BSC #58: Stacey's Choice

Tagline: This is one choice Stacey's going to have to make by herself.

Since Staacey's parents got divorced it hasn't been easy. Stacey hates being put in the middle of them. And even though she gets to see her dad often, Stacey misses him. Sometimes she wishes she were just a regular kid with a regular family.

But now both of her parents are depending on Stacey. They each need her - badly. And she can't be in Stoneybrook and New York at the same time.

How will Stacey ever choose between her mom and her dad... again?

Things start off with Stacey walking home from school with Mallory, musing about how nice the seasons are in Stoneybrook. We then get a whole lot of introduction from Stacey about her life, living in New York, and subsequently how things are in Stoneybrook. Stacey goes home briefly to drop things off and check in with her mom before heading back to Mallory's to baby-sit. Mrs McGill has been looking for a job, since her father's money has to go to both an apartment in New York, their house in Stoneybrook, alimony and child support, and there just isn't enough to go around. Stacey notes that her mother looks exhausted, and assumes that it's because she's had so many interviews and things to prepare. Mrs McGill says she's fine, and just before Stacey leaves for her sitting job, she gets a phone call from her father: he's just been promoted to vice president of his company. There's going to be a big dinner party to honour him, and he wants Stacey to be his date. Stacey is thrilled, and can't wait to spend the weekend with her father.

The girls help Stacey find an outfit for Stacey. They go downtown, and stop at all the hot spots: Bellairs, Zingy's, Merry Go Round. Eventually Stacey finds an outfit in the least likely of places: Zingy's. Coming home, Stacey is very thrilled and can't wait to show her mom. She finds her mom resting on the couch however. Her mom brushes it off, saying that she's just tired, and encourages Stacey's outfit. Mrs McGill then mentions that she has an interview at Bellairs, which pleases Stacey to no end. Stacey is happy for both of her parents, and can't wait for the following weekend to go to dinner with her dad.

It's Monday, and Stacey is in the middle of an algebra test when she gets called down to the office. There, she finds out that her mother collapsed during a job interview, that her mother is in the hospital, and that Mrs Pike will be there shortly to pick her up. Stacey is all anxious, and when she gets to the hospital, she finds her mom lying on a gurney, waiting for medical treatment. They don't know what's wrong; Stacey assumes it's the flu, but Mrs McGill is pretty sure it's something more. Sure enough, they soon find out that Mrs. McGill has pneumonia. The good news is that she can recover at home, but the bad news is that she'll be pretty tired and out of it for awhile.

Stacey, wracked with worry and guilt, takes it upon herself to take care of her mother. She stays home from school on Tuesday to play nurse. Despite her mother's reassurances though, Stacey is worried about going to New York that weekend to be with her dad. Her father tells her that everything will be okay, that he can even arrange for a visiting nurse if Stacey wants. He then unintentionally guilt trips her, by telling her how much her going to New York and being his guest at the dinner in his honour means to him. This leaves Stacey torn, as she wants to be a good daughter, and be there for both parents. It's just added stress on top of what Stacey's already feeling regarding her mother's illness.

To make herself feel better, Stacey starts organizing a schedule of friends and neighbours, so that her mom will never be alone, and Stacey can still attend school. It works pretty well, and Stacey feels some sense of relief. However, she still can't decide what to do about her dad and his dinner. Eventually, she decides that she can't go. She calls him to let her know, and he's incredibly sad and disappointed. Stacey, stressed and guilt-ridden, snaps at him and says that he'd have other date options than her if he wasn't such a workaholic. They end the phone call on a pretty bad note.

The next day, Stacey decides that she can do a compromise: she can go to dinner Friday night with her dad, but then go back to be with her mom immediately Saturday morning, instead of being away for the whole weekend. She calls her dad with the news, and they're in the process of making arrangements for Friday night (he wants to hire a nurse, she wants to schedule more friends), when they're interrupted by a call from Mrs. McGill's doctor with the bloodwork. The good news is that Mrs McGill really does just simply have pneumonia. Stacey is in a rush, trying to pack, plan her mom's sitters, and take care of the house, when Mrs Pike comes over and helps out.

Friday, Stacey goes to New York to be with her dad. Of course, the train's delayed and there's traffic, so Stacey's already stressed mind is further compounded. The dinner is very extravagant, even more so than Stacey expected. There are a million courses, and speeches, and Stacey's introduced to all sorts of important people from her dad's company. By the time all the formal things are over, it's 10:30. Throughout the evening, Stacey keeps calling home to check in on her mom, and finally, Stacey can't take it anymore, and just wants to go to sleep so she can catch her train in the morning. Mr McGill is disappointed, as now that the formal things are over, the dancing and fun were to begin. However, Stacey is adamant about leaving, since she's catching such an early train in the morning.

In the morning, Mr McGill is less than thrilled about how everything went, and chastizes Stacey for being a terrible dinner date and being the first to leave a party in his honour. Stacey gets home, and finds Mrs Pike in a bad mood, as well as numerous neighbours and a visiting nurse. Turns out there was some scheduling issues. For the rest of Saturday, Stacey is stuck fielding people left and right. Finally, everything gets sorted out, everyone gets sent home, and Stacey has a chat with her mom, where she learns that she can't do everything herself and do be everything for everyone.

The subplot in this one is that the Pikes (and subsequently all their friends) discover the joys of mail-in rebates and other forms of mail orders. So they start buying all this really random stuff from the back of magazines and newspapers and other publications. Stuff like, a bust developer and a miracle needle-threader. Basically, they're just enamoured by the idea that they can get stuff for under 2$, so they get it all. When the stuff starts slowly arriving, the kids are even more excited to have their own mail, which spurs them to buy even more stuff. Eventually, the stuff starts arriving on masse. The kids soon discover that they each ordered "moondust", supposedly only 20 samples exist. The older kids realize that it's a scam, and slowly, they all realize that they've ordered a bunch of useless stuff that no one can use. They decide to put together a travelling show and sell everything to their neighbours.


Random Thoughts:

• This one is one of my favourites. I've actually already re-read it recently (well, last year)!
• I feel like Mrs McGill has been looking for a job for ever now. Didn't she look for a job before?
• Okay, after much searching, yes, she's been looking for a job since at least #35 
• Stacey's outfit does not sound appropriate. Not particularly for a 13 year old, but especially not for a business dinner party: knee-length hot pink (fake) silk jacket, black leggings, pink and black socks, black bodysuit, black flats, and then some accessories.
• This is the first time we hear about the Rosebud Cafe, the hot spot for all dates from this point forward.  It didn't even occur to me that we hadn't heard it mentioned at all until now. It's just so ubiquitous to me! But apparently it just opened.
• I never did any mail-in things as a kid. Either they just weren't as mainstream in the mid-90s, or my family just didn't get enough magazines. But if I had known about them, you better believe I would have signed up for so many stupid dumb offers like the Pikes and their friends do!
• Getting mail is REALLY exciting! I mean, when it's not bills or junk, which is what 99% of my mail is. It's one of the reasons why I love online shopping and monthly subscriptions and what not!
• I love that Buddy wants to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger. I love these '90s references!
• I find it weird that the office would call for Stacey over the classroom PA system, but I guess that makes sense. I'm pretty sure that's how they did it when I was in elementary school. I think by the time I got to high school though, they had switched to the in-house phone system, so they'd call the classroom, and there'd be some sense of privacy. It's definitely how they do it now.
• Like Stacey, I love algebra and solving for X. It really is like a mystery!! I love logic puzzles and that kind of thing.
• Man, poor Stacey. It's pretty scary when your parent gets sick, let alone when it's your only parent (in the immediate area) and you're an only child.
• Ed is pretty good guy with regards to his ex-wife's health. However, he does lose some cool points for not being more understanding that his only teenage daughter might be more concerned and fearful about her only parent she's with 95% of the time.
• There's a mistake in this one that says "Mary Anne's mother". They probably meant to write Dawn, or refer to Sharon her MA's stepmom.
• There's some stuff that happens at the end of the book that really has no direct bearing on the plot:
• Stacey had been worried about Sam losing interest in her when she was busy with her mom, but they end up planning a date in the end.
• Stacey's mom gets the job at Bellairs.

BSC Super Special #8: Baby-Sitters at Shadow Lake

Tagline: Campfires, ghost stories - summer vacations are the best!

Wish you were here!

Kristy's rich stepfather has invited all the Baby-sitters to his family's cabin on beautiful Shadow Lake.

What a way to start off the summer! At the lake there's water skiing, cute guys, plenty of kids to baby-sit for - and even a mystery.

The Baby-sitters don't know where to begin. The just hope the fun never ends!

Super Special Gimmick: Kristy wants to make sure that Watson decides to keep the cabin, so she keeps a diary (and of course, makes her friends join in) to show him how awesome the place is and all the great times they can have as a family.

Watson gets a letter from his aunt, saying that she and her husband are re-configuring their wills. Despite not having seen Watson in a bajillion years, they remember that he used to always have fun at their cabin on Shadow Lake every summer as a child, and want to know if he wants the cabin when they die. They invite Watson to come up to the cabin this summer with his family, so he can check out the property and make a better informed decision, and so they can have a chance to reconnect with him and meet his new extended family. Watson takes them up on their offer, and even extends the invitation to the friends of his kids. Sam and Charlie decide they're too old to invite friends over (they probably just didn't want to subject their friends to Kristy and all the little kids for 2 whole weeks!), and will instead "scope out the chicks at the lake" and make friends there, Andrew's and Emily Michelle's friends are all too young to be away from parents for 2 whole weeks, leaving Kristy to invite the whole Club, Karen to invite her two best friends, (Nancy Dawes and Hannie Papadakis) and David Michael to invite two of his friends (Linny Papadakis and Nicky Pike).

Kristy discovers a small motor boat under their dock and learns how to operate it. She gets really excited and decides to invite all her friends to come with her on an overnight trip to the tiny island on the other shore. Thanks to Dawn (more below), the girls are sufficiently freaked out, but ultimately decide to go. On the island, the girls girls make s'mores and tell stories and gossip and have a great time, however, in the middle of the night, they all get freaked out and try to convince Kristy to take them home. Kristy tells them how silly they're being, and they all stay until morning.

Dawn being obsessed with mysteries and ghost stories, of course decides that she must figure out the secret behind Shadow Lake's name. She soon finds out that not only is its name a mystery, but there's also a monster à la Loch Ness Monster. Dawn starts interviewing and questioning people at Shadow Lake, and she discovers that on the small island just off the shore, there used to be a family that lived there. They were very isolated, and never left the island, sending all their servants out instead. On the night when one of the townsfolk was going to marry the eldest daughter, the whole family disappeared without a trace! A year later, family home burned down! No one knows what really happened to them. On the island, the girls find the old burned down foundation of the house, where Dawn finds a locket with the daughter's initials in it. She takes the locket and returns it to the girl's fiancé. Dawn feels better, knowing that she helped put the girl's spirit at rest, but still wants to return to solve the mystery of Shadow Lake.

Claudia finds out about this boat show that's taking place on the shore. She then decides that she wants to submit Kristy's boat as an entry. After thinking about it all week, Claudia finally comes up with the idea of decorating the boat and turning it into the Lake Monster. Because she's working with limited time and resources, the results aren't great, but Claudia is fairly proud. The day of the boat show arrives though, and Claudia realizes that their little motor boat is up against all these yachts and houseboats and essentially REAL boats. She wants to back out, but goes through with it anyways. Of course, she wins a prize. They give out 1st place to 3rd place, and then Claudia wins a ribbon for "Most Spirit".


Jessi meets a cute African-American boy (because of course) and feels guilty because of her "relationship"with Quint Walker. She spends the first half of the book ogling him from a distance, before he finally notices her. Turns out his name is Daniel, and this is his family's first time up at the Lake. He sees her practicing ballet at the lodge's studio barre, and asks for lessons. It's here that Jessi discovers that as cute as he is, as nice as flirting with him is, they have nothing in common. Daniel loves sports and hates reading. While Jessi doesn't hate sports, she definitely doesn't have too much experience with them, and of course, she loves reading. However, she does enjoy the flirting and companionship, so she agrees to go with him to the dance at the end of their vacation. Jessi is then worried about how she's going to let Daniel down at the end of the two weeks, and is really awkward and nervous at the dance. Daniel surprises her, saying that he just wants to be friends and that he has a girlfriend back home! So Jessi feels better and immediately writes to Quint upon returning home.

Stacey spends the whole time being teased and pestered by Sam Thomas. He keeps complimenting her in an exaggerated British accent (calling her "dahhhhling!!") and poking at her perm. At first, she totally doesn't get it and is just annoyed with him, but eventually he tells her how he feels. Stacey's all confused, because while she did have a huge crush on him in grade 7, she hasn't really thought much about him lately, plus he's just been super annoying. Sam accepts that, and leaves her alone. At the big dance though, he asks her to dance, and she says yes. She realizes that she really does like him, and they end the vacation off together, holding hands and being really cute.

Sam gets a single chapter, where we see his side of things. He's all insecure about being 15 with no facial hair, looking up to Charlie and what not. He doesn't understand why Stacey is so annoyed with him, despite him paying so much attention to her. Charlie finally tells him to cut the crap and just TELL STACEY EXACTLY HOW HE FEELS. Which he does. Sam's disappointed to see that Stacey once liked him, but currently isn't on the same page. Of course, we see that eventually everything works out.

Mallory is devoured by mosquitoes and other bugs, and is just generally miserable the whole time. She starts covering up TO THE EXTREME, wearing all sorts of long-sleeved loose clothing, draping towels around her, big jungle hats, mosquito netting, and practically bathing in bug spray. It really annoys the other girls, while she's all hurt that they don't understand and that no one wants to hang around her like that. She doesn't have much of a plot other than just being miserable outside.

Mary Anne spends most of the time worrying and freaking people out about stuff (or just annoying them), much like she did in New York. She doesn't really get much of a plot in this book. She mostly baby-sits and just kinda hangs out in other people's plots.

Karen and her friends find a small shack behind their cabin and a garden. They decide they're going to clean it up themselves and make it their secret hiding place. The problem is, in keeping secret, they don't tell anyone where they're going (not even like, "Hey, we're gonna explore the woods behind the cabin!") so people keep panicking over losing them (well, mostly Mary Anne; everyone else is just annoyed but figures they couldn't have gone far). Mary Anne eventually finds them, and convinces them to just keep the place a secret from David Michael and his friends, but to tell all the adults about it. Eventually the boys do discover it, but the girls claim it as their own, and challenge the boys to make a fort that's better than theirs. Loser has to do all the chores. The girls obviously win, but decide to be nice and make the boys only shine their shoes for the big dance.

David Michael is frustrated because Nicky and Linny aren't getting along, and he doesn't understand why not. Obviously it's because they don't know each other and are competing for his affections, but he can't see that. Anyways, they eventually discover the girls' playhouse and decide to build their own fort. It goes disastrously, since the boys can't work together and agree on anything, plus they have zero architectural skills. What eventually brings them together is when Shannon (the dog, because yes, the family brought the dog AND the cat with them) disappears, and they all have to rally to find her. She's missing for all of like, 30 seconds, before they call out enough and find her again, but the experience bring Nicky and Linny together.

Random Thoughts:

• I am so super excited to read this one! I actually have never read it!! And I've managed to avoid reading most of the recaps and reviews of it over the years, so I really have no idea what it's about. All I know is that Sam and Stacey's romance really ramps up here. I'm excited to read this one because:
1. I'm obsessed with Sam and Stacey
2. My all-time favourite BSC book, Super Mystery #2 Baby-sitters Beware!, takes place here
3. I think a few others take place here? I seem to remember a lot about it, despite not having read this particular one?
• Yes! This one has the illustrations in it!! I guess starting from SS #7, they start having the illustrations that I always thought was super synonymous with the Super Specials. I always read #7, #10 and #11 the most, and have very strong memories of #9, so that's probably why I associate the illustrations so much with the books.
• I like how Watson's aunt and uncle apparently have not seen him in a long, long time, almost 20 years, and the last summer he spent at the cabin was at age 12, but they are like, "OMG LET'S GIVE WATSON THE CABIN."
• They haven't even met Karen and Andrew! Nor Elizabeth and the Thomas clan. Were they not invited to the wedding? Couldn't come? Didn't care??
• Damn. I do not remember any particular descriptions of the cabin. I knew it was huge, because they always take Watson's entire family, plus the Club, but apparently it can house 25 people?? And two of the rooms are dorm-style, with wall-to-wall bunk beds!
• Actually, now I'm just imagining the place having only 4 bedrooms: a master bedroom (2 people), a boys' dorm room (5 sets of bunk beds/10 boys), a girls' dorm room (5 sets of bunk beds/10 girls) and then two extra rooms that hold either 1 or 2 people. You could have a mini-camp there!
• Oooooh. Jessi included a floor plan. I was right! Only 4 bedrooms!
• Ooooooh. I think this is the first time they actually describe Mallory as having reddish hair!!
• This time around, it makes sense as to why they would give Karen and David Michael chapters: they're part of the family, and of course Kristy would want them to bolster her argument for keeping Shadow Lake. Charlie and Sam are too old to do a diary project (if they like the cabin, they're just going to beg and plead with Watson in person) and Andrew and Emily Michelle are too young. I may not like it when chapters are given to random people (especially Karen), but at least they didn't give chapters to like, Nicky or Nancy or something really random! haha
• Yep. AMM definitely hates Mallory haha
• There's some continuity, mentioning that Claudia sometimes tutors Emily Michelle! Yay!!
• I can't believe that Watson and Elizabeth would let Kristy take the boat out on her own. I love how their rule is that only people 12 and older can drive the boat, when there's no one there who is 12. Anyways, I'm not opposed to Kristy taking lessons to learn how to drive the boat. I'm just shocked that they'd immediately agree to let her take it out on her own and pretty much have free reign. You'd think it'd be like, "Sam and Charlie can have free reign, you can only drive if you stay by our dock for practicing purposes, or if you have someone older with you. Next time we come, we can see about you having free reign."
• Then again, considering the parents in these books, maybe I'm not that surprised haha
• Kristy spends an entire paragraph digressing about bikinis, saying that she'll never wear one, and that no one over thirty should wear one, but her mom looks pretty good all things considered, and how Kristy doesn't see the point in wearing a bikini when you don't have a chest to go with it, so at her rate, she probably won't wear one until she's 28 haha It's all very random and "out-of-character", except that AMM wrote this one, so it's perfectly in her character.
• Also: Kristy is convinced by the girls to get dressed up for dinner, so she borrows a dress from Mary Anne. I love AMM!Kristy.
• I can't believe that Watson and Elizabeth would allow Kristy and the girls to spend the night alone on the island. They don't know for sure it's uninhabited!! Or what if some other neighbour saw/heard them go over, and decided to go kill them??
• I think it's really sweet that at the end of the novel, when Watson is writing back to his aunt about keeping the cabin, he refers to Kristy as his daughter. I also really like that Kristy notices this and is thrilled. I wish we got to see more of Kristy and her relationship with Watson.
• I totally don't remember anything about Shadow Lake being haunted. Does this ever come up again? I know Dawn's not with them in SM #2. Do they return to Shadow Lake any other time??

BSC #51: Stacey's Ex-Best Friend

Tagline: Is Stacey's friend Laine super mature or just a super snob?

Stacey can't wait! Her best friend from New York, Laine Cummings, is coming to Stoneybrook for a whole week. Laine can spend a day at SMS, attend club meetings, and maybe even go to the Valentine's Dance.

But the minute Laine arrives, things don't go as planned. Laine thinks Stacey's sleepover with her friends is so childish. And she can't believe Stacey's still into baby-sitting. Laine's used to hanging out at high school parties. She even has a fifteen-year-old boyfriend!

Stacey doesn't want to lose her childhood friend. But Laine's growing up way too fast for Stacey. Is this the end of their friendship?

The book starts off with Stacey having a cozy winter day indoors. She reflects that since moving to the country, she likes snow and the quiet. As she's doing homework, Laine calls and tells Stacey that she has a week-long break coming up from school. Stacey gets super excited, and invites Laine to stay with her in Stoneybrook. Laine isn't too sure though, but eventually agrees to it. Stacey is super excited and tells all her friends. She plans a sleepover for Laine's first evening. Before Laine comes over, Stacey tidies up her bedroom, hiding anything that she thinks Laine will think is lame. Apparently lately Laine has been saying comments and calling Stacey by her full name, trying to sound more grown-up. Stacey doesn't think too much of it though, and leaves for the train station super excited.

Stacey spots Laine right away wearing a very chic outfit. Stacey is thrilled, but Laine is less than impressed. She wants to know where the town is! Stacey explains that they'll drive through it on the way home to the party Stacey's throwing, which causes Laine to perk up. However, after they drive through Stoneybrook, Laine is still confused, wondering how she could have missed the entire town. Stacey points out the library and the pizza parlour, but Laine wants to know what everyone does for entertainment. Stacey deadpans that they go to New York haha

Laine and Stacey briefly catch-up before the party. Laine tells Stacey all about her new boyfriend King, who is 15 years old and in high school. His hair is long and black, with purple tips, that he wears all spiked up and bushy. When Laine questions why Stacey doesn't have a boyfriend, Stacey says she's waiting for the right guy, which sets Laine off. They quickly put aside their differences though as the girls arrive.

It's clear that when Stacey said "party", Laine figured she meant something loud with boys and girls. The sleepover is definitely not impressing her. The girls are all having fun goofing with make-up and hair stuff, gossiping about boys. Laine keeps putting everyone and everything down, saying that all 13 year old boys are lame, she's on a diet (so no binging on junk foods), and making fun of their slang (Dawn says "dude"). Stacey then gets the bright idea to find Laine a date for the dance next Friday. Laine isn't sure she wants to go: after all, 13 year old boys are dumb and she wants to make sure King is okay with it. But when Stacey points out that Laine has nothing else to do on Friday, Laine is quick to remind them that they are lame. Luckily before things can spiral out of control, they find a movie to watch that even Laine likes.

Laine spends Monday being bored out of her mind while Stacey's in school, so Stacey gets permission for Laine to shadow her for the day. After Stacey explains that she misses having Laine be a regular part of her life, Laine goes for it. However, the day is less than successful. First, Laine makes fun of Stacey and Mallory for how they coordinate walking to school (white towel means Mal wants to walk with them, red means she's looking after her siblings), making Stacey feel embarrassed. Once at school, Laine questions all the school rules, such as them not being able to leave the building during school hours and only one student allowed to the bathroom at a time. Stacey's relieved once it's lunch time, because there are no rules (except for not being able to leave the building), so she figures there's nothing for Laine to critique. Stacey has even arranged it so that a bunch of her non-BSC friends sit with them, giving Laine variety. Among them are Pete Black, Rick Chow and Austin Bentley, which Stacey thinks Laine will like, since they're boys. However, it's clear that Laine thinks they're immature (they spend lunchtime building molecules out of pretzel sticks and prunes), while Pete spends the whole time crushing on Laine.

That night, Stacey and Laine talk about their day, more specifically Pete. Stacey thinks it would be awesome if Pete and Laine went to the dance together, but Laine is all embarrassed, saying that Pete is immature and what would people think? Stacey points out that the only people who would see them would be everyone who already likes Pete and actually thinks he's cool, and that besides, it'd just be for fun. Laine decides to call King first, and shoos Stacey out of the room. Stacey's a bit hurt, but figures whatever. However, when Pete calls to ask Laine out, Laine asks Stacey to stay, before kicking her out again to call King back. While in her bedroom, Stacey overhears snippets of Laine's conversation. Laine makes fun of Pete, and goes on about how "childish" something is. Stacey assumes that Laine is talking about their baby-sitting clients, but it's pretty clear to us readers that Laine is talking about Stacey and her friends. Even so, Stacey starts to feel like something weird is going on between her and Laine, and she doesn't know what to do.

Stacey decides to double-down on making Laine a part of her life, and brings her to the Club meeting on Wednesday. There, the girls all discuss the Valentine's Day Masquerade they're organizing for their clients. They speculate who has a crush on who, and think it's all very cute. Except for Laine. She thinks it's lame. She also wonders if any of the girls plan on getting real jobs for the summer. You see, Laine has a summer job lined up at an accessories store, so she'll be receiving a real paycheque. Stacey now realizes that her and Laine are living in completely different worlds.

Finally it's Friday, the day of the dance and Laine's last full day. Stacey isn't excited about Laine going home soon, but she's somewhat relieved. Still, she's going to give their friendship one last solid try and make the most of their time together. She rushes home to find Laine reading a large book, about an 18 year old who travels and falls in love; when asked what she's currently reading, Stacey is embarrassed to admit that she's reading Black Beauty. Stacey wants Laine's help in getting ready for the dance, but Laine doesn't seem interested. She's too busy thinking about her book and King; besides, it's just a stupid Valentine's Day dance and doesn't really count. Once Stacey picks her outfit (with no help from Laine, other than "it's lame to wear red specifically because it's Valentine's Day"), she tries to engage Laine in some popcorn and gossip, like the good ol' days, but Laine's on a diet and has just finished doing her nails (after making fun of where Stacey got the nail polish). Finally Stacey gives up, and they get to go to the dance.

Laine puts on a great outfit, and Stacey's mom tells them that they look like they're 15; Laine adds that usually she gets mistaken for 18. Despite the fact that Laine is wearing earrings that Stacey gave her (which warms Stacey's heart), Laine quickly takes back any goodwill by appearing horrified that they were meeting the guys at the school; didn't Stacey know that the boys were supposed to pick them up in their own cars? Stacey points out that the boys can't drive... and neither can King for that matter! When they get to the school, Laine is mortified that Kristy greets them with a "yo guys!" That quickly gets overshadowed by Pete's arrival though. Even though Pete's wearing a suit, he's still wearing his trademark converse sneakers, which of course Laine notices and judges him for. Then the poor guy is so nervous, he can't get the corsage he bought on Laine's wrist, and ends up dropping it, only for it to be trampled in the crowd! Laine doesn't care though, and acts dismissive of everything. She makes fun of the décor (to be fair, so did Logan, as it was quite pink, but Laine was definitely much more mean-spirited) and the fact that there isn't a live band playing (there will be, but while they set up, it's just a tape playing). The night doesn't get any better, as Laine insults all sixth-graders (one spilled a drink near her, not on her), insults the band, and then insults the food (heart-shaped cookies and punch are for kindergarten). The final straw comes when Pete asks Laine to slow-dance: she turns him down saying she was tired, only to immediately accept an invitation from some other guy (to Kristy and Claud's delight, a seventh grader!). Stacey has had enough.

She pulls Laine aside to tell Laine how rude she's been. Laine pretends that she doesn't know what Stacey is talking about, so Stacey starts laying everything out on the table. Laine interrupts, saying that she wants to go home. To New York. Immediately. So Stacey calls her mom, which prompts more fighting and arguing from Laine. On the way home, Stacey's mom tries to get the girls to talk, but this just causes more fighting. Finally, Laine reiterates the fact that she wants to go home to New York, so Mrs McGill calls Laine's mom. They get into a brief tiff over their daughters, but arrange for Laine to go home that night.

Stacey spends the rest of the weekend calling all her friends and apologizing for Laine. She also worries that because her friendship with Laine is over, things are over between Mrs McGill and Mrs Cummings; Mrs McGill reassures Stacey that everything is fine. Stacey still feels unresolved though. She spends a lot of time reflecting on her week with Laine, and their 8 years of frienship. Finally, with the help of Claudia, Stacey sees who her real best friend is, and writes Laine a letter, saying goodbye.

The subplot in this one is the Valentine's Day Masquerade that the Club decides to organize for their clients. The girls get excited planning decorations and activities for the kids, while the kids get excited to make Valentines for everyone. Nicky Pike has a crush on a girl in a younger grade. James and Matthew Hobart want to get all dressed up and bring carnations, and James even has a girl he wants to invite. Marilyn and Carolyn are also very excited: Marilyn likes a boy, and Carolyn says she likes a boy in an older grade. Eventually, the sitters deduce that Nicky and Carolyn like each other, and are super excited to see this go down at the Masquerade. However, they soon discover that Nicky likes Marilyn... he just keeps calling her Carolyn. Luckily for him, Marilyn likes him too. Carolyn and James on the other hand, are a perfect match haha

Random Thoughts:

• I think I've only read this one once or twice. I definitely have read it. I remember liking it a lot. But I also remember that it wasn't one of the ones I owned.
• I never understood why Stacey would think it was a good idea for Laine to come up for the whole week, when Stacey was still in school. Visiting someone else's school is definitely cool and fun and novel, especially compared to your own school... but it's still not as fun as vacation! Laine totally should have arrived Wednesday afternoon, attended school with Stacey Thursday during the day, and then Stacey could have taken Friday off and she and Laine could have had a long visit Friday and Saturday, and then Laine could have gone back home Sunday afternoon. I mean, I get that Stacey and Laine have been drifting apart and that they would have eventually had a falling out regardless, but it just seems like a waste of a vacation and a terrible idea to spend an entire week at school/alone at someone else's house.
• The girls are way too excited to watch To Kill a Mockingbird. The only 13 year olds who are excited to watch that movie are the ones who skipped a grade and find themselves in grade 9 studying it, and they're only excited because watching movies is better than reading books haha I like that movie and genuinely get excited when it comes time to show it in class, but even I wouldn't be revved up for it on a Friday night haha
• It's weird that we've had two books in a row where characters have had winter breaks and come up to visit the girls!
• We learn in this one that Mrs McGill and Mrs Cummings have been friends since college. That's crazy! I had always thought they met because of Laine and Stacey. Now I want to know more about them haha
• If I were Marilyn Arnold, I would be super pissed that Nicky didn't know me from my twin and had my name wrong. Especially now that they dress completely differently and have completely unique and individual styles. Nicky clearly knew them apart in terms of appearance and personality! It'd be no different than someone calling me "Callie" or "Casey" or "Kelsey" or something that was not my name. I mean, it'd be whatever if it was someone who didn't know me very well, but from someone confessing that they liked me? No way! Not even at age 8! haha
• James and Matthew Hobart's reaction to the Valentine's Masquerade just reinforces my idea that Australian boys are best haha even though I know that there are plenty out there who are rude and crude!
• Stacey and Mallory's towel code makes sense in a time where texting doesn't exist. Even though a quick phone call wouldn't take that long, there's always the fact that you have to wait for someone to answer, and what if someone was busy or in the shower, and didn't answer in time? Then you'd have to leave a message, or call back later, etc etc. The towel code is quick and easy: Mallory can throw correct colour up whenever she knows what the plan is for the morning, and Stacey can just look out the window whenever and see it. She can do this while making breakfast, brushing her teeth, packing her bag... all sorts of things that would be difficult to do while on the phone (especially since it doesn't sound like cordless phones were all that prevalent just yet). Of course, nowadays the girls would just send each other a quick text.
• Who the fuck would ever hire Laine for a real job? Except for maybe a paper route?? She's only 13! Is this a '80s thing, or is this a BSC-thing? Because yeah, the girls are always getting real jobs, and it's super weird. Here, most places need you to be 16 before hiring, and your options even then are fairly limited. 
• Laine's book sounds like a Danielle Steel novel haha I remember in grade 7, one of the grade 8s on my bus reading those novels, and thinking 1) damn, she's so grown up and 2) that book sounds really boring and not my style haha
• Do we ever hear about Laine again?

BSC Super Special #7: Snowbound

Tagline: All the Baby-sitters wanted was a little snow - not a national disaster!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

The weather forecasters keep promising snow, but what a joke that is. Not a single flake has fallen on Stoneybrook this winter. How can SMS hold a Winter Wonderland Dance when it's warm enough to go to the beach?

Finally, it does snow - like crazy - and no one's prepared. Jessi gets stranded overnight at her dance school. Mallory and Mary Anne are snowed in with the Pike kids. But Stacey's in real trouble. She and her mom were driving back from the mall when the blizzard hit. And none of the Baby-sittesr have heard from her yet.

First they couldn't wait for it to snow. Now they can't for it to stop. Where could Stacey be?

Super Special Gimmick: Kristy thinks that while the newspaper coverage of the snow storm is very informative, it is also super dry, so she gets her friends to write up about their adventures to send to the newspaper as a people interest story.

The book starts off with everyone super excited about the Winter Wonderland dance. Everyone has a date and the girls are all looking forward to dressing up and having a good time together. For days and days, the weather forecasters have been talking about a massive snowfall, but there hasn't even been a single flake. It becomes a huge joke to everyone. At their Monday meeting that week, they reflect that since they're all going to be busy and scattered on Wednesday evening (Mallory and Mary Anne sitting for the Pikes, Jessi at an extra-long dance rehearsal and picking up her date Quint, Dawn getting Jeff at the airport), they should just cancel their meeting that day. Of course, Wednesday is the day of the giant snowstorm, and the power goes out and the phone lines go down, and everyone is all separated, with no way of getting in touch with each other.

Kristy has the most mundane story, but it's pretty cute. She's sitting at home Wednesday afternoon, and she's pretty bored. She’s thinking about the winter dance and how excited she is to be bringing Bart. She then decides that now would be a good time to hang out with him. They've never really hung out on the week day before, so Bart's a little confused, but agrees. Kristy rents movies, and her mom invites Bart to stay over for dinner. This is pretty intense, and it makes Kristy all nervous. She likes Bart, but doesn't really know what to think. Is he her boyfriend? Is she ready? Is he ready? Can he handle her family? The kids spend most of the evening pestering them and totally embarrassing Kristy. Dinner isn't much better. It starts snowing at dinner time, and although Watson agreed to drive Bart home, he wants to wait until it stops snowing so hard. So Bart stays for dessert. After awhile, Bart says he really has to get going, and that he doesn't mind walking (he literally lives just down the street). However, when they try to open up the storm door (or screen door, as my folks always called it), they discover that they're snowed in! The snowfall has been super heavy, plus it has blown up against the house. So Bart spends the night. Kristy is super embarrassed and nervous about Bart seeing her in the morning, so she sets her alarm extra early and actually goes into the bathroom and tries to primp. She shaves her legs for the first time, puts on some make-up and even tries to curl her hair! Aside from her hair, Kristy is pretty happy with the results. Of course, her siblings all make fun of her for it, but Bart says she looks beautiful.

Claudia has the next most mundane story. She spends the afternoon taking calls for the Club, then runs across the street to sit for the Perkins. Just before all the power and phones go out, the Perkins call to say that they can't drive back home, so Claudia will have to stay the night with the girls. As Claudia's putting the girls to sleep, she realizes that she can't find Chewy, the dog, and starts to panic. Claudia's mother comes across the street, and helps Claudia look for a bit, before deciding that nothing more can be done in the weather and in the dark. Mrs Kishi then offers to spend the night on the couch, but Claudia insists that she can look after the girls herself, and that if anything were to happen, Mrs Kishi is just across the street anyways. Claudia soon goes to bed, but is woken by Gabbie, who hears something. They go and investigate, and find that Chewy's been locked in the corner of the basement this whole time! Everything is fine, and the next morning they have breakfast and build a snow family.

Dawn and her mom are headed to the airport to pick up Jeff. For some reason, even though he's flown a bajillion times before, Jeff's been nervous about this time. Dawn wants to make sure they get to the airport with plenty of time to greet him. However, the snow has already started to fall when they leave, and Sharon isn't the most confident snow driver. She goes slowly, and despite having left early, they only get to the airport just in time. Of course, that doesn't matter because with the snowstorm, Jeff's plane hasn't arrived yet. Dawn is worried about how Jeff is handling things, but Sharon figures everything will be alright. They spend the evening hanging out in the airport, waiting to hear about Jeff's plane. Finally, word gets to them that the snow is so bad, Jeff's plane has been rerouted to Washington DC for the evening. Just as they're about to call Jeff to see how he's doing, the power and phone lines go out. They're advised not to leave the airport to go driving, so Dawn and her mom are stuck there overnight. They mostly walk around, buy a couple of books to read, try to get some sleep. Dawn has a creepy encounter with a wandering toddler ending up in her face, but that's about it. The morning comes, and though feeling grody, Dawn and her mom are extremely happy to see Jeff again.

Jessi is at a super long dance rehearsal. They're putting on a production of The Nutcracker. Anyways, no one can concentrate cuz the kids all want snow, and Jessi wants Quint and the dance. About an hour before rehearsal is due to end, some parents start calling in, saying that they'll be late picking up the kids. As time goes on, Jessi realizes that there's no one waiting around to pick them up (usually the parents of the younger kids will watch the last 15-30 minutes of rehearsal). Finally, sensing that she's lost their attention, Mme Noelle calls an end to rehearsal. Once everyone finishes changing, Mme Noelle and the other teachers have bad news: the snowstorm is too bad, and the parents can't come to pick them up. Everyone is stuck overnight at the dance school. Luckily the dance school has a cafeteria that had recently been stocked with dried fruit and nuts and instant soup, so they're not going to starve. In fact, it's pretty much like a giant sleepover adventure. Except all the little kids are upset, and in typical Jessi-fashion, she decides to help the adults comfort the children and keep them busy. At some point, Quint shows up! He had arrived at the train station just before the snow got really bad, and after awhile, he realized that Jessi and her father weren't going to be able to drive and pick him up. So he asked for directions and walked to the dance school! He also helps get the little kids settled. Eventually Jessi and Quint are able to retreat to the classroom where the older students are, and they sit around and gossip and have a grand ol' time. The next morning, the storm is over, the roads are plowed, and while waiting for their parents to pick them up, they're treated to a feast from the coffee shop across the street.

Stacey decides that with the Club meeting cancelled, now would be a perfect opportunity to go get her hair permed, so that it's perfect for the dance. She and her mom leave well before the storm hits (not even a flake in sight!) and get to the mall. However, while there, the storm hits. Stacey's mom hates driving in snow, but thinks that if they hurry, they can somehow beat it and get home before it gets too too bad. Mrs McGill decides to bypass the highway, figuring it'll be congested from everyone attempting to get home. Instead, she takes the back roads. This doesn't work well, as they aren't plowed and have very little traffic to push away the snow as it falls. Eventually, she decides to pull over and try to wait things out a bit. This normally wouldn't be too bad, except that Stacey has diabetes and needs to eat soon. She has her injection kit with her, but very little food. Mrs McGill decides to try driving again, only to find out that they're out of gas. So now Stacey's got her diabetes, and they have to worry about freezing to death. At that point, a man drives up and asks if they need help. He says he lives just down the street, with his wife and baby. Stacey's worried that he might be a killer, trying to lure them in so that he can kill them, but Mrs McGill decides to trust him. Turns out to be a great idea, and Stacey and her mom pass the evening having a great dinner, playing with the baby and making friends. They're even almost sad to leave the next day. They're completely surprised when they come home and realize that everyone is worried about them and had no idea that they were missed!

Mary Anne and Mallory are sitting for the Pikes. MA's spent Tuesday night there, since the Pikes left for NYC early in the morning. They have enough food for the day, plus some emergency money, but Mrs Pike points out that she'll have to go grocery shopping Thursday morning ASAP. Tuesday night, the kids are bonkers, expecting snow. Of course, there's no snow, and they all go to school fine. Wednesday evening, and it's still business as usual. The kids are still hoping for snow, with the triplets teasing Claire about the Abominable Snowman, and MA and Mallory prepare sloppy joes for dinner. However, the snowstorm hits, and soon the power goes out. The kids are simultaneously excited and creeped out. Of course, the Pikes can't come home like they wanted to, so MA and Mallory are on their own til the next day at least. MA calls her dad to let him know what's going on, but he wants to stay home for Dawn and Sharon. MA points out that they'll be okay anyways. Then the phone lines go down, and Mallory points out that they're running out of food. They decide to eat the ice cream and anything that might go bad without power, but come the next morning, it doesn't leave them with much. They try calling for pizza and other take-out items, but of course, no one is open. MA calls Logan, just wanting to hear his voice. She explains how they're okay, but they're hungry. The next thing they know, Logan shows up on cross-country skis with a backpack full of bread, crackers, peanut butter and a few other things. The day is saved and now the Pikes can enjoy the snow!

So everyone's survived the massive snowstorm. They later learn that they had a record snowfall of about 2 feet. The dance doesn't get cancelled, and everyone goes and has a great time. Yay!


Random Thoughts: 

• This is my favourite Super Special ever. I must have read this one a million times as a child. I think it's because we always have huge snowstorms up here... but snow is just kinda a thing that happens, so it's almost never an actual event. I still fantasize about getting snowed in and losing power for several hours, if not days. Aside from the massive Northeastern blackout in 2003 (which only affected my area for that first evening; a very short time compared to some people), the power in my area rarely ever goes out, and when it does, it's for like, an hour at most. Boring haha
• This one has the illustrations in it! This is probably why I remember those illustrations so vividly and always thought they were in every single Super Special haha
• I always loved the cover on this one, but Mallory looks a bajillion years old! Definitely older than Mary Anne. And then the Pike boy has to be one of the triplets, since Nicky is always described as having glasses and curly hair like Mallory's, but that kid is not one year younger than Mallory! haha
• Stacey goes into more detail in this one about the Washington Mall, which leads me to think that Stoneybrook isn't a town or city so much as a small municipality/neighbourhood. I grew up in Ottawa. Now what is called "Ottawa" is technically the "greater Ottawa area" or the "amalgamated city of Ottawa". When I was younger, I grew up in what is technically called Orleans, which is now an area in the east end of Ottawa. Since it is generally assumed that everyone lives in "Ottawa", which is a pretty big city (can take an hour to get from Rockland in the east end to Kanata in the west end), most people will still refer to their individual areas/neighbourhoods. So if you send mail to my parents, you can either address it "Orleans, Ontario" or "Ottawa, Ontario", and it'll still be there on time with no confusion. Unlike if you wrote "Kingston, Ontario" or "Toronto, Ontario", which are very very clearly different cities from Ottawa and not even close haha
• Anyways, Stacey says it takes about half an hour to get to Washington Mall, and it's in the next town over. This reminds me of how when I was younger, it was a super big deal for my parents to drive me 30 minutes to Kanata, where Bayshore Shopping Centre was, which was a much bigger and more upscale mall than the one that was within walking distance of our house in the east end haha
• You can tell that AMM wrote this one, because Kristy is totally likeable, easy to relate to, and well-rounded. She's excited for the dance, and while she expresses a general dislike of dresses, she likes the one she's going to wear to the dance and points out that it's only for a couple of hours. She's also excited about seeing Bart, although she's not too sure how much he means to her. Furthermore, she owns a bit of make-up and puts it on for Bart. This is a great call-back to Super Special #2.
• You know it's a Super Special because Claudia is dating an Asian guy haha Here, her date for the dance is a guy in her grade named Iri Mitsuhashi. And we never see or hear from him again... at least, I don't think so! haha
• Part of me can't believe that the Pikes would leave Mallory and Mary Anne in charge for almost 24 hours... but then another part of me is like, "No... this kinda makes sense..." They leave at 6am, and from there, there's only 2 hours or so until the kids are at school. No sense in making a neighbour spend the night for that. (Although I probably would have had a neighbour stop by at 7:30 or 8am to make sure that everyone was alive and indeed going to school haha) Then they're at school, and come home. It's not unusual for the girls to baby-sit after school or prepare dinner or baby-sit after dinner. It's just weird for them to be doing it all for one job. Again, I might have had a neighbour over for dinner or for a few hours in the evening. I definitely would have arranged for someone to check up on everyone at 9pm. And then the Pikes were supposed to be back at 1am or so. So yeahhhh... Barring the snowstorm, everything would have been okay. But I'm still surprised the Pikes were simply like, "Okay, the neighbours know we're gone, so give them a shout if you need them!" instead of being like, "Okay, the neighbours know we're gone. Mrs Barrett will check in on you in the morning and Mrs McGill will be by in the evening, and you have all the phone numbers, etc etc etc". 
• Stacey particularly wants to go to the Washington Mall, because otherwise, she might end up at the salon downtown, Gloriana's House of Hair. That salon was first featured Little Sister #8, Karen's Haircut. I remember reading that one as a child. It traumatized me. I was forced to have a bowl cut for most of my childhood, so when I could finally grow my hair out, the idea of it getting cut too short again and having to wait for it to grow out was my biggest fear. But yeah. I will never forget Gloriana's House of Horror haha
• There's an illustration of Bart in this one, and he does not look at all how I picture him (totes not my kind of guy! how he's pictured on the cover of #95 is more my style haha) but he does look like he could have been the older sibling of the kids I went to elementary school with (when this book was published)!
• This one also mentions Mallory's sleeping habits again
• The Pikes apparently wake up to an oldies radio station. The first song they wake up to is "Do Wah Diddy Diddy". I remember hearing this song randomly when my parents were watching Beverly Hills, 90210 (Brenda and her friends were dancing and singing it in the Peach Pit??). I became obsessed with that song, but of course, this was before the internet, so I had no idea what it was or who sang it or how to listen to it again. So this kinda became a "one that got away" type obsession. Whenever I hear it today, I'm still like, "OMG THIS SONG!!!" haha
• On a side note: I just found out that that show lasted until the year 2000! THE FREAKING YEAR 2000 WTF!!! I thought this show was long over by 1997. I mean, the high school they used is also the same high school they used in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so I didn't think that the two shows overlapped. Man, I know they say that Beverly Hills, 90210 is like, THE quintessential '90s show, but I had no idea that it was literally on for the entire decade. It ran from 1990 to 2000. It did not miss a single year of the '90s!
• They also mention that a snowfall this big could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, what with global warming and all. It's strange to think that even as far back as 1991, they were referencing global warming in kids' books. And we've still done very little about it =/
• I have no idea wtf "snow cream" is that Claudia makes for the Perkins girls (sounds like they're eating the fresh snow with maple syrup?) but if they were to have used fresh thick pure maple syrup, and not eaten the snow, they would have almost ended up with maple taffy haha
• I never go anywhere without a travel-sized toothbrush, at minimum 2 books, some granola bars, extra socks, extra underwear, a shawl, a flashlight and a lighter, and a bajillion other things, so if I had been in Dawn or Stacey's shoes, I would have been great haha
• Quint is crazy. Wtf. Even now I'd be hard pressed to try to find directions to walk somewhere in a new town during a snowstorm, let alone at age 11! I'm dying to know how far the dance school was from the train station. If it's anything like my city, Quint could have been walking for a good 30 minutes! If not more!
• Unless the coffee shop owner lived above the coffee shop, and unless the power was still out and milk and things were on the verge of spoiling, why the fuck would he open up the shop and give away a feast of free foods? How did he know that there were people stranded at the dance school? No one would have blamed him if he had just ignored them and gone on his way!
• I don't know if I would have trusted Mr Schiavone. I mean, I don't have to worry about diabetes, so it would just be a matter of staying warm for me. But yeahhhhh... just because he said he had a family in a house just up the street didn't mean he necessarily did. I remember being really scared for Stacey the first time I read this book, even though I knew that 1) these books would never get that dark (at the time, I hadn't read the one about drunk driving or child abuse or depression or anything) and that 2) the only ones that would potentially go that way would be the Mystery ones, so yeahhhh....
• Now, maybe it's because my house doesn't have 9 people in it... but even when I "really need" to go grocery shopping, I still have plenty of food in my house. I mean, nothing I could make a meal out of or that I would particularly want to live on, but definitely enough so I'm not starving. Boxes and boxes of crackers, a few cans of vegetables, soup and tuna (actually, I could live on soup), rice cakes... even without the staples like bread, eggs and milk, I'd be okay!

BSC Mystery #1: Stacey and the Missing Ring

Tagline: Stacey has to find that ring - or business is over for the Baby-Sitters Club!

Stacey is shocked when a new family accuses her of stealing a valuable ring from them when she was baby-sitting. Stacey would never take anything from anyone!

Even worse for the Baby-sitters, the Gardellas are threatening to tell their other clients about the missing ring.

Will everyone in Stoneybrook think the Baby-sitters are stealers? Not if Stacey can help it. She's going to find out what happened to that ring!

The book opens up with Stacey having a nice Saturday with her mom. Her mom makes Stacey her favourite breakfast, blueberry pancakes, and then they spend the morning cleaning the house. They're listening to her mom's favourite songs, and generally having a great time. So great a time, that Stacey decides now's the time to broach a sensitive subject: Stacey wants a ring. But not just any ring. She wants a real ring. Real jewelry. Of her birthstone. The only problem is, Stacey's birthstone is a diamond. Understandably, Mrs McGill is upset and refuses to buy Stacey a diamond ring. Their morning soured, Stacey then goes to the mall with the Club.

At the mall, Stacey drags her friends around to the jewelry store, and again expresses a desire for a diamond ring. Stacey expects friends to all be on her side, but they're all skeptical of any of them owning such an extravagant item. Stacey's a little miffed, but lets it go. Overall, the girls all have a great time at the mall.

A few days later, a Club meeting, the girls get an exciting call: a new client! Mrs Gardella has a regular nanny, but she's currently out of town on a family emergency, so Mrs Gardella needs a baby-sitter to come over a few nights to watch their baby. Stacey gets the first job.

Stacey gets there and immediately is charmed and befuddled by the Gardellas. They're clearly super rich, with a nice house and fancy things, but they're also really friendly and down to earth. Mrs Gardella answers the door in an evening gown, wearing diamond earrings and a diamond necklace, but is very welcoming, even picking up the cat, despite getting covered in cat fur. The thing that throws Stacey off the most is the fact that they talk about their dog (Bird) and their cat (Mouse) more than their actual baby (Tara). Stacey meets the dog and the cat and all their dietary and care instructions long before she actually sees the baby. Soon, the Gardellas leave for their dinner party, and Stacey is left alone. It's a pretty easy night for Stacey, and she's happy for the money.

The next morning, Stacey is awoken by her mom at her bedroom door. Being Saturday morning, Stacey is less than pleased at being disturbed at the crack of dawn. She tells her mom to go away, but her mom tells her that it's Mrs Gardella on the phone. Immediately, Stacey wakes up and starts worrying about Tara, and then Bird and Mouse. Mrs Gardella is confused, and immediately tells Stacey that no, everyone is fine. It's her jewelry that isn't. Mrs Gardella goes on to explain that while she was putting on her jewelry last night, she forgot to put on her diamond ring. Now it's missing. She continues, saying that she's sure that Stacey didn't mean any harm, that Stacey probably was just trying it on, or wanted to show her friends, but now it's time for Stacey to return the ring.

That's right: Mrs Gardella is accusing Stacey of stealing her diamond ring. Stacey immediately defends herself, but Mrs Gardella isn't convinced. Furthermore, she thinks it's her duty to let other people know that the Baby-Sitters Club is full of thieves, and to warn their other clients of this. Stacey is completely numb and doesn't know what to say or do.

Despite the weird coincidence of a diamond ring disappearing right after Stacey mentions wanting one, her mom is immediately on her side. The Club decides to hold an emergency meeting about the situation, and the other girls are also sympathetic to Stacey's plight. They discuss what to do, but eventually decide that there's nothing they can do, and that they'll have to sit tight and see what happens.

Over the course of the next few meetings, things are quiet. Their phone isn't ringing as much as usual, and when it does, it's mostly clients looking to cancel. Things are looking grim, and Claudia, needing money to make up for her splurging at the mall at the start of the book, is starting to get frustrated. She's baby-sitting for the Prezziosos (a job she lined-up before the missing ring fiasco), when things seem to take a turn for the worse: the Prezziosos return early. Turns out they were at a dinner party, and they ran into the Gardellas. Mrs Gardella starts telling Mrs P. about how the Club isn't trustworthy, and Mrs P, her mood ruined, decides to just leave. Of course, this means Claudia's job is cut short. Pissed off, she heads to Stacey's to vent and hang out.

At least, that's what Stacey thinks she's there to do. However, it soon becomes apparent that Claudia is there to scope out Stacey's room and jewelry to look for the missing ring. Stacey is upset at the idea that her very best friend now suspects her. She decides it's time to take drastic measures. At their next meeting, Stacey decides that if they can't change Mrs Gardella's mind, maybe she can do something to make it up to her: Stacey decides to call her up, and offer her free baby-sitting services until the cost of the ring is paid off. For some reason, Mrs Gardella goes for this, but under the stipulation that the first time Stacey comes back, it's under strict supervision. So Kristy gets roped in for the sitting job.

At the job, things go well and it's easy sailing for the girls, just as it was when Stacey first sat. They put Tara to bed, and settle in for an evening of just chilling and playing with the animals. They throw all sorts of toys and treats for Mouse, who "kills" them, and then takes them to a secret hiding spot. The girls follow him, and discover a whole cache of toys! They retrieve them and start the game over. Only this time, Mouse takes them to a different hiding spot. Again, the girls follow him and surprise, surprise, they find the diamond ring!

When the Gardellas get home, Stacey and Kristy show them Mouse's hiding spot. Mrs Gardella is extremely grateful and apologizes to the girls. The girls are just happy to have everything all cleared up, and ask that Mrs Gardella contact their other clients and tell them the truth. Mrs Gardella then admits that she's been so busy, she hasn't had a chance to contact their other clients; running into Mrs P at the party was total luck.

Sure enough, it turns out just to be a coincidence. At their next Club meeting, the phone is ringing off the hook, with various clients having been sick or out of town. Mary Anne even realizes that she had a note about some of them in the Club notebook! The Gardellas' nanny comes back, and the Gardellas let the Club know that they won't be needing their services anymore. The Club is happy: they wouldn't want to sit for them anyways. Claudia apologizes to Stacey, and everything is back to normal!

There wasn't much of a subplot in this one, nor red herrings, nor other suspects. There's a brief mention of a burglar being in the Stoneybrook area, but other than a chapter of Jessi baby-sitting for her family and being paranoid, the girls don't seriously entertain the idea that the Gardellas were robbed.


Random Thoughts:

• Yay!!! Our first Mystery!!! I loved the Mystery series as a child =)
• And another one by Ellen Miles
• That being said, I neither loved nor hated this book. On a scale of 1-10, I'd give it a 6 or so, tipping it slightly in favour. I have fond memories of the beginning of the book, the part about cleaning the house and blueberry pancakes particularly. I was looking forward to reading this.
• I also now really want blueberry pancakes. And I don't even particularly like pancakes =/// haha
• However, now that I've re-read it, there were a few things about it that bothered me
• For instance: why would the Gardellas ever agree to let Stacey sit again? For all they know, she really had stolen the ring, realized how much trouble this was causing her club and friends, and then offered to sit again for free, just for the chance to put back the ring and be like, "SEE?? IT WAS THERE THE WHOLE TIME!"
• Also: why the hell would you ever get Stacey a real diamond ring? Why would she think this was appropriate? When I was her age and younger, I was obsessed with my birthstone (amethyst), so I had amethyst on every single thing. Except you know what? It was probably just fake purple gemstones. And not once did I ever think of owning real jewellery with real purple (but non-amethyst) gemstones. I hope her parents buy her something with cubic zirconium haha
• I like how apparently the girls had lined up a job to sit for Betsy Sobak... but then the job got cancelled! I never realized how much that girl was mentioned. I guess it's because we never actually see the girls baby-sit for her again?
• Why the fuck wouldn't the McGills just get Stacey a cubic zirconium ring, or some other fake white gemstone. She doesn't know! Something like that could easily be like, 50$. Sterling silver and cubic zirconium. It'll look great! Seriously. I know I literally just mentioned this, but it's on my mind! This whole book could have been avoided if they'd just done that on the sly and not let her know! haha
• I really hate how much the book covers give away. As I was writing my recap, I realized, "Damn, I've written a ton already, and I'm only just getting to the missing ring now!".

BSC Super Special #6: New York, New York!

 Tagline: They're not sleeping till they see all of it -

We ♥ NY!

The Baby-sitters have always wanted to be sophisticated New Yorkers like Stacey. Well, now here's their chance: Stacey has invited them all to the city for a vacation!

In between shopping and seeing the sights, the Baby-sitters manage to have plenty of excitement. Jessi meets a boy ballerina, Claudia and Mallory take fancy art lessons, and Kristy makes a special friend. Dawn eats her way through the city, and Stacey and Mary Anne have a baby-sitting mystery!

Is New York as good as they've always dreamed?

You bet!

Super Special Gimmick: Because Claudia's the catalyst for them all going to New York, she wants to keep a journal/record of their entire trip. She says she's going to illustrate it later.


The girls apparently have another two-week vacation, and Claudia has learned of some professional art classes that you can just sign up for and take whenever you want in New York City. She decides that she wants to spend her two weeks taking them, and stay with Stacey at her dad's place. Stacey's dad then says that any of Stacey's friends are welcomed, and the next thing you know, the whole Club is going!

Claudia is of course taking art classes. She's very excited, because she'll be studying with McKenzie Clarke, a real professional artist. This is the first time she's taking such a formal and serious art class, and one outside of Stoneybrooke. She's disappointed though, because Mac doesn't seem to like her, and only ever has criticisms for her work, such as telling her to slow down and stop being sloppy. Eventually, Claudia finds out that the reason why he was so critical of her work is because he can see that it's good; Claudia is clearly talented, but she needs to hone that talent with focus and discipline. Claudia ends up leaving feeling better about herself and everything.

Mallory, who has never taken an art class, decides to sign up with Claudia. She wants to draw cute round things and animals and become a children's book illustrator one day, and thinks maybe taking a few art classes and lessons might help. She's dismayed to find that she's out of her league, especially compared to Claudia, but Mac encourages her and is nice. Claudia of course, hates this, and is then angry with Mallory for most of the book. Mallory decides that she's not cut out to be an artist in the sense that Claudia is, but that she's happy with her art abilities and that it's good enough for what she does want in life. Mallory really doesn't get much of a plot, other than to highlight Claudia's.


Jessi meets Quint in this one! I have no idea why, but for some reason, I thought she had met him during the regular series, at a dance school or whatever. (Although now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure I'm thinking of #115 Jessi's Big Break, and I know for sure she met him long before that...) Anyways, Jessi spends a lot of time with the girls going around New York, but also gets an opportunity to watch a performance of ballet. There, she meets Quint Walker, a boy dancer. Quint is apparently pretty talented (despite only taking one class a week) and is interested in auditioning for Julliard. However, the boys in his neighbourhood are jerks and tease him, and Quint isn't sure if he can handle the pressure and taking more classes. He invites Jessi to his place to watch some movies and goes on another date with Jessi. Through her encouragement, he decides to audition after all. He gets in, of course. He also gives Jessi her first kiss!

Dawn is terrified of New York, even more so than last time, despite clearly having survived her last trip. She spends the first few days of the trip in Mr McGill's apartment, only leaving when the group is going out as a whole. At first, Kristy takes pity on her, but even that dries up fast. Then one day, Dawn is surprised by a knock on the door. It's a boy from the apartment below. His parents know Mr McGill, who had mentioned that his daughter would be in town. Obviously Dawn is not Stacey, but Richie doesn't seem to mind. Richie recently broke his foot and is bored out of his mind. For the first few days, he simply visits Dawn, and they sit on the fire escape and talk. Richie can't believe that Dawn is too scared to properly experience New York. That weekend, Richie gets his foot checked, and a walking cast put on. He then takes Dawn out for a day on the town, where they sample all sorts of authentic cuisine and check out the different neighbourhoods and cultures of the city. Dawn loosens up and realizes that despite the large crime rate, there's a lot of great things about New York too.

Kristy early in the week, finds a dog in Central Park. She sneaks it back into Laine's place (where she, Jessi, Mallory and Mary Anne are staying), and tries to keep it secret, convinced that she'll be able to keep him when she gets back home. Of course, she can't, and soon Mrs Cummings discovers Sonny. She says that Kristy has the rest of her trip to find Sonny a home, or else Mr and Mrs Cummings were going to take care of it. So Kristy puts up flyers, and eventually Sonny goes to a 9 year old boy and his family who promise to take really good care of him.

Stacey and Mary Anne land themselves a baby-sitting job, watching the two kids of British diplomats who were staying in Laine's building. At first, they have lots of fun taking Rowena and Alistair around the city, being completely charmed by their accents and demeanor. Eventually though, they start to notice that they're seemingly being followed by a man in a rain hat and sunglasses. Initially, Stacey and Mary Anne think they're going crazy, but eventually too many sightings lead them to believe that it's true. Since the children belong to diplomats, the girls then start to think that the kids are going to be kidnapped for ransom and all sorts of other theories. Eventually, the girls come clean to the Harringtons. The Harringtons laugh and confess that the children have a bodyguard, Bill, and that's who the girls have been seeing around. They wanted to give their children a break from constantly being under scrutiny, which was why they didn't tell Stacey and Mary Anne about him, and why he'd been wearing the hat and sunglasses.

Random Thoughts:

• This one was also one of my favourites as a kid. I read it over and over. The copy I now own comes from one of my best friends, who coincidentally was purging her room of belongings at the same time that I was trying to recollect the series.
• This one also does not have the illustrations I remember, instead having what looks like hand-drawn drawings. I could have sworn that all, if not most of the Super Specials had illustrations the way the Little Sister series did. Am I going crazy??
• Although this one has an explanation: they're supposed to be Claudia's illustrations
• Fun fact: they're actually provided by AMM's father!
• I'm sad that neither the Fine Arts League of New York, nor McKenzie Clarke, appear to be real. I always like it best when the Super Specials put in some real things into the details. Especially since, you know, it's NEW YORK CITY!!!
• I find it weird that Mr McGill is all, "Any of Stacey's friends are welcomed to come and stay!" but then they all let the entire Club come at once, housing half of the girls at Laine's, which is apparently on the other side of the city. This just sounds weird to me.
• The Cummings (including Laine) are pretty cool for putting up with 4 girls they don't even know. Laine has only met Kristy and Mary Anne like, twice. And I don't think she'd ever met Mallory or Jessi before. I can't see myself letting random people stay at my house for two weeks. AND THEN THEY BRING A DOG??? Clearly the Cummings are crazy.
• Stacey mentions that the petting zoo in Central Park only costs a dime per person, and that it always will haha I just looked it up. Unless I'm looking at the wrong thing, it costs 7$ for children and 12$ for adults now haha
• Longtime fans and readers will know that the BSC uses their own brand of lingo, dibble (short for "incredible", I believe) and variations of it being the most common one. This one had chilly. I know they've used it before, but omg, it's rampant in this book in particular. I don't ever want to read about something being "chilly" ever again. Unless they're talking about ice cream haha or the weather
• Oooooh embarrassing: I didn't realize how much this book affected me as a child. Whenever I sing "New York, New York!", I always sing "what a wonderful town!" because of Mary Anne in this book. Stacey interrupts her, and tries to correct her, but Mary Anne retorts that she'll sing it her way if she wants. If prompted and I thought about it, I would probably remember that the proper lyrics are "it's a helluva town!" I definitely don't gasp and do a double-take whenever I hear the song on the radio or TV or movies. But I also definitely by default sing it wrong now. Because of Mary Anne.
• Just how professional are these art classes Claudia and Mallory are taking? They sound pretty loosey-goosey to me, being all drop-in/drop-out, take what you want kind of thing. They just happen to be headed by a professional artist. He doesn't really seem to teach them anything though.
• Jessi watches a performance of Swan Lake and another one of Coppélia. She mentions having danced in the latter, but not the former.
• Of course Jessi would not only meet a male dancer, but an African-American one at that! Can't have inter-racial relations going on!
• It makes sense that Mac would be so nice to Mallory: she's just 11 years old and is clearly passionate and giving it her best shot! I'm super nice to students who try their hardest and I do everything I can to encourage them. Plus Mac has a daughter, so he probably figures, "Omg little girl alone in NYC for the first time, I better keep an eye on her!"
• I'm pretty sure Quint is too young for Julliard full-time, but I wouldn't be surprised if they had some sort of "casual" classes for younger people who are looking to get serious and go on to be professional. I think full-time Julliard students study there as post-secondary education (or as high school seniors, looking to complete their GED). Quint would be simply attending really hardcore classes, but still going to a regular middle school during the day.
• Man, I know I must have re-read this one at some point in high school (and thus after 9/11), but it was only this time that I noticed that they make reference to the World Trade Centre:

Mary Anne was giving herself her own tour. "World Trade Center," I heard her murmur. 'Two towers, one hundred and ten stories each..."

• You know, for someone who is always described as such an individual, Dawn sure changes quickly to impress a guy. Richie manages to convince her to eat a piece of chocolate! haha
• When Mary Anne is worried that someone is out to get the kids, she claims to have a hold on Rowena tighter than Arnold Schwarzenegger. I lol at the reference!
• Feeling really down about her apparent lack of artistic talent, Claudia refers to herself as an eighth grade failure. Oh Claudia... if you only knew... haha
• How come the British people in this series are always diplomats or pseudo-royalty? They're always very polite and posh and sophisticated and charming. Where are all the lower/middle-class folks? The wankers and the blokes and the chavs and the people you'd see going on a pub crawl? haha although I suppose as children, they wouldn't really be those things... but you know, children who aren't wearing matching little sailor suits and constantly polite. I want to see some British monsters! haha
• Stacey and Mary Anne wait too effing long to mention anything to the Harringtons. If I thought someone was following me and the kids around, I would have let it go one day... wait to see if it continued the second day... and then mentioned it on the third day. The girls ended up waiting til their last day to mention anything!
• On the flip side, the Harringtons are irresponsible for not mentioning anything at all in the first place.

BSC #43: Stacey's Emergency

Tagline: Stacey just can't win.

Lately, the pressure's really on Stacey. She hasn't been feeling well. Her schoolwork and baby-sitting jobs are almost out of control. And Stacey's tired of being in the middle of her parents' fights.

Then it happens: Stacey ends up in the hospital because of her diabetes.

The Baby-sitters are so worried. So is Stacey.

Why does she always have it so hard?

Stacey's baby-sitting for Charlotte, and reflecting on how things have been lately. Charlotte finds an article in the newspaper she's reading about diabetes, which prompts Stacey to think about how not only does she have diabetes, it seems to be worse than usual. She's been experiencing incredibly high readings when testing her blood sugar, plus she's been super hungry and thirsty all the time, as well as tired and getting sore throats. She hasn't mentioned anything to her parents yet though, because of how the divorce is going. Even though it's been months, and Stacey's gotten used to living in Stoneybrook with just her mom, things aren't getting any easier. Because Stacey hasn't been feeling well, she hasn't been seeing her father as often as he'd like. To make matters worse, Stacey feels like her parents are constantly putting her between them: they're always grilling her about the other parent's life.

Feeling bummed, Stacey goes to hang out with Claudia before the Club meeting. Everything goes well, and Stacey even lines up another job with Charlotte. However, she's hungry. Incredibly hungry. In a moment of weakness, when no one's looking, she sneaks one of Claudia's Ring Dings into her bag. That evening, her father calls her to remind her of their plans this weekend. Much to Stacey's dismay, every minute is scheduled, meaning she'll have no down time in the apartment to breathe and rest and do homework. He then asks about her mother, leaving Stacey to feel caught in the middle again. In her stress, she takes a chocolate bar out from her drawer and eats it.

Stacey is then baby-sitting for Charlotte again. Charlotte wants to make fudge, and asks if she can invite Becca over. Stacey really doesn't want to be tortured by the chocolate, but agrees. The girls have a grand time, and make a huge mess. While they go to watch TV, Stacey stays behind in the kitchen to help clean up. She guiltily sneaks a few pieces of fudge into her purse.

That night, Stacey eats the fudge. She also admits to having eaten another chocolate bar that day in school. She's tired and thirsty and can't focus on her homework. Suddenly, she remembers that she needs to pack for her visit with her father. As she's packing, her father calls and has another argument with her mother. Exhausted, Stacey gives up and goes to bed.

It's time for Stacey to head to New York, which is the last thing she wants to do. She's tired, she's stressed and she's falling further behind in school than ever. Her mom notices that she looks a little pale, and Stacey vows to rest on the train ride and get some homework done. However, she ends up falling asleep and doesn't wake up until halfway to New York. Upon waking, Stacey finds that she's incredibly thirsty. She ends up spending the rest of the train ride getting water and going to the bathroom. Upon arrival in New York, her dad can tell that something's wrong, and actually takes Stacey seriously when she asks for dinner at home. They end up having a nice relaxing evening in, getting a chance to actually talk and connect, which Stacey enjoys a lot. Unfortunately,by 9pm she's completely exhausted and goes to bed.

All night long, Stacey again keeps getting up for water and the bathroom. Her father is now completely worried and suggests that she test her blood sugar at that moment. Stacey, still exhausted, asks if it can wait til morning. When the morning comes though, her father doesn't hesitate: it's time to go to the hospital.

Stacey's admitted, and the doctors aren't too sure what's going on with her diabetes, so it's decided that she'll stay awhile in the hospital. Her mom immediately takes a train to New York and stays with the Cummings to be closer to Stacey. Stacey is aghast, as her parents can't stand to be in the same room for more than a few minutes. The moment one of them shows up, the other one immediately leaves. Finally Stacey asks for some time alone. She's about to start thinking about her parents and her situation, when she starts spiraling down into a pit of despair over hospitals and her diabetes. Just when she's almost too far gone, Laine shows up for a visit! Laine brings with her a few trinkets and news from Claudia and the girls to cheer Stacey up.

Stacey spends several days in the hospital. At her parents' suggestion, she tries to set up a routine for herself, so as to not go crazy. She wakes up, gets dressed and attempts homework. Of course, there's all sorts of interruptions from her parents visiting and doctors and nurses checking up on her. On Wednesday, just before the Club meeting, she gets a phone call from Claudia and everyone. Upon hanging up, she gets a care package from Charlotte. It cheers her up, and she decides to call Charlotte. Everything seems to be okay.

Friday though, Stacey has a setback. Although she was more-or-less fine all week, she wakes up to find she has zero energy again. A nurse looks at her, and Stacey almost immediately falls back to sleep. When she wakes up, her mom is there, and the doctors run a bunch of tests. Stacey confronts her mom about her father not visiting more during the day, and her mother confesses that the two of them agreed that they couldn't be in the same room together and that her mother would visit during the day and that her father would visit in the evening. This upsets Stacey, but she decides not to push it. Laine comes to visit with more treats, and after awhile Stacey starts to feel better emotionally. However, before going to sleep, her doctor comes to inform her that they're going to start her on a new treatment. It scares Stacey, and she starts to cry.

The next morning, Stacey wakes up and is surprised to find the entire Club there visiting her. She's really happy to see them, and everyone fills her in on what she's missed at school that week. Stacey's really not feeling well though, and as she's opening up the card they brought her, her room is suddenly flooded with doctors and nurses. Her blood sugar is dropping and they need to try something new. The girls are ushered out of the room, and Stacey is frightened. They start her on a new treatment though, and by the evening Stacey feels much better. Unfortunately, her friends are already gone. Her mom's visiting though, and since Stacey has all sorts of questions, she loses track of time, and the next thing they know, her father has shown up.

Stacey asks them if they could just please stay in the room at the same time for a little bit. They do so by essentially ignoring each other and speaking exclusively to Stacey. This goes well for about 10 minutes before they start sniping at each other. Finally, Stacey loses it, yells at them, and tells them not to come back for a while, because she needs time to think. Upset, Stacey decides that the best thing for her is her friends, so she calls Claudia to see if she and the girls could come back the next for their visit. They do, and Stacey opens up all the presents they brought for her. She has a great day, and forgets all about her troubles with her parents.

Finally, it's time for Stacey to go home. When she gets there, she's still super tired, but is able to visit with Claudia. After awhile, she finally confronts her mom. She tells her mom that she's tired of being put in the middle of her parents, and that she won't report back on them to each other anymore. Stacey's mom apologizes for having put Stacey through it all. Stacey then admits that she'd been cheating on her diet, and that she feels guilty. Stacey and her mother talk things out, and vow to make things better in the future.

There's really no subplot in this one. Charlotte's super-worried about Stacey being sick, and becomes a hypochondriac because of it. Mostly, she just wants to be sick like Stacey, and go to the hospital with Stacey and know that Stacey is alright. When it's discovered that Stacey will come back, Charlotte's ecstatic and decides to throw a small welcome party for her.

Random Thoughts

• For some reason, this has become one of my favourites. I don't remember having too too much of an opinion of it from when I was younger, but I have to admit: I've re-read it at least 3 times already this year. I just keep finding myself picking it up from my shelves and skimming it. I've definitely been looking forward to blogging about it. I think it's because it's one of the books that centers around more serious things.
• This book always makes me want fudge. God piss haha
• I worked on this entry over a few different evenings, and every single time, I was reminded that I wanted fudge again haha
• I don't have any personal experience in divorce, having never been married and my parents are still together, but I know it's not easy. It's like a really bad break-up, only worse, because there are kids and legal things involved. Anyways. I feel really bad for Stacey when her parents not only put her in the middle, but can't even be in the same room together. DUDE, YOUR KID IS IN THE HOSPITAL. Can't you talk about the weather and maybe a movie you saw or a TV show you watched or something superficial? Just so you can be in the same room together for a few minutes? I dunno. Like I said, I know nothing of divorce.
• How close is Mrs McGill to the Cummings? We always hear about Laine from Stacey, but I still find it weird that their families are really close, despite all the drama of the diabetes, the move, the re-move and then the divorce.
• Where the fuck do the girls get the money to do TWO round trips to New York?? It takes me a good deal of planning just to afford one two-hour trip. I'm sure their parents helped pay for the first one (on account of their friend being in the hospital), but I can't believe they were able to do it a second time. Is it really not that big of a deal? I had lots of friends who had problems affording trains/busses home during university for the holidays, so they would usually skip Thanksgiving and wait until Christmas.
• Damn, it's a good thing Stacey has done the 8th grade so many times. At the start of the book, we know that Stacey has already fallen behind in her school work. Then she misses two weeks of school from being in the hospital in New York. Upon her return, she has to wait another week before she can go back to school. 3 weeks is a lot to catch up on. I know her teachers will make special circumstances for her, extend deadlines or even omit assignments altogether, but damn.