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The Baby-Sitters Club #43
Stacey's Emergency
Thirteen-year-old Stacey needs the support of the Baby-sitters Club when the pressures of school, work, and home pile up and her diabetes puts her in the hospital.
139 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1991
161 people are currently reading
1080 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,128 books3,093 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 77 reviews
April 13, 2016
this is my first time reading this book!
there have been allusions to stacey not being well for a LONG time (at least since Kristy and the Secret of Susan). in this book, her blood glucose level is so out of whack that she gets insatiably hungry and thirsty. she starts eating chocolate and other sweets, and on a visit to new york to stay with her dad, she goes to the hospital because she feels so crappy. what ensues is a book about what it's like to be in the hospital while they try to figure out what's wrong with you. she spends about two weeks there, having ups and downs in how she feels and how her blood glucose levels are being controlled. her parents are awful to each other in front of her, and she tells them she doesn't want to be the monkey in the middle to them anymore. meanwhile, charlotte johannson is so upset by stacey being sick that she becomes a hypochondriac.
highlights:
-stacey talks about how both she and claudia date lots of boys and "like action!" LOL
-when pretending that she's gonna make her mom and dad jealous of the people they're dating (they're not actually dating anyone, this is just a daydream stacey has), the ideal woman her dad is dating that she describes: "she's terribly wealthy, she has a penthouse apartment in the city and a horse farm in the country. and she can cook and handle a jigsaw." I love this.
-the cover is hilarious. stacey trying to catch the falling mixing bowls while becca and charlotte present plates of fudge wearing martian antennae.
-stacey complains about hospital food being indiviudally wrapped and how bad it is for the environment. it's so stacey to have this new york liberal mindset, I love it.
-cokie got a nose job. when kristy says she can always tell when someone gets a nose job, stacey is like, "but you didn't notice mine..." she's of course joking but kristy plotzes and it's funny.
-there is a chapter where stacey suddenly feels like crap again (she's been on an IV drip of insulin, and it seems like her blood sugar is very low) and the bsc members come to visit. and then the doctors rush them out to try to help stacey, and stacey notices that her friends all look scared. it's really sad and brutal but super REAL. really well done.
-not really a highlight, but it's just interesting how different diabetes was 25 years ago. now they have all kinds of devices that alert you when your bgv (blood glucose value) is approaching too high or too low levels, and they have devices that stay connected to your body and automatically give you insulin on your schedule.
-we get more of a sense of laine. she keeps bringing stacey weird gag gifts, like a mirror that laughs at you when you look into it, and a spider with glasses. HOW SOPHISTICATED SHE IS!
lowlights/nitpicks:
-stacey says half of her friends' parents are divorced. huh? kristy and dawn are the only ones, right?
-I'm not 100% on this, but it seems like what they do in the end that helps her get better is give stacey multiple types of insulin, when they had been only giving her one type beforehand. this is ridiculous. she would have been on long term and short term acting insulin, ESPECIALLY as someone with hard-to-control diabetes. I know a decent amount about diabetes circa 1991, since my father had it and I watched his process of testing his bgv and doling out the two types of insulin based on what he was planning to eat that day, etc. short-term and long-term acting insulin differentiation was around in 1991. stacey absolutely should have already been on two types of insulin.
no outfits
books in kid-kits read or referenced by charlotte:
-A Bear Called Paddington (not specified which paddington book, actually) (stacey's)
-The Dancing Cats of Applesap (stacey's)
-The Dachshunds of Mama Island (no goodreads page for it!) (dawn's)
-Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (mary anne's)
snacks in claudia's room:
-ring dings (n.s.)
there have been allusions to stacey not being well for a LONG time (at least since Kristy and the Secret of Susan). in this book, her blood glucose level is so out of whack that she gets insatiably hungry and thirsty. she starts eating chocolate and other sweets, and on a visit to new york to stay with her dad, she goes to the hospital because she feels so crappy. what ensues is a book about what it's like to be in the hospital while they try to figure out what's wrong with you. she spends about two weeks there, having ups and downs in how she feels and how her blood glucose levels are being controlled. her parents are awful to each other in front of her, and she tells them she doesn't want to be the monkey in the middle to them anymore. meanwhile, charlotte johannson is so upset by stacey being sick that she becomes a hypochondriac.
highlights:
-stacey talks about how both she and claudia date lots of boys and "like action!" LOL
-when pretending that she's gonna make her mom and dad jealous of the people they're dating (they're not actually dating anyone, this is just a daydream stacey has), the ideal woman her dad is dating that she describes: "she's terribly wealthy, she has a penthouse apartment in the city and a horse farm in the country. and she can cook and handle a jigsaw." I love this.
-the cover is hilarious. stacey trying to catch the falling mixing bowls while becca and charlotte present plates of fudge wearing martian antennae.
-stacey complains about hospital food being indiviudally wrapped and how bad it is for the environment. it's so stacey to have this new york liberal mindset, I love it.
-cokie got a nose job. when kristy says she can always tell when someone gets a nose job, stacey is like, "but you didn't notice mine..." she's of course joking but kristy plotzes and it's funny.
-there is a chapter where stacey suddenly feels like crap again (she's been on an IV drip of insulin, and it seems like her blood sugar is very low) and the bsc members come to visit. and then the doctors rush them out to try to help stacey, and stacey notices that her friends all look scared. it's really sad and brutal but super REAL. really well done.
-not really a highlight, but it's just interesting how different diabetes was 25 years ago. now they have all kinds of devices that alert you when your bgv (blood glucose value) is approaching too high or too low levels, and they have devices that stay connected to your body and automatically give you insulin on your schedule.
-we get more of a sense of laine. she keeps bringing stacey weird gag gifts, like a mirror that laughs at you when you look into it, and a spider with glasses. HOW SOPHISTICATED SHE IS!
lowlights/nitpicks:
-stacey says half of her friends' parents are divorced. huh? kristy and dawn are the only ones, right?
-I'm not 100% on this, but it seems like what they do in the end that helps her get better is give stacey multiple types of insulin, when they had been only giving her one type beforehand. this is ridiculous. she would have been on long term and short term acting insulin, ESPECIALLY as someone with hard-to-control diabetes. I know a decent amount about diabetes circa 1991, since my father had it and I watched his process of testing his bgv and doling out the two types of insulin based on what he was planning to eat that day, etc. short-term and long-term acting insulin differentiation was around in 1991. stacey absolutely should have already been on two types of insulin.
no outfits
books in kid-kits read or referenced by charlotte:
-A Bear Called Paddington (not specified which paddington book, actually) (stacey's)
-The Dancing Cats of Applesap (stacey's)
-The Dachshunds of Mama Island (no goodreads page for it!) (dawn's)
-Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (mary anne's)
snacks in claudia's room:
-ring dings (n.s.)
September 23, 2010
it was a relief to finally get to this book because they have been foreshadowing it for at least twnty books--seriously. it's not unusual in the babysitters club series to shadow maybe four or five books in advance, but stacey has been looking thin, pale, & sickly pretty much since her parents got divorced back in book #24 or whenever it was, & it all finally comes to a head here.
basically, this book is all about stacey feeling like crap physically, sneaking one of claudia's ho hos, guzzling a package of M&Ms in the girls' bathroom at school, sneaking home some chocolate fudge that charlotte & becca made while stacey was sitting for them, going to new york to see her dad even though she didn't feel well & had fallen way behind on schoolwork, & having to go to the hospital. she thinks maybe she got sick because she strayed from her diet, but impending puberty also played a role. stacey has to stay in the hospital for about a week, which seems like a really long time. she is even on a constant insulin drip for a little while.
while she's in the hospital, her parents are of course worried about her. but they arrange to not visit her at the same time. if one shows up while the other is there, one will wander off to get coffee & wait until their ex has vacated the premises. stacey is naive enough to believe that maybe mrs. mcgill is staying in stacey's room at her father's new apartment. has she not noticed that her parents' divorce is fairly acrimonious? it's nice to think they can put their differences aside while stacey is sick, but it's not very realistic.
anyway, stacey gets mad one day when she basically forces them to hang out together in her room, & they start bickering. mrs. mcgill says something scathing about how mr. mcgill would be more up-to-date on the changes in stacey's condition if he didn't work on weekends. mr. mcgill basically accuses mrs. mcgill of letting stacey get sick, since she already felt crummy when she came to NYc from stoneybrook. stacey yells at both of them & kicks them out of her room. she apologizes later & the book ends with stacey having a heart-to-heart with both parents about not wanting to be put in the middle of their squabbles.
the B-plot involves charlotte, who becomes a hypochondriac after stacey lands in the hospital. charlotte's parents & sitters theorize that charlotte thinks she can be in the hospital with stacey if she gets sick enough. i don't remember diliking charlotte when i read these books as a child, but she sometimes grates on my nerves as an adult. the whole passage where charlotte & becca dress up like martians & make fudge was REALLY difficult to read. fucking precocious brats. i would suicidally indulge in chocolate too if i was stacey.
basically, this book is all about stacey feeling like crap physically, sneaking one of claudia's ho hos, guzzling a package of M&Ms in the girls' bathroom at school, sneaking home some chocolate fudge that charlotte & becca made while stacey was sitting for them, going to new york to see her dad even though she didn't feel well & had fallen way behind on schoolwork, & having to go to the hospital. she thinks maybe she got sick because she strayed from her diet, but impending puberty also played a role. stacey has to stay in the hospital for about a week, which seems like a really long time. she is even on a constant insulin drip for a little while.
while she's in the hospital, her parents are of course worried about her. but they arrange to not visit her at the same time. if one shows up while the other is there, one will wander off to get coffee & wait until their ex has vacated the premises. stacey is naive enough to believe that maybe mrs. mcgill is staying in stacey's room at her father's new apartment. has she not noticed that her parents' divorce is fairly acrimonious? it's nice to think they can put their differences aside while stacey is sick, but it's not very realistic.
anyway, stacey gets mad one day when she basically forces them to hang out together in her room, & they start bickering. mrs. mcgill says something scathing about how mr. mcgill would be more up-to-date on the changes in stacey's condition if he didn't work on weekends. mr. mcgill basically accuses mrs. mcgill of letting stacey get sick, since she already felt crummy when she came to NYc from stoneybrook. stacey yells at both of them & kicks them out of her room. she apologizes later & the book ends with stacey having a heart-to-heart with both parents about not wanting to be put in the middle of their squabbles.
the B-plot involves charlotte, who becomes a hypochondriac after stacey lands in the hospital. charlotte's parents & sitters theorize that charlotte thinks she can be in the hospital with stacey if she gets sick enough. i don't remember diliking charlotte when i read these books as a child, but she sometimes grates on my nerves as an adult. the whole passage where charlotte & becca dress up like martians & make fudge was REALLY difficult to read. fucking precocious brats. i would suicidally indulge in chocolate too if i was stacey.
December 6, 2016
Stacey's diabetes takes a nosedive in this book, leaving her vulnerable and frightened in a hospital in NYC. The rest of the baby sitters (and Charlotte) are left vulnerable and frightened back in Stoneybrook. I was the only person I knew who didn't like this book when I first read it. For most of my friends, this was their favorite BSC book. (I was also one of the few people I knew who disliked Stacey, although as an adult I don't think she's as annoying and vapid as I remember her being.) My memories of this book are apparently completely wrong. I remember Stacey being very unpleasant in this book, bossing her parents around, acting sick even though she wasn't. This is not that book. Is there another book in this series that I am remembering?
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
Charlotte being a whiny, clingy little creep. She is upset that her favorite baby sitter is in the hospital, so she gets hypochondria and then cries and complains to everyone. I had never had a problem with Charlotte until I read this book, but I hated her so much that it colored my perception of her for the rest of the series.
Stacey staying in the hospital, getting crazy gifts from Laine, and calling her nurse "Ruby Diamond" even though that's not her name. For years I used the name Ruby Diamond when I wanted to be anonymous. I also have a memory of her yelling a lot at her parents, and being angry with them all the time, which made think of Stacey as shrill, annoying brat, kind of like Veruca Salt. I don't know if I'm mixing this book up with another one in the series, but as an adult. . .
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
I am totally on Stacey's side in this book. She does act angry with her parents, and she is rude to them, but they are just awful. I feel so much sympathy for her after her parents get into a nasty fight while visiting her in the hospital, and she thinks: "I felt the anger rise up all over again: I had the power to move two adults to tears, but not to make them act civilly toward one another." As an adult I can see things from their perspective also, so I can understand that they probably don't think that they're being awful to Stacey. "I'm being interested in her life, and showing her that I still care about the spouse that I divorced," is probably what they're telling themselves. They don't see that grilling her about the other's whereabouts, activities, and friends in a not-so-subtle way comes across as manipulative, and vindictive. Poor Stacey knows that neither parent is doing anything that would raise eyebrows (her mother's not dating a wealthy, older man; her father's not dating some young, stupid model) but she's uncomfortable knowing that both her parents are trying to catch each other doing exactly that. She's afraid of the day when she will have to tell her mother that yes, her father does have a beautiful, young girlfriend, or that she will have to tell her dad about her mother's significant other, who is worth billions, and owns his own jet. She knows neither parent will be happy with the situation, and she knows they may take their frustration and disappointment out on her, which makes her angry because this mess of resentment and anger they've put themselves in is in absolutely no way her fault. Her parents clearly can't be married to each other. Even though they're divorced they still have the same issues and vindictiveness they had in Welcome Back, Stacey!
I felt terrible for Stacey who is having so much trouble sticking to her strict diet in this book. I could never, ever have followed a diet like that when I was that age, and it is only by sheer force of will that I eat as well as I do now. If I could get away with it, I would eat chocolate morning, noon, and night. And I would drink nothing but coffee and red wine. With the occasional margarita thrown in. Throughout most of this series Stacey takes a breezy approach to her diet. She doesn't really mind drinking a diet soda while everyone else has ice cream, or eating an apple while the other baby sitters stuff themselves with M&Ms and Oreos three times a week. While this "do what you gotta do to stay happy and healthy" is a nice attitude for kids to read about, and inspire them to act similarly, it is in no way realistic. Stacey's attitude in this book is much more in line with the attitude of a thirteen year old girl, one who really wants to not be sick, and who subconsciously thinks that by acting like you don't have an incurable illness, you will not have an incurable illness. The end of the book was pretty sad for me to read about as an adult, especially knowing more about the long-term problems of diabetes than I knew as a kid. (Glaucoma, loss of limbs, heart, brain and kidney damage. This is a pretty intense future for someone so young.) Stacey is wrecked with guilt over the sweets she was sneaking before she went into the hospital, so she confesses to her mother. Her mother reminds her that diabetes makes people more susceptible to infections like flu and bronchitis, and that having those infections can give you problems with your insulin. "It's a vicious cycle," she tells Stacey, a chilling reminder that Stacey may be in and out of hospitals for the rest of her life.
Mary Anne wants table scraps from any celebrity Stacey happens to share a dining room with. I predict Mary Anne has a long, lonely life of blogging and Tweeting incessantly about Cam Geary, with only her cats for company. She won't think she's lonely because she's got so many followers, and so many people comment on her posts -- she's got fans! Just like a REAL celebrity! I thought it was hilarious when Kristy says, "If, for whatever wild reason, I ever end up as a celebrity, don't let Mary Anne near me." Even her best friends won't want to know her someday.
I appreciate that Stacey points out that people can mugged and murdered anywhere in the world, not just in cities with bad reputations. I get so sick and tired of people moving here from the East and then saying anytime any graffiti shows up, or anyone gets busted for drugs, or anyone crashes their car while driving drunk, "Well, this kind of thing isn't a problem where I came from. This happens because New Mexico is so poor, and everyone's a drunk, and the police are all corrupt." The East Coast has crime, alcoholism, corruption, and pockets of poverty, just like anywhere else. NYC is on the East Coast!!!
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
Charlotte being a whiny, clingy little creep. She is upset that her favorite baby sitter is in the hospital, so she gets hypochondria and then cries and complains to everyone. I had never had a problem with Charlotte until I read this book, but I hated her so much that it colored my perception of her for the rest of the series.
Stacey staying in the hospital, getting crazy gifts from Laine, and calling her nurse "Ruby Diamond" even though that's not her name. For years I used the name Ruby Diamond when I wanted to be anonymous. I also have a memory of her yelling a lot at her parents, and being angry with them all the time, which made think of Stacey as shrill, annoying brat, kind of like Veruca Salt. I don't know if I'm mixing this book up with another one in the series, but as an adult. . .
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
I am totally on Stacey's side in this book. She does act angry with her parents, and she is rude to them, but they are just awful. I feel so much sympathy for her after her parents get into a nasty fight while visiting her in the hospital, and she thinks: "I felt the anger rise up all over again: I had the power to move two adults to tears, but not to make them act civilly toward one another." As an adult I can see things from their perspective also, so I can understand that they probably don't think that they're being awful to Stacey. "I'm being interested in her life, and showing her that I still care about the spouse that I divorced," is probably what they're telling themselves. They don't see that grilling her about the other's whereabouts, activities, and friends in a not-so-subtle way comes across as manipulative, and vindictive. Poor Stacey knows that neither parent is doing anything that would raise eyebrows (her mother's not dating a wealthy, older man; her father's not dating some young, stupid model) but she's uncomfortable knowing that both her parents are trying to catch each other doing exactly that. She's afraid of the day when she will have to tell her mother that yes, her father does have a beautiful, young girlfriend, or that she will have to tell her dad about her mother's significant other, who is worth billions, and owns his own jet. She knows neither parent will be happy with the situation, and she knows they may take their frustration and disappointment out on her, which makes her angry because this mess of resentment and anger they've put themselves in is in absolutely no way her fault. Her parents clearly can't be married to each other. Even though they're divorced they still have the same issues and vindictiveness they had in Welcome Back, Stacey!
I felt terrible for Stacey who is having so much trouble sticking to her strict diet in this book. I could never, ever have followed a diet like that when I was that age, and it is only by sheer force of will that I eat as well as I do now. If I could get away with it, I would eat chocolate morning, noon, and night. And I would drink nothing but coffee and red wine. With the occasional margarita thrown in. Throughout most of this series Stacey takes a breezy approach to her diet. She doesn't really mind drinking a diet soda while everyone else has ice cream, or eating an apple while the other baby sitters stuff themselves with M&Ms and Oreos three times a week. While this "do what you gotta do to stay happy and healthy" is a nice attitude for kids to read about, and inspire them to act similarly, it is in no way realistic. Stacey's attitude in this book is much more in line with the attitude of a thirteen year old girl, one who really wants to not be sick, and who subconsciously thinks that by acting like you don't have an incurable illness, you will not have an incurable illness. The end of the book was pretty sad for me to read about as an adult, especially knowing more about the long-term problems of diabetes than I knew as a kid. (Glaucoma, loss of limbs, heart, brain and kidney damage. This is a pretty intense future for someone so young.) Stacey is wrecked with guilt over the sweets she was sneaking before she went into the hospital, so she confesses to her mother. Her mother reminds her that diabetes makes people more susceptible to infections like flu and bronchitis, and that having those infections can give you problems with your insulin. "It's a vicious cycle," she tells Stacey, a chilling reminder that Stacey may be in and out of hospitals for the rest of her life.
Mary Anne wants table scraps from any celebrity Stacey happens to share a dining room with. I predict Mary Anne has a long, lonely life of blogging and Tweeting incessantly about Cam Geary, with only her cats for company. She won't think she's lonely because she's got so many followers, and so many people comment on her posts -- she's got fans! Just like a REAL celebrity! I thought it was hilarious when Kristy says, "If, for whatever wild reason, I ever end up as a celebrity, don't let Mary Anne near me." Even her best friends won't want to know her someday.
I appreciate that Stacey points out that people can mugged and murdered anywhere in the world, not just in cities with bad reputations. I get so sick and tired of people moving here from the East and then saying anytime any graffiti shows up, or anyone gets busted for drugs, or anyone crashes their car while driving drunk, "Well, this kind of thing isn't a problem where I came from. This happens because New Mexico is so poor, and everyone's a drunk, and the police are all corrupt." The East Coast has crime, alcoholism, corruption, and pockets of poverty, just like anywhere else. NYC is on the East Coast!!!
August 5, 2013
We finally, finally get the one where Stacey gets sick from her diabetes and it is so anti-climactic it's not even funny. And pretty boring actually. I was expecting a fainting incident or at least a peeing-the-bed accident lol. Stacey is obviously still feeling crappy at the beginning of this one, but she hasn't told her mom or dad, even though her schoolwork is starting to suffer. Duh, doesn't she know that if you have an actual excuse for bad grades, you use it as long as possible?? So, she's feeling bad, is pretty sure it has to do with her diabetes, and what does she do? Steals a package of Ho-Ho's from Claudia's room. I know right?! Scandalous!! Suddenly, Miss I Only Eat Carrots and Pretzels is a chocolate fiend...sneaking candy bars in her room at midnight, taking home a pile of fudge from Charlotte's, mainlining Nutella in the girls' bathroom at school.
Suddenly it's time for a Daddy's Fun Weekend in the Big City but Stacey doesn't really want to go, not just because she's feeling like uber-crap but because her parents have really been getting on her nerves lately. They're constantly making her take sides and interrogating her on what the other is doing and then not believing her. Like, Stacey's mom goes over to the Pike house to council Mrs. Pike on hat-fashions and Mr. McGill thinks she's having a torrid love affair with Mr. Pike or something. But of course, Stacey doesn't tell her parents why she's upset (I suppose this is very realistic actually, I never told my parents anything at that age) and ends up going on her weekend anyway.
And then we launch into the "Stacey so thirsty" chapter...on the train ride into the city, she makes about 50 trips to the bathroom, gulping water from the gross little sink in her cupped hands and then of course having to pee constantly. Once she meets her dad, she makes him buy her a giant diet soda and drinks it on the way home. That night, she gets up every hour or so to get a glass of water, which of course her dad hears and is totally worried. When she gets up the next morning and is totally exhausted, she agrees to go to the hospital, where they immediately check her in and plug her into all these drips and stuff.
Read my full review here!
Suddenly it's time for a Daddy's Fun Weekend in the Big City but Stacey doesn't really want to go, not just because she's feeling like uber-crap but because her parents have really been getting on her nerves lately. They're constantly making her take sides and interrogating her on what the other is doing and then not believing her. Like, Stacey's mom goes over to the Pike house to council Mrs. Pike on hat-fashions and Mr. McGill thinks she's having a torrid love affair with Mr. Pike or something. But of course, Stacey doesn't tell her parents why she's upset (I suppose this is very realistic actually, I never told my parents anything at that age) and ends up going on her weekend anyway.
And then we launch into the "Stacey so thirsty" chapter...on the train ride into the city, she makes about 50 trips to the bathroom, gulping water from the gross little sink in her cupped hands and then of course having to pee constantly. Once she meets her dad, she makes him buy her a giant diet soda and drinks it on the way home. That night, she gets up every hour or so to get a glass of water, which of course her dad hears and is totally worried. When she gets up the next morning and is totally exhausted, she agrees to go to the hospital, where they immediately check her in and plug her into all these drips and stuff.
Read my full review here!
June 6, 2024
Stacey's Emergency
Stacey's diabetes starts to act up which winds her up in the hospital. This causes her to worry when the doctors can't figure out what's wrong with her and keep dosing her up with more insulin. Meanwhile, Charlotte is trying to get sick so she'll wind in the hospital with Stacey in some kind of weird boding experiment that will assure her she's not alone and be fine enough to come back home to her.
MY THOUGHTS:
*Hmm so Stacey's always so quick to point out how glamorous the city is to anyone and everyone, but she doesn't want to hear about the "grit" in the world. I guess she just wants to live in her own little fantasy with its Broadway shows and nice restaurants. Or is she trying to keep this from Charlotte (who by the age of eight should NOT be sheltered from knowing what's going on around her)? Or do they not have such burdens in Stoney-Brooke? I know for a fact that's not true from the thefts and crimes in the mystery series.
*I've never heard the term "brittle diabetic". And I am one.
*Actually I'm a lot like Stacey in other ways too. My parents are divorced. I mostly stay with my mother. Well always stay with my mother. Even though I see my Dad occasionally. And from time to time throughout my life I have found myself the message deliver between them (passing messages to one another). Even though it's gotten better since I've gotten older. If they have things to tell one another they may ask for the other's number but they will call each other. So it gets easier.
*So as I was reading Claudia's profile for the UMPTEENTH time and how she's not a good student, but all she cares about is art. I started to think it's a shame that in Stoney Brooke they don't have what we have here a school for fine arts. Even though she'd still have to take core classes, I bet she'd do MUCH better at a school that has a visual arts program for students that includes painting, sculpture, and drawing. As well as classes in art history and digital photography. All of which things that have been mentioned in Claudia's interest in past books. I kinda sorta think that if the series were still around today Claudia would have started a school like this.
*I totally get it. OMG! The temptation of chocolate to a diabetic is so CRAZY sometimes it's unreal! I wish that back when this book was written Stacey would have known how far things have come these days and about a little insulin pen called Tresheba which keeps your blood sugar levels stable practically ALL DAY! Those sweets she snuck barely would have made a difference.
*Are you SERIOUS? As complicated as paper sculpture is Stacey knows how to do it? Shouldn't CLAUDIA know how to do this. If I was Charlotte I don't know. That's a tough call to make. Fudge or Paper Sculptor.
*Stacey sounds like me when I first got diagnosed in the 7th grade. Then I was also constantly thirsty and hungry and going to the bathroom. And I also got admitted to the hospital shortly after wards.
*Stacey forgot in her list-well she did say no privacy-you can NEVER sleep and it's always FREEZING COLD. Everything else ABSOLUTELY TRUE!
*Charlotte and Claudia freak out. Ok understandable from a eight year old. Maybe. But hospitals and being diabetic go hand in hand. I'm not saying ALL diabetics end up in the hospital from high blood sugars BUT it's not abnormal either. It doesn't mean you're going to die. It doesn't mean you'll be there forever. It just means they have to get it down. Which might take all of a few days. I've been many times also from dehydration and gastro and while it is serious, it isn't life-threatening. Stacey's blood sugar level would have had to be pretty high and she'd have to have gone into a diabetic coma to warrant that kind of worry.
RATING: 8 Being a diabetic I really could understand and relate to this book. I know how hard it is to deal with the temptation's every day of being around foods that other people take for granted they can eat without a thought-and sometimes in front of you-. I know how hard it is to get, hide, and sneak things like candy, drinks, and chocolate. I admire up until this book how strict Stacey is with her diet. Thankfully today there are better means of controlling unpredictable blood sugar surges and drops. And I can also understand the message passing between parents. Sadly this goes even into adulthood. I liked this book because it showed the seriousness of what diabetics go through as well as being the kid of a divorced parent.
Stacey's diabetes starts to act up which winds her up in the hospital. This causes her to worry when the doctors can't figure out what's wrong with her and keep dosing her up with more insulin. Meanwhile, Charlotte is trying to get sick so she'll wind in the hospital with Stacey in some kind of weird boding experiment that will assure her she's not alone and be fine enough to come back home to her.
MY THOUGHTS:
*Hmm so Stacey's always so quick to point out how glamorous the city is to anyone and everyone, but she doesn't want to hear about the "grit" in the world. I guess she just wants to live in her own little fantasy with its Broadway shows and nice restaurants. Or is she trying to keep this from Charlotte (who by the age of eight should NOT be sheltered from knowing what's going on around her)? Or do they not have such burdens in Stoney-Brooke? I know for a fact that's not true from the thefts and crimes in the mystery series.
*I've never heard the term "brittle diabetic". And I am one.
*Actually I'm a lot like Stacey in other ways too. My parents are divorced. I mostly stay with my mother. Well always stay with my mother. Even though I see my Dad occasionally. And from time to time throughout my life I have found myself the message deliver between them (passing messages to one another). Even though it's gotten better since I've gotten older. If they have things to tell one another they may ask for the other's number but they will call each other. So it gets easier.
*So as I was reading Claudia's profile for the UMPTEENTH time and how she's not a good student, but all she cares about is art. I started to think it's a shame that in Stoney Brooke they don't have what we have here a school for fine arts. Even though she'd still have to take core classes, I bet she'd do MUCH better at a school that has a visual arts program for students that includes painting, sculpture, and drawing. As well as classes in art history and digital photography. All of which things that have been mentioned in Claudia's interest in past books. I kinda sorta think that if the series were still around today Claudia would have started a school like this.
*I totally get it. OMG! The temptation of chocolate to a diabetic is so CRAZY sometimes it's unreal! I wish that back when this book was written Stacey would have known how far things have come these days and about a little insulin pen called Tresheba which keeps your blood sugar levels stable practically ALL DAY! Those sweets she snuck barely would have made a difference.
*Are you SERIOUS? As complicated as paper sculpture is Stacey knows how to do it? Shouldn't CLAUDIA know how to do this. If I was Charlotte I don't know. That's a tough call to make. Fudge or Paper Sculptor.
*Stacey sounds like me when I first got diagnosed in the 7th grade. Then I was also constantly thirsty and hungry and going to the bathroom. And I also got admitted to the hospital shortly after wards.
*Stacey forgot in her list-well she did say no privacy-you can NEVER sleep and it's always FREEZING COLD. Everything else ABSOLUTELY TRUE!
*Charlotte and Claudia freak out. Ok understandable from a eight year old. Maybe. But hospitals and being diabetic go hand in hand. I'm not saying ALL diabetics end up in the hospital from high blood sugars BUT it's not abnormal either. It doesn't mean you're going to die. It doesn't mean you'll be there forever. It just means they have to get it down. Which might take all of a few days. I've been many times also from dehydration and gastro and while it is serious, it isn't life-threatening. Stacey's blood sugar level would have had to be pretty high and she'd have to have gone into a diabetic coma to warrant that kind of worry.
RATING: 8 Being a diabetic I really could understand and relate to this book. I know how hard it is to deal with the temptation's every day of being around foods that other people take for granted they can eat without a thought-and sometimes in front of you-. I know how hard it is to get, hide, and sneak things like candy, drinks, and chocolate. I admire up until this book how strict Stacey is with her diet. Thankfully today there are better means of controlling unpredictable blood sugar surges and drops. And I can also understand the message passing between parents. Sadly this goes even into adulthood. I liked this book because it showed the seriousness of what diabetics go through as well as being the kid of a divorced parent.
January 9, 2018
I was feeling nostalgic so I downloaded a bunch of BSC books from the library. This was the first one I saw that I remember vividly. Whenever I felt like I had excessive thirst growing up, my first thought was always “WHAT IF I AM HAVING A DIABETIC EMERGENCY LIKE STACEY” (even though I don’t even have diabetes). It still held up when being read as an adult, even if I find it a little ridiculous that Stacey would get so many gifts while in the hospital. (Also how much of the treasury money is the BSC spending on her? If they only pay a dollar for dues every week, how are they affording long-distance calls on top of their regular expenses?) Stacey, perhaps one of the more frustrating BSC members, is very down-to-earth in this book, and she was dealing with some rough things that all felt real and believable. Overall I enjoyed the trip down memory lane. Let’s see how the others I got hold up.
February 21, 2010
I initially mistook Martin's declarative prose as bad writing, but soon realized it is, in fact, her genius: she perfectly mimics the breathless, everyday hysteria of the tweenage girl. (Whether anyone but an 11-year-old would want to spend time with these characters is another matter.) She also pens the occasional poignant passage about diabetes, divorced parents and the impersonality of a hospital stay.
November 3, 2009
Despite having a serious form of diabetes, Stacey can't handle the stress and must turn to emotional eating to fill the void in her life.
October 19, 2024
I love that even a thousand years after I last read this one as a kid, I still remember the jokes about the uncomfortable hospital room chairs.
This is definitely one of my favorites of the series. I appreciated that the author (AMM or whoever ghostwrote it) took on both the issue of severe childhood illness and being caught in the middle between bickering tantrum-throwing divorced parents. Stacey confronts both situations in ways that feel very genuine and understandable -- she's obviously scared about how sick she's gotten, and she hates all the tests, but she knows she needs to do it so the doctors can figure out how to help her. And while she tries to mostly ignore her parents' crummy behavior, eventually she has to lay it out for them that they need to stop treating her like a spy and a messaging service. I was proud of her for that because I wanted to slap both of her parents across their faces. (Also, this thing of getting divorced and then acting like a jealous teenager at even the notion that your ex might be seeing someone? Grow up.)
I can't speak to the veracity of the medical care, but it certainly sounded reasonable, especially in a case of a young girl who is as sick as Stacey is. And I definitely know about the constant noise and interruptions -- my mom was in the hospital for about a week after a car accident some years ago, and it was just nonstop noise and disturbances of one kind or another. I also liked that some of Stacey's nurses and doctors were kind and friendly and others were kind of cold, because that's also very realistic.
However, I will just say that if anyone ever gifts me a giant wind-up spider, I will not talk to them again. Laine is lucky Stacey found that amusing. NO THANK YOU.
This is definitely one of my favorites of the series. I appreciated that the author (AMM or whoever ghostwrote it) took on both the issue of severe childhood illness and being caught in the middle between bickering tantrum-throwing divorced parents. Stacey confronts both situations in ways that feel very genuine and understandable -- she's obviously scared about how sick she's gotten, and she hates all the tests, but she knows she needs to do it so the doctors can figure out how to help her. And while she tries to mostly ignore her parents' crummy behavior, eventually she has to lay it out for them that they need to stop treating her like a spy and a messaging service. I was proud of her for that because I wanted to slap both of her parents across their faces. (Also, this thing of getting divorced and then acting like a jealous teenager at even the notion that your ex might be seeing someone? Grow up.)
I can't speak to the veracity of the medical care, but it certainly sounded reasonable, especially in a case of a young girl who is as sick as Stacey is. And I definitely know about the constant noise and interruptions -- my mom was in the hospital for about a week after a car accident some years ago, and it was just nonstop noise and disturbances of one kind or another. I also liked that some of Stacey's nurses and doctors were kind and friendly and others were kind of cold, because that's also very realistic.
However, I will just say that if anyone ever gifts me a giant wind-up spider, I will not talk to them again. Laine is lucky Stacey found that amusing. NO THANK YOU.
April 23, 2013
I definitely remember this one and it gave me flashbacks to seeing what happened to my diabetic friend if she didn't get enough sugar or got too much. What stuck with me was how Stacey got dehydrated all the time when she was having issues with her diabetes. What really annoyed me was how she kept eating candy even though she had to know it was hurting her. My diabetic childhood friend was never allowed to eat candy unless it was sugar-free. Once when her sugar was too low she got sugar on her strawberries and I was really scared. I liked that this book showed that with a disease like diabetes, your diet is serious business.
Because Stacey's parents' divorce is fairly recent, their relationship being over is hard for Stacey to deal with, and when it comes to her illness landing her in the hospital she kind of expects her parents to get along for her sake but they continue to bicker, sometimes using HER as something to fight over. She has to have a talk with them about it. And one of the babysitters' charges suddenly becomes obsessed with seeing signals of illness in herself, which seems to turn out to be a ploy to appear sick enough to go to the hospital WITH Stacey. I'm glad that the books portray these sitters and charges as being closer than just caretaker/child, but sometimes it seems over the top.
Because Stacey's parents' divorce is fairly recent, their relationship being over is hard for Stacey to deal with, and when it comes to her illness landing her in the hospital she kind of expects her parents to get along for her sake but they continue to bicker, sometimes using HER as something to fight over. She has to have a talk with them about it. And one of the babysitters' charges suddenly becomes obsessed with seeing signals of illness in herself, which seems to turn out to be a ploy to appear sick enough to go to the hospital WITH Stacey. I'm glad that the books portray these sitters and charges as being closer than just caretaker/child, but sometimes it seems over the top.
November 8, 2010
I'm fairly certain I read this as a kid but all I remember is Stacey eating lots of sweets and then getting ill, which I thought was linked. Thus I was surprised when having lunch with a diabetic friend, she simply checked her insulin then ate a slice of banoffee pie and a bit of chocolate cake. Then another friend informed me that if Jo was ever low on insulin and looked ill we were to feed her lots of sugary foods. Thanks AMM for forevering confusing children about diabetes!
Anyway, I did really enjoy this story. It covered the issue of Stacey's diabetes (although perhaps not terribly realistic), the impersonality of staying in a hospital and her parents' divorce. Although I thought a lot of this was very realistic, I was annoyed at two things: how Stacey's parents couldn't grow up and be civil to each other for the sake of their daughter, and how terrible it is that Charlotte's parents let her get so attached to Stacey that she can't cope when she goes to hospital. Charlotte may be a bright kid, but several times in this book I thought that it would have been for the best for her parents to keep her in the dark a bit. Like her reading about murders and muggings in The Times? NO! Give this girl a BSC book and let her stay a kid! Despite this, a great book. 9/10
Anyway, I did really enjoy this story. It covered the issue of Stacey's diabetes (although perhaps not terribly realistic), the impersonality of staying in a hospital and her parents' divorce. Although I thought a lot of this was very realistic, I was annoyed at two things: how Stacey's parents couldn't grow up and be civil to each other for the sake of their daughter, and how terrible it is that Charlotte's parents let her get so attached to Stacey that she can't cope when she goes to hospital. Charlotte may be a bright kid, but several times in this book I thought that it would have been for the best for her parents to keep her in the dark a bit. Like her reading about murders and muggings in The Times? NO! Give this girl a BSC book and let her stay a kid! Despite this, a great book. 9/10
April 25, 2018
I read this (for the first time in 25 years or so) in March 2016.
I became diabetic in June or July of 2016.
I was diagnosed with diabetes in September 2016.
Despite two years of medical school, I did not recognise my symptoms of being those of diabetes.
Conclusion: Stacey’s better at the diabetes thing than 32-year-old ex-medical student me. Only by a bit - she’s stealing fudge and Maltesers (in the UK version), but still, better.
While this lacks the humour of a lot of the BSC novels, Stace is pretty chill. I gave it 3 stars cause her parents are just so damn annoying. Where did Stacey get her maturity from if this is who raised her?
I became diabetic in June or July of 2016.
I was diagnosed with diabetes in September 2016.
Despite two years of medical school, I did not recognise my symptoms of being those of diabetes.
Conclusion: Stacey’s better at the diabetes thing than 32-year-old ex-medical student me. Only by a bit - she’s stealing fudge and Maltesers (in the UK version), but still, better.
While this lacks the humour of a lot of the BSC novels, Stace is pretty chill. I gave it 3 stars cause her parents are just so damn annoying. Where did Stacey get her maturity from if this is who raised her?
February 1, 2024
Re-read January 2024.
As always, I reach for this book whenever I’m really sick. It’s definitely my favorite comfort read.
Review from 2018:
Since I was about 14, I have had a tradition of re-reading this book after each and every hospital stay I've had. Funnily enough it was up next in the stack I was reading while I was IN the hospital this time around, but I didn't actually read it until I got out. So, the tradition continues. =)
As always, I reach for this book whenever I’m really sick. It’s definitely my favorite comfort read.
Review from 2018:
Since I was about 14, I have had a tradition of re-reading this book after each and every hospital stay I've had. Funnily enough it was up next in the stack I was reading while I was IN the hospital this time around, but I didn't actually read it until I got out. So, the tradition continues. =)
April 29, 2009
I usually didn't like the Stacey books as much, but this one was quite interesting. I suppose because it was a more serious one than her just being in L-U-V yet again with some guy. I think these books also taught me more about diabetes than anything else at that age.
June 1, 2010
One of the more realistic BSC books that reminded me all too vividly of my own time in the hospital.
March 22, 2017
Finally the big build up to Stacey is over! She's sick. We get it.
January 29, 2026
It seems a little silly to compare a Baby-Sitters Club book to an after school special, but that's how this one reads (non-derogatory). Between her diabetes and divorced parents, Stacey's stories never seem to be low stakes compared to some of the oither characters.
June 29, 2017
I really actually liked this book as a kid, and I still find it pretty decent as an adult. Perhaps because most books that deal with any sort of illness or disease really never touch on diabetes. It's a rough condition for adults, and pretty nasty for children. I know a couple of people who had it super young, and yeah. Not easy. So I can at least appreciate that.
This book is pretty par for the course though when it comes to a book about a kid with a medical condition. Stacey isn't feeling well, and begins to slip with her diet which doesn't help the condition at all. She lands in the hospital when she goes to New York to visit her father, and spends a week getting different doses of insulin. At one point she's even put on an insulin drip while they to figure out the best course of action. Her parents also can't put aside their own nastiness from the divorce to be in the same room together, not even to support their sick child.
I'd like to say that adults should/could put aside their issues and deal with things like this. Sadly though a LOT of people are pretty damn petty, so this wasn't out of the realm of possibility in the real world.
However, four thirteen year olds traveling alone via train to NYC to visit her in the hospital without any adult supervision?
Yeah, that's pretty unrealistic right there.
In the end they figure it out and she returns home to Stoneybrook. All is well, eventually with poor Charlotte Johanssen who lost her shit. Now the BSC can drag Stacey into their next crazy scheme without worrying that she'll keel over! Yay!
This book is pretty par for the course though when it comes to a book about a kid with a medical condition. Stacey isn't feeling well, and begins to slip with her diet which doesn't help the condition at all. She lands in the hospital when she goes to New York to visit her father, and spends a week getting different doses of insulin. At one point she's even put on an insulin drip while they to figure out the best course of action. Her parents also can't put aside their own nastiness from the divorce to be in the same room together, not even to support their sick child.
I'd like to say that adults should/could put aside their issues and deal with things like this. Sadly though a LOT of people are pretty damn petty, so this wasn't out of the realm of possibility in the real world.
However, four thirteen year olds traveling alone via train to NYC to visit her in the hospital without any adult supervision?
Yeah, that's pretty unrealistic right there.
In the end they figure it out and she returns home to Stoneybrook. All is well, eventually with poor Charlotte Johanssen who lost her shit. Now the BSC can drag Stacey into their next crazy scheme without worrying that she'll keel over! Yay!
January 18, 2019
Another good book to the series, I doubt I’m going to hate reading any of the series in all honesty. But anyhow, I really love Stacey she always used to be my favourite BSC member. In this book Stacey gets hospitalised after her diabetes had been getting worse, she’s been tired, thirsty and hungry more than usual and her diet hadn’t been working. While in the hospital her favourite client Charlotte started acting up which was so sad to read, Charlotte thinking she was so ill was so sad to read. I loved that her friends spent the treasury money to ring her and come to visit her. I love how close and connected all the BSC members are.
I really enjoyed reading this book and it was different to some of the other books in the series.
I really enjoyed reading this book and it was different to some of the other books in the series.
September 30, 2014
Ahh, yes, the book that convinced thousands of children everywhere that they had diabetes, just like Stacey. Hypochondriacs, just like Charlotte, sprung up by the hundreds as they suddenly become thirsty after playing football in summer.
I can't help but feel reading this years and years after it was first published that diabetes is a euphemism for AIDS. This would make sense, given the era, and everyone treats her diabetes as though it's some awful secret. Sure, she has brittle diabetes (which is apparently linked with depression- tmyk!), and diabetes can be hard to control, but there's definitely a fear factor here.
Mary Anne and Claudia still have atrocious handwriting.
I can't help but feel reading this years and years after it was first published that diabetes is a euphemism for AIDS. This would make sense, given the era, and everyone treats her diabetes as though it's some awful secret. Sure, she has brittle diabetes (which is apparently linked with depression- tmyk!), and diabetes can be hard to control, but there's definitely a fear factor here.
Mary Anne and Claudia still have atrocious handwriting.
March 16, 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!
May 16, 2014
I wish I could write adequate reviews for this series, because I loved it when I read them. However, it was so long ago, and I was so young, only 10-12 years old, that I do not remember much.
What I remember about this instalment is that it was the first time in my young life that I had read a story about a young person with health problems. It was almost as if at the time, I naively thought that children were immune to such things. Wouldn't that be a blessing if it were true?
What I remember about this instalment is that it was the first time in my young life that I had read a story about a young person with health problems. It was almost as if at the time, I naively thought that children were immune to such things. Wouldn't that be a blessing if it were true?
Read
November 22, 2012(I remember this book scared the hell out of me, when I was a kid. I had nightmares about needing more and more and more insulin until I was practically bathing in it, then died anyway. Ahh, memories.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2015
This is a memorable book from my childhood where I first learned about diabetes, and childhood illnesses more generally. I believe it gave me a healthy dose of empathy. More boys should read these books.
March 9, 2025
Scary moment in Stacey's life with diabetes...and sad reality of being a kid of divorced parents. I like reading about Stacey's life and I'm glad BSC has books like these to reassure kids with chronic conditions that they're not alone.
August 6, 2008
This whole series is great for girls between 11-15 years old. I read every last one of them as I was growing up.
Read
February 4, 2009JAR4 Mar
January 19, 2011
Stacey's problem with her diabetes are compounded by her divorced parents' constant bickering.
Good, quick read.
06-22-2009
Good, quick read.
06-22-2009
October 29, 2014
A good series that I enjoyed as a child.I would recommend this to children as I still remember the story to this day.
October 5, 2011
I loved the BSC books growing up. Initially I started reading the Little Sister series which I loved and could relate to.
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