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The Baby-Sitters Club #52
Mary Anne and Too Many Babies
Mary Anne adores babies. But when Logan and her are pretend parents as an experiment at school, they soon find out it's not that easy after all.
144 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1992
63 people are currently reading
797 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,049 books3,078 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 51 reviews
May 22, 2016
this is my first time reading this book!
in this prince song title-stylized book (seriously what is with the plus sign and number 2?) mary anne and dawn start annoyingly pressuring their parents to have a baby. mary anne baby-sits for twin babies whose parents she met at the superfluous baby care classes in Kristy and the Baby Parade and is enamored of them until she realizes that babies aren't just living dolls that you can dress in cute clothes and get complimented on when you walk around the neighborhood. in the third and most irritating of the baby-themed plotlines, the eighth-graders of sms are required to take a class that includes one of those eggbert/bad eggs-style assignments (kids have to take care of eggs and pretend they're real babies). do people do these assignments in real life?
ps why would you like babies if they look like the terrifying babies on this book cover?
highlights:
-the teacher makes a reference to the kids being biologically capable of having kids. that seems so weird to me! I guess my teachers said that too maybe? I think it's just weird because the bsc books don't ever seem to acknowledge puberty -- sex, periods, etc.
-the way the class gender break is, there are two male gay "married" couples. they don't say gay and act like the boys need to figure out which one is the woman and which is the man, but it's still pretty cool and queer (not in the subtexty way that I think nannie thomas is probably gay, or I think claudia and ashley wyeth have boners for eachother, etc) for these books.
-dawn says she wouldn't change her name if she got married.
-when the bsc is talking about what makes relationships work they say you have a better chance at a good marriage if you wait for a while to get married. like, until after college. yeah, waiting until you're 22 is really waiting A WHILE. they're so dumb and have no concept of age and it's so spot-on for thirteen-year-olds. when I was thirteen I totally would have thought getting married at 22 was sensible.
-dawn: "is being a little late like being a little pregnant?" this is almost a period reference! it's unintentional wordplay about how if they had asked sharon and richard to NOT try to have a baby but they already had gotten pregnant it would have been too late. but obviously being "late" means your period is late/you may be pregnant.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-mary anne, at the beginning of the assignment, says that she knows that she and logan are ready to take the big step that is marriage. seriously, she is such an out-of-touch self-centered idiot and I HATE HER SO MUCH. I am so done with mary anne-narrated books.
-why is shawna riverson so dumb in this book? in Claudia and the Middle School Mystery she's portrayed as really smart but bad at math. she is NOT portrayed as a ditzy moron, like she is in this book.
-mary anne and logan find a $2000 two-bedroom apartment. in 1992. huh? that's more than I pay in 2016 for my two-bedroom house with a basement and yard and everything. in an expensive city. did they happen to stumble onto some kind of apartment with gold-plated floors and crystal chandeliers in every room?
-the egg project thing is such a dumb trope. seriously at least in the degrassi episode it's relevant because spike is pregnant, and in the buffy episode it's made fun of. in this it is treated like an original and interesting project. also the project is for A MONTH. that seems excessive. these kids have to care for their dumb eggs for a whole month, watching them all the time.
-everybody (especially kristy & alan and mary anne & logan) takes it SO SERIOUSLY and won't stop anthropomorphizing the eggs. it's really annoying.
-linny and hannie papadakis are jerks in this book. they steal kristy's egg and then keep making dumb puns about eggs instead of apologizing or helping her find it.
-there's a chapter where the pike kids want to do the egg project, and dawn and mal let them take (i.e. play with/waste) the eggs from the pike fridge. they give them two eggs per fake couple, which doesn't make ANY sense and is super wasteful. and when vanessa breaks one of the eggs, they give her the last egg from the fridge. WHY?
-logan thinks $75 is a ton of money to spend at the doctor. hoo boy, even in 1992 that's nothing.
-mary anne and logan turn in a 32-page single-spaced term paper. I don't think that ann actually knows how long this is. assuming 500 words per single-spaced page (based on the assumption that the average is 250 per double-spaced page) this is 16,000 words. that's like a masters thesis. I have never in my life had to write a paper that was anywhere near this long, and I have been in college and graduate school.
no outfits. no snacks in claudia's room. nothing fun or interesting. don't bother with this book.
in this prince song title-stylized book (seriously what is with the plus sign and number 2?) mary anne and dawn start annoyingly pressuring their parents to have a baby. mary anne baby-sits for twin babies whose parents she met at the superfluous baby care classes in Kristy and the Baby Parade and is enamored of them until she realizes that babies aren't just living dolls that you can dress in cute clothes and get complimented on when you walk around the neighborhood. in the third and most irritating of the baby-themed plotlines, the eighth-graders of sms are required to take a class that includes one of those eggbert/bad eggs-style assignments (kids have to take care of eggs and pretend they're real babies). do people do these assignments in real life?
ps why would you like babies if they look like the terrifying babies on this book cover?
highlights:
-the teacher makes a reference to the kids being biologically capable of having kids. that seems so weird to me! I guess my teachers said that too maybe? I think it's just weird because the bsc books don't ever seem to acknowledge puberty -- sex, periods, etc.
-the way the class gender break is, there are two male gay "married" couples. they don't say gay and act like the boys need to figure out which one is the woman and which is the man, but it's still pretty cool and queer (not in the subtexty way that I think nannie thomas is probably gay, or I think claudia and ashley wyeth have boners for eachother, etc) for these books.
-dawn says she wouldn't change her name if she got married.
-when the bsc is talking about what makes relationships work they say you have a better chance at a good marriage if you wait for a while to get married. like, until after college. yeah, waiting until you're 22 is really waiting A WHILE. they're so dumb and have no concept of age and it's so spot-on for thirteen-year-olds. when I was thirteen I totally would have thought getting married at 22 was sensible.
-dawn: "is being a little late like being a little pregnant?" this is almost a period reference! it's unintentional wordplay about how if they had asked sharon and richard to NOT try to have a baby but they already had gotten pregnant it would have been too late. but obviously being "late" means your period is late/you may be pregnant.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-mary anne, at the beginning of the assignment, says that she knows that she and logan are ready to take the big step that is marriage. seriously, she is such an out-of-touch self-centered idiot and I HATE HER SO MUCH. I am so done with mary anne-narrated books.
-why is shawna riverson so dumb in this book? in Claudia and the Middle School Mystery she's portrayed as really smart but bad at math. she is NOT portrayed as a ditzy moron, like she is in this book.
-mary anne and logan find a $2000 two-bedroom apartment. in 1992. huh? that's more than I pay in 2016 for my two-bedroom house with a basement and yard and everything. in an expensive city. did they happen to stumble onto some kind of apartment with gold-plated floors and crystal chandeliers in every room?
-the egg project thing is such a dumb trope. seriously at least in the degrassi episode it's relevant because spike is pregnant, and in the buffy episode it's made fun of. in this it is treated like an original and interesting project. also the project is for A MONTH. that seems excessive. these kids have to care for their dumb eggs for a whole month, watching them all the time.
-everybody (especially kristy & alan and mary anne & logan) takes it SO SERIOUSLY and won't stop anthropomorphizing the eggs. it's really annoying.
-linny and hannie papadakis are jerks in this book. they steal kristy's egg and then keep making dumb puns about eggs instead of apologizing or helping her find it.
-there's a chapter where the pike kids want to do the egg project, and dawn and mal let them take (i.e. play with/waste) the eggs from the pike fridge. they give them two eggs per fake couple, which doesn't make ANY sense and is super wasteful. and when vanessa breaks one of the eggs, they give her the last egg from the fridge. WHY?
-logan thinks $75 is a ton of money to spend at the doctor. hoo boy, even in 1992 that's nothing.
-mary anne and logan turn in a 32-page single-spaced term paper. I don't think that ann actually knows how long this is. assuming 500 words per single-spaced page (based on the assumption that the average is 250 per double-spaced page) this is 16,000 words. that's like a masters thesis. I have never in my life had to write a paper that was anywhere near this long, and I have been in college and graduate school.
no outfits. no snacks in claudia's room. nothing fun or interesting. don't bother with this book.
November 12, 2025
I enjoyed reading this series as a kid.
Read
November 10, 2024Mary Anne + 2 Many Babies
It starts off going over the background of how Maryanne’s family came to be and how she and Dawn are different. Then they talk about the twins baby brother (Myriah and Miranda Shillaber). Maryanne says she wishes their parents would have a baby. Dawn says it’s not to late. If they didn’t want to have one they could adopt. They say who could take better care of one tho them them. Even if they can’t convince a grandparent to move in (like Kristy). Then they talk about the new class their taking (Modern Living). Logan will also be in the class. Only the 8th graders are being forced to take it.
At the BSC meeting, Mrs. Salem (who was at the child care class) needs a sitter for Ricky and Rose and Maryanne gets the job. Logan and Maryanne are “married” in Modern Living class. The teacher says this assignment is because they can now all have babies. Then she asks how many of them think they’re ready for parenting, being part of a couple, or living on their own. Maryanne raises her hand and says she takes care of kids all the time. The teacher tho doesn’t look impressed. Then she tells them she’s going to pair them up in marriages until the end of the class. The rest of the class period is spent talking about what they think marriage means. Maryanne is sure she and Logan are ready.
Shawna gives a dumb answer about marriage meaning what’s on the cake. Maryanne says she thinks its about commitment and loving your partner so much that you try to work it out when you have a problem so you can stay together. the teacher says yes. She says it’s a little more than about just a wedding. There’s an uneven number of girls and boys. The teacher says two of the boys will have to be married. (Interesting). She tells them that from now on they’ll do everything as a couple (sit together in class, sometimes out of class). She gives them an assignment The assignment she gives is if they can be a financially independent couple.
At Logans, Maryanne and Logan decide on a two-bedroom apartment. The cheapest one they can find is 800.00 a month. Meaning they’d have to earn nine thousand six hundred a year to pay rent. They realize they couldn’t even pay rent for a month. They see if there are any food sales and see that there are but steak is expensive. So they decide they won’t eat it. All the food is expensive. They decide they’ll have to live at home. Maryanne says they’ll live at hers. Logan says it should be his. Neither want to live with the others relatives. They decide since Maryanne’s place has more space, they’ll have to live in her bedroom.
Maryanne changes the twins, puts them on nice outfits, and then takes them for a walk. They get a lot of attention at the park. Two girls Bea and Sarah come up and ask if they can play with the twins. They ask is it hard to keep them and Maryanne loses her memories and says no. Maryanne thinks she can’t wait until she has kids or until she’s a big sister. She tells Dawn later, she wants another sister. Maryanne says maybe Tara, or Bea, or Charity. Dawn hints to Richard and Sharon about a baby, but they say that’s the last thing on their minds. They already have three kids between them. End of discussion!
The next day Logan and Maryanne write a 2 page paper for class *outlining how much money we earn, comparing the rents of different-sized apartments, and trying to figure out what percent of someone’s salary should be spent on rent alone, and therefore how much we would need to earn to afford even the tiniest little apartment. We made four professional-looking graphs, too* (taken from the book). Mrs. Boyden doesn’t mention the assignment tho. Instead, she gives them egg babies. She tells them they need to be feed, taken to the doctor, and clothed. They can’t leave it alone and will care for it for a month. They’ll have a paper to write describing their experience. She also explains the importance of how to feed it -because it can’t feed itself- and how they need to support it because it can’t sit on it’s on. Maryanne decides to carry their “child” in her purse. Because they have gym at the same time, they have to decide how to keep “her”. (Maryanne wants a girl). Logan will be practing baseball and can’t take her out in the sun. Thankfully Maryanne has aerobics and can watch her. She sees a lot of girls have just sat their eggs on the floor. So, at lunch she and Logan decide they’ll mark her later.
Kristy gets Alan Gray as a “husband” and hits the ceiling, but he turns out to be a good father. He names their “child” Izzy and makes it a son. They make a shoebox for him filled with flannel and felt. There’s also a music box and learning charts. Kristy has a job at the Papadakis’s house and she takes “Izzy” with her. The first thing she does is explain “her soon” to Linny and Hannie. Alan calls and is worried that the baby isn’t getting fed enough. Kristy has to reassure him he’s fine. But then Kristy says she’s worried about his social development. (He was shy when they got there). This leads to them talking a while and the kids get bored. While she’s on the phone they take Izzy to the playroom, but then he comes up missing. Thankfully Sari has her wrapped in a blanket and has been keeping her safe.
Logan and Maryanne name their child Samantha and fix her a wicker basket. They paint pink flowers on her and put a S on her. Logan takes her home with him and carries her around with him all the time. He’s a natural father. Logan doesn’t want to take her to the park with him because he has to take his brother and sister. So, Maryanne takes her with her to sit for Rosie and Ricky. It’s not an easy job. Ricky is crying when she gets there. Then Rosie starts to cry. Maryanne realizes she can’t watch the twins -because they’re refusing to feed themselves- and Sammie. Maryanne tries to change them but they continue to wait. So, she tries to take them on a walk again. Maryanne can’t dress them up like dolls this time. They barely let her dress them.
They’re quiet at first, but start up again when Maryanne takes a flower from Rickey. Maryanne tells Dawn later she should have been more realistic -thinking she could take care of 3 intants-. She and Dawn ooh and ahh over a baby catalog and fantasize. Sharon and Richard hear them and again tell them NO! NOT HAPPENING! At the BSC meeting, Maryanne mentions Login is hogging their child. Someone named Mr. Gianelli. He needs a sitter for his two kids and Stacey gets it. They start talking about the ups and downs of having a baby. Stacey is tired of always having to worry about it’s needs. She had to lug her baby “Bobby” around the mall and didn’t get a chance to look at anything for herself.
Maryanne of course thinks it’s nice to look at baby stuff but she’s still not happy with Logan. Jessi asks what its like to be married. Stacey says its about a lot of communication. Kristy says you have to have an open-mind and trust your husband. Maryanne says it’s expensive. Jessi points out neither of them said love. Stacey says maybe it wouldn’t seem like so much work if she were in love with Austin. Maryanne agrees and admits that she does love Logan. Logan calls and starts worrying that Claudia’s room isn’t warm enough. Then they muse that if the babies were real they’d have to stop and make formula. Kristy says Logan is just being overprotective when Maryanne says she feels like Logan doesn’t trust her. Jessi says just be thankful they don’t have kids forreal and the project will eventually be over. Mallory brings up how tired and busy her mom was when she was pregnant. Maryanne still wishes her parents would have kids.
Stacey has a job at the Gianelli’s. Alicia is sleeping. Bobby hasn’t gotten home yet. He’s familiar with the egg baby project. Then he gives her instructions before leaving. Alicia catches her talking to the mixing bowl. So, Stacey has to explain. Alicia freaks out about the egg and starts to cry. Bobby comes home and she tells them about the baby being named Bobby. Bobby says he wants to play football and asks if he can take egg Bobby. Alicia admits she’s never seen an egg (what?!). Stacey has to tell Bobby, the egg can’t come with her. Alicia wants to go to the brook but won’t go if Bobby (the egg) comes. So she has to go get Austin to come pick him up. Then Stacey starts to think about *What if Bobby had been her real child and she had had no husband to call on for help? she wondered. What did you do if you were a single parent and you were at work and your child got sick and the nurse called and said he should go home from school? What if you couldn’t leave your job? Or what if you were at home and something happened to you and you simply needed help? * (from the book).
Stacey and Maryanne talk later and decide it’s probably easier if you aren’t a single parent. Stacey makes up her mind not to have kids until she’s older. Logan asks Maryanne out on a date, but she doesn’t get a sitter for Sammy. Her parents are going out and Dawn is sitting Matt and Haley. So Maryanne has to take Sammy to the theatre. Logan gets too much food and Maryanne says they could have paid on electricity. He just says somehow you have to splurge. Sitting Sammy is another problem. Then Maryanne can’t hold all the food and drinks and Sammy. A man comes in and asks if the seat Sammy’s in is occupied. Maryanne has to put Sammy in her lap. So she has to eat her food and put Sammy on the floor. Logan doesn’t like this but Maryanne does it anyway.
The man basically tells them to shut up. He asks if they’re going to talk through the whole thing. Still, they end up enjoying the movie. But when Maryanne’s leg gets stiff and she goes to check Sammie isn’t there. It turns out she’s rolled under the seat. The man is annoyed. They leave the movie. Maryanne and Logan get into a fight over who’ll keep her that night. They each call their parents to come get them. Dawn watches the Pikes while their parents go to Parents Night. She takes “Skip” her egg baby with her. (She wanted to name it Douglas). She doesn’t like her “husband” (Aaron Albright).
When she gets there Mal and Adam are arguing over what’s “men’s work”. (Mal is winning). The kids have a lot of questions about the class. They wonder if her name is Allbright now. Dawn says she wouldn’t change her name. They all wish they were married and had an egg baby. Nicky says he’ll be Claire’s husband and they’ll all adopt babies. There’s enough for each to have 2. They all decide to make up living spaces for them. Margo puts hers in an egg cup. Then they dress them. They try to draw clothes on them, but Vanessa “kills” her baby tryinig to do this. She gets a lil too emotional over it. She convinces Mal to let her get the last egg in the refrigerator. Then they pretend their taking the eggs out to dinner.
In their next class, the students talk about how it’s working out with them as couples. Shawna complains that she wants a divorce because her partner (Miles) is putting all the work on her. It’s clear neither want to be bothered with having a baby but Shawna seems to care a little more about it. Miles says he’d take care of it if she’d let him. She asks why then hasn’t he asked for it. He says he doesn’t know. Another student Angela is crying and says she and Kevin lost their baby. They had her at the park in a box. They don’t know how she got out. Everyone is thinking in the blink of an eye how anything can happen to a child. Mrs. Boyden tells them this won’t affect their grade but now their assignment will change.
Then another guy (Tarik) says he can’t complete the project. He just has too much going on. He’s overwhelmed. She tells him that write that in his paper. After class, Maryanne realizes she and Logan aren’t the only one with problems. Logan takes Sammy with him-still clear he doesn’t trust Maryanne-. Maryanne sits for the twins. This time the excitement isn’t there. Ricky immediately starts to scream. Maryanne has to walk him around. She knows he needs a walk but she can’t wake up Rose. So, she calls Dawn. Dawn says she bets he’s teething. This quiets him. So Dawn takes him. Then Rose starts. She starts to walk her around and she and Dawn have to walk them both around when Dawn returns. That’s how Mrs. Salem finds them.
They’re all tired later Maryanne, Dawn, Sharon, and Richard (the adults had hard days at work). In conclusion, Logan and Maryanne realize they aren’t ready to be grownups. They’ll miss Sammy tho. Maryanne even tells Dawn she can throw away the catalogs. Maryanne sees that her parents well at this point their old and probably couldn’t handle a baby. Mrs. Boyden wants them all to write a composition to say goodbye to their children 20 years later. They decide Sammy will be moving to NY to start her first important job at a publishing house as an editor. Claudia’s baby will be a famous artist. Stacey’s will be a history teacher. Kristy’s will be a car mechanic. Dawn’s will be going to medical school.
The overall verdict is they’ll wait until their older to have a baby. Mal wants 8 like her parents. (YEEEAH I THINK SHELL CHANGE HER MIND AFTER TWO). Jessi says she wants a girl and she wants to name it “Mary Rose” That night as Dawn and Maryanne make dinner, Dawn asks Maryanne if she’ll be able to eat eggs again and she says not for a long time. They’re both glad they didn’t mention the idea of having a baby again to their parents. Sharon offers them the chance to have another pet, but the girls turn it down. Tiger is enough!
My Thoughts:
I rarely describe books as boring but this one kinda was. This plot is in sooo many series books (and television shows). So, it’s repetitive. I do actually remember doing a part of this project. It wasn’t the marriage part. It was the egg part of the assignment. Only I think instead of eggs we had bags of flour. I kind of vaguely remember having to change the bag ever so often. So YES, it was a thing! For me personally, projects like this taught me early on in life that I just wasn’t gonna have children. I know you can *think* one thing and then life has a way of doing the exact opposite, but in this case it held true. So it was EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE! Not everything is for is everybody! Then the book didn’t get into the “health” part of it. The part where they teach you about actually being pregnant. I think if the “flour baby” part was extremely effective the sex education class made it 100% HD CLEAR for me that this was DEFINITELY not the path I wanted to take (or find myself in EVER).
Admitedly, MANY MANY MANY moons ago, I did want marriage. That is until I actually opened my eyes and looked at the people around me that were in marriages and long-term “marriage-like” relationships. And not ONE of them was happy. (Though some might have argued they were). And it was so much more than what this book covered. The book might have went into finances and children. It even covered one partner doing more than the other (with children). But what if one of the partners is just a user? What if one of the partners has cheated? What if one of the partners has lost interest in the marriage? What if sex and intimacy stops? What if one partner decides to switch gender preferences? What if one day you find your just stuck in a marriage? Mrs. Boyden didn’t get into all that, but I have SEEN IT!
Mallory *thinks* she wants eight kids. One of my cousins have five kids and has been going through it because his mother-in-law just left them with no notice. (She was living with them). They had to think about putting ALL their kids in day care. (Two were in school. One went part time). Who’d take the kids? How they’d get the car seats back and forth in each other’s cars so they wouldn’t be late. Who’d be home to watch the two in school? It’s so much more than just money problems. Who’d watch the kids if they got sick? Tho no one *could* get sick. Who’d watch them. It was a LOT! So even tho this book was a boring read, it gave something honestly to think on. It takes A LOT of responsibility to have babies. Maryanne found out they aren’t just something cute you can dress up and show off and put down. And even tho the book didn’t go into it-without the kids aspect- it takes a LOT to stick out a marriage and a relationship for that matter. And just like with Dawn and Maryanne you might *think* you want something until you REALLY realize that maybe you don’t want what you think you wanted when you see it’s not all you thought it was.
Rating: 5 and a half
It starts off going over the background of how Maryanne’s family came to be and how she and Dawn are different. Then they talk about the twins baby brother (Myriah and Miranda Shillaber). Maryanne says she wishes their parents would have a baby. Dawn says it’s not to late. If they didn’t want to have one they could adopt. They say who could take better care of one tho them them. Even if they can’t convince a grandparent to move in (like Kristy). Then they talk about the new class their taking (Modern Living). Logan will also be in the class. Only the 8th graders are being forced to take it.
At the BSC meeting, Mrs. Salem (who was at the child care class) needs a sitter for Ricky and Rose and Maryanne gets the job. Logan and Maryanne are “married” in Modern Living class. The teacher says this assignment is because they can now all have babies. Then she asks how many of them think they’re ready for parenting, being part of a couple, or living on their own. Maryanne raises her hand and says she takes care of kids all the time. The teacher tho doesn’t look impressed. Then she tells them she’s going to pair them up in marriages until the end of the class. The rest of the class period is spent talking about what they think marriage means. Maryanne is sure she and Logan are ready.
Shawna gives a dumb answer about marriage meaning what’s on the cake. Maryanne says she thinks its about commitment and loving your partner so much that you try to work it out when you have a problem so you can stay together. the teacher says yes. She says it’s a little more than about just a wedding. There’s an uneven number of girls and boys. The teacher says two of the boys will have to be married. (Interesting). She tells them that from now on they’ll do everything as a couple (sit together in class, sometimes out of class). She gives them an assignment The assignment she gives is if they can be a financially independent couple.
At Logans, Maryanne and Logan decide on a two-bedroom apartment. The cheapest one they can find is 800.00 a month. Meaning they’d have to earn nine thousand six hundred a year to pay rent. They realize they couldn’t even pay rent for a month. They see if there are any food sales and see that there are but steak is expensive. So they decide they won’t eat it. All the food is expensive. They decide they’ll have to live at home. Maryanne says they’ll live at hers. Logan says it should be his. Neither want to live with the others relatives. They decide since Maryanne’s place has more space, they’ll have to live in her bedroom.
Maryanne changes the twins, puts them on nice outfits, and then takes them for a walk. They get a lot of attention at the park. Two girls Bea and Sarah come up and ask if they can play with the twins. They ask is it hard to keep them and Maryanne loses her memories and says no. Maryanne thinks she can’t wait until she has kids or until she’s a big sister. She tells Dawn later, she wants another sister. Maryanne says maybe Tara, or Bea, or Charity. Dawn hints to Richard and Sharon about a baby, but they say that’s the last thing on their minds. They already have three kids between them. End of discussion!
The next day Logan and Maryanne write a 2 page paper for class *outlining how much money we earn, comparing the rents of different-sized apartments, and trying to figure out what percent of someone’s salary should be spent on rent alone, and therefore how much we would need to earn to afford even the tiniest little apartment. We made four professional-looking graphs, too* (taken from the book). Mrs. Boyden doesn’t mention the assignment tho. Instead, she gives them egg babies. She tells them they need to be feed, taken to the doctor, and clothed. They can’t leave it alone and will care for it for a month. They’ll have a paper to write describing their experience. She also explains the importance of how to feed it -because it can’t feed itself- and how they need to support it because it can’t sit on it’s on. Maryanne decides to carry their “child” in her purse. Because they have gym at the same time, they have to decide how to keep “her”. (Maryanne wants a girl). Logan will be practing baseball and can’t take her out in the sun. Thankfully Maryanne has aerobics and can watch her. She sees a lot of girls have just sat their eggs on the floor. So, at lunch she and Logan decide they’ll mark her later.
Kristy gets Alan Gray as a “husband” and hits the ceiling, but he turns out to be a good father. He names their “child” Izzy and makes it a son. They make a shoebox for him filled with flannel and felt. There’s also a music box and learning charts. Kristy has a job at the Papadakis’s house and she takes “Izzy” with her. The first thing she does is explain “her soon” to Linny and Hannie. Alan calls and is worried that the baby isn’t getting fed enough. Kristy has to reassure him he’s fine. But then Kristy says she’s worried about his social development. (He was shy when they got there). This leads to them talking a while and the kids get bored. While she’s on the phone they take Izzy to the playroom, but then he comes up missing. Thankfully Sari has her wrapped in a blanket and has been keeping her safe.
Logan and Maryanne name their child Samantha and fix her a wicker basket. They paint pink flowers on her and put a S on her. Logan takes her home with him and carries her around with him all the time. He’s a natural father. Logan doesn’t want to take her to the park with him because he has to take his brother and sister. So, Maryanne takes her with her to sit for Rosie and Ricky. It’s not an easy job. Ricky is crying when she gets there. Then Rosie starts to cry. Maryanne realizes she can’t watch the twins -because they’re refusing to feed themselves- and Sammie. Maryanne tries to change them but they continue to wait. So, she tries to take them on a walk again. Maryanne can’t dress them up like dolls this time. They barely let her dress them.
They’re quiet at first, but start up again when Maryanne takes a flower from Rickey. Maryanne tells Dawn later she should have been more realistic -thinking she could take care of 3 intants-. She and Dawn ooh and ahh over a baby catalog and fantasize. Sharon and Richard hear them and again tell them NO! NOT HAPPENING! At the BSC meeting, Maryanne mentions Login is hogging their child. Someone named Mr. Gianelli. He needs a sitter for his two kids and Stacey gets it. They start talking about the ups and downs of having a baby. Stacey is tired of always having to worry about it’s needs. She had to lug her baby “Bobby” around the mall and didn’t get a chance to look at anything for herself.
Maryanne of course thinks it’s nice to look at baby stuff but she’s still not happy with Logan. Jessi asks what its like to be married. Stacey says its about a lot of communication. Kristy says you have to have an open-mind and trust your husband. Maryanne says it’s expensive. Jessi points out neither of them said love. Stacey says maybe it wouldn’t seem like so much work if she were in love with Austin. Maryanne agrees and admits that she does love Logan. Logan calls and starts worrying that Claudia’s room isn’t warm enough. Then they muse that if the babies were real they’d have to stop and make formula. Kristy says Logan is just being overprotective when Maryanne says she feels like Logan doesn’t trust her. Jessi says just be thankful they don’t have kids forreal and the project will eventually be over. Mallory brings up how tired and busy her mom was when she was pregnant. Maryanne still wishes her parents would have kids.
Stacey has a job at the Gianelli’s. Alicia is sleeping. Bobby hasn’t gotten home yet. He’s familiar with the egg baby project. Then he gives her instructions before leaving. Alicia catches her talking to the mixing bowl. So, Stacey has to explain. Alicia freaks out about the egg and starts to cry. Bobby comes home and she tells them about the baby being named Bobby. Bobby says he wants to play football and asks if he can take egg Bobby. Alicia admits she’s never seen an egg (what?!). Stacey has to tell Bobby, the egg can’t come with her. Alicia wants to go to the brook but won’t go if Bobby (the egg) comes. So she has to go get Austin to come pick him up. Then Stacey starts to think about *What if Bobby had been her real child and she had had no husband to call on for help? she wondered. What did you do if you were a single parent and you were at work and your child got sick and the nurse called and said he should go home from school? What if you couldn’t leave your job? Or what if you were at home and something happened to you and you simply needed help? * (from the book).
Stacey and Maryanne talk later and decide it’s probably easier if you aren’t a single parent. Stacey makes up her mind not to have kids until she’s older. Logan asks Maryanne out on a date, but she doesn’t get a sitter for Sammy. Her parents are going out and Dawn is sitting Matt and Haley. So Maryanne has to take Sammy to the theatre. Logan gets too much food and Maryanne says they could have paid on electricity. He just says somehow you have to splurge. Sitting Sammy is another problem. Then Maryanne can’t hold all the food and drinks and Sammy. A man comes in and asks if the seat Sammy’s in is occupied. Maryanne has to put Sammy in her lap. So she has to eat her food and put Sammy on the floor. Logan doesn’t like this but Maryanne does it anyway.
The man basically tells them to shut up. He asks if they’re going to talk through the whole thing. Still, they end up enjoying the movie. But when Maryanne’s leg gets stiff and she goes to check Sammie isn’t there. It turns out she’s rolled under the seat. The man is annoyed. They leave the movie. Maryanne and Logan get into a fight over who’ll keep her that night. They each call their parents to come get them. Dawn watches the Pikes while their parents go to Parents Night. She takes “Skip” her egg baby with her. (She wanted to name it Douglas). She doesn’t like her “husband” (Aaron Albright).
When she gets there Mal and Adam are arguing over what’s “men’s work”. (Mal is winning). The kids have a lot of questions about the class. They wonder if her name is Allbright now. Dawn says she wouldn’t change her name. They all wish they were married and had an egg baby. Nicky says he’ll be Claire’s husband and they’ll all adopt babies. There’s enough for each to have 2. They all decide to make up living spaces for them. Margo puts hers in an egg cup. Then they dress them. They try to draw clothes on them, but Vanessa “kills” her baby tryinig to do this. She gets a lil too emotional over it. She convinces Mal to let her get the last egg in the refrigerator. Then they pretend their taking the eggs out to dinner.
In their next class, the students talk about how it’s working out with them as couples. Shawna complains that she wants a divorce because her partner (Miles) is putting all the work on her. It’s clear neither want to be bothered with having a baby but Shawna seems to care a little more about it. Miles says he’d take care of it if she’d let him. She asks why then hasn’t he asked for it. He says he doesn’t know. Another student Angela is crying and says she and Kevin lost their baby. They had her at the park in a box. They don’t know how she got out. Everyone is thinking in the blink of an eye how anything can happen to a child. Mrs. Boyden tells them this won’t affect their grade but now their assignment will change.
Then another guy (Tarik) says he can’t complete the project. He just has too much going on. He’s overwhelmed. She tells him that write that in his paper. After class, Maryanne realizes she and Logan aren’t the only one with problems. Logan takes Sammy with him-still clear he doesn’t trust Maryanne-. Maryanne sits for the twins. This time the excitement isn’t there. Ricky immediately starts to scream. Maryanne has to walk him around. She knows he needs a walk but she can’t wake up Rose. So, she calls Dawn. Dawn says she bets he’s teething. This quiets him. So Dawn takes him. Then Rose starts. She starts to walk her around and she and Dawn have to walk them both around when Dawn returns. That’s how Mrs. Salem finds them.
They’re all tired later Maryanne, Dawn, Sharon, and Richard (the adults had hard days at work). In conclusion, Logan and Maryanne realize they aren’t ready to be grownups. They’ll miss Sammy tho. Maryanne even tells Dawn she can throw away the catalogs. Maryanne sees that her parents well at this point their old and probably couldn’t handle a baby. Mrs. Boyden wants them all to write a composition to say goodbye to their children 20 years later. They decide Sammy will be moving to NY to start her first important job at a publishing house as an editor. Claudia’s baby will be a famous artist. Stacey’s will be a history teacher. Kristy’s will be a car mechanic. Dawn’s will be going to medical school.
The overall verdict is they’ll wait until their older to have a baby. Mal wants 8 like her parents. (YEEEAH I THINK SHELL CHANGE HER MIND AFTER TWO). Jessi says she wants a girl and she wants to name it “Mary Rose” That night as Dawn and Maryanne make dinner, Dawn asks Maryanne if she’ll be able to eat eggs again and she says not for a long time. They’re both glad they didn’t mention the idea of having a baby again to their parents. Sharon offers them the chance to have another pet, but the girls turn it down. Tiger is enough!
My Thoughts:
I rarely describe books as boring but this one kinda was. This plot is in sooo many series books (and television shows). So, it’s repetitive. I do actually remember doing a part of this project. It wasn’t the marriage part. It was the egg part of the assignment. Only I think instead of eggs we had bags of flour. I kind of vaguely remember having to change the bag ever so often. So YES, it was a thing! For me personally, projects like this taught me early on in life that I just wasn’t gonna have children. I know you can *think* one thing and then life has a way of doing the exact opposite, but in this case it held true. So it was EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE! Not everything is for is everybody! Then the book didn’t get into the “health” part of it. The part where they teach you about actually being pregnant. I think if the “flour baby” part was extremely effective the sex education class made it 100% HD CLEAR for me that this was DEFINITELY not the path I wanted to take (or find myself in EVER).
Admitedly, MANY MANY MANY moons ago, I did want marriage. That is until I actually opened my eyes and looked at the people around me that were in marriages and long-term “marriage-like” relationships. And not ONE of them was happy. (Though some might have argued they were). And it was so much more than what this book covered. The book might have went into finances and children. It even covered one partner doing more than the other (with children). But what if one of the partners is just a user? What if one of the partners has cheated? What if one of the partners has lost interest in the marriage? What if sex and intimacy stops? What if one partner decides to switch gender preferences? What if one day you find your just stuck in a marriage? Mrs. Boyden didn’t get into all that, but I have SEEN IT!
Mallory *thinks* she wants eight kids. One of my cousins have five kids and has been going through it because his mother-in-law just left them with no notice. (She was living with them). They had to think about putting ALL their kids in day care. (Two were in school. One went part time). Who’d take the kids? How they’d get the car seats back and forth in each other’s cars so they wouldn’t be late. Who’d be home to watch the two in school? It’s so much more than just money problems. Who’d watch the kids if they got sick? Tho no one *could* get sick. Who’d watch them. It was a LOT! So even tho this book was a boring read, it gave something honestly to think on. It takes A LOT of responsibility to have babies. Maryanne found out they aren’t just something cute you can dress up and show off and put down. And even tho the book didn’t go into it-without the kids aspect- it takes a LOT to stick out a marriage and a relationship for that matter. And just like with Dawn and Maryanne you might *think* you want something until you REALLY realize that maybe you don’t want what you think you wanted when you see it’s not all you thought it was.
Rating: 5 and a half
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2017
Mary Anne seems to be on the verge of becoming a teen mom. She's obsessed with babies, and she is trying to convince her father and stepmother that the best thing in the world would be for them to have a baby. Then she takes a class with Logan where they have to look after eggs as if they were babies. She is shocked to learn that taking care of a baby for longer than an hour or two is like, really HARD! And like, exhausting. Who knew?
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
This book came with a free bookmark that had all kinds of fun facts about Mary Anne. This was such a novelty to me, that I was sure that Mary Anne was my favorite baby sitter for a little while. This delusion did not last long.
My mother found this book interesting because she was in the process of creating a program to prevent teen pregnancy in the school she was teaching in. I remember she especially liked the chapter where Mary Anne has to call Dawn to help her soothe the twin babies she is watching.
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
I wonder if my bad eating habits when I was a teen was an indirect result of reading this series as a kid. For her afterschool snack Dawn has raw veggies and tofu. Mary Anne has what she calls "a nice, normal after-school snack," which is chocolate chip cookies, and an apple. Yes, it's unusual for a thirteen year old to eat a salad for a snack, but there's nothing wrong with it. If I could do it all again, I would totally get in the habit of eating a small salad, or raw veggies in the mid afternoon as a thirteen year old.
Mary Anne and Dawn are desperate for their parents to have a baby, partly because they can't see what an upheaval in their lives a baby would be. They are sure they are completely qualified to help with the baby because they are well trained baby sitters. They point to Kristy's family as a model of taking on the responsibility of a young child, quickly skipping over the fact that the Brewer-Thomas clan thought very hard about hiring a nanny to look after Emily Michelle while they were at work. Eventually Kristy's grandmother decided to move in to help with Emily while everyone is at school or work, but if she hadn't Kristy's family surely would have shelled out a lot of money to employ a nanny or au pair. With school, baby sitting and their other extra curricular things Mary Anne and Dawn are barely home. And both their parents work full time. So even though the teens are qualified baby sitters (if such a term exists for teens) that has nothing to do with being AVAILABLE to look after a baby. Mallory, with her seven brothers and sisters, points out that if her mother had been in school while pregnant with Claire, the youngest Pike, she would have dropped out. There's no question in Mallory's mind that her mother's taking care of seven children, in addition to being pregnant, would have meant that there was no way she could have gotten a decent education as well. Mary Anne considers this for a minute, then dismisses the problem by deciding that with her and Dawn helping out, Sharon "would only have to do one third of the usual mothering." I liked that Sharon and Richard didn't even entertain the possibility of having a baby. They simply don't want one, and if I had two teenage daughters, and one son who has already showed some behavioral issues then I wouldn't want any more children either.
Mary Anne is such an idiot in this book. I'm guessing she acts the way she does to highlight how easy it is for teens to look at adults and see nothing but being able to do whatever you want, and buy whatever you want, and live however you want, especially in a community as wealthy and sheltered as Stoneybrook. But her naivety is hard to read as an adult. When her teacher asks a class full of eighth graders, most of whom have lived all their lives in the bubble of Stoneybrook, if they are capable of living on their own, and taking care of a child, Mary Anne throws her hand in the air. She thinks she ready to raise a child because she's such a great baby sitter, and she wants to buy a two bedroom apartment so that she can have a guest room and hang curtains and paint her cabinets. Her whole class thinks of marriage as being nothing more than a fancy wedding, although Mary Anne has a glimmer of the level of commitment and compromise that goes into a marriage. It's a complete shock to Mary Anne to realize that even with her steady baby sitting jobs, she could never, ever afford to pay for an apartment on her own. Later, she's somewhat surprised that Mrs Salem, her client with twin babies who Mary Anne baby sits, is so tired. She's worn out from taking care of not a single baby, but twins, Mary Anne. I get exhausted just thinking about taking care of one baby, never mind two. I can barely make it through a day of work, let alone raise a helpless human. But Mary Anne is sure that since she's been a mother's helper for the Pikes, she knows all about taking care of multiple children. Later in the book, the rest of Mary Anne's Modern Living class is overwhelmed by the little job of taking care of a false baby. That part is a little over the top, but realistic enough. People just don't know how hard it is to take care of something you have to think about all the time. In the last chapter, the baby sitters decide that while they love children there is simply no way they could support any baby they would have as teenagers. Again, as an adult this is a little heavy-handed, but I didn't notice it as a kid, and my mother was clearly thrilled with the message, so it's a good one.
Most of the other baby sitters are just as nutty about their egg babies as Mary Anne is about babies in general. They are super excited about the project, and go totally overboard with caring for their eggs. The one exception is Stacey who is the only one who seems to realize that caring for a baby is not fun and games, but a lot of work that often involves very careful planning, and a lot of worrying. When the child she is baby sitting for freaks out about Stacey's egg child, Stacey has to scramble (HA!) around to contact her "husband" to come pick up the egg so she can carry on with her job. She realizes that her single mother, who is raising a teenager with diabetes must worry constantly. As an adult I wish this had been gone into in more detail. Most parents don't have extra income to throw around on baby sitters to watch their kids while they run errands. Many parents don't have jobs they can take endless leave from when they are facing an unexpected emergency. At some point in the book Stacey realizes that if she actually had a husband, and a baby she loved, life managing them wouldn't seem like quite so much work. In this series where so many kids in Stoneybrook have divorced parents this is an especially apt point. Life is so hard to live with partners you just don't love.
As an adult I can appreciate the problems Mary Anne faced while looking after the twins much more. She is forced to call Dawn for help because she can't soothe two screaming babies at the same time. But what does Mrs Salem do when she comes home? The book says that both Dawn and Mary Anne were still walking the babies around the house when she got there, and presumably they didn't stick around much longer, so Mrs Salem was still stuck with two screaming, teething babies. I hope her husband came home soon after and helped her walk the babies around the house. This sort of thing is the reason I am very happy in my childless life. If I had to manage a screaming baby I would resort to my great grandmother's favorite trick to soothing a baby -- rub his gums with opium.
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
This book came with a free bookmark that had all kinds of fun facts about Mary Anne. This was such a novelty to me, that I was sure that Mary Anne was my favorite baby sitter for a little while. This delusion did not last long.
My mother found this book interesting because she was in the process of creating a program to prevent teen pregnancy in the school she was teaching in. I remember she especially liked the chapter where Mary Anne has to call Dawn to help her soothe the twin babies she is watching.
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
I wonder if my bad eating habits when I was a teen was an indirect result of reading this series as a kid. For her afterschool snack Dawn has raw veggies and tofu. Mary Anne has what she calls "a nice, normal after-school snack," which is chocolate chip cookies, and an apple. Yes, it's unusual for a thirteen year old to eat a salad for a snack, but there's nothing wrong with it. If I could do it all again, I would totally get in the habit of eating a small salad, or raw veggies in the mid afternoon as a thirteen year old.
Mary Anne and Dawn are desperate for their parents to have a baby, partly because they can't see what an upheaval in their lives a baby would be. They are sure they are completely qualified to help with the baby because they are well trained baby sitters. They point to Kristy's family as a model of taking on the responsibility of a young child, quickly skipping over the fact that the Brewer-Thomas clan thought very hard about hiring a nanny to look after Emily Michelle while they were at work. Eventually Kristy's grandmother decided to move in to help with Emily while everyone is at school or work, but if she hadn't Kristy's family surely would have shelled out a lot of money to employ a nanny or au pair. With school, baby sitting and their other extra curricular things Mary Anne and Dawn are barely home. And both their parents work full time. So even though the teens are qualified baby sitters (if such a term exists for teens) that has nothing to do with being AVAILABLE to look after a baby. Mallory, with her seven brothers and sisters, points out that if her mother had been in school while pregnant with Claire, the youngest Pike, she would have dropped out. There's no question in Mallory's mind that her mother's taking care of seven children, in addition to being pregnant, would have meant that there was no way she could have gotten a decent education as well. Mary Anne considers this for a minute, then dismisses the problem by deciding that with her and Dawn helping out, Sharon "would only have to do one third of the usual mothering." I liked that Sharon and Richard didn't even entertain the possibility of having a baby. They simply don't want one, and if I had two teenage daughters, and one son who has already showed some behavioral issues then I wouldn't want any more children either.
Mary Anne is such an idiot in this book. I'm guessing she acts the way she does to highlight how easy it is for teens to look at adults and see nothing but being able to do whatever you want, and buy whatever you want, and live however you want, especially in a community as wealthy and sheltered as Stoneybrook. But her naivety is hard to read as an adult. When her teacher asks a class full of eighth graders, most of whom have lived all their lives in the bubble of Stoneybrook, if they are capable of living on their own, and taking care of a child, Mary Anne throws her hand in the air. She thinks she ready to raise a child because she's such a great baby sitter, and she wants to buy a two bedroom apartment so that she can have a guest room and hang curtains and paint her cabinets. Her whole class thinks of marriage as being nothing more than a fancy wedding, although Mary Anne has a glimmer of the level of commitment and compromise that goes into a marriage. It's a complete shock to Mary Anne to realize that even with her steady baby sitting jobs, she could never, ever afford to pay for an apartment on her own. Later, she's somewhat surprised that Mrs Salem, her client with twin babies who Mary Anne baby sits, is so tired. She's worn out from taking care of not a single baby, but twins, Mary Anne. I get exhausted just thinking about taking care of one baby, never mind two. I can barely make it through a day of work, let alone raise a helpless human. But Mary Anne is sure that since she's been a mother's helper for the Pikes, she knows all about taking care of multiple children. Later in the book, the rest of Mary Anne's Modern Living class is overwhelmed by the little job of taking care of a false baby. That part is a little over the top, but realistic enough. People just don't know how hard it is to take care of something you have to think about all the time. In the last chapter, the baby sitters decide that while they love children there is simply no way they could support any baby they would have as teenagers. Again, as an adult this is a little heavy-handed, but I didn't notice it as a kid, and my mother was clearly thrilled with the message, so it's a good one.
Most of the other baby sitters are just as nutty about their egg babies as Mary Anne is about babies in general. They are super excited about the project, and go totally overboard with caring for their eggs. The one exception is Stacey who is the only one who seems to realize that caring for a baby is not fun and games, but a lot of work that often involves very careful planning, and a lot of worrying. When the child she is baby sitting for freaks out about Stacey's egg child, Stacey has to scramble (HA!) around to contact her "husband" to come pick up the egg so she can carry on with her job. She realizes that her single mother, who is raising a teenager with diabetes must worry constantly. As an adult I wish this had been gone into in more detail. Most parents don't have extra income to throw around on baby sitters to watch their kids while they run errands. Many parents don't have jobs they can take endless leave from when they are facing an unexpected emergency. At some point in the book Stacey realizes that if she actually had a husband, and a baby she loved, life managing them wouldn't seem like quite so much work. In this series where so many kids in Stoneybrook have divorced parents this is an especially apt point. Life is so hard to live with partners you just don't love.
As an adult I can appreciate the problems Mary Anne faced while looking after the twins much more. She is forced to call Dawn for help because she can't soothe two screaming babies at the same time. But what does Mrs Salem do when she comes home? The book says that both Dawn and Mary Anne were still walking the babies around the house when she got there, and presumably they didn't stick around much longer, so Mrs Salem was still stuck with two screaming, teething babies. I hope her husband came home soon after and helped her walk the babies around the house. This sort of thing is the reason I am very happy in my childless life. If I had to manage a screaming baby I would resort to my great grandmother's favorite trick to soothing a baby -- rub his gums with opium.
September 19, 2022
I’m on a mission to reread one of my favorite childhood series, The Babysitter’s Club.
I liked how Martin had the girls learn about the woes of parenting. I think I would have learned a few lessons about parenting and raising kids if I read this as a kid.
Also, Martin’s writing made it easy for me, a 25 year old, to digest this book. Yes, it’s (very) young adult, but It kept me engaged the whole time!!
I liked how Martin had the girls learn about the woes of parenting. I think I would have learned a few lessons about parenting and raising kids if I read this as a kid.
Also, Martin’s writing made it easy for me, a 25 year old, to digest this book. Yes, it’s (very) young adult, but It kept me engaged the whole time!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2024
this book is incredibly aged and I read it because I thought I would've liked it as a kid but I wouldn't have.
"she's exotic looking." 😃
if this was published today the far right would try to label it liberal propaganda
"she's exotic looking." 😃
if this was published today the far right would try to label it liberal propaganda
June 20, 2017
I did NOT like this book as a child, and I came to resent it even more after I had to actually do the stupid ass egg project in middle school myself. For everyone who wrote reviews acting like that isn't a thing: Yes. It was. At least it was in like 1997 when we had to do it in home economics class. It was stupid as hell, and served no true purpose, but we did it. We weren't paired up with each other, we each had our own egg, and we had to take care of the stupid hard boiled thing for a week. She even marked it with this special nail polish she had so if we broke the egg and tried to pass a new one off as it that she'd know.
She was hardcore.
Anyway, yes. It was as dumb in real life as it was in this book. Though while we all made environments for our eggs (mostly in shoe boxes) and had to bring them to school and whatnot, we didn't get quite so excited by it. Who gets that stoked to carry a stupid egg around? Also a month? I mean at that point any egg that's not been refrigerated, boiled or non, would be getting rank. It just bugged me so bad, then and now, how into it they all got. Acting like these eggs were really their kids. Oof.
All the other plots were stupid too. No, Dawn and Mary Anne, Sharon doesn't want to have a baby. She's already got the airhead and Jeff, why would she want to risk it? Also Mary Anne is a sitter and is all out of sorts over two teething babies. FFS.
Also does anyone else remember the episode of Dawson's Creek where they had a project sort of like the class in the book where they had to be paired up and make a budget on how to live, what jobs they'd have, and that sort of thing? Yeah, Dawson was paired with Jen who put the moves on him, and when he rejected her she went and got drunk on the docks with Abby who fell in and drowned.
You're welcome, world. Two great endings off one stupid concept!
She was hardcore.
Anyway, yes. It was as dumb in real life as it was in this book. Though while we all made environments for our eggs (mostly in shoe boxes) and had to bring them to school and whatnot, we didn't get quite so excited by it. Who gets that stoked to carry a stupid egg around? Also a month? I mean at that point any egg that's not been refrigerated, boiled or non, would be getting rank. It just bugged me so bad, then and now, how into it they all got. Acting like these eggs were really their kids. Oof.
All the other plots were stupid too. No, Dawn and Mary Anne, Sharon doesn't want to have a baby. She's already got the airhead and Jeff, why would she want to risk it? Also Mary Anne is a sitter and is all out of sorts over two teething babies. FFS.
Also does anyone else remember the episode of Dawson's Creek where they had a project sort of like the class in the book where they had to be paired up and make a budget on how to live, what jobs they'd have, and that sort of thing? Yeah, Dawson was paired with Jen who put the moves on him, and when he rejected her she went and got drunk on the docks with Abby who fell in and drowned.
You're welcome, world. Two great endings off one stupid concept!
July 17, 2012
This is a great book among the a series of the Babysitters Club written by Ann Martin. I couldn't find the lexile level but it is suited for those in 3-5th grade. The main character is Mary Anne and it is written in her view perspective, the first point of view. This takes place in Stoneybrook, Connecticut, specifically in school and around home. In this book, Mary Anne has been babysitting these twin kids since she is a part of a babysitting club with her friends. She enjoys babysitting them and as a great time and starts wondering what having a baby in her family would be like. Her and her sister Dawn begin mentioning to their step parents about having a baby sister or brother. However, one day in Modern Living class, Mary Anne and her classmates receive an assignment on how to become parents. The teachers pair them up and gives them an egg that they must take care of as if its their own child. When paired with her steady boyfriend Logan, she was really excited. However, when they begin this taking care of their "child" they start to realize it's not all that they cracked up to be. She realized how tough it can be especially when you have someone else to help you take care of them so this was an eye opening experience for her.
The main ideas would be family and what reality is like. I would recommend this because I feel like kids at a young age are always in a hurry to grow up but reading this book can help them see that it's not so easy having responsibilities. It's also an easy read and a lot of things that happen are stuff one can relate to. Overall, I loved the book. I've been a fan of Ann M. Martin for such a long time and have enjoyed all of her books in this series. Each book has value to it and it's fun.
Always enjoy being a kid first.
The main ideas would be family and what reality is like. I would recommend this because I feel like kids at a young age are always in a hurry to grow up but reading this book can help them see that it's not so easy having responsibilities. It's also an easy read and a lot of things that happen are stuff one can relate to. Overall, I loved the book. I've been a fan of Ann M. Martin for such a long time and have enjoyed all of her books in this series. Each book has value to it and it's fun.
Always enjoy being a kid first.
November 30, 2025
Not my favorite - the egg project was over the top and annoying - not enough of any other plot to be honest. Plus Mary Anne isn't my favorite narrator. Personal summary/spoiler in comments
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2020
Mary Anne had baby fever. She knew all about how to care for babies because she had lots of experience babysitting and had even completed an infant care course in Kristy and the Baby Parade. Mary Anne babysat for infant twins and enjoyed dressing them up like real-life dolls and walking them around the neighborhood. Mary Anne and her stepsister, Dawn, knew they were not ready to have their own children yet, so decided Dawn's mother (Mary Anne's stepmother) needed to have a baby instead. At school, Mary Anne and the other eighth grade students completed a project where they had to get "married" and parent an egg "baby". Mary Anne soon realized she was not ready to care for a baby after all.
I was surprised this book was actually written by LGBT author Ann M. Martin, as opposed to one of the series' many ghost writers. I had to put this down for a little while because I was bothered by the heteronormativity. Students had to get "married" before they could care for their egg "baby" together. The students had to partner with opposite-sex peers. Mary Anne was partners with her boyfriend, Logan. However, there were four more boys than girls in Mary Anne's class, so there were two same-sex couples. Mary Anne's teacher, Mrs. Boyden, did not mention gay marriage, but did tell the same-sex couples they had to figure out who was the wife and who was the husband in the marriage.
The "married" couples also had to complete a budget to see if they were financially independent as eighth graders. Mary Anne and Logan tried to find an apartment they could rent for $0.36 because that was all they could afford with their part-time babysitting jobs. The assignment was ridiculous. Mrs. Boyden should have had Mary Anne and Logan make a budget based on their future plans. Or the budget could have been based on their needs as a thirteen year-old. But of course they are not likely to be financially independent already; they're in middle school!
I really liked the veiled references to menstruation because periods were unfortunately lacking from the BSC series. I mean, the girls went on and on about cute boys, but they could not even mention killer cramps? Mrs. Boyden told the class they needed to learn about parenting since they were, or soon would be, "biologically capable" of having children. Later, Mary Anne and Dawn wondered if "being a little late [was] like being a little pregnant"? They meant that if they told Dawn's mother they didn't want her to be pregnant but she already was, it would be too late. But I prefer the other use of the word (i.e., if Dawn's mother's period was late, then she could be pregnant).
Overall, I did not like this book -- 1.5 stars. I am also saddened that the girls (or at least Claudia as demonstrated by how she treated her aunt in Claudia and the World's Cutest Baby) did not learn their lesson from this project. These cocky thirteen year-old babysitters still thought they know everything there is to know about infant care. As Mary Anne quipped to her own father, "'Yeah, Dad, you have no idea how hard it is to be a parent!'"
I was surprised this book was actually written by LGBT author Ann M. Martin, as opposed to one of the series' many ghost writers. I had to put this down for a little while because I was bothered by the heteronormativity. Students had to get "married" before they could care for their egg "baby" together. The students had to partner with opposite-sex peers. Mary Anne was partners with her boyfriend, Logan. However, there were four more boys than girls in Mary Anne's class, so there were two same-sex couples. Mary Anne's teacher, Mrs. Boyden, did not mention gay marriage, but did tell the same-sex couples they had to figure out who was the wife and who was the husband in the marriage.
The "married" couples also had to complete a budget to see if they were financially independent as eighth graders. Mary Anne and Logan tried to find an apartment they could rent for $0.36 because that was all they could afford with their part-time babysitting jobs. The assignment was ridiculous. Mrs. Boyden should have had Mary Anne and Logan make a budget based on their future plans. Or the budget could have been based on their needs as a thirteen year-old. But of course they are not likely to be financially independent already; they're in middle school!
I really liked the veiled references to menstruation because periods were unfortunately lacking from the BSC series. I mean, the girls went on and on about cute boys, but they could not even mention killer cramps? Mrs. Boyden told the class they needed to learn about parenting since they were, or soon would be, "biologically capable" of having children. Later, Mary Anne and Dawn wondered if "being a little late [was] like being a little pregnant"? They meant that if they told Dawn's mother they didn't want her to be pregnant but she already was, it would be too late. But I prefer the other use of the word (i.e., if Dawn's mother's period was late, then she could be pregnant).
Overall, I did not like this book -- 1.5 stars. I am also saddened that the girls (or at least Claudia as demonstrated by how she treated her aunt in Claudia and the World's Cutest Baby) did not learn their lesson from this project. These cocky thirteen year-old babysitters still thought they know everything there is to know about infant care. As Mary Anne quipped to her own father, "'Yeah, Dad, you have no idea how hard it is to be a parent!'"
July 26, 2024
I was pleasantly surprised by this one! I had been worried it would be cringey and dated, and in some ways it was - at least, I hope there are no schools doing the egg thing anymore - but it was actually extremely well done.
Mary Anne and Logan pair up to raise an egg baby in their Modern Living class, with subplots about Mary Anne struggling to baby-sit for a pair of twins, and Mary Anne and Dawn hoping their parents will have a baby. Mary Anne and Logan have their struggles with managing the responsibilities of caring for their "Baby" but it thankfully doesn't turn into an outright annoying MA and Logan fight. The glimpses we get of the other BSC's eggs are fun, too. At times the book is heavy handed about the responsibilities of having a baby, nothing is sugar coated. It nearly made me question whether this is meant to be a didactic teen pregnancy prevention technique even though the BSC readership is surely too young for that to be effective. The subplots are interwoven, this is much better than the typical BSC book where the subplots are disconnected and making a connection at the end is a struggle or causes the sitter to develop a sudden personality change like the book where Jessi pushes Jackie with his science fair project.
Mary Anne and Logan pair up to raise an egg baby in their Modern Living class, with subplots about Mary Anne struggling to baby-sit for a pair of twins, and Mary Anne and Dawn hoping their parents will have a baby. Mary Anne and Logan have their struggles with managing the responsibilities of caring for their "Baby" but it thankfully doesn't turn into an outright annoying MA and Logan fight. The glimpses we get of the other BSC's eggs are fun, too. At times the book is heavy handed about the responsibilities of having a baby, nothing is sugar coated. It nearly made me question whether this is meant to be a didactic teen pregnancy prevention technique even though the BSC readership is surely too young for that to be effective. The subplots are interwoven, this is much better than the typical BSC book where the subplots are disconnected and making a connection at the end is a struggle or causes the sitter to develop a sudden personality change like the book where Jessi pushes Jackie with his science fair project.
July 8, 2018
I just had to squeeze in one more BSC re-read. =)
The egg thing in this book is still totally bizarre to me, but that's what makes it such a fun read. (Why do we never find out who Claudia is "married" to and what she named her egg, though?) I can't help but laugh when Stacey refers to Mary Anne's egg as an egg and MA gasps, "She's my daughter!"
The subplot about Dawn and Mary Anne wishing their parents would have a kid is even funnier. They go on and on about how Sharon and Richard would only have to do a "third" of the parenting, because of course Dawn and MA would do most of it. Cue eye roll here.
Oh! And I still want to know how on earth a 2 bedroom apartment in 1992 is $2,000. Really? This from the same series where Stacey buys a soda and a popcorn at the movies for only 95 cents.
As ridiculous as this book is, though, it definitely makes me smile. Plus, the cutesy title takes me right back to middle school! "U R 2 cool 2 B 4-got-10". I'm slightly ashamed that I used to write that in yearbooks....
The egg thing in this book is still totally bizarre to me, but that's what makes it such a fun read. (Why do we never find out who Claudia is "married" to and what she named her egg, though?) I can't help but laugh when Stacey refers to Mary Anne's egg as an egg and MA gasps, "She's my daughter!"
The subplot about Dawn and Mary Anne wishing their parents would have a kid is even funnier. They go on and on about how Sharon and Richard would only have to do a "third" of the parenting, because of course Dawn and MA would do most of it. Cue eye roll here.
Oh! And I still want to know how on earth a 2 bedroom apartment in 1992 is $2,000. Really? This from the same series where Stacey buys a soda and a popcorn at the movies for only 95 cents.
As ridiculous as this book is, though, it definitely makes me smile. Plus, the cutesy title takes me right back to middle school! "U R 2 cool 2 B 4-got-10". I'm slightly ashamed that I used to write that in yearbooks....
December 28, 2020
It’s not my favorite bsc book but not the worst either. Basically the eighth graders at stoneybrook middle school are pretending to get married and adopting a child (an egg) and have to write a report on what taking care of a child is like and things like that. One thing I completely don’t understand is how the eggs didn’t, like, get rotten or break. The project lasted for 3weeks I think, so I’m not sure how they kept the eggs fresh and whole.
Meanwhile MA and dawn are thinking about their parents adopting/giving birth to a child, but the project changes their mind. And MA (and other bsc members) are babysitting for twin babies, Ricky and Rose.
This book is entertaining and also educational + meaningful. I would definitely recommend this to people who are already familiar with the bsc book series (this is not one that you should read if you are just starting the series) and to older readers (ages 10-12) just because of the marriage plot.
Overall, it was a good book! 💜
Meanwhile MA and dawn are thinking about their parents adopting/giving birth to a child, but the project changes their mind. And MA (and other bsc members) are babysitting for twin babies, Ricky and Rose.
This book is entertaining and also educational + meaningful. I would definitely recommend this to people who are already familiar with the bsc book series (this is not one that you should read if you are just starting the series) and to older readers (ages 10-12) just because of the marriage plot.
Overall, it was a good book! 💜
September 17, 2025
Maybe the funniest BSC book so far? As much as I didn’t find it exactly believable that a bunch of eighth graders would immediately take the egg project as seriously as the kids did in this book, I can forgive it because of all the goofy little interactions it led to. On a more serious note, I liked how different characters had different levels of excitement about the idea of being parents—from Kristy and Mary Anne leaning into it hardcore, to Dawn being sort of ambivalent, to Stacey really not liking the loss of freedom at all—without any of these attitudes being presented as better than any other. It felt like a very feminist message in a way.
Biggest complaint about this one is Shawna acting like a total ditz when she’s previously been portrayed as really smart. It was such an odd continuity error.
Biggest complaint about this one is Shawna acting like a total ditz when she’s previously been portrayed as really smart. It was such an odd continuity error.
December 18, 2019
I remembered this book kind of being a drag, but it was actually pretty fun! I especially liked the baby-sitting chapters, the craziness that the BSC got into bringing their eggs on jobs. (Stacey's job sitting for the Gianellis cracked me up (egg pun not intended lol) with her egg named Bobby, and I liked the Pike kids getting into the egg baby spirit too.) And sure, Mary Anne and Logan's fight was lame, but it was still a fun concept for the book, and an enjoyable read.
Also, when I was young, I remember seeing the cover and thinking for some reason that Mary Anne birthed the babies? Like, she was a teen mom or something? Like I thought the book would be hella scandalous lol.
Also, when I was young, I remember seeing the cover and thinking for some reason that Mary Anne birthed the babies? Like, she was a teen mom or something? Like I thought the book would be hella scandalous lol.
March 6, 2021
Mary Anne and the girls are partnered up with boy in their modern living class who they are to pretend marry and raise an egg baby.
Mary Anne is stoked to get partnered up with her boyfriend Logan.
But things don’t go as planned, raising a baby (even a fake egg baby) is really hard and takes a toll on their relationship.
I enjoyed this book. I feel like as people who watch real life children all the time as a job, they should have been able to handle the egg situation better, buuuut it was still a fun read.
Mary Anne is stoked to get partnered up with her boyfriend Logan.
But things don’t go as planned, raising a baby (even a fake egg baby) is really hard and takes a toll on their relationship.
I enjoyed this book. I feel like as people who watch real life children all the time as a job, they should have been able to handle the egg situation better, buuuut it was still a fun read.
March 14, 2016
This is the one where Mary Anne finally becomes a teenage statistic and Logan is super excited. Oh, no wait, that's not right. She just becomes obsessed with babies and it's kind of weird. Dawn and Mary Anne start the book out by having a snack (healthy of course, for Dawn) and talking about those twin girls at their school that are like Mar-Car teens and their new baby brother. This gets them thinking that their parents could have another baby and Dawn's mom is totally young enough still. Then they discuss a new class they have to take, Modern Living, which is kind of like Life Skills. "it's important that we explore and experience the realities of being an adult in today's changing society." So, they get married and have to carry around an egg baby and create a budget and such.
Before we go into all the ways that is wrong, let's head over to the BSC meeting and get What Claudia is Wearing. A typical Claudia outfit might include a sequined shirt, stirrup pants (maybe black), low black boots, dangly turquoise earrings, and ribbons woven through tiny braids in her hair. And she wouldn't forget sparkly nail polish.
Okay, back to baby-ville. Mary Anne gets a job sitting for twins Ricky & Rose from when they took that infant-care class a while back. (Trying to remember which one that was so I can link it...ah, it was The Baby Parade one, blegh.) She has tons of fun the first time, dressing them in cute frilly outfits and showing them off to the neighbors like they're her kids. Later, she & Dawn get caught by their parents talking about baby names and get shut down real quick. No babies here.
And over in Modern Living, Mary Anne & Logan get married in class and she's totally embarrassed by it. This book is actually kind of refreshing, almost a "Very Special Episode" book. The teacher explains their assignments: "Despite how old or young you may feel, the truth is that you are now biologically capable of becoming parents." Wow, I wonder how many complaints this one got back in the day? Probably not as much as it would now. Although they kind of ruined it when the four remaining boys had to be paired up together and freaked out, not wanting to be the "wife". They have to discuss money & finances, decide if they could be financially independent (at thirteen years), and take care of egg babies just like they're real children. (I feel like they've done this already too? Can't remember. *Checked: guess not.) They get a rude awakening when they find out a 2 bedroom apartment is $2000 a month (which I find really hard to believe, back then). And when they find out how hard it is to watch an egg baby 24/7.
Mary Anne takes their baby (Sammie) with her to sit for the twins because "how much harder could three babies be than two?" Famous last words. The twins cry a ton and she gets pretty frazzled juggling 3 kids. That doesn't stop her from marking up the baby section in the Kumbel (Sears?) catalog later that night with Dawn. And they get caught again by their parents. Things start to go sour (not literally) for Mary Anne, Logan, and Sammie. They argue over who takes her and when they try to have a normal date night at the movie, they end up nearly squishing and losing Sammie, and get in an argument. Their whole class is falling apart really: divorce, lost egg babies, unable to finish the project. Good life lessons here, people. Mary Anne gets a double lesson when she has to care for the twins again, who are teething, drooling monsters.
In other sitter news, Kristy gets paired with the reprehensible Alan Gray but is pleasantly surprised when he takes the assignment seriously and even names their egg son, Izzy. I think Alan is actually really smart but hides it behind the pranks and sarcastic remarks. Maybe his parents put too much pressure on him and this is why he acts out. Okay, anyway, they create an "environment" for Izzy, giving him a mini piano and science charts and stuff. Alan calls Kristy on her sitting job with the Papadakises' to check up on him and they discuss his social development for so long that the real kids take off with Izzy and she doesn't even realize it. Stacey, on the other hand, is totally meh about her assignment and thinks it's a waste of time. But at least she realizes she doesn't want a kid any time soon, so I guess she learned her lesson. Mallory and Dawn have to deal with the Pike kids wanting in on the egg experience, which ends with half a dozen broken eggs for poor Mrs Pike.
In the end, everyone learns their lessons, no one wants to have kids, and they're all excited about the next course-Health. (They even mention Sex Ed...whoa, slow down there ghost writers!) Mary Anne & Logan go way overboard and write a 32 page, single spaced, paper on their project. And then Mary Anne & Dawn's parents almost give the girls a heart attack by having a sit-down talk with them about babies...but they were just telling the girls they could get another pet. Crisis averted.
Reviewed at Give a Hoot Read a Book!
Before we go into all the ways that is wrong, let's head over to the BSC meeting and get What Claudia is Wearing. A typical Claudia outfit might include a sequined shirt, stirrup pants (maybe black), low black boots, dangly turquoise earrings, and ribbons woven through tiny braids in her hair. And she wouldn't forget sparkly nail polish.
Okay, back to baby-ville. Mary Anne gets a job sitting for twins Ricky & Rose from when they took that infant-care class a while back. (Trying to remember which one that was so I can link it...ah, it was The Baby Parade one, blegh.) She has tons of fun the first time, dressing them in cute frilly outfits and showing them off to the neighbors like they're her kids. Later, she & Dawn get caught by their parents talking about baby names and get shut down real quick. No babies here.
And over in Modern Living, Mary Anne & Logan get married in class and she's totally embarrassed by it. This book is actually kind of refreshing, almost a "Very Special Episode" book. The teacher explains their assignments: "Despite how old or young you may feel, the truth is that you are now biologically capable of becoming parents." Wow, I wonder how many complaints this one got back in the day? Probably not as much as it would now. Although they kind of ruined it when the four remaining boys had to be paired up together and freaked out, not wanting to be the "wife". They have to discuss money & finances, decide if they could be financially independent (at thirteen years), and take care of egg babies just like they're real children. (I feel like they've done this already too? Can't remember. *Checked: guess not.) They get a rude awakening when they find out a 2 bedroom apartment is $2000 a month (which I find really hard to believe, back then). And when they find out how hard it is to watch an egg baby 24/7.
Mary Anne takes their baby (Sammie) with her to sit for the twins because "how much harder could three babies be than two?" Famous last words. The twins cry a ton and she gets pretty frazzled juggling 3 kids. That doesn't stop her from marking up the baby section in the Kumbel (Sears?) catalog later that night with Dawn. And they get caught again by their parents. Things start to go sour (not literally) for Mary Anne, Logan, and Sammie. They argue over who takes her and when they try to have a normal date night at the movie, they end up nearly squishing and losing Sammie, and get in an argument. Their whole class is falling apart really: divorce, lost egg babies, unable to finish the project. Good life lessons here, people. Mary Anne gets a double lesson when she has to care for the twins again, who are teething, drooling monsters.
In other sitter news, Kristy gets paired with the reprehensible Alan Gray but is pleasantly surprised when he takes the assignment seriously and even names their egg son, Izzy. I think Alan is actually really smart but hides it behind the pranks and sarcastic remarks. Maybe his parents put too much pressure on him and this is why he acts out. Okay, anyway, they create an "environment" for Izzy, giving him a mini piano and science charts and stuff. Alan calls Kristy on her sitting job with the Papadakises' to check up on him and they discuss his social development for so long that the real kids take off with Izzy and she doesn't even realize it. Stacey, on the other hand, is totally meh about her assignment and thinks it's a waste of time. But at least she realizes she doesn't want a kid any time soon, so I guess she learned her lesson. Mallory and Dawn have to deal with the Pike kids wanting in on the egg experience, which ends with half a dozen broken eggs for poor Mrs Pike.
In the end, everyone learns their lessons, no one wants to have kids, and they're all excited about the next course-Health. (They even mention Sex Ed...whoa, slow down there ghost writers!) Mary Anne & Logan go way overboard and write a 32 page, single spaced, paper on their project. And then Mary Anne & Dawn's parents almost give the girls a heart attack by having a sit-down talk with them about babies...but they were just telling the girls they could get another pet. Crisis averted.
Reviewed at Give a Hoot Read a Book!
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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.
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 14, 2020
(LL)
The books does a good job on the cliche “flour baby” assignment through school to show kids they aren’t ready to be married, parents, or have adult responsibilities. There was some problematic messages/language in this book, but it’s mostly because it’s outdated.
As an aside: There is no way two thirteen year olds would hand in a 32 single-spaced page paper.
The books does a good job on the cliche “flour baby” assignment through school to show kids they aren’t ready to be married, parents, or have adult responsibilities. There was some problematic messages/language in this book, but it’s mostly because it’s outdated.
As an aside: There is no way two thirteen year olds would hand in a 32 single-spaced page paper.
March 29, 2021
I wish!
I love this book and love the idea of the modern living class. I used to wonder "how do parents just have babies and, boom! they are naturals at it!?" Now I know how, I guess. I love that part in the book about the twins too but I wish the author had written another part of Mary Anne's babysitting job with them! Oh well, I guess I can find out more in future books.
I love this book and love the idea of the modern living class. I used to wonder "how do parents just have babies and, boom! they are naturals at it!?" Now I know how, I guess. I love that part in the book about the twins too but I wish the author had written another part of Mary Anne's babysitting job with them! Oh well, I guess I can find out more in future books.
April 21, 2021
I'm not usually the biggest fan of Mary Anne's books but this one was actually really fun. The babysitting sort of took a backseat and the focus was on the egg "babies", but that was part of the fun--how seriously (or not seriously) the babysitters took caring for their "babies" and being "married to classmates." I'm going to complain a little though because there wasn't much Stacey or Claudia.
March 5, 2023
When I was 10 I joined a readers club/group where we got a new book every week. I chose The babysitters club.
The books are fantastic! So enjoyable. I loved getting the book every week. They are super quick reads and I was able to read it in one day.
Highly recommend for young teenagers to read or even younger if they are able too read well.
The books are fantastic! So enjoyable. I loved getting the book every week. They are super quick reads and I was able to read it in one day.
Highly recommend for young teenagers to read or even younger if they are able too read well.
December 15, 2019
Me finding the book: Ahh, the classic baby project assignment. This should be fun!
Me after finishing the book: Well, this book was a major disappointment because its lack of excitement.
Thanks for the parenting morals anyway, BSC. You tried.
Me after finishing the book: Well, this book was a major disappointment because its lack of excitement.
Thanks for the parenting morals anyway, BSC. You tried.
November 21, 2021
I'm going to give this a three because this was kind of like if a Handmaid's Tale prequel about the indoctrination of Gilead youth into heteronormative breeding culture was written as an absurdist comedy.
April 12, 2023
3 stars. This was so cute and fun. I also liked Mary Anne which I feel like I haven’t said since the early books in this series. She’s not a favorite of mine but she was great here. Nothing special but it was entertaining and a sweet installment.
September 30, 2019
Review on www.Audible.com please listen to this book
January 14, 2022
Had a GREAT message I just got confused at some of the characters at times
June 27, 2023
What the actual FUCK.
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July 17, 2023I don't think I read this one as a kid, because I would definitely have remembered the word "sex" (appearing once in the book, and--as far as I know--the only time in the whole series.)
July 19, 2025
Would have been 2 stars but gave an extra star for being unintentionally hilarious
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews