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The Baby-Sitters Club Friends Forever Super Special #1
Everything Changes
It's a summer of change for the Baby-sitters Club, with major changes in the look and focus of Ann M. Martin's classic series. Throughout the summer members of the club share feelings about who they are and where they're going in a special journal. Four members drop out of the club, bringing the group back to the original characters: Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey, and Stacey. Four Friends Forever.
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 1999
36 people are currently reading
206 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,122 books3,085 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 33 reviews
January 21, 2020
this is my first time reading this book.
in the first Ann M. Martin-penned bsc book (not including california diaries) since The Baby-Sitters Remember, everything changes. you knew it would because of the title of the book. I’ll address this one character at a time, since this is only narrated by the four original bsc members.
mary anne: still dealing with house burning down stuff (see The Fire at Mary Anne's House) and still uncertain about whether her dad will take a job in philly, mary anne sticks around stoneybrook all summer to get her life together. logan is clingy, constantly checking up on her, and she begins to resent him (foreshadowing the events of Mary Anne's Big Breakup). her grandmother comes to visit from iowa and brings some of her mom’s stuff, so mary anne freaks out a little bit less about having lost all of her mom’s items in the fire. richard decides not to take the job in philly, and the spiers decide they will renovate the barn on their property so they can still live in the same address, if not the same house. in the meantime, they will rent the house next door to claudia.
claudia: goes to monhegan maine, a tiny island, where her family wants to be luddite the whole time so claud isn’t allowed to watch tv or go on the computer. but then she discovers everyone in her family is cheating - her mom is reading trashy romance novels, her dad is sneaking next door to watch tv, and janine brought her computer. there’s also an art gallery and claud and janine end up taking art classes together and bonding.
stacey: in nyc for the summer. her dad thinks ethan is too old for her, so he severely limits how much time they can spend together. plus, his girlfriend samantha is considering moving into his apartment. ethan talks stacey through the prospect of samantha moving in, and mr. mcgill realizes he is mature and lets stacey see him more often again.
kristy: a cit at camp mohawk (from Baby-Sitters' Summer Vacation) with abby. logan, jessi, abby, and shannon all quit the bsc, and kristy freaks out about it. she takes it out on abby, since they’re at camp together. the campers have to intervene and get kristy to stop being mad at abby. finally kristy admits that she gets why everyone is quitting because she feels stretched too thin too, but she loves the bsc and is unwilling to give it up. at the end, kristy, mary anne, claudia, and stacey all decide to stay in the bsc but scale it back: they won’t accept new clients and will only meet once or twice a week.
highlights:
-ann wrote this! you can tell because the characters’ voices are very distinct. ghostwriters usually make all the characters sound alike.
-ethan goes with stacey to bloomingdale's and there's no “guy couch” to sit in in the lingerie department and he says he IS NOT going to stand anywhere near all these...and then is too embarrassed to say bras. mr. mcgill might think ethan is mature, but he’s definitely still a stupid teenage boy, haha
-the campers ask if there's a prize for a scavenger hunt and abby says "of course. tell them about it, kristy," as a means to force kristy to make a decision. so then kristy turns is sneaky and says "abby is going to treat the winners to candy bars from the canteen." nicely done!
-when describing their daily routine at camp, kristy says that abby is more helpless than the campers at 7 am "but I find it endearing" and then talks about how they play softball together every morning. do you think kristy and abby are a couple? I mean, ann did write this book, so it's a little gayer than usual, so maybe?
-kristy’s list of ways to torture abby to get back at her for quitting the bsc (see below) is some classic, golden-era bsc stuff.
-when richard spier decides not to move to philly, mary anne is mostly happy but also slightly disappointed because she thought she could ghost logan by moving. I love how her friends continue to act like she’s emotionally mature when she thinks things like this.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-everyone but jessi, mal, logan, and shannon will be gone for july, but logan and shannon are too busy to help the bsc out much and kristy is uncertain jessi and mal could run it themselves (but they did in Baby-sitters' Haunted House)
-kristy's shorthand style of writing diary entries is so freakin’ annoying. some examples: "must admit that bsc probably will not run at all while i'm away." later she says "bsc is a gold mine...best thing I ever did." so many missing articles and small verbs. plus, she abbreviates every. single. damn. name. mary anne becomes ma, junk bucket becomes jb, abby becomes a, mrs. stevenson becomes mrs. s, etc. here is a portrait of kristy in this book:
-stacey says ethan takes her to a "coffee bar that serves so much more than just coffee" - what in the world does this mean? do they serve foie gras and lobster thermidor? do they serve lapdances since it doubles as a strip club? do they serve justice since that's where they film judge judy?
-stacey's dad sends her a FAX from the office. she faxes him back. WHO FAXES? even in 2000, WHAT 13-YEAR-OLD FAXES?
-in one of her emails to stacey, claudia calls stacey “claud.” I know she doesn’t have the most attention to detail, but this seems like a mistake on the part of the writer, not a learning disability.
kristy’s list of ways to torture abby:
1. switch bunks with marcia
2. arrange for jay, hal, or both to show up and announce they have evening off, intend to share it with a
3. wait until a. has just finished brushing teeth, then say, "oh, is that your toothbrush? I used it to clean the toilet. sorry."
4. tell old meanie that a. loves getting up early and should be put in charge of playing "boogie woogie bugle boy" every morning
6. tell cook to serve a. ONLY tetrazzini thing
7. sign a. up for all book and record clubs can find.
no outfits, no snacks
in the first Ann M. Martin-penned bsc book (not including california diaries) since The Baby-Sitters Remember, everything changes. you knew it would because of the title of the book. I’ll address this one character at a time, since this is only narrated by the four original bsc members.
mary anne: still dealing with house burning down stuff (see The Fire at Mary Anne's House) and still uncertain about whether her dad will take a job in philly, mary anne sticks around stoneybrook all summer to get her life together. logan is clingy, constantly checking up on her, and she begins to resent him (foreshadowing the events of Mary Anne's Big Breakup). her grandmother comes to visit from iowa and brings some of her mom’s stuff, so mary anne freaks out a little bit less about having lost all of her mom’s items in the fire. richard decides not to take the job in philly, and the spiers decide they will renovate the barn on their property so they can still live in the same address, if not the same house. in the meantime, they will rent the house next door to claudia.
claudia: goes to monhegan maine, a tiny island, where her family wants to be luddite the whole time so claud isn’t allowed to watch tv or go on the computer. but then she discovers everyone in her family is cheating - her mom is reading trashy romance novels, her dad is sneaking next door to watch tv, and janine brought her computer. there’s also an art gallery and claud and janine end up taking art classes together and bonding.
stacey: in nyc for the summer. her dad thinks ethan is too old for her, so he severely limits how much time they can spend together. plus, his girlfriend samantha is considering moving into his apartment. ethan talks stacey through the prospect of samantha moving in, and mr. mcgill realizes he is mature and lets stacey see him more often again.
kristy: a cit at camp mohawk (from Baby-Sitters' Summer Vacation) with abby. logan, jessi, abby, and shannon all quit the bsc, and kristy freaks out about it. she takes it out on abby, since they’re at camp together. the campers have to intervene and get kristy to stop being mad at abby. finally kristy admits that she gets why everyone is quitting because she feels stretched too thin too, but she loves the bsc and is unwilling to give it up. at the end, kristy, mary anne, claudia, and stacey all decide to stay in the bsc but scale it back: they won’t accept new clients and will only meet once or twice a week.
highlights:
-ann wrote this! you can tell because the characters’ voices are very distinct. ghostwriters usually make all the characters sound alike.
-ethan goes with stacey to bloomingdale's and there's no “guy couch” to sit in in the lingerie department and he says he IS NOT going to stand anywhere near all these...and then is too embarrassed to say bras. mr. mcgill might think ethan is mature, but he’s definitely still a stupid teenage boy, haha
-the campers ask if there's a prize for a scavenger hunt and abby says "of course. tell them about it, kristy," as a means to force kristy to make a decision. so then kristy turns is sneaky and says "abby is going to treat the winners to candy bars from the canteen." nicely done!
-when describing their daily routine at camp, kristy says that abby is more helpless than the campers at 7 am "but I find it endearing" and then talks about how they play softball together every morning. do you think kristy and abby are a couple? I mean, ann did write this book, so it's a little gayer than usual, so maybe?
-kristy’s list of ways to torture abby to get back at her for quitting the bsc (see below) is some classic, golden-era bsc stuff.
-when richard spier decides not to move to philly, mary anne is mostly happy but also slightly disappointed because she thought she could ghost logan by moving. I love how her friends continue to act like she’s emotionally mature when she thinks things like this.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-everyone but jessi, mal, logan, and shannon will be gone for july, but logan and shannon are too busy to help the bsc out much and kristy is uncertain jessi and mal could run it themselves (but they did in Baby-sitters' Haunted House)
-kristy's shorthand style of writing diary entries is so freakin’ annoying. some examples: "must admit that bsc probably will not run at all while i'm away." later she says "bsc is a gold mine...best thing I ever did." so many missing articles and small verbs. plus, she abbreviates every. single. damn. name. mary anne becomes ma, junk bucket becomes jb, abby becomes a, mrs. stevenson becomes mrs. s, etc. here is a portrait of kristy in this book:
-stacey says ethan takes her to a "coffee bar that serves so much more than just coffee" - what in the world does this mean? do they serve foie gras and lobster thermidor? do they serve lapdances since it doubles as a strip club? do they serve justice since that's where they film judge judy?
-stacey's dad sends her a FAX from the office. she faxes him back. WHO FAXES? even in 2000, WHAT 13-YEAR-OLD FAXES?
-in one of her emails to stacey, claudia calls stacey “claud.” I know she doesn’t have the most attention to detail, but this seems like a mistake on the part of the writer, not a learning disability.
kristy’s list of ways to torture abby:
1. switch bunks with marcia
2. arrange for jay, hal, or both to show up and announce they have evening off, intend to share it with a
3. wait until a. has just finished brushing teeth, then say, "oh, is that your toothbrush? I used it to clean the toilet. sorry."
4. tell old meanie that a. loves getting up early and should be put in charge of playing "boogie woogie bugle boy" every morning
6. tell cook to serve a. ONLY tetrazzini thing
7. sign a. up for all book and record clubs can find.
no outfits, no snacks
June 21, 2021
I was too old for this when it came out in 1999 and reading it now I was like, oh my gosh the Baby-sitters are experiencing such GROWTH! My emotions!!!!!!
https://www.frowl.org/worstbestseller...
https://www.frowl.org/worstbestseller...
February 11, 2018
"Everything changes", indeed. I remember being slightly horrified by this book when it first came out, because I thought it destroyed my beloved BSC. Weirdly enough, though, it soon became one of the books I liked to re-read the most as years went by. Reading this again now, I'm struck by the fact that there really isn't much of a plot here, but I still found myself loving it for nostalgic purposes.
The Friends Forever spinoff was very short-lived, but I actually liked the series once I got used to it. The focus is back on the four original members, and the obligatory baby-sitting chapters are mostly gone. I've always felt that it would have made more sense for the girls to be entering high school for these books, but I guess they will be 13 year old eighth graders for all time.
I'm kind of glad I'm sick right now, because it gives me a good excuse to binge-read this entire series. =)
The Friends Forever spinoff was very short-lived, but I actually liked the series once I got used to it. The focus is back on the four original members, and the obligatory baby-sitting chapters are mostly gone. I've always felt that it would have made more sense for the girls to be entering high school for these books, but I guess they will be 13 year old eighth graders for all time.
I'm kind of glad I'm sick right now, because it gives me a good excuse to binge-read this entire series. =)
March 22, 2025
So this was the first book in this series which bugged me because I'm weird and like to read things in order and I didn't know it was first until I read the rest of the series. Oh well. Now everything makes sense looking back at the other books. In typical super special fashion all four girls narrated their own chapters and their stories ranged from touching and sweet, to hilarious, to annoying. The story takes place during the summer and is written in diary and letter form. Kristy and Abby are off to Camp Mohawk, Mary Anne was supposed to go but declines at the last minute to stay home and mope and complain about how small their rental house is and that there's no air conditioning and it's hot. It got old really fast. As much as I hated our old brick house with no AC and ridiculously small windows we were very creative in cooling it off. Stacey is heading to New York to stay with her dad and Claudia and her family are going to an island off the coast of Maine. Claudia mentions something about how she's never been sailing but I'm pretty sure there's a whole super special about her sailing and getting ship wrecked. Anyway Kristy is super cranky and annoying as one by one everyone begins to drop out of the club. Logan to focus on sports, Jessi to dance even though she mentions a few times in the regular series she has no interest in becoming a famous dancer, and Abby because she feels overwhelmed by everything in her life. Kristy then acts like a toddler and throws a tantrum and refuses to speak to Abby. Way to go Kristy. It was a difficult decision for Abby and you made it worse. Not to mention the fact that she is literally allergic to everything at camp. Poor Abby. Mary Anne is a barrel of fun moping and whining, wanting to break up with Logan, so glad she does but not in this book. Then her maternal grandmother shows up with boxes of things from her mom and I started to cry. I'm actually glad I discovered these books later in life because the scenes with Mary Anne and even Sunny in the California Diaries makes me appreciate these books so much more as I'm sure they probably helped a few girls dealing with the loss of a parent. Losing a parent at any age is rough but when you're very young it's probably even worse. There's a touching scene where grandma gives Mary Anne her ring saying she never got a chance to give it to her own daughter. And cue the water works. Mary Anne and family decide to stay in Stoneybrook renovate their old barn and move next door to Claudia. Stacey has her usual teenage problems. Her dad and his girlfriend are thinking about moving in together which she like Kristy throws a tantrum over. Then her dad decides Ethan is too old for her and now it's her turn to mope and be just like Kristy. And finally to my favourite part of the book. The Kishi family vacation. They stay in a friends house on a quiet island wanting to commune with nature. There's no TV no phones and they are supposed to be reading and meditating. And every one but Claudia breaks these rules. Janine brings her computer, then let's Claudia use it to email Stacey (still not sure why her spelling was do bad, you'd think email had a spell check all I remember about old laptops was they were big heavy things.) Mr. and Mrs. Kishi were hilarious, the serious librarian caught reading a steamy romance novel, and Mr. Kishi caught red handed sneaking into the neighbours house to watch TV. By the end Claudia is in love with the island which is full of artists and wants to come back. The book ends with the girls deciding to be more casual about the club and sets up the rest of the series. It wasn't too bad, as I said not sure why Claudia didn't spell check her emails. Kristy writing in shorthand and using initials for everyone got old quickly. Her journal entries reminded me of emails and letters I got from my grandfather who served in the navy during the war and wrote like he was still in the forces at times. But I enjoyed it anyway. Now only one book to go and I can put this spin off series away.
September 28, 2020
This book, the first novel in a spin-off series about the four original BSC members, took place shortly after The Fire at Mary Anne's House. This epistolary novel, told entirely in journal entries and letters, followed the four original BSC members on their separate adventures during the month of July. I appreciated getting to know the characters' thoughts and personalities through reading their journal entries and letters, but was annoyed by some of their writing styles. Kristy wrote her section in shorthand, abbreviating names and places. Claudia, a notoriously bad speller, was inconsistent in how she misspelled a word. Also, she was sending emails at one point, so she could have used the Spell Check function.
Logan, Jessi, Abby, and Shannon all dropped out of the BSC by the end of the book, so only the original four BSC members (Kristy, Claudia, Stacey, and Mary Anne) remained. The girls decided to cut back on the club (not actively seeking new clients, cutting the number of meetings down to once or twice a week). The girls all wanted to spend more time pursuing other interests instead of spending all their free time babysitting. Maybe the other interests also include academics, so they can finally graduate eighth grade. I mean, they've been in eighth grade for eleven years. This sort of reminded me of the California Diaries spin-off series following Dawn and her friends, but less gritty. Also, what is the point in having a slightly more mature series if the girls are perpetual middle schoolers?
Of the four plot lines, Kristy's was my favorite. Kristy and Abby spent July at Camp Mohawk as CITs. This was Abby's first summer at camp, but Kristy and the rest of the BSC worked there in Baby-Sitters' Summer Vacation. None of the other current or former BSC members returned to camp. The girls were assigned to the same cabin of eight year-old girls. Kristy declared that this was fate. She gushed about how wonderful Abby was and how "some of the most fun Abby and I have had has taken place after 9:00 P.M. [lights-out]". Although Kristy only mentioned it once, I'll bet that Abby frequently climbed into Kristy's bunk so the girls could have a "late-night chat". Aside from describing her daily life at camp and her crush on Abby, Kristy worried about the future of the Baby-Sitters Club when club members began dropping out. Unsurprisingly, Kristy took Abby's announcement the hardest and refused to speak to her until their campers intervened. Luckily, the girls kissed and made up. (pun intended)
Aside from the lesbian subtext, I did not enjoy this book. There was too much boy drama. Mary Anne spent the book being passive aggressive toward Logan as she considered breaking up with him. Stacey's father limited the amount of time she could spend with her fifteen year-old boyfriend, Ethan, (to fourteen hours per week) after Mr. McGill saw Ethan outside of a nightclub, despite Stacey's vehement protests about how mature Ethan and she were. As one reviewer pointed out, this book read like fanfiction even though it was written by Ann M. Martin. Overall, I am giving this book 2 stars, but plan to give the rest of the series a try.
Logan, Jessi, Abby, and Shannon all dropped out of the BSC by the end of the book, so only the original four BSC members (Kristy, Claudia, Stacey, and Mary Anne) remained. The girls decided to cut back on the club (not actively seeking new clients, cutting the number of meetings down to once or twice a week). The girls all wanted to spend more time pursuing other interests instead of spending all their free time babysitting. Maybe the other interests also include academics, so they can finally graduate eighth grade. I mean, they've been in eighth grade for eleven years. This sort of reminded me of the California Diaries spin-off series following Dawn and her friends, but less gritty. Also, what is the point in having a slightly more mature series if the girls are perpetual middle schoolers?
Of the four plot lines, Kristy's was my favorite. Kristy and Abby spent July at Camp Mohawk as CITs. This was Abby's first summer at camp, but Kristy and the rest of the BSC worked there in Baby-Sitters' Summer Vacation. None of the other current or former BSC members returned to camp. The girls were assigned to the same cabin of eight year-old girls. Kristy declared that this was fate. She gushed about how wonderful Abby was and how "some of the most fun Abby and I have had has taken place after 9:00 P.M. [lights-out]". Although Kristy only mentioned it once, I'll bet that Abby frequently climbed into Kristy's bunk so the girls could have a "late-night chat". Aside from describing her daily life at camp and her crush on Abby, Kristy worried about the future of the Baby-Sitters Club when club members began dropping out. Unsurprisingly, Kristy took Abby's announcement the hardest and refused to speak to her until their campers intervened. Luckily, the girls kissed and made up. (pun intended)
Aside from the lesbian subtext, I did not enjoy this book. There was too much boy drama. Mary Anne spent the book being passive aggressive toward Logan as she considered breaking up with him. Stacey's father limited the amount of time she could spend with her fifteen year-old boyfriend, Ethan, (to fourteen hours per week) after Mr. McGill saw Ethan outside of a nightclub, despite Stacey's vehement protests about how mature Ethan and she were. As one reviewer pointed out, this book read like fanfiction even though it was written by Ann M. Martin. Overall, I am giving this book 2 stars, but plan to give the rest of the series a try.
August 25, 2017
Why I am reviewing all my Baby-Sitters Club books in random order? Because why wouldn't I do that!? Anyway, moving on.
The Friends Forever books came along during a period of time when I really should have been phasing out of reading the BSC and moving on to greener pastries. That being said, I am now 32 years old and still reading this dibbly fresh shit so clearly that never happened for me. Still I wasn't as hardcore as I had once been when this rebrand hit shelves, and though I bought the first one...I never followed up. I had literally not read another single one of those until a few days ago when I got one at a book sale.
In a way I appreciated this short lived spin-off series. I liked going back to the four original characters without all those side bitches they picked up along the way. This one made me sad as a kid though, because it was clear that the story I loved was changing/ending. Hypocritical of me? You betcha, but I do not care.
This book, at it's core, is pretty boring. Kristy and Abby go to camp Mohwak to be CITs for the summer. First Logan quits the BSC...and nothing happens. Then Jessi, who got into a new fancy ballet school, quits the BSC...and nothing happens. Then Abby, super balls to the wall to Kristy's face, quits the BSC...and nothing happens except Kristy is a baby who stops speaking to her for awhile. Still. Nothing happens.
Mary Anne ends up not going to camp that summer because she needs time to chill out. Her house burned down, they're living in a tiny cramped rental house, it's hot and miserable, and her father might get transferred to a new job in Philly. Nothing happens to her at all. AT ALL. Her grandmother comes to town and brings some of her deceased mother's old things with her. Still not very exciting. She wants to break up with Logan, but loses her spine. She just bums around being mopey until her family decides to turn the barn into their new house, but that doesn't happen in this book. They just talk about.
Stacey goes to NYC for five weeks and her dad busts her much older boy toy, Ethan, outside some kind of strip club (he keeps emphasizing it's for adults). He only lets her see Ethan for two hours a day after that, and nothing happens. She banks up the time (isn't that against the rules) to spend like 10 hours with him on Saturdays, but they still don't do anything exceptional. Oh and her dad's girlfriend is going to move into the apartment, and Stacey throws a toddler fit.
Claudia is on an island off the coast of Maine, where the most exciting thing that happens is she eats lobster every day for a month and busts everyone in her family being normal human beings. Things sort of happen, but not really because they're on a freaking island 10 miles off the coast of Maine.
Also 10 miles seems excessive. I assume it's 10 nautical miles? Who knows, it's Claudia. She's a thirteen year old with un-diagnosed dyslexia.
Anyway yeah. I wanted more from this series, but it never happened. I wanted something more California Diaries, less BSC in a different format. I'll try to read all of these eventually as I gather them up to complete my collection. We'll see how THAT goes.
The Friends Forever books came along during a period of time when I really should have been phasing out of reading the BSC and moving on to greener pastries. That being said, I am now 32 years old and still reading this dibbly fresh shit so clearly that never happened for me. Still I wasn't as hardcore as I had once been when this rebrand hit shelves, and though I bought the first one...I never followed up. I had literally not read another single one of those until a few days ago when I got one at a book sale.
In a way I appreciated this short lived spin-off series. I liked going back to the four original characters without all those side bitches they picked up along the way. This one made me sad as a kid though, because it was clear that the story I loved was changing/ending. Hypocritical of me? You betcha, but I do not care.
This book, at it's core, is pretty boring. Kristy and Abby go to camp Mohwak to be CITs for the summer. First Logan quits the BSC...and nothing happens. Then Jessi, who got into a new fancy ballet school, quits the BSC...and nothing happens. Then Abby, super balls to the wall to Kristy's face, quits the BSC...and nothing happens except Kristy is a baby who stops speaking to her for awhile. Still. Nothing happens.
Mary Anne ends up not going to camp that summer because she needs time to chill out. Her house burned down, they're living in a tiny cramped rental house, it's hot and miserable, and her father might get transferred to a new job in Philly. Nothing happens to her at all. AT ALL. Her grandmother comes to town and brings some of her deceased mother's old things with her. Still not very exciting. She wants to break up with Logan, but loses her spine. She just bums around being mopey until her family decides to turn the barn into their new house, but that doesn't happen in this book. They just talk about.
Stacey goes to NYC for five weeks and her dad busts her much older boy toy, Ethan, outside some kind of strip club (he keeps emphasizing it's for adults). He only lets her see Ethan for two hours a day after that, and nothing happens. She banks up the time (isn't that against the rules) to spend like 10 hours with him on Saturdays, but they still don't do anything exceptional. Oh and her dad's girlfriend is going to move into the apartment, and Stacey throws a toddler fit.
Claudia is on an island off the coast of Maine, where the most exciting thing that happens is she eats lobster every day for a month and busts everyone in her family being normal human beings. Things sort of happen, but not really because they're on a freaking island 10 miles off the coast of Maine.
Also 10 miles seems excessive. I assume it's 10 nautical miles? Who knows, it's Claudia. She's a thirteen year old with un-diagnosed dyslexia.
Anyway yeah. I wanted more from this series, but it never happened. I wanted something more California Diaries, less BSC in a different format. I'll try to read all of these eventually as I gather them up to complete my collection. We'll see how THAT goes.
June 15, 2017
I started re-reading parts of the "Baby-Sitters Club" series as my way of celebrating the 30th anniversary of what is probably my favorite book series of my childhood. On this go-around, I had torn through alot of the ones I'd read in the numbered series (I read up to #88 by the time I stopped reading the series in the summer of 1995), but I didn't know the "Friends Forever" series existed until I had started going through the numbered books. Being that this part of the series was published four years after I had stopped reading the original series, I was actually quite happy to see there was more than just the ones I had been accustomed to reading.
That said, I wound up shelving this one quickly (I started it in December 2016, but stopped very quickly) - I started to have a feeling this one was going to trample on the series I knew and loved. I cycled back to it a few days ago, and found that once I got into it, I was as engaged with it as I had been with the other books. I basically read the entire book in about 3 hours (non-consecutive - it took a few nights to finish it). I was pleasantly surprised.
While a departure from the series I knew and loved growing up, this was actually a fun read. The idea of the book shifting perspectives surprised me a little at first, but I really did enjoy reading through their thoughts on how everything around them was changing, and how things really weren't going to be the same anymore. Like growing up in our world, the girls were growing up (though they are seriously eight years older than me, and I was in 11th grade in 1999, they should have been at least finishing college and getting married by that point!). I am considering giving the other "Friends Forever" books a chance at some point (got a few other books to read!!!), but I was very happy that I gave this one a chance. :-)
That said, I wound up shelving this one quickly (I started it in December 2016, but stopped very quickly) - I started to have a feeling this one was going to trample on the series I knew and loved. I cycled back to it a few days ago, and found that once I got into it, I was as engaged with it as I had been with the other books. I basically read the entire book in about 3 hours (non-consecutive - it took a few nights to finish it). I was pleasantly surprised.
While a departure from the series I knew and loved growing up, this was actually a fun read. The idea of the book shifting perspectives surprised me a little at first, but I really did enjoy reading through their thoughts on how everything around them was changing, and how things really weren't going to be the same anymore. Like growing up in our world, the girls were growing up (though they are seriously eight years older than me, and I was in 11th grade in 1999, they should have been at least finishing college and getting married by that point!). I am considering giving the other "Friends Forever" books a chance at some point (got a few other books to read!!!), but I was very happy that I gave this one a chance. :-)
July 15, 2019
I never got this far in my original reading of this series as a preteen/teenager, so I don't remember these events happening. I appreciate that the author is bringing the story back to the original four members and focusing more on what is going on in their lives and the baby-sitting is just one of their many activities. I think this is more realistic and that each of the members reason for leaving the BSC made sense for their character.
The book is written entirely in diary entries and letters/emails to each other. Kristy's shorthand in her journal is annoying to read, though thankfully this alternates with letters to Mary Anne in normal text. Claudia's spelling is terrible but for some reason it didn't bother me as much as Kristy's shorthand.
The thing that made me angry at this book is that it clearly was not edited properly. Richard Spier calls his daughter Mary Anne "Kristy". Claudia calls Stacey "Claud". Literally she is writing a letter and writes her own nickname instead of Stacey's name. I get that this isn't exactly an award winning book but really, these are huge oversights. Claudia also misspells Janine's name in a letter/email to Stacey. At age 13 I am positive she knows how to spell her own sister's name.
There was a tug on my heartstrings reading Claudia wanted Stacey to go to the top of the World Trade Center and write her about her experience.
There wasn't a real plot to the book, it just covers what they are doing the summer before eighth grade (again - how many times will these girls be in eighth grade?) and their reasons for leaving and scaling back the BSC. It sets the stage for the Baby-sitter's Friends Forever Series focusing on the original four: Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey.
The book is written entirely in diary entries and letters/emails to each other. Kristy's shorthand in her journal is annoying to read, though thankfully this alternates with letters to Mary Anne in normal text. Claudia's spelling is terrible but for some reason it didn't bother me as much as Kristy's shorthand.
The thing that made me angry at this book is that it clearly was not edited properly. Richard Spier calls his daughter Mary Anne "Kristy". Claudia calls Stacey "Claud". Literally she is writing a letter and writes her own nickname instead of Stacey's name. I get that this isn't exactly an award winning book but really, these are huge oversights. Claudia also misspells Janine's name in a letter/email to Stacey. At age 13 I am positive she knows how to spell her own sister's name.
There was a tug on my heartstrings reading Claudia wanted Stacey to go to the top of the World Trade Center and write her about her experience.
There wasn't a real plot to the book, it just covers what they are doing the summer before eighth grade (again - how many times will these girls be in eighth grade?) and their reasons for leaving and scaling back the BSC. It sets the stage for the Baby-sitter's Friends Forever Series focusing on the original four: Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey.
December 19, 2023
I mean, of COURSE I was going to go right into the BSC Friends Forever after finishing the OG series.
Mary Anne is, of course, still reeling from the fire at her house, but I loved all the scenes with her sweet grandma! And I loved how Grandma Baker brought things that had belonged to Mary Anne's mom for her, Richard, and Sharon to look through. That moment made me teary-eyed.
What was UP with the way Kristy wrote in her journal? It was like she couldn't be bothered to form full sentences or write out people's names all the way. Abbreviating "Abby" to "A.?" That was annoying. Also, I understand that Kristy is upset about people leaving the club, but Abby did not deserve to be treated like trash. Kristy sucks. I said what I said.
Stacey's trip to New York was kind of boring, and I wasn't as invested. Though I want to hear more about Ethan and what he was doing outside of an "adult club."
Claudia's storyline was by far my favorite. It was so low-stakes, and made for a nice change of pace after the harrowing journey that was "The Fire at Mary Anne's House." I, too, want to go to an island in Maine and eat lobster every day for a month. Also, I loved how she caught each member of her family breaking the rules of their "back-to-nature" vacation. I laughed out loud a few times.
I will be giving the "Friends Forever" series ratings -- this one gets three stars from me. It may have been four stars if Kristy wasn't such a turd.
Mary Anne is, of course, still reeling from the fire at her house, but I loved all the scenes with her sweet grandma! And I loved how Grandma Baker brought things that had belonged to Mary Anne's mom for her, Richard, and Sharon to look through. That moment made me teary-eyed.
What was UP with the way Kristy wrote in her journal? It was like she couldn't be bothered to form full sentences or write out people's names all the way. Abbreviating "Abby" to "A.?" That was annoying. Also, I understand that Kristy is upset about people leaving the club, but Abby did not deserve to be treated like trash. Kristy sucks. I said what I said.
Stacey's trip to New York was kind of boring, and I wasn't as invested. Though I want to hear more about Ethan and what he was doing outside of an "adult club."
Claudia's storyline was by far my favorite. It was so low-stakes, and made for a nice change of pace after the harrowing journey that was "The Fire at Mary Anne's House." I, too, want to go to an island in Maine and eat lobster every day for a month. Also, I loved how she caught each member of her family breaking the rules of their "back-to-nature" vacation. I laughed out loud a few times.
I will be giving the "Friends Forever" series ratings -- this one gets three stars from me. It may have been four stars if Kristy wasn't such a turd.
December 23, 2023
Here's my big gripe about this otherwise fantastic book: it's all told through letters, diary entries, etc. - BUT THERE ISN'T A SINGLE PAGE OF HANDWRITTEN FONT! I was reading an ebook copy, so I even asked my partner to check the physical copy I have at home to confirm that that's how it is. And hey, as someone who sometimes struggles through reading some of the girls' handwriting (especially the loopy cursive, Mary Anne and Jessi) I appreciated that it was somewhat easier to read. I say "somewhat" because they still made the choice to include Claudia's many spelling errors, and Kristy now writes in super shorthand (abbreviating her friends' names, for example) which is also kind of weird to read.
But still, even though it breaks my heart to read about the dissolution/scaling back of the BSC as I know and love it, it has so much of that early BSC flavour, and I love all the girls' storylines
But still, even though it breaks my heart to read about the dissolution/scaling back of the BSC as I know and love it, it has so much of that early BSC flavour, and I love all the girls' storylines
January 21, 2021
(LL)
This book was all over the place. Also, the random abbreviations of the girls’ names was jarring to say the least. (They abbreviated them in some letters and didn’t in the next...they did both in the same letter many times.)
They didn’t need this many pages to tell us what’s happening. Of course they got rid of everyone but the original four. Readers and “fans” have been bitching for years about how much they hate any character outside of the original four, so it makes sense they got rid of Jessi, Abby, Logan, and Shannon in this book to set up the rest of the Friends Forever series. Boring and disappointing. I’m honestly glad I only have one more Friends Forever series book left to read (that I own). This series could have been so much better than it’s turning out to be.
This book was all over the place. Also, the random abbreviations of the girls’ names was jarring to say the least. (They abbreviated them in some letters and didn’t in the next...they did both in the same letter many times.)
They didn’t need this many pages to tell us what’s happening. Of course they got rid of everyone but the original four. Readers and “fans” have been bitching for years about how much they hate any character outside of the original four, so it makes sense they got rid of Jessi, Abby, Logan, and Shannon in this book to set up the rest of the Friends Forever series. Boring and disappointing. I’m honestly glad I only have one more Friends Forever series book left to read (that I own). This series could have been so much better than it’s turning out to be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2022
Kristy was a brat in this book and I felt myself progressively more annoyed by her. I’m sad Abby quit, though, because she was my favorite baby sitter that wasn’t an OG. Ah, well. Also, this was hard to get through because of the way Kristy wrote and Claudia’s grammar. I know Claudia’s is true to the original series but that didn’t make it any less hard.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2025
The first book in this ~new series~ has nothing at all to do with babysitting, which is bittersweet. I love the new concept for character development, but I don't love it for interpersonal relationships. And, honestly, I feel like the setup in this book is a little weak. That said, I love these characters, so it would've been pretty bad for it to be below average for me.
June 10, 2024
I didn't like the letter/diary format being used for the entire book, it got pretty annoying after a while. I'm not a big fan of the Friends Forever series in general, but I'm glad the whole series wasn't written that way.
June 2, 2017
I would have liked this more if I didn't have to struggle through Claudia'a chapters. I know she's a bad speller, but geez! My editor brain cringed and I had to skim though a lot of it.
June 11, 2017
It was kind of nice to re-read this again I just reaaaallly wish Kristy and Claudia could write/spell better. It was painful to read at times.
October 30, 2019
Ehhh
First the positive, it was nice not to be reintroduced the way we have been for over a hundred books
However everything else was wrong
First the positive, it was nice not to be reintroduced the way we have been for over a hundred books
However everything else was wrong
Read
April 25, 2021catching up for the BSCC, this one is wack
July 20, 2022
Somehow I missed this one when it came out. I thought it was really good, and sweet and a little sad.
January 13, 2024
The style set me off in the begging but I pushed through and it was actually a good book.
December 23, 2024
I can't deal with all of Claudia's misspellings.
October 27, 2017
Bittersweet and full of hope. Ann M. Martin still moves me, that's for sure. I will FOREVER love the Baby-sitters Club. Just saying.
November 3, 2021
In this book, the past comes a full circle and the babysitters go back to the original four. The club takes a backseat as slowly each member gets more and more involved in their respective priorities. This book is also based on a similar theme, more individual based than about the club. Will this club last through this hurdle?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2025
I really would have preferred that this book take place in 9th grade instead of the seventeeth restarting of eighth grade. But besides that, I liked it. Continuity of the friends group and the fire at Mary-Anne's house remained, we just see what happens when most of the BSC members quit the club to focus on other things.
December 22, 2008
so, after mary anne's house burnt down in the final book of the regular babysitters club series, they came out with this pile of crap, the first in the truncated post-BSC "friends forever" series, which follows the four original members of the babysitters club beyond graduation from the eighth grade & the dissolution of the babysitters club. it is all told in the form of journal entries, letters, & e-mails between the girls--thankfully, not in their penmanship fonts, but claudia's entries are still totally misspelled anyway, which is ucking obnoxious. we find kristy heading off to camp mohawk again to be a CIT, along with abby, who is allergic to everything & has a very bit role in this saga. mary anne is supposed to go to camp too, but she is still bumming hard because of her house burning down--having nightmares & shit. & she is anxious about her dad maybe taking a job offer in philly, forcing her to leave stoneybrook. & she is kind of over her assbasket of a boyfriend, logan, & maybe wants to break up with him. so she begs off camp to hang around stoneybrook & figure shit out. stacey goes to new york to stay with her dad for a month or so, & hang out with her older boyfriend, ethan. & claudia's parents decide that they are going on a back-to-nature family vacation on monhegan, off the coast of maine. first, logan quits the BSC. then jessi applies to ballet school & quite the BSC. then abby thinks things over & decides to quit the BSC. so kristy is enraged with everyone. mary anne's grandma comes to visit & brings along some family heirlooms so mary anne will have some of her mom's stuff. that must have been halla awkward for sharon. the mary anne's dad opts against the philly job & they decide to re-model the barn, because it wasn't damaged in the fire. & then claudia falls in love with monhegan & eats lobster everyday for like six weeks, which seems kind of crazy to me. & stacey's dad decides ethan is a bad influence & says she can only see him two hours a day, which seems like more than enough to me. i mean, she is 13. what the fuck? & then she is all distraught because her dad wants his girlfriend to maybe move in, & stacey is a total baby about it. & at the end of the summer, they all get together & realize that they have so much going on, they have to scale the BSC way back & maybe disband altogether. FINALLY. really, the whole book is a yawn. i was surprised that the most sensible & interesting character was mary anne, because i always found her dull when i was a kid. but she's really the only one with any sense at all.
July 24, 2009
Remember the Baby-Sitters Club book series when you were growing up? It's a summer change for the Baby-Sitters Club, with major changes in the look and focus of Martin's classic series.
Throughout the summer, members of the club share feelings about who they are and where they are going in a special journal. It was a bit confusing confusing to read as it was in letters, emails and diary entries with sometimes incomprehensible "handwriting". I normally love these sorts of books as a child growing up but Martin didn't do a very good job of it and should stick to narration ones.
I thought so many members leaving all at once was a bit sudden--some of them should have left earlier. In the end, four members drop out of the club, bringing the group back to its original characters: Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey.
Book Details:
Title Everything Changes (Baby-Sitters Club Friends Forever Super Special, 1)
Author Ann M. Martin
Reviewed By Purplycookie
Throughout the summer, members of the club share feelings about who they are and where they are going in a special journal. It was a bit confusing confusing to read as it was in letters, emails and diary entries with sometimes incomprehensible "handwriting". I normally love these sorts of books as a child growing up but Martin didn't do a very good job of it and should stick to narration ones.
I thought so many members leaving all at once was a bit sudden--some of them should have left earlier. In the end, four members drop out of the club, bringing the group back to its original characters: Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey.
Book Details:
Title Everything Changes (Baby-Sitters Club Friends Forever Super Special, 1)
Author Ann M. Martin
Reviewed By Purplycookie
June 1, 2013
Fantastic books for young girls getting into reading!! Great stories about friendship and life lessons. The characters deal with all sorts of situations and often find responsible solutions to problems.
I loved this series growing up and wanted to start my own babysitting business with friends. Great lessons in entrepreneurship for tweens.
The books may be dated with out references to modern technology but the story stands and lessons are still relevant.
Awesome books that girls will love! And the series grows with them! Terrific Author!
I loved this series growing up and wanted to start my own babysitting business with friends. Great lessons in entrepreneurship for tweens.
The books may be dated with out references to modern technology but the story stands and lessons are still relevant.
Awesome books that girls will love! And the series grows with them! Terrific Author!
November 20, 2024
Definitely a different style from the usual BSC books (no baby-sitting, for one!), but I kinda like it. I also really like how this book captures the feeling of sadness and nostalgia when you're 13 and realizing that things won't always stay the same. Like the BSC, which has been such a huge part of these girls' lives for so long, and maybe it doesn't quite fit their lives anymore.
Want to read
November 26, 2007tbr
August 19, 2009
i liked it! not a lot... but i liked it! i didn't really like the ending though... not very good...
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