Kristy's at the center of a big school controversy involving a cool teacher and some not-so-cool enemies. Kristy needs all the help she can get--even from Cary Retlin, her archrival.
Kristy and Cary have been spending a lot of time together, since they're supposed to write each other's life stories for school. But the more Kristy knows about Cary, the less she understands him. . .until she sneaks a peek at his journal.
Ann Matthews Martin was born on August 12, 1955. She grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, with her parents and her younger sister, Jane. After graduating from Smith College, Ann became a teacher and then an editor of children's books. She's now a full-time writer.
Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. But many of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes.
Ann has always enjoyed writing. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. L. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. They inspired her to become a writer herself.
Since ending the BSC series in 2000, Ann’s writing has concentrated on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.
After living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children.
in this book by resident bsc mystery ghostwriter Ellen Miles, kristy’s young cool teacher ted gives her class an assignment: get to know your assignment partner very well, then write their biography. kristy is paired with mischief knight cary retlin (see Stacey and the Haunted Masquerade for his introduction and Kristy and the Middle School Vandal for his most memorable plotline), much to her chagrin. claud is paired with jeremy, much to stacey’s chagrin (they bond a lot, and stacey gets super jealous). cary asks kristy weird, pointless questions like what she thinks aliens look like, and he gives her weird, evasive answers to her straightforward questions. it’s frustrating until she stumbles upon his journal which alludes to his being kicked out of his previous school. later, cary is teasing kristy, and she says, “at least I didn’t get kicked out of school!” cary is understandably pissed and makes kristy fill out a sheet of questions instead of continuing the interview process. finally, kristy discovers that it wasn’t cary’s journal, it was a novel he’s working on. but she still learns her lesson about being a judgmental snoop, I guess? meanwhile, the young cool teacher ted also told the class they had to read a fiction book from a list he put together. it includes all kinds of scandalous titles like The Catcher in the Rye, so mrs. dow, the mom of one of the girls in the class, tries to get ted fired for it. it basically just turns into an obvious anti-censorship story, which the bsc has already done (Mary Anne and the Library Mystery and Claudia and the First Thanksgiving). in the end, they win and ted is reinstated as their teacher
highlights: -ted’s substitute dresses like a fuddy duddy so kristy is disappointed. but she actually encourages the kids to get involved in ted’s case. maybe kristy should consider being less judgmental. -kristy says that she doesn't have an issue with any of the books on the list, but if she or her parents did, she would have chosen not to read those books (since there were plenty of options). mrs. cow (wait, I mean dow) says that kristy doesn't speak for everyone in the class, but then merrie, mrs. dow’s daughter, says that kristy DOES in fact speak for everyone in the class. boom. -at the end of the book, kristy tries to get cary to explain why his family actually moved to stoneybrook and cary says the townspeople accused him of being a witch
lowlights/nitpicks: -kristy thinks it's weird that cary has a poster of melting clocks and one of a man with an apple where his head should be. apparently kristy just doesn't have sophisticated tastes or interests. -it’s like, did we really need another book about banned books? -claud's mom speaks against censorship at the meeting, which really annoys me because she's a censorer too, with nancy drew
outfits holiday party outfits: -kristy: 'I was wearing a holiday version of my usual "uniform": instead of jeans I wore dark green corduroys, and I'd topped them with a bright red turtleneck.' -stacey "was wearing a red woolen miniskirt topped with a little red woolen jacket (she looked like a very hip Mrs. Claus)." -claudia "had on red-and-white-striped stockings (the candy cane look) and a white dress with red polka dots. Miniature green Christmas tree earrings dangled from her ears." -mary anne "looked beautiful in a navy blue velvet dress." -dawn "was doing Christmas California-style, in a white denim miniskirt and green silk blouse."
ms. dewey (substitute for ted): -"She was wearing a beige skirt, a lighter-beige blouse, a darker-beige jacket, and brown shoes."
snacks in claudia’s room: -mallomars (n.s.) -pretzels (n.s.)
This fell short for me, mostly because I'm a bit tired of Kristy's over-the-top hate-on for Cary Retlin. She takes life wayyy too seriously; he doesn't take life seriously enough. If these characters were older, this would be a perfect set up for an enemies-to-lovers romance. And while I'm not going to be like, all guys who annoy you are secretly your crushes, Cary takes up wayyyy too much real estate in Kristy's head for someone who's just annoying.
Partly, I admit this may be because I'm binging these books, so it's really obvious to see the pattern of the Kristy/Cary stories. Kristy is pissed off at him for basically just existing; he eggs her on coz it gives him joy; they go head-to-head and Kristy ends up taking it too far. (For example, in another book, when they taught a gym class together, and Or when Cary challenges Kristy to a Mystery War, and .)
Here, she and Cary are paired up to write biographies of each other. Again, Cary annoys her by asking silly questions, and again she overreacts and And good on Cary for calling her out on this and basically closing himself off. Also kudos to Cary's maturity levels (which put Kristy's to shame, TBH) in complimenting her for good work and supporting her in standing up against an injustice, despite being mad at her. (To no surprise, Kristy finds she actually misses his teasing, and like, honestly, I like Kristy just fine but IMHO, Cary deserves better.) But ultimately, I think he let her off too easily; he tells her straight-up that what she did was wrong (yay!) but by the end, he's back to teasing her like usual. And fine, she apologized, but I think her action should've had bigger consequences on their relationship.
The B plot was pretty good, about Kristy and Cary's English teacher being suspended for giving students a book list that included titles some parents thought were inappropriate. It ended a bit anti-climactically for me, and I also think the principal needed more of a spine if they disagreed so strongly with the book-banning parents. Still, I liked elements like
I also liked that the teacher told students they only had to read one of the books on the list and it was their choice which; I felt like that circumvented any standing the book banners may have had about their kids being 'forced' to read 'inappropriate' books. Like the teacher said, there's gotta be books on that list that are super inoffensive from every possible angle.
And finally, I'd be curious how a similar plot line would play out in 2023, TBH. The books on the list included the usual suspects (To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, Huckleberry Finn), and more recently, young folks online have been complaining about racism, sexism, etc etc -ism in these titles. So I wonder, what books would've been included in this teacher's list if this book were published in 2023? Or, on the flip side, would the story actually show parents up in arms pushing the teacher to cover these classics while the students ask for books by BIPOC authors instead?
Oh, Cary Retlin. You were so great, and I wish we'd had more time together! You saved an otherwise dreadful and boring Kristy book. I mean it was still pretty dull, but you made it less so! So thank you, so much!
Heartwarming, in a way, as a librarian, but this sort of recycles a previous BSC plot and inserts a semi-romance (if you squint?) plot with Cary Retlin. Not my favorite in this series, by far. But also not terrible. Also I love Kristy's mom and step-dad.
I chose this rating because Cary and Kristy are arch enemies, yet when Cary was mad because Kristy read the diary and Cary wouldn't speak to her, she was mad.
Kristy books are just my least-favorite. So weird how she has such beef with Carey Retlin for no major reason. And the big secret is he’s writing a book? Huh?
i was not real psyched about this book, because it was another boring old kristy book, until i realized that my YA serial lit boyfriend cary retlin plays a serious role! YES! kristy & cary have an english class together, with a sterotypical "inspirational" english teacher snatched from the character sketch outlines of "dead poets' society". their teacher asks them to call him ted, & all i could think was, "wow, ted hughes got cheerful." wrong, i know. anyway, because he is such a wild & wacky teacher, he assigns them two big projects for class: they have to read a fiction book (he provides a list of recommended titles, but they can consult with him to choose a different book if they wish) & write an essay about how it changed them, & they have to write a biography of another student in the class. ted assigns the students partners randomly & YES! kristy is paired with cary retlin. SWEET.
kristy & cary are total enemies, for reasons i just don't get. not only is cary awesome, but he's definitely someone i'd rather have on my good side, as opposed to working against me. he is very mischievous, & he is very clever. he once (in a mystery book, "kristy & the mischief war" or some shit) stole the watch right off kristy's wrist & she didn't even notice. his motto is, "complications make life more interesting." he makes his mission in life to provide said complications, but only when they will actually be interesting. he never just fucks with people to be an asshole, so i don't get why kristy hates him so much. i think she has a crush that she is trying gamely to ignore. don't fret, kristy. just keep rocking the black & white striped top under the black & white checked overalls you're sporting on the cover of the book, & cary will keep his distance.
anyway. cary & kristy have to work together for the sake of their grades, which becomes all the more important when ted is suspended because some parents are protesting his proposed reading list. he listed books like the catcher in the rye & the outsiders & some parents think these books are immoral. plus, he didn't let the english department head approve his list before distributing it to students, which against protocol. ruh roh! can the scooby gang work together to save ted's job?
yeah, of course. kristy makes a speech at a community hearing about how ted makes her want to learn, the school administraion backs him, the protesters' kids back him, the head librarian in town (claudia's mom) gives an impassioned speech about the first amendement, & he gets his job back, but what of the biography?
well, kristy goes to cary's house & interviews his brothers about him, & then she sneaks into cary's room (wouldn't it be awesome if she stole his underpants? but she doesn't) & reads what she thinks is his diary. it talks about being kicked out of his last school for somehow hacking into the computer system or something. kristy FREAKS OUT & thinks cary is some kind of master criminal. i don't get this. it's computers. he's 13. how much damage could he really do? cary finds out she read his notebook & is really mad about the invasion of privacy. he won't speak to her anymore than is necessary to complete the biography project. kristy is alternately tortured by the wrongness of what she did, & the secret knowledge of cary's criminal past. it's so ridiculous. it was completely obvious that cary's notebook was a fiction project, because no real teenager uses words like "phony". & of course cary is reading the catcher in the rye for the fiction assignment. duh, kristy! put two & two together! eventually she does, & she patches things up with cary, & everyone lives happily ever after. pretty anti-climactic, huh?
This was one of the few books in the overall BSC universe where both the a and b plots were equally interesting. It all begins when the cool new English teacher in school gives the class two big assignments. The first is a list of books. In order to try and inspire a love and enjoyment on reading the teacher Mr. Morley or Ted as he asked to be called his asked each student to pick one book to read. Tge catch is that it has to be a book they truly enjoy reading. If they start one and hate it they are to try another one. All I can say is why couldn't I have a teacher like this? I mean I already love reading but this is truly my dream homework assignment. Read a book for pleasure? Not some dull assigned book? Granted a few of the books I was forced to read then I have read since and quite enjoyed them. But anyway, the second assignment is to write a biography of a classmate. Ted pairs up the class, I noticed it was boy, girl pairings which 13 year old me would've hated especially given the boys I went to school with. Kristy is paired with a boy named Cary. I guess he appeared in later books of the original series as I never heard of him til now and I stopped reading them around the 40-50 mark I think. Kristy is annoyed by Cary, he's a slightly tamer version of Alan Grey from what she says. The b plot (or maybe it's the a plot?) That gives the book its title involves parents getting the knickers in a twist over the list of books Ted gave out. You'd think parents would be happy their kids are reading but guess not, I mean I remember the outrage over Harry Potter because it was about wizards and magic and it would I guess turn anyone who read them into a magical being? I've never understood outrage culture. So Kristy comes up with the idea of saving Ted's job and thr school and majority of parents decide to help save his job. While writing a biography it's obvious Kristy has a crush on Cary and possible he feels the same then she sneaks into his room and reads what she thinks is his diary. He loses his shit as would anyone and Kristy spends the rest of the book pining over a boy she claims she can't stand, sure Kristy. There's a big assembly to get Ted his job back. Kristy speaks on behalf of her fellow students, a girl whose mother started the whole thing also finds her courage to stand up to her mother and everyone returns to the corners to wait the results. Kristy throws a big Christmas party at the end with all the BSC members reuniting. Shocked to find Dawn there given her scorn for Mary Anne and her old life in California Diaries not to mention how she treated Jill who is pretty much Kristy and a bit Mary Anne too but hey she has to come visit her mom sometimes right? It ends with the possibility of something happening between Cary and Kristy in future. I love this spin off series. I like that the girls all stay true to who they were in the original unlike a certain blonde on the west coast, all the while growing and maturing. The fight between Stacey and Claudia is dragging though. I really want to smack them both for not seeing what a cheating douche Jeremy is I can see it even in this book and it's a Kristy story. If Kristy can see it so should you. Smarten up girls! Next up is another venture into the feud once again told through Stacey's eyes.
Book the Fifth: In which !CARYRETLIN! is awesome and K-Dawg acts more like the K. Ron of old. There's some new teacher who's allegedly awesome and wants them to do biographies of each other and read frequently challenged books, which really is cool cuz banned books are awesome. Teach assigns K-Dawg and the Ret-Man as partners. I cheer. K-Dawg boos. STFU, K-Dawg. Cary is awesome. Blah, blah, teacher gets in trouble for assigning banned books, blah, blah, K. Ron returns long enough to get him reinstated. And to snoop in Cary's stuff and piss him off. And be lame enough to think he's some kind of dangerous criminal. She apologizes; they kinda make up. They do NOT make out, unfortunately. I love Cary Retlin.
I could write about the enigma that is Cary Retlin, or how cringey I think it is for teachers to ask their students to call them by their first name, or how Kristy “Assume-Makes-An-ASS-Out-Of-U-and-ME” Thomas is The Worst. But my main takeaway from this novel is about the censorship of the book list that Mr. Morely (I'm sorry, TED) handed out, and how it will always, always, always be a fight that distresses and disheartens me. Parents up in arms about "inappropriate" material in books that they most likely haven't even read themselves? Where have I seen THAT before? Every single day of my career?
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I have to admit, this storyline was very clever. I vaguely remember Cary from the original series and it was nice to have some conflict with a non-BSC character for once. I've read two of the FF books and quite enjoy them. Slightly more mature than the original books as there aren't any contrived babysitting sub-plots shoved alongside the main story. Overall, a fun and unique book. 8/10
14. 3/26/09: Baby-Sitters Club, Friends Forever series, #5, Kristy Power, by Ann M. Martin (more or less). This was definitely one of the stupidest BSC books I have ever read. It was so stupid I decided I had to read something good before I went to bed. So....