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situationnormal's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like this plotline was fairly recycled (although developing a friendship with Shea was pretty cute, and the side story with the secret notes was adorable). I did really enjoy the chapter about Stacey's babysitting job for Kristy's family although was it just me or was that very odd and unrelated to the rest of the book?
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.
letsgolesbians's review against another edition
4.0
My favorite part of this book was Stacey being really rude about Claudia's atrocious spelling and grammar, hahahahahaha (this book was supposed to leave me with sympathy for people with learning disabilities and instead it made me envy Stacey getting to correct all of Claudia's mistakes with a red pen) (I'm such a Stacey).
lemonflower's review against another edition
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
finesilkflower's review against another edition
4.0
Shea Rodowsky has been diagnosed with dyslexia, and Mrs. Rodowsky asks one of the baby-sitters to tutor him. Claudia doesn’t have enough confidence in her own abilities to volunteer for the job, so Mary Anne takes it, but Shea is so easily frustrated and volatile that it’s slow going. Meanwhile, Claudia’s English teacher tells her she’s in danger of failing if she doesn’t bring her grade up, so Stacey volunteers to tutor her, but she gets overzealous and treats Claudia like a child. They fight. While baby-sitting, Claudia is honest with Shea about her problems, and they start helping each other, sharing tips and giving each other flash cards and humble, non-condescending help. It's really sweet.
I love tutoring plots, and while Claudia’s complaints about Stacey are understandable, Stacey’s enjoyment of her schoolteacher role and the office supplies that entails is also sympathetic.
There is a pretty lame but very minor subplot where the BSC receives anonymous notes and assumes (a) that they’re from various boys (including an infamous Kristy-wears-a-skirt sequence when she tries to seduce a confession out of Bart on the basketball court, and he is just confused, which I always think is in [b:Kristy's Mystery Admirer|500952|Kristy's Mystery Admirer (The Baby-Sitters Club, #38)|Ann M. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1175284509s/500952.jpg|489056]), and then (b) that they’re a practical joke, like Cokie Mason is always playing. It turns out to be secret option (c), that some baby-sitting charges are trying to thank them.
Continuity, Schmontinuity: Speaking of Mystery Admirer, what about Kristy's claim that these notes are not Bart's style? THEY ARE EXACTLY HIS STYLE.
Read as a kid: Yes, several times. This was another of the few that I skipped ahead in the series to get. Not sure why. I did prefer Claudia to all the other sitters, so perhaps I couldn’t resist jumping to the current book when it was a Claudia. With weird orthography in the title!
Timing: It’s described as an "unusually hot day" when the kids can take off their sweatshirts during Krusher practice, suggesting fall or spring.
Revised Timeline: Earlyish spring of twelfth grade.
I love tutoring plots, and while Claudia’s complaints about Stacey are understandable, Stacey’s enjoyment of her schoolteacher role and the office supplies that entails is also sympathetic.
There is a pretty lame but very minor subplot where the BSC receives anonymous notes and assumes (a) that they’re from various boys (including an infamous Kristy-wears-a-skirt sequence when she tries to seduce a confession out of Bart on the basketball court, and he is just confused, which I always think is in [b:Kristy's Mystery Admirer|500952|Kristy's Mystery Admirer (The Baby-Sitters Club, #38)|Ann M. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1175284509s/500952.jpg|489056]), and then (b) that they’re a practical joke, like Cokie Mason is always playing. It turns out to be secret option (c), that some baby-sitting charges are trying to thank them.
Continuity, Schmontinuity: Speaking of Mystery Admirer, what about Kristy's claim that these notes are not Bart's style? THEY ARE EXACTLY HIS STYLE.
Read as a kid: Yes, several times. This was another of the few that I skipped ahead in the series to get. Not sure why. I did prefer Claudia to all the other sitters, so perhaps I couldn’t resist jumping to the current book when it was a Claudia. With weird orthography in the title!
Timing: It’s described as an "unusually hot day" when the kids can take off their sweatshirts during Krusher practice, suggesting fall or spring.
Revised Timeline: Earlyish spring of twelfth grade.
sammah's review against another edition
3.0
Not an exceptionally great Claudia book, but it could have been worse. Maybe it couldn't have been anymore boring, but definitely not any worse!
xtinamorse's review against another edition
Read my recap at A Year with the BSC via Stoneybrook Forever: https://www.livethemovies.com/bsc-blog/claudias-friend
ssshira's review against another edition
2.0
this is my first time reading this book!
in another [a:Nola Thacker|133114|Nola Thacker|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png]-ghostwritten book, claudia finds out that she will fail english if she doesn't do really well on an upcoming test.
stacey tutors claudia but really just makes her feel dumb. meanwhile, shea rodowsky is diagnosed with dyslexia. he and claudia bond and end up helping each other learn way better than all the other tutors and bsc members combined. in a silly sideplot, notes addressed to the bsc that say things like "YOU ARE NICE" keep appearing on claudia's door during meetings. everyone in the bsc thinks they are coming from their respective crushes, but it turns out it's archie and jackie rodowsky, who just want to show the bsc they're appreciated.
notes (not really highlights or lowlights/nitpicks):
-shea's dyslexia feels like a vessel to explain what dyslexia is to the reader. classic bsc. this is the dyslexia 101 book, like the autism 101 book (aka [b:Kristy and the Secret of Susan|1382964|Kristy and the Secret of Susan (The Baby-Sitters Club, #32)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388254442s/1382964.jpg|1781098])
-the reason the bsc members think they're getting love notes from their crushes is there's an upcoming dance at the community center. also, they are all self-centered idiots.
-why do the rodowskys get the bsc members to tutor shea? why not only hire professional tutors?
-stacey makes claudia write in a journal and then corrects it. claudia has a separate secret journal in which she exclusively writes about how much she thinks stacey is being a jerk. she accidentally lets stacey take home the secret one to grade, which is how stacey finds out claudia is upset/how their fight gets resolved.
-david michael wants to have a ghost hunt, but stacey (who is babysitting for him and emily) won't let him. then he hides and wants to scare stacey, but while he's hiding the power goes out and he ends up scaring himself.
-the rodowskys' secret admirer-type notes end with a note about meeting at cafe rosebud. the bsc think at this point that the notes are another prank from cokie and co, so they decide to dress as terribly as possible. but then of course the rodowsky boys and other bsc charges (along with mr. braddock) are there, and they are embarrassed.
claudia outfits:
-the ugly one: "I hunted around in my closet and found a big old lime green shirt with a bleached spot (it had gotten mixed in a load of white clothes that were being bleached) near the bottom on the front. I put that on...I found a pair of socks. Kelly green socks. Then I dug a pair of aqua sneakers out of the back of my closet."
-"I changed into something more suitable--a giant blue-and-white striped shirt and socks with blue spots, over blue bike shorts that matched the stripes and spots. I pulled on red high tops, and hung a dangly red earring made of a string of hearts in one ear and another earring that was a dangly row of silver arrows. I pulled my hair back with a red ribbon."
nannie outfit:
-"Nannie was wearing a pink silk dress with a wide twisted silver and pink sash, sparkly silvery earrings, and these really cool flat pale silver slippers."
stacey outfit:
-"She'd changed, too, into black jeans and black Doc Marten's, and a big golden yellow shirt with round black buttons."
jackie disasters:
-winds himself up too tight while swinging his bat and topples over
snacks in claudia's room:
-sour cream and onion chips behind her dresser
-diet soda (n.s.)
-trail-mix (n.s.)
-chocolate twigs (n.s.)
-coconut macadamia nut cookies (n.s.)
-sourdough pretzels (n.s.)
-licorice whips in her bottom desk drawer
-m&ms behind the second shelf of books on her bookcase
-dark chocolate snickers bar (n.s.)
in another [a:Nola Thacker|133114|Nola Thacker|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png]-ghostwritten book, claudia finds out that she will fail english if she doesn't do really well on an upcoming test.
stacey tutors claudia but really just makes her feel dumb. meanwhile, shea rodowsky is diagnosed with dyslexia. he and claudia bond and end up helping each other learn way better than all the other tutors and bsc members combined. in a silly sideplot, notes addressed to the bsc that say things like "YOU ARE NICE" keep appearing on claudia's door during meetings. everyone in the bsc thinks they are coming from their respective crushes, but it turns out it's archie and jackie rodowsky, who just want to show the bsc they're appreciated.
notes (not really highlights or lowlights/nitpicks):
-shea's dyslexia feels like a vessel to explain what dyslexia is to the reader. classic bsc. this is the dyslexia 101 book, like the autism 101 book (aka [b:Kristy and the Secret of Susan|1382964|Kristy and the Secret of Susan (The Baby-Sitters Club, #32)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388254442s/1382964.jpg|1781098])
-the reason the bsc members think they're getting love notes from their crushes is there's an upcoming dance at the community center. also, they are all self-centered idiots.
-why do the rodowskys get the bsc members to tutor shea? why not only hire professional tutors?
-stacey makes claudia write in a journal and then corrects it. claudia has a separate secret journal in which she exclusively writes about how much she thinks stacey is being a jerk. she accidentally lets stacey take home the secret one to grade, which is how stacey finds out claudia is upset/how their fight gets resolved.
-david michael wants to have a ghost hunt, but stacey (who is babysitting for him and emily) won't let him. then he hides and wants to scare stacey, but while he's hiding the power goes out and he ends up scaring himself.
-the rodowskys' secret admirer-type notes end with a note about meeting at cafe rosebud. the bsc think at this point that the notes are another prank from cokie and co, so they decide to dress as terribly as possible. but then of course the rodowsky boys and other bsc charges (along with mr. braddock) are there, and they are embarrassed.
claudia outfits:
-the ugly one: "I hunted around in my closet and found a big old lime green shirt with a bleached spot (it had gotten mixed in a load of white clothes that were being bleached) near the bottom on the front. I put that on...I found a pair of socks. Kelly green socks. Then I dug a pair of aqua sneakers out of the back of my closet."
-"I changed into something more suitable--a giant blue-and-white striped shirt and socks with blue spots, over blue bike shorts that matched the stripes and spots. I pulled on red high tops, and hung a dangly red earring made of a string of hearts in one ear and another earring that was a dangly row of silver arrows. I pulled my hair back with a red ribbon."
nannie outfit:
-"Nannie was wearing a pink silk dress with a wide twisted silver and pink sash, sparkly silvery earrings, and these really cool flat pale silver slippers."
stacey outfit:
-"She'd changed, too, into black jeans and black Doc Marten's, and a big golden yellow shirt with round black buttons."
jackie disasters:
-winds himself up too tight while swinging his bat and topples over
snacks in claudia's room:
-sour cream and onion chips behind her dresser
-diet soda (n.s.)
-trail-mix (n.s.)
-chocolate twigs (n.s.)
-coconut macadamia nut cookies (n.s.)
-sourdough pretzels (n.s.)
-licorice whips in her bottom desk drawer
-m&ms behind the second shelf of books on her bookcase
-dark chocolate snickers bar (n.s.)
liannakiwi's review against another edition
2.0
(LL)
I had to rate this book again after pondering this is over night, which I don’t usually do, however, this is an important topic.
This book had a confusing and problematic approach towards learning disabilities, which is why I had a feeling this book would be bad. Claudia had all the classic signs of dyslexia, yet they refuse to say she has a learning disability. In fact, they say she was tested as a child and they found no signs of a learning disability, which based on all the facts from the books so far would say otherwise. Claudia wasn’t able to spell the word “shoe” correctly at 13 years of age...and she spelled it wrong with two different spellings: the first was “shu” and the second was “sho.”
They also made the resource center out to be this terrible place where “dumb” kids go for help. They call it the “challenged room” at the end, and yes this was written in the 1990’s, and that it’s still never an okay message to present to impressionable children reading the series. Especially if some of the readers suffer from a learning disability like dyslexia. Very disappointed in this.
They could have said Claudia had all these issues so they could slowly lead up to this book and have it make more sense and finally justify why both Claudia had such a hard time spelling and why the authors spent so much of Claudia’s personality on her terrible English skills.
As an aside: the way Claudia was able to worn with Shea is the only reason I didn’t give the book one star.
I had to rate this book again after pondering this is over night, which I don’t usually do, however, this is an important topic.
This book had a confusing and problematic approach towards learning disabilities, which is why I had a feeling this book would be bad. Claudia had all the classic signs of dyslexia, yet they refuse to say she has a learning disability. In fact, they say she was tested as a child and they found no signs of a learning disability, which based on all the facts from the books so far would say otherwise. Claudia wasn’t able to spell the word “shoe” correctly at 13 years of age...and she spelled it wrong with two different spellings: the first was “shu” and the second was “sho.”
They also made the resource center out to be this terrible place where “dumb” kids go for help. They call it the “challenged room” at the end, and yes this was written in the 1990’s, and that it’s still never an okay message to present to impressionable children reading the series. Especially if some of the readers suffer from a learning disability like dyslexia. Very disappointed in this.
They could have said Claudia had all these issues so they could slowly lead up to this book and have it make more sense and finally justify why both Claudia had such a hard time spelling and why the authors spent so much of Claudia’s personality on her terrible English skills.
As an aside: the way Claudia was able to worn with Shea is the only reason I didn’t give the book one star.
seejennread's review against another edition
3.0
This was an after-school special book on how kids with dyslexia are not dumb and it's okay to use the resource room at school if you need it. Honestly, this book wasn't terrible (unlike Kristy & The Secret of Susan, which is mentioned in this one). We start out with Claudia in English class and she's zoning out of course. Her teacher keeps her after class and tells her that if she doesn't pass the next test (not just pass, but ace it), she'll fail the grading period. She suggests Claudia use the resource room (because it worked before) and Claud freaks and says "No!" but that she will study more for sure. I don't remember Claudia ever having to use the resource room in any of the other books.
That afternoon, at the BSC meeting, Mrs Rodowsky calls and wants one of the girls to tutor Shea, who was just diagnosed with dyslexia (okay really, why do they have to make that word so hard to spell?? It's just mean!) and she thinks having someone closer to his age might help. Mary Anne gets the job. Claudia announces her personal dilemma and Stacey offers to tutor her. Claudia thinks this is a great idea (spoiler: it's not) and when she asks her parents that night after dinner, they agree to give it a shot. Stacey comes over the next afternoon and immediately turns into Ms Strict McGill, Tutor Extraordinaire. They study in the kitchen, she covers all the clocks and any other distractions, and makes Claud write out flash cards for her spelling & vocabulary words. Later, she gives Claudia a journal and tells her to write in it each day and Stacey will correct her spelling and grammar. Blegh. I don't blame Claudia for being annoyed and starting a secret journal to kvetch about Stacey. (It was soooo hard to write this below with the spelling mistakes lol.)
"Anastasia Mcgill is a pill. I am glad shes helping me studey. I know I need all the help I can get, espesially sinse I don't want to fail english. But I don't like being bossed around like I am some two year child. But the morre Stacey treats me like child, the moore I want to act like a child. That's not as bad as how Stacey is acting, tho. She should see herself. Hah."
And underneath that I drew a caricature of Stacey as a pointed-nosed schoolteacher holding a ruler.
I'm sure you can guess that Stacey ends up with the wrong journal at some point. But first they have an argument about how Stacey is just trying to help, etc...and the BFF's don't speak for a couple of days. Stacey asks for her journal to mark and Claudia tells her it's in the drawer, forgetting she put both there until several days later when she goes to write in the secret journal. Towards the end of the book, they meet up and both apologize at the same time because they were both wrong blah blah and we finally get a What Claudia & Stacey Are Wearing!
I changed into something more suitable -- a giant blue-and-white striped shirt and socks with blue spots, over blue bike shorts that matched the stripes and spots. I pulled on red high tops, and hung a dangly red earring made of a string of hearts in one ear and another earring that was a dangly row of silver arrows. [I want these earrings!] I pulled my hair back with a red ribbon, and headed for Stacey's.
She'd changed, too, into black jeans and black Doc Marten's, and a big golden yellow shirt with round black buttons. She looked super. But stern.
In baby-sitting news, Shea's tutoring isn't going well, he thinks he's dumb when he's really not, and just getting frustrated. Claudia actually has some sessions with him and they end up helping each other out. Claudia didn't know how to spell "peach" or know the "i before e" rule. In the 8th grade. She probably should be using the resource room regularly. Stacey baby-sits Emily Michelle & David Michael, who wants to play haunted house and accidentally scares himself in the basement when the power goes out. Nannie has a hot date and wears this sassy number: a pink silk dress with a wide twisted silver and pink sash, sparkly silvery earrings, and these really cool flat pale silver slippers.
Finally, the girls have been getting secret notes for awhile at Claudia's house, during club hours, that say things like "You are very nice" and "You are the best". There's a dance coming up (yes, another one) and each girl seems to think the note is meant for them, from the boy of their choice. Kristy even dresses up, in a denim skirt and tights, to go see Bart and try to figure out if it's from him. (It's not) They get one last note asking them all to meet at the Rosebud Cafe for a special surprise. The note smells like perfume which leads them to believe it's actually a prank from their nemeses Cokie & Grace. So they decide to dress up in their worst clothes, because?? That will show them?? I don't really know the reasoning behind this. See blog for fashion victims. Turns out it wasn't Cokie & Grace, but the Rodowsky kids plus Arnold twins and Braddock kids, wanting to thank the BSCers for being so awesome.
Wrapping up this unnecessarily long review: Claudia passes her English test, gets a 97 on the spelling part; the Spring Dance is at the Community Center so has all ages there; Shea & Claudia dance together; the end.
Blogged at SeeJennRead
That afternoon, at the BSC meeting, Mrs Rodowsky calls and wants one of the girls to tutor Shea, who was just diagnosed with dyslexia (okay really, why do they have to make that word so hard to spell?? It's just mean!) and she thinks having someone closer to his age might help. Mary Anne gets the job. Claudia announces her personal dilemma and Stacey offers to tutor her. Claudia thinks this is a great idea (spoiler: it's not) and when she asks her parents that night after dinner, they agree to give it a shot. Stacey comes over the next afternoon and immediately turns into Ms Strict McGill, Tutor Extraordinaire. They study in the kitchen, she covers all the clocks and any other distractions, and makes Claud write out flash cards for her spelling & vocabulary words. Later, she gives Claudia a journal and tells her to write in it each day and Stacey will correct her spelling and grammar. Blegh. I don't blame Claudia for being annoyed and starting a secret journal to kvetch about Stacey. (It was soooo hard to write this below with the spelling mistakes lol.)
"Anastasia Mcgill is a pill. I am glad shes helping me studey. I know I need all the help I can get, espesially sinse I don't want to fail english. But I don't like being bossed around like I am some two year child. But the morre Stacey treats me like child, the moore I want to act like a child. That's not as bad as how Stacey is acting, tho. She should see herself. Hah."
And underneath that I drew a caricature of Stacey as a pointed-nosed schoolteacher holding a ruler.
I'm sure you can guess that Stacey ends up with the wrong journal at some point. But first they have an argument about how Stacey is just trying to help, etc...and the BFF's don't speak for a couple of days. Stacey asks for her journal to mark and Claudia tells her it's in the drawer, forgetting she put both there until several days later when she goes to write in the secret journal. Towards the end of the book, they meet up and both apologize at the same time because they were both wrong blah blah and we finally get a What Claudia & Stacey Are Wearing!
I changed into something more suitable -- a giant blue-and-white striped shirt and socks with blue spots, over blue bike shorts that matched the stripes and spots. I pulled on red high tops, and hung a dangly red earring made of a string of hearts in one ear and another earring that was a dangly row of silver arrows. [I want these earrings!] I pulled my hair back with a red ribbon, and headed for Stacey's.
She'd changed, too, into black jeans and black Doc Marten's, and a big golden yellow shirt with round black buttons. She looked super. But stern.
In baby-sitting news, Shea's tutoring isn't going well, he thinks he's dumb when he's really not, and just getting frustrated. Claudia actually has some sessions with him and they end up helping each other out. Claudia didn't know how to spell "peach" or know the "i before e" rule. In the 8th grade. She probably should be using the resource room regularly. Stacey baby-sits Emily Michelle & David Michael, who wants to play haunted house and accidentally scares himself in the basement when the power goes out. Nannie has a hot date and wears this sassy number: a pink silk dress with a wide twisted silver and pink sash, sparkly silvery earrings, and these really cool flat pale silver slippers.
Finally, the girls have been getting secret notes for awhile at Claudia's house, during club hours, that say things like "You are very nice" and "You are the best". There's a dance coming up (yes, another one) and each girl seems to think the note is meant for them, from the boy of their choice. Kristy even dresses up, in a denim skirt and tights, to go see Bart and try to figure out if it's from him. (It's not) They get one last note asking them all to meet at the Rosebud Cafe for a special surprise. The note smells like perfume which leads them to believe it's actually a prank from their nemeses Cokie & Grace. So they decide to dress up in their worst clothes, because?? That will show them?? I don't really know the reasoning behind this. See blog for fashion victims. Turns out it wasn't Cokie & Grace, but the Rodowsky kids plus Arnold twins and Braddock kids, wanting to thank the BSCers for being so awesome.
Wrapping up this unnecessarily long review: Claudia passes her English test, gets a 97 on the spelling part; the Spring Dance is at the Community Center so has all ages there; Shea & Claudia dance together; the end.
Blogged at SeeJennRead
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