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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
I liked this one a little better as an adult than I did as a kid. It was nice to see Claudia and Janine learning to love one another for who they are--- a concept that kind of escaped 10 year old me. It was also hard to read about Mimi now that all my grandparents are gone and my mother is closer to Mimi's age. Time moving along...
This review appears on my blog: https://confessionsofabookwormweb.wordpress.com/2020/11/16/book-review-claudia-and-the-mean-janine-the-baby-sitters-club-7-by-ann-m-martin/
It's the week after Kristy's mom's wedding and Kristy has a new idea for the club - a day camp for their regulars for several days in the morning. Claudia can't wait to get started. However, after another argument with her older sister, Janine, and a disagreement with Mimi (her grandmother), Mimi has a stroke.
Claudia is wracked with guilt and feels like it is her fault that Mimi had the stroke, so she volunteers tos tay at home with her during the day and help her with the various verbal and physical exericses she has to do in order to recover from the effects of the stroke.
I liked this installment, however I also felt like the title was once again misleading because Claudia and Janine do not have a lot of fights, most of the time they just ignore each other. And as far as Janine being mean, she isn't really - a lot of the times she is goaded by Claudia.
I apprciate how this tackles the topic of a close relative having a stroke and even the guilt that can sometime afflict the other family members. I did appreciate that Claudia and Mimi get to have a conversation in which Mimi reassures Claudua that the stroke was not her fault.
Whiel Claudia is taking care of Mimi, we also get snippets of how the other Baby-sitters Club members are getting along with the day camp. Overall, this was another good installment that tackles an issue that is important. 4/5 Stars.
It's the week after Kristy's mom's wedding and Kristy has a new idea for the club - a day camp for their regulars for several days in the morning. Claudia can't wait to get started. However, after another argument with her older sister, Janine, and a disagreement with Mimi (her grandmother), Mimi has a stroke.
Claudia is wracked with guilt and feels like it is her fault that Mimi had the stroke, so she volunteers tos tay at home with her during the day and help her with the various verbal and physical exericses she has to do in order to recover from the effects of the stroke.
I liked this installment, however I also felt like the title was once again misleading because Claudia and Janine do not have a lot of fights, most of the time they just ignore each other. And as far as Janine being mean, she isn't really - a lot of the times she is goaded by Claudia.
I apprciate how this tackles the topic of a close relative having a stroke and even the guilt that can sometime afflict the other family members. I did appreciate that Claudia and Mimi get to have a conversation in which Mimi reassures Claudua that the stroke was not her fault.
Whiel Claudia is taking care of Mimi, we also get snippets of how the other Baby-sitters Club members are getting along with the day camp. Overall, this was another good installment that tackles an issue that is important. 4/5 Stars.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4 stars. I remember not liking Janine as a child but reading these books as an adult, I like her and appreciate her character a lot more. She's very misunderstood. There wasn't that much emphasis on her and Claudia's relationship except for at the beginning and at the end, everything else was about Mimi which I didn't mind at all. It was all really well done and I think Martin handled Mimi's illness with as much tenderness and honesty that she could for kids. Great read.
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Claudia had been one of my favourite babysitters growing up, but this book just didn't hit the note for me. Perhaps it is because it deals with a more sombre topic (stroke and looking after a ill relative) and some awkward sibling rivalry (I'm an only child so it's something I've never experienced). Or maybe the Summer Kids Club had all the kids in one place so it was difficult to follow. I love the babysitters club - even as an adult - so it breaks my heart that I feel I have to mark this one down.
This series brings back memories. Mimmi is sick and now the family has to take care of her. The two sisters realize that they don't understand each other and rebuild their relationship together.
While The Truth About Stacey, Mary Anne Saves the Day, and Dawn and the Impossible Three each dealt with reasonably serious topics (diabetes and its stigma in Stacey, responsibility and a minor health crisis in Mary Anne, and child neglect in Dawn), Claudia and Mean Janine offers up the most serious subject yet... though the title would have you believe this is just another book about bitchy sisters.
My full review of Claudia and Mean Janine can be read here at Amara's Eden.
My full review of Claudia and Mean Janine can be read here at Amara's Eden.
Good age-appropriate portrayal of tough things like aphasia (heh, relatable) and scenes of occupational/speech/physical therapies at home after a family member has a neurological event. Reading this was also revisiting childhood memories, BSC nostalgia in a cute graphic novel format. I liked it.