Thoughts before reading:
This book was one of my all time favorites! I owned this one, and re-read it all the time. Back then I just loved the concept of Stacey trying to work harder and be a perfectionist, because I was always trying to the same as a kid. Doing perfectly in school and keeping busy was how I coped with my home life (like Shannon, I've since learned!). Seeing someone I loved so much, Stacey, doing the same, both motivated and validated me.
I still remember the basic plot pretty well too, but not many details. The client takes advantage of Stacey's work ethic, one of the kids has diabetes, and Stacey's trying to impress Kristy. I also randomly remember the scene where Stacey and Robert are hanging out in her kitchen in the beginning, because that's the only room he's allowed in if her mom isn't home.
The basics:
Stacey and Robert are studying together when her dad calls to tell her about a Broadway play he just saw, and invite her to see it again with him. Robert mentions he's never been to Broadway at all, and doesn't really like NYC. She's surprised by both, and wants to show him how great they can be, leading her to the idea to get him Broadway tickets for his upcoming birthday. They're expensive though, so she's hoping to take on some extra sitting jobs.
Just her luck, a new client calls at the very next meeting. Her name is Mrs. Cheplin, she just moved to Stoneybrook, and she wants a regular sitter to pick her two kids up from school and take care of them every afternoon until 5:30. Kristy's reluctant to have one of her sitters so tied up in one job, because then they won't be able to help with any others. Stacey's thrilled though, and assures her she can handle it.
Stacey then goes to meet Mrs. Cheplin, who's concerned that she's too young for the job. She wanted a high school girl, someone very reliable and punctual. Plus she's concerned because her 8 year old daughter, Dana, has diabetes. Once she hears that Stacey has diabetes too, however, she agrees to do a one week trial run to find out how Stacey does, so long as her mom gives permission. She also asks if Stacey does housework. The BSC normally doesn't, and Stacey's reluctant, until she hears how much Mrs. Cheplin is willing to pay: it's twice the normal BSC rate. Quickly she agrees, and Maureen also gives her the go-ahead.
The first day of the job is really hectic, but Stacey takes it all in stride. She has to rush to pick up the kids on time after getting out of school herself, then it's a struggle to get the chore list done while helping both kids with their homework. Dana also has a friend over, and they have a disagreement about which game to play. Afterwards, Dana doesn't feel well, even though Stacey made her a healthy snack, and her glucose is reading as normal. She does bounce back very quickly though, and when Mrs. C returns home she's very pleased with everything. Stacey then rushes off to her BSC meeting, feeling pleased with herself. (As she should! This schedule would stress me out now, let alone at 13...)
Every subsequent day of Stacey's weeklong trial period, the chore list gets longer. She keeps getting everything done though. By Friday, she's even doing extra work, attempting to snow shovel while the kids are playing with some neighbors. Dana wants to make a snowman, but none of the other kids do. Shortly after this incident, she ends up not feeling well again. Stacey realizes that she's using her diabetes to get her own way, and has a talk with her about how it's not fair to ask for special treatment, since with diabetes they can still do anything anyone else can.
When Mrs. C gets home that day, she's pleased, and wants to do another 2 week trial, with an increase in both housework and pay. Stacey's unsure of why she's still on probation if she's done such a good job, but she agrees, thinking of Robert's gift. She really starts to dread the chore list though, even having nightmares about it.
Mrs. C's list gets longer and longer still, and no matter how hard Stacey tries, when she gets home she's always looking around to find fault. She even gets annoyed when a plumber makes a mess in the kitchen, and isn't done yet, so Stacey doesn't have everything cleaned and perfect. It gets to the point where Stacey really wants to tell her off about how ridiculous her to-do lists are, but she also really wants the money, even as she begins to realize that greed is a dangerous thing. Maureen even comments that she's turning into a workaholic like her dad, after being disappointed that Stacey doesn't have time to spend with her. (Even over the weekends, she's busy catching up on homework, and trying to see Robert.)
While at the library working on all the homework she's behind on over the weekend, Mrs. Kishi reminds Stacey of her plans with Claudia the next day, which she'd completely forgotten about. Then her English paper ends up taking way longer than she'd expected, and she has to cancel plans with Robert, disappointing him. She keeps working until she falls asleep, surrounded by her research. The next day, Sunday, Stacey oversleeps, and her paper is still only half done, so she also misses her plans with Claudia.
The next week, Stacey's working on a 2 page chore list Mrs. C left her, when Dana announces she doesn't feel good. Stacey's dismissive at first, but then finds out her blood sugar truly is dangerously low. The doctor doesn't answer when she calls, so Stacey gets Dana's piano teacher to take them to Dr. Johanssen. She's able to help, but when they get back to the Cheplin house, Mrs. C is home, and begins yelling at Stacey about how the list isn't done. Stacey tells her what happened, then leaves, furious.
Stacey's English teacher ends up telling her that her paper seems too rushed, and giving her the chance to redo it. On Valentine's Day, she's desperately trying to get it done when Robert drops by with a rose and a necklace for her. She doesn't have anything for him, because she never had any time to go shopping.
That Friday, Mrs. C offers Stacey another two week job, for double pay. Stacey tells her she needs to think about it. At the BSC meeting later that afternoon, she breaks down crying and tells the other girls everything that's been going on. They wisely tell her that she doesn't need the money more than friends, family, good grades, or her health... and that Mrs. C needs to hire an adult who has a car for this type of job. (Finally, some good sense!) Kristy tells her to quit, and the club can cover until she finds someone else: but they won't do any more housework. Stacey takes their advice and calls up Mrs. C to quit, explaining that her to-do lists were too long and it's unfair to the kids to have a sitter who has no time to pay attention to them. Mrs. C is her usual rude self, replying that she obviously doesn't have the maturity for the job.
During this time there's also a side plot where Logan wants to buy Mary Anne a ring for Valentine's Day. He asks Stacey to help him pick one out. She thinks it's really sweet of him, but tells him to ask Kristy for help instead, since she has to work everyday after school. Kristy agrees to help him, but when they go out ring shopping, Charlotte and Becca see them and think they're dating behind Mary Anne's back. They spread the word, and a bunch of the kids end up angry with Kristy, prank calling her and leaving her mean notes (both where they call her Crusty Toenails). Logan also starts getting notes, then a bunch of (female) charges come over to his house with a clueless Mary Anne, to confront him about his "two-timing". They ruin the ring surprise, and Kerry also called to cancel his dinner reservation for Valentine's Day. (I'm sure she never gets in trouble for it either.) When the truth comes out, the kids feel terrible, and they make a surprise dinner for Mary Anne and Logan. Stacey's babysitting at the time, and ends up coming over with Dana and Adam (her 6 year old brother) to help with the cooking.
Timeline:
It's February.
Misc. thoughts:
*Stacey's mom allows her and Robert to be alone in the house if they stay in the kitchen, but how would she ever be able to enforce this?
*Stacey loves helping her mom with dinner and catching up with her. I love their relationship since the divorce! I know I was envious of it when I was a kid, too.
*Abby challenges Kristy on her strictness about everyone being at meetings by 5:30 sharp. It's about time...
*I know Mrs. Cheplin mainly hired Stacey so she could take advantage of her, but still, who hires someone so young for a job like this? What about the safety of her kids? It may only be a few hours a day, but how long could any kid realistically do this job? Mrs. C does say she wanted a high school girl, but this is a bit much for that age group too. She needs a professional nanny with a car, a college girl at the very least.
*Kristy doesn't want Stacey to take the job because then she won't be free for other jobs and she'll be late to meetings. In a way I don't blame her, but I'm surprised she's not concerned about the bad publicity of turning down a job.
*It was nice to see a client actually interview one of the BSC girls for a job though, and ask questions about her age, experience, maturity, and capability to do the work. Even better, she asked her to get permission from her parents to take the job... a definite first. This is a much more realistic scenario than the usual BSC fare.
*This book had the first mention of Quint in forever.
*The chore lists from Mrs. C really were crazy, especially considering that Stacey has barely an hour to do everything, plus she has to actually take care of the kids... I now remember this woman as one of the worst BSC clients of all time. Can't she do any of her own housework? She's home by 5:30 from work everyday, which isn't bad. Plus Stacey does homework with the kids, so that's yet another thing Mrs. C doesn't have to worry about. Wouldn't she want her kids to get some attention from their sitter, and play/interact some? It's really selfish. Another stellar Stoneybrook parent.
*Stacey starts daydreaming about buying a sports car, haha. These are some ambitious kids.
*As a kid, I often felt like Stacey does in here, so I can definitely see why I liked this so much. As I read I remembered a lot of it too, even though some of my memories were wrong. Stacey isn't trying to impress Kristy by taking the job, like I had thought. I also remembered it being September, not February.
*I got so annoyed reading about Mrs. C, haha, especially the scene where she rolls her eyes at Stacey because she didn't start water for the rice, because Stacey thought the water was still off from the plumber and it wasn't.
*I can also relate to the way Stacey gets caught up in the thrill of making real money for the first time. I remember the excitement of being able to have/do things that once seemed out of reach.
*Stacey's English paper is on the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald.
*Claudia wants to try to sell "customized sweat outfits decorated with lace and satin hearts". LOL, I can't even picture what this is supposed to look like...
*Ridiculous items from Mrs. C's list include: making dentist appointments for her kids, stamping her bills, calling to cancel her magazine subscription, and pricing gymnastics classes.
*This book mentions CD-ROM. I haven't heard that term in forever.
*Kerry is 10? Is that right? For some reason I thought she was younger than that.
*When the characters play a computer game, every "virtual" object is in quotes: "car", "road".
*Ghostwritten by Suzanne Weyn.
Books mentioned:
*The Haunting of Grade One? Maybe a typo, because I could only find The Haunting of Grade Three, by Grace Maccarone.
*Backward Bunny. (Appears to be fictional.)
*Martin and the Tooth Fairy, by Bernice Chardiet
My rating:
4 stars. Could be the nostalgia talking, but I really enjoyed this, especially for its realistic problems. A nice change of pace from the craziness lately!
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