how much I used to love this, I just never read past it, even though I was still getting and reading older titles for awhile. When this came out, I was ten years old and still BSC obsessed, but less than a year later I'd moved on to new things and (mostly) left the BSC behind. (Until I rediscovered them in my 20s, anyway!)

Also one of my favorite covers! I think Claudia is captured really well, from her forlorn and annoyed expression to her outfit. I love the details on all the kids in the background too, and how they actually look like 12 year old's. 

The basics:

The school year is barely underway, and Claudia's already falling behind. While her friends are excited about their classes, she just feels hopelessly discouraged. As always, the only bright spot is her art. During one of her art classes, she sees a flier announcing that Serena McKay, a famous artist, is going to be teaching a master class at Stoneybrook Community College. Only 15 people will be accepted, it lasts a few weeks, and ends with a student art show. Her teacher encourages her to try out. She doesn't expect to get in, but tries anyway, and is thrilled when she gets accepted... until she remembers she never asked her parents for permission. She decides to study hard for her upcoming math test to impress them, then ask, but she still only gets a 45%.

The Kishi family has a conference about Claudia's troubles in school. They agree to let her take the art class though, if in return she does anything she has to do to improve her grades. They also hire her a tutor, Rosa, who is recommended by Janine. (A huge improvement over hiring one of her BSC friends, at least...) Claudia ends up actually liking Rosa, and she begins to feel like she can make it. That hope quickly fades though, because despite all her extra work, she keeps falling more behind. After she gets a 58 on her next math test, the school calls a meeting with her parents, where it's recommended that she repeat 7th grade. Her parents agree, effective immediately. 

Right off the bat, the 7th grade work is much easier for Claud, and she even remembers some of it. She feels lonely and disconnected from her 8th grade friends though, especially since at SMS every grade has a different lunch period. She even has nightmares that they've all forgotten about her. 

Claudia quickly begins to feel better about things when she discovers how popular she is in 7th grade. The girls admire her and start mimicking her hairstyles and asking about her clothes. Lots of kids want to eat lunch with her, and the boys keep starting at her in awe. She's also doing well in her classes for the first time, even math and science. 

After acing a test, Claudia's flying particularly high, but all her good feelings about 7th grade come crashing down in a hurry when she realizes the upcoming Halloween dance is for 8th graders only. (Never mind that the girls went to dances when they were all in 7th grade, early in the series...) She becomes depressed, feeling like she doesn't fit in anywhere, stops trying in school, and stops being friendly to the other 7th graders. She even avoids her BSC friends, and starts alienating them by acting snarky. Claudia also starts feeling good and sorry for herself, picturing herself as a teenage kindergartener while her friends are graduating from high school. She doesn't dress up for Halloween like usual, and she looks down on the other kids for being too excited. 

On Halloween, Claudia, Mal, and Jessi take some BSC charges trick-or-treating while everyone else is at the dance. Claudia sulks the whole time, then declares it to be her worst Halloween ever. The next day, all her friends call to tell her how terrible the dance was without her, which puts her into an even worse mood. To make matters even worse, her beloved art classes have just ended. Claudia doesn't really feel like attending the student art show, but she forces herself to. She doesn't invite any friends or family though.

At the art show, people keep coming up and congratulating Claudia, but she isn't sure why. Assuming it's just good etiquette, she starts doing the same, which results in some funny looks from the other students. Then Serena approaches her, with a reporter in tow, and she finally realizes she won first prize. When Serena congratulates her, she bursts into tears on the spot and ends up telling her about everything that's been going on. Serena confides that she was also held back- twice. Yet that didn't stop her from attending art school or teaching. 

By the time she leaves the gallery, Claudia feels way better. Serena has inspired her, and impressed on her the importance of having a support system in her life. Claudia realizes how dumb it was to shut out her friends when she needed them the most. She rushes home, puts together a costume, and rushes to the BSC Halloween party that she wasn't going to attend. She also donates her winning painting to the Children's Hospital.

The BSC has a pizza party after, and Kristy officially ends their probation. 

Also during this time, Jackie Rodowsky is still in the hospital, and Kristy's been visiting him. (Isn't this a really long stay for a concussion?) She gets to know a bunch of the other kids in the hospital, and has the idea to cheer them up by pairing them with other kids as pen pals. The hospital buddies program is born. This also inspires the BSC Halloween party, which is for the kids in the hospital. 

By the end of the book, Jackie is finally released.

Timeline:

It's October, again, and Halloween hasn't happened yet until the end, even though it did in the last book (not to mention most of the BSC was in Salem, out of town, and Claudia was still in 8th grade). I guess that book was all a bad dream?

Misc. thoughts:

*Ghostwritten by Ellen Miles.

*It's painfully late in the series for this plot line... Claudia's been in the 8th grade forever by now. This just draws more attention to it. 

*Claudia finally says she likes Janine. Older sisters are so unappreciated...

*I wanted pastel crayons because of this book, so I could be more like Claudia. Eventually I did get some, but like all things artistic, I was terrible with them.

*I liked how the recap had Claudia picturing abstract paintings of everyone. It was something a little different. 

*Claudia wants to do a self portrait that'll show who she is, rather than what she looks like. (She's studying abstract art this year.) She kind of did that same thing when she was young, with her butterfly portrait.

*Unlike the last book, this one mentions the BSC break-up, probation, and that the girls aren't completely comfortable together yet. Claudia and Mary Anne, in particular, are still awkward with each other.

*Kristy has a weak stomach for scars and blood.

*I learned to say "this is she" when someone calls and asks for you from this book.

*Conveniently for the plot, Claudia's new art class is on Tuesdays and Thursdays every week. 

*Claudia has a fake nose ring, and she startles her friends with it. I used to want one of those too, haha.

*Claudia's recent art projects include: a still life of fruit done in oil paints, a sculpture of a cat, a watercolor of her mom's garden, and a necklace made of bottle caps and wooden beads.

*Since when do they only send 1 sitter to the Pikes, and does this continue for the rest of the series now? The trial where the triplets helped to babysit was a disaster, and they are no help in this book either. In fact, they still make more work for Abby, bickering and stirring up trouble.

*During this experience, Claudia learns that no matter how bad things seem at first, you can usually find some good in them. Also, things are often not as terrible as they first look (pg 95). Not a bad thing for any of us to remember. 

*Reading this now, it seems certain to me that Claudia belongs back in 7th grade and never should have been promoted to 8th grade in the first place. The series should have made the bold choice to actually leave her in 7th, but I know she later graduates with everyone else. That's really the part of this whole thing that makes zero sense, to the degree that I think they're insulting the intelligence of their readers. If she's doing so well in 7th, putting her back in 8th is the worst thing for her. She was already behind, unable to keep up, and lacking the foundations to understand the 8th grade materials. If she returns to the grade after missing a bunch of the year, wouldn't that leave her WAY worse off than having stayed in 8th grade all along? That's almost like skipping a grade, something a struggling student would never do. How will she have the foundations from 8th grade to go on and do well in high school? How would she understand 8th grade math and science after missing so much of the year?

*The Kishis give out raisins and dried apricots for Halloween, ick.

*For Halloween this time, Stacey's a flapper, Jessi is a ballerina, Mal is Emily Dickinson, Abby's a soccer player, Mary Anne is Little Red Riding Hood, and Kristy is The Wolf. Claudia had planned to be a punk, but got too depressed to dress up.

*Claudia gets a 96 on her first math test back in 7th grade.

*The way Claudia stops trying in school and disconnects from everyone is the exact same way she acted when her parents tried to help her by putting her in private school (super special #11). Then she was also depressed, mopey, and shut down. These are also the two times her parents really stepped up to make a hard choice to help her with her education... and this shows they really didn't do her any favors by giving in before. She'd be so much better off long term if someone would stick to their guns. She's acting this way because she's immature and used to getting her way. Instead of giving in, put her in therapy to work through these feelings. It's nothing against her, I just really think she would have been better off if someone had taken a firm hand and done what she needed, instead of what she wanted.

*Alan Gray is the character from The Mask movie for Halloween. I remember when that was insanely popular.

*Once again, no BSC clients take their own kids trick-or-treating. These people aren't going to have any special memories with their little kids...

*At least in here Claudia says she knows she's acting childish but can't stop herself. I think everyone has had that feeling.

*Claudia puts together a scarecrow costume at the last minute for the BSC party. 

*According to the notebook page I filled out in the back of my book, I got this one at K-Mart, and I wanted to write a BSC book about Dawn coming back. Definitely sounds about right, haha. 

Books mentioned:

None

My rating:

4 stars. Really enjoyed this one still, especially for the nostalgia.