The Baby-Sitters Club 1: Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M Martin
The Babe-Sitters Guild 1: Kristy's Peachy Idea past Ann M Martin

Title: Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin

Summary: When Kristy Thomas has the great idea to grade a baby-sitters guild–a chance to earn money and spend time with her friends, all while doing something they each dear to do–she has no idea how much the guild will change everything.

Crank calls, uncontrollable toddlers, wild pets, untruthful clients . . . running a concern is difficult work! Kristy and her co-founders, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey, are certain they can handle annihilation. Only only if they stick together . . .

Tagline: Four friends and babe-sitting–what could be more fun?

Initial Thoughts

Well, here nosotros are, boot off 2022 and Nostalgic Bookshelf with my favorite cheesy contemporary preteen series, The Babe-Sitters Lodge by Ann K. Martin. Unlike the Sweet Valley books, I read these obsessively, and still sometimes reread them as an adult. I was a babe-sitter from a young historic period, and I loved the focus on friends and having adventures together. I'm excited to revisit them now, with a recapper's eye.

My favourite baby-sitters before recapping: Dawn, Stacey, Claudia, Abby, Jessi, and Shannon.

Least favourite: Kristy, Mary Anne, and Logan.

Say hello to your friends, anybody. We're in this for the long booty.

[ Dove: And I have never read whatever of these before, and then this is Fly'due south payback for Sweet Valley. And I'm cool with that. ]

Recap

The Baby-Sitters Club is Kristy Thomas' neat idea. She has it on the get-go Tuesday afternoon in 7th form. She acts out in form, and Mr Redmont, her teacher, assigns her a brusk essay on decorum; this really has very footling to exercise with her great idea, but it is the mode the unabridged series opens, so nosotros might every bit well enjoy the randomness now.

(Though it does do a good job of introducing Kristy, who volition continue to exist impetuous and loud throughout the serial.)

Kristy walks home with Mary Anne Spier after school, her best friend and next door neighbour. While Mary Anne waits for Kristy, she chews her nails upwards out of nerves and stress, and we quickly acquire that her father not merely doesn't let her wear nail smoothen, but she'll be 75 before he ever allows her to do then. (Mary Anne's driving personality throughout the series is shy and sensitive with an overprotective father, then, once more, this is setting things up nicely.)

Mr Spier is overprotective because Mrs Spier died when she was picayune and Mary Anne is his only family now.

Kristy makes them run home, considering Tuesdays are her afternoon to watch her younger brother, David Michael, and she is supposed to make it home before him. Quick rundown of the Thomas family: Charlie and Sam, the older brothers, sixteen and 14 respectively; Kristy, twelve; and David Michael, six. Charlie, Sam, and Kristy are each responsible for David Michael one afternoon a week and the other two days, Mrs Thomas hires a baby-sitter.

Sure enough, David Michael beats them home and is waiting for them on the front steps. He starts crying when he sees her because he'southward locked out; he lost his key and he freaked out and he really has to go to the bath. So, you know, a kid.

(David Michael is frantic to become inside to pee; their collie, Louie, is frantic to go outside to pee.)

While Kristy puts together a snack for David Michael, she asks Mary Anne if the Newtons called her to guard their son Jamie; Kristy had to turn down the job because she was watching David Michael. Mary Anne says she never talked to Mrs Newton, and suggests she called Claudia Kishi, another friend of theirs. She lives across the street from them on Bradford Court, just they've never been as close to her as to each other. (Claudia's defining traits are her love of art, her love of mysteries, her bad grades, and the pressure she feels to be better at schoolhouse from her Japanese-American family. Await, i affiliate in and Stoneybrook already has more than variety than Sugariness Valley.)

Mrs Thomas brings abode pizza that night, which makes Kristy, Charlie, and Sam suspicious, considering she simply lets them accept pizza when she wants something. Kristy is apartment out blunt about this and wants to know what Mrs Thomas wants to ask them. I really similar this nearly Kristy.

Sure enough, Mrs Thomas does need a favour: someone to watch David Michael the next twenty-four hours, because Kathy has cancelled. Charlie: football practice; Sam: math club (oh, damn, I'd forgotten he was in math club. This should go important later, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't); and Kristy: sitting for the Newtons. (UMM. How many days in a row do they demand an afternoon baby-sitter but don't have a regular one?)

The kids consume dinner while Mrs Thomas calls around to discover a baby-sitter. Mary Anne: sitting for the Pikes (call back this name). Claudia: art class. Ii unnamed high school girls: cheerleading practice.

David Michael is really upset that no one wants to have care of him, which is a valid fright for a six-yr-quondam kid, poor guy. Finally, Mrs Thomas arranges for Kristy to take David Michael with her to her baby-sitting chore for the Newtons.

This is when Kristy has her great idea.

That nighttime, she writes her decorum assignment to get it out of the style (she has to look up "decorum," "propriety," and "etiquette" before she figures out he was telling her not to exist rude. She as well does the residuum of her homework, because she'due south a conscientious student, obvs.

And and so she brainstorms the Infant-Sitters Guild.

She makes all sorts of notes about it: members (Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, ???), advert (flyers, telephone, newspaper), where and when to meet, and whether to accept weekly dues for expenses. The idea is that a group of infant-sitters (a club, if you would) will meet a couple of times a week so that they can be reached at i phone number and it will exist much easier to schedule baby-sitters.

Kristy spends a little time talking to her mom that dark. Mrs Thomas spends a few minutes with each kid each day, which I recall is pretty wonderful considering she'south a single mom raising four kids after Mr Thomas ran off to California and refused to support his kids. (Why she didn't change her name from Thomas, I accept no idea.) [ Dove: Is it that she wanted to keep sharing her surname with the kids? I've seen this in my friends growing up – Dad bailed, but the kids have his surname, so mum wants to stay the same because this unit is a family. ] [ Wing: That is a good theory. None of the divorced parents I knew did this, only I practise know some families where the kids changed their names back to the mom's maiden proper noun, likewise, or where one parent never took the other parent's name in the first identify. ]

At ix, Kristy gets her flashlight to send Mary Anne a message. Mary Anne can't talk on the phone afterwards dinner except to hash out homework, just their bedroom windows face each other and they've use flashlights to transport each other letters. [ Pigeon: This is adorable. Especially when Kristy sends a really long bulletin and Mary Anne gets confused, so Kristy has to commencement it all over again. ]

Before bed, Mrs Thomas asks Kristy if she'll babe-sit down for the Brewer kids that weekend. Mrs Thomas is dating Watson Brewer, and he has his kids for the weekend but has to work Saturday forenoon. Kristy admittedly refuses; she doesn't want to play overnice with Watson, doesn't want to give him a chance, and doesn't want to befriend his kids. She's agape if she lets anyone in, they'll marry her female parent and everything volition change.

The next day, Kristy and Mary Anne get their charges together to hang out while they're baby-sitting. Kristy has David Michael (vi, remember), of class, also every bit Jamie Newton (three); Mary Anne has Claire and Margo Pike (four and six), the youngest of the Pike siblings. (There are eight, total.)

Mrs Newton is due in well-nigh viii weeks and is glad that Kristy has brought David Michael along so that Jamie tin can starting time getting used to having other kids around. UMM. I feel like 8 weeks out is a bad time to exist starting that, but certain, why not, I have no parenting experience, so I'm going to ringlet with it.

Subsequently all the babe-sitting is done, Kristy and Mary Anne go visit Claudia to talk about Kristy'south nifty idea (yes, I'm going to run that into the ground, what of it?); Kristy isn't super comfortable going to Claudia's firm anymore, considering Claudia is growing upwards faster than she is. Claudia wears a bra and is interested in boys, even though when they were in sixth grade, the boys were goofy and gross, but now Claudia thinks the same boys are nifty.

Outset Claudia outfit of the series! (But not the last.)

Claudia came to the door. She was wearing short, very amorphous lavender plaid overalls, a white lacy blouse, a black fedora, and crimson high-top sneakers without socks. Her long blackness pilus was advisedly arranged in four braids…. [Kristy] was then used to seeing Claudia in outfits like that that I didn't bat an eye. What I did notice was that she was wearing make-up. There was blue stuff on her eyelids, aureate stuff in a higher place her optics, and magenta stuff on her cheeks.

Kristy says she looks like she got made upward for the circus, which makes me literally express joy out loud every time I read it. And then much for learning about decorum, Kristy . [ Dove: Jessica would dear Claudia's outfit. But hate Claudia, because only Jess can be that fabulous. Can't be friends with a daughter who pulls focus. ]

We quickly larn a little more virtually Claudia's family (parents are very bourgeois and don't empathise her sense of taste in dress, but let her get away with fedoras and feathers and palm tree socks, but Kristy thinks they volition shut down brand-upwardly; Mimi, her grandmother, is sugariness and quiet and is the kickoff generation of her family to come to the Us; and Janine, her fifteen-year-old genius sis who takes university classes fifty-fifty though she'due south only a sophomore in high schoolhouse. I honey Janine.)

Once Mary Anne arrives, Kristy explains all about her thought and what led to it. Claudia offers her room and her individual number for utilise with club meetings, and says she knows someone who tin can join the club, new girl Stacey McGill.

The next afternoon they all meet at Claudia'due south firm promptly at 5:30 p.m. (And and then the meeting time obsession begins.)

Claudia outfit: baggy yellow-and-blackness-checked shirt, black pants, ruby-red jazz shoes, and a bracelet that looked like it was made from a telephone cord. Her earrings were dangling jointed skeletons that jumped around when she moved.

No brand-upwardly, though, because her parents shot that downward; she snuck the skeletons on later she went to schoolhouse, which is smart.

We get our first run-in with Janine, who explains to Kristy that she'south misusing the word "hopefully" because she tries to use information technology in a manner that means "it is to be hoped" rather than "in a hopeful style." Janine, I beloved you so much.

And a Stacey outfit! Keep in listen that Stacey is from New York Metropolis and is supposed to be cool and sophisticated: Stacey had on a pinkish sweatshirt with sequins and a large royal parrot on the front; brusque, tight-fitting jeans with zippers up the outsides of the legs; and pink plastic shoes.

Stacey is tall and thin, with blonde hair and bluish optics.

Kristy and Mary Anne outfits: jeans, sneakers, and a bluish pilus band (Kristy, though I presume she'south wearing something else with it); skirt and saddle shoes and braids (Mary Anne, and I make the aforementioned supposition hither).

Stacey is nice, but Kristy feels like she and Mary Anne are a lot younger than Stacey even though they're the same historic period. Stacey does go a little hesitant when Mary Anne asks almost NYC, simply says that her dad inverse his chore. She also refuses to eat any of the processed that Claudia offers them from all the places she has it stashed around the room: bubble gum in her underwear drawer, chocolate bar behind her encyclopedia, Twinkies in her desk drawer, and lifesavers in her piggy banking company.

They spend so much time talking well-nigh Stacey and NYC and her nutrition (Kristy is super fucking rude nigh it) that they don't get a lot done and decide to run into at lunch the side by side day to talk about information technology more.

They determine to hand out flyers and that they need a logo. Stacey and Kristy both want Claudia to practice it, but she's reluctant, because Janine is adept and symbols and stuff, not her. Oh, Claudia, my heart. You poor kid, living in your sister's shadow.

They brainstorm all sorts of ridiculous ideas (including a frog, a nerd, a warthog, and dog nutrient, and this conversation feels existent for twelve year olds). Mary Anne then suggests an alphabet cake with their initials on it, but in that location are four of them and y'all tin can only show three sides at ane time — and then Claudia has the bully idea to do the icon block letter logo. Nicely done, Claudia.

Over the weekend, they work hard on the club. They call all the families they already baby-sit for and requite them the information; put an advertisement in the newspaper; and elect officers, which is Stacey's idea.

President: Kristy, of course, because information technology was her idea.

Vice-President: Claudia, because they use her room, phone, and phone number.

Secretary: Mary Anne, because she's expert at writing things down.

Treasurer: Stacey, because she's good with coin and numbers.

When the processed comes out, Stacey rushes home because she's forgot most something. They think it's all well-nigh the diet, and she'southward pretty damn cagey when she gets back. Claudia keeps Kristy from asking too many questions, though, because Claudia has some social skills.

They finish up the flyer, which has their logo, their phone number, their names and offices, and that they meet Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from v:30 to six:00 p.k. from now until infinity. (They make it to eighth grade. They don't really get to age by that, though. #stoneybrooktime)

That night, we meet Watson for the starting time time, who has kindly brought Chinese food so they tin can all dinner together before he and Mrs Thomas go out. All the other kids are pretty chill about Watson, but Kristy even refuses to eat his food, and instead makes a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich. Instead of Chinese food? You are making terrible choices, Kristy. [ Dove: I kind of wanted to slap Kristy hither. But then again, I was pro-mum dating when I was her historic period, so my bias is showing. ] [ Wing: I mean, possibly it is, only Kristy is really in the incorrect when it comes to Watson, so I don't call up it'due south merely your bias. ]

Kristy continues to be rude to Watson, until Mrs Thomas makes her apologize and go to her room without finishing dinner. Kristy does so, but before she finishes going upstairs, she shouts that she's sorry he's a terrible father. She knows that's a lie, though; he's a great begetter, and it makes her experience bad that Mr Thomas is a terrible begetter, and she also doesn't want Watson to be hanging around her family. [ Dove: Also, she mentions that his daughter probably has "a My Little Pony doll", but he wouldn't know that, because he knows nothing about kids. Neither does Kristy. Literally nobody has ever called information technology "a My Fiddling Pony doll". I honey that this series is referencing real-world toys. Sweet Valley builds it's own universe… and it's feeble. ] [ Wing: You're still judgmental over that whole Famous Rock Star has a Concert at Iii P.M. matter, aren't you? ]

She does write a note to her mom apologizing, though, and wakes upwards to a annotation from her mom saying she loves Kristy.

They pass out flyers the remainder of the week, and then on Friday, have their showtime meeting. Kristy shows upwards at 430, an hour early, to find Claudia literally hugging the phone waiting for the first call. Oh, you ii are precious.

Janine pops in because she's debating whether they demand an apostrophe later on the word "baby-sitters" in the Baby-Sitters Club, considering it could either be a club of many babe-sitters or a club belonging to the infant-sitters — Stacey arrives to rescue Kristy and Claudia from this debate, merely I loved information technology as a kid (and had the aforementioned thought to the series proper name, really, which is why I honey Janine) and I love it now. [ Dove: This was literally my favourite commutation in the whole volume. When I've been building our schedules for the site, I've often wondered about the apostrophe, then having Janine lampshade my wonderings was perfect. I honey her. ] [ Fly: We don't get to see a ton of her going frontwards, merely when she shows up, she's amazing every time. ]

(There was a huge fence in seventh course store almost whether we should put apostrophes on the signs we made and, if so, where. Is information technology the house of many Wings, the house belonging to ane Wing, or the house belonging to all Wings? Run into? Serious business.)

Past 505, they are all sitting around staring at the telephone and waiting, considering they are a bunch of enthusiastic nerds. (This also makes their judgment of Janine damn hypocritical.) And at exactly 530, the phone rings. Kristy really fucking screams, that adorable fucking nerd. And Claudia has to spit out her jawbreaker to respond the phone, despite the fact that three other people do not take jawbreakers in their mouths.

God, I love these girls.

The first call is from Mrs Thomas, and Kristy is all grumpy at her, until she learns that Mrs Thomas actually needs a sitter, because, in one case again, Kathy has cancelled ane of her days.

Then Claudia looks at their scheduling book, which is mind-blowing, because later on in the series, the ghostwriters act similar if anyone only Mary Anne but touches the book, the whole club will fall apart. Anyhow, Mary Anne has a dentist appointment and Claudia has art class, and so now Kristy and Stacey have to decide who will have the job.

They discuss information technology a moment, and then Kristy tells Stacey to have the job considering Kristy doesn't want her first job to be for her own family, which makes sense. (Stacey is also pretty excited at the thought of getting to meet Sam and Charlie, because, you lot'll shortly learn, Stacey [and, to an extent, Claudia] are male child crazy .)

Mary Anne takes the second call, which is a wrong number for Jim Bartolini, and Kristy the 3rd, which is an actual job phone call for Mrs McKeever, who needs someone to picket her 2 kids, Buffy and Pinky. Stacey basically dies over this information, trying difficult not to laugh loud enough to be heard over the telephone. Kristy takes the task, because information technology's on that aforementioned day that everyone else is now busy, and she'south excited to accept the new customer.

They get a couple more calls for that Jim Bartolini, and then, only as Mary Anne is getting gear up to leave, at that place's another call from Mrs Thomas, who is calling for a baby-sitter for Watson's kids. Damn, son, you only have them every other weekend and you lot need this many infant-sitters? Though, work tin come on the weekends, I know well. Kristy, of course, refuses to take the chore, only Mary Anne is curious about them and agrees to practise information technology.

And then, Mary Anne gets i last call; it'south a boy who says his proper noun is Jim Bartolini and he wants to know if there take been any calls for him.

Oh, the days of easy prank phone calls. Kristy figures out it is Sam and shouts at him, and Mary Anne is too aghast, but Claudia and Stacey discover information technology pretty cute. Though they're entertained, Kristy is grumpy at the finish of the meeting and takes that mood home. She tells on Sam, Sam picks on her, they start fighting, and Mrs Thomas separates them. And and so Watson comes over, to add icing to Kristy's grumpy night.

And so, Claudia calls to say she got a chore from Mrs Newton, the first call for the club that happens after hours. Kristy feels even worse after that, considering she usually sits for Jamie Newton. She grumps effectually that Claudia should have offered the task to everyone else earlier taking information technology herself and that simply because the phone number is hers, she doesn't become dibs on all the calls, just um, yeah, for calls that come up outside of meeting times, that's pretty much exactly what that means. The entire point of the club is that the parents don't have to wait to call multiple people before they have a babe-sitter. This was your thought, child! Work that shit out!

By Wednesday, Kristy is excited again, because she'south off to her first task with the new clients. She's never baby-saturday for twins earlier, and can't wait to meet Pinky and Buffy. (Like Stacey, I am however laughing over those names.)

Kristy is weirded out when she reaches the firm, though, considering there are no signs of children, no toys in the grand, no artwork in the windows (…exercise people actually put their kids' artwork in the windows ?), things like that. She likewise tin can't hear them inside when she rings the doorbell, which, since I know where this is going, surprises the hell out of me. Inside, everything is fragile and cute, drinking glass and frail fine art on display and fancy rugs, etc. The foyer and living room are blocked off with infant gates, and again , since I know where this is going, this surprises the hell out of me.

For a minute, she worries that she's been lured into a stranger's abode to be murderized, which, if this was Point Horror, would be valid (and, hell, if it was Sweet Valley, might also be true), but this is Stoneybrook, and surely null of that sort could ever happen.

And then Ms Hargreaves, who is Mrs McKeever'southward niece and is watching the, ahem, twins, introduces Kristy to Buffy and Pinky: two huge, fluffy, drooling, barking Saint Bernard dogs.

HOW THE FUCK Do Babe GATES Keep TWO GIANT DOGS OUT OF A ROOM? Come THE FUCK ON, MARTIN, I EXPECT MORE LOGIC THIS EARLY IN THE SERIES. [ Pigeon: I hadn't even thought of that, only we had a edge collie who could bound over a 4′ fence from a sitting start. ] [ Wing: I take hearts in my eyes correct now. Also, Monster Dog [my medium-sized Australian cattle domestic dog] can hands leap over couches from a sitting offset and articulate a 6′ contend with a little momentum. [She can too jump into my sports car through the window.] Saint Bernards are gigantic. They could pace over a baby gate. ]

Kristy says that she'south not a dog-sitter, simply Ms Hargreaves has to leave for an appointment and Mrs McKeever arranged for Kristy to be in that location, and Kristy is stuck. I have and so many questions: why a dog-sitter for just a few hours? Why isn't the backyard fenced in this nice neighborhood when they accept giant dogs? Why call people whose flyer very conspicuously states that they are baby-sitters? Why not tell the person you chosen that they are dogs? HOW THE FUCK DO THOSE Babe GATES Work Then WELL?

SO MANY QUESTIONS.

Ms Hargreaves promises they won't run every bit long as Kristy is in the backyard with them, but this proves untrue, and I am non at all surprised. Dogs fucking run. If you don't know without a single doubt that the dog will come back to you, keep them on a fucking leash outside or put upwards a damn fence. (Monster Domestic dog and I accept been attacked by a large number of dogs while we were out walking and she was harnessed and leashed. Virtually every single fourth dimension the owner would be shouting how friendly their dog was a second before the dog fight began. I don't know if you take always picked up a snarling, biting, lunging l pound dog from the middle of a dog fight, merely if you have not, it is a little like wrestling a werewolf. I don't recommend trying it. [One of the reasons she wears a harness instead of clipping the leash to her collar is so I tin grab it and lifter her out of a fight. The other is that if she lunges, she won't choke herself.] No matter how friendly the off-leash dog might be, Monster Dog is not friendly, and she  makes certain all other dogs know it. No dog is going to stay friendly when the domestic dog they're approaching has fighting torso language. And none of those fucking owners could actually call their dog off with whatever reliability.

Here ends Wing'southward dog rant.)

This domestic dog-sitting feel does inspire Kristy to have another Great Thought: they are going to keep a order notebook and every fourth dimension i of them finishes a job, she will write it up in the notebook so the others can read what happened and stay up-to-date on the families.

Claudia's the first entry we see in the notebook, and in the ebook, I am sad to say that the font for the entry is in italics rather than the (difficult to read) handwriting from the original print copies. (Which I have, too, almost a complete set, but information technology is so much easier to recap off an ebook that I'll be buying them as much every bit possible.) [ Dove: Oh cool, then information technology was similar the original Making Out release, with fonts for each author? I'g going to striking the clemency shops/boot sales in the new year, come across if I can option upward the books – I'g buying the eBooks each month as it currently stands. ] [ Wing: Yes, exactly! I'll accept some pictures of my collection as I continue to unpack information technology, too. ]

Anyway, Claudia's chore for Jamie Newton ended up beingness for Jamie and his 3 cousins, Rosie (three), Brenda (5), and Rob (8), and then four kids for one baby-sitter. That's a lot , especially when, unlike Jamie, the other three are wild and loud and rambunctious.

Rob hates girls, Brenda doesn't want Mrs Feldman to leave, and Rosie and Jamie don't get along (or at to the lowest degree don't become along with Claudia turns up). Certain enough, as shortly as the parents leave, Rob, Rosie, and Brenda get mad at Claudia and get-go running around and shouting. Claudia almost breaks down and calls Stacey for help, just then thinks back to how her parents would intentionally ignore her and Janine if they started shouting at each other. Instead of paying attention to the Feldman'due south, Claudia sits down and reads The Tale of Peter Rabbit to Jamie. Slowly, 1 past 1, the kids stop running and yelling and start to heed to the book, because Claudia is delightful. She goes on to read Where the Wild Things Are, which intrigues Rob enough to bring together them, too, and she'southward tamed the wild children. Become, Claudia, get.

Second entry is Stacey'due south when she sits for David Michael, and I am actually distressing to have lost her handwriting, because it is clear and easy to read and she dots her Is with little hearts, which is adorable.

Anyway, Stacey has a great fourth dimension at the Thomas house, and Kristy knows information technology's not only because the job went so well, but because of Sam . Kristy finds this interesting considering Sam is in high school, a freshman, and nearly loftier school boys wouldn't be caught expressionless with a junior loftier daughter (…even though Stoneybrook has no junior high and, in fact, they become to Stoneybrook Middle School, which Kristy clearly knows ) unless she was a knockout, so Stacey must be pretty special. [ Pigeon: Sam comes across a lot less creepy than Steven Wakefield/Sandra Ferris. And I am relieved. ]

Considering how judgmental you will be toward various girls as they go boyfriends and/or go boycrazy, Kristy , y'all certainly seem to recollect Stacey gets some worth from the fact your brother likes her.

Anyway. Kristy gives Stacey a fast tour of the house and introduction to David Michael, so runs off to her own job (and we already know how that one goes). Shortly after she leaves, Sam shows upwards, and Kristy (having read the notebook entry and now narrating it to us, more or less, gives us outfits.

Stacey: Grey sweatshirt top and skirt with big yellow #10s, hair pinned back with clips shaped like rainbows, silver whistle earrings. Kristy thinks it is a absurd look, but very young, which is function of why she's so dislocated by Sam'due south allure. (Sam can become hang out with Steven Wakefield.)

Sam: (Kristy admits he'due south pretty proficient-looking, with dark, curly pilus, sparkly blue eyes, and freckles; maybe she and Sam both need to go hang out with Steven Wakefield.) Ratty jeans that he'd promised to throw away, a t-shirt that says I KNOW YOU ARE, BUT WHAT AM I? and a bad mental attitude.

That mental attitude changes the 2d he sees Stacey, though. After their introduction, she offers to leave, considering there'south no sense in Mrs Thomas paying a babe-sitter when one of her other kids are home, merely that'due south not the deal, they just become one day each calendar week, and the residuum of the time, they don't take to baby-sit fifty-fifty if they're domicile. Which is a off-white and decent fashion to manage information technology, really.

They play a championship series of Candy Country, which is David Michael'due south favourite game. Stacey later tells Kristy that they had fun, only Sam kept teasing David Michael and accusing him of cheating, like a big brother might, and she was torn whether to laugh to impress Sam or take David Michael'south side because she'due south the baby-sitter. She settled on doing both, but I don't come across how that helped anyone.

Now nosotros become to Mary Anne's sitting chore for Karen and Andrew Brewer (5 and 3). Mary Anne writes in the notebook that she thinks Kristy would like them if she always gave them a chance, which is not what Kristy wants to hear, merely then she says in that location are some problems at Watson'south firm and talks about them instead: the kids are cute, looking and interim about of the time, just Karen can exist a pill. (Oh, Mary Anne, how little you know.) Boo-Boo, the cat, is old and unfriendly and likes to roam exterior, which becomes a problem. And Mrs Porter, the next-door neighbour, is likewise a trouble, mostly because of Karen and Boo-Boo.

Are you seeing a theme here?

Watson lives in a large business firm beyond boondocks, and information technology becomes clear for the first fourth dimension that he'southward pretty well-off when it comes to money. He'southward besides an organized customer, every baby-sitter's dream. He introduces Mary Anne to the kids, shows her the rooms, explains the rules and nutrient, and makes sure she knows what's going on and feels welcome.

Boo-Boo: gray, xanthous eyes, kind of handsome, fatty enough he looked like a pillow with legs attached and his stomach sways when he runs. Kristy calls him gross, because Kristy is an asshole. Plainly, he weighs 17 pounds, which I gauge is pretty large for a cat (though within reason for a Main Coon cat, the kind of cats I've spent the most time around, because my sister, Canary, has some). [ Dove: Canary has tigers. I've seen the photos. ]

Watson warns her that Boo-Boo: bites and scratches if provoked (Karen calls him an attack true cat, and I express mirth); gnaws upward doors if he's confined (…this is going well); can't be touched by strangers; and has problem with Mrs Porter, but she's on vacation.

Certain she is.

Karen talks a lot once her dad leaves, all about how their parents are divorced and their mom is getting remarried and if Watson gets remarried, too, they'll take two mommies and two daddies. Maybe y'all'll accept three daddies, kid.

They get exterior to play, and Karen shows Mary Anne Mrs Porter's house, which is a sprawling erstwhile Victorian mansion with gables, turrets, and curlicues. It sounds delightful; Mary Anne thinks it looks night and scary.

Mrs Porter's witch proper noun is Morbidda Destiny. (MORBIDDA DESTINY.) She eats toads and casts spells and fliest to witch meetings on her broomstick.

AND MARY ANNE STRUGGLES WITH WHAT TO TELL KAREN ABOUT THIS.

I mean, sure, let the child think the neighbor is an evil witch and tell nasty stories about her, no demand to say annihilation because it might brand y'all a bad baby-sitter. WTF, Mary Anne? You lot're supposed to be the kind, sensitive one.

Anyway, Karen believes that Mrs Porter is a witch considering she made Boo-Boo fatty in one case after he dug up her flowers. (Karen, at least, doesn't remember information technology'southward so horrible that she made Boo-Boo fatty, but what if she does something mean in the next spell.)

AND THEN IT TURNS OUT MRS PORTER IS HOME. Mary Anne sees a window shade snap up and a wrinkled face with a big olfactory organ press against the glass. Then MUCH FOR THAT VACATION.

Boo-Boo has, of class, disappeared at this bespeak, and sure enough, he'south in Mrs Porter's garden. Mary Anne has to try to keep him from excavation in the chrysanthemums, just he completely ignores her.

Mrs Porter comes out to join her: [she] was dressed in black from head to toe. Her hair was gray and frazzly. There was a wart on the end of her olfactory organ. She was conveying what Mary Anne at first mistook for a broom, simply which turned out to be a rake.

A WART ON HER FUCKING NOSE. COME THE FUCK ON, MARTIN.

Mrs Porter frightens Boo-Boo back into Watson'due south m, shouting rapscallion subsequently him and muttering nigh children and pets being nuisances. PREACH, MORBIDDA! I MEAN MRS PORTER!

(I as well have strong feelings near people letting cats, who are great predators, loose on an environment unprepared for them. By and large, I estimate, I have problems with people letting their pets roam gratuitous and not caring for the impairment information technology does.

And I don't much like kids.)

Mary Anne tries to convince Karen that "rapscallion" isn't a curse, but she's interrupted when Boo-Boo starts frantically running in circles so scrambling up trees. She says that cats practice airheaded things, though she's never had a cat. Karen argues that Boo-Boo never does silly things, and so this is a sign of a witch.

Mrs Porter stares out her window, touches her nose, and Boo-Boo falls out of the tree and runs away.

…and so, allow'south revisit this witch thing.

At another coming together, Mrs McKeever calls for another sitter for Pinky and Buffy, but Kristy refuses to permit anyone take another pet-sitting chore. They then get a new customer, the Marshalls. Stacey takes all the data, and it turns out they need a infant-sitter for Friday dark until 930 for their 2 kids, Nina (3) and Eleanor (one). (They have one cat, considering this is now a question they enquire new client. Ambrosial.)

Claudia takes the job, considering Stacey is busy (though she won't explain doing what), and Kristy and Mary Anne take to be home promptly by 930. If Claudia is a trivial late, her parents won't freak out.

Stacey then figures out how much they've earned from their jobs (which can't exist that much unless they've had a bunch of jobs we didn't go to meet), and they decide to each donate $3 and have a pizza party that weekend.

Stacey is quiet as they programme, and Kristy actually apologises for forgetting most her diet. Stacey says they're going to New York on Friday and might not be back in fourth dimension. She tries to come up with a couple unlike excuses for why they're going, and it's clear she'due south hiding a secret and also sucking at hiding it.

Kristy gets home to find Watson there. She's grumpy that he's there again, the third time he's been over in the last week, and he hasn't brought whatever nutrient, he's having leftovers with the rest of them. Kristy thinks that'due south a bad sign because neither of them are trying to impress each other anymore.

Things go even weirder because Mrs Thomas asks Kristy to put on a dress, which she never does if she can help it.

I'thou sure you lot'll be shocked to learn they accept all dressed up because Mrs Thomas and Watson — wait a minute, I don't really know Kristy's Mom'southward name off the top of my head, and information technology hasn't come up in this book so far, simply information technology feels weird to be talking about them both like this — considering Elizabeth and Watson are making a surprise annunciation. They're getting married! Such surprise! Tons of shock! Time to celebrate!

Over SpaghettiOs and Gatorade. Welp.

Actually, though, information technology's a little sweeter than that. Watson asked if she would consider getting engaged to him, considering Elizabeth won't allow him give her an date ring yet. She wants to retrieve well-nigh it first; information technology's a huge deal to consider combining their families like that, with lots of big questions. The boys are pleased, Kristy is unhappy and has a ton of questions (including whether her dad would still requite her child support, which he doesn't fucking do almost of the time anyway), just Elizabeth doesn't have answers for her yet. [ Dove: Mrs Thomas > Mary Giaccio-Robinson-Wallace's mother. ] [ Wing: Seriously. Elizabeth is pretty great throughout the serial. ]

Stacey leaves at noon on Fri, and the rest of them aren't sure whether to have the pizza party without her or not. They decide to purchase everything except the pizzas Sabbatum morning, and and so if Stacey is habitation on time, they'll have the party. If non, they'll wait.

That doesn't happen, though. Instead, Saturday is chaos in the Thomas firm: David Michael is sick, Louie hurts his paw, Elizabeth is grouchy, Charlie can't discover his football helmet, and Sam oversleeps and well-nigh misses an emergency coming together of the Math Club (…math clubs take emergency meetings?!).

Kristy gets a call from Mary Anne, crying considering her dad won't let her spend her money on the pizza party (considering she needs to save it for important, necessary things similar clothes and college; $3 is going far toward those things, yous know). Mary Anne won't exist coming to the political party because she feels guilty.

And so Kristy gets a call from Claudia, who is both angry and near tears. Her parents got a alphabetic character from school virtually how she'south non trying hard enough and doesn't pay attention and she'd exist a good educatee if she'd just concentrate and now she can't take a political party until she's more serious and gets all her homework done.

Kristy tries to call Stacey effectually 1130, just Mrs McGill says that Stacey'south not home, she stayed in NYC with friends; then Mary Anne calls to tell Kristy that she saw Stacey ride dwelling house with her parents (Mary Anne is at the Throughway business firm at present, I presume baby-sitting, though wasn't she supposed to be free for the party before?).

Kristy then calls Claudia back to tell her about Stacey, and she'due south finally done on the phone, to her mother's joy, because Elizabeth has been telling her to become off the phone for awhile.

The next call is from Watson, though, considering he needs someone to baby-sit for Karen and Andrew due to an emergency (their female parent broke her ankle and is in the hospital, and her fiance isn't available to assist). And, of course, the simply BSC member bachelor is Kristy.

Kristy takes the kids inside Watson's house and the beginning thing she sees is Boo-Boo (not: the huge, gorgeous front hall, not the tree that was growing in the living room, not the sparkling chandelier or the stained glass window).

The kids open upwards over lunch and talk about how they're worried nearly their mother, of course. To make them feel ameliorate, she tells them about the time she broke her talocrural joint last summer; she took Louie for a walk while riding her bike, he went ane fashion effectually a tree and she went the other, and she broke her leg. (Karen is drastic to come across Louie now.)

(OH RIGHT THE Name Change. Karen asks if Kristy's mom is Edie Thomas, but for the rest of the series, she's Elizabeth.)

Watson told Karen and Andrew that he loves Elizabeth, and Karen knows that if they get married, Elizabeth will be Karen'south mommy, too; Kristy explains that she'll exist their stepsister, and for the first time, Kristy's thinking information technology won't exist so bad. They talk about how crappy being a divorced kid can be, and also that they don't want their mom to get married, but they only desire their parents back together again.

See, Kristy, all this time you've been avoiding these kids and really you guys have things in common.

Kristy cheers them upward with ice cream and telling them that divorced kids are special kids. They play exterior, read books together, and more often than not bond until Watson comes home. They don't want to wake Andrew from his nap early, then Kristy plays checkers with Watson and Karen while they wait, and Karen talks most how happy she is to have Kristy around and she wishes Kristy was their big stepsister already.

Despite herself, Kristy is touched and offers to be their regular babe-sitter. [ Dove: My heart grew three sizes. Well, probably non, just it gained a cm or two. ]

That night, Kristy talks openly to her mom about her concerns, but there'south yet no existent answers considering things are upwardly in the air. Kristy needs to know how things work and hates when things are undecided, which I feel, also.

Mon, the four girls testify up at their meeting with news.

Mary Anne: Over the weekend, she and her dad worked out a plan, and she can spend one-half her coin whatever way she wants every bit long as she puts the other one-half in the banking concern. Which is a great program.

Claudia: Defenseless up on all her homework, got a B- on some math problems she had to do, and had a long talk with her parents nearly how she's non Janine and she has different interests. They said they sympathise that, and tell her that she has to spend some time each night on her homework (and that her parents, Janine, and Mimi will accept turns helping her and making sure she does information technology), but that she tin can go on baby-sitting and art in her life.

Stacey: Gets confronted by Kristy, who admittedly tin can't assistance but inquire the questions she wants to accept answered, because Kristy tin't allow shit go. You guys barely know each other. Yes, she shouldn't lie, but she doesn't take to tell y'all all the shit going on, either. She's allowed some fucking privacy, dude.

This leads to a big fight, where Stacey attacks back and calls Kristy a baby, Claudia says she has no tact, Kristy says they're treating her like a little kid, Claudia says she is a piddling child wait at how she dresses, Kristy wants to know what's wrong with her snowflake and snowmen sweater, Claudia says she looks similar a iv-year-old, Kristy makes fun of Claudia's sheep barrettes, and we get one of the icon lines of the serial:

SHEEP, CLAUDIA INFORMED ME WITHERINGLY, ARE IN .

Ane More TIME: SHEEP. ARE. IN.

God, I love Claudia so much.

Anyway, the fight continues. Kristy says that everything's in quondam, it was frogs, pigs, now sheep, perchance next week volition exist snowmen and Kristy just doesn't have time to keep upwardly; Claudia says she would if she'd stop playing with dolls; Kristy flips out over this because of course they don't play with dolls anymore (not admitting they just gave it upwards over the summertime — and too, in that location'south nothing incorrect with playing with dolls); Claudia calls Mary Anne a babe when she cries, so Mimi interrupts them to enquire what is wrong and why they are all yelling.

They all immediately become quiet and ashamed.

When Mimi leaves, another telephone call comes in. Kristy and Stacey literally have a tug-of-state of war over the phone, but Kristy wins and is the first to talk to a new client, the Johanssen, who have ane daughter, Charlotte (7). They are all free, they all desire the same job, and Claudia calls the guild a dumb idea. Since it was Kristy's idea, she takes the job.

Kristy and Mary Anne go out, Kristy has to stop herself from saying something nasty to Mary Anne because she doesn't want it to go three against one (and not, you lot know, because Mary Anne is her best friend and Kristy knows she cries, this is not a surprise), and they head to their own homes.

Elizabeth and Watson get out for dinner that night and come habitation celebrating over again, because Elizabeth agreed to become engaged and now has a "diamond … about the size of a bedrock," thank you, Kristy.

Again, the boys are excited, Kristy feels weird and full of questions. Elizabeth reassures her the hymeneals won't be for months, which is a relief.

The girls avoid each other at school on Tuesday, Kristy'southward family unit has dinner with Watson'due south family unit, and Karen keeps trying to figure out all the relationships (she likewise guesses that Charlie is 35, which made me literally express mirth out loud. Trivial kids and their lack of understanding ages delights me). They accept fondue (DELICIOUS) and make fun rules for it and Kristy ends up having to osculation Watson on the cheek considering her bread falls off her fork.

She also writes him a dainty note talking about how he should call her first when he needs a babe-sitter and how she had fun and likes his house and it's okay with her if Elizabeth and Watson get married.

Aww, Kristy. You can be a please.

At Wednesday'southward coming together, everyone apologises to each other, merely it's non just an like shooting fish in a barrel apology and sweeping it under the rug (which sucks), merely them being open and honest about how they feel, including the fact that Stacey doesn't accept to feel pressured to tell them anything and her prevarication didn't hurt anyone and she clearly has a good reason for lying considering her mom went forth with it, and Kristy needs to back off out of other people's business.

(Also, Claudia flat out says that she wouldn't tell Kristy how she felt if they weren't friends, because Kristy wouldn't be worth getting mad at if she didn't care about her, which is an interesting point.)

They concord to have a political party on Sabbatum, and Kristy wants to talk Elizabeth into letting it be a sleepover (and succeeds). That nighttime, they swallow and laugh and hang out (Stacey outfit: spectacular nightshirt with gold glitter and the skyline of NYC across the front end), and Stacey finally tells them her big secret, but not until Kristy suggests she has anorexia because of her crazy diet. THAT'S HOW YOU WANT TO THROW It AT HER?! You'VE LEARNED Cypher, THOMAS.

Stacey's undercover is this: she has diabetes.

Kristy'due south nonchalant virtually it, though; her cousin has diabetes, too, then she knows what it means and that it's serious merely not a large deal. There's a brief breakup for readers who might non know, and a lot of talk nigh how it's not a curse and Stacey is still fine and they care virtually her and it doesn't bother them.

Stacey'southward parents have made it a huge bargain, and the kids at her old school teased her a lot, and they basically left NYC to come to a quiet, peaceful petty town where she would be safer from teasing. That's — not actually how small towns work.

Hiding it from them was even worse than telling her erstwhile friends, though, and made everything too complicated and made her sad to lie.

Elizabeth sends upwards a snack and they tell ghost stories and everything is pretty wonderful. Kristy is deliciously scared, and happy, and hopes that they will stay together for a long time.

Oh, Kristy, you have null to worry about.

Final Thoughts

God, I love this series and these characters so much. It can exist heavy-handed with its themes (and the later books simply moreso), but they're such good friends to each other and, at least this early, so real in their flaws and strengths.

I had a BFF growing up who was diagnosed with blazon 1 diabetes when we were young, and Stacey was the first character I ever saw who reflected my friend'due south illness in fiction. Awhile back, 1 of my nieces was diagnosed with blazon 1 likewise, and though at the time information technology had been like 25 years since this volume was published, it was still a useful reference for a scared kid.

It'south a lighthearted serial aimed at young readers, but it tackles some serious subjects, sometimes better than others. It means a lot to a lot of people to this day; it means a lot to me still.

We'll be recapping these for years, and I'k excited to revisit each and every book.

Finally: Book #3 is called The Truth Most Stacey, which means it feels like they blew that secret broad open just a lilliputian early.

[ Dove: When I finished this, my thoughts were that it wasn't life irresolute, simply I'd have probably gotten into it if I'd have picked information technology up effectually the same time I picked upward Sweet Valley Twins. Also, as an opening volume, it was far stronger than Sugariness Valley Twins #1: Best Friends. Then, yes, I am at present committed to buying and reading one of these books each month. I expect forrad to seeing what comes next. Besides, Wing is right, every bit usual. When I was looking up titles to find out which 1 was first, I saw the summary of book #3, so knew that Stacey was hiding her diabetes. ]

[ Wing: Right? Some hole-and-corner. ]