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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
I realized that I might want to get back into reading these books for fun again because my inner tween loved getting back into the world of the babysitters club.
I originally picked this book to read to meet a requirement for a reading challenge, but I realized I am happy I got to jump into this story because it was a feeling of nostalgia that made me feel good.
I will say that even though I know the girls in the babysitter's club are in middle school, with the way they behave and the experiences that some of them have, it is hard to see them as middle school-age. It is giving high schools, at times, the thought processing they have.
I love this story of Dawn and really like her character. I love how open-minded and progressive she is in her thinking of things and how kind she redirects mindsets of specific gender norms. For example, Buddy Barrett said that boys don't wear aprons. The kind correction was nice to see. Also, the storyline of the friendship development between Kristy and Dawn and the understanding of the difficulties of divorce not only on the adults but the children involved.
This is a middle-grade book, so its themes are not complex, but it is a fun and light-hearted read.
I originally picked this book to read to meet a requirement for a reading challenge, but I realized I am happy I got to jump into this story because it was a feeling of nostalgia that made me feel good.
I will say that even though I know the girls in the babysitter's club are in middle school, with the way they behave and the experiences that some of them have, it is hard to see them as middle school-age. It is giving high schools, at times, the thought processing they have.
I love this story of Dawn and really like her character. I love how open-minded and progressive she is in her thinking of things and how kind she redirects mindsets of specific gender norms. For example, Buddy Barrett said that boys don't wear aprons. The kind correction was nice to see. Also, the storyline of the friendship development between Kristy and Dawn and the understanding of the difficulties of divorce not only on the adults but the children involved.
This is a middle-grade book, so its themes are not complex, but it is a fun and light-hearted read.
This book was pretty funny to me. There was nothing I didn't like.
This book was about a babysitter who was being taken advantage of by a single parent. The babysitter allowed it because she was loved the kids but ended up having to stand up for herself and tell the parent that she wasn't being paid to do all the extra things and that she couldn't take the responsibility of raising the children. Lesson: Stand up for yourself. :)
I always found Dawn to be kind of a mystery and still kind of do. Much is made in the stories of her love of health food and aversion to standard-issue Connecticut fare, but in the course of her first story we see her eating and enjoying pizza (all-natural meatless freezer pizza, but it seems to still have cheese) and various candy from Claudia's room. Dawn's idea of health food is mostly centered around granola bars (which were definitely a thing on the East Coast in the 80s) and tofu. Lots of tofu. I find it a tiny stretch that even Dawn is happy to eat a lunch consisting of lukewarm ginger tofu cooked by her too-scattered-to-wear-matching-earrings mother.
Also - Mrs. Barrett. I don't think I registered much about her as a kid, but in my re-read I had a lot of compassion for her. She has three little kids, one an actual baby, and has just gotten divorced. Many of her outings are for job interviews, presumably so she can afford actual non-child childcare. But, she also forgets to give Dawn basic information about the kids, so at the very least she needs to get organized. As for her house... is Dawn unusually sensitive to the grossness of the Barretts' home because her own mother can't seem to put anything away correctly? Or is she inured to all but the highest levels of mess? I don't know what to make of it.
Either way, I loved seeing Kristy and Dawn find an axis of commonality. I enjoyed getting to know the Pike kids a little better. I'm definitely in favor of Mary Anne and Dawn's parents' relationship and am thinking it would make a great adult romance (which someone has probably already written). But as for the main plot of this book... eh, those kids aren't impossible, or even particularly difficult, at all.
Also - Mrs. Barrett. I don't think I registered much about her as a kid, but in my re-read I had a lot of compassion for her. She has three little kids, one an actual baby, and has just gotten divorced. Many of her outings are for job interviews, presumably so she can afford actual non-child childcare. But, she also forgets to give Dawn basic information about the kids, so at the very least she needs to get organized. As for her house... is Dawn unusually sensitive to the grossness of the Barretts' home because her own mother can't seem to put anything away correctly? Or is she inured to all but the highest levels of mess? I don't know what to make of it.
Either way, I loved seeing Kristy and Dawn find an axis of commonality. I enjoyed getting to know the Pike kids a little better. I'm definitely in favor of Mary Anne and Dawn's parents' relationship and am thinking it would make a great adult romance (which someone has probably already written). But as for the main plot of this book... eh, those kids aren't impossible, or even particularly difficult, at all.
Todo bien con Dawn, pero la temática que transcurre en el libro me puso muy de mal humor, entiendo que es la época pero I'm in shock. Que se yo, sensaciones.
This is the first book with Dawn, Miss California...I'm not crazy about Dawn. She always seemed kind of whiny to me: "I hate cold weather. I'm still not sure what the big deal about New England winters is all about. Back in California, we had one season: summer. I thought it was wonderful. I loved the beach, I loved sunshine, I loved eighty-degree Christmases." Okay, now I know what you're saying: "Jenn (that's me), you just said in the paragraph above this how you've had bad weather and you hate it". Yes, I know...but I don't spend alllll the time complaining about it. I swear! ;) Dawn is as bad with California as Stacey is with New York.
This book starts out with Dawn babysitting the Pikes and then rushing off to another BSC meeting with Mary Anne, who is wearing her FIRST EVER sweatshirt and pair of jeans. Really???? She's never had jeans before now??? Jeez, her dad was seriously Mr Stick-in-the-Mud. They have the misfortune to run into Claudia's sister, Janine, who tries to give them a grammar lesson. Blegh...
In today's episode of "How Gross are the Hot Lunches at Stoneybrook Middle School" we have: "...grayish tuna salad, potato chips, limp green beans, a Popsicle, and milk." Ew...I don't blame Kristy & Mary Anne for bringing the same thing every day: "peanut butter & jelly sandwich, an apple, a bag of Doritos, and a box of fruit juice." Actually, that sounds pretty good. :)
Okay, anyway! MaryDawn's (did you see what I did there? Lol) parents are still dating and the girls finally realize that they could maybe, someday, possibly be SISTERS!! Hi foreshadowing, good to see you again! And Kristy is um...peeved. Mary Anne is HER BFF and she knows MA best, blah blah blah...
Dawn takes a big babysitting gig for the Barrett kids, who's mom sounds suspiciously like Dawn's only messy Bessy instead of scatter-brained Suzy. Although...confession time...the description of the Barrett's house kind of reminded me of my own. Hah! Now you know...we're little pigs! :) I love Marnie the best cause she makes the "ham face" by scrunching up her face! So Dawn makes a classic babysitting mistake and cleans up the house and the kids, thereby setting a precedent for every proceeding engagement....sorry I was channeling Janine! She makes a boo-boo and now Mrs Barrett expects it.
We also get to see the first game of "Let's All Come In" which is a fantabulous game that Karen Brewer invented and I totally want to be Mrs Noswhimple. Oh! And there's a "What Stacey is Wearing"! "She was wearing a simple pink t-shirt under a baggy jumpsuit with big pink and red flowers all over it. Her permed hair bounced over her shoulders." I added some accessories. :)
So...Dawn is babysitting the Barrett kids one afternoon and the boy goes missing for a few hours, which is actually a pretty intense scene, calling the cops and everything. Turns out his dead-beat dad picked him up to teach mom a lesson, which would totally end him up in jail these days. Everything turns out okay though and since Dawn is such a super-sitter, Kristy learns to love (tolerate) her and even makes her the official Alternate Member or whatever.
Blogged: SeeJennRead
This book starts out with Dawn babysitting the Pikes and then rushing off to another BSC meeting with Mary Anne, who is wearing her FIRST EVER sweatshirt and pair of jeans. Really???? She's never had jeans before now??? Jeez, her dad was seriously Mr Stick-in-the-Mud. They have the misfortune to run into Claudia's sister, Janine, who tries to give them a grammar lesson. Blegh...
In today's episode of "How Gross are the Hot Lunches at Stoneybrook Middle School" we have: "...grayish tuna salad, potato chips, limp green beans, a Popsicle, and milk." Ew...I don't blame Kristy & Mary Anne for bringing the same thing every day: "peanut butter & jelly sandwich, an apple, a bag of Doritos, and a box of fruit juice." Actually, that sounds pretty good. :)
Okay, anyway! MaryDawn's (did you see what I did there? Lol) parents are still dating and the girls finally realize that they could maybe, someday, possibly be SISTERS!! Hi foreshadowing, good to see you again! And Kristy is um...peeved. Mary Anne is HER BFF and she knows MA best, blah blah blah...
Dawn takes a big babysitting gig for the Barrett kids, who's mom sounds suspiciously like Dawn's only messy Bessy instead of scatter-brained Suzy. Although...confession time...the description of the Barrett's house kind of reminded me of my own. Hah! Now you know...we're little pigs! :) I love Marnie the best cause she makes the "ham face" by scrunching up her face! So Dawn makes a classic babysitting mistake and cleans up the house and the kids, thereby setting a precedent for every proceeding engagement....sorry I was channeling Janine! She makes a boo-boo and now Mrs Barrett expects it.
We also get to see the first game of "Let's All Come In" which is a fantabulous game that Karen Brewer invented and I totally want to be Mrs Noswhimple. Oh! And there's a "What Stacey is Wearing"! "She was wearing a simple pink t-shirt under a baggy jumpsuit with big pink and red flowers all over it. Her permed hair bounced over her shoulders." I added some accessories. :)
So...Dawn is babysitting the Barrett kids one afternoon and the boy goes missing for a few hours, which is actually a pretty intense scene, calling the cops and everything. Turns out his dead-beat dad picked him up to teach mom a lesson, which would totally end him up in jail these days. Everything turns out okay though and since Dawn is such a super-sitter, Kristy learns to love (tolerate) her and even makes her the official Alternate Member or whatever.
Blogged: SeeJennRead
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse