Stoneybrook Revisited: BSC Books 1-5

After Saturday’s post, you knew this was coming.

It’s official. I’m doing a reread of The Baby-sitters Club – excluding the mysteries, because who cares, and excluding the Little Sister series, because Karen is annoying. I will read all of the regular books, the Super Specials, the Portrait Collections, and the Friends Forever series (which I never read as a kid, but I’m curious to see what happened to everyone). I will read as many of these books as I can find from different libraries and I will post updates approximately “whenever I feel like it,” but those updates will always be on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday at 5:30, in accordance to when the BSC had its meetings.

Ready? Let’s go.

#1 – Kristy’s Great Idea
There are four things I really like about this book.

The first thing I really like is Kristy’s snafu with her teacher, where he lectures her about not having enough decorum and she has to write an essay about decorum without knowing what the word means. She has to look at several different dictionary definitions before she realizes that her teacher was telling her not to be rude. I like this incident because it’s so age-appropriate and amusing, especially when Kristy walks back to her desk “with decorum,” showing that she understands the basic concept of the word but not quite how to use it in a sentence. I also like it because my mother, who reads this blog, used to criticize and lament about the amount of time I would spend reading The Baby-sitters Club and didn’t think I got anything useful out of reading the books. Well, Mom, I learned about the word “decorum” because of Kristy being rude to her teacher. So there.

The second thing I really like is that Kristy is a brat, but bratty in an age-appropriate way. I like that she gives so much crap to Watson even though he doesn’t deserve it (but I don’t believe that her little note to her mom would make everything better, especially after she called Watson a bad father). I like that her reaction to learning about Stacey’s diabetes is basically, “So? Who gives a shit?” Not very sensitive of her, but probably a relief to Stacey compared to other reactions she’s had. And I love her little rant about fashion and how she can never tell what’s “in” and what’s “out,” because that’s exactly how I felt at that age.

The third thing I really like is Kristy and Mary Anne’s flashlight code. How the hell did two twelve-year-old girls develop a flashlight code where different flashes stood for twenty-six letters? And we’re supposed to believe that they had WHOLE CONVERSATIONS through their bedroom windows with these flashlight codes? And that super-strict Mr. Spier never caught onto it? It’s ludicrous.

The fourth thing I really like is this line: “I have absolutely no interest in boys, of course.” Oh, Kristy. We know.

#2 – Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls
This book is dumb and easily the weakest of all of the characters’ “introduction” books. I feel bad that poor Claudia gets such a dumb introduction book, because her books are usually fun. But the mystery has absolutely no tension and drama, and it’s just about the girls getting spooked on every babysitting job they have. Boring.

There’s also that uncomfortable “stalking is romantic” subplot, where it turns out that Alan Gray and Trevor Sandbourne stole the record book so they knew exactly where Kristy and Claudia were on all of their babysitting jobs. Claudia thinks that Trevor stalking her is so dreamy, and Kristy is flattered by any attention from a beard – I mean, boy – so it’s all wrapped up in a happy little bow. NOT a good message to send, Ann M. Martin. Not a good message.

I suppose it’s kind of interesting that The Baby-sitters Club has a prominent Asian character who is NOT a good student. That’s fairly atypical and different. Of course, Janine Kishi is a walking Asian stereotype, so maybe I shouldn’t give Ann M. Martin too many cookies for making Claudia atypical. It’s hilarious that Janine supposedly has an I.Q. of 196, and Martin demonstrates this high IQ by…having Janine correct the girls’ grammar and spelling. It takes a person with a 196 I.Q. to tell girls the difference between “can” and “may.” Riiiight.

#3 – The Truth About Stacey
I hold a special place in my heart for this book because it was the first BSC book I ever read. Diabetes drama and rival club drama all in one book! The evil Baby-Sitters Agency with those irresponsible, manipulative, slutty eighth-graders and high school girls! Stacey confronts her parents and her old demons in New York!

Anyway, Stacey becomes a big brat later in the series, but it’s interesting seeing how she deals with Laine in this book. Laine humiliated and ostracized Stacey over Stacey’s illness, and she gives one weaksauce apology and is easily forgiven. Meanwhile, later in the series, Stacey leaves the BSC after she thinks she’s too mature for them, and has to grovel twice as much to get back into the club. Stacey calling the BSC immature and babyish is treated with more gravity than Laine being horrible to Stacey after Stacey was going through a serious illness. Seriously, these books. Stacey might already be my new favorite character.

You can also tell that this is a really early BSC book because Martin doesn’t hammer the “best friend” partnerships as hard as she does in the later books. The later books are all, “Claudia and Stacey are best friends, and Mallory and Jessi are best friends, and Mary Anne has TWO best friends – Kristy and Dawn!” But this book has Kristy and Stacey wanting to go in one direction for the club, while Claudia and Mary Anne want to go in the other. Interesting.

#4 – Mary Anne Saves the Day
Hm. I might have to take back my comment about Stacey being my new favorite character, because Mary Anne may be shy and mousy, but she has a fabulous inner bitch, and when that inner bitch lets loose, she LETS LOOSE.

Seriously, I laugh so hard when Mary Anne is mentally composing her nasty notes to the other BSC members after the four girls have their big fight. “Dear Stacey, I’m really, really sorry you called me a shy, little baby. I hope you’re sorry, too.” “Dear Kristy, I’m sorry you’re the biggest, bossiest know-it-all in the world, but what can I do about it? Have you considered seeking professional help?” HA. When Mary Anne is snarky, she owns.

Meanwhile, supposedly sophisticated Claudia throws a Threat Level Red temper tantrum when Mimi calls Mary Anne “my Mary Anne.” Are you kidding me? *sigh* I still love you, Claudia, but you make it difficult sometimes.

Also, this book has Mr. Spier saying a big prayer before dinner, blessing Mary Anne’s dead mother, before they commence eating. Take note that Mary Anne’s mother is named Abigail (even though she was Alma in a previous book). And this is also the most religious any of the babysitters OR their parents get in the entire series, as we never hear of Mary Anne’s dad’s religious behavior again.

#5 – Dawn and the Impossible Three
This one is slightly better than Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls, but only slightly. Kristy, Stacey, and Mary Anne had MUCH better introduction books than Claudia and Dawn did.

Anyway, this is where Dawn has to babysit for the Barrett kids – Buddy, Suzi, and Marnie. They’re the “impossible three,” except the kids don’t behave that badly compared to the other babysitting charges we’ve seen. I like them more than Karen Brewer (though Andrew Brewer is cute). It’s more that Mrs. Barrett is a mess, and has to be lectured by a twelve-year-old about how to be a more responsible parent. UGH. On one hand, Dawn has every right to set limits and terms and decide what she’s going to put up with from her clients, but on the other hand, it’s a twelve-year-old telling a newly-single mom how to be a more responsible parent. Obviously Mrs. Barrett does need a talking to, and I like that the book emphasizes that she’s not a BAD mom, just overwhelmed, but I still cringe to see the parental advice coming from Dawn.

Oh, and this is also the book where Dawn’s mom and Mary Anne’s dad start banging.

That’s all for now. In the next installment of Stoneybrook Revisited, Kristy’s mom gets married, Claudia’s grandma has a stroke, Stacey likes boys, Dawn has a boring mystery plot, and Mary Anne gets a requited crush. And no, I didn’t have to look any of that up. There’s a reason why this post is in the “don’t judge me” category.