Scan barcode
situationnormal's review against another edition
5.0
I *almost* skipped the Portrait books because I thought they were movie tie-ins for some reason, but I'm so glad I didn't. This was my favorite BSC book in a while (maybe because it was mostly Stacey, of course, with some Claudia sprinkled in). I love reading stories about the girls pre-BSC. And it's nice not feeling like the characters could be interchangable in some of the books because the ghost writers can't be bothered to learn to write them each individually.
finesilkflower's review against another edition
5.0
The Portrait Collection is a series of the Baby-sitters Club girls' school-assigned "autobiographies," which take the form of 2- to 3-chapter short stories about their childhoods. I'll summarize and review each story individually.
Age 5: Stacey’s parents give her a magical birthday at the Plaza Hotel, home of her heroine, Eloise. Brief and fine.
Age 7: Stacey’s mother, working at Macy’s, gets her a spot on the Thanksgiving Parade float with her new heroine, Cinderella. Stacey tells everyone she will be televised, but when the video of the Cinderella float airs, Stacey is missing, and everyone thinks she was lying. Actually, she was ducking over the side at the time, rescuing Cinderella’s crown, which had blown off. Stacey is disappointed, but I think there's some sort of lesson here about genuine experiences vs. appearances? Except not really, because Cinderella gives her the crown to keep and she brings it for show-and-tell. Still, it's a sweet story and very "New York," which is what you want from a Stacey story.
Age 9: Stacey and Laine blow off ballroom dancing classes and walk around the city instead, feeling powerful and independent. They eventually get caught and get in trouble. One of the better memories, this one has an overall feeling of mischief and fun and features some cute moments of Stacey and Laine planning a nine-year-old’s dream apartment, with a gumball machine and a giant crayon.
Age 10: Stacey’s parents drag her on a "back to nature" trip to a small island off the coast of Maine. Stacey hates it at first and is mean to the island girl, Mara, but Mara earns her respect by being cool in an emergency (Stacey’s father breaks his ankle) and knowing how to drive. The girls become close friends by the end of the vacation, although they never contact each other afterward. I know this is a pretty tired city-mouse-country-mouse formula, but it works well, and it fits Stacey's personality that her basic snobbery and rural-phobia is overcome by shows of responsibility and competency. All Stacey wants is to be grown-up.
Overall, Stacey’s memories are all fun and in-character, and highlight her luxurious wealthy-New Yorker upbringing without making her seem unsympathetic or snooty. Notably absent are some milestones which you would think she would have included in an actual autobiography assignment, such as her diabetes diagnosis, her parents’ divorce, and all her moves, but those have been described in the series already so maybe they were just omitted for our convenience. Although it’s kind of funny if Stacey didn’t include them at all.
Grade: Stacey's autobiography assignment earns her an A for "good organization, keen descriptions, and a good analysis of what each event meant to you." This seems like the rubric for writing and editing these manuscripts, and it's funny to see that reflected in grades. Obviously each girl has to get a good grade, right? I mean, an adult wrote them. A real pre-teen would write an autobiography in a very simplistic way--here's what happened in each year. A child who actually organized their autobiography in the form of a few specific, small-but-meaningful incidents, including descriptions and dialogue, would stand way out.
Read as a kid: Yes. Although the Portrait Collections started quite late in my original BSC phase--I remember when this one was new; I basically held on until the Claudia one came out, and none of the others had been released by the time I stopped reading--I got to this one soon enough to read it several times. I enjoyed it a lot.
Age 5: Stacey’s parents give her a magical birthday at the Plaza Hotel, home of her heroine, Eloise. Brief and fine.
Age 7: Stacey’s mother, working at Macy’s, gets her a spot on the Thanksgiving Parade float with her new heroine, Cinderella. Stacey tells everyone she will be televised, but when the video of the Cinderella float airs, Stacey is missing, and everyone thinks she was lying. Actually, she was ducking over the side at the time, rescuing Cinderella’s crown, which had blown off. Stacey is disappointed, but I think there's some sort of lesson here about genuine experiences vs. appearances? Except not really, because Cinderella gives her the crown to keep and she brings it for show-and-tell. Still, it's a sweet story and very "New York," which is what you want from a Stacey story.
Age 9: Stacey and Laine blow off ballroom dancing classes and walk around the city instead, feeling powerful and independent. They eventually get caught and get in trouble. One of the better memories, this one has an overall feeling of mischief and fun and features some cute moments of Stacey and Laine planning a nine-year-old’s dream apartment, with a gumball machine and a giant crayon.
Age 10: Stacey’s parents drag her on a "back to nature" trip to a small island off the coast of Maine. Stacey hates it at first and is mean to the island girl, Mara, but Mara earns her respect by being cool in an emergency (Stacey’s father breaks his ankle) and knowing how to drive. The girls become close friends by the end of the vacation, although they never contact each other afterward. I know this is a pretty tired city-mouse-country-mouse formula, but it works well, and it fits Stacey's personality that her basic snobbery and rural-phobia is overcome by shows of responsibility and competency. All Stacey wants is to be grown-up.
Overall, Stacey’s memories are all fun and in-character, and highlight her luxurious wealthy-New Yorker upbringing without making her seem unsympathetic or snooty. Notably absent are some milestones which you would think she would have included in an actual autobiography assignment, such as her diabetes diagnosis, her parents’ divorce, and all her moves, but those have been described in the series already so maybe they were just omitted for our convenience. Although it’s kind of funny if Stacey didn’t include them at all.
Grade: Stacey's autobiography assignment earns her an A for "good organization, keen descriptions, and a good analysis of what each event meant to you." This seems like the rubric for writing and editing these manuscripts, and it's funny to see that reflected in grades. Obviously each girl has to get a good grade, right? I mean, an adult wrote them. A real pre-teen would write an autobiography in a very simplistic way--here's what happened in each year. A child who actually organized their autobiography in the form of a few specific, small-but-meaningful incidents, including descriptions and dialogue, would stand way out.
Read as a kid: Yes. Although the Portrait Collections started quite late in my original BSC phase--I remember when this one was new; I basically held on until the Claudia one came out, and none of the others had been released by the time I stopped reading--I got to this one soon enough to read it several times. I enjoyed it a lot.
sammah's review against another edition
3.0
Not the most interesting Portrait Collection book, but not the worst one either. Just really sort of dull. Nothing spectacular seemed to happen in Stacey's life outside of her diabetes and her parents divorce, both topics that were covered primarily in other books and Super Specials. It probably could have been much more interesting but, as usual, the safe and dull approach was taken and we were left with...this.
xtinamorse's review against another edition
Read my recap at A Year with the BSC via Stoneybrook Forever: https://www.livethemovies.com/bsc-blog/portrait-collection-staceys-book
pixieauthoress's review against another edition
5.0
While I loved seeing Stacey as a kid, boy could she be a brat! Skipping her ballroom dancing lessons and wandering all over the city without realising how dangerous it was, and moaning about going on a quiet holiday with "nothing" to do. My family could never afford to take us on expensive, action-packed adventure holidays when I was a kid and we spent many holidays going to the Highlands of Scotland where we went on walks, bird-watched, played ball games, flying kites, reading books, skipping stones and hunting for shells on the beach. To be honest, Stacey's holiday sounded wonderful to me and it bugged me that she was so selfish and bratty about it. As much as I like Stacey as a teenager her child-self annoyed me in places. Still, it was nice to read about her as a kid and see continuity - her mum worked at a department store and her dad was already a workaholic. I like it when the ghostwriters remember to drop in snippets like these to keep the story realistic! 9/10
ssshira's review against another edition
4.0
this is the first of the portrait collections (by ghostwriter [a:Jeanne Betancourt|79828|Jeanne Betancourt|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1258759027p2/79828.jpg] -- this is her first bsc book), which are sort of autobiographical books about the 8th-grade babysitters, written under the guise of an 8th-grade school project. each of the books gives a bit of context and then delves right into the autobiography. each autobiography is split up by ages. the following are stacey's stories, by age:
age four: gets to go to the plaza for lunch because she's obsessed with [b:Eloise|782854|Eloise|Kay Thompson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348009989l/782854._SX50_.jpg|768864]. pretends she's eloise to plaza staff (yeah, I'm sure that doesn't get old for them or anything).
age five: gets to be on the cinderella float in the macy's day parade. right when she would be on tv she has to save cinderella's crown, which has blown off (with cinderella's hair almost getting blown off too -- stacey is scandalized to realize it's a wig). stacey's family and the kids at school are disappointed to not have seen stacey on tv, but stacey feels happy to have had this cool saving cinderella experience.
age eight: stacey and laine's parents sign them up for ballroom dancing classes, but she and laine sneak off each time to have fun instead. they end up getting caught when they attempt to take the bus to FAO schwarz and get back to the dance studio half an hour late.
age ten: stacey goes on trip to tiny island in maine with her parents. she befriends a girl who lives in that island full time when the girl saves stacey's dad when he falls and brakes his ankle. stacey had been a city jerk to her, but the moment she sees the girl be resourceful she gets a newfound respect for her island-dwelling lifestyle.
age twelve (really thirteen -- see lowlights for why): claudia comes to visit in nyc (this takes place after [b:Stacey's Mistake|625280|Stacey's Mistake (The Baby-Sitters Club, #18)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1176427186l/625280._SX50_.jpg|545675] but before [b:Welcome Back, Stacey|233797|Welcome Back, Stacey (The Baby-Sitters Club, #28)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388254436l/233797._SX50_.jpg|226428]) and is a grump about everything. turns out she just misses stacey and doesn't want to see how "happy" she is in new york. of course stacey is not actually happy because all of her former friends (except laine) are assholes who don't understand diabetes.
highlights:
-I LOVED the portrait collections when I was a kid. they're kind of like [b:The Baby-Sitters Remember|2004357|The Baby-Sitters Remember (The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special, #11)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1216362102l/2004357._SX50_.jpg|2008257] but focused on one character. this one was slightly less good than I remembered, but still very fun.
-cinderella's hair being a wig is SUCH a stacey story. I love it. guys, she's so sophisticated and worldly. you just wouldn't understand.
-stacey's mom says she will worry until she sees the whites of stacey and laine's eyes, so when they come back they turn their eyelids inside out. such eight year olds!
-eight-year-old stacey's handwriting is exactly the same as it is now but bigger and messier.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-twelve? stacey is NOT twelve when she moves back to NYC. [b:Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye|38421|Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye (The Babysitters Club, #13)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1495914730l/38421._SX50_.jpg|38191] happens early in 8th grade AFTER [b:Logan Likes Mary Anne!|233724|Logan Likes Mary Anne! (The Baby-Sitters Club, #10)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389063745l/233724._SX50_.jpg|995924], in which we find out that mary anne is the last babysitter to turn 13. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.
claudia outfit:
-"That day she had on a purple jacket, black tights, and red cowboy boots. Her black hair was half piled on her head and half down her back, so the brightly colored three-hoop earrings she'd made for herself showed off nicely."
stacey outfits:
-"Today, at this moment, I'm wearing black tights, a pink-and-black striped oversized sweat shirt, and pink high-top sneakers."
-at eight: 'The dress my mother decided was "appropriate" for ballroom dancing was a pink silk shift dress with a lace collar, white tights, and black patent leather shoes.'
-at ten: "I dressed in my thickest pair of jeans, my red high-top sneakers, and a long-sleeved blue polo shirt. Over that I'd wear my white denim jacket. I was glad I'd brought my wide-brimmed straw hat with the red checked bow. That would protect my head."
no snacks in claudia's room.
age four: gets to go to the plaza for lunch because she's obsessed with [b:Eloise|782854|Eloise|Kay Thompson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348009989l/782854._SX50_.jpg|768864]. pretends she's eloise to plaza staff (yeah, I'm sure that doesn't get old for them or anything).
age five: gets to be on the cinderella float in the macy's day parade. right when she would be on tv she has to save cinderella's crown, which has blown off (with cinderella's hair almost getting blown off too -- stacey is scandalized to realize it's a wig). stacey's family and the kids at school are disappointed to not have seen stacey on tv, but stacey feels happy to have had this cool saving cinderella experience.
age eight: stacey and laine's parents sign them up for ballroom dancing classes, but she and laine sneak off each time to have fun instead. they end up getting caught when they attempt to take the bus to FAO schwarz and get back to the dance studio half an hour late.
age ten: stacey goes on trip to tiny island in maine with her parents. she befriends a girl who lives in that island full time when the girl saves stacey's dad when he falls and brakes his ankle. stacey had been a city jerk to her, but the moment she sees the girl be resourceful she gets a newfound respect for her island-dwelling lifestyle.
age twelve (really thirteen -- see lowlights for why): claudia comes to visit in nyc (this takes place after [b:Stacey's Mistake|625280|Stacey's Mistake (The Baby-Sitters Club, #18)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1176427186l/625280._SX50_.jpg|545675] but before [b:Welcome Back, Stacey|233797|Welcome Back, Stacey (The Baby-Sitters Club, #28)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388254436l/233797._SX50_.jpg|226428]) and is a grump about everything. turns out she just misses stacey and doesn't want to see how "happy" she is in new york. of course stacey is not actually happy because all of her former friends (except laine) are assholes who don't understand diabetes.
highlights:
-I LOVED the portrait collections when I was a kid. they're kind of like [b:The Baby-Sitters Remember|2004357|The Baby-Sitters Remember (The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special, #11)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1216362102l/2004357._SX50_.jpg|2008257] but focused on one character. this one was slightly less good than I remembered, but still very fun.
-cinderella's hair being a wig is SUCH a stacey story. I love it. guys, she's so sophisticated and worldly. you just wouldn't understand.
-stacey's mom says she will worry until she sees the whites of stacey and laine's eyes, so when they come back they turn their eyelids inside out. such eight year olds!
-eight-year-old stacey's handwriting is exactly the same as it is now but bigger and messier.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-twelve? stacey is NOT twelve when she moves back to NYC. [b:Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye|38421|Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye (The Babysitters Club, #13)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1495914730l/38421._SX50_.jpg|38191] happens early in 8th grade AFTER [b:Logan Likes Mary Anne!|233724|Logan Likes Mary Anne! (The Baby-Sitters Club, #10)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389063745l/233724._SX50_.jpg|995924], in which we find out that mary anne is the last babysitter to turn 13. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.
claudia outfit:
-"That day she had on a purple jacket, black tights, and red cowboy boots. Her black hair was half piled on her head and half down her back, so the brightly colored three-hoop earrings she'd made for herself showed off nicely."
stacey outfits:
-"Today, at this moment, I'm wearing black tights, a pink-and-black striped oversized sweat shirt, and pink high-top sneakers."
-at eight: 'The dress my mother decided was "appropriate" for ballroom dancing was a pink silk shift dress with a lace collar, white tights, and black patent leather shoes.'
-at ten: "I dressed in my thickest pair of jeans, my red high-top sneakers, and a long-sleeved blue polo shirt. Over that I'd wear my white denim jacket. I was glad I'd brought my wide-brimmed straw hat with the red checked bow. That would protect my head."
no snacks in claudia's room.
More...