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situationnormal's review against another edition
4.0
This one sucker punched me in the feels (until the last annoying chapter written all in letters--Mary Anne's is my least favorite handwriting to decipher). I may or may not have gotten a little choked up about Mary Anne being sad after the picnic, going to Mimi's grave, and about the letter her mother wrote her...and I may or may not be a little sad just thinking about it hours later.
Pretty sure we learned in a much earlier book Mary Anne was a little older than this when her mother died but I'm not TOO torn up by the fracture in the canon (or the fracture in my memory, possibly, but I thought she was 1 or 2? Not six months?)
Pretty sure we learned in a much earlier book Mary Anne was a little older than this when her mother died but I'm not TOO torn up by the fracture in the canon (or the fracture in my memory, possibly, but I thought she was 1 or 2? Not six months?)
bibliotequeish's review against another edition
As a kid my best friends sister had the whole BSC series on a book shelf in her room. I thought she was so grown up. And I envied this bookshelf. And would often poke my head into that room just to look at it.
And when I read BSC, I felt like such a grown up.
And while I might have still been a little too young to understand some of the issues dealt with in these books, I do appreciated that Ann M. Martin tackled age appropriate issues, some being deeper than others, but still important.
And when I read BSC, I felt like such a grown up.
And while I might have still been a little too young to understand some of the issues dealt with in these books, I do appreciated that Ann M. Martin tackled age appropriate issues, some being deeper than others, but still important.
readerette's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A decent nostalgia read for me since I used to read the Babysitters' Club books when I was a kid. Nothing complicated or taxing, though I appreciate the emotional depth brought by the main character's loss of her mother and some forgotten family history.
Racial and personality stereotypes typical of writing in the 90s.
Racial and personality stereotypes typical of writing in the 90s.
jamietherebelliousreader's review
4.0
4 stars. Mary Anne is not a favorite of mine. As I’ve gone through my re-read of all of the series she’s actually my least favorite character along with Kristy. Mary Anne is just too whiny and annoying for my tastes but I will say that I really enjoyed this book and found her to be likable and I completely understood her feelings in regards to everything that was going on. This book is about her learning about a time in her life that she way too young to remember and her dealing with it and it was very good. I loved it and thought that it was emotional, especially the letter that she reads from her mother. This was a really good read.
finesilkflower's review
2.0
Mary Anne learns that she has grandparents.
Mary Anne finds letters in her attic that reveal a troubling story about her past. Apparently, when her mother first died when she was a baby, her father gave her to her mother's parents to raise on a farm in Iowa. Later, he took her back. Mary Anne is confused by this information; she doesn't remember any of this happening, and she's never seen her grandparents since. Of course, when she eventually asks her father about this (after several chapters of eventless hand-wringing), he reassures he that she was always wanted but that he was too grief-stricken right after her mother's death to take care of her properly. Things are still touchy with her grandmother because of the custody fight, so they haven't spoken since, but coincidentally her grandmother now wants her to visit. The last chapter is Mary Anne's letters home while having a nice visit with her grandmother.
I'm sure I reviewed this one before. I REMEMBER giving it a negative review and specifically complaining that the timeline relied too much on coincidence. Did Goodreads eat it? Oh well. I can say it again. The timeline of this book relies FAR TOO MUCH on coincidence. Here are three things that happen, in this order, completely unconnected by cause and effect, within a few weeks of each other:
1. Mary Anne begins having a recurring dream about herself as a little girl with two old people she doesn't know.
2. The Stoneybrook Historical Society has a history fair, and Mary Anne is inspired by her charges' work on their family trees and town history research to search for clues to her own past in her attic.
3. Verna, Mary Anne's grandmother, calls Richard for the first time in 11 years, and Mary Anne overhears the conversation.
It would have been SO EASY to set up a line of cause-and-effect that would make all of these items related. How shocking would it have been for Mary Anne to hear the phone call FIRST? It would have been chillingly confusing because we'd have no idea who this was or what was happening. This would have been a much stronger impetus for her to start her research than some random dreams.
The thing is that I kind of like this as a backstory for Mary Anne, and even as a mystery (though low-stakes it's something a kid would find chilling), but I just think it's executed extremely poorly. Things that need to be explained, such as why Mary Anne knows so little about her past and her mother, are not explained, and things that don't need to be explained, like the fact that some people keep their old papers in the attic, are over-explained. The obvious solution to the 'mystery' is to ask her dad about it, and she avoids doing so for no real reason. Nor does she ask any other adults who would have known the family during the time in question, although her friends independently think of/suggest it several times. Her decisions about who to talk to, vs who to hide her problems from, at any given point are baffling and seem to have no purpose except to prolong the story.
Lingering Questions: Seriously, why does Mary Anne know so little?? Richard doesn't act like it's a big secret when she asks, so how come all this never came up before? Has she never thought about the fact that her mom must have had family? How come she doesn't know what her mother died of (although I'm sure it's mentioned in another book)? How come she has never even been to her mother's grave?! It would make sense if it were in Iowa, but it's in Stoneybrook and she's just never been or thought about it, nor has Richard ever taken her or mentioned it. Why not??? Doesn't he ever go himself? Why did the grandparents not try to be a part of Mary Anne's life at any point between when she was two and thirteen? The hand-wavey excuse that they found it too painful because she reminded them of her mother is VERY weak, especially considering that they agitated to keep custody of her and were fully prepared to raise her as their own.
Surprising Flash of Quality: The scene where Mary Anne goes looking for her mother's grave, and find Mimi's instead, and bursts into tears because Mimi was a mother figure for her in many ways and her grief for Mimi is more real to her than her grief for her mother who she never met... wow.
Timeline: The weather is nice, and no school is mentioned. It appears to be summer. Dawn is around.
Revised Timeline: This is where I figure out how old the baby-sitters would be if they aged. This book was published in August 1992, the same month as [b:Keep Out, Claudia!|371094|Keep Out, Claudia! (The Baby-Sitters Club, #56)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387703421l/371094._SX50_.jpg|527364]. At this point, I figured the baby-sitters were starting/about to start twelfth grade. This is a rare case where the older Mary Anne is, the less the story works. It's more shocking but also more ludicrous that her grandparents just **decided not to contact her** for so many years without a really reasonable reason.
Mary Anne finds letters in her attic that reveal a troubling story about her past. Apparently, when her mother first died when she was a baby, her father gave her to her mother's parents to raise on a farm in Iowa. Later, he took her back. Mary Anne is confused by this information; she doesn't remember any of this happening, and she's never seen her grandparents since. Of course, when she eventually asks her father about this (after several chapters of eventless hand-wringing), he reassures he that she was always wanted but that he was too grief-stricken right after her mother's death to take care of her properly. Things are still touchy with her grandmother because of the custody fight, so they haven't spoken since, but coincidentally her grandmother now wants her to visit. The last chapter is Mary Anne's letters home while having a nice visit with her grandmother.
I'm sure I reviewed this one before. I REMEMBER giving it a negative review and specifically complaining that the timeline relied too much on coincidence. Did Goodreads eat it? Oh well. I can say it again. The timeline of this book relies FAR TOO MUCH on coincidence. Here are three things that happen, in this order, completely unconnected by cause and effect, within a few weeks of each other:
1. Mary Anne begins having a recurring dream about herself as a little girl with two old people she doesn't know.
2. The Stoneybrook Historical Society has a history fair, and Mary Anne is inspired by her charges' work on their family trees and town history research to search for clues to her own past in her attic.
3. Verna, Mary Anne's grandmother, calls Richard for the first time in 11 years, and Mary Anne overhears the conversation.
It would have been SO EASY to set up a line of cause-and-effect that would make all of these items related. How shocking would it have been for Mary Anne to hear the phone call FIRST? It would have been chillingly confusing because we'd have no idea who this was or what was happening. This would have been a much stronger impetus for her to start her research than some random dreams.
The thing is that I kind of like this as a backstory for Mary Anne, and even as a mystery (though low-stakes it's something a kid would find chilling), but I just think it's executed extremely poorly. Things that need to be explained, such as why Mary Anne knows so little about her past and her mother, are not explained, and things that don't need to be explained, like the fact that some people keep their old papers in the attic, are over-explained. The obvious solution to the 'mystery' is to ask her dad about it, and she avoids doing so for no real reason. Nor does she ask any other adults who would have known the family during the time in question, although her friends independently think of/suggest it several times. Her decisions about who to talk to, vs who to hide her problems from, at any given point are baffling and seem to have no purpose except to prolong the story.
Lingering Questions: Seriously, why does Mary Anne know so little?? Richard doesn't act like it's a big secret when she asks, so how come all this never came up before? Has she never thought about the fact that her mom must have had family? How come she doesn't know what her mother died of (although I'm sure it's mentioned in another book)? How come she has never even been to her mother's grave?! It would make sense if it were in Iowa, but it's in Stoneybrook and she's just never been or thought about it, nor has Richard ever taken her or mentioned it. Why not??? Doesn't he ever go himself? Why did the grandparents not try to be a part of Mary Anne's life at any point between when she was two and thirteen? The hand-wavey excuse that they found it too painful because she reminded them of her mother is VERY weak, especially considering that they agitated to keep custody of her and were fully prepared to raise her as their own.
Surprising Flash of Quality: The scene where Mary Anne goes looking for her mother's grave, and find Mimi's instead, and bursts into tears because Mimi was a mother figure for her in many ways and her grief for Mimi is more real to her than her grief for her mother who she never met... wow.
Timeline: The weather is nice, and no school is mentioned. It appears to be summer. Dawn is around.
Revised Timeline: This is where I figure out how old the baby-sitters would be if they aged. This book was published in August 1992, the same month as [b:Keep Out, Claudia!|371094|Keep Out, Claudia! (The Baby-Sitters Club, #56)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387703421l/371094._SX50_.jpg|527364]. At this point, I figured the baby-sitters were starting/about to start twelfth grade. This is a rare case where the older Mary Anne is, the less the story works. It's more shocking but also more ludicrous that her grandparents just **decided not to contact her** for so many years without a really reasonable reason.
sammah's review
3.0
I remember vaguely reading this one as a kid, but I had forgotten the finer details of it. I remember that Mary Anne found out about her grandmother, Verna, in Maynard, Iowa but that was about it. I only honestly remembered that much because the grandmother turns up again in other books, or at least in BSC In The USA.
I can understand Mary Anne at the beginning of this book, and I even feel sort of bad for her. All the kids are working on projects for Heritage Day, and Charlotte Johannsen has loads of great stuff. Pictures, letters, even a diary from her great-grandmother. It makes Mary Anne long to know more about her mother, so she goes snooping. She finds a lot of photographs and some letters that leave her feeling pretty confused, and ultimately she does confront her father. He explains everything, and life goes on.
The Heritage day B-plot was actually pretty interesting! I would have loved that sort of project as a kid, made me a little jealous to be honest! The best part of the entire book though is when Logan takes shirt off and Kristy responds with "WOO!" Atta girl, Kristy!
I can understand Mary Anne at the beginning of this book, and I even feel sort of bad for her. All the kids are working on projects for Heritage Day, and Charlotte Johannsen has loads of great stuff. Pictures, letters, even a diary from her great-grandmother. It makes Mary Anne long to know more about her mother, so she goes snooping. She finds a lot of photographs and some letters that leave her feeling pretty confused, and ultimately she does confront her father. He explains everything, and life goes on.
The Heritage day B-plot was actually pretty interesting! I would have loved that sort of project as a kid, made me a little jealous to be honest! The best part of the entire book though is when Logan takes shirt off and Kristy responds with "WOO!" Atta girl, Kristy!
xtinamorse's review
Read my recap at A Year with the BSC via Stoneybrook Forever: https://www.livethemovies.com/bsc-blog/mary-anne-and-the-secret-in-the-attic
ssshira's review
4.0
this is my first time reading this book!
in this [a:Ellen Miles|286072|Ellen Miles|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]-ghostwritten mystery, mary anne tries to track down information about her mom and her childhood. she discovers that after her mother's death, her father sent her to live with her maternal grandparents while he coped with his wife's death. when he finally decided he wanted her back, mary anne's grandparents don't want to give her back and a small custody battle ensued. years later mary anne's grandfather dies and her grandmother tries to develop a relationship with mary anne. mary anne villainizes her, thinking that she is trying to get custody again. eventually that all works out and mary anne goes to visit her. kind of a non-mystery mystery. subplot is that there is a stoneybrook heritage day to benefit the historical society in which many of the bsc kids participate (their classes sing songs, perform skits, recite a poem, create family trees, and more) and in which the bsc participate by creating local historical figure cutouts for photo posing.
highlights:
-in searching for heritage day stuff charlotte johanssen finds a locket with a photo of her great-grandmother in it and it looks just like her. I am not very wistful about where I come from, family tree stuff, etc. but I really like this part and would be super into finding a similar locket.
-the pikes have apparently always had big families (which makes nicky's family tree project a little rough), like their great-grandfather who had ten brothers and sisters, all with p names like "peter pike and polly pike and prudence pike and paul pike." hahaha those names
-mary anne giggles at gravestones with silly names like looney and stumpf but then she feels guilty about it. don't feel guilty, mary anne. near my parents' house there's a huge gravestone that you see from the road that says "BUTT" on it really big, and I continue to bless that person for dying and being buried there and having their last name written improbably largely on their gravestone, since I always get a good chuckle out of that.
-the bsc make historical people cardboard cutouts for the heritage day so folks can pose for photos with them. the ones they make are george and martha washington (based on the logic that george and martha washington once came to a town that is half an hour away from stoneybrook), plus old hickory (from [b:Mary Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery|232092|Mary Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery (The Baby-Sitters Club, #17)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417539951s/232092.jpg|1194755]) and sophie (from [b:Mallory and the Mystery Diary|558284|Mallory and the Mystery Diary (The Baby-Sitters Club, #29)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388254484s/558284.jpg|47884]). dawn is inspired to find out more about jared mullray (from [b:The Ghost at Dawn's House|371125|The Ghost at Dawn's House (The Baby-Sitters Club, #9)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1174229926s/371125.jpg|361092]. all the bsc ghosts (most of whom were introduced by ellen miles) coming together!
-when they're decorating the cutouts they get paint everywhere and logan takes off his shirt since it's covered in paint. mary anne gets shy. I LOVE THIS. little snippets of awkward 13-year-old budding sexuality!
-a census taker comes to the door but mary anne thinks she's a social worker coming to check up on how the spiers are living (sent by her grandmother in a custody battle fight). this is so perfectly 13-year-old also: her assumption that everything that ever happens directly relates to her experiences and her feelings.
-alma's (mary anne's mom's) letter to mary anne (she wrote it right before she died): "I would give anything to be with you today -- to be with you through all your days of growing up. I love you so much, and it hurts so badly to know that I have to leave you." there's something in my eye, guys. I'm not crying.
-some resolutions at the end: mary anne goes to iowa to get to know her grandmother. mary anne and richard (her dad) go to the cemetery to see alma's grave. richard and mary anne invite verna (mary anne's grandmother) for christmas.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-there's a reference to mary anne's sassy magazine. mary anne reads sassy? no way. she's not alternative or indie in any way.
-vanessa pike's poem for heritage day rhymes strong with strong. vanessa is way too experienced a poet to rhyme a word with itself.
-"the reference room was pretty empty, since it was a nice day" -- spoken like someone who doesn't understand libraries. nobody cares if it's pleasant outside, they still come to the library!
-the last chapter is all letters back and forth between mary anne (visiting her grandma) and her friends and family back home. it's kind of annoying to have this super special-style ending to a non-super special.
-mary anne goes on a date with a boring iowa boy. WHY? why does she date someone who isn't logan when they're clearly exclusive at this point. this isn't early in their relationship like in [b:Mary Anne and Too Many Boys|233789|Mary Anne and Too Many Boys (The Baby-Sitters Club, #34)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435682558s/233789.jpg|2152020]. mary anne, you dog!
claudia outfit:
-"That day she was wearing a lacy white top over a solid white bodysuit, a black mini skirt with white polka dots on it, lacy white leggings, and red high-tops. Plus some really outrageous black-and-white jewelry (earrings and bracelets and necklaces) that she'd made herself out of papier-mâché."
mary anne outfit:
-"That day I was wearing a pink sweater and chinos, with these cute little boots I'd just bought."
jackie disasters:
-runs into somersaulting archie while holding a plate of crackers, and the crackers fly everywhere
-tears the sleeve off his jacket when trying to put it on backwards for fun
-pulls out a drawer in the town hall's records and the files spill everywhere
-slides down the banister and almost knocks into the mayor (also at the town hall)
-breaks a vase
-spills kool aid all over the rug
-falls down the stairs
no snacks in claudia's room.
in this [a:Ellen Miles|286072|Ellen Miles|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]-ghostwritten mystery, mary anne tries to track down information about her mom and her childhood. she discovers that after her mother's death, her father sent her to live with her maternal grandparents while he coped with his wife's death. when he finally decided he wanted her back, mary anne's grandparents don't want to give her back and a small custody battle ensued. years later mary anne's grandfather dies and her grandmother tries to develop a relationship with mary anne. mary anne villainizes her, thinking that she is trying to get custody again. eventually that all works out and mary anne goes to visit her. kind of a non-mystery mystery. subplot is that there is a stoneybrook heritage day to benefit the historical society in which many of the bsc kids participate (their classes sing songs, perform skits, recite a poem, create family trees, and more) and in which the bsc participate by creating local historical figure cutouts for photo posing.
highlights:
-in searching for heritage day stuff charlotte johanssen finds a locket with a photo of her great-grandmother in it and it looks just like her. I am not very wistful about where I come from, family tree stuff, etc. but I really like this part and would be super into finding a similar locket.
-the pikes have apparently always had big families (which makes nicky's family tree project a little rough), like their great-grandfather who had ten brothers and sisters, all with p names like "peter pike and polly pike and prudence pike and paul pike." hahaha those names
-mary anne giggles at gravestones with silly names like looney and stumpf but then she feels guilty about it. don't feel guilty, mary anne. near my parents' house there's a huge gravestone that you see from the road that says "BUTT" on it really big, and I continue to bless that person for dying and being buried there and having their last name written improbably largely on their gravestone, since I always get a good chuckle out of that.
-the bsc make historical people cardboard cutouts for the heritage day so folks can pose for photos with them. the ones they make are george and martha washington (based on the logic that george and martha washington once came to a town that is half an hour away from stoneybrook), plus old hickory (from [b:Mary Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery|232092|Mary Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery (The Baby-Sitters Club, #17)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417539951s/232092.jpg|1194755]) and sophie (from [b:Mallory and the Mystery Diary|558284|Mallory and the Mystery Diary (The Baby-Sitters Club, #29)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388254484s/558284.jpg|47884]). dawn is inspired to find out more about jared mullray (from [b:The Ghost at Dawn's House|371125|The Ghost at Dawn's House (The Baby-Sitters Club, #9)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1174229926s/371125.jpg|361092]. all the bsc ghosts (most of whom were introduced by ellen miles) coming together!
-when they're decorating the cutouts they get paint everywhere and logan takes off his shirt since it's covered in paint. mary anne gets shy. I LOVE THIS. little snippets of awkward 13-year-old budding sexuality!
-a census taker comes to the door but mary anne thinks she's a social worker coming to check up on how the spiers are living (sent by her grandmother in a custody battle fight). this is so perfectly 13-year-old also: her assumption that everything that ever happens directly relates to her experiences and her feelings.
-alma's (mary anne's mom's) letter to mary anne (she wrote it right before she died): "I would give anything to be with you today -- to be with you through all your days of growing up. I love you so much, and it hurts so badly to know that I have to leave you." there's something in my eye, guys. I'm not crying.
-some resolutions at the end: mary anne goes to iowa to get to know her grandmother. mary anne and richard (her dad) go to the cemetery to see alma's grave. richard and mary anne invite verna (mary anne's grandmother) for christmas.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-there's a reference to mary anne's sassy magazine. mary anne reads sassy? no way. she's not alternative or indie in any way.
-vanessa pike's poem for heritage day rhymes strong with strong. vanessa is way too experienced a poet to rhyme a word with itself.
-"the reference room was pretty empty, since it was a nice day" -- spoken like someone who doesn't understand libraries. nobody cares if it's pleasant outside, they still come to the library!
-the last chapter is all letters back and forth between mary anne (visiting her grandma) and her friends and family back home. it's kind of annoying to have this super special-style ending to a non-super special.
-mary anne goes on a date with a boring iowa boy. WHY? why does she date someone who isn't logan when they're clearly exclusive at this point. this isn't early in their relationship like in [b:Mary Anne and Too Many Boys|233789|Mary Anne and Too Many Boys (The Baby-Sitters Club, #34)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435682558s/233789.jpg|2152020]. mary anne, you dog!
claudia outfit:
-"That day she was wearing a lacy white top over a solid white bodysuit, a black mini skirt with white polka dots on it, lacy white leggings, and red high-tops. Plus some really outrageous black-and-white jewelry (earrings and bracelets and necklaces) that she'd made herself out of papier-mâché."
mary anne outfit:
-"That day I was wearing a pink sweater and chinos, with these cute little boots I'd just bought."
jackie disasters:
-runs into somersaulting archie while holding a plate of crackers, and the crackers fly everywhere
-tears the sleeve off his jacket when trying to put it on backwards for fun
-pulls out a drawer in the town hall's records and the files spill everywhere
-slides down the banister and almost knocks into the mayor (also at the town hall)
-breaks a vase
-spills kool aid all over the rug
-falls down the stairs
no snacks in claudia's room.