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The Baby-Sitters Club Super Mystery #2
Baby-Sitters Beware
Fearing that someone is stalking them after a series of dangerous accidents, the Baby-sitters escape for a skiing weekend but become petrified when the trouble follows them and points to someone from their past. Original.
230 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1995
67 people are currently reading
386 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,102 books3,046 followersAnn Matthews Martin was born on August 12, 1955. She grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, with her parents and her younger sister, Jane. After graduating from Smith College, Ann became a teacher and then an editor of children's books. She's now a full-time writer.
Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. But many of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes.
Ann has always enjoyed writing. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. L. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. They inspired her to become a writer herself.
Since ending the BSC series in 2000, Ann’s writing has concentrated on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.
After living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/annmma...
Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. But many of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes.
Ann has always enjoyed writing. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. L. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. They inspired her to become a writer herself.
Since ending the BSC series in 2000, Ann’s writing has concentrated on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.
After living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/annmma...
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April 6, 2011
abby & kristy are walking to a babysitters club meeting one afternoon, passing through the rodowskys' neighborhood. they suddenly hear breaking glass & think maybe jackie accidentally broke a window. they race around to the side of the rodowskys' house, but no one is there. suddenly a short man wearing a ski mask & a bomber jacket comes barreling out of the house next door & jumps into a battered ford escort idling at the curb. they freak & bang on the rodowskys' door until mrs. rodowsky answers & lets them come in & call the police.
that afternoon at the meeting, after they've filled the other sitters in on what they saw, kristy invites everyone up to watson's cabin at shadow lake for some winter adventures. not everyone can make it, but claudia, kristy, & abby all agree to go. mallory & jessi have to stay home & babysit for mallory's siblings while the pike parents re-insulate the house. mary anne stays home because she has a hot date with logan planned for sunday night. abby starts yakking away about how excited she is to go skiing & what a great skier she is. claudia becomes unexpectedly prickly. before abby joined the club, she was far & away the best skier in the group, & she seems to think abby is bragging.
a few days later, kristy is babysitting at her house when she notices someone lurking around outside. she calls the police & then she calls mary anne. while she's on the phone with mary anne, the lurker smashes a window. kristy races into the other room & finds a rock on the floor. when she opens the front door, she finds that someone has spraypainted it with the words, "you're next". that evening, mary anne glances out her bedroom window & sees a man standing underneath a tree, staring at her house. she freaks, but for some reason chooses not to share the info with sharon & richard. why the fuck not? she says something about "not wanting to worry them" but i'm sure they would rather be needlessly worried than have someone break into their house, right?
the next day in school, mary anne finds a note in her locker in logan's handwriting. it says, "stop crying." she can't imagine that logan would have sent her a note like that...but if he didn't, who did? & why is it in logan's handwriting if he didn't send it?
claudia, stacey, mary anne, & kristy start getting creepy anonymous phone calls at home from someone who doesn't say anything & finally mutters, "you're next," before hanging up. they even get these calls at babysitters club meetings. the babysitters start investigating the possibilities. it could be cokie mason, who has a history of sending the babysitters creepy notes. but the voice on the phone is a man. abby & kristy wonder if the robber they saw perhaps figured out who they were (they were wearing name tags because they'd just come from a meeting at school) & is threatening them. they start investigating the robbery a little more & realize it didn't turn up in the police blotter. kristy calls the cop who investigated, sergeant johnson, & he says they don't have a complainant. the man whose house was broken into, mr. seger, claims that the window had already been broken by himself the day before while he was doing yard work, & that nothing was stolen. the babysitters start staking out mr. seger's house & they look him up at the library. they determine that he lives alone with his teenage son & is self-employed, & is a member of the stoneybrook better business bureau. but none of those things help them figure out who the robber was or why mr. seger isn't pursuing the break-in.
& in addition to the creepy phone calls, mary anne gets another note in her locker, ostensibly from logan. it says, "why do you do the things you do?". kristy doesn't know what it means, or why logan hasn't mentioned the notes. she also, bafflingly, chooses not to mention the notes to logan. one afternoon while she's home alone, tigger enters the pet door & mary anne notices that there's a note taped to his collar. she unfolds it & it says, "you're next" in creepy ransom letters cut out of the newspaper. even though this is REALLY FUCKING CREEPY, she again chooses not to share the threat with the police or with her parents.
kristy & the others leave for shadow lake. after all the confusion with mr. seger, the phone calls, the notes, etc, they are glad to get out of town. claudia is still being really defensive about skiing. at the lodge, they make the acquaintance of a college-aged guy named woodie. he's living in a cabin near watson's place & is helpful to the girls in various ways--bringing them firewood, telling them where to rent skis, etc. they also notice a scowling, angry old guy with an eye patch who freaks them the fuck out, as well as a suspicious-acting red-haired woman who seems anxious whenever they are around.
they have some hijinks at shadow lake. kristy is still concerned about watson's heart attack & goes nuts trying to prevent him from over-exerting himself, until he finally catches on & explains that he needs to exert himself at least a little because the doctor says it's good for his health. stacey is concerned that sam might want to start a romance up again at shadow lake. she's not interested because she's dating robert. sam flirts with her a lot, & finally stacey is like, "i like you, but i'm dating robert." sam is like, "that's cool. i like you, but only as a friend." another problem solved. claudia acts out in response to abby's "bragging" & tries to ski down a double black diamond trail to prove she is a good skier. abby realizes the trail is closed for the season & goes after her, successfully preventing claudia from skiing right into a ravine. they talk out their differences & make up.
but bad things happen at shadow lake too. kristy is blasted by a snowblower on a trail & almost skis into a tree. the sign indicating that the double black diamond trail was closed had been removed & buried in the snow, which is why claudia didn't see it & tried to ski the trail anyway. someone jams up the gears on the ski lift & stacey gets stuck on it for god knows how long. & then a blizzard rolls in while all the kids are at the cabin & the adults are out getting more firewood at the store. stacey & sam go out back to bring in the last of their firewood, & stacey sees blood in the snow. sam says it's just from a bird that was killed by a fox, but then she sees the red-haired woman in the woods. with a gun. & she notices that kristy's ski poles have been snapped in half. back inside the cabin, she realizes that her insulin is missing from her kit, & someone has slashed claudia's pillow & poured nail polish all over it.
back in stoneybrook, the babysitters remaining are working with some more clues. before stacey left for shadow lake, she was almost run down by a red mercedes with a better business sticker from the previous year, but not this year. they get their hands on copies of the membership lists for the better business bureau for the last two years & come up with three names of people who had been members the previous year but not the current one. one of them is mr. tate, whom the babysitters had arrested after they discovered that he was behind a dog-napping ring (dawn & the disappearing dogs). mallory consults the babysitters club notebook & confirms that mr. or mrs. tate had a red mercedes. they call sergeant johnson, who tells them mr. tate was released from jail for good behavior. shannon, mary anne, & logan stake out mr. tate's house, but astrid (shannon's dog) escapes & chases a cat right through the pet door & into the tates' empty house. logan tries the door & finds that it's open, so they go inside to retrieve her. they find her in the room that must have been mr. tate's office before he went to jail. when they try to leave, they find that they are locked in.
mary anne & logan end up having a fight about the weird notes. turns out logan has been receiving weird notes in mary anne's handwriting. they both confirm that they did not write the notes & they make up. then they start investigating. they find a photocopy of the newspaper article about mr. tate's arrest, complete with a photo of kristy, mary anne, stacey, claudia, & dawn (who is in california & hasn't been victimized by phone calls or creepy notes). mallory & jessi were supposed to be in the photo too but got cropped out. & they have not been getting any threatening notes or anything. neither has abby, who wasn't in the club during the dog-napping situation. they realize that mr. tate or someone close to him blames the BSc for his arrest & is coming after them. they try calling the shadow lake cabin, but the reception is poor & then the phone dies.
claudia takes the call & hears them say mr. tate. then the phone dies. then woodie knocks on the door to make sure they're okay. when he walks away, claudia thinks he looks like mr. tate from behind. but does she just think that because she was thinking about mr. tate? when she goes back inside, smoke has filled the cabin. someone has jammed the chimney. they empty out of the house & woodie comes back to suggest they all walk to the lodge together.
meanwhile, in stoneybrook, mrs. tate comes home & finds shannon, mary anne, logan, & astrid in the study. she recognizes them & starts crying, telling them they have to stop her son, woodrow. she says she couldn't bring herself to call the police herself, even though she should have. apparently woodrow couldn't handle the shame & poverty that accompanied his father being sent to jail, & he blames that babysitters club & is out to get them. mr. tate discovered his plot & has gone after him...in shadow lake. the babysitters freak & call sergeant johnson, who says he will handle it.
in shadow lake, the kids are walking to the lodge when suddenly woodie grabs stacey & starts backing toward the lake. he starts cackling & reveals his whole sordid plot. then kristy beans him with a flare, & the red-haired woman comes out of nowhere, along with a bevy of shadow lake police officers, to arrest him. turns out she was a policewoman who followed mr. tate to shadow lake because leaving the state was a violation of his parole. after she arrested him, he explained woodie's plot & she has come after him. & sergeant johnson called the shadow lake police, who came out as back-up. woodie is arrested & the babysitters continue on to the lodge, where they are re-united with watson & elizabeth & the little kids. they explain everything that has been happening, & although the adults are not at all pumped about how much the babysitters kept from them, they're happy that everyone is okay.
mary anne & logan confirm that they never figured out who was sending them the weird notes. obviously woodie was not involved in that at all. & the babysitters learn that mr. seger's own son was stealing things from the house & making it look like burglaries by strangers because he owes someone a lot of money & didn't know how else to get it. mr. seger knew what was going on & wouldn't press charges for the burglaries because he didn't want his son to get in trouble. the son agrees to counseling. problem solved. i guess?
this book was pretty exciting for a babysitters club book, but also completely ludicrous.
that afternoon at the meeting, after they've filled the other sitters in on what they saw, kristy invites everyone up to watson's cabin at shadow lake for some winter adventures. not everyone can make it, but claudia, kristy, & abby all agree to go. mallory & jessi have to stay home & babysit for mallory's siblings while the pike parents re-insulate the house. mary anne stays home because she has a hot date with logan planned for sunday night. abby starts yakking away about how excited she is to go skiing & what a great skier she is. claudia becomes unexpectedly prickly. before abby joined the club, she was far & away the best skier in the group, & she seems to think abby is bragging.
a few days later, kristy is babysitting at her house when she notices someone lurking around outside. she calls the police & then she calls mary anne. while she's on the phone with mary anne, the lurker smashes a window. kristy races into the other room & finds a rock on the floor. when she opens the front door, she finds that someone has spraypainted it with the words, "you're next". that evening, mary anne glances out her bedroom window & sees a man standing underneath a tree, staring at her house. she freaks, but for some reason chooses not to share the info with sharon & richard. why the fuck not? she says something about "not wanting to worry them" but i'm sure they would rather be needlessly worried than have someone break into their house, right?
the next day in school, mary anne finds a note in her locker in logan's handwriting. it says, "stop crying." she can't imagine that logan would have sent her a note like that...but if he didn't, who did? & why is it in logan's handwriting if he didn't send it?
claudia, stacey, mary anne, & kristy start getting creepy anonymous phone calls at home from someone who doesn't say anything & finally mutters, "you're next," before hanging up. they even get these calls at babysitters club meetings. the babysitters start investigating the possibilities. it could be cokie mason, who has a history of sending the babysitters creepy notes. but the voice on the phone is a man. abby & kristy wonder if the robber they saw perhaps figured out who they were (they were wearing name tags because they'd just come from a meeting at school) & is threatening them. they start investigating the robbery a little more & realize it didn't turn up in the police blotter. kristy calls the cop who investigated, sergeant johnson, & he says they don't have a complainant. the man whose house was broken into, mr. seger, claims that the window had already been broken by himself the day before while he was doing yard work, & that nothing was stolen. the babysitters start staking out mr. seger's house & they look him up at the library. they determine that he lives alone with his teenage son & is self-employed, & is a member of the stoneybrook better business bureau. but none of those things help them figure out who the robber was or why mr. seger isn't pursuing the break-in.
& in addition to the creepy phone calls, mary anne gets another note in her locker, ostensibly from logan. it says, "why do you do the things you do?". kristy doesn't know what it means, or why logan hasn't mentioned the notes. she also, bafflingly, chooses not to mention the notes to logan. one afternoon while she's home alone, tigger enters the pet door & mary anne notices that there's a note taped to his collar. she unfolds it & it says, "you're next" in creepy ransom letters cut out of the newspaper. even though this is REALLY FUCKING CREEPY, she again chooses not to share the threat with the police or with her parents.
kristy & the others leave for shadow lake. after all the confusion with mr. seger, the phone calls, the notes, etc, they are glad to get out of town. claudia is still being really defensive about skiing. at the lodge, they make the acquaintance of a college-aged guy named woodie. he's living in a cabin near watson's place & is helpful to the girls in various ways--bringing them firewood, telling them where to rent skis, etc. they also notice a scowling, angry old guy with an eye patch who freaks them the fuck out, as well as a suspicious-acting red-haired woman who seems anxious whenever they are around.
they have some hijinks at shadow lake. kristy is still concerned about watson's heart attack & goes nuts trying to prevent him from over-exerting himself, until he finally catches on & explains that he needs to exert himself at least a little because the doctor says it's good for his health. stacey is concerned that sam might want to start a romance up again at shadow lake. she's not interested because she's dating robert. sam flirts with her a lot, & finally stacey is like, "i like you, but i'm dating robert." sam is like, "that's cool. i like you, but only as a friend." another problem solved. claudia acts out in response to abby's "bragging" & tries to ski down a double black diamond trail to prove she is a good skier. abby realizes the trail is closed for the season & goes after her, successfully preventing claudia from skiing right into a ravine. they talk out their differences & make up.
but bad things happen at shadow lake too. kristy is blasted by a snowblower on a trail & almost skis into a tree. the sign indicating that the double black diamond trail was closed had been removed & buried in the snow, which is why claudia didn't see it & tried to ski the trail anyway. someone jams up the gears on the ski lift & stacey gets stuck on it for god knows how long. & then a blizzard rolls in while all the kids are at the cabin & the adults are out getting more firewood at the store. stacey & sam go out back to bring in the last of their firewood, & stacey sees blood in the snow. sam says it's just from a bird that was killed by a fox, but then she sees the red-haired woman in the woods. with a gun. & she notices that kristy's ski poles have been snapped in half. back inside the cabin, she realizes that her insulin is missing from her kit, & someone has slashed claudia's pillow & poured nail polish all over it.
back in stoneybrook, the babysitters remaining are working with some more clues. before stacey left for shadow lake, she was almost run down by a red mercedes with a better business sticker from the previous year, but not this year. they get their hands on copies of the membership lists for the better business bureau for the last two years & come up with three names of people who had been members the previous year but not the current one. one of them is mr. tate, whom the babysitters had arrested after they discovered that he was behind a dog-napping ring (dawn & the disappearing dogs). mallory consults the babysitters club notebook & confirms that mr. or mrs. tate had a red mercedes. they call sergeant johnson, who tells them mr. tate was released from jail for good behavior. shannon, mary anne, & logan stake out mr. tate's house, but astrid (shannon's dog) escapes & chases a cat right through the pet door & into the tates' empty house. logan tries the door & finds that it's open, so they go inside to retrieve her. they find her in the room that must have been mr. tate's office before he went to jail. when they try to leave, they find that they are locked in.
mary anne & logan end up having a fight about the weird notes. turns out logan has been receiving weird notes in mary anne's handwriting. they both confirm that they did not write the notes & they make up. then they start investigating. they find a photocopy of the newspaper article about mr. tate's arrest, complete with a photo of kristy, mary anne, stacey, claudia, & dawn (who is in california & hasn't been victimized by phone calls or creepy notes). mallory & jessi were supposed to be in the photo too but got cropped out. & they have not been getting any threatening notes or anything. neither has abby, who wasn't in the club during the dog-napping situation. they realize that mr. tate or someone close to him blames the BSc for his arrest & is coming after them. they try calling the shadow lake cabin, but the reception is poor & then the phone dies.
claudia takes the call & hears them say mr. tate. then the phone dies. then woodie knocks on the door to make sure they're okay. when he walks away, claudia thinks he looks like mr. tate from behind. but does she just think that because she was thinking about mr. tate? when she goes back inside, smoke has filled the cabin. someone has jammed the chimney. they empty out of the house & woodie comes back to suggest they all walk to the lodge together.
meanwhile, in stoneybrook, mrs. tate comes home & finds shannon, mary anne, logan, & astrid in the study. she recognizes them & starts crying, telling them they have to stop her son, woodrow. she says she couldn't bring herself to call the police herself, even though she should have. apparently woodrow couldn't handle the shame & poverty that accompanied his father being sent to jail, & he blames that babysitters club & is out to get them. mr. tate discovered his plot & has gone after him...in shadow lake. the babysitters freak & call sergeant johnson, who says he will handle it.
in shadow lake, the kids are walking to the lodge when suddenly woodie grabs stacey & starts backing toward the lake. he starts cackling & reveals his whole sordid plot. then kristy beans him with a flare, & the red-haired woman comes out of nowhere, along with a bevy of shadow lake police officers, to arrest him. turns out she was a policewoman who followed mr. tate to shadow lake because leaving the state was a violation of his parole. after she arrested him, he explained woodie's plot & she has come after him. & sergeant johnson called the shadow lake police, who came out as back-up. woodie is arrested & the babysitters continue on to the lodge, where they are re-united with watson & elizabeth & the little kids. they explain everything that has been happening, & although the adults are not at all pumped about how much the babysitters kept from them, they're happy that everyone is okay.
mary anne & logan confirm that they never figured out who was sending them the weird notes. obviously woodie was not involved in that at all. & the babysitters learn that mr. seger's own son was stealing things from the house & making it look like burglaries by strangers because he owes someone a lot of money & didn't know how else to get it. mr. seger knew what was going on & wouldn't press charges for the burglaries because he didn't want his son to get in trouble. the son agrees to counseling. problem solved. i guess?
this book was pretty exciting for a babysitters club book, but also completely ludicrous.
January 3, 2018
in this second ever super mystery by ghostwriter Nola Thacker, the babysitters are getting stalked--lots of calls and hangups, notes that say things like “you’re next” delivered via tigger the kitten’s collar or spray painted on kristy’s door, stacey almost getting run over by a sportscar, the trash cans outside claudia’s house getting set on fire, etc. they think it might be connected to an incident where kristy and abby saw some burglars break a window at the rodowskys’ next door neighbors’ house. they also suspect it might have something to do with karl tate, the guy who was smuggling dogs in Dawn and the Disappearing Dogs, since they find a photo of the bsc from the local paper after they helped solve that case in the library’s copier machine, and it’s only the bsc members depicted in the photo who are getting harrassed. some of the babysitters (kristy, claud, stacey, and abby) go to shadow lake with kristy’s family for the skiing, and the harrassment gets worse: kristy’s ski poles are broken, they find blood outside the lodge, and someone blocks up the chimney so the house fills with smoke when they attempt to light the fireplace. it turns out that the stalker is karl tate’s SON, who is mad at them for helping to catch his father, who was STEALING NEIGHBORHOOD DOGS AND SELLING THEM TO OTHER PEOPLE. I mean, this guy definitely deserved to get caught. anyway, the burglary was really a red herring: the burglar was the son of the guy who owned the house who was stealing from his father just because he was in trouble and needed money. some subplots include claudia being jealous of abby’s talent at skiing, since she thinks of herself as the best skier (this actually has basis in reality--she was really into how good she was at skiing in Baby-Sitters' Winter Vacation), mary anne and logan each respectively receiving mean and creepy notes in each other’s handwriting, and mal transferring information about the previous mysteries into a new mystery notebook, at the expense of being a good babysitter. this book is a piece of work (not in a good way) and feels like a frankenstein’s monster of a book, with lots of pieces all jumbled together and none really well fleshed-out. don’t bother.
highlights:
-there's a guy at the lodge at shadow lake who is described as having an eyepatch and a mean expression which makes him look sinister. wait, for real? really, nora thacker, you’re gonna go this route? one of the suspects will be a man who has an EYEPATCH and a MEAN EXPRESSION and therefore looks SINISTER. I know this sounds like it should be in lowlights/nitpicks based on my reaction, but I was straight up laughing out loud and the unnuanced writing here. it’s like those neighborhood watch signs that have a guy with a hat and trenchcoat:
-there’s skiing-related sabotage that happens, which will always remind me of the jem and the holograms episode.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-the biggest problem of the whole book is that the karl tate plotline comes back. disappearing dogs was already a really, really crappy mystery. it’s like when frank grimes’s son comes back. I already hated frank grimes and found his whole episode infuriating, so why would I care about his son? these are the kinds of things that happen when a series becomes too self-referential because the writers have run out of original ideas.
-the mary anne subplot where she finds mean notes in logan's handwriting (and he finds mean notes in her handwriting) and they NEVER TALK ABOUT IT. they just stew privately and resent each other, but they NEVER TALK. and it’s like...well, I guess they’re made for each other, because neither of them is remotely equipped to have any kind of healthy relationship.
-becca ramsey has been seeing a man with a blue tattoo around town and the bsc entertains the idea that he might be the stalker. what a miserably small old fashioned town you must live in if you've been noticing a man with a blue tattoo around and it’s notable enough to talk about.
-there’s a reference to jackie and shea calling cookies "edible slammers" which (according to mallory) is a reference to "their pogs and slammers games." first off, mallory is 11 and it’s 1995, which means she's almost exactly my age and therefore should know that they're not called "pogs and slammers games" but the game itself is just called pogs. secondly, by 1995 nobody was playing with them anymore. a classic case of ghostwriters trying to be hip by referencing a trend that had already fallen out of vogue.
-mal is working too intensely on the mystery notebook and pays no attention to babysitting, and jessi has to have a talk with her about it. it's kind of obnoxious.
-the bsc members that aren't at shadow lake meet at shannon's house. why? she lives far from all of the others (on the same block as kristy and abby, who are both at shadow lake). all the other bsc members live walking distance from each other.
-back in stoneybrook the other bsc members get stuck in karl tate's house when following astrid, shannon's dog, who chases a cat through the cat door. she is a fully-grown BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOG and she runs through a cat door. none of the kids can fit through it but astrid can. has nora thacker ever seen a bernese before? trust me, they can’t fit through cat doors. most of them are bigger than eighth-graders.
-stacey's insulin is stolen but it's okay because she has extra in her backpack. huh? does she have a perpetual ice pack in there too? because insulin doesn't work well if you don't keep it refrigerated.
-woodie (karl tate’s kid) falls down a snowbank, through ice, and into the freezing shadow lake. at night. during a blizzard. and yet the police manage to get there in time and save him before he dies. I just don’t buy it.
claud oufit:
-'Claudia...was wearing leggings, too--purple ones--with black Doc Martens, red slouch socks, black bicycle shorts over the leggings, a big T-shirt with the words "This Might Be Art" scrawled on it in purple (I knew she'd made it herself), and an old black suit jacket of her father's, with the sleeves rolled up...Claudia's earrings were purple feathers (she made those herself, too).'
stacey outfit:
-"Stacey...wore black leggings with cowboy boots, an oversized turtleneck sweater, and this cool black suede vest with pearl buttons...Stacey had gone for your basic gold earrings."
jackie disasters:
-while sweeping, knocks over a chair, which hits the trashcan, which tips over and spills garbage in addition to hitting bo the dog's food and water dishes and spilling their contents everywhere
-cuts mallory off, opens the oven door, and then slams it shut, knocking a pot off the stove onto mallory's foot
-slams the door on his cookie and it falls to the floor in crumbs
snacks in claudia’s room:
-assorted halloween candy (n.s.)
-chips (n.s.)
-dove chocolate bar (n.s.)
highlights:
-there's a guy at the lodge at shadow lake who is described as having an eyepatch and a mean expression which makes him look sinister. wait, for real? really, nora thacker, you’re gonna go this route? one of the suspects will be a man who has an EYEPATCH and a MEAN EXPRESSION and therefore looks SINISTER. I know this sounds like it should be in lowlights/nitpicks based on my reaction, but I was straight up laughing out loud and the unnuanced writing here. it’s like those neighborhood watch signs that have a guy with a hat and trenchcoat:
-there’s skiing-related sabotage that happens, which will always remind me of the jem and the holograms episode.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-the biggest problem of the whole book is that the karl tate plotline comes back. disappearing dogs was already a really, really crappy mystery. it’s like when frank grimes’s son comes back. I already hated frank grimes and found his whole episode infuriating, so why would I care about his son? these are the kinds of things that happen when a series becomes too self-referential because the writers have run out of original ideas.
-the mary anne subplot where she finds mean notes in logan's handwriting (and he finds mean notes in her handwriting) and they NEVER TALK ABOUT IT. they just stew privately and resent each other, but they NEVER TALK. and it’s like...well, I guess they’re made for each other, because neither of them is remotely equipped to have any kind of healthy relationship.
-becca ramsey has been seeing a man with a blue tattoo around town and the bsc entertains the idea that he might be the stalker. what a miserably small old fashioned town you must live in if you've been noticing a man with a blue tattoo around and it’s notable enough to talk about.
-there’s a reference to jackie and shea calling cookies "edible slammers" which (according to mallory) is a reference to "their pogs and slammers games." first off, mallory is 11 and it’s 1995, which means she's almost exactly my age and therefore should know that they're not called "pogs and slammers games" but the game itself is just called pogs. secondly, by 1995 nobody was playing with them anymore. a classic case of ghostwriters trying to be hip by referencing a trend that had already fallen out of vogue.
-mal is working too intensely on the mystery notebook and pays no attention to babysitting, and jessi has to have a talk with her about it. it's kind of obnoxious.
-the bsc members that aren't at shadow lake meet at shannon's house. why? she lives far from all of the others (on the same block as kristy and abby, who are both at shadow lake). all the other bsc members live walking distance from each other.
-back in stoneybrook the other bsc members get stuck in karl tate's house when following astrid, shannon's dog, who chases a cat through the cat door. she is a fully-grown BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOG and she runs through a cat door. none of the kids can fit through it but astrid can. has nora thacker ever seen a bernese before? trust me, they can’t fit through cat doors. most of them are bigger than eighth-graders.
-stacey's insulin is stolen but it's okay because she has extra in her backpack. huh? does she have a perpetual ice pack in there too? because insulin doesn't work well if you don't keep it refrigerated.
-woodie (karl tate’s kid) falls down a snowbank, through ice, and into the freezing shadow lake. at night. during a blizzard. and yet the police manage to get there in time and save him before he dies. I just don’t buy it.
claud oufit:
-'Claudia...was wearing leggings, too--purple ones--with black Doc Martens, red slouch socks, black bicycle shorts over the leggings, a big T-shirt with the words "This Might Be Art" scrawled on it in purple (I knew she'd made it herself), and an old black suit jacket of her father's, with the sleeves rolled up...Claudia's earrings were purple feathers (she made those herself, too).'
stacey outfit:
-"Stacey...wore black leggings with cowboy boots, an oversized turtleneck sweater, and this cool black suede vest with pearl buttons...Stacey had gone for your basic gold earrings."
jackie disasters:
-while sweeping, knocks over a chair, which hits the trashcan, which tips over and spills garbage in addition to hitting bo the dog's food and water dishes and spilling their contents everywhere
-cuts mallory off, opens the oven door, and then slams it shut, knocking a pot off the stove onto mallory's foot
-slams the door on his cookie and it falls to the floor in crumbs
snacks in claudia’s room:
-assorted halloween candy (n.s.)
-chips (n.s.)
-dove chocolate bar (n.s.)
January 1, 2020
So creepy! I love it!
August 2, 2021
I PREFER the BSC to baby-sit rather than solve mysteries, however I am awarding this book 5 stars because Courtney Summers came and talked to us about it!!!!!! Also it's my GoodReads and I do what I want
https://www.frowl.org/worstbestseller...
https://www.frowl.org/worstbestseller...
January 25, 2022
Ah, the meta mystery. Remember when Cokie wanted to scare Mary Anne? What about when boys were phoning the BSC and hanging up? Or, more seriously, when the BSC foiled both a counterfeiter and a dognapper? Well, you'd better remember, because these all get mentioned regularly throughout this book, thus birthing the Mystery Notebook. (And I love Mallory nerding out and making a detailed dossier of the BSC's various mysteries.)
It's just... this is another case of WHY DIDN'T THEY TELL THEIR PARENTS? Threatening phone calls and notes? Vandalism and arson? Finding their picture at the library? That's some creepy shit. But no, better keep it on the DL, don't want to risk step-dad's already weak heart. That said, the climax at Shadow Lake is pretty exciting, even if it is kind of a clusterfuck of everything happening at once.
But the biggest annoyance goes to
It's just... this is another case of WHY DIDN'T THEY TELL THEIR PARENTS? Threatening phone calls and notes? Vandalism and arson? Finding their picture at the library? That's some creepy shit. But no, better keep it on the DL, don't want to risk step-dad's already weak heart. That said, the climax at Shadow Lake is pretty exciting, even if it is kind of a clusterfuck of everything happening at once.
But the biggest annoyance goes to
May 30, 2024
Well this was different. A much darker scarier book that if I had read when younger probably would've kept me up all night. But I know I didn't read this book before because Abby is in it and I stopped the BSC books long before she arrived. So while the first super mystery took place in the summer, this was in late fall early winter. Kristy is praying for snow, she and her family, as well as Claudia, Stacey and Abby are heading to Watson's cabin at Shadow Lake and she wants to ski. But before they leave, they witness a burglary which starts off something more sinister although the actual burglary mystery has nothing really to do with them and the events hat affect the club. Soon other things happen, a rock thrown through a window, a fire in garbage can outside Claudia's, phone calls, notes attached to cat collars and someone is playing Mary Anne and Logan against each other by leaving notes in their lockers. Then they head out to Shadow Lake and it gets really dark, a malfunctioning chair lift, signs to danger ski trails go missing, it seems someone is truly out to get the girls and it seems it could be linked to a previous case. Then the wished for snow arrives at the worst time, the power goes off, the phone lines go dead and with the adults and younger children in town it seems that the stalker is about to make their move. This was a darker spookier story. It had some light hearted and annoying moments. Claudia being a whiny brat about Abby being a better skier, Mallory whining about insulation, Abby and her ridiculous puns and sense of humour. Most annoyingly we never really did find out about the notes between Mary Anne and Logan, it's hinted at but never really confirmed. Overall it was a good story, the only down side the one case unsolved. But a quick read and a darker twisted spin on a beloved series.
February 17, 2025
Some of the Supers are a hit and miss for me. This one is probably one of my favorites out of all the ones I've read so far. Also, those other past mysteries are discussed, I do not believe you need to have read those previous stories in order to enjoy this one. In fact, the past mysteries that have been discussed, I am not familiar with. Ann does a great job of giving enough details to clue you in on what happened previously. (Though this shouldn't be surprising since basically, each book has a retelling of how the BSC was founded and everyone's job position, plus personality description.) Update: Apparently this was written by a ghostwriter. Well, my middle school childhood is shaken.
I enjoy that while some of the girls return to Shadow Lake, we do have some members left behind. The anticipation builds up quite nicely.
I have to agree with some other reviews, some of the pacing is odd or things happen quite SUDDENLY. And yes, while the book seems to feature Shadow Lake (and it does) most of the story is not at Shadow Lake, so it can be a little disappointing. Plus, if anyone wanted sparks to fly between Stacey and Sam, as Stacey is dating someone and Sam recently broke up with another, nope. Personally, it did not bother me. But I can see how it might bother others.
I enjoy that while some of the girls return to Shadow Lake, we do have some members left behind. The anticipation builds up quite nicely.
I have to agree with some other reviews, some of the pacing is odd or things happen quite SUDDENLY. And yes, while the book seems to feature Shadow Lake (and it does) most of the story is not at Shadow Lake, so it can be a little disappointing. Plus, if anyone wanted sparks to fly between Stacey and Sam, as Stacey is dating someone and Sam recently broke up with another, nope. Personally, it did not bother me. But I can see how it might bother others.
January 9, 2019
I thought this one was boring. It took past the halfway point to get to Shadow Lake. Kristy, Stacey, Claudia, and Abby go to Shadow Lake with Kristy's family for skiing and skating. They are working on solving the mystery there. Mary Anne, Mallory, Jessi, Logan, and Shannon stay in Stoneybrook to baby-sit and try to solve the mystery. Dawn is living in California with her brother and dad. Stacey is still with Robert, but he wasn't in this story. Sam was, though. Too bad Stacey and Sam didn't get back together.
April 11, 2023
This was cute. I never really read BSC as a kid; clearly I missed out. The mystery was well done for the age level and the scare was just enough. Well done.
December 6, 2025
In which the BSC encounters every trope of the winter thriller, in rapid succession. Also, the parents in this book are UNBELIEVABLY laissez-faire. Mary Anne is expected to give two children baths while babysitting them and their younger sibling--one of whom is nicknamed "the walking disaster"--and then she leaves them alone in the tub (tubs?) while she's downstairs!--and then Watson and Elizabeth leave six children--three of whom are not even theirs--alone in a remote cabin where they know the phone service has just gone down and a blizzard is becoming rapidly more severe, and tell them to brave the blizzard, the darkness, and the woods, on the edge of a mostly-but-not-completely-frozen lake--again, in the dark--IF THE STORM GETS WORSE. I actually think suspension of disbelief is part of the fun of this book. It's so over-the-top that it reads almost as camp. I really enjoyed reading it. So far, the super mysteries are big winners for me. I realized I had read this one as a kid; I think I continued to be drawn to the mysteries and especially super mysteries even as I was outgrowing the original series. Even as an adult, I found myself eager to get back into this truly absurdly silly story. The mystery plots and the blizzard setting are all very atmospheric, and it was a lot of fun to read it around the same time of year in which it's set.
January 2, 2026
This story is, by far, the scariest one in the entire series. It’s genuinely creepy, like something out of a horror movie. The scene where the front window is broken and Kristy is on the phone with Mary Anne is incredibly spooky; it still got to me as an adult.
I love that the girls decide to formalize their detective work with the Mystery Notebook. While I realize now that things like the notebook and Sergeant Johnson aren't as big of a deal as I remembered, I appreciate the nod to them acting as amateur detectives.
Beyond the tense plot, it's the little character details that make this book shine. I enjoyed the small jokes that finally land now that I'm older (like Abby's pun about Mallory "warming up" to the subject of insulation). My strongest non-plot-related memory is the Pikes dealing with their DIY insulation project—good on them for the commitment to energy efficiency! I also loved the totally unexpected moment where Claudia, of all people, drops a fun fact about snow being a natural insulator, which she learned from Janine.
This is a must-read for fans of the series, especially if you like the mysteries to have a genuinely scary edge. The lines and dialogue are perfect, and the whole atmosphere is just fantastic.
I love that the girls decide to formalize their detective work with the Mystery Notebook. While I realize now that things like the notebook and Sergeant Johnson aren't as big of a deal as I remembered, I appreciate the nod to them acting as amateur detectives.
Beyond the tense plot, it's the little character details that make this book shine. I enjoyed the small jokes that finally land now that I'm older (like Abby's pun about Mallory "warming up" to the subject of insulation). My strongest non-plot-related memory is the Pikes dealing with their DIY insulation project—good on them for the commitment to energy efficiency! I also loved the totally unexpected moment where Claudia, of all people, drops a fun fact about snow being a natural insulator, which she learned from Janine.
This is a must-read for fans of the series, especially if you like the mysteries to have a genuinely scary edge. The lines and dialogue are perfect, and the whole atmosphere is just fantastic.
June 24, 2021
This is much scarier than any BSC book I ever remember reading in my childhood. Even as an adult, I found it chilling and genuinely terrifying when reading the instances of stalking, which I feel wouldn't have been dealt with so lightly if it had been written in 2021 and not 1995. As for the "mystery" element, the reader is kept guessing with red herrings and the girls' speculations, leading to a very unexpected culprit!
October 26, 2017
Okay, so! For a BSC mystery, this was actually pretty good! I mean there was even someone with a gun! Can you believe it!?
I won't rehash the entire plot, just trust me, as far as BSC mysteries go this was on is actually pretty good. They even return to Shadowlake for ski season and the crazy stalker follows them there.
A for real stalker too! This isn't just Cary Retlin being a douchebag!
I won't rehash the entire plot, just trust me, as far as BSC mysteries go this was on is actually pretty good. They even return to Shadowlake for ski season and the crazy stalker follows them there.
A for real stalker too! This isn't just Cary Retlin being a douchebag!
October 24, 2021
This book was such fun to read! I read it in a week for the BSCC live show-if you know you know😀 This was a wild ride, to say the least. Definitely more action packed than your average babysitters club book. I always enjoy reading about their trips to Shadow Lake. I also enjoyed the character development in this one. All in all, another great BSC mystery.
June 11, 2022
It took me forever to get through this BSC mystery, but it was actually the creepiest by far (close second being the Halloween themed one with the school dance) and had some elements that felt very mature and a little *too* creepy for a BSC book (but I'm not complaining). Honestly, if the Mallory and Jessie plotline hadn't been so weak, this one might have been 5 stars.
July 23, 2018
I remembered this as being the best and creepiest BSC mystery and I was not disappointed revisiting it as an adult. Stalking! Attempted murder (multiple times)! It puts ghost cats and secret diaries to shame.
May 5, 2023
Nice and thrilling mystery. Docking a star coz it sucks that the mystery of the notes to Logan and Mary Anne was never resolved. (Possibly, it'll be resolved in the next book published in the series, but that's hard to track down from a special ed instalment.)
February 23, 2024
This book is genuinely creepy with an engaging plot. Stalking and attempted murder happens! My favourite non-creepy scene is the sweet father-daughter bonding between Watson and Kristy.
Overall, definitely a fun if creepy read.
Overall, definitely a fun if creepy read.
June 6, 2025
Continuing my rereads of some childhood favorites. My biggest memory of this book is that a car is described as pulling up to the curb like a shark. Also I never liked this one as much as other super mysteries because I wasn’t very familiar with the original dognapping book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
June 1, 2020Well I haven't read it but I am sure it will be interesting
June 24, 2020
#nostalgiaread
October 20, 2020
Pretty intense but good
Read
December 2, 2020Read my recap at A Year with the BSC via Stoneybrook Forever: https://www.livethemovies.com/bsc-blo...
December 20, 2020
Great
Great read. Very entertaining. I can read it over and over and again and again. Recommended for any person that is a fan
Great read. Very entertaining. I can read it over and over and again and again. Recommended for any person that is a fan
December 31, 2020
Nostalgia read. One of my favorites as a kid, and while the plot’s kinda silly, it’s still fun
January 13, 2021
This is still one of my favorite books in the series.
It’s completely implausible with weird plots that go nowhere (Mary Anne and Logan’s notes, for instance) but I don’t even care, I love it!
It’s completely implausible with weird plots that go nowhere (Mary Anne and Logan’s notes, for instance) but I don’t even care, I love it!
January 23, 2021
(LL)
Yeah, half of this stuff just wouldn’t happen. It was suspenseful at times, but the unrealistic things going on took me out of the story too often.
Yeah, half of this stuff just wouldn’t happen. It was suspenseful at times, but the unrealistic things going on took me out of the story too often.
Read
July 5, 2021this was my ENTIRE CHILDHOOD 😭😭
September 4, 2021
Really disappointing read. They didn't even solve all of the mysteries!
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