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The Baby-Sitters Club #113
Claudia Makes Up Her Mind
Claudia loves seventh grade now. She has great new friends, solid grades, and even a steady boyfriend, Mark. Suddenly, she's offered the chance to return to the eighth grade. It's an easy choice, right? Her friends in the BSC think so. But her seventh grade friends don't. Claudia's worried about handling the work, too. And what about Mark?
This is turning out to be one of the hardest decisions Claudia has ever made.
This is turning out to be one of the hardest decisions Claudia has ever made.
135 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1997
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,141 books3,107 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 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 28, 2024
Este es un 3.5
January 20, 2026
i'm not sure i ever read this one when i was younger since it was later in the series - claudia remains a top tier bsc character and her voice is probably the most well thought out over the series. she's faced with a lot of tough decisions but my girl trusts her gut and i'm proud :)
September 7, 2021
Great reread
I usually give the BSC books a standard rating but this one was really good. Super fast read with a great plot. The only unrealistic part was the idea of Claudia being asked to go back to 8th grade after just being placed in 7th. The social implications of this would make it nearly impossible to do now days. Josh as a character is great and I'm happy that Claudia realized Mark was not the one.
I usually give the BSC books a standard rating but this one was really good. Super fast read with a great plot. The only unrealistic part was the idea of Claudia being asked to go back to 8th grade after just being placed in 7th. The social implications of this would make it nearly impossible to do now days. Josh as a character is great and I'm happy that Claudia realized Mark was not the one.
June 23, 2011
yay! another claudia book! it's just a shame that we're getting toward the end of the series & the books are seriously declining in quality.
claudia has two big decisions to make in this book. 1) her guidance counselor requests a meeting. claudia is doing really well in the seventh grade, keeping up with schoolwork & maintaining pretty good grades. the counselor suggests that claudia return to the eighth grade. which makes sense, right? the girl was struggling so much that she was sent back a grade in the middle of the school year. once her academic situation has stabilized & she's had some time to adjust to the upheaval, why not bump her up again the grade level that she obviously could not handle? there's nothing that helps a struggling & disenchanted student more than her school administrators totally fucking with her sense of routine every chance they get. it's also worth noting that this book is set shortly before xmas. which means that claudia has been in the seventh grade for all of about a month. the counselor tells claudia that the school will tutor her in all of her subjects to help get her up to speed on the eighth grade work she has missed. in what world does this seem like a good idea for any purpose other than reuniting claudia in grade level with the other older members of the babysitters club?
the other big decision: claudia is dating mark jaffe, seventh grade king, but one of her seventh grade friends spills the beans that her friend josh has a monster crush on her. claudia totally doesn't buy it at first, & then she thinks she doesn't care, because she likes mark. but mark is kind of a doofus, always canceling dates & not really there for claudia when she needs him. josh, on the other hand, has been a great friend, & while he may not be classically handsome like mark, claudia thinks he's cute. she doesn't know how to proceed.
while she grapples with these decisions, the stoneybrook middle school color war is happening. each grade chooses a color & then they compete in various contests to score points. the grade with the most points in the end wins. the school will donate some money to the charity of the grade's choice or something. it's unclear to me where a public school is getting money to donate to a charity or how that is even legal, considering that schools are funded by taxpayers, but whatever. claudia decides that because she & mark are the seventh grade queen & king, they should head up the seventh grade color war team & pump up everyone's team spirit. mark agrees to help, but predictably flakes out every chance he gets. & claudia is confused, because she is thinking about returning to the eighth grade even while she is trying to lead the seventh grade to victory in the color war.
after like four broken dates, claudia finally has a heart-to-heart with mark & tells him that the dating thing is not really panning out. he is surprised, but understanding & they part on good terms. the next day, josh can no longer contain himself & confesses his crush to claudia, while acknowledging that nothing will happen because she is dating mark. she explains that she & mark split up, & that she likes josh now. they kiss in front of everyone. yuck.
claudia consults all her friends for advice about whether or not to return to the eigth grade, but is frustrated because everyone's advice dovetails with what they want for themselves in terms of their relationship with claudia. her eigth grade friends want her in eighth grade, while her seventh grade friends want her in seventh grade. josh finally tells her that if she thinks she can handle the eighth grade work & going back to eighth grade would make her happy, that's what she should do, & he will be her friend even if they have to eat lunch during separate periods. claudia is impressed by josh's thoughtfulness & maturity. she considers his questions & decides she can cope with the more advanced work & will be happier in eighth grade, so is bumped back up. & the seventh graders win the color war.
i will add that the sixth grade class chose white as their color war color, & they do a lot of chants like, "fight for white!" & "white is right!" um...that's kind of uncomfy, guys.
claudia has two big decisions to make in this book. 1) her guidance counselor requests a meeting. claudia is doing really well in the seventh grade, keeping up with schoolwork & maintaining pretty good grades. the counselor suggests that claudia return to the eighth grade. which makes sense, right? the girl was struggling so much that she was sent back a grade in the middle of the school year. once her academic situation has stabilized & she's had some time to adjust to the upheaval, why not bump her up again the grade level that she obviously could not handle? there's nothing that helps a struggling & disenchanted student more than her school administrators totally fucking with her sense of routine every chance they get. it's also worth noting that this book is set shortly before xmas. which means that claudia has been in the seventh grade for all of about a month. the counselor tells claudia that the school will tutor her in all of her subjects to help get her up to speed on the eighth grade work she has missed. in what world does this seem like a good idea for any purpose other than reuniting claudia in grade level with the other older members of the babysitters club?
the other big decision: claudia is dating mark jaffe, seventh grade king, but one of her seventh grade friends spills the beans that her friend josh has a monster crush on her. claudia totally doesn't buy it at first, & then she thinks she doesn't care, because she likes mark. but mark is kind of a doofus, always canceling dates & not really there for claudia when she needs him. josh, on the other hand, has been a great friend, & while he may not be classically handsome like mark, claudia thinks he's cute. she doesn't know how to proceed.
while she grapples with these decisions, the stoneybrook middle school color war is happening. each grade chooses a color & then they compete in various contests to score points. the grade with the most points in the end wins. the school will donate some money to the charity of the grade's choice or something. it's unclear to me where a public school is getting money to donate to a charity or how that is even legal, considering that schools are funded by taxpayers, but whatever. claudia decides that because she & mark are the seventh grade queen & king, they should head up the seventh grade color war team & pump up everyone's team spirit. mark agrees to help, but predictably flakes out every chance he gets. & claudia is confused, because she is thinking about returning to the eighth grade even while she is trying to lead the seventh grade to victory in the color war.
after like four broken dates, claudia finally has a heart-to-heart with mark & tells him that the dating thing is not really panning out. he is surprised, but understanding & they part on good terms. the next day, josh can no longer contain himself & confesses his crush to claudia, while acknowledging that nothing will happen because she is dating mark. she explains that she & mark split up, & that she likes josh now. they kiss in front of everyone. yuck.
claudia consults all her friends for advice about whether or not to return to the eigth grade, but is frustrated because everyone's advice dovetails with what they want for themselves in terms of their relationship with claudia. her eigth grade friends want her in eighth grade, while her seventh grade friends want her in seventh grade. josh finally tells her that if she thinks she can handle the eighth grade work & going back to eighth grade would make her happy, that's what she should do, & he will be her friend even if they have to eat lunch during separate periods. claudia is impressed by josh's thoughtfulness & maturity. she considers his questions & decides she can cope with the more advanced work & will be happier in eighth grade, so is bumped back up. & the seventh graders win the color war.
i will add that the sixth grade class chose white as their color war color, & they do a lot of chants like, "fight for white!" & "white is right!" um...that's kind of uncomfy, guys.
June 25, 2018
in this book by ghostwriter Peter Lerangis, claudia has to make some life-altering decisions. just when she’s thrown herself into planning as the head of the 7th grade for color war, the school tells her that they’re so impressed with her progress that if she’d like to she’s welcome to move back to 8th grade. her relationship with mark is fizzling out, but she starts to notice that her very own duckie, josh, has a big crush on her and is maybe kind of cute and is maybe a real person (for instance, he tells claudia he was sad when his grandfather died -- hhoooookay, buddy). all of her 7th grade friends start avoiding her and trying to coach josh through interactions with her, which is super creepy. claud spends most of the book uncertain about whether she should break up with mark/date josh (as though those things are mutually inclusive) and whether she should move to 8th grade. eventually she and mark break up and it’s really no big deal. then the 7th grade wins the color war, and she and josh decide to give dating a try, and she decides to move back to 8th grade. the subplot is that the bsc throw a kids color war for the bsc charges. abby’s mom donates children’s books as the prize from her publishing company, and the bsc members decide all the kids tied, so they donate the books to the chosen charities for all the different kids.
highlights:
-emily bernstein's contribution to the color war limerick contest: there once was a fellow named ed / who had a bad nightmare in bed / he twisted and wrangled / his pjs got tangled / and he woke with his pants on his head
-when claud and josh are in the three-legged race josh uses a joan miro scarf to impress claudia. okay, I get why she is considering dating him.
-peter loves to write romance, and you can tell by lines like these: "I'd never seen his eyes quite that way. if they had been hands, they would have been holding me gently, the way you hold a flower. if they had been a blanket, they would have been covering me to protect against the cold."
lowlights/nitpicks:
-claudia has "a solitary cornrow hanging off my temple" -- does peter know what a cornrow is? I think he thinks it’s a small braid that could actually hang off your temple, not what it actually is i.e. a braid that’s attached to the scalp throughout the braid
-the kids know the bsc are planning a color war for them so they plan it behind the bsc members' backs. and the bsc members make it happen for them anyway, and do all the planning last-minute for them. once again they are too accommodating, just like they were about the marching band in Don't Give Up, Mallory
-josh has been this total goofball, and then out of nowhere brings up that he can be serious, like when his grandfather died. I’m sorry, but does claudia really fall for this kind of out-of-nowhere fake sincerity? it just rings untrue to me.
jackie rodowsky disasters:
-giggles at his own joke so intensely that he falls on the ground and is directly in the way of adam pike's hit in the home run derby. jackie takes a baseball to the butt.
-throws his bat up in the air in celebration after hitting a home run. the bat comes crashing down and hits a checkers game in the speed checkers match.
claudia outfits:
-"That day, for instance, I was wearing a dark plaid skirt I'd picked up in a thrift shop; purple leggings; high, lace-up boots; a long-sleeved, white linen shirt with a solid black tie; and an oversized man's vest."
-"...I...had actually found a cool orange outfit - right in my closet. It was an electric orange rayon bowling ensemble I'd bought at a flea market and almost forgotten about."
snacks in claudia’s room:
-candy corn in her desk drawer
-marshmallow jack-o-lanterns in her backpack
-orange lollipops in her backpack
-doritos in her backpack
-orange soda in her backpack
-carrots in her backpack
-heath bars in her backpack
highlights:
-emily bernstein's contribution to the color war limerick contest: there once was a fellow named ed / who had a bad nightmare in bed / he twisted and wrangled / his pjs got tangled / and he woke with his pants on his head
-when claud and josh are in the three-legged race josh uses a joan miro scarf to impress claudia. okay, I get why she is considering dating him.
-peter loves to write romance, and you can tell by lines like these: "I'd never seen his eyes quite that way. if they had been hands, they would have been holding me gently, the way you hold a flower. if they had been a blanket, they would have been covering me to protect against the cold."
lowlights/nitpicks:
-claudia has "a solitary cornrow hanging off my temple" -- does peter know what a cornrow is? I think he thinks it’s a small braid that could actually hang off your temple, not what it actually is i.e. a braid that’s attached to the scalp throughout the braid
-the kids know the bsc are planning a color war for them so they plan it behind the bsc members' backs. and the bsc members make it happen for them anyway, and do all the planning last-minute for them. once again they are too accommodating, just like they were about the marching band in Don't Give Up, Mallory
-josh has been this total goofball, and then out of nowhere brings up that he can be serious, like when his grandfather died. I’m sorry, but does claudia really fall for this kind of out-of-nowhere fake sincerity? it just rings untrue to me.
jackie rodowsky disasters:
-giggles at his own joke so intensely that he falls on the ground and is directly in the way of adam pike's hit in the home run derby. jackie takes a baseball to the butt.
-throws his bat up in the air in celebration after hitting a home run. the bat comes crashing down and hits a checkers game in the speed checkers match.
claudia outfits:
-"That day, for instance, I was wearing a dark plaid skirt I'd picked up in a thrift shop; purple leggings; high, lace-up boots; a long-sleeved, white linen shirt with a solid black tie; and an oversized man's vest."
-"...I...had actually found a cool orange outfit - right in my closet. It was an electric orange rayon bowling ensemble I'd bought at a flea market and almost forgotten about."
snacks in claudia’s room:
-candy corn in her desk drawer
-marshmallow jack-o-lanterns in her backpack
-orange lollipops in her backpack
-doritos in her backpack
-orange soda in her backpack
-carrots in her backpack
-heath bars in her backpack
April 24, 2023
I know this is fiction, and I know the girls were in eighth grade for almost 15 years, but wouldn't this be totally disruptive to Claudia's education? Especially since we know she's back in danger of flunking by
Graduation Day
. I mean, I love this plotline and Claud's other friends, but I can't see how flip-flopping grades helps Claudia academically. (I know, I know, it's fiction and it's all for the ~drama. And I love it!)
Actually, my main gripe is Mark. Not only is he a suck-ass character in general, but the fact that he hasn't been mentioned as being Claudia's boyfriend since Claudia, Queen of the Seventh Grade shows that he's a suck-ass boyfriend too lol. He got mentioned in Kristy and the Sister War as Claud's "sort-of" boyfriend, but he's never gotten a mention in Chapter Two - heck, Claud didn't even mention him in Claudia and the Mystery in the Painting , and that came out the month before this one! I never got the appeal anyway, he was lazy and self-centered. "Oh but he had a cute smile." You can do better than that, Claudia!
It's been a long time since I've read these later books, so my memory is fuzzy. I just hope now that (spoiler alert lol) Claudia's going back to the eighth grade, we don't stop hearing about her seventh-grade friends. (But then, I'm a sucker for non-Club friends.)
Actually, my main gripe is Mark. Not only is he a suck-ass character in general, but the fact that he hasn't been mentioned as being Claudia's boyfriend since Claudia, Queen of the Seventh Grade shows that he's a suck-ass boyfriend too lol. He got mentioned in Kristy and the Sister War as Claud's "sort-of" boyfriend, but he's never gotten a mention in Chapter Two - heck, Claud didn't even mention him in Claudia and the Mystery in the Painting , and that came out the month before this one! I never got the appeal anyway, he was lazy and self-centered. "Oh but he had a cute smile." You can do better than that, Claudia!
It's been a long time since I've read these later books, so my memory is fuzzy. I just hope now that (spoiler alert lol) Claudia's going back to the eighth grade, we don't stop hearing about her seventh-grade friends. (But then, I'm a sucker for non-Club friends.)
January 18, 2021
(LL)
The only time I rate these books low is if the messages are terrible or the plot is completely unrealistic. This one is completely unrealistic: no one flips form grade to grade like this. There is no way they would just let Claudia go back to eighth grade after a month or two in seventh grade, especially not when they say she’d need lots of tutors for weeks.
At least Josh finally revealed his obvious feelings for Claudia. Her and Mark broke up after not being on the same page out of nowhere too.
The only time I rate these books low is if the messages are terrible or the plot is completely unrealistic. This one is completely unrealistic: no one flips form grade to grade like this. There is no way they would just let Claudia go back to eighth grade after a month or two in seventh grade, especially not when they say she’d need lots of tutors for weeks.
At least Josh finally revealed his obvious feelings for Claudia. Her and Mark broke up after not being on the same page out of nowhere too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2024
Honestly, I don't remember the book that preceded this one plot wise (with, spoiler alert, Claudia becoming Queen of the 7th Grade) so I spent this one a little confused. Honestly, for a Claudia book that actually has ramifications for the ~plot~ of the series this one was pretty weak. It was highly telegraphed what choice Claudia would make, and the fact that we're still pretending this could all happen in one school year is pretty silly.
That said, it did have some cute points. Not the worst BSC book but definitely not the best.
That said, it did have some cute points. Not the worst BSC book but definitely not the best.
September 30, 2024
Claudia should've stayed in 7th grade. She needs the thorough grounding in basics, and jumping back mid-year is just going to make 8th grade even tougher. Personal story: Between 7th and 8th grade I moved out of "advanced" math down to "regular" math, effectively covering the same curriculum twice. But for the rest of high school, I was nearly top of the "regular" math class, because that repeat year taught me the basics properly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2017
I liked this story arc well enough at the time, but as an adult I really understand how how convoluted it was. Throw Claudia back to 7th grade! Then randomly decide she's gotten better at school enough to sender back into 8th! Even in the BSC world this was a bit much for me. I read it though, and I liked it.
Ann M. Martin had me over a barrel; that bitch.
Ann M. Martin had me over a barrel; that bitch.
March 18, 2023
When I was 10 I joined a readers club/group where we got a new book every week. I chose The babysitters club.
The books are fantastic! So enjoyable. I loved getting the book every week. They are super quick reads and I was able to read it in one day.
Highly recommend for young teenagers to read or even younger if they are able too read well.
The books are fantastic! So enjoyable. I loved getting the book every week. They are super quick reads and I was able to read it in one day.
Highly recommend for young teenagers to read or even younger if they are able too read well.
March 11, 2023
Claudia is facing two decisions: to go back to 8th grade or stay in 7th and to date either Mark or Josh. While contemplating her options, she also has to help her grade participate in the SMS Color War.
July 4, 2019
I love all these books. Claudia isn't my favorite character, but somehow, her books always seem to be the best!
November 24, 2019
Review on www.audible.com please listen to this book
Read
March 23, 2021Read my recap at A Year with the BSC via Stoneybrook Forever: www.livethemovies.com/bsc-blog/claudi...
June 26, 2023
Good story. Nice to see the few months back in 7th grade helped Claudia catch up to the point that she can return to 8th. And the budding crush from Josh is adorable.
Read
October 2, 2023I don't think I really have anything to say about this. The Color War that the babysitting charges put on was fun.
January 10, 2024
I thought it was a great book about making up your mind.
Read
February 1, 2026November is filled with excitement, surprises, and difficult choices for Claudia, Queen of the seventh grade... and no one can make her choices for her.
November 11, 2024
Yet another weird addition to Claudia's tale. She's bouncing around like a rubber ball. 8th grade, 7th grade, Mark, Josh, BSC, new 7th grade friends. It all finally comes to an end. The school is having a colour war. Each grade dresses in one colour and competes in various events. During this competition Claudia is facing many choices. She is told she can go back to 8th grade and her current boyfriend is becoming more distant but good friend Josh is getting closer. It's kind of like a rom com BSC style. It wasn't bad. Of course she goes back to 8th grade and has a happy ending. The b plot involves the kids having their own colour war. It's just okay. This one was fine. But the higher up we get the worse they are. It's like the writers have lost interest or are just churning them out for a deadline. But I am almost there. Then I'll attempt to read them in proper order, maybe. I'm still hoping there's a few hidden gems in the last few books.
May 1, 2013
Fantastic books for young girls getting into reading!! Great stories about friendship and life lessons. The characters deal with all sorts of situations and often find responsible solutions to problems.
I loved this series growing up and wanted to start my own babysitting business with friends. Great lessons in entrepreneurship for tweens.
The books may be dated with out references to modern technology but the story stands and lessons are still relevant.
Awesome books that girls will love! And the series grows with them! Terrific Author!
I loved this series growing up and wanted to start my own babysitting business with friends. Great lessons in entrepreneurship for tweens.
The books may be dated with out references to modern technology but the story stands and lessons are still relevant.
Awesome books that girls will love! And the series grows with them! Terrific Author!
February 24, 2015
Should Claudia stay in 7th grade or move back up to 8th? And what's going on with her boyfriend Mark - is he really interested, or should she start looking around?
Not the best BSC book, but not the worst either, and very little actual babysitting happening!
Not the best BSC book, but not the worst either, and very little actual babysitting happening!
Read
August 31, 2013My brain needed a break.
November 1, 2013
In which Caludia dumps Mark and gets to choose whether she wants to stay in seventh grade or go back to eighth. Again, in the middle of the school year.
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