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A review by ssshira
Claudia and the Bad Joke by Ann M. Martin
2.0
this is the first time I've read this book!
when claudia is sitting for new client betsy sobak (who is a huge prankster), she badly breaks her leg as a result of betsy being a little jerk. she considers quitting the club because she thinks it's dangerous to baby-sit. the rest of the club tries to out-prank betsy.
highlights:
-the opener to the book is kristy saying she's never been hit in the face with a pie.
-kristy's obsessed with the idea of wearing food. "like, to hang grapes from your earlobes, or make a vest out of teabags." haha kristy I love you so much ya freak.
-claud says she thinks adults have a stock of jokes they learn when they turn 21. this is when she is scared of the cast cutter saw at the hospital and her mom says that they haven't lost a limb yet and then the doctor says the exact same thing. grown ups like dad jokes!
lowlights/nitpicks:
-in general, I think it is astonishingly irresponsible and awful that the baby-sitters play into betsy's practical joke game. how could they not just say, "hey, did you notice that your practical jokes got our friend claudia hospitalized? could you stop now?" and if she doesn't stop, tell her smug idiot mom that BETSY IS A JERK. she is obviously unwilling to listen and won't believe that her daughter is as awful as she is, but seriously, she tricks claudia into using a swing that seriously injures her, and that is not enough to make betsy stop pranking people. this is some nanny 911 crap.
-it's spelled double stuf oreos, not double stuff oreos. ann, you spelled it right in [b:Jessi's Secret Language|233751|Jessi's Secret Language (The Baby-Sitters Club, #16)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429453227s/233751.jpg|3057116] so I don't really get this. different editors?
-claud gives flowers to cathy the whiny baby 14-year-old she's sharing a room with in the hospital. this is a little dumb and tacked-on, like they're trying to make us think that claudia is this altruistic kid.
no outfits. I hate claudia books without outfits.
dawn's kid kit:
-old maid
-mad libs
-[b:Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle|25051|Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, #1)|Betty MacDonald|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388180885s/25051.jpg|2208078]
non-betsy or pike pranks:
-kristy squirts invisible ink on mary anne's sweatshirt
-claudia gets a call asking for prince albert in a can
-sam goof calls bsc meeting twice
pike pranks:
-margo springs out from behind bushes to shout boo at jessi and mary anne
-nicky shakes mary anne's hand with a buzzer
-is your refrigerator running call to mary anne (vanessa is the caller)
-asking for "rita book" call to jessi (vanessa is the caller)
-claire shoots jessi with a water gun
-rubber spider in claire's room for jessi
-fake barf in the bathroom for mary anne
-chocolate-covered tennis ball "sundae" for nicky made by triplets
-nicky pulls chair out from jessi making her fall
-jessi gets a call from "queen elizabeth" for "prince charles" and jessi says he can't come to the phone because he's waxing his yacht (probably vanessa is the caller)
betsy pranks:
-fly ice cube and dribble glass for claudia's apple juice from betsy
-spicy gum in wrigley's wrapper for claudia from betsy
-betsy tells claudia to use the broken swing and she breaks her leg
-betsy pretends to have left the house and jumps out of her hiding place and yells boo at mallory
-mallory pretends she has beauty powder but it's sneezing powder and it makes betsy sneeze
-betsy pretends she sneezed out a tooth
-mal scares betsy w/ fake slug and fake rat
-betsy scares mal w/ fake snake and fake cockroach
-betsy puts slime in dawn's kid kit
-dawn pretends to faint then yells boo when betsy checks on her
-betsy has dawn sit on a "pooh-pooh" cushion
-dawn pretends she sees a mouse and shrieks
-betsy uses a fountain pen that squirts water at dawn
-dawn uses a rubber spider on betsy
-betsy uses a fat rubber toad on dawn
-betsy uses shaving cream as whipped cream on dawn's sundae
-betsy sneakily squirts kristy with her fountain pen (water)
-betsy takes money from kristy with a hand buzzer
-kristy switches seats at the movie while betsy is getting popcorn
-kristy puts a fake bloody thumb in the popcorn
snacks in claudia's room:
-butterfinger bar in the drawer of her jewelry box
-double-stuf oreos in a shoebox labeled PANT BRUSHES
-doritos behind a pillow under her bed
-pretzels under her bed
-m&ms under her bed
-tootsie rolls behind her pillow
when claudia is sitting for new client betsy sobak (who is a huge prankster), she badly breaks her leg as a result of betsy being a little jerk. she considers quitting the club because she thinks it's dangerous to baby-sit. the rest of the club tries to out-prank betsy.
highlights:
-the opener to the book is kristy saying she's never been hit in the face with a pie.
-kristy's obsessed with the idea of wearing food. "like, to hang grapes from your earlobes, or make a vest out of teabags." haha kristy I love you so much ya freak.
-claud says she thinks adults have a stock of jokes they learn when they turn 21. this is when she is scared of the cast cutter saw at the hospital and her mom says that they haven't lost a limb yet and then the doctor says the exact same thing. grown ups like dad jokes!
lowlights/nitpicks:
-in general, I think it is astonishingly irresponsible and awful that the baby-sitters play into betsy's practical joke game. how could they not just say, "hey, did you notice that your practical jokes got our friend claudia hospitalized? could you stop now?" and if she doesn't stop, tell her smug idiot mom that BETSY IS A JERK. she is obviously unwilling to listen and won't believe that her daughter is as awful as she is, but seriously, she tricks claudia into using a swing that seriously injures her, and that is not enough to make betsy stop pranking people. this is some nanny 911 crap.
-it's spelled double stuf oreos, not double stuff oreos. ann, you spelled it right in [b:Jessi's Secret Language|233751|Jessi's Secret Language (The Baby-Sitters Club, #16)|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429453227s/233751.jpg|3057116] so I don't really get this. different editors?
-claud gives flowers to cathy the whiny baby 14-year-old she's sharing a room with in the hospital. this is a little dumb and tacked-on, like they're trying to make us think that claudia is this altruistic kid.
no outfits. I hate claudia books without outfits.
dawn's kid kit:
-old maid
-mad libs
-[b:Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle|25051|Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, #1)|Betty MacDonald|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388180885s/25051.jpg|2208078]
non-betsy or pike pranks:
-kristy squirts invisible ink on mary anne's sweatshirt
-claudia gets a call asking for prince albert in a can
-sam goof calls bsc meeting twice
pike pranks:
-margo springs out from behind bushes to shout boo at jessi and mary anne
-nicky shakes mary anne's hand with a buzzer
-is your refrigerator running call to mary anne (vanessa is the caller)
-asking for "rita book" call to jessi (vanessa is the caller)
-claire shoots jessi with a water gun
-rubber spider in claire's room for jessi
-fake barf in the bathroom for mary anne
-chocolate-covered tennis ball "sundae" for nicky made by triplets
-nicky pulls chair out from jessi making her fall
-jessi gets a call from "queen elizabeth" for "prince charles" and jessi says he can't come to the phone because he's waxing his yacht (probably vanessa is the caller)
betsy pranks:
-fly ice cube and dribble glass for claudia's apple juice from betsy
-spicy gum in wrigley's wrapper for claudia from betsy
-betsy tells claudia to use the broken swing and she breaks her leg
-betsy pretends to have left the house and jumps out of her hiding place and yells boo at mallory
-mallory pretends she has beauty powder but it's sneezing powder and it makes betsy sneeze
-betsy pretends she sneezed out a tooth
-mal scares betsy w/ fake slug and fake rat
-betsy scares mal w/ fake snake and fake cockroach
-betsy puts slime in dawn's kid kit
-dawn pretends to faint then yells boo when betsy checks on her
-betsy has dawn sit on a "pooh-pooh" cushion
-dawn pretends she sees a mouse and shrieks
-betsy uses a fountain pen that squirts water at dawn
-dawn uses a rubber spider on betsy
-betsy uses a fat rubber toad on dawn
-betsy uses shaving cream as whipped cream on dawn's sundae
-betsy sneakily squirts kristy with her fountain pen (water)
-betsy takes money from kristy with a hand buzzer
-kristy switches seats at the movie while betsy is getting popcorn
-kristy puts a fake bloody thumb in the popcorn
snacks in claudia's room:
-butterfinger bar in the drawer of her jewelry box
-double-stuf oreos in a shoebox labeled PANT BRUSHES
-doritos behind a pillow under her bed
-pretzels under her bed
-m&ms under her bed
-tootsie rolls behind her pillow