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A review by finesilkflower
Abby's Book by Ann M. Martin, Jeanne Betancourt
3.0
The Portrait Collection is a series of the Baby-sitters Club girls' school-assigned "autobiographies," which take the form of 2- to 3-chapter short stories about their childhoods. I'll summarize and review each story individually.
From Birth to Backpacks: Abby's childhood stories mostly center on the state of Being a Twin. It's almost mystical, the way she describes it. Abby seems to feel she has some sort of psychic connection with Anna, despite barely interacting with her in her actual books.
Red and Blue Just Won't Do: Basically a rehash of [b:Mallory and the Trouble With Twins|233787|Mallory and the Trouble With Twins (The Baby-Sitters Club, #21)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1172965739s/233787.jpg|2162292] from the perspective of a twin. Abby and Anna are frustrated that their classmates can't tell them apart, and feel dehumanized when their teacher instructs their parents to color-code them (dress one always in red and the other in blue). Their dad suggests that one twin cut her hair, and Anna agrees to do it. They also get new outfits, with one twin's accessories focusing on her interest in music and the other's style being more sporty, WHERE HAVE I HEARD THAT BEFORE
Without Dad: We knew it was coming, but the story of Abby and Anna losing their dad in a random car accident is wrenching and emotional. Their mother remains depressed for a long time, as family members step in to care for the family. The story ends on a hopeful note as their mother finds the strength to step up and take care of keeping the household running again.
The Shooting Star: A year after Jonathan's death, Abby and Anna and their mother live in separate worlds, throwing themselves into work and activities to distract from the emptiness of their family life. They go on a vacation to reconnect, but end up falling into their old patterns and doing separate activities at the resort. Although the vacation was their mother's idea, it's Abby and Anna who convince her to actually spend time together as a family while they are there. They decide to create new family traditions, just the three of them.
New Places, New Faces: Abby's mom moves the family to Stoneybrook, CT to get a fresh start and get away from the same old sights and sounds that, four years later, still remind them every day of Jonathan. A rehash of the Abby storyline in [b:Kristy and the Dirty Diapers|208855|Kristy and the Dirty Diapers (The Baby-Sitters Club, #89)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387750129s/208855.jpg|202139] follows.
Grade: Abby's teacher Mrs. Belcher gives her an A-. Again, there is nothing but praise; as a nerd, I'd be asking where I lost points!
My Grade: I'd give this book about a C. It's not a bad read and it does have some emotional impact, but it doesn't expand on our knowledge of Abby as a character - it just doubles down on the facts we already knew about her. And summarizing a book that's already in the series is a cheat. None of the other baby-sitters did that (granted, Kristy summarized the movie). Stacey, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Dawn offered nothing but new stories about themselves, even though their actual autobiographies definitely would have covered some important events we already saw in the series.
Author Gratefully Acknowledges: Jeanne Betancourt
From Birth to Backpacks: Abby's childhood stories mostly center on the state of Being a Twin. It's almost mystical, the way she describes it. Abby seems to feel she has some sort of psychic connection with Anna, despite barely interacting with her in her actual books.
Red and Blue Just Won't Do: Basically a rehash of [b:Mallory and the Trouble With Twins|233787|Mallory and the Trouble With Twins (The Baby-Sitters Club, #21)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1172965739s/233787.jpg|2162292] from the perspective of a twin. Abby and Anna are frustrated that their classmates can't tell them apart, and feel dehumanized when their teacher instructs their parents to color-code them (dress one always in red and the other in blue). Their dad suggests that one twin cut her hair, and Anna agrees to do it. They also get new outfits, with one twin's accessories focusing on her interest in music and the other's style being more sporty, WHERE HAVE I HEARD THAT BEFORE
Without Dad: We knew it was coming, but the story of Abby and Anna losing their dad in a random car accident is wrenching and emotional. Their mother remains depressed for a long time, as family members step in to care for the family. The story ends on a hopeful note as their mother finds the strength to step up and take care of keeping the household running again.
The Shooting Star: A year after Jonathan's death, Abby and Anna and their mother live in separate worlds, throwing themselves into work and activities to distract from the emptiness of their family life. They go on a vacation to reconnect, but end up falling into their old patterns and doing separate activities at the resort. Although the vacation was their mother's idea, it's Abby and Anna who convince her to actually spend time together as a family while they are there. They decide to create new family traditions, just the three of them.
New Places, New Faces: Abby's mom moves the family to Stoneybrook, CT to get a fresh start and get away from the same old sights and sounds that, four years later, still remind them every day of Jonathan. A rehash of the Abby storyline in [b:Kristy and the Dirty Diapers|208855|Kristy and the Dirty Diapers (The Baby-Sitters Club, #89)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387750129s/208855.jpg|202139] follows.
Grade: Abby's teacher Mrs. Belcher gives her an A-. Again, there is nothing but praise; as a nerd, I'd be asking where I lost points!
My Grade: I'd give this book about a C. It's not a bad read and it does have some emotional impact, but it doesn't expand on our knowledge of Abby as a character - it just doubles down on the facts we already knew about her. And summarizing a book that's already in the series is a cheat. None of the other baby-sitters did that (granted, Kristy summarized the movie). Stacey, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Dawn offered nothing but new stories about themselves, even though their actual autobiographies definitely would have covered some important events we already saw in the series.
Author Gratefully Acknowledges: Jeanne Betancourt