Super Special #1- Baby-sitters on Board!

It's the baby-sitting adventure of a lifetime!

Childhood Memories: I never read this book as a child. I do remember always wanted to read it and they supposedly had it at my local library but it always showed that it was checked out. I never saw it. Is it possible that this book was so popular that it was checked out constantly for a good 7 years? I doubt it. To whoever stole this book from my library and never returned it: thanks, you jerk.

Book Summary: This book starts with Kristy explaining how the whole club is going on vacation including a cruise through the Bahamas and three days at Disney World. They fly to Florida and begin their cruise. Dawn, Kristy, and Claudia share a room, Kristy and Dawn immediately start arguing over how clean they need to keep it. Dawn wanders off and runs into the man of her dreams. While exploring the ship, Mary Anne meets a very sophisticated girl named Alexandra, and finds somebody that might be a stowaway. Mallory decides to be a spy during the trip and ends up seeing a lot of interesting people, including somebody she thinks is a member of her favorite band. Karen goes on an adventure by herself on the boat, getting a manicure and a Coke when she was just supposed to go to her cabin and get some earplugs. Claudia has a secret admirer who stalks follows her around when they dock, he even buys her an expensive pair of earrings. Stacey meets a little boy with heart condition named Marc that must ride in a wheelchair. Kristy meets and old widower that she decides would be perfect to date her Nannie. She continues fighting with Dawn over keeping their room clean. The Pike boys and David Michael go on a treasure hunt while they are docked at Treasure Cay. Dawn spends the next couple of days with the man of her dreams, who's name turns out to be Parker. Mary Anne becomes friends with Alexandra and feels a special connection with her because they both have lost parents. Stacey spends more time babysitting for the Pikes and her new friend Marc. While searching for her secret admirer, Claudia meets a cute boy named Timothy who she agrees to hang out with while they are in Disney World. Kristy goes exploring their new hotel and sees her old man friend checking out of the hotel. She convinces him to stay until the end of the trip. Karen insists on going on the Haunted Mansion ride and then believes there is a ghost following her around. Dawn spends the day in Disney World with Parker, she buys a glass unicorn charm for her special bracelet but is heartbroken when she realizes she lost the bracelet. Parker buys her another unicorn charm and kisses her on the cheek (too much hot action for me). Mallory decides to spy some more in Disney World. She discovers that Alex is not an orphan and that her parents are famous singers. Mary Anne confronts Alex about her lying. Alex stalks follows Mary Anne around the park for the rest of the day. The Pike boys and David Michael continue their treasure hunt at Disney World, they get very excited when they find a gold bracelet. It turns out to be the bracelet that Dawn lost. On their last day at Disney World, Karen goes to a special breakfast with the Disney characters. She lies and says it's her birthday so everyone will sing to her. Then she gets lost and decides that the ghost that has been following her is a nice ghost and that it will come home to Stoneybrook with her. Stacey spend the last full day of vacation at the Epcot Center with Marc and his parents. She finds out that he is scheduled to have a major heart surgery in a few weeks that might not end well. Claudia finds out that her secret admirer is really Timothy and that he is Alex's little brother. Timothy kisses her (seriously these girls get more action than me. My life is pathetic.) The club decides to make a scrapbook/journal of their trip as a thank you present to Kristy's parents and the Pikes. Everybody says goodbye to their new friends at the airport and the club arrives back in Stoneybrook. A few months later, Stacey receives a letter saying that everything went well with Marc's heart surgery.

Snarkable Moments: There's so many of them in this book but I think that just comes with it being a Super Special. First off, why does the whole club have to do everything together all the time? I get that Watson's a nice guy and all but I can't believe that he would pay for Claudia and Dawn to come just so the club wouldn't have to be separated. Next, I love that this is still one of the books that Ann M. Martin wrote and not one of the ghost writers. How do I know? It has I Love Lucy references and the flight attendant is a male (Ann M. Martin loves to switch up traditional gender roles). Another thing, I've never been on a cruise so someone will have to clear this up for me, but do they really throw confetti at you when the ship leaves the dock for the first time. This sounds like fun but highly doubtful. I have a few other questions. First, why does Mallory's signature have an animal face? This has always confused me. Second, they talk about going on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, did somebody really die on that? Every time we go to Disneyland, my mom talks about how someone died on that and I refuse to go on it because of this reason. Someone clear this up for me, will you? Third. How does Mallory get away with using the word retarded? I'm pretty sure that was politically incorrect even back then. Kristy is going to be pissed when she finds out. And last but not least: Why do I hate Dawn so freaking much? She complains constantly about how Disney World isn't that exciting because she's already been to Disneyland (I don't care how old you are or how many times you've gone, you still get as excited as a 4 year old on cotton candy when you go to Disney World. That's just the way it works.). Then she goes off about how selfish Parker is for not liking that his dad got remarried. (Hello pot, it's kettle. Remember when you threw a crap fit because your dad got engaged and you ended up flying cross-country. Yeah, that happened.) Dawn also talks about never having seen an R-rated movie. Lies. I distinctly remember you watching European Vacation in The Ghost at Dawn's House. Suck on that, blondie. Also, I hate that Karen and Byron have their own chapters. Mostly Karen. I can't stand that child, she's up there with Dawn on my hit list. Somethings I did like about the book is that they were only on vacation for one week instead of their usual two weeks (who goes on vacations for two weeks?). Another thing is that they kept with the whole scrapbook theme and had pictures throughout (albeit they looked like they were drawn by a 3 years old, or a drunk Ann M. Martin spending a Saturday night with her cat, Mouse, watching I Love Lucy reruns and drawing pictures.)

Claudia's OOTD: Check out this little beauty. Not going to lie, I would wear this if the colors matched better. 

"I put on my new blue-and-white bikini and over that, a pink sundress with spaghetti straps at the shoulders and big blue buttons down the front. Then I accessorized  I tied a pink-and-blue scarf around my waist, knotting it in the middle, added my snake bracelet and feather earrings, wound my hair up on top of my head, and finally put on these white sandals with long laces that you crisscross up your legs and tie in a bow."

#10- Logan Likes Mary Anne!

Mary Anne has a crush- on a boy baby-sitter!

Childhood Memories: This was another favorite growing up. I remember being so jealous of how cute Logan and Mary Anne's romance. Not going to lie, I still am. Whatevs. A few things stick out in my head. I remember Mary Anne throwing a little girl fit because they gave her a surprise cake, not a surprise party mind you, but a cake. And of course the famous cities outfit. Who could forget that? Beautiful. You don't even know how badly I wanted/still want that outfit. 

Book Summary: The book starts with a club meeting the night before school starts (which makes me wonder when their school starts because as we all know meetings are held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). Mary Anne has a huge crush on Cam Geary and shares this bit of information with the club. The next morning, Mary Anne was to school with Claudia and Stacey. It's a pretty normal first day of school until Mary Anne spots Cam Geary's look-a-like at lunch. She's jealous that Stacey knows so much about him but decides that she's in love with him. At the BSC meeting the next day, the girls decide to advertise in Kristy's new neighborhood and they discuss the new hottie named Logan Bruno. A few days after the girls start advertising, things get out of control and they are scrambling to set up all the jobs during their lunch break. Logan overhears this and volunteers to help them. They agree to let him come to the next meeting. The meeting is pretty awkward to say the least. During the meeting they receive a call from a new client named Mrs. Rodowsky. They decided that they will let Logan sit for them as a test run but only if one of the other sitters can come along. It turns out Mary Anne is the only sitter available that day. The sitting job at the Rodowskys is a little bit of a disaster but what else would you expect with Jackie Rodowsky "The Walking Disaster"? In the end it all turns out okay and Mary Anne decides that Logan is a decent babysitter. Claudia babysits at the Perkinses where she has to go pick up Myriah at the bus stop (Myriah has been at her creative theater classes held after kindergarten like all children at the age of 5). Claudia decides to take the Perkinses dog Chewbacca (coolest dog name ever.) along for the walk. Disaster arises when Chewy gets loose but she finally catches him before the job is over. At the next club meeting, the girls discuss whether or not they should let Logan be a member of the club. They decide to be honest with him and tell him that they think he's a wonderful babysitter but that the meetings with him would just be too awkward. They give Mary Anne the task of calling him and telling him this. When Mary Anne calls, he tells her that he doesn't want to be a part of the BSC and then he asks her to the Remember September dance. A few days later Stacey babysits for Charlotte Johanssen and they decide to plan a party with a surprise cake for Mary Anne. They figure that Mary Anne would hate a surprise party but a surprise cake wouldn't be that bad. A few days before the dance, the girls go shopping for outfits to wear (hello infamous city skirt). They end up cancelling the meeting before the dance so they can get ready and they all ride to the dance together. The dance goes smoothly until Mary Anne kicks her shoe off and gets super embarrassed. She spends the rest of the night hiding out on the bleachers and not dancing. Despite Mary Anne's bad attitude, Logan still seems to like her. Dawn and Kristy have a sleepover the following weekend. They babysit for Kristy's younger siblings and discuss school drama and Stacey's party for Mary Anne. Mary Anne finally asks her dad for permission to go to Stacey's party and invites Logan to go with her. Everything goes great at Stacey's party until they bring out the cake for Mary Anne. Mary Anne has a panicked moment and runs out without blowing out the candles or opening her gifts. The next morning, Mary Anne asks her dad for a cat. Her father agrees and she calls Logan to apologize and invite him to come pick out a kitten at the local animal shelter. Logan comes along and she picks out a gray tabby cat named Tigger. Logan shows that he truly forgives her by giving her a silver bracelet for her birthday and inviting her to a dance the following month. The next day the club members come over after apologizing, they bring Mary Anne her presents and some cake. They finally come to the decision that Logan can be a part of the club as an associate member, that way he can help babysit but won't have to attend meetings.

Snarkable Moments: I really saw in this book some similarities between Mary Anne and I. First her crush on Cam Geary, I remember distinctly when I was 13 having the biggest crush on Patrick Stump and being obsessed with him. Sadly, there was never a Logan Bruno in my life that looked like Patrick. Next, and I know this one is stupid, we totally had the same locker number (132) in junior high. I'm just saying. Last, Mary Anne has an antique doll named Lila, I have a stuffed llama named Lila. It's uncanny. So I also wanted to pick out a few problems I have with good old SMS. First, they won't let you hang anything in your locker with tape, instead you have to use gum. I'm sorry, but gum seems much more damaging than tape on a locker. Second, students attend 8 classes a day. That seems a bit overdone. I only had 5-6 classes a day in my school career. Lastly, they hold a graduation at the end of the school year for the 8th graders. Maybe my school just wasn't cool but we never did that. Not that it really matters because we know the girls are going to be in 8th grade for the next 10+ years. Continuing on with snarkable moments, I don't remember everyone being in love with Logan. Not that I have a problem with this, I mean they are 13 year old girls and at least in my  middle school, as soon as there was a new boy, every girl was on him like a hobo on a ham sandwich. Makes Stoneybrook feel a little more real. Some things I do have a problem with though is when Mary Anne talks about wearing small hoop earrings (what about that whole scene when they go to summer camp and she almost pierces her ears?) and when she goes to adopt Tigger the lady at the shelter tells her that it's not really kitten season. Do kittens have seasons? I'm pretty sure cats are skanks and get it on at all times of the year. Maybe I'm wrong, Someone should research this and let me know. My last thought is a little off topic but semi-related. This is the first book in which Jackie Rodowsky appears. I'm just wondering if anyone else noticed in Easy A when Rhiannon is talking to Olive at one point she mentions somebody named Jackie Rodetsky. I'm sorry but I feel like those names are too close to not be related. Whoever wrote that script was totally a BSC fan. Please somebody else tell me they noticed this so I don't feel too stupid. 

Claudia OOTD: Finally, what you've all been waiting for. I apologize for this post being so long but since y'all have stuck with me this long I'm going to treat you with 5 OOTDs.

"A full white skirt with the words Paris, Rome, and London, and sketchy pink and blue pictures of the Eiffel Tower, the Tower Bridge, and other stuff scrawled all over it. She matched it up with a pink shirt and a baggy pink sweater... we found white slip-ons with pink and blue edging that matched the pink and blue in the skirt."

"Claudia was wearing short, tight-fitting black pants and a big white shirt that said BE-BOP all over it in between pictures of rock and roll dancers. She had fixed a floppy blue bow in her hair."

"Stacey was wearing a white T-shirt under a hot pink jumpsuit."

"Dawn was wearing a green and white oversized sweater and stretchy green pants."

"Kristy was wearing a white turtleneck shirt under a pink sweater with jeans. We just couldn't seem to get her out of blue jeans."

#4- Mary Anne Saves the Day

Mary Anne's on her own. Can she take charge?

The Jessi: I only read this book once and it was when I was a little older. I don't remember a lot of the details but I remember Mary Anne sitting for that brat Jenny Prezzioso, all the club members being in this huge fight where they hold meetings at separate times just so they don't have to see each other and because of this Mary Anne ends up eating lunch by herself and meets Dawn. It wasn't one of my favorites and I didn't care if I read it again.

The Mal: A fight breaks out during a meeting when Kristy takes a job without offering it to the other members first. Soon things blow up and everyone is yelling at each other. Mary Anne runs out crying. After thinking about the fight, Mary Anne decides to make up with Kristy that night. However, Kristy has other ideas and shuts her blinds so that she and Mary Anne cannot communicate with flashlights like they usually do. The next day, Mary Anne decides she's not mad at Claudia so she writes her an apology note but she forgets to give the note to Claudia because she eats lunch with the new girl Dawn instead. The next morning, Mary Anne goes to Kristy's house so they can walk to school together and make up before the club meeting that evening but she ends up having the door slammed in her face. She fights back to this by making sure Kristy sees her going to Dawn's house after school. Mary Anne and Dawn watch The Parent Trap and have a fun time together. At the meeting, things are tense between MA, Claud and Stace. Kristy doesn't show up at all. Mary Anne and Claudia make up, they both agree to talk to Kristy and Stacey to figure out what's going to happen with the club. They decide that one person will meet to answer phones and take as many jobs as possible, the other jobs will be offered to the other members. This will make it so they don't have to be by each other or talk to each other. Mary Anne takes a job babysitting for Jenny Prezzioso which turns out not being so bad despite Jenny being a little brat and spilling on her brand new white dress. Later, Mary Anne tries to talk her father into giving her a later curfew, when he refuses, she blows up at him. She decides to go talk to Claudia's grandmother, Mimi because she feels like Mimi would understand her. When Mimi accidentally slips and calls Mary Anne "My Mary Anne" Claudia overhears it and gets very mad. Thus making the only peaceful relationship in the club ridden with anger. At Mary Anne's next turn to answer phones, Mrs. Newton calls and asks if all the girls will help at Jamie's 4th birthday party, they all agree to. Then Mary Anne and Kristy must take a sitting job at the Pikes with each other because there are too many children to just have one sitter. They manage to communicate through the children by playing Telephone, this way they don't have to directly talk to each other. The next day, Dawn comes over to Mary Anne's house, they end up looking at her father's old yearbooks and discover that their parents used to date in high school. A few days later, Mary Anne is babysitting for Jenny again. Jenny is quiet and falls asleep shortly after Mary Anne gets there. When Mary Anne feels her forehead she is burning up. Panicked, Mary Anne calls everyone she can think of but nobody answers. Finally she gets Dawn to come over and they get Jenny to the hospital via an ambulance. It turns out that Jenny has strep throat. Everyone congratulates Dawn and Mary Anne on taking care of Jenny. When they get back to Mary Anne's house Dawn catches Mary Anne sticking her tongue out at Kristy and figures out that Mary Anne was using her to get back at her friends. Dawn gets mad and storms out.  Mary Anne's father finds out about her helping Jenny and agrees to let her have a later curfew, wear her hair down, and change her room a little. Mary Anne makes up with Dawn. Jamie's birthday party is almost turned into a disaster when the girls start fighting again so Mary Anne calls an emergency meeting for right after the party. At the club meeting the girls all make up and everything is good again. Mary Anne holds a party at her house. Dawn has her mother drop her off for the party and her mother and Richard set up a date for the next night. Dawn is then officially instated into the BSC.

The Stacey: Number of times Mary Anne bangs things around while preparing dinner after the fight-8, Number of chapters- 16 (this beats the usual books which only have 15) Number of rules Mary Anne's father has- enough to keep a 12-year-old in penny loafers and braids until the apocalypse.

The Dawn: Oh baby, I loves me a good pre-teen fight. I especially loves me one in the first chapter. This one does not disappoint. Apparently Kristy is a bossy know-it-all (ok, so we already knew that), Claudia is a job hog, Stacey is a stuck up New Yorker, and Mary Anne is such a baby. I kind of agree with these statements. Not so much the Claudia one but then again she's so close to perfect they had to find something stupid to pick on her for. Most of the drama focuses on Mary Anne dealing with her overprotective father. I seriously feel bad for Mary Anne about the lack of communication and openness there is between her and her father. I can't imagine how that would feel to not be able to talk to your parent. I know I'm lucky to have the parents I do, and this book reminded me of that. Also, why does Mary Anne's dad talk like a robot, has the man never heard of contractions? Doesn't he know that you can combine words and nobody will get offended? Seriously, this is 1987 Richard.

The Claudia: Mary Anne says "I'd like to go to school wearing skintight turquoise pants, Stacey's 'island' shirt with the flamingos and toucans all over it and bright red high-top sneakers. I'd like to create a sensation." Oh honey, a sensation you would create with that. So, I couldn't find a shirt with flamingos and toucans but I did find this bathing suit with toucans and a flamingo scarf. I feel like it's a good compromise. It's still sensation creating so it's all good.

The Mary Anne: I love how the early books talk about a lot of details that were in the books before the current one. For example, in this book Mary Anne is finishing the scarf that she started in the previous book. I know it's just a minor detail but it's something that the ghostwriters leave out. In this book, they talk about the Thomases' regular sitter quitting which totally backs up my whole Cathy/Baby-Sitters Agency theory. Mary Anne frequently talks about the meals her and her father have. They kind of sound fancy for a weekday, like the time they have pot roast, maybe it was just my family but we only had pot roast and special foods like that on Sunday. I thought it was so sweet how Mary Anne's dad still prays for her mom even though she's dead, Mary Anne seemed a little put out by it which is strange because she's supposed to be the sensitive one. When Mary Anne was describing her room, it sounded exactly like my room growing up and I could relate with her 150%. I hated pink and everything in my room was pink and ruffly. One more example of Mary Anne not being as nice and sensitive as she is always depicted, she describes Dawn as "she wasn't exactly pretty, but she was pleasant" Coppertone, rub it on, you just got burned Dawn! I sensed a little foreshadowing when they both decided to watch The Parent Trap. Methinks they're about to do some parent-trapping themselves. One thing that kind of bugged me, Mary Anne invited Dawn to come over and bake cookies or make fudge. Not only does Dawn agree but she is excited about it. Isn't Dawn supposed to be super health conscious and not eat sugar? Whatever. Mary Anne tells a nursery rhyme about a little girl with a curl, my mom used to always tell me that rhyme when I would get mad. Let's face it, that happened a lot and I have that rhyme memorized. There was another reference in this book to the wild kids at the mall. Maybe I've been going to the wrong malls but that was never where the wild kids my age hung out. I love that one of the suggestions for a play by the Pikes is Chuck Norris. So ahead of their time. I know that the Prezzioso's love their daughter and stuff but aren't they at all concerned about how much an ambulance ride and an ER visit is going to cost them. I know these things aren't cheap and it's not like she was dying or anything. Oh, pizza toasts. Do you know how much I've always wanted to have one of those? Too bad I don't like pizza and I'm pretty sure I couldn't find anyone on this planet to do it with me. Life stinks when your best friends are fictional characters.

The Kristy: This book isn't as bad as I remember it. I thought a lot more of it focused on Jenny being sick than it really did. I did get sick of the little feud though. I just wanted them all to suck it up and move on with their lives a lot sooner than they did. I give it a 3.8 out of 5.