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The Baby-Sitters Club #46
Mary Anne Misses Logan
It was good for Mary Anne and Logan to break up for a while. Mary Anne had some time to herself, and she's been having lots of fun with her friends. But now Mary Anne can't help it. She misses Logan.
When she and Logan are both assigned to study their favorite author, Mary Anne thinks it will be the perfect, most romantic way for them to get back together. Until Cokie Mason, Mary Anne's mortal enemy, decides to steal Logan from her!
When she and Logan are both assigned to study their favorite author, Mary Anne thinks it will be the perfect, most romantic way for them to get back together. Until Cokie Mason, Mary Anne's mortal enemy, decides to steal Logan from her!
110 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 1991
77 people are currently reading
900 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,118 books3,063 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 64 reviews
April 27, 2021
Miren, pensé que iba a estar peor, jajajaja.
April 29, 2016
this is my first time reading this book!
the 8th graders at SMS are getting assigned to grade-wide groups for a contemporary author project. mary anne ends up in a group with logan (whom she has just started pining for again) and cokie mason (who sort of gets character development in this book). logan and cokie start dating, which is really crappy of logan to do when they're all working together. cokie doesn't do any of the work and embarrasses herself when the project actually involves presenting to the author (who has come to the school for a visit). at the end mary anne and logan get back together. meanwhile, way too many chapters are devoted to a boring baby-sitting story introducing the kormans (who have moved into the delaneys old mansion) who think there is a monster in their toilet.
highlights:
-mary anne narrates that if dawn tells her one more time that carob is just as good as chocolate, she will make her take a taste test. LOVE IT. carob, while fine, is in no way as good as chocolate.
-skylar korman needs to get a lullaby to go to sleep, and her preferred song is "breakin' up is hard to do" by neil sedaka
-mary anne hypothesizes that mr. kingbridge (assistant principal) would, around royalty, speak like this: "whereas turnarounds our hallowed halls do seek for the greater imperious notions of sanctified nations. blither, blither, blither." I laughed out loud. mary anne isn't usually funny.
-it feels sort of thrown in as an afterthought in the last chapter, but at least it's addressed that mary anne isn't gonna be a pushover with logan anymore. I feel slightly better about them getting back together (though not as much better as I would have if she dated someone else in the meantime).
-the handling of being forced to be in a group with people who don't do any work is effective. I was so irritated at logan and cokie about this.
-the cover. this cover straight up has NOTHING to do with the book. I'm pretty sure the story is that hodges soileau had painted a postcard for the Postcard Book and they wanted to use that art to save money. seriously, I kept waiting for the roller rink scene! but also I kind of love the idea of having a cover that has nothing to do with a book.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-when working on the project, mary anne waits to see what logan wants to drink (water) and then asks for it too: "I wanted whatever logan was having." barf.
-mary anne's revisionist history says that she took too long to consider things after taking a break, or logan took it the wrong way when she asked for the break, and that was why they broke up. no, remember how he assumed you guys were back together without asking? and you were justifiably angry, so you dumped him?
-dawn and kristy both say or imply that mary anne invented the toilet monster. lies! it was melody korman. also, if the kormans are rich enough to live in the delaneys old mansion, how is it that it takes them this long to get a plumber to examine the growling toilet?
-cokie is such an idiot when it comes to boys she likes. like, she refuses to listen to the other people in the group and keeps asking logan things only. I hate when girls are like this. ugh.
-logan dates cokie while they're in the group together. that's kind of crappy. at the end, he says the reason he dated cokie was because he missed mary anne and cokie kept wanting to hang out with him. mary anne, are you sure you want to get back with this jerk?
-mary anne manipulatively figures out cokie didn't read the book she said she did by saying the wrong title and cokie not correcting her. this is crappy too. don't dance around it -- if you have a problem, talk about it.
-kristy is so smug when she thinks she got rid of the toilet monster. in the notebook she says, "you have to really understand children, which I do." ugh.
-in the last chapter logan vaguely says he feels bad about using cokie. even though I hate her I almost feel bad for cokie in this book.
-also I'm confused, because it wasn't cokie who liked logan in the first place. her best friend, grace blume did, and cokie was just trying to help grace get him (in Mary Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery).
kristy cafeteria comment:
-"look. lookit that brown thing," she said pointing to a blob on claud's plate. "you know what that could be? it could be something that just, like, fell into the pot while the cooks were stirring..."
no outfits and no snacks in claudia's room
the 8th graders at SMS are getting assigned to grade-wide groups for a contemporary author project. mary anne ends up in a group with logan (whom she has just started pining for again) and cokie mason (who sort of gets character development in this book). logan and cokie start dating, which is really crappy of logan to do when they're all working together. cokie doesn't do any of the work and embarrasses herself when the project actually involves presenting to the author (who has come to the school for a visit). at the end mary anne and logan get back together. meanwhile, way too many chapters are devoted to a boring baby-sitting story introducing the kormans (who have moved into the delaneys old mansion) who think there is a monster in their toilet.
highlights:
-mary anne narrates that if dawn tells her one more time that carob is just as good as chocolate, she will make her take a taste test. LOVE IT. carob, while fine, is in no way as good as chocolate.
-skylar korman needs to get a lullaby to go to sleep, and her preferred song is "breakin' up is hard to do" by neil sedaka
-mary anne hypothesizes that mr. kingbridge (assistant principal) would, around royalty, speak like this: "whereas turnarounds our hallowed halls do seek for the greater imperious notions of sanctified nations. blither, blither, blither." I laughed out loud. mary anne isn't usually funny.
-it feels sort of thrown in as an afterthought in the last chapter, but at least it's addressed that mary anne isn't gonna be a pushover with logan anymore. I feel slightly better about them getting back together (though not as much better as I would have if she dated someone else in the meantime).
-the handling of being forced to be in a group with people who don't do any work is effective. I was so irritated at logan and cokie about this.
-the cover. this cover straight up has NOTHING to do with the book. I'm pretty sure the story is that hodges soileau had painted a postcard for the Postcard Book and they wanted to use that art to save money. seriously, I kept waiting for the roller rink scene! but also I kind of love the idea of having a cover that has nothing to do with a book.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-when working on the project, mary anne waits to see what logan wants to drink (water) and then asks for it too: "I wanted whatever logan was having." barf.
-mary anne's revisionist history says that she took too long to consider things after taking a break, or logan took it the wrong way when she asked for the break, and that was why they broke up. no, remember how he assumed you guys were back together without asking? and you were justifiably angry, so you dumped him?
-dawn and kristy both say or imply that mary anne invented the toilet monster. lies! it was melody korman. also, if the kormans are rich enough to live in the delaneys old mansion, how is it that it takes them this long to get a plumber to examine the growling toilet?
-cokie is such an idiot when it comes to boys she likes. like, she refuses to listen to the other people in the group and keeps asking logan things only. I hate when girls are like this. ugh.
-logan dates cokie while they're in the group together. that's kind of crappy. at the end, he says the reason he dated cokie was because he missed mary anne and cokie kept wanting to hang out with him. mary anne, are you sure you want to get back with this jerk?
-mary anne manipulatively figures out cokie didn't read the book she said she did by saying the wrong title and cokie not correcting her. this is crappy too. don't dance around it -- if you have a problem, talk about it.
-kristy is so smug when she thinks she got rid of the toilet monster. in the notebook she says, "you have to really understand children, which I do." ugh.
-in the last chapter logan vaguely says he feels bad about using cokie. even though I hate her I almost feel bad for cokie in this book.
-also I'm confused, because it wasn't cokie who liked logan in the first place. her best friend, grace blume did, and cokie was just trying to help grace get him (in Mary Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery).
kristy cafeteria comment:
-"look. lookit that brown thing," she said pointing to a blob on claud's plate. "you know what that could be? it could be something that just, like, fell into the pot while the cooks were stirring..."
no outfits and no snacks in claudia's room
March 10, 2014
Let's start with the cover. It's cute right? The girls are roller skating, their outfits are all there: Mary Anne's mom jeans, Kristy's sweater + turtleneck (isn't that hot??), Claudia's totally dibbly vest + fedora, Dawn's "Cali Casual". There's only one problem: this scene DOES NOT HAPPEN IN THE BOOK. What?? This is the first time that has happened and it is super annoying.
Stoneybrook Middle School is doing another ridiculous school-wide assignment (do they ever do any *actual* learning, like SAT vocab words or something?). All the 8th graders will be grouped up in 4's and assigned a living author to research and report on. Which is pretty cool, actually. But Mary Anne is freaked out about having to work with possible strangers or even worse, Cokie Mason or Alan Gray. And even though she misses Logan terribly, she doesn't even consider that she might have to work with her ex-boyfriend.
Read my full review here! Includes Stacey's totally dibbly outfit plus an extra special Mary Anne outfit!!
Stoneybrook Middle School is doing another ridiculous school-wide assignment (do they ever do any *actual* learning, like SAT vocab words or something?). All the 8th graders will be grouped up in 4's and assigned a living author to research and report on. Which is pretty cool, actually. But Mary Anne is freaked out about having to work with possible strangers or even worse, Cokie Mason or Alan Gray. And even though she misses Logan terribly, she doesn't even consider that she might have to work with her ex-boyfriend.
Read my full review here! Includes Stacey's totally dibbly outfit plus an extra special Mary Anne outfit!!
June 20, 2024
Spoiler alert: Logan also misses Mary Anne!
August 6, 2016
Not the strongest plot, but oh, the snark in this one! This book contains my favorite thing Pete Black ever said: "Yes, that's always been my dream. To read aloud to Logan." Then Cokie calls him a "pea brain," but who cares what she thinks? As Mary Anne totally wonderfully recounts, Cokie is someone who "let it be known that at the age of ten she had read four Beatrix Potter books in just a week." Burrrn. Kristy would be proud.
There is also actual lasting character development in this one, for Pete and Logan, at least. Sorta. C'mon, you take what you can get.
I assume Hodges Soileau was also very disappointed that the roller rink scene was removed. In favor of what, Kormans?
There is also actual lasting character development in this one, for Pete and Logan, at least. Sorta. C'mon, you take what you can get.
I assume Hodges Soileau was also very disappointed that the roller rink scene was removed. In favor of what, Kormans?
December 15, 2016
The title says it all -- Mary Anne pines around for Logan in this book. When she is assigned to do a huge project with him she thinks she can get him back -- but then Cokie swoops in to capture Logan's attention like the sneaky villain she is.
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
I learned the word ostentatious from reading this book. The Delaneys are gone for good in this book (where did they go and why?) and the Kormans have moved in, and Mary Anne notices right away how down to earth they are, and how less "ostentatious" they are.
I actually thought long and hard about who in my school I would like to do a major English project with. The more I thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed, and I prayed that my school would never force an entire grade to get together and do such a massive project. What I really, really liked about this book (even more than the middle school drama of Logan and Mary Anne) was how realistically this project was portrayed. Mary Anne is stuck with one person she doesn't know very well (Pete Black), one person she hates (Cokie Mason) and one person she knows well, but whom she feels very uncomfortable around (Logan). It is torture for her, especially when she realizes that Cokie and Logan have no intention of doing any work. However, she finds an unexpected ally and fellow hard worker in Pete, who helps shoulder some of the stress, although that doesn't quite make up for being forced to a project with people she doesn't like. I understood completely as a kid (and as an adult too, for that matter). I also remember that Dawn and Mary Anne are disgusted with their English teachers for not catching on to Cokie's manipulations.
I read this when I was eleven, just as I was getting my first more serious crushes, and I felt like I totally understood Mary Anne. I thought that if I wanted my old boyfriend back I should get back with him, that Cokie was a selfish birth, and that of COURSE Logan should get back together with Mary Anne because that's what she wanted. However, as an adult. . .
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
I have much more complicated feelings about Logan and Mary Anne now, especially in this book. The book starts off with Mary Anne obsessing about Logan, and how much she misses him. She goes on and on about great he was, and how in sync they were, and then she mentions that oh yeah, he turned into a controlling freak, so they broke up, but now she misses having him around to comfort her while she broods about an English assignment. "How could I ever have said we needed time apart?" she thinks. I get that people have complicated feelings about their exes, even exes who didn't treat them very well, but it bothers me that she brushes over his previous treatment of her so quickly, and focuses so hard on the fact that if he were still around he would know exactly what do to to make her feel better. It's way too realistic for me, I guess, and knowing that Logan and Mary Anne go on to have a mostly storybook romance from here on out makes this a little harder to swallow. I do appreciate that Mary Anne is not willing to blow her English grade out of loyalty to Logan, no matter how much she wants him back. I almost wish that aspect of the book had been gone into in a little more detail, since it completely went over my head as a kid. But even though Mary Anne misses Logan desperately, and even though it's torture for her to see him with Cokie, she lets Pete draw the line with her: Logan isn't being fair to them, expecting them to pick up the slack on their project, so they need to forget him and move on by themselves. Mary Anne agrees, although she hopes Logan will change his mind, and when he asks for help she gives it to him. I thought this whole thing was a very mature set of decisions on her part.
As an adult, I sort of like the idea of having kids assigned to do a project with people they don't know very well, so that they can expand their horizons, and maybe make some new friends. (That's the adult in me; the kid in me knows that these things never work out the way clueless adults envision them to.) However, I don't quite get the logistics of this undertaking. How random are the groups, and who decided on them? Also, I'm guessing the reason why the school insists on having the kids work from their homes is because they wouldn't be able to coordinate class schedules with the entire grade. But that seems to put a lot of pressure on and expectation from middle school kids. I guess because wealthy Stoneybrook kids don't have an issue with getting rides from working parents, and they angelically do what they're assigned to do in off-school hours, it doesn't really matter. The other thing that bugged me as an adult was the oral presentation that is sprung on Mary Anne's group. Why does she have to give a presentation to the entire school, and the author she loves, and the other kids just turn in their assignments without having to stand in front of the whole school? With only two days notice? This strikes me as incredibly unfair, no matter how you look at it.
Cokie tells the study group that she once read four Beatrix Potter books when she was ten years old, and "It only took me a week." I think she excepts everyone to be impressed. I do not remember this from reading this as a kid, but as an adult I laughed so hard that my boss came running into my office to see what was going on. I thought Mary Anne's reaction was equally funny since she thinks it sounds like something Kristy would say as a joke to make her friends laugh.
I don't understand why SMS suspended Shawna Riverson for cheating off of Claudia's math test, but no one seems to really care that Cokie clearly copied the book jacket to use for her oral presentation. Mary Anne and Logan figure it out right away, and the few words we get are things that no middle schooler in the history of the world would ever write themselves. ("Tautly told tales" is the phrase that really stuck out to me.) Any educator would have realized what was going on in five minutes. I'm guessing Cokie faces no consequences for her clear plagiarism. I did feel sorry for her at the end of the story, and maybe that's what the administration of SMS felt too -- she didn't get the guy, got left behind by her work partners, and has so much trouble with reading that Beatrix Potter is a huge challenge for her. I guess that's punishment enough.
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
I learned the word ostentatious from reading this book. The Delaneys are gone for good in this book (where did they go and why?) and the Kormans have moved in, and Mary Anne notices right away how down to earth they are, and how less "ostentatious" they are.
I actually thought long and hard about who in my school I would like to do a major English project with. The more I thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed, and I prayed that my school would never force an entire grade to get together and do such a massive project. What I really, really liked about this book (even more than the middle school drama of Logan and Mary Anne) was how realistically this project was portrayed. Mary Anne is stuck with one person she doesn't know very well (Pete Black), one person she hates (Cokie Mason) and one person she knows well, but whom she feels very uncomfortable around (Logan). It is torture for her, especially when she realizes that Cokie and Logan have no intention of doing any work. However, she finds an unexpected ally and fellow hard worker in Pete, who helps shoulder some of the stress, although that doesn't quite make up for being forced to a project with people she doesn't like. I understood completely as a kid (and as an adult too, for that matter). I also remember that Dawn and Mary Anne are disgusted with their English teachers for not catching on to Cokie's manipulations.
I read this when I was eleven, just as I was getting my first more serious crushes, and I felt like I totally understood Mary Anne. I thought that if I wanted my old boyfriend back I should get back with him, that Cokie was a selfish birth, and that of COURSE Logan should get back together with Mary Anne because that's what she wanted. However, as an adult. . .
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
I have much more complicated feelings about Logan and Mary Anne now, especially in this book. The book starts off with Mary Anne obsessing about Logan, and how much she misses him. She goes on and on about great he was, and how in sync they were, and then she mentions that oh yeah, he turned into a controlling freak, so they broke up, but now she misses having him around to comfort her while she broods about an English assignment. "How could I ever have said we needed time apart?" she thinks. I get that people have complicated feelings about their exes, even exes who didn't treat them very well, but it bothers me that she brushes over his previous treatment of her so quickly, and focuses so hard on the fact that if he were still around he would know exactly what do to to make her feel better. It's way too realistic for me, I guess, and knowing that Logan and Mary Anne go on to have a mostly storybook romance from here on out makes this a little harder to swallow. I do appreciate that Mary Anne is not willing to blow her English grade out of loyalty to Logan, no matter how much she wants him back. I almost wish that aspect of the book had been gone into in a little more detail, since it completely went over my head as a kid. But even though Mary Anne misses Logan desperately, and even though it's torture for her to see him with Cokie, she lets Pete draw the line with her: Logan isn't being fair to them, expecting them to pick up the slack on their project, so they need to forget him and move on by themselves. Mary Anne agrees, although she hopes Logan will change his mind, and when he asks for help she gives it to him. I thought this whole thing was a very mature set of decisions on her part.
As an adult, I sort of like the idea of having kids assigned to do a project with people they don't know very well, so that they can expand their horizons, and maybe make some new friends. (That's the adult in me; the kid in me knows that these things never work out the way clueless adults envision them to.) However, I don't quite get the logistics of this undertaking. How random are the groups, and who decided on them? Also, I'm guessing the reason why the school insists on having the kids work from their homes is because they wouldn't be able to coordinate class schedules with the entire grade. But that seems to put a lot of pressure on and expectation from middle school kids. I guess because wealthy Stoneybrook kids don't have an issue with getting rides from working parents, and they angelically do what they're assigned to do in off-school hours, it doesn't really matter. The other thing that bugged me as an adult was the oral presentation that is sprung on Mary Anne's group. Why does she have to give a presentation to the entire school, and the author she loves, and the other kids just turn in their assignments without having to stand in front of the whole school? With only two days notice? This strikes me as incredibly unfair, no matter how you look at it.
Cokie tells the study group that she once read four Beatrix Potter books when she was ten years old, and "It only took me a week." I think she excepts everyone to be impressed. I do not remember this from reading this as a kid, but as an adult I laughed so hard that my boss came running into my office to see what was going on. I thought Mary Anne's reaction was equally funny since she thinks it sounds like something Kristy would say as a joke to make her friends laugh.
I don't understand why SMS suspended Shawna Riverson for cheating off of Claudia's math test, but no one seems to really care that Cokie clearly copied the book jacket to use for her oral presentation. Mary Anne and Logan figure it out right away, and the few words we get are things that no middle schooler in the history of the world would ever write themselves. ("Tautly told tales" is the phrase that really stuck out to me.) Any educator would have realized what was going on in five minutes. I'm guessing Cokie faces no consequences for her clear plagiarism. I did feel sorry for her at the end of the story, and maybe that's what the administration of SMS felt too -- she didn't get the guy, got left behind by her work partners, and has so much trouble with reading that Beatrix Potter is a huge challenge for her. I guess that's punishment enough.
January 28, 2020
Mary Anne and Logan have been broken up for a while now. They used to be the IT couple. They haven’t talked much since...it’s been to awkward. A school project is announced and it’s a group project where you aren’t allowed to choose your own group members, they are chosen for you. Mary Anne gasps when she realized Logan is a part of her group..AND this girl named Cokie who likes to mess with the babysitters club. Cokie also has a major crush on Logan.
This book taught about cooperation, forgiveness, team work, and what happens when you try and slide by on someone else’s work. Such a cute and fun read.
This book taught about cooperation, forgiveness, team work, and what happens when you try and slide by on someone else’s work. Such a cute and fun read.
January 8, 2016
In which Mary Anne misses Logan and they get back together. Boo. Also, in which Cokie makes a fool out of herself on Author's Day. Plus, the cover scene does not happen. I hate when the cover depicts a scene that doesn't happen in the book. Get your shit together, Hodges.
And how can Miranda hate PETE BLACK? He can snap junior high me's bra strap any day, I tell you what. I mean, sure, he's not Alan Gray or <3Cary Retlin<3 but he's better than, say, Logan or Bart or any of the guys they meet on vay-cay. Or, really, anyone other than Alan Gray or <3Cary Retlin<3.
And how can Miranda hate PETE BLACK? He can snap junior high me's bra strap any day, I tell you what. I mean, sure, he's not Alan Gray or <3Cary Retlin<3 but he's better than, say, Logan or Bart or any of the guys they meet on vay-cay. Or, really, anyone other than Alan Gray or <3Cary Retlin<3.
October 19, 2010
first of all, what the hell is going on with the cover? kristy, mary anne, stacey, & claudia are roller skating. mary anne has fallen down & the others are hauling her back on to her feet. stacey has a pocket wind machine that only impacts her hair, & mary anne is wearing truly questionable mom jeans. this scene does not take place in the book. nothing even casually related to this scene takes place in the book. WTF?
what does happen in the book is that mary anne thinks about how much she misses logan. you may recall that they broke up a few books ago because logan was always bossing mary anne around, wanting her to skip babysitting jobs & other commitments to hang out with him. things have devolved to the point where mary anne & logan aren't even friends. they don't speak to each other at all. yet, mary anne misses him.
she is also very worried about an english assignment facing the entire eighth grade. the students will be split into groups of four or five & assigned a young adult author to study. they'll have to present a group paper. mary anne is really, really worried about who is going to be in her group. she's really shy & doesn't want to work with people she doesn't know or like. she prays that she'll be in a group with the other eigth grade members of the BSC, but we all know that ain't happening. she drives herself & the reader insane with her worrying.
mary anne is so the kind of person i wouldn't be able to stand in real life. one of my #1 pet peeves is when people panic & stress out (especially out loud) over things they can't control. (my #1 pet peeve is when people store pots & pans in the oven. i never think to check before pre-heating.) dawn tries to explain this very basic concept to mary anne, who says that dawn is "too practical." try it some time, mary anne. it's a lot less stressful than the life you insist on leading.
anyway, at the end of the day, study groups are announced. mary anne will be studying megan rinehart, one of her favorite authors, with miranda shillaber, pete black, & logan. she is very, very upset. it hadn't even occurred to her than logan may be in her group. she doesn't know how they can work together on a project when they aren't even speaking to one another.
things go from bad to worse the next day when the english teacher asks if someone will be willing to swap groups with cokie mason. cokie is not a good english student & told the teacher that megan rinehart is the only author that truly interests her. the teacher allowed her to switch in the hopes of helping her become engaged with a school project. before anyone can even consider what's happening, miranda volunteers to trade groups with cokie. miranda hates pete black & wants to get away from him. weird, because pete rules...but let's go with it. so now mary anne is stuck in a group with both logan & cokie. & it swiftly becomes obvious that cokie only wanted to switch to their group to try to get into logan's pants. or whatever the 13-year-old equivalent of that may be.
surprisingly, mary anne toughs it out & doesn't even complain that much. pete is a pretty decent study partner, & he & mary anne put their heads together to get their work done. they want to scrape a decent grade, so they write the entire paper themselves, rather than waiting on logan & cokie to do their shares. cokie is successful in ensnaring logan & they are going on so many dates (which cokie then brags about during their study sessions) that neither one of them has much time left for schoolwork. mary anne is sad, because being in the study group with logan makes her realize that she wants him to be her boyfriend again, but she puts her head down & does the work.
then the students are informed that three authors will be coming to the school for a special presentation. the groups covering those authors will have to present their work to the whole school. one of the authors is of course megan rinehart. seems kind of unjust that only like twelve students out of the entire eighth grade population have this extra oral presentation to do...but whatever. it's just the plot device logan needs to call mary anne & arrange to come over & have a private study session with her. she explains that she & pete didn't have a lot of faith that logan & cokie were going to get their work done, so they wrote up logan & cokie's parts of the assignment. logan has to re-structure his paper to fit with what mary anne & pete have done. he doesn't know if cokie will be able to finish the assignment as well. he & mary anne gush a little about how much they miss each other. there's all this talk of "logan's soft touch" & how logan can "hug & kiss" mary anne just right, & i am like...seriously? they are 13. am i just totally weird for having not so much as held hands with a dude prior to age 15 or 16? guess it doesn't matter now that i am 31 & practically married. moving on.
the presentation goes well for mary anne, pete, & logan. cokie just reads the copy on the dust jacket flap & barely gets any applause. logan asks mary anne to dinner, where they discuss the fact that maybe they want to date again. logan concedes that cokie is a lot of fun & willing to do stuff mary anne won't do (get your minds out of the gutter! he means go to sporting events & parties & whatnot). but he misses mary anne. happy endings all around. not that kind of happy ending, you sicko.
the B-plot of course involves babysitting. apparently the delaneys have moved away (what? when? they were just starting to win me over!) & the kormans have moved into their mansion. yes, this is the infamous toilet monster plotline. it's as dreadful as it sounds. melody & bill, the older kids, are scared of the toilet because they think a monster lives in the tank. the baby, skylar, is mysteriously afraid of cats. seriously? who the fuck is afraid of cats? they're harmless. especially, how is a baby who has never been around cats before afraid of them? i became afraid of dogs after i was attacked by one as a toddler, but prior to that, it would have never occurred to me to be afraid of them. anyway, who cares? bottom line is that bill & melody make their babysitters go monster hunting every night, they try to run back to their beds before the toilet finishes flushing, & they are scared of their super huge house. they also love hot dogs with an unnatural passion. these kids are more down to earth than the delaneys, but i don't know what their parents were thinking, buying a huge house that their children fear. & then leaving them with sitters every other night. the toilet monster plotline is not resolved, despite kristy bragging that she cured them & should look into becoming a child psychologist.
what does happen in the book is that mary anne thinks about how much she misses logan. you may recall that they broke up a few books ago because logan was always bossing mary anne around, wanting her to skip babysitting jobs & other commitments to hang out with him. things have devolved to the point where mary anne & logan aren't even friends. they don't speak to each other at all. yet, mary anne misses him.
she is also very worried about an english assignment facing the entire eighth grade. the students will be split into groups of four or five & assigned a young adult author to study. they'll have to present a group paper. mary anne is really, really worried about who is going to be in her group. she's really shy & doesn't want to work with people she doesn't know or like. she prays that she'll be in a group with the other eigth grade members of the BSC, but we all know that ain't happening. she drives herself & the reader insane with her worrying.
mary anne is so the kind of person i wouldn't be able to stand in real life. one of my #1 pet peeves is when people panic & stress out (especially out loud) over things they can't control. (my #1 pet peeve is when people store pots & pans in the oven. i never think to check before pre-heating.) dawn tries to explain this very basic concept to mary anne, who says that dawn is "too practical." try it some time, mary anne. it's a lot less stressful than the life you insist on leading.
anyway, at the end of the day, study groups are announced. mary anne will be studying megan rinehart, one of her favorite authors, with miranda shillaber, pete black, & logan. she is very, very upset. it hadn't even occurred to her than logan may be in her group. she doesn't know how they can work together on a project when they aren't even speaking to one another.
things go from bad to worse the next day when the english teacher asks if someone will be willing to swap groups with cokie mason. cokie is not a good english student & told the teacher that megan rinehart is the only author that truly interests her. the teacher allowed her to switch in the hopes of helping her become engaged with a school project. before anyone can even consider what's happening, miranda volunteers to trade groups with cokie. miranda hates pete black & wants to get away from him. weird, because pete rules...but let's go with it. so now mary anne is stuck in a group with both logan & cokie. & it swiftly becomes obvious that cokie only wanted to switch to their group to try to get into logan's pants. or whatever the 13-year-old equivalent of that may be.
surprisingly, mary anne toughs it out & doesn't even complain that much. pete is a pretty decent study partner, & he & mary anne put their heads together to get their work done. they want to scrape a decent grade, so they write the entire paper themselves, rather than waiting on logan & cokie to do their shares. cokie is successful in ensnaring logan & they are going on so many dates (which cokie then brags about during their study sessions) that neither one of them has much time left for schoolwork. mary anne is sad, because being in the study group with logan makes her realize that she wants him to be her boyfriend again, but she puts her head down & does the work.
then the students are informed that three authors will be coming to the school for a special presentation. the groups covering those authors will have to present their work to the whole school. one of the authors is of course megan rinehart. seems kind of unjust that only like twelve students out of the entire eighth grade population have this extra oral presentation to do...but whatever. it's just the plot device logan needs to call mary anne & arrange to come over & have a private study session with her. she explains that she & pete didn't have a lot of faith that logan & cokie were going to get their work done, so they wrote up logan & cokie's parts of the assignment. logan has to re-structure his paper to fit with what mary anne & pete have done. he doesn't know if cokie will be able to finish the assignment as well. he & mary anne gush a little about how much they miss each other. there's all this talk of "logan's soft touch" & how logan can "hug & kiss" mary anne just right, & i am like...seriously? they are 13. am i just totally weird for having not so much as held hands with a dude prior to age 15 or 16? guess it doesn't matter now that i am 31 & practically married. moving on.
the presentation goes well for mary anne, pete, & logan. cokie just reads the copy on the dust jacket flap & barely gets any applause. logan asks mary anne to dinner, where they discuss the fact that maybe they want to date again. logan concedes that cokie is a lot of fun & willing to do stuff mary anne won't do (get your minds out of the gutter! he means go to sporting events & parties & whatnot). but he misses mary anne. happy endings all around. not that kind of happy ending, you sicko.
the B-plot of course involves babysitting. apparently the delaneys have moved away (what? when? they were just starting to win me over!) & the kormans have moved into their mansion. yes, this is the infamous toilet monster plotline. it's as dreadful as it sounds. melody & bill, the older kids, are scared of the toilet because they think a monster lives in the tank. the baby, skylar, is mysteriously afraid of cats. seriously? who the fuck is afraid of cats? they're harmless. especially, how is a baby who has never been around cats before afraid of them? i became afraid of dogs after i was attacked by one as a toddler, but prior to that, it would have never occurred to me to be afraid of them. anyway, who cares? bottom line is that bill & melody make their babysitters go monster hunting every night, they try to run back to their beds before the toilet finishes flushing, & they are scared of their super huge house. they also love hot dogs with an unnatural passion. these kids are more down to earth than the delaneys, but i don't know what their parents were thinking, buying a huge house that their children fear. & then leaving them with sitters every other night. the toilet monster plotline is not resolved, despite kristy bragging that she cured them & should look into becoming a child psychologist.
November 4, 2019
I enjoyed this book - at least, the Mary Anne parts. The baby-sitting parts seemed to drag, and it seemed like that sub-plot took up a lot more of the story than usual. (I just checked - still only three chapters of other girls' experiences, but maybe it just felt like more because Mary Anne sat for the Kormans in one of the first few chapters. Plus, they talked about the Toilet Monster often. I don't know.) But I enjoyed the whole author project, and even Mary Anne's constant stressing about who would be in her group was tolerable.
Also, as everyone likes to point out about the cover, that scene doesn't happen in the story. Instead, the art is from the 1991 calendar (which came out before the book) which makes me wonder if either the rollerskating scene was cut, or if Hodges Soileau was on vacay or something and didn't get to make a cover for this one. Either way, I do love this cover. I love any art of the girls just being friends and doing friend things.
Also, as everyone likes to point out about the cover, that scene doesn't happen in the story. Instead, the art is from the 1991 calendar (which came out before the book) which makes me wonder if either the rollerskating scene was cut, or if Hodges Soileau was on vacay or something and didn't get to make a cover for this one. Either way, I do love this cover. I love any art of the girls just being friends and doing friend things.
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May 6, 2021I love that this book centers around Mary Anne and Logan working together for a school project involving Mary Anne's favorite author. AND that Mary Anne meets her favorite author and gets a signed book from her. It's also fun to see the shout outs to Ann M. Martin's friends--like Judy Blume and Paula Danziger!
This book also has such a cute cover but there's no roller skating scene and I'm offended.
This book also has such a cute cover but there's no roller skating scene and I'm offended.
December 2, 2025
Suprisingly, I liked this MaryAnne book - usually she is so whiny and wimpy. Personal summary/spoiler in comments
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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July 16, 2024Maryanne Misses Logan
It starts off with Maryanne doing just that. She goes back and tells us how it happened if we haven’t read Maryanne vs Logan. Then she starts thinking about how she’s not looking forward to a English assignment coming up where all the 8th graders will be grouped in fours and given a author to study. She wishes she could talk to one of her friends about it or Logan.
Maryanne sits for the Korman’s (Bill, Melody, and Skylar). Maryanne fixes dinner for them (hot dogs) and they vent about school. Stoney brooke Day doesn’t have good lunches and they think the teacher os a wartjpg that was turned into a lady. They’re living in the Delany’s mansion and the Delany’s are gone. (WHAT? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?) While they eat they talk about how scary the house is. They said they thought about getting a cat but decided against it because it might get lost in the house. Then Skylar starts to cry. She’s scared of cats after Maryanne makes a joke about there being a cat monster. Then they. After this Bill goes to do his homework and Melody says she doesn’t see how Bill can be in his room alone. They keep hearing noises but it’s the house noises like the dryer and the toilet. Maryanne reads them James and the Giant Peach. Basically because Maryanne made the joke about a cat monster, everything is a (insert object) monster. Melody asks if the toilet making noises is really a toilet monster.
During a lull in calls at the next meeting, Mearyanne tells the BSC about the Korman kids many fears. Maryanne says she thinks it’s the move, the new school, and the house. Stacey asks if their only joking about the monsters. Maryanne says sometimes yes. Sometimes no. Sometimes they just take it too far. Dawn is lined up for a job to sit for them. Maryanne’s gets Megan Rhineheart for an author (one of her favorites). The people in her group are Miranda Shillibar, Pete Black, and Logan. By the time Dawn sees Maryanne she’s crying. She tells her Logan is in her group. Dawn tells her she’ll manage. Maryanne thinks not.
Dawn’s job starts off with Skylar crying but Melody makes her stop by tickling her. Dawn then puts Skylar to bed. Her brother and sister start running around with diaper hats and talking abut a closet monster chasing them when they tried to pick a game to play. They tell her to check the closet. When she does the Parchesi game falls to the floor and she has to tell them a monster didn’t cause this. Melody did when she tried to pull the game down. They then decide to go on a monster hunt (and dress appropriately). They also pick out flashlights with red (a color monsters don’t like). What they hear is growling from the toilet because the toilet hasn’t been fixed yet. The kids take off and Dawn tries to explain that there are no monsters. She finally convinces them to come out of there beds. When she checks Melody’s room later, Melody isn’t there. But luckily she’s in Bill’s room. She then tells their parents about it but they laugh it off and say they have incredible imaginations.
Dawn tells Maryanne about it later, but Maryanne is too busy worrying about Logan. Maryanne’s group meets up. We learn Miranda doesn’t like Pete because he broke the straps of her bra one year and it fell down and she had to carry it around in her purse the whole day. Maryanne doesn’t know if she should sit across from Logan or besides him. She ends up besides him. Cookie is allowed into the group because she tells the English teacher Megan Rhineheart is her favorite author and she’s such a bad English student that he’s just happy to hear her interested in *any* author. But Maryanne knows it’s a front. She’s only interested in Logan. Miranda is then allowed to switch out and takes Cookie’s place.
Logan starts it off and asks if anyones read any of Megan’s books and says he knows Maryanne’s read them all. Its then Maryanne knows she wants Logan back. Cookie asks Logan how many books are there and Logan says 14. There’s some back and forth over whether they should read all the books. Logan’s read most of them. Pete’s read none of them. Cookie ccan’t even get the author’s name right and says it’s Marie. Maryanne says even tho she read all the books she’ll read them over. They don’t decide on a project but they decide to meet next at Cookie’s house.
Later, Dawn says she heard Grace say that Cookie said she doesn’t care about any author. No surprise there! Dawn says she can’t believe their teacher fell for it and Cookie just wants a shot at Logan know that he’s single. Maryanne isn’t feeling that tho and thinks of him as still hers. “In my mind I’ll always be his baby. I’m my mind I’ll always be his girl.”
At Cookie’s, she greets the others (Maryanne and Pete) with indifference and doesn’t even invite them pass the screen door. Logan she greets warmly and shows him in. She also offers him something to drink. She doesn’t egarly show this hospitality to Pete and Maryanne. Pete wants soda. Maryanne wants water. She’s so anxious she doesn’t fill her glass, but Logan does it for her. Logan suggests they read 4 of her books and compare and contrast them. Pete says he guesses. Cookie says she read four books once and then names all these baby books (like Petter Rabbit) when she was 10. OK even though I’m a HUGE reader and like to think ALL books count REALLY COOKIE?! They need to now choose the books and each get a copy. But Cookie wants to share and read to each other. Logan suggests a humorous book, a serious book, a mystery, and one from her collection of short stories. Cookie whines that there’s not a picture book. They decide they’ll read the books in two weeks. When they’re leaving, Cookie makes Logan again tells her the titles and then she asks him to the movies. Maryanne gets out of there before she hears the answer.
Claudia sits for the Korman’s. Again they have hotdogs. After dinner, Claudia cleans up and they hear the toilet flushing and Bill and Melody start up again about the toilet monster Bill says the toilet monster won’t hurt you if you can get into bed before the toilet stops flushing. Bill teases Melody about the toilet monster creeping into her room that night. Claudia has to tell Melody Bill’s just teasing. Then then notice Skylar throwing tissue into the toilet. Bill and Melody yell they made it. They ask Claudia will they always have to make it to their beds before the toilet monster flushes. Claudia tells them (Skylar) that the toilet is not a toy and they don’t flush things down the toilet. She then puts Skylar to bed Melody asks Bill if it’s save to come out of their beds. Claudia says she thinks it’s safe and they play Parchesi. The toilet flushes again and they make Claudia check for monsters. She then puts Bill and Melody to bed. She starts her homework, but hears screams. It’s Melody whose had a bad dream the toilet monster got her. Claudia tries to get Melody to see supernaturals aren’t real. She gives some examples and Melody doesn’t believe in them BUT she believes in the toilet monster.
Maryanne finds out Logan’s gone out with Cookie a few times. She and Logan have an awkward conversation in the library about the books they’re supposed to read. They have another meeting at Pete’s. Cookie starts bragging about a movie (she didn’t watch) with Logan (who keeps saying he should go home and read the books). Pete’s actually read the books and liked them (especially the funny one). It’s clear Cookie hasn’t read the books. When together all Cookie wants to talk about are the things she and Logan have done together. This includes a concert, a few movies, and school games. She’s sitting very close to Logan and this makes Maryanne want to cry. Maryanne thinks about how Logan must like having such a social girlfriend.
When they get around to talking about the project they aren’t sure if it’s supposed to be about Megan herself or her books. So, Pete says they should research her and find out if her life relates to her books. Cookie is bored and asks if she and Logan are still on to go to Brickship and Logan says yes. They all agree to each take one of the books and they’ll all look up information on Megan. Maryanne leaves knowing she and Pete will be doing all the work as she watches Logan and Cookie go off together.
Pete and Maryanne decide to just do Cookie and Logan’s portion on the project since they’re taking their times doing their sections. Mr. Kingsbridge says on Friday three of the authors will be there in person. Mega Rhineheart is one of them and they have to present their projects in person at a special assembly. It’ll be “Author Day”. Pete says they’ll present their sections and then they’ll let Cookie and Logan embarrass themselves. Maryanne doesn’t mind if Cookie embarrasses herself but she couldn’t do that to Logan. Logan calls Maryanne and suggests they get together before Author’s Day two days before. He says he’s already done the writing and the research. Maryanne says she thought he was too busy with Cookie. He said he was but he still got his work done. She asks if he has his work done what does he need her for. He says they should’t fight and she says he can come by after her BSC meeting.
When they meet up, Maryanne tells Logan what she and Pete were going to do and he apologizes for not being responsible. Basically he tells her he missed her and got carried away with Cookie until his grades started to slip and he never got a chance to talk to her . Logan works to get his section to fit with what Pete and Maryanne did. They work for three hors. Maryanne wonders if Cookie knows (or cares) that she’ll be the only one unprepared. Or does she think Logan will bail her out. Kristy sits for the Korman kids who claim the toilet monster is coming that night. Kristy tells them there’s no such thing. IM BORED WITH THIS PLOT!!! Kristy finally sits the kids down and talks to them about fears.
Everyone does well except Cookie. She bs’s her way though the summary of Megan’s short stories word for word fround on the book jacket. All the authors speak and the questions are asked. The students tho keep repeating questions. The Principal presents all the authors with a tee-shirt and mug. Megan comes over to Maryanne and compliments her on her presentation. She compliments the others too and then gives each of them a signed copy of her new book. Logan then asks Maryanne out to dinner to show his appreciation for helping him out. He calls the next day They decide to go to a new Italian restaurant. Dawn asks before she goes out if she’s ready to get back with Logan. She reminds her of how trapped she felt before, but she says she doesn’t think she’ll be letting anyone control her life again.
Logan and Maryanne admit they missed each other. Maryanne asks about Cookie. Logan says she’s fun but she’s not Maryanne. Plud she’s bad for him. His grades are slipping (slipped) and he hurt her and he didn’t mean too. Maryanne asks what about Author Day. He says he hasn’t spoken to her and she’s probably mad at him but she has to admit it’s her fault. Maryanne says will he see her again. He says just at school. Then they start talking about how to solve the monster problem. He then asks her if she’d like to go on a real date and tells her he really cares about her. They make plans for Friday. Maryanne knows things will go back to normal. He calls later and asks what her plans are. When she tells him she’s going to the mall with her friends he doesn’t tell her to cancel and be with him instead. He says he’ll see her Monday but probably call her before them.
My Thoughts
The felt necessary but very UNNECESSARY at the same time. I know there had to be a book getting Maryanne and Logan back together but this one wasn’t *the* most interesting. Why was there a skating scene on the cover? Nothing like that happened in the book. I couldn’t find anything to even comment on and I was bored out of my mind with the toilet monster plot. Usually it switches to different kids. Maybe that’s what made this plot seem like it drug on FOREVER!
Rating: 5
It starts off with Maryanne doing just that. She goes back and tells us how it happened if we haven’t read Maryanne vs Logan. Then she starts thinking about how she’s not looking forward to a English assignment coming up where all the 8th graders will be grouped in fours and given a author to study. She wishes she could talk to one of her friends about it or Logan.
Maryanne sits for the Korman’s (Bill, Melody, and Skylar). Maryanne fixes dinner for them (hot dogs) and they vent about school. Stoney brooke Day doesn’t have good lunches and they think the teacher os a wartjpg that was turned into a lady. They’re living in the Delany’s mansion and the Delany’s are gone. (WHAT? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?) While they eat they talk about how scary the house is. They said they thought about getting a cat but decided against it because it might get lost in the house. Then Skylar starts to cry. She’s scared of cats after Maryanne makes a joke about there being a cat monster. Then they. After this Bill goes to do his homework and Melody says she doesn’t see how Bill can be in his room alone. They keep hearing noises but it’s the house noises like the dryer and the toilet. Maryanne reads them James and the Giant Peach. Basically because Maryanne made the joke about a cat monster, everything is a (insert object) monster. Melody asks if the toilet making noises is really a toilet monster.
During a lull in calls at the next meeting, Mearyanne tells the BSC about the Korman kids many fears. Maryanne says she thinks it’s the move, the new school, and the house. Stacey asks if their only joking about the monsters. Maryanne says sometimes yes. Sometimes no. Sometimes they just take it too far. Dawn is lined up for a job to sit for them. Maryanne’s gets Megan Rhineheart for an author (one of her favorites). The people in her group are Miranda Shillibar, Pete Black, and Logan. By the time Dawn sees Maryanne she’s crying. She tells her Logan is in her group. Dawn tells her she’ll manage. Maryanne thinks not.
Dawn’s job starts off with Skylar crying but Melody makes her stop by tickling her. Dawn then puts Skylar to bed. Her brother and sister start running around with diaper hats and talking abut a closet monster chasing them when they tried to pick a game to play. They tell her to check the closet. When she does the Parchesi game falls to the floor and she has to tell them a monster didn’t cause this. Melody did when she tried to pull the game down. They then decide to go on a monster hunt (and dress appropriately). They also pick out flashlights with red (a color monsters don’t like). What they hear is growling from the toilet because the toilet hasn’t been fixed yet. The kids take off and Dawn tries to explain that there are no monsters. She finally convinces them to come out of there beds. When she checks Melody’s room later, Melody isn’t there. But luckily she’s in Bill’s room. She then tells their parents about it but they laugh it off and say they have incredible imaginations.
Dawn tells Maryanne about it later, but Maryanne is too busy worrying about Logan. Maryanne’s group meets up. We learn Miranda doesn’t like Pete because he broke the straps of her bra one year and it fell down and she had to carry it around in her purse the whole day. Maryanne doesn’t know if she should sit across from Logan or besides him. She ends up besides him. Cookie is allowed into the group because she tells the English teacher Megan Rhineheart is her favorite author and she’s such a bad English student that he’s just happy to hear her interested in *any* author. But Maryanne knows it’s a front. She’s only interested in Logan. Miranda is then allowed to switch out and takes Cookie’s place.
Logan starts it off and asks if anyones read any of Megan’s books and says he knows Maryanne’s read them all. Its then Maryanne knows she wants Logan back. Cookie asks Logan how many books are there and Logan says 14. There’s some back and forth over whether they should read all the books. Logan’s read most of them. Pete’s read none of them. Cookie ccan’t even get the author’s name right and says it’s Marie. Maryanne says even tho she read all the books she’ll read them over. They don’t decide on a project but they decide to meet next at Cookie’s house.
Later, Dawn says she heard Grace say that Cookie said she doesn’t care about any author. No surprise there! Dawn says she can’t believe their teacher fell for it and Cookie just wants a shot at Logan know that he’s single. Maryanne isn’t feeling that tho and thinks of him as still hers. “In my mind I’ll always be his baby. I’m my mind I’ll always be his girl.”
At Cookie’s, she greets the others (Maryanne and Pete) with indifference and doesn’t even invite them pass the screen door. Logan she greets warmly and shows him in. She also offers him something to drink. She doesn’t egarly show this hospitality to Pete and Maryanne. Pete wants soda. Maryanne wants water. She’s so anxious she doesn’t fill her glass, but Logan does it for her. Logan suggests they read 4 of her books and compare and contrast them. Pete says he guesses. Cookie says she read four books once and then names all these baby books (like Petter Rabbit) when she was 10. OK even though I’m a HUGE reader and like to think ALL books count REALLY COOKIE?! They need to now choose the books and each get a copy. But Cookie wants to share and read to each other. Logan suggests a humorous book, a serious book, a mystery, and one from her collection of short stories. Cookie whines that there’s not a picture book. They decide they’ll read the books in two weeks. When they’re leaving, Cookie makes Logan again tells her the titles and then she asks him to the movies. Maryanne gets out of there before she hears the answer.
Claudia sits for the Korman’s. Again they have hotdogs. After dinner, Claudia cleans up and they hear the toilet flushing and Bill and Melody start up again about the toilet monster Bill says the toilet monster won’t hurt you if you can get into bed before the toilet stops flushing. Bill teases Melody about the toilet monster creeping into her room that night. Claudia has to tell Melody Bill’s just teasing. Then then notice Skylar throwing tissue into the toilet. Bill and Melody yell they made it. They ask Claudia will they always have to make it to their beds before the toilet monster flushes. Claudia tells them (Skylar) that the toilet is not a toy and they don’t flush things down the toilet. She then puts Skylar to bed Melody asks Bill if it’s save to come out of their beds. Claudia says she thinks it’s safe and they play Parchesi. The toilet flushes again and they make Claudia check for monsters. She then puts Bill and Melody to bed. She starts her homework, but hears screams. It’s Melody whose had a bad dream the toilet monster got her. Claudia tries to get Melody to see supernaturals aren’t real. She gives some examples and Melody doesn’t believe in them BUT she believes in the toilet monster.
Maryanne finds out Logan’s gone out with Cookie a few times. She and Logan have an awkward conversation in the library about the books they’re supposed to read. They have another meeting at Pete’s. Cookie starts bragging about a movie (she didn’t watch) with Logan (who keeps saying he should go home and read the books). Pete’s actually read the books and liked them (especially the funny one). It’s clear Cookie hasn’t read the books. When together all Cookie wants to talk about are the things she and Logan have done together. This includes a concert, a few movies, and school games. She’s sitting very close to Logan and this makes Maryanne want to cry. Maryanne thinks about how Logan must like having such a social girlfriend.
When they get around to talking about the project they aren’t sure if it’s supposed to be about Megan herself or her books. So, Pete says they should research her and find out if her life relates to her books. Cookie is bored and asks if she and Logan are still on to go to Brickship and Logan says yes. They all agree to each take one of the books and they’ll all look up information on Megan. Maryanne leaves knowing she and Pete will be doing all the work as she watches Logan and Cookie go off together.
Pete and Maryanne decide to just do Cookie and Logan’s portion on the project since they’re taking their times doing their sections. Mr. Kingsbridge says on Friday three of the authors will be there in person. Mega Rhineheart is one of them and they have to present their projects in person at a special assembly. It’ll be “Author Day”. Pete says they’ll present their sections and then they’ll let Cookie and Logan embarrass themselves. Maryanne doesn’t mind if Cookie embarrasses herself but she couldn’t do that to Logan. Logan calls Maryanne and suggests they get together before Author’s Day two days before. He says he’s already done the writing and the research. Maryanne says she thought he was too busy with Cookie. He said he was but he still got his work done. She asks if he has his work done what does he need her for. He says they should’t fight and she says he can come by after her BSC meeting.
When they meet up, Maryanne tells Logan what she and Pete were going to do and he apologizes for not being responsible. Basically he tells her he missed her and got carried away with Cookie until his grades started to slip and he never got a chance to talk to her . Logan works to get his section to fit with what Pete and Maryanne did. They work for three hors. Maryanne wonders if Cookie knows (or cares) that she’ll be the only one unprepared. Or does she think Logan will bail her out. Kristy sits for the Korman kids who claim the toilet monster is coming that night. Kristy tells them there’s no such thing. IM BORED WITH THIS PLOT!!! Kristy finally sits the kids down and talks to them about fears.
Everyone does well except Cookie. She bs’s her way though the summary of Megan’s short stories word for word fround on the book jacket. All the authors speak and the questions are asked. The students tho keep repeating questions. The Principal presents all the authors with a tee-shirt and mug. Megan comes over to Maryanne and compliments her on her presentation. She compliments the others too and then gives each of them a signed copy of her new book. Logan then asks Maryanne out to dinner to show his appreciation for helping him out. He calls the next day They decide to go to a new Italian restaurant. Dawn asks before she goes out if she’s ready to get back with Logan. She reminds her of how trapped she felt before, but she says she doesn’t think she’ll be letting anyone control her life again.
Logan and Maryanne admit they missed each other. Maryanne asks about Cookie. Logan says she’s fun but she’s not Maryanne. Plud she’s bad for him. His grades are slipping (slipped) and he hurt her and he didn’t mean too. Maryanne asks what about Author Day. He says he hasn’t spoken to her and she’s probably mad at him but she has to admit it’s her fault. Maryanne says will he see her again. He says just at school. Then they start talking about how to solve the monster problem. He then asks her if she’d like to go on a real date and tells her he really cares about her. They make plans for Friday. Maryanne knows things will go back to normal. He calls later and asks what her plans are. When she tells him she’s going to the mall with her friends he doesn’t tell her to cancel and be with him instead. He says he’ll see her Monday but probably call her before them.
My Thoughts
The felt necessary but very UNNECESSARY at the same time. I know there had to be a book getting Maryanne and Logan back together but this one wasn’t *the* most interesting. Why was there a skating scene on the cover? Nothing like that happened in the book. I couldn’t find anything to even comment on and I was bored out of my mind with the toilet monster plot. Usually it switches to different kids. Maybe that’s what made this plot seem like it drug on FOREVER!
Rating: 5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2009
A short 6 books and one major roller skating accident later, Mary Anne changes her mind about Logan. Who cares if he's a little controlling when he's so cute - and who doesn't love that Southern drawl?
June 11, 2010
Yay! Mary Anne and Logan are back together. *buys book* I liked this one.
June 26, 2025
Dang it, Mary Anne, I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you, how dare you!
Sorry, didn't mean to go the full Tyra there.
This was fine overall, and I did appreciate that it seems like Logan has learned a few things about how to be a non-annoying boyfriend. I can also understand that at her age (eternally 13), Mary Anne would end up wallowing a bit over missing him. I just wish the series had waited a bit longer for them to get back together! I mean, their break-up was literally just five books ago. Why not give Mary Anne a couple of books that don't focus on Logan and then later have her getting wistful or whatever? I really liked Mary Anne vs. Logan for the messaging it gave to young readers, and I'm not sure what this one is saying -- that being alone isn't ideal and if you miss someone a tiny bit, then you should definitely get back with them? We should have seen Mary Anne having fun, doing other things, etc, for a few books.
Also, the babysitting sideplot with the toilet monster was annoying and took up way too much space. We didn't need three dang chapters about it! I did like the author project aspect, because for one thing, it sounded like a fun idea for the students, and for another, we got to see Cokie get her little brat ass embarrassed in front of the whole school, so that was great.
Sorry, didn't mean to go the full Tyra there.
This was fine overall, and I did appreciate that it seems like Logan has learned a few things about how to be a non-annoying boyfriend. I can also understand that at her age (eternally 13), Mary Anne would end up wallowing a bit over missing him. I just wish the series had waited a bit longer for them to get back together! I mean, their break-up was literally just five books ago. Why not give Mary Anne a couple of books that don't focus on Logan and then later have her getting wistful or whatever? I really liked Mary Anne vs. Logan for the messaging it gave to young readers, and I'm not sure what this one is saying -- that being alone isn't ideal and if you miss someone a tiny bit, then you should definitely get back with them? We should have seen Mary Anne having fun, doing other things, etc, for a few books.
Also, the babysitting sideplot with the toilet monster was annoying and took up way too much space. We didn't need three dang chapters about it! I did like the author project aspect, because for one thing, it sounded like a fun idea for the students, and for another, we got to see Cokie get her little brat ass embarrassed in front of the whole school, so that was great.
January 30, 2024
This was an interesting change of pace, very light on baby-sitting or BSC content at all. There's only one family sat for and they comprise the B-plot. Is this the Kormans' first appearance? I suppose it is, but I don't remember the Delaneys moving away though I know that's covered in a BSLS book.
The A plot involves Mary Anne being assigned to work in a group project with Logan... and Cokie. I liked Mary Anne deciding she missed Logan though if she's supposed to be more assertive I would have liked to see her take action earlier. As it is, she very much leaves Logan to Cokie though I enjoyed her ignoring the two of them and working with Pete. And shoutout to Pete for stepping up and for Logan enjoying the "girl" books. (Although Cokie's obvious learning disability is, uh, not exactly portrayed sensitively..)
Of course it all comes right in the end with Mary Anne and Logan. Although I am still left with one question.
What is up with the cover?! This never happens! I went BSC roller skating!
The A plot involves Mary Anne being assigned to work in a group project with Logan... and Cokie. I liked Mary Anne deciding she missed Logan though if she's supposed to be more assertive I would have liked to see her take action earlier. As it is, she very much leaves Logan to Cokie though I enjoyed her ignoring the two of them and working with Pete. And shoutout to Pete for stepping up and for Logan enjoying the "girl" books. (Although Cokie's obvious learning disability is, uh, not exactly portrayed sensitively..)
Of course it all comes right in the end with Mary Anne and Logan. Although I am still left with one question.
What is up with the cover?! This never happens! I went BSC roller skating!
June 11, 2018
I always remembered the Logan and Mary Anne breakup as being a long stretch of time, but here it is only 5(?) books later and they're getting back together. Maybe there were some mysteries or something in between while they were broken up, because I could have sworn it lasted way longer.
I hate the way Mary Anne pines for Logan here and ignores every problem she once had with their relationship. She had good reason to break up with him, and that's all thrown to the side because she "misses him". And honestly, I feel legitimately bad for Cokie. Logan used her, and I don't care how mean she is, that has to hurt.
I HATE the Toilet Monster subplot, and I feel like it takes up way more of the book than the B-plot babysitting stories usually do. And I still want to know if a rollerskating scene was cut out of this book, because otherwise the cover truly makes no sense. (And where is Dawn?)
I hate the way Mary Anne pines for Logan here and ignores every problem she once had with their relationship. She had good reason to break up with him, and that's all thrown to the side because she "misses him". And honestly, I feel legitimately bad for Cokie. Logan used her, and I don't care how mean she is, that has to hurt.
I HATE the Toilet Monster subplot, and I feel like it takes up way more of the book than the B-plot babysitting stories usually do. And I still want to know if a rollerskating scene was cut out of this book, because otherwise the cover truly makes no sense. (And where is Dawn?)
May 22, 2023
The breakup stuff is pretty realistic, handled pretty well. But it seems more appropriate of older teenagers. Logan is way better in this book, although he still relies on Mary Anne to be emotionally available to him. The situation with Cokie isn't as bad as it could have been: I don't like how girls are presented as rivals over boys, but Mary Anne does have about a paragraph where she's more sympathetic to Cokie, indicating that the rivalry was partly just her own perspective. But I still think kids get too much of that. I'm not sure what the solution is, because what Mary Anne feels is definitely a real thing. I'm also tired of the "frivolous boy crazy" rubric. Only cares about boys + wants to do social things all the time + thinks school is dumb + isn't very smart + wants other people to do the work for her. Yawn.
July 9, 2025
Can’t remember if I’ve this one before, but it was cute. Most of it centers around a group project that Mary Anne and her ex, Logan, have to work on together. It was interesting seeing more of their school life, instead of focusing so much on the kids they babysit.
We did see one family (whose name I can’t remember) in particular that they all babysat for. The kids had a phobia about a toilet monster. Which was a weird storyline. And also didn’t really get resolved. Which was also weird. So that was a thing.
Biggest downside of this book though was that the cover scene wasn’t in the book! I think I’d heard people mention that before, but it still bothered me. It’s one of the coolest covers in the series and it’s not even representing the book! 😆🤦🏼♀️
We did see one family (whose name I can’t remember) in particular that they all babysat for. The kids had a phobia about a toilet monster. Which was a weird storyline. And also didn’t really get resolved. Which was also weird. So that was a thing.
Biggest downside of this book though was that the cover scene wasn’t in the book! I think I’d heard people mention that before, but it still bothered me. It’s one of the coolest covers in the series and it’s not even representing the book! 😆🤦🏼♀️
August 12, 2017
I was honestly pretty indifferent to this book as a kid, and I still sort of am now as an adult. I mean obviously Mary Anne had to get back with Logan, or she'd lose her "I'm the one with a steady boyfriend" trait. Or at least she will until the other girls (ie: Stacey) start to get more serious with boys omg.
I always did find the project part of this weird. Working in groups: normal. The entire grade working in groups on a class project: weird. I mean we did things as a whole class all the time, but never an assignment for a specific course like English. That always seemed super strange to me. Did schools really do that?! Because mine sure didn't.
I always did find the project part of this weird. Working in groups: normal. The entire grade working in groups on a class project: weird. I mean we did things as a whole class all the time, but never an assignment for a specific course like English. That always seemed super strange to me. Did schools really do that?! Because mine sure didn't.
July 20, 2025
Feels like another case of a ghostwriter not having done their research, given that the whole premise of this book rests on Mary Anne and Logan having not spoken to each other or hung out alone since their breakup, when other books have said they are still friends.
Still, I liked this one enough. As much beef as I have with Logan and as much as I think Mary Anne’s better off without him, this book did give us a good glimpse into Mary Anne’s growth since the breakup and how she’s better prepared (hopefully) not to lose herself as much in a relationship this time.
Still, I liked this one enough. As much beef as I have with Logan and as much as I think Mary Anne’s better off without him, this book did give us a good glimpse into Mary Anne’s growth since the breakup and how she’s better prepared (hopefully) not to lose herself as much in a relationship this time.
September 26, 2025
It’s your typical BSC book. I’m not the hugest fans of Logan and Maryanne but I like that they have matured a bit (Logan was an ass in the book where Maryanne loses Tigger). I liked the author project in this book and was sad to learn Megan Rinehart was fake.
Random observations:
I loved when Claudia wondered aloud if they would get to study Danielle Steele.
Pete Black is my favorite and he makes me miss the 90s. It was nice to have another boy character that was believable. Like the line “Oh, barf.” Made me nostalgic for my own elementary/junior high days.
Random observations:
I loved when Claudia wondered aloud if they would get to study Danielle Steele.
Pete Black is my favorite and he makes me miss the 90s. It was nice to have another boy character that was believable. Like the line “Oh, barf.” Made me nostalgic for my own elementary/junior high days.
Read
July 29, 2020As a kid my best friends sister had the whole BSC series on a book shelf in her room. I thought she was so grown up. And I envied this bookshelf. And would often poke my head into that room just to look at it.
And when I read BSC, I felt like such a grown up.
And while I might have still been a little too young to understand some of the issues dealt with in these books, I do appreciated that Ann M. Martin tackled age appropriate issues, some being deeper than others, but still important.
December 8, 2020
(LL)
This book did a good job tackling: the group project dilemma. While it was cliche, it was accurate to what usually happens when people are forced together on a project for a big portion of their grade.
It was good enough to give three stars but Mary Anne always being associated and thinking about Logan for most of her books so far is getting old. Hopefully she gets some upgraded content in future books.
This book did a good job tackling: the group project dilemma. While it was cliche, it was accurate to what usually happens when people are forced together on a project for a big portion of their grade.
It was good enough to give three stars but Mary Anne always being associated and thinking about Logan for most of her books so far is getting old. Hopefully she gets some upgraded content in future books.
November 14, 2021
Mary Anne. LEAVE THIS MAN. Logan is danger.
This is the second time Cokie Mason has hatched a plot to bully Mary Anne, and it’s the second time Logan has had more than a few connections to it. At this point, Cokie has terrorized both Mary Anne and Kristy, who are not only Logan’s girlfriend and friend respectively but also his colleagues. Why would you even WANT to date someone like Cokie unless you had ulterior motives?
Needless to say, one star because I can't stand Logan stories.
This is the second time Cokie Mason has hatched a plot to bully Mary Anne, and it’s the second time Logan has had more than a few connections to it. At this point, Cokie has terrorized both Mary Anne and Kristy, who are not only Logan’s girlfriend and friend respectively but also his colleagues. Why would you even WANT to date someone like Cokie unless you had ulterior motives?
Needless to say, one star because I can't stand Logan stories.
January 15, 2022
I feel like this book was written cause fans of the series liked Mary Anne and Logan together. Anyways, the eighth graders are split into groups of four and each have to study a few books from each author assigned to them. Mary Anne and Logan end up in the same group and it's awkward at first, since Cokie got into the group and goes with Logan on dates, but towards the end, Mary Anne and Logan are connecting again and their project went well and they got back together, for now.
August 20, 2018
This book is about Mary Anne and Logan. Relationships are always tough, especially when going back and forth. I love how Mary Anne is portrayed. She takes the time to think things through and very rarely acts impulsively. This book really captures her growth and I think girls of all ages could learn something from her. 5 Stars.
December 29, 2019
Oh, god. I really can't stand Mary Anne's books anymore. Romantic relationships between 13 year olds are even more unbearable than some of the awful YA romances I've read (and there have been so many). And Mary Anne's sensitivity is too much even on a better plot.
The side plot with the toilet monster was cute at first but then just became repetitive.
The side plot with the toilet monster was cute at first but then just became repetitive.
October 6, 2022
3 stars. Cute and I was pleasantly surprised at how mature Mary Anne and Logan were about their relationship and I’m kind of glad that they are getting back together. The side plot with the kids was a dud though and it took up too much page time when I had much rather been in Mary Anne’s point of view on how she misses Logan. Still a really fun read though.
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