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The Baby-Sitters Club #20
Kristy and the Walking Disaster
They're lean, they're mean, they're the pride of Stoneybrook. Who are they? They're Kristy's Krushers!
When Kristy sees how much her little brothers and sisters want to play on a softball team, she organizes a ragtag team of her own. They may not be champions, with Jackie Rodowsky, walking disaster, on the team, but at least they have team spirit!
Now Bart's Bashers have challenged the Krushers to a game. The Bashers really are lean and mean . . . but the worst part of it all is that Kristy has a giant crush on the Basher's coach.
When Kristy sees how much her little brothers and sisters want to play on a softball team, she organizes a ragtag team of her own. They may not be champions, with Jackie Rodowsky, walking disaster, on the team, but at least they have team spirit!
Now Bart's Bashers have challenged the Krushers to a game. The Bashers really are lean and mean . . . but the worst part of it all is that Kristy has a giant crush on the Basher's coach.
141 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1989
98 people are currently reading
1065 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,098 books3,046 followersAnn 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.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/annmma...
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.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/annmma...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
October 16, 2020
This is a middle grade book, and this is the 20th book in the Baby-Sitters Club series. I loved and read the Baby-Sitters Club series when I was young. I decided to re-read this series by listening to the audiobooks, and I am loving getting back into this series. This book was one of my favorite I have re-read so far. I love how Kristy takes on the kids no one wants on their baseball team, and she makes a team for all of those kids. It is a great message for kids, and I also think as an adult it is a great message as well. (*)
December 14, 2021
To Emily with Love
My copy of this book came from one of a number of Half Price Books hauls where I'd clear the shelves of their Baby-sitters Club materials. During one of these haul events in Austin, TX, I acquired a few books previously owned by Emily. She was 8 years old.
Because I found this book to be too much about sports to possibly write about, I'm going to let Emily do the talking by way of the "Notebook Pages" survey she filled out at the end.
Thank you, Emily! I also disliked when Jamie ducked the ball.
Unfortunately, Emily thoughtlessly filled out the survey in pen, so in order to create a time capsule of my experience with Kristy and the Walking Disaster, I have to do it here and hope some future Luddite will stumble across it when they dust of the old Internet they find on the shelf of a Goodwill in the year 3156:
In conclusion, used book stores have had it rough the past year, but they hold treasures like snapshots of Emily that she has probably forgotten. Also margin notes, bookmarks, and old photographs, not to mention millions of books that will never be reprinted or digitized. Support your local used booksellers by buying all of their Baby-sitters Club books and sending me the ones I don't have yet.
*************************************
Homework: Seriously, support local businesses as much as you can. If you're not comfortable in brick and mortar shops, many of them set up online portals that may not have existed when you last checked. Barring that or in the absence of local options altogether, sites like bookshop.org and thriftbooks.com are good sources.
<< #19: Claudia and the Bad Joke
#21: Mallory and the Trouble with Twins >>
My copy of this book came from one of a number of Half Price Books hauls where I'd clear the shelves of their Baby-sitters Club materials. During one of these haul events in Austin, TX, I acquired a few books previously owned by Emily. She was 8 years old.
Because I found this book to be too much about sports to possibly write about, I'm going to let Emily do the talking by way of the "Notebook Pages" survey she filled out at the end.
This Baby-sitters Club book belongs to Emily.
I am 8 years old and in the 2end grade grade.
The name of my school is Burnet Elm.
I got this BSC book from The book fair.
I started reading it on 5/12/04 and finished reading it on 5/13/04.
The place where I read most of this book is in the house.
My favorite part was when they were playing the game.
If I could change anything in the story, it might be the part when when Jamie ducks the ball.
My favorite character in the Baby-sitters Club is Kristy.
The BSC member I am most like is Kristy because we're both competitive.
If I could write a Baby-sitters Club book it would be about 1 of them acting.
Thank you, Emily! I also disliked when Jamie ducked the ball.
Unfortunately, Emily thoughtlessly filled out the survey in pen, so in order to create a time capsule of my experience with Kristy and the Walking Disaster, I have to do it here and hope some future Luddite will stumble across it when they dust of the old Internet they find on the shelf of a Goodwill in the year 3156:
This Baby-sitters Club book belongs to Scott, and you can pry it from my cold, dead hands.
I am 38 years old and in the 33rd grade.
The name of my school is "The world is my classroom, the open road my teacher."
I got this BSC book from a Half Price Books in Texas.
I started reading it on 1/30/21 and finished reading it on 1/30/21.
The place where I read most of this book is on the couch.
My favorite part was when a two-and-a-half-year-old girl was allowed to join a softball team and play against rowdy boys as old as 9 because it was the 80s.
If I could change anything in the story, it might be the part when Bart's friends make fun of all the other kids and Bart does nothing to stop it and pretends not to hear and Kristy decides he's a good person anyway.
My favorite character in the Baby-sitters Club is Claudia (also Mimi).
The BSC member I am most like is Stacey because she is pretty and knows how to act.
If I could write a Baby-sitters Club book it would be about Logan comes out and Mary Anne is sad.
In conclusion, used book stores have had it rough the past year, but they hold treasures like snapshots of Emily that she has probably forgotten. Also margin notes, bookmarks, and old photographs, not to mention millions of books that will never be reprinted or digitized. Support your local used booksellers by buying all of their Baby-sitters Club books and sending me the ones I don't have yet.
*************************************
Homework: Seriously, support local businesses as much as you can. If you're not comfortable in brick and mortar shops, many of them set up online portals that may not have existed when you last checked. Barring that or in the absence of local options altogether, sites like bookshop.org and thriftbooks.com are good sources.
<< #19: Claudia and the Bad Joke
#21: Mallory and the Trouble with Twins >>
March 1, 2010
hated this book as a kid, hate it as an adult. this is the one where kristy starts her ragtag softball team, kristy's krushers (although obnoxious brat karen brewer insists on spelling it, "kristy's crushers," because she is all about proper spelling). her team consists of kids too young or uncoordinated or otherwise unfit for little league, including jamie newton (afraid of the ball), calire pike (prone to baseball-related tantrums), david michael thomas (a klutz), jake kuhn (chubby), matt braddock (deaf...& this prevents him from joining little league how, exactly, in a way that wouldn't result in a lawsuit?), gabbie perkins (two & a half years old), etc. & let's not forget poor jackie rodowsky, the titular "walking disaster". kristy spends a lot of time observing that jackie's sneakers are untied, his jeans ore muddy, his hair is mussed, there's a hole in his t-shirt, etc. uh...he's a seven-year-old boy. lay off! poor jackie. the sitters are so mean to him. he does "disastrous" things like hit a home run into the woods so the ball is lost (dude, at least he hit a home run!), fouling the ball so it breaks a window at the school (which, if it were that easy for a seven-year-old to do that, the ball field is probably too close to the school & it's not really jackie's fault), tossing the bat & knocking the legs out from under the refreshment table at the big game (the refreshment people should have set up further away--i mean, how far can a little kid really throw a bat?), etc. they just never cut him any slack.
the other part of the plot involves the krushers' rivalry with another ragtag softball team, bart's bashers. the bashers are generally older, better players, & all boys. they are just a smidgen too young for little league, i guess. it seems unsporting for the bashers to even play against the krushers, but true to the formula of all underdog sports fables everywhere, the bashers underestimate the krushers' tenacity & determination, & krushers fight to win & nearly succeed. & it's the nearly-winning that really matters to the krushers, who are delighted to not have been defeated & ground into the dirt.
the bashers are coached by bart taylor, a thirteen-year-old boy who lives in kristy's neighborhood. kristy gets a big crush on him. but she is not impressed when bart & some of his bashers check out a krushers practice session & make fun of some of her players. they call jake a "fatso" (that's sad! leave the fat kids alone!) & matt a "dummy" (that is beyond the pale--i would have smacked the ugly right off those bashers). kristy is disturbed by the fact that bart doesn't seem to notice his players fucking with her team & her crush fades. good for kristy! but it comes back later when he offers to walk her home.
& thus begins the sad fact that we have to deal with at least a little boring softball crap in every single kristy book for the rest of the series. horrifying. but perhaps this is why i joined a softball team myself when i was eight. in our first big game, the pitcher hit me in the knuckles with the ball & broke one of my fingers. i never lifted a bat again.
the other part of the plot involves the krushers' rivalry with another ragtag softball team, bart's bashers. the bashers are generally older, better players, & all boys. they are just a smidgen too young for little league, i guess. it seems unsporting for the bashers to even play against the krushers, but true to the formula of all underdog sports fables everywhere, the bashers underestimate the krushers' tenacity & determination, & krushers fight to win & nearly succeed. & it's the nearly-winning that really matters to the krushers, who are delighted to not have been defeated & ground into the dirt.
the bashers are coached by bart taylor, a thirteen-year-old boy who lives in kristy's neighborhood. kristy gets a big crush on him. but she is not impressed when bart & some of his bashers check out a krushers practice session & make fun of some of her players. they call jake a "fatso" (that's sad! leave the fat kids alone!) & matt a "dummy" (that is beyond the pale--i would have smacked the ugly right off those bashers). kristy is disturbed by the fact that bart doesn't seem to notice his players fucking with her team & her crush fades. good for kristy! but it comes back later when he offers to walk her home.
& thus begins the sad fact that we have to deal with at least a little boring softball crap in every single kristy book for the rest of the series. horrifying. but perhaps this is why i joined a softball team myself when i was eight. in our first big game, the pitcher hit me in the knuckles with the ball & broke one of my fingers. i never lifted a bat again.
April 23, 2023
Before I get to my actual review, a quick disclaimer: Ever since I learned that Netflix was reimagining one of my favorite childhood book series, I had decided that I would be embarking on a re-read of this series, reliving a series of books that helped to shape me into a voracious reader. I am so excited to embark on this travel back in time. I don't expect to be mentally stimulated -- I mean, I'm not exactly a pre-teen middle-schooler these days -- but I make no apology for choosing to enjoy this series from the perspective of adulthood. Don't expect me to have any sort of psychoanalyst or feminist sermonizing on the appropriateness of the situations or the effects on a young girl reading these books; there's plenty of that to go around already. I'm here for the nostalgia and the meander down memory lane.
*************
Kristy is up in the rotation this time. (Har har, baseball pun for the baseball themed book.) I feel like her books are hit or miss for me (seriously, I can't help myself), but really I think it's her personality more than the book content. Regardless, I recall sorta liking this one when I was a kid -- not my favorite but not one I openly dreaded either.
What I liked about Kristy and the Walking Disaster:
Ah, youth - Does anyone else recall their first real crush? I think I was in 8th grade as well. There's just nothing like it. You walk around with what feels like literal heart eyes.
Entertainment value - I nearly died at Mary Anne's line "May I have the pitcher and the banana, please?" I could practically feel the crazy in that scene. Also Claire's "nofe-air! nofe-air!!" tantrums were also one of those lines I've brought with me into adulthood (not that I have actual tantrums, to be clear). I was particularly amused by the comment that Claire only throws them related to baseball, even games on television -- THAT I could relate to. (Ha.)
Solid life lesson reminder - Be a team player and try your best. That applies in all walks of life, really. Sometimes, it's too easy to forget these basic lessons. We want to do it all ourselves, whether we think others are incapable or unnecessary or perhaps we want all the glory. We don't allow ourselves grace for not being the best even when we give it all we've got; we see the losing score and can't see that we still have accomplishments to be proud of.
What I didn't care for:
Record book entries - (This could be an edition-specific complaint.) They made the font super tiny compared to earlier books and that made the "handwriting" particularly difficult to read at times.
While a fast read for me (even as far as these rereads go), the plot dragged a bit. I wanted to feel badly for Jackie but this is something I struggled with as a kid and I couldn't even find it in me as an adult. There were some cute moments with the kids, but pretty much everything centered around Kristy's team and their practices, which...meh. It just got tedious after a while. I did revise my original 3-start review to award an additional half star because there were a fair number of positive qualities recorded above, but overall, this one was exactly as I remembered it: good, not great.
*************
Kristy is up in the rotation this time. (Har har, baseball pun for the baseball themed book.) I feel like her books are hit or miss for me (seriously, I can't help myself), but really I think it's her personality more than the book content. Regardless, I recall sorta liking this one when I was a kid -- not my favorite but not one I openly dreaded either.
What I liked about Kristy and the Walking Disaster:
Ah, youth - Does anyone else recall their first real crush? I think I was in 8th grade as well. There's just nothing like it. You walk around with what feels like literal heart eyes.
Entertainment value - I nearly died at Mary Anne's line "May I have the pitcher and the banana, please?" I could practically feel the crazy in that scene. Also Claire's "nofe-air! nofe-air!!" tantrums were also one of those lines I've brought with me into adulthood (not that I have actual tantrums, to be clear). I was particularly amused by the comment that Claire only throws them related to baseball, even games on television -- THAT I could relate to. (Ha.)
Solid life lesson reminder - Be a team player and try your best. That applies in all walks of life, really. Sometimes, it's too easy to forget these basic lessons. We want to do it all ourselves, whether we think others are incapable or unnecessary or perhaps we want all the glory. We don't allow ourselves grace for not being the best even when we give it all we've got; we see the losing score and can't see that we still have accomplishments to be proud of.
What I didn't care for:
Record book entries - (This could be an edition-specific complaint.) They made the font super tiny compared to earlier books and that made the "handwriting" particularly difficult to read at times.
While a fast read for me (even as far as these rereads go), the plot dragged a bit. I wanted to feel badly for Jackie but this is something I struggled with as a kid and I couldn't even find it in me as an adult. There were some cute moments with the kids, but pretty much everything centered around Kristy's team and their practices, which...meh. It just got tedious after a while. I did revise my original 3-start review to award an additional half star because there were a fair number of positive qualities recorded above, but overall, this one was exactly as I remembered it: good, not great.
February 4, 2016
this is my first time reading this book
kristy starts a ragtag softball team (kristy's krushers) comprised of kids who are too young or otherwise ill-equipped for little league. she meets bart taylor, coach of bart's bashers, a team that is slightly more uniform in age and ability. they decide to have the krushers and bashers play a game against one another, and kristy crushes (not krushes) on bart. the titular walking disaster is of course jackie rodowsky, but he's not really the most significant character in the book so I'm not sure why he gets the title spot.
highlights:
-introduction of the krushers, bart and his bashers, and the kuhn kids
-really great cover art. it doesn't say who did it but I assume it's hodges soileau. the faces are so distinctive, and they all actually look the correct age.
-this very kristy moment: kristy thinks the good weather is a good omen, but realizes that bart is experiencing the same weather and maybe he thinks it's a good omen too. "that's why omens are stupid."
-introduction of claire pike's baseball attitude. she throws tantrums and screams NOFE-AIR!
lowlights/nitpicks:
-biggest issue of all: kristy is gay. I'm sorry, but I am not buying this huge crush she has on bart. I would believe that she would think she has a crush on him because her friends tease her about it or something, but there is no way she would act the way she does about bart in this book.
-thirty-seven is not that old to have a kid, kristy. also is your mom really only thirty-seven? that's really young (but not unheard of) to have four kids, one of whom is a senior in high school.
-kristy narrates that the dues pay for two things: kid kits and parties. I'm sorry, how did you get to that bsc meeting? remember charlie, your brother who you pay out of the dues to drive you there?
-a bernese could never "look like a mouse" in comparison to a rottie. both are large dogs. shannon is still pretty young, but she's probably 7-9 months old by this point, which means she's probably 70 or 80 pounds at least. even if bart's rottie is a particularly large one, that's still 110 or 120 pounds (much of which isn't in height but is in muscle), which is still not large enough for a 70/80 pound dog to look tiny in comparison (not to mention to fit under a dog's undercarriage without crouching)
-the bashers are such jerks! bart is such an idiot!
no outfits
jackie's disasters:
-spills pink lemonade
-pitches a normal pitch that somehow ends up on the neighbor's roof's gutter
-while getting another ball, knocks things over in the garage
-trips over his shoelace
-trips running home during a softball practice game
-ball slams into his face, and he loses a tooth
-hits a home run that crashes through the principal's window
-runs into the catcher's cage
-trips over the bat
-swings a bat that slips out of his hands and knocks into the refreshments table
-bat flies out of his hands and almost hits the pitcher for the bashers
-breaks a lamp
snacks in claudia's room:
-cheese doodles in art supplies under the bed
-pack of mini candy bars in art supplies under the bed
-bag of doritos (n.s.)
-box of mallomars (n.s.)
-gummi bears (n.s.)
-package of twinkies (n.s.)
kristy starts a ragtag softball team (kristy's krushers) comprised of kids who are too young or otherwise ill-equipped for little league. she meets bart taylor, coach of bart's bashers, a team that is slightly more uniform in age and ability. they decide to have the krushers and bashers play a game against one another, and kristy crushes (not krushes) on bart. the titular walking disaster is of course jackie rodowsky, but he's not really the most significant character in the book so I'm not sure why he gets the title spot.
highlights:
-introduction of the krushers, bart and his bashers, and the kuhn kids
-really great cover art. it doesn't say who did it but I assume it's hodges soileau. the faces are so distinctive, and they all actually look the correct age.
-this very kristy moment: kristy thinks the good weather is a good omen, but realizes that bart is experiencing the same weather and maybe he thinks it's a good omen too. "that's why omens are stupid."
-introduction of claire pike's baseball attitude. she throws tantrums and screams NOFE-AIR!
lowlights/nitpicks:
-biggest issue of all: kristy is gay. I'm sorry, but I am not buying this huge crush she has on bart. I would believe that she would think she has a crush on him because her friends tease her about it or something, but there is no way she would act the way she does about bart in this book.
-thirty-seven is not that old to have a kid, kristy. also is your mom really only thirty-seven? that's really young (but not unheard of) to have four kids, one of whom is a senior in high school.
-kristy narrates that the dues pay for two things: kid kits and parties. I'm sorry, how did you get to that bsc meeting? remember charlie, your brother who you pay out of the dues to drive you there?
-a bernese could never "look like a mouse" in comparison to a rottie. both are large dogs. shannon is still pretty young, but she's probably 7-9 months old by this point, which means she's probably 70 or 80 pounds at least. even if bart's rottie is a particularly large one, that's still 110 or 120 pounds (much of which isn't in height but is in muscle), which is still not large enough for a 70/80 pound dog to look tiny in comparison (not to mention to fit under a dog's undercarriage without crouching)
-the bashers are such jerks! bart is such an idiot!
no outfits
jackie's disasters:
-spills pink lemonade
-pitches a normal pitch that somehow ends up on the neighbor's roof's gutter
-while getting another ball, knocks things over in the garage
-trips over his shoelace
-trips running home during a softball practice game
-ball slams into his face, and he loses a tooth
-hits a home run that crashes through the principal's window
-runs into the catcher's cage
-trips over the bat
-swings a bat that slips out of his hands and knocks into the refreshments table
-bat flies out of his hands and almost hits the pitcher for the bashers
-breaks a lamp
snacks in claudia's room:
-cheese doodles in art supplies under the bed
-pack of mini candy bars in art supplies under the bed
-bag of doritos (n.s.)
-box of mallomars (n.s.)
-gummi bears (n.s.)
-package of twinkies (n.s.)
April 15, 2020
Kristy decides to start a baseball team for kids who have trouble being good at sports.
This was not my favourite BSC book for two reasons - I don't care for baseball and Kristy has a crush on a boy named Bart and while I'd never reached this far in the series, the fandom led me to believe that Kristy was Not Into Boys, and I was looking forward to a portrayal of that.
Sadness. Still a great series.
This was not my favourite BSC book for two reasons - I don't care for baseball and Kristy has a crush on a boy named Bart and while I'd never reached this far in the series, the fandom led me to believe that Kristy was Not Into Boys, and I was looking forward to a portrayal of that.
Sadness. Still a great series.
Read
September 6, 2025rtc
August 29, 2021
I had Babysitters Club on the brain and I pulled out the next book I had available in my collection. I loathe sports and wasn't as invested in the neighborhood baseball team comprised of misfits. I thought it was a great message to give the underdogs a fighting chance. I thought it was a little silly to see Kristy a little googly-eyed over the other teenybopper baseball coach, whose name is Bart? That doesn't actually inspire romance to me, but it was a silly thought. Plus, I've been getting major LGBTQ+ from Kristy with her turtlenecks and boybashing history, but that could just be my 21st century perspective. Please no more sports incorporation into my BSC books, please!
September 16, 2016
Kristy forms her famous Krushers in this book. This was the first of several books that bored me out of my mind since they went on and on about softball , and described the games these little children played in great detail. Reading about softball isn't interesting even when the players are good. I read this when I was nine or ten, but I could have been older because I'm sure I put off reading it since it seemed so boring.
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
The only thing I remember very clearly is that Karen throws a fit because Krusher is supposed to be spelled with a C. She eventually makes her own Crushers t-shirt. One of the only Babysitter's Little Sister books (the "Karen books" as they were known to me and my friends) I read growing up was about Karen being such a good speller that she wins spelling bee after spelling bee, and that she becomes more and more obnoxious with each win. Eventually all her friends hate her, her teacher has to lecture her about humility, and she loses the state spelling bee to a girl who is the embodiment of humility and good sportsmanship. This plot did not endear me to Karen, and did not inspire me to read more of her series. I can so picture her being the only one lame enough to spell her team's name korrectly, I mean correctly.
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
One of the last BSC books I ever read (and therefore one I remember really clearly) is Kristy + Bart = ? when Kristy feels pressured to be Bart's girlfriend, and is uncomfortable with that idea. At the time I read it I knew without a doubt (and was pretty mad at myself for not figuring it out earlier) that Kristy was gay. So it was interesting to read this book (which I have little memory of) and see the beginning of her relationship with Bart. Knowing what I now know about Kristy it's odd to read, which may be the plot and writing of this book felt uncharacteristically clunky and stilted. This is writing that became more prevalent as the series went on, and the ghost writers came in, but this book was written by Ann M Martin herself. I'm guessing she's not a big fan of baseball, or of writing about Kristy's huge (strange) crush on a handsome, athletic male. Kristy's crush on Bart comes across as something given to her character for the sole purpose of having Bart in her life. They could just as easily be friends without any romantic tension, especially since Kristy always seems uncomfortable with it. Later in the series everyone makes a big deal about how Bart is only Kristy's "sort of boyfriend". Kristy herself always seems more comfortable thinking of Bart as her friend, and occasionally, a boy who like-likes her, and is therefore a good option to take to school dances. In the late 1980s, early 1990s, in a suburban Connecticut town that's as conservative as Stoneybrook, I would imagine it's a lot easier to think of attending a middle school dance on the arm of boy you don't feel that passionately about (but that you consider a good friend), than on the arm of a girl you have a massive crush on. I like to imagine that Kristy grew into her sexuality without much fanfare, and settled down with a woman who loves collies, and is happy to let Kristy take their lives in any direction Kristy seems fit. I especially hope this future for Kristy after reading this awkward attempt at her crush on a boy.
Kristy says that Watson loves baseball. I swear to God that later in the series he doesn't know a thing about baseball, and Kristy makes fun of him. Am I making this up? Loving baseball seems like such an un-Watson type thing.
Claudia comes to "help" Kristy with Krusher practice, and acts exactly the way I would if I was pressured to help my friend coach a softball team of misfits. She wanders around aimlessly, eats candy, and checks out her nails. If she had had a phone she would have been posting things on Instagram and Twitter: #sobored #favor #softballsux
Bart acts like a jerk in this book, and I'm surprised Kristy's crush on him lasted longer than this book. He spies on her team, and he brings his Bashers with him to make fun of the Krushers by laughing at the girls, and calling Matt Braddock a dummy. In this day and age they would be suspended from play. I'm surprised that bossy, loud-mouth Kristy let them get away with it, but maybe she wanted to set a good example for the kids. (Again, just letting kids be mean doesn't sound like Kristy, which is another reason this books sounds like it was written by a ghost writer.) Luckily, Haley Braddock steps up and threatens the kid who called her deaf brother a dummy.
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
The only thing I remember very clearly is that Karen throws a fit because Krusher is supposed to be spelled with a C. She eventually makes her own Crushers t-shirt. One of the only Babysitter's Little Sister books (the "Karen books" as they were known to me and my friends) I read growing up was about Karen being such a good speller that she wins spelling bee after spelling bee, and that she becomes more and more obnoxious with each win. Eventually all her friends hate her, her teacher has to lecture her about humility, and she loses the state spelling bee to a girl who is the embodiment of humility and good sportsmanship. This plot did not endear me to Karen, and did not inspire me to read more of her series. I can so picture her being the only one lame enough to spell her team's name korrectly, I mean correctly.
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
One of the last BSC books I ever read (and therefore one I remember really clearly) is Kristy + Bart = ? when Kristy feels pressured to be Bart's girlfriend, and is uncomfortable with that idea. At the time I read it I knew without a doubt (and was pretty mad at myself for not figuring it out earlier) that Kristy was gay. So it was interesting to read this book (which I have little memory of) and see the beginning of her relationship with Bart. Knowing what I now know about Kristy it's odd to read, which may be the plot and writing of this book felt uncharacteristically clunky and stilted. This is writing that became more prevalent as the series went on, and the ghost writers came in, but this book was written by Ann M Martin herself. I'm guessing she's not a big fan of baseball, or of writing about Kristy's huge (strange) crush on a handsome, athletic male. Kristy's crush on Bart comes across as something given to her character for the sole purpose of having Bart in her life. They could just as easily be friends without any romantic tension, especially since Kristy always seems uncomfortable with it. Later in the series everyone makes a big deal about how Bart is only Kristy's "sort of boyfriend". Kristy herself always seems more comfortable thinking of Bart as her friend, and occasionally, a boy who like-likes her, and is therefore a good option to take to school dances. In the late 1980s, early 1990s, in a suburban Connecticut town that's as conservative as Stoneybrook, I would imagine it's a lot easier to think of attending a middle school dance on the arm of boy you don't feel that passionately about (but that you consider a good friend), than on the arm of a girl you have a massive crush on. I like to imagine that Kristy grew into her sexuality without much fanfare, and settled down with a woman who loves collies, and is happy to let Kristy take their lives in any direction Kristy seems fit. I especially hope this future for Kristy after reading this awkward attempt at her crush on a boy.
Kristy says that Watson loves baseball. I swear to God that later in the series he doesn't know a thing about baseball, and Kristy makes fun of him. Am I making this up? Loving baseball seems like such an un-Watson type thing.
Claudia comes to "help" Kristy with Krusher practice, and acts exactly the way I would if I was pressured to help my friend coach a softball team of misfits. She wanders around aimlessly, eats candy, and checks out her nails. If she had had a phone she would have been posting things on Instagram and Twitter: #sobored #favor #softballsux
Bart acts like a jerk in this book, and I'm surprised Kristy's crush on him lasted longer than this book. He spies on her team, and he brings his Bashers with him to make fun of the Krushers by laughing at the girls, and calling Matt Braddock a dummy. In this day and age they would be suspended from play. I'm surprised that bossy, loud-mouth Kristy let them get away with it, but maybe she wanted to set a good example for the kids. (Again, just letting kids be mean doesn't sound like Kristy, which is another reason this books sounds like it was written by a ghost writer.) Luckily, Haley Braddock steps up and threatens the kid who called her deaf brother a dummy.
February 6, 2021
Why wasn't this one titled Kristy's Krushers? Or maybe Coach Kristy or something? Yes, Jackie is his usual absurdly accident-prone self, but that was hardly the main focus of the story.
Not that it would have been if it had been, because lord, this one was boring.
I like baseball, but did we really need a play-by-play of every single swing of the bat in every single practice and game?? I did appreciate how great Kristy was with the younger and less athletic kids, making sure they all had places within the team, either as players or cheerleaders or something. And I liked that the Krushers actually lose the big game, because it's a lot more realistic that they might play pretty well but still lose to the older and more skilled team than it would have been if they'd pulled off some shock win.
But yeah, overall this was a bit of a drag. The kids got annoying with their repetitive whining, I was ticked off that the only person to tell off the kids on the other team who were making fun of the deaf child was his sister, and the other babysitters were practically like walk-on extras throughout the book. I wish we'd gotten more of Kristy and Bart's little burgeoning romance, too, but I assume that may happen in later books. (I can't for the life of me remember this story arc from my original reading of the series.) (Also..."Bart"?? Where did Martin come up with some of these names? This one was first published in 1989, and the name Bartholomew barely cracked the top 1000 boy names back then (or now). I'm all for uncommon names, but like...why not Brian or Brandon or some other far more likely name that would have still given her the alliteration with Bashers?)
Not a fave at all, but then Kristy's books rarely are. But next up are Mallory and Jessi, so I'm hoping for better things.
Not that it would have been if it had been, because lord, this one was boring.
I like baseball, but did we really need a play-by-play of every single swing of the bat in every single practice and game?? I did appreciate how great Kristy was with the younger and less athletic kids, making sure they all had places within the team, either as players or cheerleaders or something. And I liked that the Krushers actually lose the big game, because it's a lot more realistic that they might play pretty well but still lose to the older and more skilled team than it would have been if they'd pulled off some shock win.
But yeah, overall this was a bit of a drag. The kids got annoying with their repetitive whining, I was ticked off that the only person to tell off the kids on the other team who were making fun of the deaf child was his sister, and the other babysitters were practically like walk-on extras throughout the book. I wish we'd gotten more of Kristy and Bart's little burgeoning romance, too, but I assume that may happen in later books. (I can't for the life of me remember this story arc from my original reading of the series.) (Also..."Bart"?? Where did Martin come up with some of these names? This one was first published in 1989, and the name Bartholomew barely cracked the top 1000 boy names back then (or now). I'm all for uncommon names, but like...why not Brian or Brandon or some other far more likely name that would have still given her the alliteration with Bashers?)
Not a fave at all, but then Kristy's books rarely are. But next up are Mallory and Jessi, so I'm hoping for better things.
August 10, 2016
Kristy decides to round up the neighborhood's baseball enthusiasts who are too young for Little League and make a ragtag baseball team out of them. But when another team disrespects their efforts, Kristy and the opposing team's coach end up going to head to head. Kristy wrestles with whether she likes the other coach, and in the meantime, she supports each of her kids and teaches them about sportsmanship while improving their skills.
One VERY good lesson in this book--which inspired me to give it a third star--was that when Bart was a jerk to Kristy, she actually cooled off on liking him. Too many books aimed at young girls have guys treating the girls terribly and they respond by chasing him desperately or trying to change themselves to please him. But Kristy? She's like, "That guy's a jerk." However, the kids were put in little boxes for the purpose of this book; each had a single defining feature that held them back in baseball, and each had to overcome said obstacle for the team to feel successful. And even though the first book that featured Matt--the baseball-playing deaf kid--did a passable job not making his whole identity about deafness, this book sort of undid that (even though he's a fantastic player, a standout even, and his deafness is a drawback only in that the other kids who don't know sign language can't easily communicate with him). It's also nice that they can live by "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game" without actually having to win the game to embody that spirit.
One VERY good lesson in this book--which inspired me to give it a third star--was that when Bart was a jerk to Kristy, she actually cooled off on liking him. Too many books aimed at young girls have guys treating the girls terribly and they respond by chasing him desperately or trying to change themselves to please him. But Kristy? She's like, "That guy's a jerk." However, the kids were put in little boxes for the purpose of this book; each had a single defining feature that held them back in baseball, and each had to overcome said obstacle for the team to feel successful. And even though the first book that featured Matt--the baseball-playing deaf kid--did a passable job not making his whole identity about deafness, this book sort of undid that (even though he's a fantastic player, a standout even, and his deafness is a drawback only in that the other kids who don't know sign language can't easily communicate with him). It's also nice that they can live by "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game" without actually having to win the game to embody that spirit.
November 16, 2023
The early books in the series were usually very good, but I remembered this being my least favorite. I stumbled upon it recently and decided to give it a re-read for the first time in 30 years. Guess what -it's as boring as I remembered! First, it suffers from the awkwardness of frequently interrupting the action so Kristy can info-dump to the reader about her family and friends ("Are you confused yet? Maybe I better stop and explain who I am." "I'll explain more about Stacey later, I promise" etc.) Of course all the BSC books do this, but this one is an egregious example of bad writing. It's also solely about baseball, there's no B-plot. Since I don't care for sports, it was pretty tedious to read every detail of practice and games.
Finally, there's the title. Jackie, the so-called Walking Disaster, isn't a vital character to the plot; as in all BSC books, he's just a sweet but clumsy kid who the baby-sitters loathe for some reason. They groan when his mother calls to request a baby-sitter, but he's literally not a bad kid? Just clumsy and never intentionally causes trouble. His inclusion on the team isn't significant enough for the book to be titled about him, though. It should have been titled something like "Kristy's Krushers" or "Kristy and the Baseball Team." As a kid, I never understood why the baby-sitters felt Jackie was an impossible kid to deal with and why they acted like he made their lives so difficult. As an adult, I still don't get it. They're unnecessarily mean to him. Poor kid, you deserve better sitters.
Finally, there's the title. Jackie, the so-called Walking Disaster, isn't a vital character to the plot; as in all BSC books, he's just a sweet but clumsy kid who the baby-sitters loathe for some reason. They groan when his mother calls to request a baby-sitter, but he's literally not a bad kid? Just clumsy and never intentionally causes trouble. His inclusion on the team isn't significant enough for the book to be titled about him, though. It should have been titled something like "Kristy's Krushers" or "Kristy and the Baseball Team." As a kid, I never understood why the baby-sitters felt Jackie was an impossible kid to deal with and why they acted like he made their lives so difficult. As an adult, I still don't get it. They're unnecessarily mean to him. Poor kid, you deserve better sitters.
July 7, 2020
While I actually started reading around age 3 (thank you, my Granny's Dick and Jane books!), this series is what I remember most about loving to read during my childhood. My sister and I drank these books up like they were oxygen. I truly think we owned just about every single one from every one of the series. We even got the privilege of meeting Ann M. Martin at a book signing, but of course little starstruck me froze and could not speak a word to my biggest hero at that time. Once in awhile if I come across these at a yard sale, I will pick them up for a couple hour trip down memory lane, and I declare nearly nothing centers and relaxes me more!
May 16, 2021
Oli ihan kiva pieni onnistumistarina. Tykkään myös siitä, minkälainen suhde Lisalle ja Watsonille on vihdoin muodostumassa. Yleensä isäpuolia vaan vihataan, niin kiva nähdä tällaista positiivista uusperhemeininkii.
September 5, 2023
Bart's Bashers take on Kristy's Krushers! And that's Krushers with a K, unless you happen to be Karen, who adamantly refuses to even consider spelling it incorrectly, and even has her team t-shirt made differently, to reflect her unwavering dedication and fierce loyalty to Proper Spelling. All of which is quite adorable.
April 12, 2021
Kristy loves sports especially baseball and decides to run her own team. She enlists the help of the other babysitters to recruit kids who are in between t-ball and softball but want to play. Of course lots of kids sign up and she even gets introduced to Bart who has his own team. They end up playing against each other and the kids realize how much potential they have. Kristy also has a huge crush on Bart too. I love these books.
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October 25, 2023I like it it was very good
July 24, 2025
Lots of fun - bunch of kids, babysitters doing their job, teeny bit of junior romance, nice stepparent interaction.
The graphic novel was better because this book works so well with illustrations.
The graphic novel was better because this book works so well with illustrations.
October 27, 2020
Kristy and the Walking Disaster (The Baby-Sitters Club, #20) by Ann M. Martin is told from the point of view of Kristy Thomas, president of The Baby-Sitters Club. Seeing how much her little brother and step siblings enjoy playing softball, she decides to create a softball team of kids, who normally wouldn't be good enough to join a little league team, and names the team Kristy's Krushers. Things get competitive when another team called Bart's Bashers challenges them to a game.
One of the things I enjoyed most about Kristy and the Walking Disaster (The Baby-Sitters Club, #20) is the fact that the character of Kristy is being developed a little more and starting to mature. In this book, Kristy actually starts to like boys and has a crush on a guy named Bart Taylor, who is the coach of a softball team called Bart's Bashers. It's nice to see characters that aren't kept in the same box throughout the series.
Additionally, it was great that the book addressed bullying because it's still a thing that happens with kids today. Hopefully, readers will be able to empathize and learn the lesson put forth in the story. Another lesson to be learned by readers was to include others on your team regardless of whether they're good or bad and that if you work hard, you can become a better player.
This is a great book for kids who enjoy sports, especially softball and baseball. I thoroughly enjoyed this book even as an adult. The only downfall is that it hardly mentions any of the other girls in the baby-sitters club, which is why I gave it four stars out of five stars.
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One of the things I enjoyed most about Kristy and the Walking Disaster (The Baby-Sitters Club, #20) is the fact that the character of Kristy is being developed a little more and starting to mature. In this book, Kristy actually starts to like boys and has a crush on a guy named Bart Taylor, who is the coach of a softball team called Bart's Bashers. It's nice to see characters that aren't kept in the same box throughout the series.
Additionally, it was great that the book addressed bullying because it's still a thing that happens with kids today. Hopefully, readers will be able to empathize and learn the lesson put forth in the story. Another lesson to be learned by readers was to include others on your team regardless of whether they're good or bad and that if you work hard, you can become a better player.
This is a great book for kids who enjoy sports, especially softball and baseball. I thoroughly enjoyed this book even as an adult. The only downfall is that it hardly mentions any of the other girls in the baby-sitters club, which is why I gave it four stars out of five stars.
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February 8, 2023
Read via audio (narrated by Brittany Pressley).
July 30, 2019
Kristy AND softball? Booooring. Lol...At least we get some Jackie Rodowsky (AKA The Walking Disaster) and we meet Bart Taylor, Mr McDreamy softball player. I don't really get the title of this one, Jackie is barely in it. It should have been called "Kristy and the Krushers" or "Kristy Discovers Boys" or something like that.
So the book starts out with Kristy baby-sitting her fabulous brothers and sister whom she loves dearly and they are such an awesome blended family blah blah blah. She's playing ball with them in their gigundo backyard and realizes they have a distinct lack of....talent. Okay not really, more like they're just too young and don't have enough practice and are scared the ball is going to hit them in the head. (I don't blame them.) So she has a brilliant Kristy Idea (patent pending) and decides to start up a softball team for all the kids who are too small or untalented or the wrong gender to get in Little League.
In doing so, she meets Mr Softball, who is so hot and also baseball obsessed, that Kristy immediately gets a Gigantic Crush. And somehow he challenges her Krushers to a game against his Bashers. Yes, those are the names, egotistical much? Kristy is kind of freaked, cause you know, her kids range from 2 1/2 to 8 years old. But she agrees and it's on like Donkey Kong. ;)
The Bashers come check out the competition one afternoon and being such smart little brats, divert Bart's attention so they can make fun of the Krushers and sike them out. Poor Jackie is Pig-Pen and a new kid, Jake Kuhn, is Fatso. :( The worst (and best) is when they call Matt Braddock Dummy and his sister Haley threatens them with bodily harm lol. Jerkwads.
Blogged: SeeJennRead
So the book starts out with Kristy baby-sitting her fabulous brothers and sister whom she loves dearly and they are such an awesome blended family blah blah blah. She's playing ball with them in their gigundo backyard and realizes they have a distinct lack of....talent. Okay not really, more like they're just too young and don't have enough practice and are scared the ball is going to hit them in the head. (I don't blame them.) So she has a brilliant Kristy Idea (patent pending) and decides to start up a softball team for all the kids who are too small or untalented or the wrong gender to get in Little League.
In doing so, she meets Mr Softball, who is so hot and also baseball obsessed, that Kristy immediately gets a Gigantic Crush. And somehow he challenges her Krushers to a game against his Bashers. Yes, those are the names, egotistical much? Kristy is kind of freaked, cause you know, her kids range from 2 1/2 to 8 years old. But she agrees and it's on like Donkey Kong. ;)
The Bashers come check out the competition one afternoon and being such smart little brats, divert Bart's attention so they can make fun of the Krushers and sike them out. Poor Jackie is Pig-Pen and a new kid, Jake Kuhn, is Fatso. :( The worst (and best) is when they call Matt Braddock Dummy and his sister Haley threatens them with bodily harm lol. Jerkwads.
Blogged: SeeJennRead
September 13, 2016
When I picked this one up I expected to not really enjoy it because I don't care for books about "disasters" and contrived clumsiness, but I have to admit I have a weakness for inspirational sports movies and this kind of reminded me of The Sandlot. Kristy has a clumsy sitting client and invites him--along with some other neighborhood kids who are too young for Little League--to join her ragtag softball team, Kristy's Krushers. Annoyingly, there had to be a non-sports element as well, so the author threw in a romance--Kristy developed a crush on an opposing team's male coach. Great. (I thought it was cool, though, that unlike a lot of girls her age, Kristy actually starts disliking her crush when he does jerky things.)
I didn't like that the children on the Krushers were really stereotyped. Every child had something specific that made baseball difficult, and was defined in this book by whatever that trait was. (It annoyed me that the deaf kid had his deafness invoked as a setback in playing baseball, when actually baseball is Matt's THING and the only problem he has regarding deafness is that not many kids can talk to him.)
I did like that even though the inspirational sports "thing" was played out--the underdog team plays a better, more practiced team and gets scoffed at until they show them what they're made of--they didn't actually come from behind and WIN. And they weren't all pissed off about losing--they were legitimately glad that they did as well as they did, and that was cute and cool.
I didn't like that the children on the Krushers were really stereotyped. Every child had something specific that made baseball difficult, and was defined in this book by whatever that trait was. (It annoyed me that the deaf kid had his deafness invoked as a setback in playing baseball, when actually baseball is Matt's THING and the only problem he has regarding deafness is that not many kids can talk to him.)
I did like that even though the inspirational sports "thing" was played out--the underdog team plays a better, more practiced team and gets scoffed at until they show them what they're made of--they didn't actually come from behind and WIN. And they weren't all pissed off about losing--they were legitimately glad that they did as well as they did, and that was cute and cool.
July 23, 2016
Posted originally on my blog:
The Writer's Inkwell
Why is it that just as I’m starting to remember why I loved this series, I get to a book that makes me wonder why the hell this was ever a popular series. Of course, I was really young when I originally read this book. Probably no older than seven to be exact. But for the life of me, I did not recall Kristy talking so horribly about the kids on her team. At one point, she’s mentally repeating what the craptastic kids on the Bashers team said. And though I know that was more of her own self doubt… it’s disturbing to see her call someone a fatso and what not.
But worst is the fact is titled like it’s all about Jackie. But in truth, he’s barely part of the story and his accidents are mentioned in passing as a recap. But read the description on the back of the book… why isn’t it all about the Walking Disaster on Kristy’s team? Heck, it doesn’t even mention Jackie! This kind of disjointed story telling is exactly why these books read so young and why so many of us are going back over them and shaking our heads.
I was never really a fan of Kristy’s, but had I been, I would have hated her after rereading this book.
The Writer's Inkwell
Why is it that just as I’m starting to remember why I loved this series, I get to a book that makes me wonder why the hell this was ever a popular series. Of course, I was really young when I originally read this book. Probably no older than seven to be exact. But for the life of me, I did not recall Kristy talking so horribly about the kids on her team. At one point, she’s mentally repeating what the craptastic kids on the Bashers team said. And though I know that was more of her own self doubt… it’s disturbing to see her call someone a fatso and what not.
But worst is the fact is titled like it’s all about Jackie. But in truth, he’s barely part of the story and his accidents are mentioned in passing as a recap. But read the description on the back of the book… why isn’t it all about the Walking Disaster on Kristy’s team? Heck, it doesn’t even mention Jackie! This kind of disjointed story telling is exactly why these books read so young and why so many of us are going back over them and shaking our heads.
I was never really a fan of Kristy’s, but had I been, I would have hated her after rereading this book.
March 25, 2015
You know when you attend a professional baseball game in the summer, it's mildly interesting because you can eat nachos, paint your nails, get a tan and sing along to whatever they blare from the speakers? But when you watch a professional baseball game on TV it's a bit more boring because you lose some of the experience? Now imagine reading a book about a softball team that is half comprised of toddlers/preschoolers (literally Gabbie is 2.5) written at about a third grade reading level. See where I'm going with this?
If I don't hit my monthly reading goal, I cheat by reading a few BSC books. Clearly this has been happening a lot lately, since I'm on number 20. I haven't picked these up since 4th or 5th grade, which is well over 20 years now, and sad to say that they were better when I was 8. There are little aspects of these books that feel really dated and out of place. Like the fact that all the moms except Dr Johanssen stay at home and only need babysitters in the afternoons so they can run errands and go to doctor's appointments. Or that the deaf kid is called a "dummy" in this book without severe reprimand.
Kristy's books aren't really my favorite, and this one is one of the weaker books so far. Although I haven't gotten to that Abby BS yet.
If I don't hit my monthly reading goal, I cheat by reading a few BSC books. Clearly this has been happening a lot lately, since I'm on number 20. I haven't picked these up since 4th or 5th grade, which is well over 20 years now, and sad to say that they were better when I was 8. There are little aspects of these books that feel really dated and out of place. Like the fact that all the moms except Dr Johanssen stay at home and only need babysitters in the afternoons so they can run errands and go to doctor's appointments. Or that the deaf kid is called a "dummy" in this book without severe reprimand.
Kristy's books aren't really my favorite, and this one is one of the weaker books so far. Although I haven't gotten to that Abby BS yet.
April 19, 2023
I REALLY don’t remember reading this one as a kid. Like, I probably did once just to be a completist, maybe? But I wasn’t a sporty kid so I could also see me having skipped it. Anyway, the nostalgia factor on this particular installment was zilch for me. This one was just as meh as I maybe remembered even though I don’t actually remember reading it. 😂 Why did Bart have a baseball team if no other non Little League teams existed to play? Lol. Good thing the Krushers came along! Also, why the title of the book was what it was was silly. Yes, Jackie and his walking disaster-ness was mentioned a lot, but the book was about the whole team kind of being disastrous at first. Finally, this is the first in my adult rereading where there was a total cringe passage that didn’t age well. On the whole, these books age very well, but that one passage in this one, woof.
August 30, 2020
What do you call it when the title is misleading to what the book is about? Anyway, Jackie is such a minor part of this book. The author continuously forced him into scenes to make him relevant, when really he doesn’t bring nearly as much attention to the story as the real plot, which is Kristy forming a little softball team. This book transformed Kristy for me. What an amazing human. She really is a true babysitter and leader and I love being in her head. She comes across soooo bratty and crusty and mean to others, but she is not that way in her head at all. Hah. I was touched by how the kids were inspired and motivated by being part of a team. The one thing this SAHM got from this preteen chapter book is to make sure I put my daughter in some organized sports!
April 16, 2013
The last of this batch of BSC Kindle read. I read it pretty quickly (don't really know why) but I remembered having read it before. I actually remember almost nothing of the storyline except for the presence of Bart. The highlight of the book is just that... Kristy likes a boy. After so much complaining (in the last books) about how she dislikes them, there comes a boy that can make her change her mind...
Now I'm realizing that, as I finished the book more than a month ago, I've already blocked the rest of the storyline :P Oh well, its one of those books that features a lot of the little kids together (the Krushers!!) and we have mini cheerleaders! Bring it On!
Now I'm realizing that, as I finished the book more than a month ago, I've already blocked the rest of the storyline :P Oh well, its one of those books that features a lot of the little kids together (the Krushers!!) and we have mini cheerleaders! Bring it On!
March 16, 2013
Fantastic books for young girls getting into reading!! Great stories about friendship and life lessons. The characters deal with all sorts of situations and often find responsible solutions to problems.
I loved this series growing up and wanted to start my own babysitting business with friends. Great lessons in entrepreneurship for tweens.
The books may be dated with out references to modern technology but the story stands and lessons are still relevant.
Awesome books that girls will love! And the series grows with them! Terrific Author!
I loved this series growing up and wanted to start my own babysitting business with friends. Great lessons in entrepreneurship for tweens.
The books may be dated with out references to modern technology but the story stands and lessons are still relevant.
Awesome books that girls will love! And the series grows with them! Terrific Author!
July 31, 2018
I'm generally not a fan of sports books, but gosh if the Baby-sitters Club didn't make a great one. The story is cute, and even though (spoiler alert!) the Krushers didn't win the big game, they tried, and it tugged at my sports-hating heartstrings a little bit.
Also how is Gabbie Perkins on the team and speaking coherently at two and a half, when Marine Barrett is essentially a lump at the tender age of two? Gabbie is playing baseball in an organized setting, while Marnie gums down Cheerios in her stroller. There's some major Perkins favouring here, AMM! (As if that's news to anyone lol.)
Also how is Gabbie Perkins on the team and speaking coherently at two and a half, when Marine Barrett is essentially a lump at the tender age of two? Gabbie is playing baseball in an organized setting, while Marnie gums down Cheerios in her stroller. There's some major Perkins favouring here, AMM! (As if that's news to anyone lol.)
February 4, 2021
While babysitting, Kristy realizes that many of the younger kids in Stoneybrook aren't able play Little League baseball. She decides to form a team: Kristy's Krushers. But that's not the only pre-Little League team that has formed...Bart Taylor coaches Bart's Bashers. They decide to have a friendly, competitive game. Unfortunately, the Krushers lose, but Kristy realizes that her team is incredibly passionate about playing baseball. Jackie Rodowsky is dubbed the Walking Disaster because he is a klutz.
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