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The Baby-Sitters Club Friends Forever #4
Claudia's Friendship Feud (The Baby-Sitters Club Friends Forever #4)
Claudia and Stacey aren't speaking to each other. Why should Claudia make up with a 'friend' who steals her boyfriend? It's the biggest feud in BSC history!
100 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1999
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,152 books3,164 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 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 25, 2021
I'm so glad my teen years are long behind me and that I was nothing like these two boy crazy fools. I was just happy to survive grade 8 to be honest. In this book we see the feud from Claudia's side. It was a frustrating read since the adult me can see Jeremy is a douchebag who almost seems to love stirring the pot and further dividing the two friends. You do not call your girlfriend's former friend who ditched her for you and talk for an hour. I seriously wanted to knock some sense into both their heads. Oh the stupidity of youth. Much like Stacey did Claudia also finds a new friend, Erica and almost loses her because she keeps talking about Stacey and dragging her out on shopping trips. Erica is much like me and only interested in craft and book stores and would probably rather have a needle in her eye than wander around a shopping mall all day especially on black Friday. My anxiety flared up just reading about the crowds. There's a few side stories including one with Claudia's aunt Peaches and her close friend Molly that sort of parallels Claudia and Stacey's story only they were in college and knew men ain't worth it. Also it really bothered me when Peaches was nervous about seeing her old friend again Claudia said Molly doesn't have a baby, like that's the worst thing ever. I truly hate that trope that no matter how successful and happy in your life you are as a woman without kids you must be so empty and depressed. Anyway the Pike kids try to stage an intervention but Stacey and Claudia are still to immature to patch things up and it ends with douchey Jeremy switching to Claudia's English class because he's an asshole who doesn't deserve either of them but would be a perfect match for the bullying bitch Cokie. I pretty sure they do make up eventually and realize how terrible Jeremy is but until then this is full on teen angst and its getting annoying. Girlfriends are far better than boys, especially this one as was proven by the one scene Logan appeared in which he acted like a whiny little bitch because Mary Anne grew a pair and dumped his controlling ass. Seriously who gets into such deep committed relationships this young? If you want to date fine, but it's highly doubtful you'll end up marrying the guy you dated in middle school but to teens everything bad is the end of the world.
June 22, 2020
in this book by ghostwriter Laura Dower (I had to look this name up, because I’ve never heard it before...turns out this is the only BSC book by this ghostwriter), claudia and stacey are still not speaking to one another. stacey is dating jeremy, who continues to be friendly with claudia, much to stacey’s chagrin. claud and stacey are the only two people available to sit for the pikes, so stacey pretends she can’t, and claud gets erica blumberg (who is a recurring minor character throughout the series, perhaps most notably known as winner of the best excuse for not doing homework award--her mom composted her homework--in Kristy and the Missing Child) to babysit with her. she’s actually quite good at babysitting; she is fluent in igpay atinlay, and the triplets think she’s cool from the start. she and claud start to hang out a lot, and claud clearly sees her as a replacement for stacey, at one point trying to give her a makeover to make her look more like stacey...which is...yeah. look at lowlights. this book is also the start of the erica trying to find her birth parents side plot, which gets addressed more throughout the friends forever claudia-narrated books.
highlights:
-peaches tells a story about her friend molly, with whom she fought over a boy. they were fighting in the school library when the student librarian threatened to throw them out. but then the student librarian ended up going out with peaches for a cup of coffee. and it was russ, her later-husband! aww, what a meet-cute!
-I love erica. she does a homer simpson impression and then makes cheese puns at the cheese shop (have a gouda time, she's brie-ing serious)
-also I love that erica knows pig latin and the triplets are so impressed with her because of that.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-claud wonders why jeremy likes stacey instead of her. she thinks, "maybe jeremy likes blondes better. or maybe he wants someone who's good at math." it doesn't even occur to her that he might only date white girls. considering claudia actually went out with a guy once who said to her, “I’m into everything Asian,” (see Claudia and the Perfect Boy), I doubt she wouldn’t think of this as a possibility.
-stacey tells claud that she "knows what you're doing" regarding talking to jeremy and that claud needs to remember he is stacey's boyfriend. hoo boy. stacey really sucks in the friends forever series.
-claudia keeps talking to erica about the times she and stacey had together, and it's really creepy, like someone who just ended a romantic relationship and won't shut up about their ex on the first date. finally at one point she actually calls her stace. then she tries to give her a makeover. erica asserts herself, but at the end of the book they’re still friends, and it’s like...really? erica, if I were you, I’d run screaming.
-jeremy continues to be the worst. he is DEFINITELY flirty with claudia, and it’s like...you had your shot with her. he clearly just wants to destroy claud and stacey’s friendship and is a monstrous chaos agent.
claud outfit:
-"I pulled on my favorite red woolen sweater, the one my grandmother Mimi had knitted for me a few years ago, before she died. It looked great when I matched it up with my navy blue skirt, the one with the embroidered flowers along the bottom. Then I slipped on my favorite platform loafers...I decided at last to wear one braid on each side."
-"...my new hairdo (little ponytails all over my head - I saw it in a magazine) and my oversized angora sweater, which I'd purchased with Mom at a tag sale in the neighborhood. It was blue and furry and I loved it. Mom said ti was from the fifties."
-"Jeremy pointed to my plaid shirt. I was wearing it with brown bell-bottom pants and maroon sneakers."
jeremy outfit:
-"He had on a black denim jacket, painter's pants, and Doc Martens."
snacks in claudia’s room:
-oreos on the shelf in her closet
-cookies in her closet (possibly the same oreos mentioned above, but this time it's not specified that they're oreos)
highlights:
-peaches tells a story about her friend molly, with whom she fought over a boy. they were fighting in the school library when the student librarian threatened to throw them out. but then the student librarian ended up going out with peaches for a cup of coffee. and it was russ, her later-husband! aww, what a meet-cute!
-I love erica. she does a homer simpson impression and then makes cheese puns at the cheese shop (have a gouda time, she's brie-ing serious)
-also I love that erica knows pig latin and the triplets are so impressed with her because of that.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-claud wonders why jeremy likes stacey instead of her. she thinks, "maybe jeremy likes blondes better. or maybe he wants someone who's good at math." it doesn't even occur to her that he might only date white girls. considering claudia actually went out with a guy once who said to her, “I’m into everything Asian,” (see Claudia and the Perfect Boy), I doubt she wouldn’t think of this as a possibility.
-stacey tells claud that she "knows what you're doing" regarding talking to jeremy and that claud needs to remember he is stacey's boyfriend. hoo boy. stacey really sucks in the friends forever series.
-claudia keeps talking to erica about the times she and stacey had together, and it's really creepy, like someone who just ended a romantic relationship and won't shut up about their ex on the first date. finally at one point she actually calls her stace. then she tries to give her a makeover. erica asserts herself, but at the end of the book they’re still friends, and it’s like...really? erica, if I were you, I’d run screaming.
-jeremy continues to be the worst. he is DEFINITELY flirty with claudia, and it’s like...you had your shot with her. he clearly just wants to destroy claud and stacey’s friendship and is a monstrous chaos agent.
claud outfit:
-"I pulled on my favorite red woolen sweater, the one my grandmother Mimi had knitted for me a few years ago, before she died. It looked great when I matched it up with my navy blue skirt, the one with the embroidered flowers along the bottom. Then I slipped on my favorite platform loafers...I decided at last to wear one braid on each side."
-"...my new hairdo (little ponytails all over my head - I saw it in a magazine) and my oversized angora sweater, which I'd purchased with Mom at a tag sale in the neighborhood. It was blue and furry and I loved it. Mom said ti was from the fifties."
-"Jeremy pointed to my plaid shirt. I was wearing it with brown bell-bottom pants and maroon sneakers."
jeremy outfit:
-"He had on a black denim jacket, painter's pants, and Doc Martens."
snacks in claudia’s room:
-oreos on the shelf in her closet
-cookies in her closet (possibly the same oreos mentioned above, but this time it's not specified that they're oreos)
February 13, 2018
This is the first Friends Forever book I ever read, so it holds a special place in my heart.
Even as an adult re-reading this, I am utterly perplexed by Jeremy. He makes it clear to Stacey in book two he will never like Claudia "like that", but in this book he starts to go out of his way to talk to Claudia, even calling her up at night. It's implied that he likes her, but then will randomly say things like, "Stacey... you know, my girlfriend?" which confuses Claudia (and me). Make up your mind, dude! The fact that Stacey and Claudia lost their friendship over this dimwit irritates me.
I do love the budding friendship between Claudia and Erica here, though.
Even as an adult re-reading this, I am utterly perplexed by Jeremy. He makes it clear to Stacey in book two he will never like Claudia "like that", but in this book he starts to go out of his way to talk to Claudia, even calling her up at night. It's implied that he likes her, but then will randomly say things like, "Stacey... you know, my girlfriend?" which confuses Claudia (and me). Make up your mind, dude! The fact that Stacey and Claudia lost their friendship over this dimwit irritates me.
I do love the budding friendship between Claudia and Erica here, though.
April 22, 2019
Claudia is so badass.
I won’t say a lot,and I though the series already ended so when I found this series I picked up this book.
I liked how Claudia makes a new friend,and discovers new things about herself. How she realizes she doesn’t need Stacy to be herself.
I hate that she lost one good friend over a boy,but sometimes it takes things like that to make us realize that sometimes things aren’t what the really seem.
Thank U,Next to Stacey.
Thank U,Next to Jeremey.
The ending: “what an interesting day.”
Yes,indeed it has been Claudia.
I won’t say a lot,and I though the series already ended so when I found this series I picked up this book.
I liked how Claudia makes a new friend,and discovers new things about herself. How she realizes she doesn’t need Stacy to be herself.
I hate that she lost one good friend over a boy,but sometimes it takes things like that to make us realize that sometimes things aren’t what the really seem.
Thank U,Next to Stacey.
Thank U,Next to Jeremey.
The ending: “what an interesting day.”
Yes,indeed it has been Claudia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2020
I was quite surprised at the way characters acted in this one. Claudia and Stacey were both not acting the way they usually seem to. Erica is an absolute gem and put up with a lot, I’m surprised she didn’t lose her temper earlier. I can’t help but be worried about the future of the relationship between Claudia and Stacey. Personally I think Stacey was horrid and if I hadn’t already invested so much into Stacey’s character over the years, I’d honestly want Staceys character to be written out of future books. The Stacey I’ve gotten to know isn’t the Stacey that was in this book.
January 29, 2024
I love Claudia, but she was clearly just rebounding when she started hanging out with Erica. Where I believe that Stacey and Rachel were legit becoming friends, it was so painful seeing Claudia beg Erica into shopping and force her to try and become more like Stacey. It doesn't seem like the start of a true friendship.
Also Stacey is a jerk.
Also Stacey is a jerk.
December 4, 2017
These continue to delight me, even in the funk that I am very deeply in right now. More drama! Junior high boys unable to make choices just like in real life! Friendships on the rocks, new friends, backstabbing!
This is truly like 8th grade! They even reference the Simpson's! THAT IS UNHEARD OF.
This is truly like 8th grade! They even reference the Simpson's! THAT IS UNHEARD OF.
October 2, 2026
Was Claudia always this annoying? I'm trying to remember that they're thirteen, and this is what thirteen-year-olds do, but ugh, it all feels so shallow and petty. I also don't get Jeremy. I don't know any boy who would talk on the phone for an hour with a girl who wasn't his girlfriend - and whom he knew his girlfriend has major issues with at the moment. Is he really that naive or is something else going on? I can understand why Stacey would feel threatened when Jeremy is the instigator! (And because of the narrative structure of these books, we are unfortunately deprived of the Stacey/Jeremy conversations about his.) I've kind of had enough of their feud, but I do like that we get more new friends and characters to show how the girls are finally changing. 2**1/2
June 28, 2023
Guhhhhhh Jeremy is so not worth this!!!!
I dunno. This book is fine, but I'm not keen on this plot thread in general. Stacey and Claudia - do better.
I dunno. This book is fine, but I'm not keen on this plot thread in general. Stacey and Claudia - do better.
October 17, 2025
It's bad that the Mary Anne book before this was more enjoyable than a Claudia book. The Stacey and Claudia feud dragging on for the entire series is...a bit much.
March 24, 2009
in this book, we get to see the fight between claudia & stacey from stacey's perspective. doesn't claudia look cute on the cover? or, rather, the girl representing claudia? she must have moved on to bigger & better modeling gigs before the series ran its course, because the claudia on the cover the last book in the series, "graduation day," is not cute at all. anyway!
claudia remains utterly convinced through the course of this book that stacey is a backstabbing no-goodnik who stole the boy claudia considered to be "hers". she felt she stakes her claim on jeremy by saying that she liked him first, & that he would have come around & started liking her back is stacey hadn't swooped in & snatched him away. i call bullshit on that. jeremy had his chance to fall for claudia when they went to the mall together in book #2, but he went to stacey's house the next day--her house! he didn't even wait until he saw her at school--to ask her out. he made his own choice, & stacey tried to get claudia's permission. one could possibly make an argument that you don't go out with the dude your friend is crushing on, even if he's not into her. it's not an argument i'd make, but it's the only leg claudia has to stand on.
however. it does seem that this jeremy kid is confused. in this book, he strikes up a pretty chummy friendship with claudia. he starts calling her up at home & they chat for an hour at a time. he goes to the mall with her, & out to see movies with her. he shoots the shit with her between classes at school. claudia thinks that he may even be going out of his way to cross paths with her. maybe he likes her after all?
stacey does not come out of this book looking too great. she is really clingy with jeremy & actually stops claudia in the girls' bathroom at school to a) apologize for calling claudia stupid, & b) tell her to stay away from jeremy. uh, a person who is secure in their relationship doesn't give a rip who their boyfriend pals around with. so by the end of the book, you are thinking that claudia is on to something & maybe jeremy is into her after all.
the sub-plot is that claudia makes friends with erica blumberg as a kind of replacement best friend since stacey isn't around. she tries to convince erica to go shopping with her, even though erica is pretty clear about not liking to shop. erica goes anyway & they have fun until claudia calls her "stacey". oh shit! throughout the book, claudia & erica can't seem to have one conversation where claudia doesn't mention stacey. erica finally has enough & walks out on a lunch date. i can't say i blame her. i have a good friend who is constantly talking about this other friend she has who is her "best" friend, the only one who really "gets her," someone who is "like a sister" to her, even though this friend treats my friend like crap. it gets pretty tiresome feeling like i can never measure up to this other person who kind of sucks anyway. but claudia & erica patch things up. oh, & erica is adopted & wants to find her birth family. & there's this whole thing about thanksgiving & claudia's aunt being anxious about seeing an old college friend who is a world-famous photojournalist & how she's insecure because she thinks her life as a stay-at-home mom must be a total bore by comparison. i guess the message there is, uh, not to compare shit or something.
one annoying this: claudia at times seems like a total idiot in this book. like, unable to hold a basic conversation. everyone is all, "claudia is so smart, she just doesn't apply herself in school." bullshit. there's not applying oneself academically & then there's struggling & struggling & being held back anyway. claudia obviously has drive, because she does art & takes art classes & babysits & has a full social calendar & is always putting together weird outfits (there are a lot in this book) & even does community service stuff a fair amount (more than i ever did at that age). i don't buy the idea that school just bores her.
but i do like that many conversations in this book are like real conversations that teenagers would have, full of awkward pauses & uncomfortable topic transitions. okay.
claudia remains utterly convinced through the course of this book that stacey is a backstabbing no-goodnik who stole the boy claudia considered to be "hers". she felt she stakes her claim on jeremy by saying that she liked him first, & that he would have come around & started liking her back is stacey hadn't swooped in & snatched him away. i call bullshit on that. jeremy had his chance to fall for claudia when they went to the mall together in book #2, but he went to stacey's house the next day--her house! he didn't even wait until he saw her at school--to ask her out. he made his own choice, & stacey tried to get claudia's permission. one could possibly make an argument that you don't go out with the dude your friend is crushing on, even if he's not into her. it's not an argument i'd make, but it's the only leg claudia has to stand on.
however. it does seem that this jeremy kid is confused. in this book, he strikes up a pretty chummy friendship with claudia. he starts calling her up at home & they chat for an hour at a time. he goes to the mall with her, & out to see movies with her. he shoots the shit with her between classes at school. claudia thinks that he may even be going out of his way to cross paths with her. maybe he likes her after all?
stacey does not come out of this book looking too great. she is really clingy with jeremy & actually stops claudia in the girls' bathroom at school to a) apologize for calling claudia stupid, & b) tell her to stay away from jeremy. uh, a person who is secure in their relationship doesn't give a rip who their boyfriend pals around with. so by the end of the book, you are thinking that claudia is on to something & maybe jeremy is into her after all.
the sub-plot is that claudia makes friends with erica blumberg as a kind of replacement best friend since stacey isn't around. she tries to convince erica to go shopping with her, even though erica is pretty clear about not liking to shop. erica goes anyway & they have fun until claudia calls her "stacey". oh shit! throughout the book, claudia & erica can't seem to have one conversation where claudia doesn't mention stacey. erica finally has enough & walks out on a lunch date. i can't say i blame her. i have a good friend who is constantly talking about this other friend she has who is her "best" friend, the only one who really "gets her," someone who is "like a sister" to her, even though this friend treats my friend like crap. it gets pretty tiresome feeling like i can never measure up to this other person who kind of sucks anyway. but claudia & erica patch things up. oh, & erica is adopted & wants to find her birth family. & there's this whole thing about thanksgiving & claudia's aunt being anxious about seeing an old college friend who is a world-famous photojournalist & how she's insecure because she thinks her life as a stay-at-home mom must be a total bore by comparison. i guess the message there is, uh, not to compare shit or something.
one annoying this: claudia at times seems like a total idiot in this book. like, unable to hold a basic conversation. everyone is all, "claudia is so smart, she just doesn't apply herself in school." bullshit. there's not applying oneself academically & then there's struggling & struggling & being held back anyway. claudia obviously has drive, because she does art & takes art classes & babysits & has a full social calendar & is always putting together weird outfits (there are a lot in this book) & even does community service stuff a fair amount (more than i ever did at that age). i don't buy the idea that school just bores her.
but i do like that many conversations in this book are like real conversations that teenagers would have, full of awkward pauses & uncomfortable topic transitions. okay.
February 7, 2024
After years of friendship (or what feels like forever since the original series) Claudia and Stacey are still fighting for a guy that honestly seems like he's playing them both because he's a jerk. Claudia also should have realized that Erica was not a replacement for Stacey, and it shouldn't have taken Erica finally calling her out to get her to realize it either. The whole book is obviously so middle school where you have these problems that literally mean nothing when you get older, but it does stink that Claudia and Stacey seem to care more about a guy than each other.
Of course, however, Claudia has amazing style and the descriptions don't disappoint.
Of course, however, Claudia has amazing style and the descriptions don't disappoint.
November 1, 2013
Book the Fourth: In which Caludia and Stace-a-lita's feud continues, and Jeremy makes it weird. So here's the continuation of the feud, from CK's perspective. She's all ticked off, blah blah blah. Stacey seems kinda bitchy with the whole "Stay away from my guy" thing. Insecure much? But J-Man doesn't make things easy. He friendzoned CK and still manages to hang out with her all the time, knowing she has the hots for him. Jerk.
December 23, 2023
Really mowing my way through these. I'm not even sorry. I may be able to finish "Friends Forever" before the new year if they all keep being available on Libby right away (fingers crossed!)
On a side note, what was UP with Jeremy in this book? I have my doubts about him, and am kind of hoping he turns out to be scummy so that Stacey and Claudia make up. Though I loved getting to know Erica Blumberg more!
On a side note, what was UP with Jeremy in this book? I have my doubts about him, and am kind of hoping he turns out to be scummy so that Stacey and Claudia make up. Though I loved getting to know Erica Blumberg more!
February 23, 2008
didn't like these books much.
Want to Read
March 14, 2013hello
April 29, 2009
What the hell, this series is just so wrong and pointless and argh.
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