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...