Baby-sitters at Shadow Lake

The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special #8

by Ann M. Martin

Invited for a vacation at Kristy's stepfather's family cabin on Shadow Lake, the Baby-sitters enjoy campfires, storytelling sessions, adventure, and romance. Original.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Juvenile, Contemporary, Mystery

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Ann 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...

Reviews

[FIND ME ON STORYGRAPH · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is my first time reading this book!

watson brewer's aunt and uncle are toying with the prospect of leaving him their lakeside cabin in their will. shadow lake is a fictional small towny place in western mass complete with a creepy island in the center of the lake. watson decides to go on a trip to shadow lake to determine whether he wants to accept the cabin, and he agrees to his kids & stepkids bring their friends, so in addition to all the thomas-brewers, present are all the bsc members, nicky pike & linny papadakis (david michael's friends), and the three musketeers/nancy dawes and hannie papadakis (karen's friends). the framing device of the book is that kristy thinks everyone should write down their positive experiences to give to watson to sway him to accept the cabin. of course he ends up taking the cabin at the end. see character plotlines for more info.

character plotlines:
-kristy: her main plotline is that she wants all the bsc members to take boats to the (haunted? see dawn plotline) island in the center of the lake and camp out overnight. they end up doing it and spoo-oo-oo-ooky things happen.
-jessi: meets a cute boy named daniel and teaches him how to dance. feels guilty about flirtations/potential dates with this boy because she thinks she should be true to quint, her long-distance boyfriend that she has seen twice ever. dude, you guys are 11. I don't think you need to be that committed yet.
-stacey: sam thomas keeps harrassing her because he has a crush on her. he says annoying things like, "you look MAHvelous tonight, DAHling!" when he finally tells stacey he likes her she doesn't believe him because he's such a prankster. eventually she believes him and they fall in TRU LUV. sam is a narrator for one of the chapters, but it's basically just getting in his head about the fact that he likes stacey.
-dawn: tries to solve the mysteries of shadow lake. first off, there's a lake monster (that looks like nessie -- this is a pretty dumb plotline but it provides a vessel for claudia's boat decoration -- see her plotline for more info). the interesting mystery is the other one. dawn discovers there was a family, the bayards, who lived on the island in a huge mansion. nobody else lived on the island, and they mostly kept to themselves. one day they completely disappeared, along with their help, never to be seen again. spooky! this doesn't get solved but is an interesting layer to the local color/lore of the town. I mostly hate dawn in the traveling books, but in this one she plays exactly the role I would if I were staying in a spooky haunted-feeling new england town.
-mal: absolutely the most annoying character in this book. she takes the role dawn usually does (like in New York, New York!). all she does is protect herself from bugs all the time with elaborate beekeeper-looking clothes and smelly bug spray, and then she just complains about bug bites. ugh.
-claud: participates in the boat parade/boat decoration contest. decorates the faith pierson (watson's aunt and uncle's boat) to look like the lake monster, with kristy dressed as a naturalist driving the boat and claudia and dawn dressed as cheesy tourists riding on it. they end up winning a prize.
-karen and friends: they find a little house in the woods and try to decorate it and fix up the garden to be like The Secret Garden. david michael and friends find it and want it for a fort, and they have a contest to see who can fix up a fort/clubhouse better than the others.
-david michael and friends: fortbuilding contest (see karen's plotline), plus nicky and linny don't get along with each other so david michael gets upset. there's a plot device where shannon the dog gets lost and nicky and linny work together to find her, and then they're friends.

highlights:
-there's a cute chapter where mary anne lets the three musketeers (karen, nancy, and hannie) pretend to be the baby-sitters and mary anne pretends to be the little kid. unsurprisingly, karen, nancy, and hannie get sick of it pretty quickly.
-there's a classic karen brewer chapter in here that I actually find pretty funny where she, nancy, and hannie get ready for the dance (because there's always a dance at the community space at the end of these super specials!) by getting super fancy and putting on an entire bottle of perfume. they shower and everyone is still disgusted by their smell. oh, karen.
-jessi tries to let daniel down easy and he's like, "dude, I already have a girlfriend. don't flatter yourself." I love it.
-watson refers to kristy as his daughter in a letter to his aunt and uncle, and kristy is stoked on it and signs a note to watson "your daughter, kristy"

lowlights/nitpicks:
-there is a disneyland-decorated boat for the boat parade and it has snow white's castle (described as such by the boat owner). that's not in disneyland. disneyland (plus hong kong disney and disneyland paris) has sleeping beauty castle and disneyworld (plus tokyo disney) has cinderella. no disney theme park has snow white's castle. sincerely, shira the disney theme park fact checker
-in jessi's drawing of the cabin layout, why is her handwriting so different? it doesn't really look like any of the girls' handwriting, except maybe stacey's if she didn't dot her I's with hearts.

claudia outfit:
-"Claud was wearing a pink tank top over a white tank top and a pair of neon pink-and-black bicycle shorts. Also, she was wearing three pairs of flop socks, arranged so that her ankles looked like multicolored ice cream cones. Her sneakers were Day-Glo yellow."

stacey outfit:
-"Stacey was wearing a simple (for her) outfit -- black leggings, a long black T-shirt with brilliant starfish swooping across the front, black flop socks, and high-tops."

snacks in claudia's room:
-candy bars in a pile of junk in the corner of her room
-mallomars in a pile of junk in the corner of her room

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I actually started reading around age 3 (thank you, my Granny's Dick and Jane books!), this series is what I remember most about loving to read during my childhood. My sister and I drank these books up like they were oxygen. I truly think we owned just about every single one from every one of the series. We even got the privilege of meeting Ann M. Martin at a book signing, but of course little starstruck me froze and could not speak a word to my biggest hero at that time. Once in awhile if I come across these at a yard sale, I will pick them up for a couple hour trip down memory lane, and I declare nearly nothing centers and relaxes me more!

[Leane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one wasn't bad. There wasn't too much "boy crazy" going on.
I did enjoy that this one focused a little on Watson and his childhood.

A good one to read during spring, when we are enjoying warmer weather and looking forward to making summer plans.

[Pastel Paperback · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a disappointing re-read.

I remember loving this one a lot as a kid, but it just doesn't have much plot going for it. The "specialness" of a Super Special is definitely in the alternating chapters and different story points of view, but it can also be its downfall. There were way too many kid chapters that were skimmable at best, and I truly don't really care about Karen and David Michaels's rival forts.

The best part was when the girls camped overnight on the island (as depicted on the cover,) and I would have loved more camping/lake/super summery scenes.

Oh yeah, and the Sam and Stacey arc seemed like such a big deal as a kid, but as an adult, it's a bizarre side plot that isn't set up well and has a random payoff.

[are we there yet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to read at least one of the specials, just to see (as an adult) how they are compared to the original series. Well, here come the comments.

1. First of all, I not reading all the handwritten parts if they're written in slanted cursive.

2. Kristy is clearly adapting to the entitled millionaire lifestyle great! She wants Watson to buy what basically will be a summer house and isn't shy at all about inviting over 6 friends to what should've been a family vacation (is it even a thing to vacation with your friends' family?).

3. Why do Jessi only get to have a relationship with Black boys (and conversely, the rest of the boys in the book meant to be love interests of the other girls are white)?

4. You know how I thought Sam would be a pretty chill guy to hang out with? This book changed my mind. So, it was still OK back then for boys to try to tell girls they like them by teasing them, touching their hair, and whistling at them when they're in a swimsuit (all of which Sam did to Stacey), which in the early chapters Stacey doesn't take well to but we all know how this love story ends.

5. I briefly thought Dawn was rational and practical, even if she likes ghost stories (maybe I just internalized the formulaic description), but does she seriously believen in the Loch Ness monster? I had entertained the idea of Dawn being an anti-vaxxer in the covid era (and maybe in the previous decade), and now it doesn't seem all that farfetched.

6. I actually remember Kristy's view on bikinis from this book. Related, Mal needs to re-think her friendship woth Claud and Stacey (and Kristy). How you gonna stay friends with people who are embarrassed by the way you dress, especially if you have a sensible reason for it?

7. Does David Michael have the same handwriting as Karen??

Anyway, David Michael's side plot uninterested me so much I decided maybe reading the whole book won't be worth it, and I started flipping through the pages. I did stop when I saw Sam has his own chapter (Charlie is surprisingly mature, but I still wish he'd call out Sam for the dumb, slightly creepy things he'd done to get Stacey's attention. Also, Stacey "looking older" is no excuse. I also thought about reading Dawn's chapters, but I just couldn't be bothered. Onward with the original series.

[Tiffany Spencer]

Baby-Sitters Club Shadow Lake
Watson’s aunt Faith wants him to come down and check out a cabin to see if he’s interested in buying it from her. It’s located on Shadow Lake. So they plan a two-week summer vacation and 30 people end up going. Kristy decides to keep a diary to give to Watson to show her appreciation.

This is whose coming other than the Brewers (Thomas). Karen invites Hanny and Nancy. David Micheal invites Nickey and Linnie. Kristy invites all six of her friends (who offer to babysit for the little kids no charge). They leave on Saturday. Sam is being clingy and it’s annoying Stacey., He’s hanging in her window telling her she looks ravishing. It takes about a hour and a half to get there. It’s what you expect a cabin area to be like (a lake, woods, small stores, more woods). They pull up to a house that’s much too big for a cabin. More like a house. Andrew thinks its too once and he wants to stay in a raggedy log cabin for some odd reason. There are two rooms that are done dorm style. The boys claim one of the dorm-style rooms. So it’s six boys in one room and 11 in the other. They put their stuff up and then go exploring.

Jessi goes off with Karen, Hannie, and Nancy. She sees a cute boy swimming in the lake with his family. The boy looks Jessi’s age. She immediately notices how patient the guy is with his sister. Then she remembers she has a boyfriend (Quint). But what harm could looking do/ So she puts the guy out her mind and checks out the general store, the post office, and the lounge. Jesi is thrilled because it has a room with a bar and she vows to practice every day.

Sam continues to annoy Stacey. He keeps calling her ravishing and tweaks her hair at breakfast. He then finds her while she’s trying to sunbathe and calls her good lucking. She walks off and leaves him then tries to think of something she can do about him (and physically do). But then she hears Maryanne calling Karen and her friends and finds out their missing. They were just about to take a walk in the woods and she heard Shannon whining and then she turned around and they were gone. So, Stacey tells her to chill and they start looking for them. But it takes seconds to find them. They were in the woods. After this, they eat at the lodge. Jessi sees the guy again. Dawn mentions to Stacey she’s trying to solve the mystery of Shadow Lake and then there’s the one about the lake monster that people keep talking about.

While walking back, Mal gets bite up by bugs (chiggers?) David Micheal suggests to his friends they go swimming. But Linny says it’s too cole. Then Nicky and Linny get into an argument when he calls Linny a wimp. But they won’t say why they’re in a mood. Karen asks can she and her friends go swimming and Maryanne says she’ll take them. Stacey sees a dark shape on the water. Dawn says it’s “Nessie” (the Lock Ness Monster). But then Stacey says she’s just kidding. Kristy says there’s nothing in the lake but a boat. But Dawn keeps saying there’s a monster in the lake. Kristy points to a little speed boat under the dock. It’s called Faith Person so its assumed it belongs to them. Kristy finds Mitch who says he’ll give her lessons on how to drive the boat. Watson and Kristy’s mom say anyone over twelve cana drive it. Kristy says it would be cool if they could take the boat out to an island she sees and have a picnic. Dawn doesn’t like the idea and thinks the island is probably haunted. But before they can agree on anything they notice Karen and her friends are missing again,

Karen finds a secret house and a secret garden. Well more like a shack. Karen decides to fix it up and make it a playhouse but they get called back (earlier) but Maryanne and Stacey. Karen promises she won’t go back into the woods but she knows she won’t tell anyone about the secret place. While everyone is talking about the boat, Karen and Nancy are talking about how they’ll fix up the house and what they’ll need. When everyone is distracted, they go back to their secret house with cleaning supplies. They sweep out the shack, wipe off the table and chairs, and clean the window. Karen sees a face in the window. It’s Maryanne and she gives them a scolding. Karen apologizes and says she doesn’t want the boys to know about their house. That’s why they're keeping secrets. Maryanne says she’ll tell the grownups and then they can tell someone whenever they want to play there, but they won’t tell the boys. Karen agrees to this.

Watson decides he wants to have a BBQ but Kristy and the rest of the BSC are given permission to dine by themselves at the lounge. They all decide to dress up a little. Claudia and Stacey aren’t crazy about Mal wearing something draped over her head with netting to keep the bugs away (not that it helps). They see a notice board and Kristy thinks it would be a good idea to put up an advertisement about their club. But Maryanne reminds Kristy they ARE on vacation and already watching eight kids. A waiter tells them there will be a boat show Saturday. Kristy thinks they should enter Faith Pearson (even though it’ll probably just be for bigger boats). Kristy then brings up the idea to take the boat out to the island and spend the night there. Dawn says they can’t all fit in the boat. Kristy isn’t deterred and says they’ll find a way. The boy is in the restaurant. He catches Jessi staring and smiles at her. Jessi nearly goes through the floor. On the way out, Stacey also sees there will be a dance. Jessi is already getting thoughts.

The boy sneaks up on Jessi while she’s practing and asks can he watch. She’s good with this and puts on Diana Ross and the Supremes. He’s impressed and gives her applause. He says his name is Daniel and flirtatiously says he can’t dance but he’d love a lesson. Then they talk about their families and where they live. Then she gives him a random lesson. He’s a little stiff at first but he gets slightly better. Then he walks her back to the cabin. Jessi has to keep reminding herself she has a boyfriend They don’t seem to be a good match. He’s into sports. She isn’t. She loves to read. He doesn’t. She loves to sit. The only kid he wants to be bothered with is his sister. Still, he asks her to go to the dance and she says yes.

Mal takes the boys out swimming, but since they aren’t getting along she decides to take them fishing. But they start righting while doing this too so she takes them back to the cabin. Mal puts them on a “time out”.But when she goes to her room, Claudia, Jessi, and Mal are there and they make snide comments about her outfit. Mal is snippy so Jessi takes her on a walk and tells her she’ll get rid of the bites eventually. David Micheal decides to play “peacemaker” and suggests that Thursday they take Shannon on a walk. David Micheal asks Kristy if they can go alone. (He thinks he’s old enough not to need a sitter). Kristy checks with her parents and they say it’s fine if they don’t go far and promise to come back in half an hour. While in the woods, they hear voice and find
Karen’s shack. They decide to give her a scare. Then they start screaming which causes Karen to jump up. Then they argue back and forth whether it’s a fort or a playhouse. Then they argue over who it belongs to. David Micheal suggests they share it but Karen isn’t feeling that idea and suggests they find their own place. David Micheal says they will and it’ll be better. Then they make a bet of who will be better. If they win the girls get both the big bedrooms. If the boys win the girls will have to do their chores. Then they decide that if the boys don’t win they’ll do the girls' chores the rest of the summer (what chores?). The boys say they’ll build theirs in the woods. The girls make them promise they can’t ask for help.

On Thursday, Claudia takes Emily and Andrew to see the boats. Claudia takes her sketch pad with her and Andrew wants to draw so she takes some art supplies for him. Claudia thinks of ideas for the boat show. She and Andrew go back and forth with decorating ideas but don’t come up with anything. So Claudia, Emily, and Andrew draw for a while. After a while Emily and Andrew are ready to go and they see Stacey and Dawn coming back. Stacey’s trying to get away from Sam and Dawn still has lake monsters on her mind.

Sam is wondering why he’s not getting the attention he wants from Stacey and she’s treating him like a bug-a-boo. Sam vows before the trip ends he’ll get Stacey to see how he feels. Charlie tells her to just talk to her and TELL her. So, he does. But Stacey isn’t sure if she can take him seriously. She says she used to have a crush on him. They both admit they’re confused.

The girls get bored with the house and Maryanne has the idea to reverse the roles. She’ll be the “kid” and they’ll take care of her. The sitters say they can take a walk in the woods. They make Maryanne go put some socks and shoes, a sweatshirt, and a visor. Then they make her go to the batroom. So she does all that and she gets into the role by whining and asking if they’re already there. Then asking to buy candy when they get to the dock. After lunch, they make her brush and floss her teeth. They won’t let her swim, but by this time they’re tired of the game. They say they want to check out the boy's fort. The fort isn’t anywhere near done and the boys aren’t happy to see them. Still, they claim it’s gonna be the ish when they’re done.

On Friday, Dawn watches Emily and Andrew. She takes them again to look at the boats. All the while Dawn is thinking about the Shadow Lake mystery and then she thinks of an idea. She’ll find some older people. Surely they’ll know. Emily keeps saying “Boot” instead of “Boat”. Dawn sees a man working on one of the boats and asks him about the mystery. He mentions the Bayard family but doesn’t say anymore. The man at the store says Annie Bayard was his fiancée years ago. His name is Stephen Weeks. So the Bayards were strange people that lived on an island they owned and never left. One day he went to the island and the house was still there, but all the servants and family had just vanished. There was a storm the night before but no bodies were found. Now when there’s a storm moans can be heard and it’s said to be the spirit of the Bayards. The lake monster he doesn’t know about. Dawn sees a boat on one of the boats and realizes that’s what Emily meant.

Claudia decides to give the boat a monster theme. She wants to make a head and tail and the rest of the boat will be “the body”. Claudia says Kristy has to wear a costume. She wants Kristy to be a naturalist and Claudia will be a tourist that wants to photograph the monster. Claudia gets a little freaked when she gets to where the parade is. She thinks their decoration looks puny. But Kristy convinces her to do it. They get a round of applause and they win a ribbon. On Sunday, they head for the island. Dawn keeps changing her mind. Kristy has to keeps reminding her it’s a slumber party. On the island, they hear a crash but it’s just a tree branch. They make a campfire and then explore. They find bricks (the foundation of the Bayard's house) which means the house got burned down. This proves to Dawn that the island is haunted and she goes to move their things. They eat and then Daw nsees something winking. Just a firefly. They talk about the Bayard’s disappearance. Claudia says maybe a maniac sailed to the island and killed everyone. Marl suggest maybe they were abducted by aliens and taken off in their spaceship.

The next morning, Claudia and Maryanne think they see something white and whispy in the woods. It’s two in the morning. Kristy says she can only take back 4 people. So they all make a dash for the boat, but then they all return to the camp and fall asleep. Well, all except Dawn. But they all survive the night. Dawn decides to investigate the woods. She goes back to where they found the Bayard’s house. She finds a gold locket shaped like a heart. It had the initals of Annie Bayard. She takes it as a sign. The locket wasn’t there the day before. Had it appeared when Claud and Maryanne saw the ghost. Sam comes to get them and they return back. Stephan says the house burned down one year after the Bayards disappeard. Dawn gives him the locket.

Shannon goes missing but she turns up quickly enough. The girls win the contest because the boy's fort falls down. Karen says they just have to do the chores for one night and for the rest of the time there, they can have the house as long as they don’t mess up the gardens or take down the window shades. The boys said they’ll do whatever they want the rest of the day. That night is the dance, and they all get made up in their nicest dresses, and makeup. Only the dance is casual. Stacey dances iwh Sam and doesn’t even need Claudia to interfere (as they planned). Jessi thinks Daniel is about to profess his love for her at the dance. She fears she’s going to have to tell Daniel about Quint. But Daniel tells her he has a girlfriend and he just likes her as a friend. When they get back, Kristy presents Waston with the journal and he touchingly calls her daughter. I take it he decides to get the cabin. My e=reader didn’t apparently like to “read” the entries.

My Thoughts
Well, this was a WASTE of a book! How can you have a book with SHADOW LAKE in the title and just not do ANYTHING with it? This could have been SOOO MUCH MORE than it was and there was potential too. When they went to the island they could have FOUND the mansion. They could have explored it and found things that could have told them the story of what happened. Maybe there *could* have been a ghost in the house. Maybe some things got moved around. Maybe some things levitated. Maybe on the island, there were signs that someone *had* been there. I even thought Claudia’s idea had merit, Maybe a psycho did escape and murder them all. But NOO what was this book wasted on? A BOAT SHOW and a plot about A PLAYHOUSE VS A FORT. REALLY?

Most of the characters this time didn’t even have a “plot”. Kristy doesn’t really have a plot other than making this diary to give to Waston to show she wants him to get the cabin. Maryanne doesn’t have a plot unless you count all the times she watched Karen, Nancy, and Hannie and pretend to let them watch *her* and play some role reversal. Claudia didn’t really have a plot other than thinking up a theme for the boat (and what she came up with really wasn’t all that great but I guess she did what she could). Still, as I’ve said in other reviews, everything does NOT have to be a competition.

Dawn’s plot irritated me. Dawn, you are THIRTEEN YEARS OLD not THREE. I can see Andrew and Emily being scared of a “lake monster”. It’s getting a little old. In some of these books, I could understand like the one she went to NY. A little fear of being robbed or mugged in a big city full of people that kind of makes sense. But seeing “lake monsters” everywhere? Then finding the locket was just a slap in the face because NOTHING HAPPENED. It didn’t lead to ANYTHING. Why even put it there if you're going to have an inconclusive story? Did I mention how much I hate unclear endings?

Mal’s storyline could have been left out all together. It was already done in the one about Summer Camp only it was Stacey. Then we have Stacey’s. Again, Sam is FIFTEEN not eight. When I was fifteen if a guy liked you HE ASKED YOU OUT or he ASKED FOR YOUR NUMBER. I’m actually surprised that Stacey likes Sam seeing that she’s so soooo mature and sooo sophisticated being from New York (like we’re reminded book after book after book). Then there was Jessi. I knew he was gonna have a girlfriend so that was predicted. I also knew she’d choose Quinn because that was predictable too.

Rating: 5 Very Blah.

[Fiona Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fun re-reading a childhood favourite while camping at Lake Lyell, near Lithgow

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's funny that it's mentioned SO MANY TIMES that the fam wants Watson to accept his aunt's offer to leave this "cottage" to him in her will, and yet we never hear about it again. Scratch that, I forgot the Super Mystery they go there, which I am now super pumped to read and see Shadow Lake again. But still, inheriting the cottage was such a SUPER HUGE PLOT POINT that you'd expect the Thomas-Brewers to be spending every other book there. Also, WHY was this place able to sleep almost 30 people, when it was only Watson's aunt and uncle, who I'm assuming didn't have kids, because otherwise I'm sure 1) Watson would have mentioned his cousins, and 2) the aunt and uncle would have left this beloved family home to their children. They sure as heck didn't need space for 20+ other people!!!

Ahem. But I digress.

I always say that you can't go wrong with a Super Special, and this is no exception. I especially liked the part when they girls stay on the island, because I liked them interacting with each other. Like, I get that's the point of Super Specials, is that you get seven different stories/points of view in the same setting, but considering they were at Shadow Lake for two weeks, and had minimal baby-sitting to do, I felt like there wasn't much mention of the girls just hanging out. But I guess that would be a boring chapter without something to drive the story. (Not that hanging out with kids is overly interesting, let's be real.)

It must seem like I really hated this one, but just as I was sitting down to write this review I wondered if this was my favourite Super Special. I do really like the summer vacation ones, I love Shadow Lake, and I can't think offhand which book is actually my favourite. (But it's probably not actually this one.) HMMMM...

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book SO MUCH. I liked seeing more of Watson (particularly when he referred to Kristy as his daughter - awwww!!!), I liked the lake setting, and most of the side plots were really enjoyable and fun. Mallory was a bit over the top but I really enjoyed everything else, especially when Mary-Anne had Karen and her friends be the baby-sitter while she acted as the charge. That was so funny and cute.

But the best thing about this book — Stacey and Sam. Stacey and Sam!! STACEY AND SAM!!!!

Can you tell I love Stacey and Sam?!?

Right away when they were introduced in Kristy’s Great Idea I loved them together. The chapter with Stacey baby-sitting for David Michael and then Sam arrives and hangs out with them is one of my favorite BSC moments EVER.

Anyway, in this book, Sam very obviously has a crush on Stacey — AND THERE WERE SO MANY FEELS. There’s even a chapter from Sam’s perspective! I love them together SO MUCH.

I highlighted basically every interaction between the two of them on my Kindle. Honestly, Sam (and Charlie) are two of my favorite secondary characters in the series and Stacey is my favorite sitter, so it makes sense that I would like my favorite characters together.

Robert? No.
Sam? ABSOLUTELY.

I love how dreamy and out of it Stacey was after the dance AND I also loved that Sam ate the meal left handed just so he could hold Stacey’s hand!!! I melted.

LOVE THEM FOREVER.



Dear Ann M Martin,
Can you please write a book about the BSC as adults/older teens and have Stacey and Sam be a couple? They are endgame for me.
Thanks,
A fan

[Ciara · Rating 3 out of 5]

watson receives a letter from a long-lost aunt & uncle who are apparently re-writing their will. they are wondering if watson is interested in the possibility of them leaving their lake house (on the shore of a lake in western mass) to him. they suggest that he bring his family to visit for a few weeks to see if he thinks he can handle the upkeep & responsibility. the brewer-thomas clan is all over this idea, & watson & elizabeth agree to allow the kids to bring friends. david michael invites nicky pike & linny papadakis. karen invites nancy dawes & hannie papadakis (the self-proclaimed three musketeers--very original nickname). kristy of course invites all the other members of the babysitters club. kristy also asks all the kids that are going to keep a diary about how awesome their trip is, which she intends to present to watson as evidence that he should accept the lake house.

of course, everyone has an adventure. kind of. kristy's adventure is mostly just getting everyone to write in the diary.

mary anne's adventure consists of little more than babysitting a lot for the younger kids.

claudia is with kristy when kristy finds a small motorboat under the dock. kristy gets the caretaker to teach her how to drive it, & claudia finds out that there's a boat parade coming up. she decides to dress the motorboat up in a costume & enter the parade, even though most of the other boats are yachts & houseboats.

dawn is obsessed with the question of why the lake is called shadow lake. she decides there must be some kind of mystery afoot. she also decides that there is a big snake-like monster that lives in the lake. she asks some of the elderly residents for any info concerning a shadow lake mystery, & she learns that the island in the middle of the lake used to have a large mansion on it. a family named bayard lived in the mansion. they never came ashore--they sent their servants across for supplies & what-not. the proprietor of the general store went there sometimes when he was young to help with maintenance work, & he fell in love with annie, the teen daughter. one day he visited the island to see what was up, & all the people that had been on the island were gone. no sign of where they may have disappeared to. a year to the day later, the mansion burnt to the ground. dawn decides that the bayard family haunts the island & the lake. she also gives claudia the idea to dress the motor boat up like the lake monster, & the little speed boat wins "most spirit" in the boat parade.

mallory is constantly besieged by bugs & fashions herself an embarrassing insect-repelling outfit involving a safari hat, gardening gloves, & mosquito netting.

jessi meet a cute boy named daniel & teaches him how to dance. but as she gets to know him better, she realizes they have nothing in common & that she'd be better off being true to quint, her ballet-dancing semi-boyfriend in new york city. jessi & daniel attend a lake dance at the end of her stay, where she attempts to break the news to him. but it turns out he has a girlfriend back home in boston. well, that's awkward. but they dance & have a nice night anyway.

stacey is constantly plagued by kristy's brother sam, who won't stop teasing her. finally he admits that he LIKE likes her, & she is confused. she used to have a crush on him, but he acted so goofy, she doesn't know what to think anymore. but they dance at the lake dance, all night, & now stacey is in L-U-V again. at least until the next book.

in a horrifying turn of events, karen gets a few chapters. they're about how the three musketeers ditched mary anne while she was sitting for them & went into the woods & found a little playhouse. since karen, hannie, & nancy really know how to party, they decide to make a project of fixing it up, cleaning it, hanging curtains, & weeding the grass patch by the door. they don't want david michael & his friends to find the playhouse...but they do, & they want it. the girls refuse to relinquish it, so...

david michael has a few chapters about how the boys make a bet with the girls. the boys are going to build their own little house in the woods, & if it's better than the girls' playhouse, the girls will have to do the boys' chores for a whole month. if it sucks, the boys will do their girls' chores. of course, because these kids are like seven years old, their house sucks. & linny & nicky won't stop fighting with each other. after the girls confer, they agree to call off the bet after the boys concede the suckiness of their house. also, the boys built their house in part by nailing boards directly into tree trunks. won't that kill the trees? not cool, kids. not cool at all.

there's also abit about the babysitters going to the bayards' island one night & staying overnight. they think they see a ghost in the woods, & in the morning, dawn finds a locket inscribed with the initials "A.B.". she gives it to the old man at the general store.

kristy prints out the diary with red ink (which i'm sure watson loved--colored printer ink doesn't come cheap) & gives it to him. he is impressed & tells his aunt & uncle that he would be honored to accept the lake house. he also send them a copy of the diary & calls kristy his daughter. kristy is really happy about that last bit.

this book had its moments, but these girls seriously lead the most unrealistically charmed life. a lake house that sleeps 25 just falling into your lap like that? damn. & really, any book that features karen narration is automatically docked a few points.

[Kristy]

2025 Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book that reminds you of your childhood.

My childhood was definitely full of Babysitters Club. I don’t remember if I’d read this one before, but it’s crazy the memories that unlock when I see everyone’s handwriting. I swear I’ll be super old and still remember all the club members’ full names, ages, positions in the club, and their handwriting. Speaking of which - do kids today still read these, and is the handwriting the same? I read something about kids not learning how to read or write cursive ….

[✨Jordan✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kristy and the whole gang are heading to Shadow Lake for two glorious weeks of vacation! Well…of course they will be in charge of Kristys younger siblings as well as some of their friends.

I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this book (bummer that it wasn’t solved though). I enjoyed the all monster as well. I loved how each person wrote diary entries and had each of their own storylines through the book.

As always I got so much nostalgia and can’t wait to read the next one.

[✨Jinglemarco✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Between 2 and 3 stars. Nice summer vacation novel, but not very memorable.

[E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable book.

I just love these books, the stories are always fun and quick. They never get old.
I think everyone should read these for a great time.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the greatest BSC Super Special of all time.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again the Baby-Sitters Club takes care of kids, mostly their younger siblings this time at Watson's potential summer house on the banks of Shadow Lake. The girls get mixed up in a boat parade and in a mysterious house on an island in the lake that burnt down and the might be haunted by ghosts. Meanwhile Kristy's older brother Sam likes Stacey but his methods of attracting her attention aren't perhaps the best; flicking soggy Cherios at a girl isn't a good way to get her to like you. Can everything be resolved in a way as to maximise the potential happiness for everyone? Yes it can!

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty hilarious vacation, but I think the BSC left their sensitivity back in Stoneybrook.

My Favorite Book Outfits

pg. 11-12: pink tank top over a white tank top, neon pink and black bicycle shorts, 3 multicolored flop socks, and Day-Glo yellow sneakers (Claudia)


pg. 12: black leggings, long black starfish T-shirt, black flop socks, and high-tops (Stacey)


pg. 216: jean skirt, yellow tank top, flop socks, and high-tops (Jessi)

[Christina]

Read my recap at A Year with the BSC via Stoneybrook Forever: https://www.livethemovies.com/bsc-blo...

PopSugar 2020 Reading Challenge: A book with more than 20 letters in its title; A book published in the 20th Century; A book from a series with more than 20 books

[lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wealthy Watson's wealthy aunt offers to leave him a cabin in her will, but only if he's willing to take on the responsibility of a second home, which he's not sure he's ready to do. He takes his family on a vacation to the cabin, which is part of a lake community called Shadow Lake, to decide what he wants to do. And of course, the rest of the BSC worm their way into the Brewer/Thomas family vacation by offering free baby sitting services, which Watson and Elizabeth take them up on. Why should they look after their own children when they have a bevy of free nannies?


Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
My parents bought this for me while we were visiting my grandmother in California the summer I was eight. My grandmother's community had a lake which I promptly started calling Shadow Lake. There's actually a photo of me reading this book while lying on a surfboard in the middle of the lake.

Dawn becoming interested in the Lake Monster and the mystery of the family that disappeared from the community. As a kid the story of the disappearing family freaked me out, especially since I was used to the BSC mysteries having some kind of conclusion/reasonable explanation, and this mystery remained a mystery (I believe for the rest of the series).

Sam teasing Stacey so much because he liked her. Sam gets his own chapter in this Super Special, so you get to hear all about how he's head over heels in love with Stacey. As a kid I thought this was the most romantic thing ever, especially when Sam and Stacey dance together all night on their last night in Shadow Lake. The eight year old me couldn't wait to be thirteen and dance all evening with a handsome boy. I also remember Sam saying something about Stacey's hair and clothes being icing on a cake, which made me picture a cake with hair icing and cloth roses. Gross. Also I remember that Stacey and Claudia worked out a signal so that if Stacey blinked at Claudia, Claudia would know to come rescue Stacey from Sam. I thought this was really stupid as a kid because it is so easy to blink at someone and not be aware of it. As a kid I also knew of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry and Elaine pat their heads as a signal to rescue each other from bad conversations at a party, which I also thought was stupid because it looks so ridiculous and obvious. What's the signal that falls between these two?

I remember Dawn listing a bunch of colloquialisms for insanity to refer to Kristy's idea to go camping on the island where the family disappeared. (A few bricks short of the load, not playing with a full deck, etc.) I loved these as a kid and I used them constantly throughout my third grade year. I probably drove everyone crazy.


Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
Once again the financial cost, and parental responsibility of a BSC vacation confuses me. Watson is perfectly willing to let all his kids bring along their friends for two weeks. Most of these extra kids are teenage girls who have already proved (in California Girls!) that when let loose from tidy little Stoneybrook without their parents, they can go a little wild. Shopping sprees, dates with random boys they've barely met, and speeding around in a hot rod, would make me think twice before agreeing to be responsible for them for two weeks. On the other hand, they are taking on the task of watching the kids for most of the two weeks, so I guess they stay busy enough. Also, it doesn't sound like the meals at the lodge are free, so is Watson paying for them, or are the baby sitters chipping in? I guess not, or they wouldn't be baby sitting for free.

I'm even more confused by Watson's family cabin. I've already concluded that Watson comes from old money. (I came to this conclusion partly because Watson's mansion has been in the family long enough that one of his ancestors, Ben Brewer, haunts the third floor.) I assume his whole family is loaded, and that Watson's job mostly consists of keeping an eye on their companies and assets and so forth. So it makes sense that Watson's aunt owns more than one house, and that she presumably "summers" on Shadow Lake, which sounds like it might be the country club gated portion of a larger town. And it makes sense that she would leave her summer home to Watson. What doesn't make sense is why her cabin (which sounds more spacious than the house I live in) would have TWO dorm rooms with bunk beds. That's a lot of space to give up. Did she have swarms of children visiting her every summer? I would think a childless couple (Watson and Aunt Faith make no mention of Watson having cousins he would have played with in the summer, leading me to think Faith and Pierson didn't have any) who sounds like they're pretty old would have used all the dorm space for something else like a library, or a greenhouse. Why let all that space go to waste? On the other hand maybe they rented out their house to local schools or something. It just seems awfully convenient that a summer home has plenty of space for the baby sitters and all their charges to take over.

As a kid I was very dismissive of Jessi's romance since it completely took a backseat to the Stacey/Sam drama, but as an adult I thought this story line was well done. Jessi becomes slightly obsessed and very distracted over Daniel, a handsome boy she sees at Shadow Lake. She feels a little guilty because of Quint, the ballet dancer she met in New York. She realizes pretty quickly that she has nothing in common with Daniel (he hates to read, he doesn't like kids other than his sister, and he loves basketball) but she still enjoys what she perceives as the flirting between the two of them. If she were older she would be sexually attracted to Daniel in a big way, despite her nice, sweet boyfriend waiting for her, but she's only eleven, so she doesn't know what's going on and she handles the whole thing pretty badly. She spends lots of time with Daniel (I mean, I assume she does; Jessi doesn't have much page time in this book, but it seems like the group mentions Daniel hanging out with Jessi a lot throughout the book) but at the end of her vacation she decides to make a big speech to Daniel about how she can't be his girlfriend. She just doesn't like him the way she likes Quint. And Daniel is really confused because. . . he only thought of Jessi as a friend. He has a girlfriend back home, in Boston. Jessi is mortified that Daniel must now think she's completely self-centered because she thought she was so irresistible. She is so embarrassed that she doesn't even tell the other baby sitters what happened. But I think of this as being a great example of the pratfalls of some friendships. People far older and wiser than little Jessi Ramsey have fallen into this same trap, where they are sure a friendly gesture means something so much more. Jessi was so attracted to Daniel initially that she thought the attraction ran both ways, and that it was up to her to put a stop to things. Also, Daniel was being awfully friendly to her, asking to a dance, and putting his arms around her, and I probably would have thought he was interested in me too, especially if I was interested in him. Daniel appears to brush off Jessi's blundering speech, and Jessi manages (finally) to be cool about the whole misunderstanding, but I notice that in the letters at the end of the book Jessi exchanges letters with Quint, not Daniel.

Dawn drives me nuts in this book, and she appears to drive the baby sitters nuts too. I wonder if at some point she will be diagnosed with some kind of psychotic or delusional issue, because she makes NO SENSE in this book. She comes to Shadow Lake bound and determined to find a mystery or a ghost, and bugs everyone she sees until she finds one. (She also keeps trying to correct Emily Michelle, who she thinks is mispronouncing "boat" unaware that Emily Michelle knows perfectly well the difference between "boat" and "boot", and is trying to tell Dawn that one of the boats at the dock is decorated with cowboy boots. Let a two year old be a two year old, Dawn, sheesh.) When the baby sitters decide to spend a night on the island where the Bayards disappeared she insists on coming, but she acts like a hysterical shrew the entire time. She freaks out over the smallest things, including tree branches falling, and rabbits running through the bushes. ("Ghost eyes! The ghosts of the Bayards are here!" is the first thing she thinks when she sees fireflies. OH MY GOD, DAWN!) She keeps saying she's seen a Lake Monster, and she can feel the spirits of the Bayards, but I think she's suffering delusions. I've suspected Sharon of being mentally unstable since I started rereading these books, and I wonder if Dawn also has some mental health problems that are coming to the surface. The other baby sitters are weirded out by the mystery, and they are shaken by the evidence of the destroyed Bayard property. They offer up various theories (UFO abductions, serial killers in the night) but they clearly don't care much about it. Dawn is the only one who really looses her mind over it, and becomes obsessed with everyone's safety from the ghosts.

Karen refers to the dance at the lodge as a casualty, which I found very funny.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why did there need to be seven babysitters for eight children, most of the whom were in second or third grade? I wished Jessi and Mallory had stayed behind. Mallory was annoying, complaining about bug bites and wearing a ridiculous outfit to repel insects. Jessi met a cute boy with whom she had nothing in common, and kept reminding herself not to flirt with she was in a committed relationship with Quint.

Stacey's boy drama overshadowed Jessi's. When she was in seventh grade, Stacey had a crush on Kristy's brother Sam. She was not sure she liked Sam anymore though because his way of showing his affection (teasing her, whistling at her in a bathing suit, throwing food at her, etc.) made her feel uncomfortable. The idea that "maybe he's teasing you because he likes you" is harmful. It bothered me that Sam refused to respect Stacey, but Stacey attended the Shadow Lake lodge dance with him anyway and fell in L-U-V with him because he was cute.

Another harmful message presented was when Kristy body shamed her mother and anyone else over thirty who chose to wear a bikini.

I, for one, do not wear bikinis. I do not think anyone should, really, especially if they are past thirty. But, in all honesty, my mom looked pretty good – for an over-thirty mother. Maybe I will wear a bikini one day, but only after I actually have a chest. . . . At the rate I’m growing, though, I probably won’t have a chest until I’m, like, twenty-eight, and then there’ll just be a measly two-year window of time in which to find and wear a bikini.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s time for another Super Special, wahoo!! And I read this way back in November, so I don’t remember any of it haha. Okay this is another one where mega-millionaire Watson Brewer pays for the entire BSC to go on vacation. You know, I question his motives sometimes. At least this time it’s mostly free…his aunt is selling her lake home and wants to see if Watson wants it instead. Kristy talks him into going for a few weeks and of course, bringing along her friends to “baby-sit”.

The cabin on Shadow Lake is “…like a house. I mean, it’s large. …it must be able to sleep twenty-five people.” Yeah, we’re in McMansion cabins here y’all. Where does Watson get his money? I know he’s some big-shot lawyer or something (I’m just guessing on that, because all the Stoneybrook dads are lawyers.) But his family is rich too. Maybe they’re oil tycoons. No, that’s in the South. Tea? Slaves? Probably. Okay, anyway! Watson agrees to the vacation and Kristy decides to write a stupid travel journal to show him what an amazing time they have. I wonder if he requires these essays on just weekend trips too?

Karen brings along her 2 BFF’s, Hannie and Nancy. David Michael brings Nicky Pike and Linny Papadakis. Kristy brings every single person in the Baby-Sitters Club. Okay, not Logan and Shannon but no one cares about them anyway. So at the last meeting before vacation, we get a What Claudia is Wearing plus Stacey, summer edition.

Claud was wearing a pink tank top over a white tank top and a pair of neon pink-and-black bicycle shorts. Also, she was wearing three pairs of flop socks arranged so that her ankles looked like multicolored ice cream cones. Her sneakers were Day-Glo yellow.

Stacey was wearing a simple (for her) outfit – black leggings, a long black T-shirt with a brilliant starfish swooping across the front, black flop socks, and high-tops.
“Doesn’t black absorb heat?” I asked Stacey. Isn’t that why people wear a lot of white in the summertime? Because it reflects the sunlight or something? You must be boiling.”
“Yeah, but I look good,” she replied, and everyone laughed.


Alright. It’s vacation day and they’re having to travel in a convoy of 3 cars because Kristy was so selfish and brought so many people. (Does she know how much food costs? I don’t think so.) Oh and they brought Boo Boo and Shannon the dog along too. Who brings a cranky old cat on vacation, to a lake house? Dawn is riding with Stacey, Watson, and the Three Musketeers. She’s totally intrigued by the lake and how it got its name and she just knows there’s a mystery somewhere and she’s determined to find it.

When they get to the house, they split girls and boys into the two dormitory style rooms. Even though there are way more girls than boys. Andrew is upset because it’s not a real log cabin. Jessi is designated as the one to find a boy on this vacation. Because he’s black. And Jessi is black. That’s how it works in BSCLand. Stacey has to deal with Sam the flirt and at first is annoyed by his “Dahling, you look ravishing” act but it starts to grow on her. I don’t remember them actually dating, but I guess they do. Kind of creepy.

Mary Anne gets the baby-sitting scare of the trip when the 3 younger girls go off on their own in the woods. But they just found an old semi-built cabin that they wanted to turn into a clubhouse. The 3 boys are jealous and want to build their own and even bet the girls that they can do better. Of course, they don’t. The boys don’t get along all together, and they don’t really know what they’re doing building the clubhouse, so of course it turns into a huge mess.

Mallory’s entire story-line consists of her getting eaten by lots and lots of bugs. Seriously, that’s all she gets. Claudia decorates the family boat as the Loch Ness monster and enters it in a contest against all the big fancy boats. She wins a prize for “Most Spirit”…you know, the pity prize.

Dawn finally finds her mystery: an entire family disappeared from their home one night, off the island in the middle of the lake, and no one knows how or why. And of course, Dawn decides the BSC should go spend the night on that island. By themselves. But then when the time comes, she freaks out and changes her mind. Kind of unusual for her, to get scared. She didn’t freak out when she was hearing noises inside her bedroom walls. She does end up going with the other girls of course and having fun, in between getting scared silly. She also finds an old locket in the rubble of the burned down house that belonged to the young girl who disappeared there. The ghost is communicating with her or something.

In other news, Kristy body shames her mother for wearing a bikini and ruminates on whether she’d ever wear one: I, for one, do not wear bikinis. I do not think anyone should, really, especially if they are past thirty. But, in all honesty, my mom looked pretty good – for an over-thirty mother. Maybe I will wear a bikini one day, but only after I actually have a chest. When you’re as flat as I am, there is no sense in wearing a skimpy little top. Why should I, when I don’t even need a bra yet? At the rate I’m growing, though, I probably won’t have a chest until I’m, like, twenty-eight, and then there’ll just be a measly two-year window of time in which to find and wear a bikini.

The book ends with a dance at the local lodge. Stacey and Sam slow dance together and it’s totally dreamy, Jessi thinks her boy is going to “profess his love for her” (spoiler: he doesn’t), and everyone has lots of fun. They return home to Stoneybrook the next day, Kristy forces everyone to spell check their essays before they turn them in to her, Watson agrees to keep the cabin, and all is well or whatever. Hey, you know what this means? Next up is another Baby-Sitters Club: All Grown Up edition! And boy, will you be shocked at what happens to this person. 😉

Blogged at SeeJennRead!!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to really like this book as a kid, because I used to spend chunks of my summer at the lake. We didn't have a fancy cabin, just tent camping, but still. I could sort of see the charm of a place like that, since the lake also vastly appealed to me. I still like to go there, but just to swim or maybe boat. Camping is no longer my thing. In a cabin that sleeps 25 though, it just might become a thing I'd do again.

The BSC sure have some good luck. I mean what are the odds that this cabin would have actual dorms with like six sets of bunk beds in each? Pretty good luck, girls. Pretty good.

Anyway, this book featured a couple of chapters from Karen Brewer, who I will forever hold a personal vendetta against. I'm not over it, and I never will be. I hate you.

[Lianna Kendig · Rating 3 out of 5]

(LL)
Another average camp story. Nothing special in this book, unfortunately. I’m sure the target audience (8-13) would enjoy the story though. The premise wasn’t completely unrealistic, but letting children stay the night alone on an island in sleeping bags?? Please.

As an aside: David Michael is very young to be a narrator in general, however, his chapters read the same as everyone else’s. (That is not a good thing.) All the characters have the same voice in the regular series too, which isn’t great, but for Karen, Byron, and David Michael to all sound the same and eleven and thirteen year olds shows the writing skills of the ghostwriters aren’t the greatest. It was fun to read from Sam’s perspective, and it was the only narrator to have a different voice than all the rest of the super specials combined.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simplistic story about the babysitters heading to a big ass inherited lake cottage with Kristy's stepfather and the entire Thomas-Brewer family for a couple of weeks. Almost gave it 3 stars because the story wasn't bad and fans of the series will likely be fine with the book, but I didn't love this one- didn't care for subplots of Dawn/Mallory/Jessi at all (wants to find a ghost/gets attacked by bugs/likes a boy who isn't Quint), and there was an awful lot of Karen Brewer to deal with. The Stacey-Sam relationship is fun, but stereotypically problematic in that late 80s/early 90s way about consent and actually treating girls like human beings.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, the BSC and Kristy's family are in Massachusetts. The member of the BSC spend a night on an island in the middle of the lake. They also participate in a boat parade. Everyone in the group goes to a dance on the last night. Stacey and Sam begin a romantic relationship, which was cute. Dawn tries to solve a mystery. Jessi gives a boy dance lessons. Claudia, Kristy, Mary Anne, and Mallory takes turns baby-sitting the eight children under eight years old.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored the super specials when I was a kid, and I love how they show each of the girls to be smart and capable of thinking for themselves. There were over 200 of these books written besides the regular books, super specials, etc, so you do have to suspend disbelief that all of their adventures happened in about 1.5 years lol! The super specials especially read almost like fan fiction rather than continuing a story line from previous books.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, Kristys stepfathers aunt and uncle write to him to let him know that they plan to leave the family cabin to him in their will. So obviously the babysitters club as well as kristys brothers and sisters decide to take a trip for 2 weeks. Everyone loved the cabin and lake.

[Devon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another Super Special that mostly re-tread material from other Super Specials. Although, I did like the addition of Emily Michelle and Andrew this time around. It's a little sad though that I was enjoying Mallory's books a lot until she's suddenly become a pest in the past few (although I feel her about being a magnet for bugs).

[Jill Arabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute

Has cute mini adventures of all the babysitters and their family. It would have been more interesting had Dawn's mystery been resolved somehow. I enjoy catching up on youthful books I missed out on growing up.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reread this with my eleven year old and really enjoyed experiencing it a second time. A lot of stuff I'd honestly forgotten. I love super specials because you get to see the same experience through multiple eyes, including some of the younger kids this time.