BSC #3: The Truth About Stacey

Front Cover: Stacey's different... and it's harder on her than anyone knows.

Back Cover: The truth about Stacey is that she has diabetes. Nobody knows... except her friends from the Baby-sitters Club.

But even they don't know the real truth about Stacey. Stacey's problem is her parents. They won't admit she has the disease, and they drag her to practically every doctor in America!

Seeing so many doctors made Stacey lose one friend, and she won't let it happen again. Especially now - when the Baby-sitters Club needs her more than ever!

Out of the first 4 books in the series, I've always liked this one best. I'm not entirely sure why. I think I've just always liked reading about Stacey and her parents and the divorce and the diabetes. It was different and interesting compare to the problems the other girls faced.

The main plot of this one is that Stacey's parents have gone overboard with trying to deal with her diabetes, and they keep dragging her to a million doctors. Each doctor tells them more of the same, but always suggests a slight variation on treatment, and it's stressing Stacey out. The latest doctor her parents have planned for her is a holistic doctor who essential swindles people into doing very expensive and unnecessary (but not harmful) treatments. Stacey's had enough, and with the help of Dr. Johanssen, she manages to convince her parents into easing up and letting her have more say in what goes on.

The subplot in this one is the new Baby-Sitters Agency that pops up. They're a bunch of older students who can baby-sit, and soon the BSC finds themselves out of jobs. After a few desperate ideas from Kristy (and a great one: the Kid-Kits!), the girls eventually realize that the Agency is full of subpar sitters and that all they can do is be the best that they can be, and hope that they bounce back. Things come to a head when one of the Agency sitters neglects Jamie Newton, and the girls find him playing too close to the street on a cold snowy day without his hat and mittens. The girls then decide to face Mrs Newton, who then calls the other parents and soon everything is back to normal.

Other things of note: Mrs Newton has Lucy, and Charlotte Johanssen is 7 years old and skips to the third grade. I can't wait for her to meet Becca and Hailey. I always thought a series about the three of them would have been interesting (for 8 year olds).

Random Thoughts:

• I was always really fascinated by this cover. I remember seeing it in the library at school when I was younger, back when I had just started reading chapter books. At the time, I was reading the Little Sister series. But I would always see this book alongside them, and would always pick it up. That being said, once I started reading BSC and really looked at the cover (especially compared to the covers from the 100+ books, written in the late 1990s), I realized how chubby Stacey and Charlotte looked. Adorable little chubsters. It didn't bother me before reading the series, because yeah, they look like normal '80s kids, but upon reading the series and seeing Stacey constantly (especially in this one) described as "thin" or even "underweight", the cover seems particularly jarring. Stacey definitely looks older than 12 here. I'd put her at maybe 14 or 15. She reminds me of Blair from The Facts of Life haha
• Oddly enough, it wasn't until recently (like the last year or so) that I realized just how terrible Stacey's outfit was. A green sweatshirt with a pink Hawaiian shirt over top?? Gross. It's still one of my favourite covers though.
• I know it's been brought up by lots of people in the fandom, but the whole "diabetes=AIDS" overtones are really apparent in this one. In later books, it's played down a bit, and it's all, "Stacey has diabetes; it sucks, but with diet and injections, she's okay! =D". I always remember being so confused as to why her having diabetes was such a horrible thing. I mean, yes, it does suck, but the way it's portrayed in some of the earlier books, this one in particular, made me terrified of diabetes for a few years when I was younger. I thought it was a death sentence!
• I always found it weird how secretive Stacey's parents were about her diabetes. Insisting that they tell absolutely no one? I mean, I don't expect them to be like, "Hi! We're Mr and Mrs McGill, and this is our daughter Stacey SHE HAS DIABETES!" upon meeting people, but yeah. It really should not have been such a big deal, especially to their closest friends and afterwards once they got it all under control. I know it's not the same as having life-threatening allergies, but I never feel embarrassed or secretive when I have to decline eating foods or giving my foods the third degree over allergens. I can understand the insulin injections being a thing, but that's not something you have to whip out and do in front of people. Just a simple, "Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom." takes care of it.
•  For the longest time, I used to pronounce the Johanssen's last name as "Johnson"
• This book also makes me want to throw Aero bars in the freezer. And then eat them. Except I'm usually too impatient to wait for them to freeze. God piss, now I want chocolate haha

[Although I read and reviewed one of the original copies of this book, I currently also own one of the updated copies, with the Notebook Pages in the back.]

Author's Note:
AMM writes about her decision to create a character with diabetes. In wanting to create a diverse group of girls, she decided that one should have a physical or medical problem. She chose diabetes because she knows it affects many children and people, including two of her friends. She thought it would be good for young readers to see someone dealing with it responsibly and positively, not ignoring it or being ashamed of it. She adds that she got lots of letters from readers thanking her, saying that the books have helped their friends to understand the condition.

Notebook Pages

When Stacey first met the members of the Baby-sitters Club she was afraid to tell them that she had diabetes. A secret I have is that I am absolutely crazy and have all these rules and guidelines and am wicked independent, to the point where I don't think I'll ever settle down with someone long-term. 

The person I would tell my secret to is my current boyfriend; maybe; he'd have to know eventually at any rate. 

I would never tell my secret to anyone else haha. 

Stacey has to control herself from eating sweets and snacks, and Kristy has to be careful of her big mouth. Something that I have to watch out for is my diet; like Stacey, I have dietary restrictions. 

Stacey got really good advice from Dr Johanssen. If I had a problem the adult I would talk to is honestly, I have no idea; probably no one. 

The Johanssen's are a big part of Stacey's life. Charlotte Johanssen is even like a sister to Stacey. Someone who is like a sister to me is no one; I am literally close to no one haha