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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Scratch what I said about Stacey being my favorite. My favorite is actually Dawn. She’s very cool under pressure, especially in this story when one of her kids goes missing when she’s on the job. Yikes. I like how this book tackled divorced parents and how sometimes the situation isn’t a good one for the kids. The whole book series does well with addressing tough family issues and showing diverse families (well as diverse as you can be in the late 80s and early 90s). Still loving the series and I ordered the next five so once I get them, I’ll be diving right in. Thanks for putting up with my Baby-sitters Club craze loyal followers and friends! Sometimes you just need an easy happy story to get you through the days.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
BSC re-read as a 32 year old #5...
Dawns first book, and a pretty solid effort it is. I was always jealous of Dawn's hair growing up, and really connected with her love of the beach and the sun. Was another one with more of a serious subject matter, with Dawn trying to help a family where the parents had recently divorced and the kids were acting out. The mother really irked me as a mother myself, but when I was a kid those kids seemed absolutely out of control. Pretty good book
Dawns first book, and a pretty solid effort it is. I was always jealous of Dawn's hair growing up, and really connected with her love of the beach and the sun. Was another one with more of a serious subject matter, with Dawn trying to help a family where the parents had recently divorced and the kids were acting out. The mother really irked me as a mother myself, but when I was a kid those kids seemed absolutely out of control. Pretty good book
Last year I was really inspired by a few accounts that were reading childhood favorites. This year, one of my goals is to read more older books - not published in the last few years or something I loved growing up.
My first read in 2021 is Dawn and The Impossible Three, book five of The Babysitters Club. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend the Netflix series. This book is narrated by Dawn and mainly focuses on her babysitting for Mrs. Barrett, who is scattered and unreliable. Dawn takes on more and more responsibilities for Mrs. Barrett until one day, one of the children goes missing. Side stories include: Kristi being jealous of Dawn and Mary Anne’s friendship, Dawn and Mary Anne’s parents dating, divorce, Dawn’s move from California, and Kristi’s mom remarrying and moving the family.
This book reminded me of why I loved these as a kid. The BSC kids are clearly in charge and in many cases more responsible then the adults. There’s a scene where Dawn finally confronts Mrs. Barrett and I wanted to cheer for her. She’s professional but clearly sets boundaries. Dawn and Kristi also talk about new friendships and jealousy.
Reading them as an adult, I did laugh that the girls are 12 and watching children for upwards of eight hours a day. One scene made me laugh when Dawn informed her mom you could buy pre-made potato salad. I’m going to assume they sell pre-made foods in California and Dawn’s mother should have known this, although I think the point was more about buying foods their friends would enjoy and not just serve tofu. Dawn also comes across as a little judgy - Mrs. Barrett is a slob and Dawn needs to clean her house.
But did I still love it? Yes! Would I read more? Yes! I’m thinking a Claudia or a Stacey one next. Would I recommend to kids today? Yes! The book’s themes are still relevant and the writing holds up as engaging and interesting.
My first read in 2021 is Dawn and The Impossible Three, book five of The Babysitters Club. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend the Netflix series. This book is narrated by Dawn and mainly focuses on her babysitting for Mrs. Barrett, who is scattered and unreliable. Dawn takes on more and more responsibilities for Mrs. Barrett until one day, one of the children goes missing. Side stories include: Kristi being jealous of Dawn and Mary Anne’s friendship, Dawn and Mary Anne’s parents dating, divorce, Dawn’s move from California, and Kristi’s mom remarrying and moving the family.
This book reminded me of why I loved these as a kid. The BSC kids are clearly in charge and in many cases more responsible then the adults. There’s a scene where Dawn finally confronts Mrs. Barrett and I wanted to cheer for her. She’s professional but clearly sets boundaries. Dawn and Kristi also talk about new friendships and jealousy.
Reading them as an adult, I did laugh that the girls are 12 and watching children for upwards of eight hours a day. One scene made me laugh when Dawn informed her mom you could buy pre-made potato salad. I’m going to assume they sell pre-made foods in California and Dawn’s mother should have known this, although I think the point was more about buying foods their friends would enjoy and not just serve tofu. Dawn also comes across as a little judgy - Mrs. Barrett is a slob and Dawn needs to clean her house.
But did I still love it? Yes! Would I read more? Yes! I’m thinking a Claudia or a Stacey one next. Would I recommend to kids today? Yes! The book’s themes are still relevant and the writing holds up as engaging and interesting.
The Babysitters Club continues with book 5, Dawn and the Impossible Three. This book is a little worse for its age, lacking nuance as it discusses divorce (a whole lot of dead-beat dad narrative), possible depression in a parent, and a noncustodial parent kidnapping. It would be much shorter in 2019- everyone would facetime their dad daily, therapy would abound, and 911 would be called the minute a kid showed up missing.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A babysitter who can identify other people's jealousy, gripe about misspelled food packaging, set boundaries with a grown up, and question the way adults mask their emotions. What can't Dawn do?!