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missamandamae's review
3.0
After listening to the Worst Bestsellers podcast on the Baby-Sitters Club books, I had an intense compulsion to reread this one, one of my favorites. I, too, had a fascination with camp after The Parent Trap and Molly McIntire's Summer Story. Never went to a camp like Camp Mohawk, but I always wished to. This time I read I made snarky comments in my Kindle as I went along. "Sophisticated" was used at least 5 times as a descriptor for a girl 13 or under. Everyone kind of needed to chill out badly about everything. And I'm pretty sure I read a hiking handbook after reading this to emulate Heather. (I also associate every Heather with this one.)
I still had a delightful time revisiting this old favorite of mine. Really want to read Snowbound, my other Super Special favorite, but maybe I can hold off until the weather turns.
I still had a delightful time revisiting this old favorite of mine. Really want to read Snowbound, my other Super Special favorite, but maybe I can hold off until the weather turns.
jamietherebelliousreader's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars. So cute. I loved that the all of the girls were at this camp but they don’t really interact with each other (except Mal and Jessi, they interact). Instead they interact and make friends with the other girls in their cabins. It was so interesting because all of their experiences were so different and unique to each character. It was just such a fun read and I love that the Super Specials are much longer than the books in the regular series because a lot more happens in these and they’re great.
lberestecki's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
sean67's review
3.0
Second special edition - which basically mean they all narrate the story rather than one person, and it is generally about 50% longer than a normal book.
This one is that American thing of going to camp and doing all sorts of whatever things over the length of the camp.
There was a bit of romance in the story and the normal typical things you would expect.
It was all engaging, b ut at the same time the tragedy of BSC is evident in that you know they are never getting older, and that is the worst part of the series, the natural growth and development of the characters is stunted because some moronic publisher decided they needed to be perpetually the same age, if they were allowed to age then the story lines could have expanded, the audience could have grown with the characters, and new characters could have been introduced and BSC could have changed, to eventually have children of the original members running it - anyway it was all a wasted opportunity!
This one is that American thing of going to camp and doing all sorts of whatever things over the length of the camp.
There was a bit of romance in the story and the normal typical things you would expect.
It was all engaging, b ut at the same time the tragedy of BSC is evident in that you know they are never getting older, and that is the worst part of the series, the natural growth and development of the characters is stunted because some moronic publisher decided they needed to be perpetually the same age, if they were allowed to age then the story lines could have expanded, the audience could have grown with the characters, and new characters could have been introduced and BSC could have changed, to eventually have children of the original members running it - anyway it was all a wasted opportunity!
daybreak1012's review against another edition
5.0
Before I get to my actual review, a quick disclaimer: Ever since I learned that Netflix was reimagining one of my favorite childhood book series, I had decided that I would be embarking on a re-read of this series, reliving a series of books that helped to shape me into a voracious reader. I am so excited to embark on this travel back in time. I don't expect to be mentally stimulated -- I mean, I'm not exactly a pre-teen middle-schooler these days -- but I make no apology for choosing to enjoy this series from the perspective of adulthood. Don't expect me to have any sort of psychoanalyst or feminist sermonizing on the appropriateness of the situations or the effects on a young girl reading these books; there's plenty of that to go around already. I'm here for the nostalgia and the meander down memory lane.
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I recall the childhood version of myself and how I anticipated the next BSC book release. Super Specials were an extra thrill. I loved that they were longer and something different, while still maintaining their comfortable familiarity. And because it was always some group adventure, you got a mix of narrators from chapter to chapter. I find it worth a chuckle that I get that same excitement during my adult re-read of the series.
*************
I recall the childhood version of myself and how I anticipated the next BSC book release. Super Specials were an extra thrill. I loved that they were longer and something different, while still maintaining their comfortable familiarity. And because it was always some group adventure, you got a mix of narrators from chapter to chapter. I find it worth a chuckle that I get that same excitement during my adult re-read of the series.
What I liked about Baby-Sitters' Summer Vacation:
The setting - I really only had one experience with going to camp. I guess you could say two experiences, sort of, since we went to the same place in both fifth and sixth grades, but it wasn't summer camp (I don't remember if it was late fall or early spring, but I know we had snow once), and I went with my class at school, so I knew everyone there. This made a traditional summer camp setting novel for me, intriguing, almost (but not quite) making me think it would be fun -- sort of the same effect the movies had on the BSC that landed them on this adventure in the first place.
Multiple character perspectives - As I mentioned, we get revolving narrators, and I loved that we would frequently get the same event from various perspectives. I appreciated that in addition to all the girls, we also got a little time with Logan, over on the boys' side of the lake.
Some of the character revelations - While it didn't surprise me at all that Mary Anne's apprehension resonated with me, I was not expecting it from Stacey. Another unexpected turn was seeing Kristy admitting to feeling inferior and insecure. I think that taking the characters out of their typical environments allows for the opportunity to explore some previously unrevealed aspects of their personalities.
Claudia and Will - I often struggle to connect with Claudia, other than her relationship with her grandmother, and this holds over from my childhood even. I am not artsy, I have never been cool (ha), and I never really struggled in school, other than advanced math classes. But this storyline with Claudia was so sweet and so well executed. It was so fun to root for her rather than feeling disconnected from her character.
Feeling justified for NOT being a camper - Everything about Stacey's experience is why I don't camp. I am absolutely not kidding. Not even a little bit.
Cabin distribution - At first, I was a little curious that none or our regulars ended up in the same cabin, at least not as CITs (counselors in training). Some of the Babysitters were paired with Stoneybrook kids, and Mal and Jessi were together (but they were there as campers), but our five main girls each found herself with a cabin of unknown contemporaries. Ultimately, I was pleased with the opportunities this provided. I mean, could Mary Anne's co-CITs have been any more cringe-y? And Mallory and Jessi's cabin mates were downright awful. This really allowed for some tension to take form, which, of course, is necessary for a solid plot.
What I didn't care for:
Zero things - Even more than three decades later, this book delighted me.
Going in, other than Stacey, I couldn't have recalled a single plot point for you, but as I read, it all came back to me. Re-reading this series has been such a fun endeavor for me. My original rating of five stars holds firm; I enjoyed every single page of this trip down memory lane. And now I am dreading the one I know is coming next, but we'll get to that in due time...
choirqueer's review
4.0
I’m really enjoying my trip back in time with my favorite series of all time.
I’m also really glad I have enough awareness now to know that what I’m reading is full of casual racism, ableism, and cis/heteronormativity, and I wish someone would authorize a “new and improved” reboot of these books rewritten to address those issues!
I’m also really glad I have enough awareness now to know that what I’m reading is full of casual racism, ableism, and cis/heteronormativity, and I wish someone would authorize a “new and improved” reboot of these books rewritten to address those issues!
renatasnacks's review
4.0
I loooved revisiting this childhood fav as an adult, although I do have SOME CONCERNS about Camp Mohawk's staffing model.
https://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-174-baby-sitters-summer-vacation/
https://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-174-baby-sitters-summer-vacation/
finesilkflower's review
3.0
The entire club gets summer jobs as counselors-in-training at a summer camp.
Even Stacey and Logan! (Mallory and Jessi are "junior CITS", a new position made up just for them because Mallory is a squeaky wheel, which basically means they are campers.) The gimmick of this one is that Stacey is making everyone write notebook entries on their camp experiences so she can have a BSC keepsake. Postcards to family members and friends back in Stoneybrook start each chapter.
This is one of the better Super Specials; while it still has more storylines than pages, it manages to decently flesh out each one, perhaps by limiting narrators to just club members. Mal and Jessi are in the same bunk, so they essentially have one story, in which Mal is sort of blissfully outcasty and Jessi is uncomfortably aware of it, and both get called racist nicknames. Mary Anne and Logan also show two POVs on the same story, in which Mary Anne, desperate to prove herself to the other CITs in her bunk, who are more grown-up and sophisticated and bad-girlish, attempts to sneak to the boys’ side to visit Logan. Kristy faces a similar problem at her bunk, as the other CITs make her over, putting makeup on her and making her feel a profound sense of discomfort and anguish at the Made Up Kristy (whom Kristy insists is not her) that I’m starting to think gender dysphoria. Claudia falls in love with a boy CIT, Dawn gets lost in the woods with her campers, and Stacey contracts every rash and petty camp illness known to man.
Continuity Oddity: Claudia writes to Mimi as "Mrs. L. Yamamoto," making me wonder what Mimi’s real first name can possibly be, especially considering that "L" is not a letter that exists in romanized Japanese. Jessi addresses her letter to her parents to Mr. and Mrs. Alex Ramsey, and while Alex is certainly a cute name for a dad to have, I would assume that father of John Phillip Ramsey, Jr., is named John Phillip Ramsey.
Read as a kid: Yes.
Timing: I’m placing this here to coincide with its release date, but there’s no real canonically obvious place to put it; it occurs during Stacey’s time in New York (books 13-27), but there are no other summer vacation books in that period. Further narrowing down the time frame, Claudia writes to Mimi, so it has to be before book #26.
The question here is, is this the summer between eighth and ninth grades? Books 23 and 24--the Spring Break and Mother’s Day books--seem to be leading in that direction, calendar-event-wise. On the other hand, this would mean that books 26-33 encapsulate a complete year, since book #34 states that it’s the beginning of summer vacation. Given that it took seven books to get from the beginning of eighth grade to Halloween, it seems unlikely that we would blow through an entire year in just seven more. On the other hand, all of seventh grade only took nine books.
An alternate option would be to declare Super Special non-canon. This would be good for my sanity, since I can’t believe that seven girls with so much contempt for rich people could ever go on that many vacations. It would also set a precedent which would allow me to discount mysteries and other specials which might throw off my whole timeline. However, many of thebooks in the main continuity refer to past Super Special events. It’s clear that we’re supposed to consider them canon.
In the interest of granting all of the books equal weight, and using all of the clues at my disposal to determine the timeline, I have chosen to interpret this as a complete summer. Therefore, we have now officially reached THE END OF EIGHTH GRADE. For future books, I will include a new section, Revised Timeline, in which I will explain what year it would be for the (older) girls if they actually changed grades with each year’s passage. (Subtract two years at any given point for Mallory’s and Jessi’s status.) Since the girls don’t, actually, ever escape middle school in the actual books, the original Timing category should still be understood to contain the unsaid, "of eighth grade."
Even Stacey and Logan! (Mallory and Jessi are "junior CITS", a new position made up just for them because Mallory is a squeaky wheel, which basically means they are campers.) The gimmick of this one is that Stacey is making everyone write notebook entries on their camp experiences so she can have a BSC keepsake. Postcards to family members and friends back in Stoneybrook start each chapter.
This is one of the better Super Specials; while it still has more storylines than pages, it manages to decently flesh out each one, perhaps by limiting narrators to just club members. Mal and Jessi are in the same bunk, so they essentially have one story, in which Mal is sort of blissfully outcasty and Jessi is uncomfortably aware of it, and both get called racist nicknames. Mary Anne and Logan also show two POVs on the same story, in which Mary Anne, desperate to prove herself to the other CITs in her bunk, who are more grown-up and sophisticated and bad-girlish, attempts to sneak to the boys’ side to visit Logan. Kristy faces a similar problem at her bunk, as the other CITs make her over, putting makeup on her and making her feel a profound sense of discomfort and anguish at the Made Up Kristy (whom Kristy insists is not her) that I’m starting to think gender dysphoria. Claudia falls in love with a boy CIT, Dawn gets lost in the woods with her campers, and Stacey contracts every rash and petty camp illness known to man.
Continuity Oddity: Claudia writes to Mimi as "Mrs. L. Yamamoto," making me wonder what Mimi’s real first name can possibly be, especially considering that "L" is not a letter that exists in romanized Japanese. Jessi addresses her letter to her parents to Mr. and Mrs. Alex Ramsey, and while Alex is certainly a cute name for a dad to have, I would assume that father of John Phillip Ramsey, Jr., is named John Phillip Ramsey.
Read as a kid: Yes.
Timing: I’m placing this here to coincide with its release date, but there’s no real canonically obvious place to put it; it occurs during Stacey’s time in New York (books 13-27), but there are no other summer vacation books in that period. Further narrowing down the time frame, Claudia writes to Mimi, so it has to be before book #26.
The question here is, is this the summer between eighth and ninth grades? Books 23 and 24--the Spring Break and Mother’s Day books--seem to be leading in that direction, calendar-event-wise. On the other hand, this would mean that books 26-33 encapsulate a complete year, since book #34 states that it’s the beginning of summer vacation. Given that it took seven books to get from the beginning of eighth grade to Halloween, it seems unlikely that we would blow through an entire year in just seven more. On the other hand, all of seventh grade only took nine books.
An alternate option would be to declare Super Special non-canon. This would be good for my sanity, since I can’t believe that seven girls with so much contempt for rich people could ever go on that many vacations. It would also set a precedent which would allow me to discount mysteries and other specials which might throw off my whole timeline. However, many of thebooks in the main continuity refer to past Super Special events. It’s clear that we’re supposed to consider them canon.
In the interest of granting all of the books equal weight, and using all of the clues at my disposal to determine the timeline, I have chosen to interpret this as a complete summer. Therefore, we have now officially reached THE END OF EIGHTH GRADE. For future books, I will include a new section, Revised Timeline, in which I will explain what year it would be for the (older) girls if they actually changed grades with each year’s passage. (Subtract two years at any given point for Mallory’s and Jessi’s status.) Since the girls don’t, actually, ever escape middle school in the actual books, the original Timing category should still be understood to contain the unsaid, "of eighth grade."