Review: "Stacey's Lie: The Baby-Sitters Club #76"

Stacey's Lie: The Baby-Sitters Club #76 by Ann M Martin

4 out of 5 stars

If her father ever finds out... They make it sound like Stacey is sneaking Robert into her bedroom each night instead of just vacationing on the same island. I did still really like this one though. Mostly because there are lots of Claudia & Stacey outfits. Be prepared for LOTS of detail in this review! It might be the longest one I've ever written lol. So let's start from the beginning and get into it with the first outfits: what Stacey started to wear to school then what she actually did because it's a gorgeous summer day!

I got up, pulled on a pair of blue tights, black canvas walking shorts, a long-sleeved, blue T-shirt, and a pair of black flats. I piled my blonde perm up on top of my head and fastened it with a blue stretchie tie. Then I looked out my bedroom window and realized my outfit was all wrong. I ripped the stretchie from my hair and let the curls fall around my shoulders. I took off my clothes and changed into my new one-piece shorts dress with the gold, red and green Aztec-style print. I slipped into a pair of light tan woven flats and I was set to go. 

"Looks like we're both running late today," said Mom as she came into the kitchen, still tying the bow on her blouse.

"Did you change outfits at the last minute, too?" I asked with a laugh.

Mom laughed with me. "Yes, I did," she admitted. "I couldn't wear a black gabardine pants suit a day like today. It's gorgeous out."

"Summer at last," I said.

Stacey goes to visit her dad for Father's Day weekend, even though she'd really like to spend time with her boyfriend, Robert, on his last weekend before he goes off to Fire Island for a summer job. Stacey tries to make the best of the weekend though, enjoying time with her dad. He has a new home office now, with a shiny new fax machine, and bribes Stacey with a new outfit so he can get some work done. I settled on this super cute flowing pants outfit in a sunflower print against a navy blue background. It had a high waist, cap sleeves, and a scoop neck, and the pants were long and full. I loved it. I'm on sort of a sunflower kick these days. (This book came out in 1994 and I can confirm, sunflowers were huge then.)

They go out to a fancy dinner, Mr McGill asks about Robert and says maybe it's a good thing they'll be separated all summer, but he's just an old guy so what does he know? Then he surprises Stacey with the news that he's going to take a 2 week vacation, for the first time in forever, and he wants Stacey to go away with him somewhere, and he's letting her choose! Like anywhere: the mountains, Disney World, Europe! Where does Stacey finally choose? Yep, you guessed it. Fire Island, where it just so happens that her boyfriend is working all summer. And does she tell her dad this? No, she just makes him think it sounds really awesome. And does she tell Claudia this when she invites her along? No, because she doesn't want Claud to feel like a 5th wheel. Spoilers: she totally does. And does she tell Robert that she hasn't told either of them this? Nope. Stacey's just gonna have a vacation full of subterfuge and sand castles lol. 

Okay, time for what Claudia was wearing at the last BSC meeting for the school year. Today she was wearing a long, black, crocheted vest that fell to her knees over a pair of black shorts and a white blouse with ruffles at the collar and cuffs. Her hair was in two long braids tied with black and white ribbons at the ends. On her feet were black sandals with a thick platform sole and white ribbons which laced around her ankles. (The ribbons had originally been black, but Claudia cut them off and glued on white ribbons.) That wacky Claudia!

Kristy has a great idea to make new fliers with the caricature Claudia is drawing of all the BSC members to drum up business (I wish we got to see this!), but she is slightly peeved when she learns everyone has summer plans already. Stacey & Claudia will be on vacay at the beach, Jessi & Mallory signed up for jobs as day camp counselors at the local community center, Logan is out of town somewhere with his gang probably. Mary Anne tries to remind Kristy how slow it usually is in the summertime and she finally agrees that it should be okay and even says yes to visiting Stacey & Claudia on 4th of July weekend and *gasp* closing the BSC for 4 whole days!! Oh yeah, Shannon is there too.

Stacey, Claudia, and Mr McGill are off to the island and Stacey immediately freaks out thinking Robert is going to be on their ferry (that's his job, ferry gopher or something else a 13 year old would logically do) and she's going to be busted, but luckily, he's not. They get to the island and meet Mr McGill's friend, Mr Majors, and I honestly thought that these 2 were having a secret love affair or, at the very least, doing clandestine work, because of all the time they supposedly spend together over the next 2 weeks. But we'll get more into that later. Claudia & Stacey go off to explore the town and that's when they run into Robert and as expected, Claud is pissed. "Best friends don't lie and keep secrets."  She gets over it pretty quickly though, on the surface, and the girls start to have a great vacation. 

Stacey meets up with Robert whenever she can, early in the morning, at lunchtime, in the evening. Claudia makes some fierce sand castles on the beach and starts taking photos of them being destroyed by the ocean. She declares that they absolutely must do the 4th of July parade and one of her sand castles is going to be the theme of their wagon float. She FAXES a note to Kristy's stepdad Mr Brewer at his mansion fax machine a list of costume stuff she wants Kristy, Mary Anne, and Shannon to bring with them when they visit. She also starts to get a little annoyed with Stacey spending so much time with Robert, especially when he shows up at the pizza place uninvited and time for another set of outfits.

[Stacey] pulled on a pair of green leggings and a sleeveless denim top. Claudia wore a pair of wild tie-dyed leggings and an over-sized T-shirt she'd designed and silk-screened herself. She'd painted a flock of birds flying diagonally across it.

Claudia marches off after the pizza dinner and Stacey rushes after her, trying to explain that she really didn't invite him and they could totally spend the rest of the evening together, but Claudia tells her to just go back to Robert "...with those big eyes like, Please don't leave me." haha. Stacey tries to make it up her to her by promising a "best friend date" the next night at the nice restaurant, just the 2 of them. We all know that's not going to end well. Sure enough, Robert asks Stacey to go on a fancy romantical boat ride that can only happen that evening. Stacey convinces herself that she has plenty of time to do both and keep everyone happy, as long as she and Claudia go to dinner at 6:00pm with the oldies. Of course, Claudia unknowingly lollygags getting ready, can't decide what to wear. (She settles on a blue denim jumper and Stace goes with a white and blue sundress with a dropped waist and a square sailor collar.) 

Stacey keeps trying to rush her and is acting all crazy and makes Claudia think she's having a diabetic fit or something. At the restaurant, Claudia gets like a 7 course meal, because she's in no rush, because she thinks she's just having a lovely dinner with her BFF. Stacey honestly did Claud so dirty in this one. She totally deserves Claudia getting so mad she won't even talk to her when it finally all blows up. She also deserves Robert wanting to spend a little time apart because he's not comfortable with all the lying she's been doing. If she's okay with lying to her best friend and her dad, what's going to stop her from lying to him? "You creep!," I cried to his back. "I only lied so I could spend time with you!" This right here tells you exactly what kind of girl Stacey is going to be in high school.

She does not deserve the beef with her dad when she discovers he's seeing some hot young chick and Mr Majors was sadly, just his cover story all along. Also, whoa huge mistake from the cover artist that I just discovered! Stacey's outfit? A gauzy flower-print skirt, a crocheted top, and big, gold hoop earrings. In her hand dangled a pair of gold sandals. That outfit? Is Samantha's, Mr McGill's GIRLFRIEND!! All these outfits in this book, that I've so generously created for you here, and the cover artist went with the one on the girlfriend for the daughter?? We've been BETRAYED. Okay, sorry, moving on. Stacey is obviously upset with her dad and he's mad at her too, they've both been lying but really, he's the adult. He needs to get over it and fix this. But he doesn't. 

And this is when Kristy, Mary Anne, and Shannon show up for a sunny happy beach vacation. Except it's storming out, nearly the whole weekend. And everyone is not speaking. Not surprisingly, they decide to leave a day early and Claudia goes with them. Stacey finds out Claudia's sand castle pictures are being displayed in a local shop and people are actually buying them. She finally starts thinking about everything and talks to her dad. They both apologize and talk things thru. Stacey still isn't sure about her dad dating but she accepts it. I can't remember if he marries Samantha later or not? 

Robert comes back around and decides he doesn't want to break up (big mistake), Stacey calls Claudia and apologizes for being a total jerk, Stacey goes home and tells her mom that Mr McGill is dating. Oh yeah, and Vanessa Pike and Haley Braddock had a huge argument about wearing the same swimsuit to summer camp and it was all stupid and pointless and Jessi & Mal fixed it and they were BFF's again in the end.

Review: "Jessi's Horrible Prank: The Baby-Sitters Club #75"

Jessi's Horrible Prank: The Baby-Sitters Club #75 by Ann M Martin

1 out of 5 stars

I hated this book. Like really hated it. This is the first BSC book I've given 1 star. Jessi, the only black person in the entire state of Connecticut (slight exaggeration), pulls pranks and makes fun of a teacher for how he looks and acts, in front of the entire school. And then SHE gets upset when he is so embarrassed about it all that he actually leaves the school for good. Get over yourself Jessi. So yeah, this will probably be a short review, but let's go back to the beginning.

Jessi learns about the Sixth-Grade Follies, where the sixth-graders make up songs and skits and stuff, from Sanjita, a Puerto Rican student that Jessi is suddenly friends with. One of the two teachers in the school who like to dress up like Dolly Parton (?) tells the girls to signup because "we want to get a good cross section of the school!" ie: not only white students. Jessi is still interested because she's a natural comedian or something. She has class with Mr Trout, the teacher all the kids make fun of, because he dresses funny and is a nerd and has a bad toupee. He doesn't discipline the kids when they talk and laugh throughout the class and he just seems really lost in general. Now let's skip to What Claudia is Wearing, the important part of the book.

...At that meeting she was wearing '50s-style cat's-eye glasses frames, a plastic barrette in the shape of an alligator, a tie-dyed T-shirt, and bell-bottoms. And it looked fantastic. (Did it? Really?)

Back to Jessi sigh. The kids all drop their books at the same time, causing Mr Trout to jump and shriek, but not discipline them. Then someone steals his grade book which causes a domino effect of mishaps, leaving the entire class laughing hysterically. Then some of the kids figure out how to remove Mr Trout's toupee, hooking it to the roll-up map at the chalkboard. It's honestly cruel. Jessi thinks he's doing all the awkward stuff on purpose but later realizes he doesn't have any teacher friends either so maybe not. But that doesn't stop her from deciding to imitate him during the Follies. And that's the last straw for poor Mr Trout. He leaves town, quits his job with no notice, and doesn't tell anyone where he's going. Jessi feels awful about it all, after the fact. The other students and teachers even tell her that she shouldn't, that he was just overly sensitive. But yeah, I think she should. Jessi tries to start a petition of students that want him back, but no one signs it. She finally writes a letter to him, apologizing for everything, and he replies forgiving her. That's it.

In baby-sitting news, the Pikes and other kids get together and make their own BSC Follies, imitating Kristy's loud-mouth, Mary Anne's crying, etc. and it is infinitely funnier than Jessi's attempts.

Review: "Kristy & The Copycat: The Baby-Sitters Club #74"

Kristy & The Copycat: The Baby-Sitters Club #74 by Ann M Martin

4 out of 5 stars

This is the first BSC book that really didn't feel like a BSC book, if you know what I mean. Kristy was extremely out of character and we had more serious plot points. The next book is like this too so it may be a new trend with the ghostwriters. In spite, or possibly because, of that I really enjoyed this one.

Kristy is feeling blah with the Krushers softball team and while talking to her friends, she realizes it's because she wants to actually play ball instead of just coach it. Claudia tells her that the SMS girls' softball team is conveniently holding tryouts soon and Kristy gets excited for a second but then realizes there's no way she can juggle everything. 

Claudia slid her sunglasses down her nose and peered at me over them, striking a movie star pose. "Darling," she drawled, "if anybody can do it, you can!" And great timing for not just a Claudia outfit, but a Stacey one as well!

Stacey had pulled her permed blonde hair back with a leopard-print scarf tied under one ear. She was wearing one of her favorite pairs of earrings, gold leaf-shaped ones. She was also wearing a black wrap long-sleeve top, a short, low-slung brown skirt with a big belt, black tights, and leopard print flats. She looked extremely cool. Which of course she was.

[Claudia's] eye for color and style shows in the way she dresses. Today she was into big: a big yellow shirt with red X-shaped buttons, enormously baggy white pants, and big red Doc Martens double-laced with black and yellow shoelaces. Her long straight black hair was pulled up on top of her head with more black and yellow shoelaces braided together. Her earrings said "stop" and "go" --- "stop" in her left ear and "go" in her right. (This ghostwriter really gets the importance of fashion. Earrings found on Etsy.)

Kristy can't stop thinking about the tryouts but knows that she will just get way overwhelmed if she keeps everything on, like when she tried to run for president. But then Claudia and Stacey get the bright (crazy) idea of them coaching the Krushers. Kristy almost laughs in their faces but luckily stops herself. So the two fashionistas are going to play ball and Kristy goes out for the team! (Spoiler: she makes it.) We also meet a lot of new characters in this book: Bea, Dilys, Tonya, Tallie etc. And now we get to the serious stuff.

Kristy makes the team but before she can actually be with the team, she has to pass initiation. AKA a hazing ritual. The girls who were already on the team tell the new girls they have to spray-paint graffiti on the old equipment shed or they don't play. "Have you ever played ball with someone who makes you look bad no matter what you do?" Kristy of course refuses, at first. But after a few days of, honestly, harassment, Kristy & the other new girls agree to do it. I don't really see Kristy caving like this, it's not in her nature. But they go thru with it, sneaking onto school grounds Friday night and graffitti-ing the shed. Afterwards, 2 of the girls light up cigarettes but luckily Kristy draws the line there. And all is good, right?

Wrong. Big wrong. Kristy wakes up the next morning and hears on the news that the shed burned to the ground last night and a neighborhood man was injured trying to put it out and is in the hospital. She freaks out when she can't find her used spray-paint can (did she start the fire?!) and gathers the other girls to her house to discuss it all. They convince her to keep her mouth shut because the whole team could get in trouble. Kristy feels sick about it all.

Let's get over to some baby-sitting for a bit. The "copycat" of the book is Karen, of course. She gets it in her head that being thirteen years old is the coolest thing ever so she starts copying all the BSC girls whenever she's around them. She asks Mary Anne a bajillion questions about her boyfriend and copies her every move. She copies Stacey's coaching outfit to a T and brings along her own boyfriend, Ricky Torres to the next Krushers' practice. Kristy finally explodes at her and tells her not to grow up so fast and just be herself and it's all good. And how about some hideous (Claudia) sportswear before we get back to Kristy's hazing disaster?

The clothes make the coach. Claudia was wearing a red satin baseball cap, purple sweatpants that were cut off just below the knees, purple high-tops with neon pink laces, red-and-white-striped socks, and a red and pink tie-dyed crop top shirt. (Tie-dye shirt from Etsy!) Stacey was in black bicycle shorts with neon yellow racing stripes down the sides, a pair of Nikes with matching neon yellow swooshes on the side, (but ordinary white laces), an enormous white v-neck T-shirt, a black jog bra, and a Brooklyn Dodgers baseball cap, turned around backwards. Stacey was wearing my whistle. Claudia had this funky clay whistle shaped like a bird on a leather thong around her neck that she'd made in art class.

Back at school, the principal calls an assembly and says there is evidence that students were involved in the fire and urges the guilty party to step forward. Kristy wants to confess but the other girls tell her no way and that they'll all say she's lying. She CRIES a little at her locker (not my Kristy!) and then finds a threatening note inside, saying basically "I know what you did last summer" lol. All 4 of the new girls start getting notes, threatening and asking for money to keep quiet. But then they get great news: the boys' baseball team has been officially blamed for the fire and are being disbanded. Everyone on the team is all happy again, except Kristy. Logan is on the team and she knows in her heart that they probably didn't do it. (This is before Logan joins the Badd Boyz lol.) 

Kristy decides to confess, by herself, but first she has to tell the BSC girls. Of course they support her and tell her it's really okay, etc. And then, the next morning, Kristy is again awakened by the news but this time it's good. Another group has confessed to the fire because they were "looking for excitement". Also, Kristy finds her lost spray-paint under her bed. She is happy again, mostly. She thinks about still confessing to the graffiti but after talking to the other newbies, agrees there isn't much point. And now that they're on the team, they will be able to vote against initiations in the future. But who was sending the threatening notes? Turns out it was Dilys, one of the new girls. She was hoping it would force the other girls to confess. And I guess she needed the money? And that's the end!

Review: "Mary Anne & Miss Priss: The Baby-Sitters Club #73"

Mary Anne & Miss Priss: The Baby-Sitters Club #73 by Ann M Martin
3 out of 5 stars

I actually felt bad for Jenny Prezzioso in this one. She is usually just a spoiled brat but she had some serious issues in this book and for the most part, they're completely ignored. Also, what is this outfit Mary Anne is wearing on the cover?? Logan's sweats? It's awful.

The book starts with Mary Anne helping Mallory watch the younger Pike kids. Mal is still recovering from mono, but her parents let her baby-sit her siblings. A lot. Too much. Mary Anne references one of the mystery books, which kind of makes me want to start reading them, but I had decided to wait until I finish the regular series, whenever that will be. The triplets declare that they are officially too old to be baby-sat, at 10 years old. Back then, yeah probably. Now? I'm not so sure. I guess it depends on the kids and the neighborhood. In the intro chapter, Stacey's boyfriend Robert gets a mention and the showdown they had with the basketball players and cheerleaders is discussed too. Like we care lol. At the end of the meeting, Mrs Prezzioso calls and says she needs a sitter for Jenny (not baby Andrea) every afternoon for the foreseeable future. The girls are all kind of stunned, but don't question it. Mary Anne ends up with the most days, with the others filling in for her. 

At her first job, Mary Anne is shocked to see "Miss Priss" back. Jenny had relaxed a little recently, wearing play clothes and going outside. But now...she was covered from head to toe in lace. Two pink lace bows perched in her dark brown hair. Her pink dress had a delicate lace collar, lacey puffed sleeves, and a big satin-and-lace sash around the waist. Even her socks were topped with lace. Jenny looked more like a doll-the kind you collect, not play with-than a real little girl. (No Claudia outfit, so this is the best we get!) 

Mrs P rushes out the door with Andrea and Mary Anne tries to get Jenny to play, but she doesn't want to. She spills a drop of juice on her dress and freaks out, running to her room to change clothes and then washing her hands several times, obsessively. They go on a walk and see some kids, but Jenny doesn't want to play and get dirty. After the 2nd time sitting for her with this happening, Mary Anne asks her dad that evening if he knows anything about behavior problems and he lets her look at some of his old psychology books. Mary Anne reads up on it (OCD basically) and wonders if she is equipped to help Jenny. Not if she should talk to the parents. Just if she can help her. Sigh.

Mary Anne finally finds out that Mrs P is taking Andrea on auditions, to make her a little child star. I'm getting Olsen twins vibes. Jenny begs to go to one of the auditions and Mary Anne goes with them. Turns out Jenny is jealous of Andrea because she's perfect and getting lots of attention (and some jobs) and Jenny is left out. Luckily, she's not holding a grudge against her sister though. She just wants to be included. Jenny tells her mom she wants to do the modeling/acting thing too so Mrs P agrees and sets her up to get head shots taken. But then precious Andrea gets a call-back, so she asks Mary Anne to take Jenny instead. The shoot goes okay and Jenny gets an audition right away, but it's a disaster. 

The next sitting job, Jenny has decided she doesn't care about being perfect anymore. She gets juice all down her dress, rips her tights, and decides to make a mud pie for perfect Andrea. She makes a mess in the house too: playing with clay in the living room, painting without her smock, making a peanut butter sandwich all over the kitchen, knocking over a vase of flowers. Mary Anne is extra worried and still doesn't speak to the parents, but instead calls Dawn all the way in California and takes over a whole BSC meeting to discuss it. She finally decides to talk to Mrs P but first yells at Jenny for causing a mess again. Mrs P is, of course, aware of her child's problems but also doesn't want to give up on Andrea's acting career. So they basically let Jenny just sort things out herself. 

The Pike triplets start up a kickball team but can't keep it together long enough to actually play a game. Claudia & Mal try to give them some pointers on how to be leaders and at first the boys don't want to listen, but eventually do and the team is a success. Even Jenny plays at the end. And Mallory is back in the BSC officially! 

Review: "Dawn & The We Love Kids Club: The Baby-Sitters Club #72"

Dawn & The We Love Kids Club: The Baby-Sitters Club #72 by Ann M Martin

2 out of 5 stars

I always say "we heart kids club" in my head for this one, but apparently it should be "love". Whatevs, it's super dull either way. But I guess I'm getting ahead of myself. I gave this one star for the cover because it's pretty cool, though a little confusing. Not sure where they're supposed to be, I don't think this scene is in the book. And hard to tell which one is Dawn...the girl on her knees? The one on the right wearing white socks for some reason?? Anyway, I gave it another star for Mrs Schafer-Spier having a backbone so let's get into it!

I know Stacey got a book when she lived in New York for awhile, but did we really need one for Dawn in California too? I guess they were trying out the spinoff idea but it didn't work at that time. (The California Diaries don't start til 3 years later.) Maybe because the original BSC gang doesn't actually come to Cali. We're focused on Dawn and her Cali friends: Sunny, Maggie, and Jill. They have their own baby-sitting club but it's a lot more laidback than Kristy's regime in Stoneybrook. The W<3KC has no rules, no set meeting times, no record book, etc...it's basically mayhem with veggie chips.

Then, the W<3KC gets a phone call from a local newspaper that changes everything for them. They want to do an article on the club, to "show the community the good things that are happening with our kids." The girls of course do it and it brings them tons of business which they are in no way prepared for because they do not have Ms. Kristin Amanda Thomas to help them.

I'd always thought of the Baby-Sitters Club as a tight ship, and the We <3 Kids Club as sort of a surfboard riding the waves. Each was fun in its own way. Now I realized the W<3KC was in danger of wiping out.

The CA girls try to get organized, Kristy gets jealous and tries to do her own publicity stunt back in CT, which backfires and they don't have enough sitters anyway. Dawn sits for her favorite charge, Stephie, who really really wants a mom because hers died. We don't have any Claudia outfits, so I guess we're stuck with Joanna, Stephie's day-time nanny. Joanna came in, dressed [for her birthday] in a short fringed skirt and a tight-fitting beaded top, her dark hair pulled back in a sleek, elegant style. 

After her sitting job, Dawn heads home to her dad and Jeff (and Mrs Bruen, the housekeeper) where they're making veggie chimichangas. Dawn is bummed, not because she has to eat something fried, but because this means that her dad's girlfriend, Carol, is coming over. Carol is okay, but she tries to be too cool and says things like "bodacious". Dawn goes into this spiral of loving California, missing Stoneybrook, loving her dad, hating her dad and Carol, and so on. It's all very exhausting. It culminates when Dawn's dad gives the big news that he asked Carol to marry him and she said yes! Dawn freaks out and decides the only thing she can do is skip school, steal her dad's credit card, and take a flight across the country back to her mom. Yeah, for real. And leaves this doozy of a note:

Dear Dad,

I won't be home from school because I'm on my way to Stoneybrook. But I'm sure you don't mind. Now you can spend as much time as you want with your future wife. You won't have a daughter around to cramp your style. Good luck with your wedding plans. Tell Jeff I still love him. And don't be upset. I'll be with people who care about me.

Love, Dawn

Wow. I know she's thirteen and upset and all, but the nerve! So she gets to Stoneybrook and her mom is waiting for her at the airport and surprise! She's not happy to see her. Mrs Schafer-Spier loses her California cool and lectures Dawn up and down and all the way home. And she sends her straight back to California the next day. Where she gets another lecture. Honestly, she deserved it. And she deserves to feel guilty later when her dad and Carol break up. (They do get back together later on and even married, if I remember my Super Specials.) And that's our Dawn book done. Thank goodness.

Review: "Claudia & The Perfect Boy: The Baby-Sitters Club #71"

Claudia & The Perfect Boy: The Baby-Sitters Club #71 by Ann M Martin
4 out of 5 stars

Can we first just enjoy this cover outfit? Exquisite fashionable Claudia! This book starts off with Claudia hugging herself. Literally. She's lonely and a little jealous of Mary Anne & Logan's relationship and just wants that super-special, tingly, in-love thing. Yeah, she's had dates and short-term boyfriends (on every vacation she goes on) but nothing "real" and steady. And now she wants it. So she decides to make herself a list of the perfect guy: handsome, funny, athletic, sensitive, interesting, artistic, good dresser...the list just goes on and on. She's really asking for a lot here. But we'll see if she gets it. And time for a What Claudia Was Wearing already!

I like to experiment with the way colors look and I combine them in ways that please me. (You'd be amazed by the colors that go together. Take pink and gold. You might not think to wear pink socks with gold stretch pants, and then add a gold turtleneck under a pink sweater. But that's what I did yesterday, and then I added blue jewelry. It was great! I looked like a human sunset. The outfit made me very happy.)

Stacey & Claudia are having a sleepover after their Friday BSC meeting and Claudia tells Stacey all about her perfect guy list. Then Stacey gets the genius idea for Claudia to start a personals column in their school newspaper, the SMS Express. Claudia is like "yeah right, me, the worst speller in the world?" But she can't get the idea out of her head so she talks to Emily Bernstein, the editor, on Monday and she loves the idea. So Claudia gets her column and we get lots of newspaper talk from Emily, which is actually really interesting.

Of course, the really fun part is when Claudia starts getting letters. She gets tons of letters from kids looking for love and also one heart-breaking letter from a boy whose parents are splitting up and he wants to meet up with other kids going through the same. (Claudia ends up giving him the number to Mary Anne's therapist, which is apparently only mentioned in the special Chain Letter book.) Claudia thinks she's gotten way over her head, especially with her spelling track record. But Stacey shows her this genius invention that changes Claudia's life forever: spellcheck on the computer! It's funny to see the girls learning how to use a computer together.

Claudia finds 2 guys pretty quickly that she is interested in and decides to write them, while also printing their ads in the paper. The first guy turns out to be the grossest guy in the 8th grade: Alan Gray! Ew. (Doesn't she actually end up dating him later in the series?)  The other guy is a little better so she agrees to a date with him. And is totally embarrassed when her mom insists on meeting him first. And we have Claudia's First Date Outfits #1 & #2. Is it just me or are these basically the same outfit? Also, not the one on the cover.

I'd settled on a long white shirt under a green tapestry vest, green corduroy pants, and low boots.

I slipped into my new brown suede cloth pants. [Stacey suggests I wear] bead earrings, lots of silver jewelry, bangles would be perfect. "And put in your good silver hairclip." I trust Stacey's fashion sense, so I took her advice. I finished the outfit with a simple yellow button down shirt and a brown and yellow brocade vest.

(I had to take some extra liberties with these!)

Sadly, both the dates are a bust. The 1st guy is Boring, he sketches but it's the model cars that he then puts together, from a kit. The 2nd guy has a creepy Asian fetish and that's all we're going to say about him. Her 3rd date doesn't even warrant an outfit check. Then she gets a couple of letters from a perfect-sounding, Jason Priestley look-a-like guy. Turns out it's Stacey, but she was just trying to make Claudia feel better. Claud is mad for a few days but then thinks it's funny. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't get over it that easily.

Claudia's match-making is going great though. She gets the big-boned girl in 7th grade a date with a short nerd, the girl that talks a lot hooks up with the boring guy Claudia went out with, etc. She does make one little mistake though and nearly causes a breakup between Logan & Mary Anne oops, but it's all sorted out by the end. Claudia's newspaper career is a success.

The baby-sitting plot is mostly about Marnie Barrett who is having allergy issues and Mrs Barrett trying to figure it out. Claudia thinks this little gem that really burns when you're well over 30 reading this lol. Scatterbrained and old (she was at least thirty as far as I could tell), Mrs Barrett with her three wild kids had a boyfriend, and I didn't. Mrs Barrett has really cleaned up her act though, especially since dating Franklin. The house is clean, she's organized, all good. But then she finds out what Marnie is allergic to: Pow, their sweet old Bassett Hound dog. I admit, I cried with Buddy & Suzi when they found out. I would be devastated if I was allergic to dogs or cats. Pow has to stay in the garage til they can find a new home for him and it's all terrible. But the Pike family comes to the rescue! Mr & Mrs Pike had been considering getting a dog for their brood and have been around Pow already and they live right across the street, so they agree to take him and Marnie stops sniffling and everything is wonderful again.