Review: "Stacey & The Cheerleaders: The Baby-Sitters Club #70"

Stacey & The Cheerleaders: The Baby-Sitters Club #70 by Ann M Martin

2 out of 5 stars

Oof did not like this one at all! Everyone was a snob. Stacey, the cheerleaders, the BSC gang, the jocks. So yeah, this may be a short review. Good thing though, lots of outfits!

Stoneybrook Middle School has basketball fever and Stacey is no exception. She gets smacked in the back with a snowball by the hot basketball player, RJ, and immediately goes gooey and agrees to go out with him when he asks her later. Also, her new corduroy pants bleed into the snow when she falls, tres embarrassing. "Hmm, I guess you better wash those pants separately," Claud remarked. After RJ asks her out, Stacey is immediately bombarded by some of the cheerleaders, who are so excited for her and want to be her friend now. And time for What Claudia Was Wearing, plus Stacey's winter outfit above.

At the BSC meeting, she was wearing baggy wool men's pants, gathered at the waist by a black leather band; a white tuxedo shirt with rolled-up sleeves; Capezio-type flats with mismatched white and black socks; and a glittery bow-tie barrette in her hair. On someone else, the Look might be too formal, or just plain weird. On Claudia, it was fabulous.

In Mallory news: Kristy shook her head. "Mal said she's having a fantastic time. She spends all day reading." Hahah...Also, Shannon Kilbourne's youngest sister is having issues not living up to her fantastic, super-talented sisters. Classic middle child syndrome. 

Date outfit with RJ: a black-and-white plaid unitard with a tankstyle top, covered with a black, over sized cotton knit jersey. I'm sorry, is she missing some clothes here or is it just me? Despite that, her date sucks. RJ teases her about being "on a diet" and Stacey doesn't correct him, the movie is awful, they have no chemistry, kids at the movie are all watching them like hawks, and at the pizza place afterwards, the cheerleaders tease her about hanging with the BSC girls. Only good thing is she has a "moment" with another basketball player, Robert. Sure, one guy isn't doing it for you, go for the one next to him!

Stacey starts getting it in her head that her old friends are embarrassing, even though Claudia wears this awesome outfit to the basketball game: a sequined vest over a man's white shirt and bell-bottomed spandex pants. Also, Kristy hollers at Stacey across the court afterwards to see if she's coming to the sleepover. The cool kids hear and laugh and Stacey slinks out. Get a grip Stace, everyone has sleepovers. Later she decides her BSC pals are the best and she's totally not embarrassed by them. 

She also decides to try out for the cheerleading squad, even though she doesn't really like exercising and thinks it's kind of lame and...lots of other reasons. But she does anyway, because popularity! She asks Jessi to teach her a dance routine and they come up with something fantastic that Stacey is totally amazing at and blows away the other cheerleaders. But she doesn't make the squad. Why? Because she's TOO pretty and talented, and she starts dating Robert, who one of the girls has a crush on. Yeah. Big bummer.

Date outfit with Robert: a pair of new jeans with a brand-new white cotton cardigan with gorgeous floral embroidery and a scalloped, crocheted neckline. On my feet were suede ankle boots. This date goes much better. Stacey tells him about her diabetes and he doesn't freak out. They have plenty to talk about, like how the basketball players and cheerleaders get special treatment by other students and even the teachers. Robert doesn't like it, but doesn't know how to change it. Well, after Stacey's letdown, he decides to quit the team in protest. Stupid. And together they write this really sappy post for the newspaper. The ball is in play again at SMS. And this time, we can all be winners. Gag.

Review: "Get Well Soon, Mallory! The Baby-Sitters Club #69"

Get Well Soon, Mallory! The Baby-Sitters Club #69 by Ann M Martin

5 out of 5 stars

I've been looking forward to this book for awhile now. How many of us young 90s kids/preteens wanted to get mononucleosis after reading this book? Just me?? No!!! Okay, well that's the only reason I gave it 5 stars, it's really not that great a book lol. Also, I think this is one of the last ones I really remember reading as a kid. Which makes sense because I was probably close to 13 years old when this one came out. 

The book opens on the day before Halloween and the Pike kids are all trying to pick out costumes. They have a whole trunk full, which is pretty cool. Mrs Pike announces big news to the family: her cousins have invited them to come to New York City ("The City") for Thanksgiving and go to the Macy's Parade. Everyone is excited naturally, though the parents are a little worried about finding a hotel and restaurant reservations for all 10 of them. Also, Mallory is still super tired. But she makes it her mission to get the family there.

Next day, Halloween, finds Vanessa practicing her different waves for the parade cameras: "the windshield wiper, screwing in the light bulb, and the flap." Can you picture each one? The kids get ready for trick-or-treating and Mallory is supposed to go with them, with Jessi, but....she's too tired. Yeah, this bit goes on and on for awhile. Let's skip to the B plot, Kristy's next big idea.

They decide to do something special for the elderly people at Stoneybrook Manor for Thanksgiving, because they may not have any family around anymore. They mention several old people and act like we should know them already, like Mallory's Uncle Joe who apparently lived with them for a few weeks and developed Alzheimer's. Of course, they get their sitting charges involved. They want to make goody baskets for all the residents and have a carnival. They also want to do a fundraiser for the money. And apparently don't start doing all this until 12 days before Thanksgiving yikes. Of course they pull it off and the old people are very happy.

Back to Mallory. She wakes up one morning super sick. Everything hurts, she has a fever, glands swollen, etc. Tries to make it to school but mom is like "yeah, no." They go to the doctor, who tells her "you have the distinction of having one of the worst looking throats I've ever seen." They test her for strep, a bacterial infection, and mono. Surprise, she has mono! And she has to stay in bed for at least a week but possibly a month! Her siblings immediately start teasing her that she has the "kissing disease", cooties, that Ben Hobart gave it to her, and more.

After just a week in bed, she's sick of her pajamas, soap operas, and all the kids' teasing. Claire & Margo are very sweet though. They play Nurse & Doctor with her and bring her whatever she wants, read to her, and take her temperature. At the end of the week, Mallory tries to play it off that she's feeling loads better but her parents aren't buying it. In fact, they've decided to restrict her activity even more: no school, no archery team, and no Baby-Sitters Club. Mal is devastated and so is the rest of the Club when they find out. Logan even suggests they protest outside her house with "Free Mallory!" signs. But they just decide to make Mallory an honorary member for now. I'm not sure why they had to change it at all, but whatevs. At her next doctor appointment, Dr Dellenkamp tells her it could be up to 3 months now and she may have to go to summer school. Wow, great bedside manner Doc! 

Since Mal is stuck in bed, she has plenty of time to think of ideas for the Thanksgiving project. But soon she starts thinking the BSC should have just replaced her after all. She knows they won't, so she decides to make them kick her out. By being a jerk and not helping out where she can. Sigh...luckily that doesn't last too long before the girls see right thru her plan and call her out. She starts helping out again, trying to raise the last bit of money they need for the carnival. Vanessa comes up with the brilliant idea of selling promises, ie: I'll do something for you later, if you pay me today. And they get the extra money. The kids and healthy sitters go shopping at CostClub or something and pick out gifts, fruit, sweets, books, toys for the old people.

Mallory's parents decide to cancel the New York trip and Mallory has officially ruined Thanksgiving. Not really. Everyone rallies and makes it a nice day, dressing up and watching the parade on TV and eating all the yummy food. I'm hungry now lol. We didn't have a Claudia outfit this book, so we'll end with Mallory's special occasion outfit: It's a blue velvet skirt with a matching bolero jacket and a white silk blouse. I pulled my hair into a pony tail and tied a white satin ribbon around it. The book ends with the BSC girls coming over for pie and Dawn calls from California. And Mallory is not better, at all, and decides to step away from the club semi-permanently for now. Sad face.

Review: "Jessi and the Bad Baby-Sitter: The Baby-Sitters Club #68"

Jessi and the Bad Baby-Sitter: The Baby-Sitters Club #68 by Ann M Martin
4 out of 5 stars

Finally, a good Jessi book that is not an after-school-special!! But. The new girl on the cover, Wendy, she gets a really bad rap in this. She's not a bad baby-sitter, at all. Also, she doesn't chew gum in the meeting. I think that's some previous girl they tried out, I can't really remember, but it bugged me lol. Okay, let's get into the book and all the reasons Wendy deserved better!

Jessi is at home baby-sitting Becca & Squirt when her new friend, fellow sixth-grader Wendy, calls and Jessi invites her to come over. She does and is really good with the kids and says she likes baby-sitting and Jessi gets an inkling of an idea. In case you've forgotten already, Dawn moved back to California last book and Mallory has been suspiciously sick and tired for what seems like months now. Kristy is frazzled because business has picked up now that school is back in session and her sitters are NOT ON TIME to the meeting ZOMG!! Alright, pause for a What Claudia Was Wearing!

...today she was wearing an oversized white shirt under a black vest covered with a design of shiny beads. (She sewed the beads on it herself.) She wore neon green leggings and black ballet slippers (on which she'd sewn a matching bead design). From one of her pierced ears hung a dangling earring made from the same beads and on the other ear she wore a small green hoop earring. It was an original look that only Claudia could make work.

Kristy doesn't know what to do about all the new business. She doesn't want to replace Dawn (who will be back in 6 months supposedly), but she wants an Alternate Officer, but she says 8 members is too many. I don't really get that one. Like they're overwhelmed with jobs, they're calling Shannon & Logan, who are both also busy...so why not get another full-time member? Jessi mentions Wendy and Kristy just says "bring her", because they're so swamped with calls. Dawn calls at the very end of the meeting and Kristy tells her she needs to come home right away. "No, I'm NOT kidding. We're in a mess here and we need you back." "No, you can't talk to [Mary Anne] until you swear you'll come back right away." Yikes.

Wendy comes to the next meeting and Kristy tries to grill her but is too busy taking phone calls. So she finally just sends Wendy off with Jessi on the next sitting job. Jessi says she does awesome and she's officially sort-of in the club! Okay, here's where it gets kind of iffy. Wendy doesn't show up for the next meeting til it's nearly over because she had a regular sitting job. Kristy is super pissed, saying she broke 2 rules. Technically, Wendy didn't know about those rules. But then a few days later, she's supposed to sit for the Pike kids with Jessi and is about 20 minutes late, again because she was baby-sitting (without telling the BSC). She thought it was okay, because Jessi was there. Obviously she should have called at that point. That's her main/only real strike. At the next meeting, she's on time, but tells them the club isn't really for her.

"You knew the rules when you joined," Kristy said.

"No, actually, I didn't," Wendy replied. "The meeting I attended was so frantic that no one ever really explained them to me. All I knew was that Jessi's crazy about the club. So I figured it must be great. And it is great--for you. But not for me."

"That's just one too many people bossing me around."

So yeah, Kristy is livid. But Jessi kind of sees both sides and stays friends with Wendy. Well away from Kristy, of course.

Side stories that aren't interesting enough to go into super detail: Mallory is really tired, falls asleep a lot, can't baby-sit, backs out of plans. *foreshadowing* Also, Jessi catches Margo stealing stuff. A bunch of the kids make a video for Dawn because they miss her and Dawn surprises them with a video too, of her daily life.

Let's end with another What Claudia is Wearing, rollerblading edition!! Claudia wore hot pink stirrup pants and a fuzzy pink sweater that made a nice contrast with her neon green pads and helmet. 

Review: "Dawn's Big Move: The Baby-Sitters Club #67"

Dawn's Big Move: The Baby-Sitters Club #67 by Ann M Martin

4 out of 5 stars

This cover is iconic BSC fashion. Every single member is exquisitely on theme. *chef's kiss* perfection. So, on to the actual book. I'm not sure why I gave this one 4 stars, I guess I'll figure it out as I review. Maybe because Dawn finally goes back to Cali and we get rid of her whining for awhile? Well, it starts off with Spier-Schafer family dinner and Richard tells them all about a charity "Run for Your Money" with silly races like tug-of-war, pie-eating contests, underwear race... Somehow the girls convince Mister Stuffy Pants Spier to practice for the underwear race.

[Mrs Schafer] had even bought him a Simpsons tank top undershirt and an oversized pair of boxer shorts with red hearts on them, just for the occasion. The hearts showed through his pants, which made us laugh even more. Plus his belly jiggled beneath his undershirt.

"Oh honestly, I give up," Richard finally said in a huff. He was standing there in his heart boxers, with his pants gathered around his ankles and his clodhopper shoes poking out. We were screaming. We couldn't help it.

They're having so much fun, as a family, and then Dawn ruins it all by basically shouting out that she wants to go home. To California and her dad and Jeff and the beaches and blah blah...we get it Dawn, Stoneybrook sucks. And not just for a visit but for like 6 months. Forget about how that makes her mom feel (Jeff already moved back home), forget her bff & sister Mary Anne, the BSC, how difficult that will make school. Dawn is set on it. So her mom & dad talk on the phone, a lot, and finally decide to let her go. Then suddenly Dawn feels like everyone wants her to go so bad and won't miss her and maybe she shouldn't go after all. Like, geez Dawn, get it together.

Of course, Kristy is the exception. She's annoyed, worried, skeptical, you name it. The club is getting busy and how on earth are they going to survive without Dawn for 6 months?? (hint: next book) There's a side story about Kristy sitting for the Papadakis kids and helping out with their family reunion and she's totally grossed out by all the Greek food (lamb, baklava, spanakopita...sounds amazing to me lol). And she has the idea to do a going-away party for Dawn. Vanessa Pike writes this sappy poem (spelling errors included):

Dawn, Dawn, please don't go,

We all love you so.

Your nice to us, you make us smile

We love your hair, your laugh, your stile.

When you're away in California

We'll be so sad, we'll really moarn ya.

We wish you luck, tho you upset us

Please, please, please, Dawn, don't forget us.

The charity fundraiser is fun, Mr Spier refuses to do the underwear race, the girls do events together, Stoneybrook wins, Dawn changes her mind about going fifty times, finally ends up on the plane, Mrs Schafer tells her "let Daddy love you as much as I do." And that's the end. Honestly, I'm bumping it down to 3 stars. And there's no Claudia outfit, so here's my own quick one (she can go stylish sometimes).

Review: "Maid Mary Anne: The Baby-Sitters Club #66"

Maid Mary Anne: The Baby-Sitters Club #66 by Ann M Martin
3 out of 5 stars

This book was just okay. 3 meh stars. Let's start with the misleading cover. Mary Anne becomes a "maid" to an older lady, living by herself, who breaks her ankle. Not to a family with kids, as the cover insinuates. But I'll forgive them, because this scene is actually in the book and the kid on the right is rocking those cowboy boots lol. (I think it's one of the Arnold twins.)

The book starts off with Mary Anne daydreaming about her nice, happy, unlike-other-families, family. I'm sure that will all be the same by the end of the book. She's running late for a sitting job, so Dawn offers to do her breakfast dishes, and Mary Anne muses to herself that she hasn't been feeling too considerate lately. In fact, she's been feeling too self-involved. Maybe even self-centered. Yeah, I can see that. So she decides to put other people's needs first. Nothing can go wrong with that, right?

Elvira the goat is in this book again, the ghost writers really like her. Also a "watch goose" called Screaming Yellow Honker. For real. Mrs Stone tells Mary Anne about Mrs Towne, down the street, who is an expert quilter & sewer. Mary Anne is very interested in meeting her but of course, is super shy and can't think of how. Kristy tells her to just go knock on her door. Yeah, that's totally going to happen Kristy. Mary Anne ends up calling her instead (I think that's just as bad?) and she's flattered and invites MA over for the next afternoon.

There's not a Claudia outfit, so I'm making my own and here's a list of all the snacks in Claudia's room this time: Cheez Doodles, plain pretzels, chocolate-dipped pretzels, Frookies (cookies sweetened with fruit juice? ew), Gummi worms

Mary Anne heads over to Mrs Towne's and they have a lovely afternoon discussing crafts and drinking tea. Mary Anne says she's never really had hot teas, but didn't she drink it with Mimi all the time? Can't remember. Then she shows off her handmade quilts and her sewing room. Honestly, this was the best part of the book for me. I just got my first sewing machine recently and am currently trying to make a quilt. I haven't gotten past the cutting squares step yet lol, but I'm enjoying myself so far! And I'm a crafter at heart, so reading about all her supplies and being perfectly organized and color-coded made me happy. Mary Anne asks her for sewing lessons & she agrees. A few days later, she's baby-sitting the Pike kids and they stop by Elvira's and Mrs Towne's again and the kids + MA get the bright idea to make their own quilt. Even Nicky is excited about it.

Mary Anne arrives for her first sewing lesson but Mrs Towne doesn't answer the door. Mary Anne finally gets inside, to find the older lady on the kitchen floor. She had slipped and broken her ankle. Mary Anne "saves the day" once again, calling an ambulance and her dad. After she gets home, Mary Anne offers to do some chores for her in exchange for the sewing lessons. Soon, Mrs Towne sort of takes advantage of her. Not really. She's just lonely for the most part. And Mary Anne won't say no, so it kind of snowballs. She's late for a BSC meeting, turns down sitting jobs, blows off Dawn who is in her "Stoneybrook sucks, I miss California" phase, and finally ruins an all-day date she & Logan had planned by helping Mrs Towne get a wasp out of her kitchen, then agreeing to stay for lunch.

At the kids' sewing lessons, they decide to make a garden themed quilt for Mrs Towne. Nicky & Buddy are in the group and are super excited at first, but some kids at school make fun of them, so they drop out and only want to do "manly" things. Like wearing camo and using tools and definitely not helping bake cookies with the girls. The Pike triplets, on the other hand, have no problem putting on aprons and baking. Good for them!

Mary Anne finally reaches her breaking point when Mrs Towne calls during a BSC meeting, asking her to come over, even though it's not an emergency. And Mary Anne finally gets angry. Angry that I'd had to defend myself just for being nice. Nice isn't always good. Or unselfish. Or the right thing to do. Sometimes, it's just the easiest thing to do. Good lesson for all of us. So she goes to Mrs Towne & talks to her, the older lady is embarrassed for being thoughtless and selfish, but they agree to stay friends. And the book ends with Dawn talking about California still...

Review: "Sea City, Here We Come! The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special #10"

Sea City, Here We Come! The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special #10 by Ann M Martin

3 out of 5 stars

I was super excited about this super special because the Sea City books are my favorites and I didn't really remember reading this one. Well, it was just okay. I mostly had issues with Stacey's 'tude towards Mallory and in general nastiness. Also, Mrs Barrett was extra frazzled. Why was Mrs Barrett there, you ask? Let's get into it and find out, okay? Okay!

The book starts off with a handful of letters and postcards from various people, giving us the setting and various handwritings we have to suffer thru in this book. It's summertime again in Stoneybrook and the Pike family is getting ready for their annual trip to Sea City, New Jersey. They've decided to let Mallory & Jessi be the baby-sitters this time. Not sure why. They've said before that they want Mallory to enjoy vacations as a family member not a sitter. Oh well. Then Mrs Barrett decides to get a beach house too and asks Stacey to come along. Mary Anne & Dawn are running some kind of camp for the kids staying home. Kristy has some issue with the Krushers. And Claudia...has summer school. Whomp whomp.

At the last BSC meeting before vacation, Logan and Shannon are there for once and they are having an End-of-the-Season Junk Food Blind Taste-Off, between Heath Bars or Skor Bars. (Heath, obviously.) And right away, we get not just a Claudia Outfit but also a Stacey Outfit, woo!

That Friday, for instance, she was wearing ripped cut-off jeans held up by a frayed rope belt, a T-shirt with the collar torn off, huge white socks all bunched around the ankle, and old-fashioned black lace-up shoes. She looked totally cool.

At our Friday meeting she [Stacey]  was wearing this white T-shirt that hung practically to her knees (Stacey calls it a "jersey tunic" or something), white stretch pants ("ribbed leggings") to mid-calf, a tan leather belt over the T-shirt, and leather-strap sandals. Sometimes Stacey likes to wear all black, which seems kind of weird in the summer. (That's a weird thing to say, Kristy, when she is literally wearing the opposite of that.)

created on URSTYLE

We also get the full intro chapter, which we are not supposed to have in the Super Specials. Annoying. Anyway, they all start talking about what they're doing the next 2 weeks, like I mentioned above. Shannon is going to drama camp and is playing Ado Annie in Oklahoma. (I've never seen it, is that a good role?) Logan is going to Sea City with the gang too (seems like a great idea: 1 guy and 7 girls) but is annoyed that Mary Anne's former TRU LUV Alex is going to be there too. (Also, stupid Toby.) Kristy is gearing up for her big flirt-o-rama Krushers vs Bashers game with Bart. Stacey mentions she wishes she was with the Pikes again instead of the Barretts. Foreshadowing of her bad attitude the whole time. 

Let's start with Claudia, at summer school, just to get that bummer out of the way fast. It's torture, prison, awful, all the usual things you would think. And annoying Janine is taking summer classes at the university, just for fun. Ugh. Claudia gets to know her fellow classmates and become friends with a couple of them, good friends with one fellow artist. They actually start calling Claudia "the smart one". Wow. I feel bad for these kids.

On to the Pike gang. First of all, they have to rent a minivan to get everyone there and back. And it's pure chaos on the day they're leaving, naturally. Vanessa recites annoying poems, Nicky barfs in the car, the kids play a game counting people picking their noses in their cars, the suntan tushy billboard is gone and in its place, Weiner's Wieners, and they finally make it to the beach house. 

Meanwhile, Stacey rides down with the Barretts and is already having a miserable time. Mrs Barrett is a terrible driver and gets road-ragey, she sees Toby immediately on the beach and tries to ignore him, but he doesn't take the hint. And then...Mallory comes up to her and says she thinks Toby likes her (Mallory). Like, what?? We get this gem from Mal's POV: But I liked the way he was making me feel. I'd never felt that way before. Wow, okay. Stacey tries to warn Mallory away from him, because he's nothing but trouble, but Mallory thinks Stace is just jealous. Double wow.

Mary Anne & Dawn are hosting some kind of mini-camp baby-sitting thing. I don't know, I didn't pay much attention lol. There was a mess with eggs, Elvira the goat attacks Prissy Jenny Prezzioso, Glynis the goose attacks Charlotte, it rains at their sleepover, and Dawn scares the kids (and Mary Anne) silly with a ghost story in the barn.

Kristy does boring stuff with the Krushers: nearly her entire team can't play for one reason or another, Kristy freaks and starts canvassing the neighborhood looking for kids to play, Bart offers to cancel the big game, she refuses, the Krushers lose 34-1.

Finally, the whole BSC team (plus Logan) is together again, on the beach, and they brought with them a hurricane. Sort of, but not quite yet, we'll get to that. Mrs Barrett's boyfriend & kids come down too and Dawn is set to watch them with Stacey. Stacey complains about Mallory a lot. And Mrs Barrett. And people using her towel. She mostly just complains a lot. Mallory sends a postcard to Stacey's mom for some reason. Toby ASKS OUT Mallory. Like for real. I know, I was as shocked and honestly dismayed as Stacey. 

Is this getting too long and boring? Probably. Alright, speedy version! Hurricane Bill shows up, the Pikes decide to wait it out but then get worried, so try to get more inland, but don't get very far because everyone else on the island is thinking the exact same thing. Turns out the causeway is flooded so they have to take shelter at the local elementary school. Everyone is crying and freaking out, they have to eat canned ham for dinner, the power goes out, and they can't get thru to Stoneybrook for several days. And then we get a random chapter from Karen Brewer? I swear, that kid just insists on being in every story no matter what. After the hurricane passes, the families decide to stay til the end of their vacation and have fun no matter what. Mallory's hot date comes up and she picks out an outfit:

I ended up choosing a short, flared, white-on-blue polka-dotted skirt (mine); a white, ribbed tank-top (Jessi's); and a long, royal-blue men's shirt with the tails tied in front (Claudia had run to her room for that). Claudia insisted I not wear anything too light or it would "wash out my face." We carefully placed some of the buttons we'd bought on the tanktop. Claudia yanked back my mane and figured out how to put the flamingo barrettes in it so they wouldn't get lost.

 

Created on URSTYLE; flamingo barrettes on Etsy

And then, she remembers she's kind of dating Ben Hobart still and probably doesn't really want to go out with anyone else. Duh. These girls all just think with one thing when they're on vacation! So she let's him get all the way there to pick her up and THEN tells him she can't go out with him. He's like, oh okay and "...if you come back next summer and know of another cute girl who's unattached, let me know, okay?" Mallory & Stacey finally make up, vacation is over, we end with a few more letters wrapping things up and Toby writes Mallory, asking if Jessi is available and how old she is. Wow, what a sleaze.