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

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

4 out of 5 stars

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

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

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

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

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

Dawn, Dawn, please don't go,

We all love you so.

Your nice to us, you make us smile

We love your hair, your laugh, your stile.

When you're away in California

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

We wish you luck, tho you upset us

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3 out of 5 stars

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

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

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

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

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

created on URSTYLE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Created on URSTYLE; flamingo barrettes on Etsy

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

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: "Dawn's Family Feud: The Baby-Sitters Club #64"

Dawn's Family Feud: The Baby-Sitters Club #64 by Ann M Martin
2 out of 5 stars

This book gets 1 star for Claudia's outfit below and 1 star for Mrs Barrett finally getting her "happily ever after". No stars for Dawn or Mary Anne or their entire plotline. But I guess I'll go over it anyway.

Jeff is coming to town to visit for a whole week and Dawn is understandably super excited. Mr Spier takes off for the whole week to spend it with Jeff and suggests they take a family roadtrip to either Washington DC or Boston at the end of the week. The first few days are great, everyone is getting along and they have lots of fun making fun of a silly alien movie and eating Mexican food. But then the girls have to go to school, Jeff is left alone with Mr Spier (Mrs Schafer has to work), and Jeff gets sulky when he's forced to clean up after himself and the Pike boys don't want to play soccer. Things go downhill from there. Mr Spier is boring (duh), Dawn & Mary Anne start bickering amongst themselves, "a crack was starting to form in [their] family".

Let's pause the misery for a What Claudia was Wearing, shall we! Today for instance she was dressed in black overalls that she had splattered with pink and green and yellow globs of paint. Her purple high top tennis shoes matched her purple long sleeve t-shirt. Claud has beautiful black shining hair that she'd fixed in a French braid. On top of her head perched a little white painter's cap that she'd also splattered with paint. She looked awesome. (She always does.) (I would totally wear this outfit today. Also, those were my wedding shoes. :))

Okay, back to the Spier-Schafer breakdown. They head out on their trip to Boston. Jeff pouts because he suddenly changes his mind and wants to go to DC. Mary Anne thinks Jeff is being a pest and hurting her dad's feelings, Dawn thinks Mary Anne is being a baby, none of the 3 kids want to do anything that the "other family" does. Including share a hotel room, go on the same sightseeing tours, and eat at the same restaurants. And for some reason, their parents go along with it, splitting up into their "original families". Like, what? No. This is a family vacation, you do things together, whether you like it or not. Also, Dawn and Mary Anne are 13 years old and old enough to baby-sit. Let them go off on their own and the parents can do what they want. Ugh. Anyway, the trip is a huge failure and they head home early. 

Dawn's mom has scheduled a photographer to come and take a family picture before Jeff leaves and since they're all fighting still, it starts off awful. None of the kids are wearing their fancy clothes, the parents bicker over where to stage the photo, Mary Anne wants Tigger in the picture but he runs off, and everyone has angry faces. When they all see the test shots they realize how stupid they're all being and start laughing, breaking the tension finally. Everyone apologizes, retakes the pictures, and enjoys Jeff's last day there.

Alright, let's move on to the part that rated a star: Mrs Barrett finally getting her a decent man lol. You remember Mrs Barrett, right? The divorced mom of 3 who was kind of a wreck until Dawn helped her get her life turned around? Well she's finally found a good man and his name is Franklin DeWitt. The impossible 3 love Franklin, until they find out he has 4 kids of his own! Yikes. And they're all around the same age. Disaster in the making. The kids don't get along, the adults don't know how to handle it, and the baby-sitters save the day, as usual. Mrs Barrett makes her kids dress up for a fancy dinner, there's a disaster picnic in which a goat steals a sandwich, and lots of crying. Towards the end, the kids realize it's more fun to get along and play games together and it's all good. I do remember Mrs Barrett & Franklin getting married eventually, but not sure when. I'm sure there will be more drama before they do.

Happy Bookish Sisters!

So yesterday, I shared my wonderful bookish wedding photos and today, I wanted to do a quick post to share 2 other pictures we took at Half Price Books that day. My sister was our only in-person witness and she did double (triple? whatever) duty as bridesmaid, groomsman, camera person, makeup artist, and lots more. She also threw me a fantastic bridal shower and I got to see my extended family members for the first time all year. So I wanted to make sure we took some pictures together that day too.

I decided we needed to commemorate one of our favorite bookish memories. When we were kids and our parents would take us to B Dalton's Bookstore, my sister and I would head straight to the children's section. I'd help her pick out a new Berenstain Bears book and I would get the latest Baby-Sitters Club. Then we'd sit on the floor and read until our parents were ready to go. It was such fun to recreate that!

Happy Bookish Wedding Post!

I'm not sure why I haven't posted about this yet, I guess I forgot I could lol. On October 23, 2020 I got to marry my best friend, my favorite fellow bookish nerd. We met in 2017, thru a mutual online friend, had our first date at Half Price Books, and have been loving life and each other ever since. We got engaged Christmas Day 2019, started planning a fun wedding, and then hello, COVID19 hit. We knew we wanted to get married in October so we decided to wait it out. And wait and wait. And then we decided to change our plans, go smaller, simpler, but still us.

I found my dress online very cheap and it fit perfectly, my sister made our masks and did my hair & makeup, and my former work BFF made our flowers, out of Harry Potter pages. (I found the oldest used copy possible, don't worry!) We bought our Doctor Who inspired rings on Etsy from C9TTungsten  and added in purple accents to match them. Yes, I wore purple Converse sneakers! 

We started with a courthouse ceremony with just my sister as a witness. The rest of our friends and family watched on Facebook Live. (We were so happy the courthouse had good WiFi lol.) Yes, we wore masks throughout and it was both strange and normal at the same time. Afterwards, the 3 of us had a lovely lunch and then headed to our favorite Half Price Books, where we had our first date, to take wedding pictures. I called ahead of time and got it okayed with the manager, we went in a middle of a weekday so it wasn't very crowded, and we made sure to stay away from everyone else. And it was so much fun. We may not have had the wedding we wanted in the beginning, but it was an absolutely perfect day, and we will never forget it!

RInfinity Photography was recommended by my stepmom and she was so wonderful to work with and our pictures came out amazing. We used some of our favorite books as props (and of course bought them afterwards because we couldn't resist) and just had fun and laughed a lot. It was so nice to be back in a bookstore, among all my fictional friends. Oh yeah, and enjoy the time with my husband. :) And now, more picture fun! (Click any of them to make bigger)