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: "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: "Stacey's Big Crush: The Baby-Sitters Club #65"

Stacey's Big Crush: The Baby-Sitters Club #65 by Ann M Martin

5 out of 5 stars

Yes! I loved this book! It was so good and so bad all at the same time. Perfect from the cover: he's smart, he's handsome, he's 22! to the last page: "I guess sometimes love hurts." "Yeah, I guess so." This book has it all: hot student teachers, lilacs, another school dance, baby goats, really bad poetry, cottage cheese, daydreams, and more! The only thing it is missing is a Claudia outfit but we do get several Stacey outfits. So let's get started!

It's springtime in Stoneybrook and Stacey is sitting in math class, daydreaming about lilacs. Mr Zizmore calls her out but she recovers and answers his question correctly. Because she's the star math student. Then he tells the class that they're going to have a student teacher for the last month of school. The class all groans, because they love Mr Z? That might be the most unrealistic thing in the whole book lol. The dude's name is Wesley Ellenburg (or Baconburger as Claudia calls him) and Stacey is already thinking what a major dweeb he's going to be.

At the BSC meeting, Claudia has a new snack for Stacey & Dawn: All-natural Crispy Rancho-style Veggie-Rice Nuggets with Nacho Substitute Cheese-food Flavor. I'm with Kristy on this one. "They look like moldy Cheez Doodles." Nasty. The next afternoon, Stacey goes home with Mary Anne & Dawn and they're visited by their neighbor Mrs Stone. She needs someone to look after Elvira for a week because she's only 2 months old and she can't be trusted to stay out of the trash if she's left alone. Confused? I wasn't really, but Stacey was. Elvira is a kid, a baby goat. And the most adorable baby goat ever!

Elvira was all eyes and bony joints. She stared up at us, jerking her head from face to face. Beneath her chin was a thin, pointy beard. Her fur was a mottled gray-white-black, and it looked scraggly and dusty. In other words, she was absolutely beautiful.

We'll get back to Elvira in a minute, because Tom Cruise has just entered the room. Oh wait my bad, that's just the hottest student teacher that ever student taught. A dweeb, he is not. Dimples, slate blue eyes, wavy light brown hair. Sigh....Stacey, and every other girl in class, is immediately smitten with Mr Ellenburg "call me by my first name" Wes. He is "drop-dead incredibly hunkified gorgeous." And Stacey is convinced that she and Wes belong together. I mean, he's only 22. That's not that bad right? For a 13 year old? And he's just a student teacher, not a real one. So yeah, she immediately starts planning her outfits (she gets it in her head that Wes likes girls in dresses so that's all she wears for the next month), making sure her homework is absolutely perfect and written in her best handwriting (hearts on the i's and all), and becomes the model student. Let's pause for an outfit before we get into the over-the-top stuff.

I found myself staring at a short, rayon challis tank dress my mom had ordered for me. It was navy with white polka dots. The fitted top tapered down to a flared skirt, with white buttons down the front. It was feminine, yet comfortable-looking. Absolutely perfect. Claudia suggested...new white sneakers I'd just bought, made of eyelet canvas with lace shoelaces.

Okay, so I know Wes is new to the teaching stuff and all, but he probably should have asked Mr Z or another adult before he did the next few things. He asks Stacey to stay after school to help him get organized (not too terrible). But then he asks her again the next week to stay and 1. help him fill out his teacher paperwork like W2 and insurance?? then 2. has her average everyone's grades in the grade book. After keeping her extra late for all that, he drives her to a BSC meeting, in his car, alone, without telling anyone. Yeah. Can you imagine a teacher doing that now? So obviously Stacey is convinced they're going to get married, eventually. And she *cringe* writes him a poem. It's so bad y'all. Of course I will put it here for you to cringe at too. (Can you imagine being the ghostwriter for this one? Ann comes to you and says, "I need a poem. Like a teenage girl would write. Make it super embarrassing. No really, like soooo embarrassing." And you turn this in and everyone laughs at you.)

I see two stars in summer's night,

Hovering, lost, in blinding light,

Each so dull in heaven's net,

So each remains, as yet unmet.

But Fortune moves in strangest ways;

It lengthens nights, it shortens days.

May this night end, and day begin

And bring two young people back again.

So Stacey gives Wes the poem and he's like "uhhh...gee, thanks?" Stacey is confused. So a few days later, she *gulp* tells him she's in love with him. Guys, I can't even. The second-hand embarrassment is so strong in this one. And he doesn't say anything! He just goes pale and stares at her and she runs off. Then, he completely ignores it all! Like, hello? NOW is the time to talk to an adult, Wes. For real. At the end of the book, there's a school dance and Wes is chaperoning. Stacey asks him to dance with her and he says yes, because he's an idiot, and they have lots of fun for several songs. Then he finally tells her he doesn't/can't have any feelings for her because she's thirteen years old. And Stacey leaves, heartbroken. But she'll get over it. I'm pretty sure there will be some other inappropriate boy in a few books.

Let's end with happy goat baby Elvira, yeah? She's adorable and playful and romps around kicking and jumping and doing all the adorable goat things that goats do. (I love goats.) The girls start taking her on sitting jobs and she's a huge hit and a tiny bit of trouble (getting in trash, running away), but no one really cares. The Pike kids put on a play for her, Three Billy Goats Gruff, that goes hilariously wrong. Everything is perfect with Elvira around. 

Review: "Stacey's Choice: The Baby-Sitters Club #58"

Stacey's Choice: The Baby-Sitters Club #58 by Ann M Martin
2 out of 5 stars

This is such a classic BSC cover. Their outfits are a little understated for their personalities, but it's still quintessential BSC. And that is the best thing I'll say about this book, unfortunately. I've hit a string of duds lately. But they're also not as well-known to me, which is kind of nice.

The story opens with Stacey and Mallory walking home from school and enjoying the crisp autumn air. I am so ready for fall and Halloween, it is not even funny! I've been stockpiling Halloween decorations for my new apartment for weeks now. It's going to be awesome. :) And now I'm trying to remember if there are any BSC Halloween books? Why can't I think of any? Anyway, the girls are walking home, Stacey loves math, Mallory has a lot of siblings, etc. Stacey gets home and her mom is there and looks really tired and worn down. She went on two job interviews and goes to take a nap. I always remember her mom working at Bellair's but she doesn't get that job til the end of this book. So I obviously read plenty of books after this one.

Stacey's "Old Dad" calls her and tells her he got a huge promotion at work, with a raise, and they're having a big dinner for him. He wants Stacey to come to the city for the weekend and be his date and even tells her to buy a new outfit. Which is as good a time as any to do What Stacey Wore to the dinner.

"Zingy's! That's all punk stuff!" (Mary Anne)
"I like to think of myself as the Sherlock Holmes of fashion," [Stacey said] "I'll put together the perfect outfit at Zingy's. Trust me. It'll be perfect for me and my dad."
By the time I left I was carrying a shopping bag in which were folded a hot pink (fake) silk jacket which fell to my knees, new black leggings, pink-and-black socks, and a black body suit. I planned to wear the outfit with black flats, and to dress it up with some jewelry and maybe a couple of barrettes in my hair.

The girls go shopping at the mall for Stacey's outfit and hit the new restaurant, The Rosebud Cafe. (Another thing I remember being there forever.) This is another classic BSC moment, the girls at the mall. It brought back memories of the hundreds of times I went to the mall with friends and my sister. Mall rats of the 90s unite!! :D

Okay, so let's get to the main story-line finally. "Stacey's choice" Stacey is at school when she gets called to the office over the loud speaker (tre embarrassing). The secretary tells her that her mom collapsed during an interview and that Mrs Pike is on her way to take Stacey to the hospital to see her mom. She's frantic, of course, and thinks the worst. But Mrs McGill just has pneumonia. Which okay, is pretty bad, but I feel like Stacey went waaay overboard. She stays home from school, sets up a schedule of adult sitters when she does have to go back to school, and decides to cancel her trip to NYC. Which of course pisses her dad off. And Stacey says some ugly stuff: "Maybe if you weren't a workaholic, there'd be something more in your life. But you're married to your job." ooh, harsh!!

In baby-sitting news, all the neighborhood kids are obsessed with ordering free/cheap crap from magazines. Like a stamp licker, bust developer, moondust, you know...crap. It's all fun at first, especially when they start getting the stuff in the mail. Who doesn't love fun mail?? But then they run out of money and they finally realize they don't need all this junk or it doesn't work or they're not that special with their moondust. And hey, they really want a yo-yo, the cool new fad. So they gather all their junk together and come up with a travelling road show, with skits and dances, to pawn their useless crap on other people. No one wants it of course, but they do pay for the performances. (The Pike triplets rap. I see a Vanilla Ice-esque career in their future.) In the end, the kids make back their money and get their yo-yos and everyone's happy.

Back with Stacey, she finally decides to go to NYC for the dinner on Friday night and come straight back home Saturday morning. Good compromise, right? Well, the train is late, there's traffic, Stacey has to iron her outfit, and they get to the dinner about 15 minutes late. Stacey gets up multiple times during the dinner to check on her mom and then wants to leave at like 10:00, before the fun even starts. Her dad is naturally annoyed, but Stacey doesn't care. There's a weird part at the train station where Stacey questions what happens to the homeless people when they die and no one ever hears about it. Morbid much? Stacey gives a guy five bucks and her dad tells her she "can't take care of everybody"; she replies "but I can try". Wow, subtle Stace.

A week or two go by, Stacey's mom is all better, Stacey hasn't talked to her dad, and Claudia buys the kids' wrinkle-away lol. (Trust me, it's never too early to start preventative measures!) Stacey realizes she shouldn't have had to choose between her parents and makes up with her dad. The end. Oh! There's baby pictures in the back of this one, I guess they started doing that now. Kind of fun.

Review: "The Truth About Stacey: The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel #2"

The Truth About Stacey: The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel #2 by Raina Telgemeier
3.5 out of 5 stars

I went to pull up my original review of this book and just now realized that they didn't do the actual first 4 books as graphic novels. I can't believe I didn't see that before now. They skip over Claudia & The Phantom Phone Calls, Dawn & The Impossible Three, and Kristy's Big Day. I wonder why? I mean, yeah, those weren't the best books but it's still kind of weird. And now I really wish they would do the first Super Special!

Okay, back to the graphic novel. I'm sure you know the story already, but here's a quick recap: Stacey has a secret that's not really a secret because we learnt about it in the first book and so did her new Stoneybrook friends. She's diabetic. Also, some older girls try to start their own baby-sitting service but they suck so the BSCers win again. This goes into a lot more detail than the book about what diabetes is and how it affects Stacey, which was pretty interesting. (And why I bumped it up half a star.) Especially for a kid just getting diagnosed. I would definitely give this to them as a resource.

(click to make bigger)

The artwork is great, like the first, with one exception. There's a flashback part with Laine and Stacey and they're supposed to be in 4th grade for some reason but they look exactly the same as their 7th grade selves. Not a huge deal, but when you're a BSC fanatic you notice this stuff lol.

The girls' outfits on the cover are pretty on-point, except for that darn purple streak in Claudia's hair. I guess the artist decided to make that a "thing" for her but it still bugs me lol. Also, we get to see more back characters like Janine, Stacey's parents, the Johanssens, Jamie Newton (who gets his little sister, Lucy), Laine (who looks like a total dweeb to me), Pete Black, and a few others. Overall, a great companion to the series and I can't wait to read the next two! I was waiting until I actually reviewed this one. ;)

Review: "Stacey's Ex-Best Friend: The Baby-Sitters Club #51"

Stacey's Ex-Best Friend: The Baby-Sitters Club #51 by Ann M Martin
2 out of 5 stars

This one was kind of boring. Laine visits Stacey and is a total snob about everything. That's pretty much it, but since that doesn't make much of a review, let's dive a little deeper. Here we go.

It's snowing in Stoneybrook and Stacey is reminiscing about how much her life has changed in the last year, when Laine (her NYC BFF) calls. She calls Stacey "Anastasia" because it sounds more sophisticated and is all excited about her winter break coming up. Laine doesn't have any plans yet, except maybe go to a bunch of parties with her 15 year old boyfriend, King. I'm sure his real name is Walter or Herbert or something like that. He has long black hair with purple tips that he wears in a ponytail. Totally distant. (Oh wait, Laine didn't know what "distant" meant. Guess the BSC slang hasn't gotten to the big city yet.) Stacey suggests that Laine come to Stoneybrook and stay with her instead. Because that's what a teenager wants to do on their vacation: spend time at another school.

When Stacey tells the other BSCers about Laine coming, they're all excited and Mary Anne conveniently mentions that she'll be there for the Valentine's Dance. Which is being held on Friday the thirteenth, oh noze!! That's like total bad luck! (This would have been a prime time for another Cokie Mason mystery, but alas, the ghost writers didn't think of that.) All the girls have dates and then Kristy has a Great Idea, suggesting they throw a party for the kids they sit for. They decide to have all the kids make cards to trade, but using riddles instead of their real names. Throughout the book, we find out that nearly all the kids have crushes on each other. The sitters think that's adorable and encourage it. Because these second graders need encouragement to express their love. Yeah.

So Laine comes to stay with Stacey and she has to make her room totally fresh, which means getting rid of the kitten poster, Claudia's rag doll Lennie, her pig collection, and all the lame cassette tapes. And of course her outfit has to be perfect: a purple shirtwaist top over flowered leggings, cowboy boots (cowgirl boots? cowwoman boots?), a purple hair ornament made from shoelaces, and long dangly silver earrings. As soon as Stacey and her mom arrive at the train station and see Laine, she immediately feels dorky. [Laine] was hard to miss, considering she was wearing a jean coat with a fur collar (I sincerely hoped the fur was fake), black capri pants edged with lace, very chic black ankle boots, and on her head, a brilliant red over-sized beret.

(polyvore link w/ details)

Laine is not impressed with little, boring Stoneybrook or Stacey's lame sleepover. And she doesn't really want to go to the Valentine dance with some geeky 8th grader, especially after she meets them at school. Which she didn't want to go to in the first place. But Stacey gives her this heart-warming speech that changes her mind.

"...we used to be part of each other's lives. When I was living in New York and we went to the same school, we were practically sharing one life. Now our lives are so different. We talk a lot, but we hardly see each other. I feel as if I'm losing half of ME, and I'm trying to figure out how to get myself back. I miss you, Laine, I really do." aaawww....

So at school, Laine is horrified to find that they can't leave campus or go to the bathroom in groups and that the boys at SMS are huge geeks. Even though Stacey got the cream of the crop: Logan, Pete Black, Rick Chow, and Austin Bentley. Pete is completely enamored with Laine and tells her "[she has] hair like gossamer." Hah! Pete asks Laine to the dance and she agrees, after talking to King first. Oh, she calls King "Heart" and he calls her "Babe". Gross.

Over in baby-sitting news, the Hobart boys are disappointed when they find out that American kids don't wear suits and carnations to Valentine's parties. Poor kids. At the next BSC meeting, half the girls are mad at their dates and Kristy says boys are trouble. (Well yeah, you would think that.) Laine asks them if they're still going to be baby-sitting in the summer and Stacey is like, yeah duh. Laine suggests she get a "real job" like her, cashiering at a boutique. (What business owner in their right mind would hire a 13 year old?? I'm pretty sure that wasn't even legal back then.) Stacey gets peeved and is starting to wonder why she even invited Laine.

[Stacey talking about buying stuff on home shopping shows.]
Laine: "...[girl at school] always comes to school with J-U-N-Q-U-E."
Stacey: "Maybe she L-I-Q-U-E-S what she buys."
Oh snap! ;) Laine also tells Stacey she should go on a diet. Harsh.

It's finally the night of the dance, which means the book is almost over yay! Laine was dressed in black from head to toe. Black leotard, long black jacket, black leggings over black stockings [WHAT??], black shoes. Her jewelry was silver, though. [I'm sorry, I had to do a better version of this outfit, because I just did NOT understand it!!] Laine is horrified, yet again, when she finds out they are meeting the boys at the dance. And when Pete gives her a corsage. And when she says the pink heart decorations. And when she sees Pete's sneakers with his suit. (He'd be totally in style now.) And so on and so on.

(polyvore link w/ details)

Stacey finally has enough and yanks Laine off the dance floor and they have a big argument. Laine wants to go home (to New York) and Stacey agrees. She is over it. The whole friendship. A week later, she writes Laine a long letter basically about all the things she (Laine) did wrong and why their friendship is over. You know, typical junior high stuff. She even returns her half of her friendship necklace, so you know it's really over. I wonder if we'll see Laine again. I can't remember, but I'm guessing yes.

And that's it, except for the kids' Valentine party, which is a huge success of course. And Stacey dresses like a red elf: red leggings, red ankle boots, a bulky red sweater, and red barrettes. What's the deal with the city girls and their leggings and ankle boots???

(polyvore link w/ details)

Side note: I realized that I use the word "totally" waaaay too much! I had it 8 times in this review before I took some out! Oops.

Review: "Stacey's Emergency: The Baby-Sitters Club #43"

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Stacey's Emergency: The Baby-Sitters Club #43 by Ann M Martin
2.5 out of 5 stars

We finally, finally get the one where Stacey gets sick from her diabetes and it is so anti-climactic it's not even funny. And pretty boring actually. I was expecting a fainting incident or at least a peeing-the-bed accident lol. Anyway, the book starts out with the usual stuff...Kristy's GREAT IDEA, BFF's, Claudia is a fashion icon, Mary Anne is a big ol' baby, etc...and I don't have my book in front of me, so I'm going by memory and this may be fairly short compared to the others. Hope you don't mind! :)

Stacey is obviously still feeling crappy at the beginning of this one, but she hasn't told her mom or dad, even though her schoolwork is starting to suffer. Duh, doesn't she know that if you have an actual excuse for bad grades, you use it as long as possible?? So, she's feeling bad, is pretty sure it has to do with her diabetes, and what does she do? Steals a package of Ho-Ho's from Claudia's room. I know right?! Scandalous!! Suddenly, Miss I Only Eat Carrots and Pretzels is a chocolate fiend...sneaking candy bars in her room at midnight, taking home a pile of fudge from Charlotte's, mainlining Nutella in the girls' bathroom at school. (Okay, maybe not that last one.)

Suddenly it's time for a Daddy's Fun Weekend in the Big City but Stacey doesn't really want to go, not just because she's feeling like uber-crap but because her parents have really been getting on her nerves lately. They're constantly making her take sides and interrogating her on what the other is doing and then not believing her. Like, Stacey's mom goes over to the Pike house to council Mrs. Pike on hat-fashions and Mr. McGill thinks she's having a torrid love affair with Mr. Pike or something. But of course, Stacey doesn't tell her parents why she's upset (I suppose this is very realistic actually, I never told my parents anything at that age) and ends up going on her weekend anyway.

And then we launch into the "Stacey so thirsty" chapter...on the train ride into the city, she makes about 50 trips to the bathroom, gulping water from the gross little sink in her cupped hands and then of course having to pee constantly. Once she meets her dad, she makes him buy her a giant diet soda and drinks it on the way home. That night, she gets up every hour or so to get a glass of water, which of course her dad hears and is totally worried. When she gets up the next morning and is totally exhausted, she agrees to go to the hospital, where they immediately check her in and plug her into all these drips and stuff.

The majority of the book is spent in the hospital, which makes for some pretty boring reading. Although, I guess if you were sick yourself, you would empathize more with Stacey. I can totally see that, kind of similar to how I connected so much with Stacey's divorced parents book. (Wow, there's like totally something here for everyone y'all. ;)) I think Stacey ends up spending two weeks in the hospital, because the docs are having a hard time getting her diabetes under control. (She doesn't bother telling them that she was stuffing herself with sugary-goodness the week before.) Her mom of course arrives the next day and stays with Laine's family, which Stacey thought was odd, because why couldn't she just stay in Stacey's room at her dad's apartment? Duh Stacey, because your parents hate each other. So much that they start taking turns staying with Stacey in the hospital. She gets pissed after a while and has a little tantrum and asks them to leave her alone for a day. Brat. Of course, everything is talked over at the end when she is all better and she tells her parents how she can't/won't be in the middle anymore.

Back in Stoneybrook, Charlotte, being so overly attached to Stacey, freaks out when she finds out her sister from another mister is in the hospital and develops a severe case of hypochondria. The BSCers of course try to "cure" her, but it doesn't work until Stacey finally comes back home and is all better. Also, the "main" members of the BSC go visit Stacey while she is in the hospital, and since there is no outfit :( I have a special one that I've been saving forever. So here is What Claudia Should Have Worn to visit Stacey in the Big City:

Claudia had borrowed Mary Anne's striped stockings from her Halloween costume and paired it with a teal button-down shirt dress. Over that she placed a cute yellow belt with a heart buckle, her awesome banana necklace and a red infinity scarf. She decided to wear her Day of the Dead sugar skull earrings she had made in art class along with a bunch of beaded bracelets. She had yellow ballet flats on and was carrying a red purse that she found in her mom's closet. Claudia's long, straight hair was divided into three messy braids. She looked totally fresh.

And that's it for this one...I had more to say than I thought! Oh and I totally had this postcard book and the chain letter one, wish I still did!

Baby-Sitters Club: Special Halloween Edition: Stacey!

Well, Stacey definitely went for the "adult" version in her sexy cat costume. No one could believe her mom would let her out of the house like that, but luckily Mrs McGill was busy at work trying to be a single working mom in a man's world.

(click here for links)

Special: Baby-Sitters Club All Grown Up! Stacey!

It's time for that boy-crazy, uber-sophisticated, perm addict, diabetic, math nerd, BSC treasurer Stacey McGill  to grow up! How did she turn out? Well, let's find out! :)

(click here for closeup view & details)

Stacey officially started going by Anastasia in college, when she moved to New York for good. She felt it went better with her tres-chic new look. She finally got rid of the permed hair and went for a softer, more natural wave that suited her almost all-black wardrobe. Black is slimming you know and in NYC, all the cool kids wear it. And Stacey Anastasia is definitely a cool kid. Featured on TheSartorialist blog on the streets, she was soon discovered by a top modelling agency and her future began to take off. Thanks to her diabetes, her "naturally slim" figure helped her land many top jobs and modelling gigs. Her incredible likeness to actress Blake Lively led to a 6-episode stint on Gossip Girl as Serena's evil twin. Soon, Anastasia was everywhere: runways, billboards, TV, magazines, you name it. Anastasia dropped out of college her sophomore year and never looked back.

On the outside, Anastasia seems totally happy and collected, but on the inside, she's kind of a mess. She's been married twice and engaged no less than 6 times, so she's obviously got some commitment issues. It all stemmed from her father's supposed abandonment (he died from a heart attack when she was 17. Her mom always said those horrible work habits would kill him one day.) She's constantly looking for that replacement father figure. Well, parents of former baby-sitting charges are not the right place to look, as Charlotte Johansen will tell you. And Jenny Prezzioso. Anastasia has had a string of affairs with controlling workaholics and drugged-out bad boys, including several well-known celebrities, but none of them make her happy.

Claudia always told her that choosing boys over her BFF's would catch up with her and it finally has. She has a semi-monthly Sunday brunch with Claud and meets Mary Anne for a fancy dinner (MA insists on going to one of the big celebrity hangouts every time) when she's in town, but that's about it. Her one true girlfriend is, surprisingly, Laine Cummings. Laine knows how hard it is to live and work in NYC, having become a successful businesswoman in a man's world (literally, she's the head buyer for Barney's men's line). She may not approve of some of Anastasia's choices, but as long as she stays away from her man, they're all good. 

Anastasia claims she is happier with mostly male friends, that females are too catty and always jealous of her, but her former BSCers know the truth. She may be a NYC girl, but her heart is still in Stoneybrook, having sleepovers in Kristy's McMansion and gossiping about that gross Alan Gray. Plus, her mom still lives in their newer old house and they miss each other like crazy. They try to get together at least once a month, but with Anastasia's super busy schedule and her mom's new family (she remarried a few years after Stace graduated HS and had a late in life baby boy named Jack-Claire Pike now baby-sits him lol) it doesn't always happen. They talk and text constantly though and her mom is very proud of her career (her personal life, not so much). Anastasia knows she is always welcome back in Stoneybrook though, as long as she leaves the NYC attitude in the city, and she may take them up on that offer one day. When she starts getting wrinkles and the Botox stops working.

Review: "Stacey & The Mystery of Stoneybrook: The Baby-Sitters Club #35"

Stacey & The Mystery of Stoneybrook: The Baby-Sitters Club #35 by Ann M Martin
3 out of 5 stars

I crossed out the title page on this one with a red pen...guess I didn't like the title or something. This one was alright, not great, didn't seem to have much purpose. (Not that any of them do, I suppose.) Anyway, we open with Stacey coming home from a "fabulous" weekend in NYC with her dad. Quote marks because it actually kind of sucked. Her dad works most of the weekend and hounds her about her diabetes when they go out to eat. But she gets to go shopping so she can look tres sophisticated in po-dunk Stoneybrook. [Stacey] I had dressed for my train ride in a white jumpsuit, layered over a blue tank top. I had on white push-down socks with blue hearts all over them, a wide blue patent leather belt, and a wild necklace made of all kinds of plastic sea creatures in a rainbow of colors.

(click here for details on items used)

We actually get a double What Stacey is Wearing for this book woot woot, so here's Stace's new outfit she wears to school later on: I'd gotten this pink polka-dotted short skirt with suspender straps and had worn it with an oversized white T-shirt. I had on my pink high0top sneakers, folded down to show their striped lining. I'd also worn these great earrings Claud had given me for my birthday. They had all these little pink plastic hearts dangling down from one bigger heart. In case you haven't noticed, I do like the color pink! (Yeah, we noticed. I'm not sure how great that looks with your blonde hair and "golden" skin though.)

So, Stacey is home from a long weekend and at Monday's BSC meeting...Dr Johanssen, Charlotte's mom, calls and says that she & Mr. need to go out of town for a week to take care of Dr's sick dad. She wants to know if Charlotte can stay with Stacey and her mom for the week. I'm not really sure why she didn't call Mrs. McGill first for this, but I guess she knows Kristy has the final say-so lol. Mrs. McGill says yes and Stacey is super excited. She fixes up the guest room for Charlotte, putting new sheets on the bed and toys and books on the shelves. She thinks it will be just like having a little sister and it'll be so much fun, etc...

Well, Charlotte arrives and it is NOT fun. She's worried about her Grandpa, understandably, but also super clingy to her parents before they leave and Mopey Moperson after. To get her mind off things, she tells Charlotte about this old house that is getting torn down in their neighborhood. The other BSCers (those born there that is) are completely absorbed in this story for some reason. I guess they've never seen a house torn down before. Stacey is like "Whatevs" but Charlotte seems interested, so they go check it out. While there, some seriously weird (although explainable) things happen: they hear clanging pipes, see a face in a window after the workmen have left, there's a huge swarm of flies near the back door, and they see a fire in one of the windows but it immediately goes out, like it was never there. Freaky right?

Charlotte & Stacey take off after that and both have these horrible nightmares, so naturally, Kristy calls an emergency BSC meeting to figure this crap out. She finds some old books in Watson's McLibrary and finds out that Stoneybrook was built on an ancient burial ground (Whaaatt???) and the house is on the, supposedly, most sacred spot of all. Yeah, I can't make this stuff up. Is this what the mysteries are going to be like? Cause I don't know if I want to read them after all lol. Anyway, this is such an awesome mystery that it even interests Claudia and she goes where no C- art student has gone before: the library. ;) She finds the previous owner, this super old dude named...oh, it doesn't matter...and her, Kristy, Stacey, and Charlotte go to the nursing home to visit him and get some answers. He never has any visitors, so to keep them there as long as possible, he tells them all these wacky stories about how the house is haunted and don't go to the construction site, oooohhhh....Luckily, the BSCers are skeptical and don't quite believe him.

In between all this, Charlotte keeps telling Stacey she feels sick and Super Sitter that Stacey is, she thinks it's just homesickness. Until Char has a fever and is almost on her deathbed. Okay not really, but she does have tonsillitis and Stacey & Mrs. McGill feel really bad. Char hates her medicine and refuses to take it, until Stacey has the bright idea to show Char all her diabetes stuff and what she has to do every day. This was kind of anti-climactic for all that foreshadowing in the last few books of Stacey not feeling well and stuff. I was hoping for at least a fainting spell in the cafeteria again. But no, she just has to be even more vigilant. Boo.

Alright, it's the day of the house destruction, Charlotte is feeling better, so they decide to go watch. Along with most of Stoneybrook apparently. Everything is all normal and kind of boring, until Stacey suddenly sees the house catch fire. She freaks, but when she looks around, realizes that nobody else sees it! She gets this sudden urge to go see the old dude, so she leaves Char with Claudia and runs all the way to the home. When she gets there, she finds out he died last night and left her a note explaining that he was just kidding and the house was totally fine and he's sorry for lying. Okay.

When she comes outside, she is picked up by Kristy and her brothers, who tell her that they talked to the construction workers and everything weird is explained away. There was one worker left that day, who they saw in the window, and he was using a torch (fire), and the flies were actually bees (yeah, I think I can tell the difference between a fly and a bee). But it doesn't explain the fire Stacey saw that day, which is totally creepy. I think her insulin is getting to her. Anyway, Char's parents come home, Grandpa is fine, and everything is good...except for that one cold spot in the school gym. Oh and did you see that baby stroller floating by? Ooooh....haha!!

Review: "Welcome Back, Stacey! The Baby-Sitters Club #28"

Welcome Back, Stacey! The Baby-Sitters Club #28 by Ann M Martin
4 out of 5 stars

I was 24 years old when my parents split up. They told my sister and I on a Thursday at the beginning of October in 2004. Around 9pm. (A new ER was about to come on and we were mad they were making us miss it to "talk" lol.) When they were done talking, we left and just drove around. We ended up at the Barnes & Noble in the next town that didn't close til 11. (Books are comforting, right?) We were shocked, flabbergasted even. But not really. The signs were all there, just like for Stacey, once we looked for them.

I think this is the reason I connected and liked this book so much. As a child, I was just like "Yay! Stacey is coming back! Woo she's wearing a crazy outfit! (More on that later)". But as an adult, I can really see how well-written and thoughtful this book was. Stacey is scared when she hears her parents fighting all the time...her dad is a workaholic, Type A personality that is hardly ever home and her mom is a bored stay-at-home mom that overspends to compensate. (Although I would call $1500 at Tiffany a little excessive too eek.) They've fallen out of love with each other, it happens. A lot nowadays. But for the kid, no matter what age, it's devastating.

So Stacey does what any self-respecting teen would do in this situation: she locks herself in her room, cranks the music up, and refuses to speak to her parents. :) Of course, she comes out for meals because she's Diabetic (capital D because it's her defining characteristic) but she solves that by hiding behind the newspaper.

Let's talk for a minute about What Stacey is Wearing the day after her parents have The Talk. This has got to be the WORST outfit in BSC history. Seriously. I would expect this kind of clownery from Claudia, but not Miss Sophisticated, I Heart NYC, Stacey Anastasia McGill. She should have her Bloomingdale's card revoked. And she thinks this is one of [her] better outfits-short red pants with purple suspenders over a bright yellow and black sweat shirt. On my feet I put my purple push-down socks and a pair of red hightop sneakers. I added jewelry-a big necklace with wooden bananas and oranges strung on it, and dangly earrings shaped like sunglasses. Then I rolled up a red scarf and tied it in my hair like a headband. My outfit was pretty colorful. [Understatement of the century!] I think I was trying to make up for the gray day.

(click to make bigger or go here)

Stacey turns to her friends for comfort, and while they can't really help her much, they are there for her. Even stuck-up Laine tries her hardest, going so far as to let Stacey use her phone to call the BSCers and her "other BFF" Claudia. Dawn and Kristy give the best advice obviously, having gone thru this themselves. And eventually Stacey seems to come to terms with it, although I'm sure not completely.

Her big issue now is: who is she going to live with? Her dad has decided to stay in the city, moving to a new apartment, and her mom is considering moving back to Stoneybrook. What to do, what to do? Well, unless you are completely obtuse, you've noticed the cover up there with the BSC members rushing to meet Stacey (who seems to have raided her mom's closet). Hey wait...where's the big "Welcome Back" banner?? They always have a banner! Mary Anne got her period? We need a banner! lol...

So she obviously picks her mom, because let's face it: she wasn't that popular at her NYC school after the whole peeing the bed, fainting in the cafeteria faze. She's tres-chic in little ol' Stoneybrook plus she's got her mom who she's much closer to and way more friends and you can't forget all those dang kids needing substitute parents! Welcome Back, Stacey!! We missed you and your poofy, permed hair!

Review: "Stacey's Mistake: The Baby-Sitters Club #18"

Stacey's Mistake: The Baby-Sitters Club #18 by Ann M Martin
2 out of 5 stars

This is the first "Stacey in New York" book...and hopefully the last, according to my younger self, since I was already counting down to when she came back to Stoneybrook (10 more books). Stacey turns into a mega-snob when she's in New York; even more than normal. And when the other BSC members come visit her (minus Mallory & Jessi, cause they're not important) she turns into this uber-snob-o-maniac. Yeah.

The whole reason the girls are coming to visit is because there's a schizophrenic homeless lady named Judy living outside Stacey's building and her parents and all the other rich parents want to do something about this little problem. No really. That's the reason. After the first few pages, Judy's story kind of disappears (probably ranting on some other street corner now) and the partying and baby-sitting kick in. Stacey was asked to baby-sit 10 kids for an afternoon so the parents can discuss "the problem", and since she's not a super-sitter like Kristy with her 50bajillion brothers and sisters, she asks the BSC-ers to come stay the weekend and help her out. This would all be hunky dory dairy (one of my favorite books btw!) if the other BSC-ers weren't such embarrassing small town hicks.

Mary Anne is a walking guidebook...I'd love to see Central Park. It's eight hundred and forty-three acres of fun. Or maybe we could go to South Street Seaport, located in the Wall Street area of lower Manhattan and featuring nineteenth-century buildings, three piers, and a maritime museum. She looked quite proud of herself. She shouldn't be.

Kristy is almost as bad with her big mouth and the "fill-it mig-nun" incident at the Hard Rock. I've been to the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas. It's super awesome. :)

Then there's Dawn...Miss Super Cool, Laid Back, Nothing Bothers Me Because I'm Probably Smoking Pot...who turns into a scared, freaked out mess in New York. She's scared of rats. (who isn't? But just trap them under a bucket with the laundry soap on top til your dad gets home and you're good to go. Not that I would know.) She's scared of the homeless lady digging the burger out of the trash and the cockroaches and possibly getting mugged and...oh, I don't even know what else.

Claudia brings a huge trunk of clothes with her, of course, which makes Stacey go "Oh Em Gee Claudia! How embarrassing!" And she gets in a little tiff with Laine, Stacey's tres cool NY BFF. Laine was beyond chic. She had chosen a short black dress, black stockings, and simple black flats. On one wrist was a single silver bangle bracelet. On her dress was one of those silver squiggle pins. Her fluffy brown hair was newly permed and perfectly cut. She looked wonderful-at least nineteen. All the better to pick up creep-o older guys at the bar.

In the end, the BSC-ers are still BFF-ers, Stacey gets over her prejudices against hicks and "the problem" is "taken care of". Whatever that means. Laine learns to tolerate the goody-goodies and they in turn worship her, mostly because she takes them to a play in a limo (that's short for limousine you know).

Review: "Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye: The Baby-Sitters Club #13"

Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye by Ann M Martin

4 out of 5 stars

Why is Stacey's car in the middle of the lawn? And why did her best friend, who is an artist, do that lame-o going away banner? Oh BSC cover artists, you slacked again. Do you even read the books?

This is one of those sad books. Stacey's dad's job is not doing so well so they are transferring him back to the New York office...which means Stacey has to move away from Stoneybrook and the BSC. But I'm going to tell you a secret, a spoiler even: she comes back! *Gasp* :) Stacey wavers between being super excited about going back to the big, exciting city and sobbing about leaving Claudia and all her friends. Not that she really has a choice in the matter; it's not like she can stay with Claudia and her family. Which of course they try...why did kids always think that's going to work?

Stacey finally comes to terms with the move, mostly because her parents say the BSC can have a yard sale and keep all the money. Spoiled much? There's a great bit where they're trying to price stuff and Stacey seems to think a sweater will sell for $40. Dawn says they don't have yard sales in California either...really? Is that true? Apparently, they make a butt-load of money at the sale and split it between all 5 of them. But the other BSC'ers decide to use it on a going away party for Stacey. And what better way to say "we'll miss you" than having all the kids they baby-sit come over and hosting a big "Field Day" type party??

There's a few interesting smaller plots:

-Jeff is still causing trouble and totally flips out on Mary Anne. He's really ready to move home to Cali with his dad and sick of being with "the girls"

-The Pike kids spy on their new Russian neighbors. And Claudia lets them.

-Morbidda Destiny/Mrs Porter invites the Thomas/Watson kids over for lemonade, nearly scaring the pee out of them. Literally.

-Stacey has to tell Charlotte that she's moving and of course, all the tears. Stacey gives Charlotte a copy of A Cricket in Times Square, which coincidentally, I just checked out at the library this weekend.

-Mrs Barrett gives Dawn .50 cents extra an hour to help Buddy & Suzi run a sidewalk sale. Totally not worth it. Also, Marnie+Ham Face=Cutest Kid Evah!!

-And Stacey's last BSC meeting (for now) with a "What the Baby-Sitters Club is Wearing" (although for some reason Stacey didn't describe her's, so I made up my own.)

She was wearing a wonderful Claudia outfit-a purple-and-white striped body suit under a gray jumper-thing. The legs of the body suit stretched all the way to the ankles, but she was wearing purple push-down socks anyway. Around her middle was a wide purple belt with a buckle in the shape of a telephone. And on her feet were black ballet slippers.

Dawn was wearing a very short kilt, an oversized red sweater, and yellow socks over red tights. On her head was a red beret with a sparkly initial pin attached to the side. Mary Anne was wearing an outfit that I [Stacey] had helped her choose. It was tame, but not dorky-a navy blue minidress with a pink sash, blue tights, and black slippers like Claudia’s.

Kristy was wearing her uniform-jeans, a turtleneck (pale blue), a sweater (blue-and-white striped), and sneakers. I [Stacey] was getting ready for back-to-school at New York in a fitted black jersey tee, a short flouncy skirt with black and red flowers, black tights and slouchy black boots.

Review: "Boy-Crazy Stacey: The Baby-Sitters Club #8"

Boy-Crazy Stacey: The Baby-Sitters Club #8 by Ann M Martin

5 out of 5 stars

Oh.Em.Gee. Would you look at that hunk on the cover?? He's so dreamy. So buff. So...eighteen?!?! Seriously? More like 28. Jeez. Anyway, that hugemongous discrepancy aside, I *love* this book. It's one of my favorites.

It's still summertime in Stoneybrook and the girls are all meeting at Kristy's McMansion for a last sleepover before they all split up for stuff. And right off the bat, we get a "What Stacey is Wearing"! Woo! "I...wanted to be cool since it felt like it was about 150 degrees outside. [I feel ya sister!] ...I decided on this new pink shirt...Big, bright green and yellow birds were splashed all over it. It was gigantic, so it would be cool. I put it on with a pair of baggy shorts, looped a wide green belt around my middle, and hunted up some jewelry-silver bangle bracelets and a pair of silver earrings shaped like bells that actually ring when they dangle back and forth." Poor, deprived Stacey was only able to put on one pair of earrings though, because her parents said she would look like a pirate if she had more than one piercing. Wonder what they would say about my 3 sets and cartilage?

Stacey & Mary Anne got picked to go with the Pike family to Sea City, New Jersey. I want to go to Sea City. Besides the hunky, beefy lifeguards, there's Trampoline Land, Candy Heaven AND Kitchen, Ice-Cream Palace, a ferris wheel, arcade, miniature golf and Burger Garden! Plus, you know, the beach and stuff. Lol...It takes 2 cars and a Barf Bucket to get the Pikes to the beach and mayhem ensues. Claire is calling everybody "Silly-Billy-Goo-Goo", Vanessa is rhyming everything, Nicky wants to hang with his big brothers and not the baby girls, Byron (the sensitive triplet) is scared of the ocean and Stacey falls for the hot hunk of meat on the lifeguard stand, leaving Mary Anne to watch all the kids by herself. Selfish cow. Doesn't Mary Anne know it's LUV?? ;)

Oh and Nicky tells this silly joke: "So one day this matta-baby comes up to me-" "What's a matta-baby?" "Nothing. Whatsa matta with you?" Haha! No? Okay then.

Mary Anne gets a major sunburn, been there done that. Stacey becomes Hunkaholic's new errand girl. Somebody's got to get those cold sodas you know. And it all pays off, because Hunkorama gives her the raddest gift ever: the whistle off his neck, which obviously means he's totally in LUV with her too. I know, you are super jealous, me too. So Mary Anne just keeps getting more and more pissed, but hello? She's suddenly got this cute (for a 9th grader) guy mother's helper helping her out too. So what's she complaining about?

And! There's another "What Stacey is Wearing" plus a special edition "What Mary Anne is Wearing"! (Which is really cheating, because she's wearing Stacey's clothes lol) "Cute guys...I put on a white cotton vest over a pink cotton dress and tied a big white bow in my hair so that it flopped over the side of my head." "...I loaned [Mary Anne] my yellow pedalpushers, a yellow and white striped tank top, and an oversized white jacket."

The girls finally get a night off and go sight-seeing, buy some souvenirs, and Stacey buys Hunkahunka a big heart-shaped box of chocolates. Because that's what any 18 year old dude wants. Right after she buys it though, something MAJOR happens. Stacey catches that slimeball kissing another girl and her heart is totally broken.

Mary Anne is still pissed, but she gets over it and the girls end up hanging out with the guy babysitter and his cute cousin. They turn out to be totally cool guys and the girls *might* be in luv. Stacey gets her first kiss (even though she claims she dated tons in 7th grade?) and Mary Anne goes out on her first date and trades rings with the guy. Really. So all ends well in Baby-Sitters Land and it's back to Stoneybrook. Pull out the Barf Bucket.