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The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special #3
Baby-Sitters' Winter Vacation
Their skis, skates and snowsuites are packed and the Baby-Sitters are headed for the mountains.
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1989
91 people are currently reading
759 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,113 books3,057 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 115 reviews
February 26, 2016
this is my first time reading this book!
UGHHHHH. okay. there is a mandatory stoneybrook middle school trip to an overlook-style lodge in vermont (all grades) every winter. don't ask me how having a mandatory school trip is conceivable in a public school. the lodge is so huge that a elementary school class from maine and the eighth grade from a school further north in vermont are also staying there in addition to the 382 SMS kids. the elementary school class gets into a horrible bus crash on their way and the bus flips over. the teachers have to go to the hospital, so the bsc steps in to babysit them pro bono. see the character plotlines for more info.
mary anne: (framing device is her writing a book about the trip for logan, who somehow got out of the trip by going to aruba with his family). she agrees to do a project on the history of the lodge but gets busy imagining that logan is canoodling with sexy girls in aruba. she writes him cheesy letters but never sends them (a good example: "the entire last page consisted of xxx's and ooo's."). eventually, doing the history project, she finds info about a ghost story but ann doesn't really go into many details and this plotline sees no resolution. this is the worst mary anne has ever been in any book up to this point. I hated her SO MUCH in this book.
-jessi: worries she will get injured during winter war (see kristy's plotline) and can't risk it because she is a delicate flower (read: ballerina). organizes a talent show. doesn't get along with one of the elementary school girls (pinky, not to be confused with the saint bernard of the same name). she thinks pinky is mean because she's racist when really she's just a jerk. see lowlights for my thoughts on this extremely offensive plotline.
-mallory: Harriet the Spy recycled plotline crap (decides she is going to spy on people and write about them, which is EXACTLY what she did in Baby-Sitters on Board!). she doesn't want to go to the dance that they have at the lodge, but then she does and a boy asks her to dance and it's fine.
-kristy: in charge of winter war (which is basically a color war but with winter sports). she gets really competitive and mad at claudia for her judgment in the snow sculpture contest (see claudia for more info). she pressures some people into doing the cross-country skiing competition, but then one of them fractures his ankle and she finally feels bad about being a competitive jerk.
-claudia: judges the sculpture contest for the winter war and picks a sculpture that is coincidentally someone on her winter war team (though it's the best sculpture). kristy gets mad at her for that, thinking that she chose her teammate because she wanted her team to win. she also is in the skiing competition and it almost turns into an 80s skiing movie (or a parody of an 80s skiing movie). plus she has a crush on her french skiing instructor guy who is in his 20s, and then she is disappointed to find out he has a wife and kids because HE IS WAY TOO OLD FOR HER. ugh. also ann writes him with an annoying french accent (e.g. "zat wozz wonderful!")
-stacey: in LUV with one of the northern vermont 8th graders, pierre d'amboise (seriously, between him and guy I am so over these french-ass names). but honestly we barely see them together because I think ann wanted an excuse to not include stacey in most of the other characters' stories (they're all constantly like, "we haven't seen stacey all day, maybe she's off with pierre?")
-dawn: gets in a fight with mary anne because she is upset about the winter war and goes to mary anne to talk about it, and all mary anne has to say in response is, "do you have any idea how far aruba is from hooksett crossing?" (hooksett crossing is where the lodge is. seriously, she won't shut up about logan the whole book, SHE IS SO INSUFFERABLE, I can't stress enough how much I hate mary anne right now). the reason dawn was upset was because she kept being clumsy during winter war stuff. falling down while ice skating, etc. and she thinks of herself as someone who is very capable.
highlights:
-I'm trying so hard to think of something good, and I just can't. I really disliked this book.
lowlights/nitpicks (get ready for a lot of them):
-mandatory public school trip to vermont for 5 days? shyeah right.
-logan's never been on the trip because his family lived in kentucky last year. is this assuming this is winter of second 8th grade? or first 8th grade? and dawn moved after winter break, so why would she have gone to the winter carnival if logan didn't?
-382 kids in the school. that's like 127 per grade. no wonder everyone in your grades knows each other and there's no anonymity. in my private school, there were like 30 kids in my grade. but when I went to public school it was more like 600. I guess 127 per grade is possible but it seems like way fewer than I would think for a town that's not THAT small (it's not like stars hollow or something).
-the elementary school teachers were going to have their own room, so why do the bsc have to bunk with/chaperone the kids when there were already not going to be teachers bunking with them? had the teachers planned on having the kids (all of them, girls AND boys) stay in the same room for the week, with no chaperones? huh?
-dawn says she is good at skiing and ice skating, but that doesn't make sense because she hates cold weather.
-mary anne "can't stand" toothlessness -- good for you, girl who never has to worry about that because she comes from a non-poor family and is the kid of a lawyer who could afford to get regular her teeth cleanings and probably has a dental plan anyway. JERK.
-the pinky story. UGH. jessi says that since she thought pinky was racist and it turns out pinky was just a jerk, it means that maybe jessi herself is prejudiced. seriously? SERIOUSLY? ann, are you trying to make it seem like black women who say someone is being racist towards them are prejudiced? are you trying to act like black women shouldn't trust their intuition about race-fueled aggressive behavior? also, it's not like there's this dichotomy of evil racist vs. angelic non-racist. seriously ann you are so simplistic about this stuff, and it's like you think when people say "I don't see race" it's actually a positive thing.
-talent show problems. first off, the SMS teachers do a medley of 1950s songs, changing the lyrics to be about school stuff (kids being loud in the cafeteria, etc). and the SMS kids think their performance is cool. jessi narrates: "when they were done, they somehow seemed like real people to me, instead of just teachers." I don't buy this for a second. this is cheesy as hell and maybe in ann's leave it to beaver-style upbringing this would fly but in 1989, NO WAY.
-all the performances by kids in the talent show are also unbelievably old-fashioned. there's a tap dance to singin in the rain, someone does the vitameatavegamin bit from I love lucy, and some people do an andrews sisters (dressed in 40s garb). it's 1989. where is the kid dancing to bobby brown or any new kids on the block song or something? ANN, YOU'RE KILLING ME.
-ann thinks that everyone is supposed to trade partners at a dance because sticking with one would be rude. maybe that was the case in the olden days (i.e. in the Betsy-Tacy series, which takes place around the turn of the 20th century, it is considered improper for one boy and one girl to dance together all night because it's suggestive). but in 1989, people didn't have to switch partners and doing so was maybe a little weird. you dance with the person you went to the dance with.
-on the bus ride home, some of the boys sing a song about how a girl on the bus named ethel is fat. mary anne narrates that ethel hearing that song didn't prevent her from eating three snickers on the bus ride. SERIOUSLY? SO SHE WANTED TO EAT SOME SNICKERS, YOU ASSHOLE. ann, you have offended me so many freakin' times in this book, I can't even believe it.
-so many loose ends. the ghost story, the mention of ashley wyeth and kristy having to bunk with her for a second but then that doesn't happen, etc.
no outfits. no snacks in claudia's room. ughhhhh.
UGHHHHH. okay. there is a mandatory stoneybrook middle school trip to an overlook-style lodge in vermont (all grades) every winter. don't ask me how having a mandatory school trip is conceivable in a public school. the lodge is so huge that a elementary school class from maine and the eighth grade from a school further north in vermont are also staying there in addition to the 382 SMS kids. the elementary school class gets into a horrible bus crash on their way and the bus flips over. the teachers have to go to the hospital, so the bsc steps in to babysit them pro bono. see the character plotlines for more info.
mary anne: (framing device is her writing a book about the trip for logan, who somehow got out of the trip by going to aruba with his family). she agrees to do a project on the history of the lodge but gets busy imagining that logan is canoodling with sexy girls in aruba. she writes him cheesy letters but never sends them (a good example: "the entire last page consisted of xxx's and ooo's."). eventually, doing the history project, she finds info about a ghost story but ann doesn't really go into many details and this plotline sees no resolution. this is the worst mary anne has ever been in any book up to this point. I hated her SO MUCH in this book.
-jessi: worries she will get injured during winter war (see kristy's plotline) and can't risk it because she is a delicate flower (read: ballerina). organizes a talent show. doesn't get along with one of the elementary school girls (pinky, not to be confused with the saint bernard of the same name). she thinks pinky is mean because she's racist when really she's just a jerk. see lowlights for my thoughts on this extremely offensive plotline.
-mallory: Harriet the Spy recycled plotline crap (decides she is going to spy on people and write about them, which is EXACTLY what she did in Baby-Sitters on Board!). she doesn't want to go to the dance that they have at the lodge, but then she does and a boy asks her to dance and it's fine.
-kristy: in charge of winter war (which is basically a color war but with winter sports). she gets really competitive and mad at claudia for her judgment in the snow sculpture contest (see claudia for more info). she pressures some people into doing the cross-country skiing competition, but then one of them fractures his ankle and she finally feels bad about being a competitive jerk.
-claudia: judges the sculpture contest for the winter war and picks a sculpture that is coincidentally someone on her winter war team (though it's the best sculpture). kristy gets mad at her for that, thinking that she chose her teammate because she wanted her team to win. she also is in the skiing competition and it almost turns into an 80s skiing movie (or a parody of an 80s skiing movie). plus she has a crush on her french skiing instructor guy who is in his 20s, and then she is disappointed to find out he has a wife and kids because HE IS WAY TOO OLD FOR HER. ugh. also ann writes him with an annoying french accent (e.g. "zat wozz wonderful!")
-stacey: in LUV with one of the northern vermont 8th graders, pierre d'amboise (seriously, between him and guy I am so over these french-ass names). but honestly we barely see them together because I think ann wanted an excuse to not include stacey in most of the other characters' stories (they're all constantly like, "we haven't seen stacey all day, maybe she's off with pierre?")
-dawn: gets in a fight with mary anne because she is upset about the winter war and goes to mary anne to talk about it, and all mary anne has to say in response is, "do you have any idea how far aruba is from hooksett crossing?" (hooksett crossing is where the lodge is. seriously, she won't shut up about logan the whole book, SHE IS SO INSUFFERABLE, I can't stress enough how much I hate mary anne right now). the reason dawn was upset was because she kept being clumsy during winter war stuff. falling down while ice skating, etc. and she thinks of herself as someone who is very capable.
highlights:
-I'm trying so hard to think of something good, and I just can't. I really disliked this book.
lowlights/nitpicks (get ready for a lot of them):
-mandatory public school trip to vermont for 5 days? shyeah right.
-logan's never been on the trip because his family lived in kentucky last year. is this assuming this is winter of second 8th grade? or first 8th grade? and dawn moved after winter break, so why would she have gone to the winter carnival if logan didn't?
-382 kids in the school. that's like 127 per grade. no wonder everyone in your grades knows each other and there's no anonymity. in my private school, there were like 30 kids in my grade. but when I went to public school it was more like 600. I guess 127 per grade is possible but it seems like way fewer than I would think for a town that's not THAT small (it's not like stars hollow or something).
-the elementary school teachers were going to have their own room, so why do the bsc have to bunk with/chaperone the kids when there were already not going to be teachers bunking with them? had the teachers planned on having the kids (all of them, girls AND boys) stay in the same room for the week, with no chaperones? huh?
-dawn says she is good at skiing and ice skating, but that doesn't make sense because she hates cold weather.
-mary anne "can't stand" toothlessness -- good for you, girl who never has to worry about that because she comes from a non-poor family and is the kid of a lawyer who could afford to get regular her teeth cleanings and probably has a dental plan anyway. JERK.
-the pinky story. UGH. jessi says that since she thought pinky was racist and it turns out pinky was just a jerk, it means that maybe jessi herself is prejudiced. seriously? SERIOUSLY? ann, are you trying to make it seem like black women who say someone is being racist towards them are prejudiced? are you trying to act like black women shouldn't trust their intuition about race-fueled aggressive behavior? also, it's not like there's this dichotomy of evil racist vs. angelic non-racist. seriously ann you are so simplistic about this stuff, and it's like you think when people say "I don't see race" it's actually a positive thing.
-talent show problems. first off, the SMS teachers do a medley of 1950s songs, changing the lyrics to be about school stuff (kids being loud in the cafeteria, etc). and the SMS kids think their performance is cool. jessi narrates: "when they were done, they somehow seemed like real people to me, instead of just teachers." I don't buy this for a second. this is cheesy as hell and maybe in ann's leave it to beaver-style upbringing this would fly but in 1989, NO WAY.
-all the performances by kids in the talent show are also unbelievably old-fashioned. there's a tap dance to singin in the rain, someone does the vitameatavegamin bit from I love lucy, and some people do an andrews sisters (dressed in 40s garb). it's 1989. where is the kid dancing to bobby brown or any new kids on the block song or something? ANN, YOU'RE KILLING ME.
-ann thinks that everyone is supposed to trade partners at a dance because sticking with one would be rude. maybe that was the case in the olden days (i.e. in the Betsy-Tacy series, which takes place around the turn of the 20th century, it is considered improper for one boy and one girl to dance together all night because it's suggestive). but in 1989, people didn't have to switch partners and doing so was maybe a little weird. you dance with the person you went to the dance with.
-on the bus ride home, some of the boys sing a song about how a girl on the bus named ethel is fat. mary anne narrates that ethel hearing that song didn't prevent her from eating three snickers on the bus ride. SERIOUSLY? SO SHE WANTED TO EAT SOME SNICKERS, YOU ASSHOLE. ann, you have offended me so many freakin' times in this book, I can't even believe it.
-so many loose ends. the ghost story, the mention of ashley wyeth and kristy having to bunk with her for a second but then that doesn't happen, etc.
no outfits. no snacks in claudia's room. ughhhhh.
February 6, 2019
I would have read this almost 30 years ago. Loved all the BSC.
January 9, 2022
This was a slog for me. I don't know, I just wasn't feeling it.
The entire "project" of the super special is a book documenting their trip for Logan, who is simply going on a different vacation then Mary Anne. Like...they're spending a week apart. They act like it's months.
The elementary school bus accident is also a bizarre way to introduce babysitting into the mix, but I guess they were trying to make things more exciting.
Overall, I liked the winter atmosphere, but found this SS pretty lackluster. Extra start for nostalgia.
The entire "project" of the super special is a book documenting their trip for Logan, who is simply going on a different vacation then Mary Anne. Like...they're spending a week apart. They act like it's months.
The elementary school bus accident is also a bizarre way to introduce babysitting into the mix, but I guess they were trying to make things more exciting.
Overall, I liked the winter atmosphere, but found this SS pretty lackluster. Extra start for nostalgia.
August 13, 2010
the entire student body of stoneybrook middle school is going to a ski lodge in vermont for a week. except for logan, who is going to aruba with his family. the trip to the lodge is mandatory, even though it is mostly just for fun. there is a winter war, where the student body, split into teams, competes in a series of outdoor winter athletic competitions. students can take on special projects for extra credit points. mary anne is the trip historian, jessi is organizing the talent show, & claudia is judging the snow sculpture contest.
because logan can't go, mary anne asks the other sitters to take notes on their time at the lodge so she can compile a book to give him later. so, that's the premise behind this super special. these girls love their special projects.
kristy is captain of the red team in the winter war. because she's so athletic & competitive, you know. she also volunteers the babysitters club to go out into a storm to rescue an overturned bus full of elementary school students from maine. the students won the ski lodge trip in a readathon, but the roads are bad & their bus went off the road. they have two teacher chaperones, one of whom broke her arm. the bus driver broke his leg really badly. none of the students are hurt, except for one little girl named pinky, who has a sprained ankle. i don't get how all the kids were okay & all the adults got maimed, but whatever. the club sleeps in a dorm with the elementary school students & helps watch them during the week. because god forbid these girls don't babysit for a couple of days.
most of kristy's story is about how competitive she is in the winter war. her team loses the first two competitions, including the snow sculpture contest. kristy is angry with claudia for choosing her own team to win, even though she just judged based on whose sculpture was best. kristy & claudia are going head to head in skiing & kristy does her best to psych claudia out. kristy also cajoles her fellow students into signing up for the cross-country skiing contest, & one of the kids she talks into ends up breaking his ankle. kristy realizes she let her competitiveness overwhelm her better judgment & she thinks the other kids must hate her. but they don't. & broken ankle dude even dances with kristy at the end of week dance to show there are no hard feelings.
claudia incurs kristy's wrath in the sculpture judging & decides to take a ski lesson to brush up on her skills before the downhill skiing contest. apparently claudia is an excellent skier. her teacher, guy, is dreamy & older & has a french accent, & claudia is convinced that he has a crush on her. rather than being creeped out by this, she's on cloud nine. she tells everyone that she & guy are soon to be an item. then she runs into him & his family at the lodge--guy, his wife, their baby, & their little girl. claudia is heartbroken & embarrassed...until she remembers that she still has will from camp mohawk chilling on the back burner.
mary anne really misses logan & is convinced that he's surely met some foxy not-shy athletic girl in aruba who is going to take her place. she moons around & writes him sappy love letters. it's pretty boring & weird. & plus, it all comes to a close when logan calls her long-distance at the lodge from aruba. kind of sweet, kind of too much for a couple of 13-year-olds.
as trip historian, mary anne is supposed to research the history of the lodge & the town in which it is located. her research reveals that supposedly there is a ghost in the lodge. mary anne interviews a bunch of the long-time employees, all of whom are mysteriously close-lipped about the ghost. finally mary anne has the bright idea to talk to mr. george, who owns the lodge & wrote the book in which mary anne first read about the ghost. he tells her the whole story (which...wouldn't the whole story be in his book? mary anne said there were three chapters about it), & that's the last we hear of the ghost. pretty anti-climactic.
stacey's story goes nowhere until pretty close to the end of the book when she randomly meets some dude named pierre. i guess he's pretty close to her age, though it there's no explanation for why he's at the lodge. is he with his family? his school? who is this guy? of course she decides this is her most serious crush ever & they have many romantic interludes. they go to the lodge dance together at the end of the week, exchange contect info, & they kiss. big whoop. no one cares about yet another of stacey's one-book boyfriends.
dawn tries to enter some of the winter war events, only to discover that she is apparently not so great at winter sports. she trips during the fifty-yard ice skating dash & clocks the lowest time for her team. she trips again during the relay race & drops the baton, causing them to lose the event. she gets really down on herself & just mopes around for a while. she even has a fight with mary anne when she tries to talk with her about what happened & finds that mary anne is too distracted thinking about logan. if this storyline had a conclusion, i don't remember what it was. that's how boring it was.
mallory decides to continue her "harriet the spy" business from the first super special. only this time, she vows only to tell the truth, the whole truth, & nothing but the truth. that goes out the window pretty quickly when she spies on the cook & sees him sprinkling powder from an unmarked jar into the evening soup. she decides it is surely poison & not, you know, coriander or something. then she sees him pick up a large knife, in his industrial kitchen, & that seals it. he must be a psychopath. then she finds the gym teacher crying in the bathroom & figures she must be in love with vice-principal, & it is unrequited. because, you know...obviously. what other explanation could there be? she also spies on stacey & pierre, hoping to see what it looks like when a boy & a girl kiss. mallory, it looks gross & you probably don't want to see it, so just move on.
eventually mallory realizes she's being silly. the cook was just cooking. stacey caught her spying, & the gym teacher just misses her fiancee back in stoneybrook. mallory needs to get a grip.
jessi does a good job organizing the talent show, but when looking after pinky (the little girl with the sprained ankle), she finds pinky really bossy & hard to get along with. jessi thinks it must be a race thing & she pretty much has no time for pinky. luckily she doesn't have to be around pinky too much. at the end of the book, jessi realizes that pinky was acting like a jerk because she's used to being a tough girl, & she was scared about her hurt ankle & being away from home, so she was bossy & mean to try to cover up her vulnerabilities. she decides she needs to have a family conference when she gets home to talk with her parents about how being victimized by racism has made her see racism sometimes when it's not there. a very grown-up assessment coming from an eleven-year-old.
LOVED this book when i was a kid. find it really drags in places as an adult. but it still beats the pants off crap like aloha, babysitters.
because logan can't go, mary anne asks the other sitters to take notes on their time at the lodge so she can compile a book to give him later. so, that's the premise behind this super special. these girls love their special projects.
kristy is captain of the red team in the winter war. because she's so athletic & competitive, you know. she also volunteers the babysitters club to go out into a storm to rescue an overturned bus full of elementary school students from maine. the students won the ski lodge trip in a readathon, but the roads are bad & their bus went off the road. they have two teacher chaperones, one of whom broke her arm. the bus driver broke his leg really badly. none of the students are hurt, except for one little girl named pinky, who has a sprained ankle. i don't get how all the kids were okay & all the adults got maimed, but whatever. the club sleeps in a dorm with the elementary school students & helps watch them during the week. because god forbid these girls don't babysit for a couple of days.
most of kristy's story is about how competitive she is in the winter war. her team loses the first two competitions, including the snow sculpture contest. kristy is angry with claudia for choosing her own team to win, even though she just judged based on whose sculpture was best. kristy & claudia are going head to head in skiing & kristy does her best to psych claudia out. kristy also cajoles her fellow students into signing up for the cross-country skiing contest, & one of the kids she talks into ends up breaking his ankle. kristy realizes she let her competitiveness overwhelm her better judgment & she thinks the other kids must hate her. but they don't. & broken ankle dude even dances with kristy at the end of week dance to show there are no hard feelings.
claudia incurs kristy's wrath in the sculpture judging & decides to take a ski lesson to brush up on her skills before the downhill skiing contest. apparently claudia is an excellent skier. her teacher, guy, is dreamy & older & has a french accent, & claudia is convinced that he has a crush on her. rather than being creeped out by this, she's on cloud nine. she tells everyone that she & guy are soon to be an item. then she runs into him & his family at the lodge--guy, his wife, their baby, & their little girl. claudia is heartbroken & embarrassed...until she remembers that she still has will from camp mohawk chilling on the back burner.
mary anne really misses logan & is convinced that he's surely met some foxy not-shy athletic girl in aruba who is going to take her place. she moons around & writes him sappy love letters. it's pretty boring & weird. & plus, it all comes to a close when logan calls her long-distance at the lodge from aruba. kind of sweet, kind of too much for a couple of 13-year-olds.
as trip historian, mary anne is supposed to research the history of the lodge & the town in which it is located. her research reveals that supposedly there is a ghost in the lodge. mary anne interviews a bunch of the long-time employees, all of whom are mysteriously close-lipped about the ghost. finally mary anne has the bright idea to talk to mr. george, who owns the lodge & wrote the book in which mary anne first read about the ghost. he tells her the whole story (which...wouldn't the whole story be in his book? mary anne said there were three chapters about it), & that's the last we hear of the ghost. pretty anti-climactic.
stacey's story goes nowhere until pretty close to the end of the book when she randomly meets some dude named pierre. i guess he's pretty close to her age, though it there's no explanation for why he's at the lodge. is he with his family? his school? who is this guy? of course she decides this is her most serious crush ever & they have many romantic interludes. they go to the lodge dance together at the end of the week, exchange contect info, & they kiss. big whoop. no one cares about yet another of stacey's one-book boyfriends.
dawn tries to enter some of the winter war events, only to discover that she is apparently not so great at winter sports. she trips during the fifty-yard ice skating dash & clocks the lowest time for her team. she trips again during the relay race & drops the baton, causing them to lose the event. she gets really down on herself & just mopes around for a while. she even has a fight with mary anne when she tries to talk with her about what happened & finds that mary anne is too distracted thinking about logan. if this storyline had a conclusion, i don't remember what it was. that's how boring it was.
mallory decides to continue her "harriet the spy" business from the first super special. only this time, she vows only to tell the truth, the whole truth, & nothing but the truth. that goes out the window pretty quickly when she spies on the cook & sees him sprinkling powder from an unmarked jar into the evening soup. she decides it is surely poison & not, you know, coriander or something. then she sees him pick up a large knife, in his industrial kitchen, & that seals it. he must be a psychopath. then she finds the gym teacher crying in the bathroom & figures she must be in love with vice-principal, & it is unrequited. because, you know...obviously. what other explanation could there be? she also spies on stacey & pierre, hoping to see what it looks like when a boy & a girl kiss. mallory, it looks gross & you probably don't want to see it, so just move on.
eventually mallory realizes she's being silly. the cook was just cooking. stacey caught her spying, & the gym teacher just misses her fiancee back in stoneybrook. mallory needs to get a grip.
jessi does a good job organizing the talent show, but when looking after pinky (the little girl with the sprained ankle), she finds pinky really bossy & hard to get along with. jessi thinks it must be a race thing & she pretty much has no time for pinky. luckily she doesn't have to be around pinky too much. at the end of the book, jessi realizes that pinky was acting like a jerk because she's used to being a tough girl, & she was scared about her hurt ankle & being away from home, so she was bossy & mean to try to cover up her vulnerabilities. she decides she needs to have a family conference when she gets home to talk with her parents about how being victimized by racism has made her see racism sometimes when it's not there. a very grown-up assessment coming from an eleven-year-old.
LOVED this book when i was a kid. find it really drags in places as an adult. but it still beats the pants off crap like aloha, babysitters.
September 2, 2016
The thing I remember most about this one was one of the babysitters getting a crush on a ski instructor with a French accent (his name was Guy, and they told you how to pronounce it). By this point I was really annoyed that any reasonably attractive older man was going to turn into the ridiculous irrationally pursued hottie, though I was realizing all my friends were kind of doing this too, and I just didn't care about boys. The whole "omg he is so cute" sub-plots of these vacation books really annoyed me.
So this extravagant trip involving skiing is undertaken by the babysitters' entire freaking middle school. I know some school districts are richer than others but this is ridiculous. We used to have to raise money to go to the movies as a reward, you know? And they get a ski vacation that's mandatory? Anyway, there's friendly competition between "teams" during a "Winter War," and of course Kristy kind of ruins things by being too competitive about everything. She and Claudia were kind of at each other's throats the whole time because of this, and Kristy pushing some kid into participating in the skiing contest and he breaks his foot which makes her feel like a jerk. (Well, she was.)
Mary Anne's supposed to do research about the ski lodge for some reason and like most of these overused plots she keeps seeing evidence that THERE MIGHT BE A GHOST. Can there please stop being ghosts in these books? Especially since, much like Scooby-Doo, they're never really ghosts? And Dawn's storyline is mostly about how she sucks at snow. I guess they just had to stick her with this stereotypical trait because she's from California which as we all know is one giant beach. Ah, and Stacey was chasing a boy the whole time, because she is Boy-Crazy Stacey after all.
And our junior members spend the book being annoying as well. Jessi's storyline isn't about racism, which means it has to be about racism. I mean it. She imagines that a white girl is being snotty to her because she's black, and later concludes that wasn't it. So the moral of the story was that even when the story isn't about racism, it's about racism if you're a black character. I wish it'd been a bit more nuanced (though I know the level these books are aimed at); wondering whether someone is acting poorly toward you because of racism, and whether that involves danger or oppression, is part of the minority race experience, so it isn't silly to think it might be there. It's just wrong to assume it must. Anyway, Mallory keeps seeing "evidence" of stuff she's making up and writing about it to document it. Because I guess she thinks she's a detective.
There was also some kind of bus accident where some teachers were hurt but I don't think it was super relevant to the plot except that some of the children had to be watched by the babysitters.
So this extravagant trip involving skiing is undertaken by the babysitters' entire freaking middle school. I know some school districts are richer than others but this is ridiculous. We used to have to raise money to go to the movies as a reward, you know? And they get a ski vacation that's mandatory? Anyway, there's friendly competition between "teams" during a "Winter War," and of course Kristy kind of ruins things by being too competitive about everything. She and Claudia were kind of at each other's throats the whole time because of this, and Kristy pushing some kid into participating in the skiing contest and he breaks his foot which makes her feel like a jerk. (Well, she was.)
Mary Anne's supposed to do research about the ski lodge for some reason and like most of these overused plots she keeps seeing evidence that THERE MIGHT BE A GHOST. Can there please stop being ghosts in these books? Especially since, much like Scooby-Doo, they're never really ghosts? And Dawn's storyline is mostly about how she sucks at snow. I guess they just had to stick her with this stereotypical trait because she's from California which as we all know is one giant beach. Ah, and Stacey was chasing a boy the whole time, because she is Boy-Crazy Stacey after all.
And our junior members spend the book being annoying as well. Jessi's storyline isn't about racism, which means it has to be about racism. I mean it. She imagines that a white girl is being snotty to her because she's black, and later concludes that wasn't it. So the moral of the story was that even when the story isn't about racism, it's about racism if you're a black character. I wish it'd been a bit more nuanced (though I know the level these books are aimed at); wondering whether someone is acting poorly toward you because of racism, and whether that involves danger or oppression, is part of the minority race experience, so it isn't silly to think it might be there. It's just wrong to assume it must. Anyway, Mallory keeps seeing "evidence" of stuff she's making up and writing about it to document it. Because I guess she thinks she's a detective.
There was also some kind of bus accident where some teachers were hurt but I don't think it was super relevant to the plot except that some of the children had to be watched by the babysitters.
January 7, 2019
Curse the holidays, making me take soooo long to read a BSC book! I'm not normally an outdoors-in-winter kind of person, but this book makes me want to go skiing and build snowmen and have all sorts of wintry fun. (Yuck, lol.)
Now that said, this wasn't one of the best Super Specials. Mary Anne being moony over Logan (don't get me started on their phone call), Kristy being super-competitive, Mallory being herself... the girls were all kind of a drag in this book. And I kind of hate talent shows in books. But there were still some pretty funny parts, and I liked the lodge setting. Plus, you just can't go wrong with a Super Special!
Now that said, this wasn't one of the best Super Specials. Mary Anne being moony over Logan (don't get me started on their phone call), Kristy being super-competitive, Mallory being herself... the girls were all kind of a drag in this book. And I kind of hate talent shows in books. But there were still some pretty funny parts, and I liked the lodge setting. Plus, you just can't go wrong with a Super Special!
January 3, 2020
Stacey is my favorite so I liked her story the best. Mary-Anne went off the deep end with missing Logan and I didn’t care for her pining away for him, or fantasizing about being married to him and taking his last name when she’s only 13.
Kristy is her normal competitive self and I liked that she did some soul searching about it.
The little kids they took care of were cute.
Kristy is her normal competitive self and I liked that she did some soul searching about it.
The little kids they took care of were cute.
December 4, 2023
Not one of my favorites, but it does have a character named Teensy Mooseman, so there's that 😂
October 18, 2021
This 3rd "Super Special" felt pretty phoned-in- Mallory even didn't even GET a new storyline- she just is playing Harriet the Spy on another trip. Stacey and Claudia meet boys and Mary Anne is again weirdly lovesick over just a week away from Logan. And I found the idea of the girls being tasked with being basically the adult chaperones of 16 kids from Maine without even some paperwork or something to be implausible, even in the late 80s. Like...I remember how permissive our parents were back then, but I can't see how like they just sent a kid with a broken leg to the hospital amd then back on a BUS without hoa folks being called in or anything when they're only a few hours from home.... I don't know. It was ok, but I definitely didn't like revisiting this one as much as the first two- mostly because I found the plot a little ridiculous. 2 stars.
October 15, 2016
The BSC goes to Vermont on an improbable free, mandatory school trip. Mary Anne decides that since Logan can't go along on this mandatory trip she will spend her time making him a book of this trip. These girls and their darn book projects. But without the darn book projects we wouldn't have these Super Specials I love so much. So thanks overachieving BSC! I read this when I was nine.
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
I learned the words "prerogative" and "mandatory" by reading this book. And I thought it was incredibly stupid that a school forced their students to go on a trip. And what kind of a school trip over state lines is free? Then, when I was in high school I went to a fancy private school in California, and we took a mandatory, free skiing trip for a week every January. The ski lessons were also mandatory. Also, the skiing. Also, the fifteen page research paper we were supposed to work on in the evenings. I remembered this BSC book, and I wondered why wasn't the Winter War made mandatory as well as the trip, and why were special projects only given for extra credit? Did the students of SMS really get a week of just hanging around, doing nothing, probably close to other school holidays such as Christmas, or MLK Day, or President's Day? The school I went to only had 40 kids in the entire high school, and there were at least 12 parent chaperones that came with us in addition to all our teachers. SMS seemed to have no parent chaperones, just teachers, and hundreds and hundreds of middle school students to keep track of.
Dawn and Mary Anne getting to a fight and firing each other as bunkies, which seemed immature, even to a nine year old.
The biggest reason why this book stands out so clearly in my mind is the Jessi story. Jessi has a lot of trouble connecting with Pinky, an eight year old kid who's staying at the lodge with her school. Their bus overturned on the way there and her foot is sprained so she needs indoor supervision, which Jessi provides. Pinky's angry, bossy, sarcastic comments remind Jessi of the racism she has faced in Stoneybrook, and she dismisses Pinky as a racist. She even mentions it to Mallory, who tells Jessi that "I really don't think that's the problem this time." Toward the end of the book Pinky apologizes for being mean to Jessi, and she seems genuinely sorry about it. Jessi remembers Pinky's classmates having problems with her, and Pinky's behavior issues with everyone, not just Jessi. Jessi is then bothered because she's afraid she is becoming prejudiced herself, seeing racism in every rude white person because of her past experiences. As a kid this blew my mind wide open. Could I, like Jessi, be quick to find prejudice every time things didn't go my way? On the other hand, there had been times in my young life that I had definitely experienced prejudice and racism, so I knew without a doubt that it existed, and that it often came from the people I least suspected. Is Jessi right to assume racism, or is should she try to be understanding, and not think everyone had a problem with her skin color? This was a truly worrying dilemma for me when I was eight or nine. How could I trust myself to navigate the world that was full of people who just didn't like me. . . or who didn't like me because I was Native? Was it fair of me to think every non-Native person who was mean or rude to me was probably a closet racist. . . or what it unfair that I was forced to think these things based on past experiences? I was crushed that we never heard another word about this in the series, and we never got to hear the conversation Jessi wanted to have with her family about this. As an adult. . .
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
I have even more mixed feelings about this than I did as a child. Why should Jessi feel she is in the wrong for thinking someone who treats her badly may be a racist? On the other hand it's a terrible way to go through life assuming everyone who doesn't like you, or who is rude to you is a racist. As an adult I'm actually a little angry that this issue was even brought up in a book written and edited by white people. White people simply do not understand those of us who deal with institutional racism. It's entirely possible that Pinky's parents speak rudely to black people, and order them around, and that although Pinky doesn't realize it, she has picked up their habits. She knows she's being mean (which is why she apologizes to Jessi) but she doesn't realize that had a white baby sitter be looking after her, she might add a please and thank you to her demands, and she might not take on such an angry tone. (I noticed that Pinky opens up about her fears to Dawn, a white girl.) I think if Jessi assumes racism, there's a good chance there is some form of racism there, especially since there is no mention in the story of Pinky being rude to Stacey, the baby sitter who helped her at the site of the bus crash. The trouble with this series is that the writers and editors assume that racism only exists in overt forms. For this reason I was bothered by Mallory's dismissal of Jessi's concerns about Pinky, especially since Mallory is usually pretty understanding about Jessi's problems with prejudice.
Once again a Super Special has made my head hurt thinking of the improbability of the cost. Several years after I left the fancy private school they stopped taking the high schoolers on the skiing trip because the school's insurance could no longer cover the cost of so many hormonal young adults running around a ski lodge (even though the size of the high school had gone down by then; the first class of graduates who didn't get to go skiing was only six students). I can't imagine taking 400 students, sixth to eighth grades from Connecticut to Vermont for a week. That's at least a four hour drive, probably made longer by winter weather (dangerous driving conditions in other words) over multiple state lines. I can see this trip being an extra curricular trip (one that costs money) for some of the school sports teams to compete against other schools. But why would you make an entire school go on this trip for no money in the middle of winter? It sounds like an insurance nightmare. And why are the only chaperones teachers? How are there not a bunch of pregnant teens in Stoneybrook after this trip? Never mind that it might be hard to sneak in and out of dorms at night (although there seem to be no teachers assigned to sleep in the dorms with the students) but the students are left entirely to their own devices during the day, and they have the run of a huge lodge with very little adult supervision. They are not made to take skiing or skating lessons. They are not required to check in with anyone. They could hitchhike to Canada for all the adults care. Stacey could have gotten it on with Pierre in the quiet secluded room they were sitting in alone when Mallory attempted to spy on them. If they hadn't caught her, maybe they would have. As it is the book makes constant references to "Stacey was nowhere to be found" and "She's been pretty scarce ever since Tuesday morning."
The other thing that was strange about the trip was the Winter War. I don't understand why you would bother having one if you're not making the kids participate. What if lots of students for the Red Team turn up at the contests, but almost none for the Blue Team? (Actually this did happen in the book, which makes it seem unfair that Kristy's team lost . . . even if she shouldn't have pushed Jay to enter the competition.) And why let Claudia judge one of the competitions when she's competing in other contests as a member of the Red Team? Also, the prize is said to be a free slice of pizza, which is the lamest thing I ever heard of, so I guess it might not be worth it to enter. But then, do you still get a free slice of pizza if you are on the winning side, but you didn't participate? Later in the series teachers and administration freak out over student participation in Spirit Week, and the whole town comes to blows over this stupid controversy. If you're that nuts about making students feel bad about not participating in Spirit Week, and put pressure on them to do so, then why is Winter War participation so loosy-goosy? It doesn't make sense.
Claudia's crush on her ski instructor is adorable. When she's in her thirties she will look back on herself and laugh in relief that Guy wasn't a creepy pedophile, but a regular twenty-something with an age appropriate wife and two young children, who had no designs on Claudia at all.
As a kid I thought Mary Anne's attitude about Logan was completely ridiculous. As an adult I understand it, but I do think it's weird. Why does Mary Anne completely lose herself just because Logan's not around? She seems too young to be so co-dependent. Also, why does she write a weird skit for children to perform about a girl breaking up with her boyfriend? Does she secretly want to break up with Logan already? Since her father isn't yet married to Dawn's mother the time when Mary Anne does break up with Logan is way in the future. And why does she miss him so much that she doesn't do anything else her whole trip but pine for him, if she subconsciously wants to break up with him? This whole story line is very, very strange.
Mallory is really annoying in this book, so much so that I'm surprised she had any friends left by the end of it. In many ways she was the only one who acted so out of character. Dawn makes a huge fuss about how she's not as independent and resilient as she thinks she is, but I feel like that's already been established. Maybe it was a revelation to her, but not to me. There is nothing unique and individual about Dawn. She is exactly what you would think a mean-spirited, moody, bossy, insecure teenage girl would be. Mary Anne acts exactly the way you would expect Mary Anne to act. I don't think of Mary Anne as being sensitive and understanding. I think she's often manipulative, and self-centered, exactly the way she acts with Dawn in this book. Kristy is weirdly competitive as she can be sometimes. Stacey thinks she's in love with a boy she just met who she will never mention again. (I thought it was hilarious that Stacey comes off sounding like a Victorian debutante in this book when she talks about being rude by only dancing with Pierre, so they are sure to trade partners every so often.) Mallory on the other hand has always seemed like a pretty calm person, but in this book she loses it on too many occasions. She makes much too big a deal about going to a dance, she tells Jessi that Pinky's racism is not "the problem this time", and she jumps to crazy conclusions about the people she spies on. When she finds one of her teachers crying in the bathroom why did her mind immediately go to assuming that it was because she has a crush on the vice-principal? Why did she instantly think the cook was trying to poison everyone when she just . . . saw him cooking? It's the most far-fetched thing. It would be one thing to come up with these outlandish stories if she was working on becoming the next Nora Roberts, or Sue Grafton, but she says that she wants to uncover truths and secrets about the people around her. Why? She does a terrible job at it. Stick to fiction Mallory.
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
I learned the words "prerogative" and "mandatory" by reading this book. And I thought it was incredibly stupid that a school forced their students to go on a trip. And what kind of a school trip over state lines is free? Then, when I was in high school I went to a fancy private school in California, and we took a mandatory, free skiing trip for a week every January. The ski lessons were also mandatory. Also, the skiing. Also, the fifteen page research paper we were supposed to work on in the evenings. I remembered this BSC book, and I wondered why wasn't the Winter War made mandatory as well as the trip, and why were special projects only given for extra credit? Did the students of SMS really get a week of just hanging around, doing nothing, probably close to other school holidays such as Christmas, or MLK Day, or President's Day? The school I went to only had 40 kids in the entire high school, and there were at least 12 parent chaperones that came with us in addition to all our teachers. SMS seemed to have no parent chaperones, just teachers, and hundreds and hundreds of middle school students to keep track of.
Dawn and Mary Anne getting to a fight and firing each other as bunkies, which seemed immature, even to a nine year old.
The biggest reason why this book stands out so clearly in my mind is the Jessi story. Jessi has a lot of trouble connecting with Pinky, an eight year old kid who's staying at the lodge with her school. Their bus overturned on the way there and her foot is sprained so she needs indoor supervision, which Jessi provides. Pinky's angry, bossy, sarcastic comments remind Jessi of the racism she has faced in Stoneybrook, and she dismisses Pinky as a racist. She even mentions it to Mallory, who tells Jessi that "I really don't think that's the problem this time." Toward the end of the book Pinky apologizes for being mean to Jessi, and she seems genuinely sorry about it. Jessi remembers Pinky's classmates having problems with her, and Pinky's behavior issues with everyone, not just Jessi. Jessi is then bothered because she's afraid she is becoming prejudiced herself, seeing racism in every rude white person because of her past experiences. As a kid this blew my mind wide open. Could I, like Jessi, be quick to find prejudice every time things didn't go my way? On the other hand, there had been times in my young life that I had definitely experienced prejudice and racism, so I knew without a doubt that it existed, and that it often came from the people I least suspected. Is Jessi right to assume racism, or is should she try to be understanding, and not think everyone had a problem with her skin color? This was a truly worrying dilemma for me when I was eight or nine. How could I trust myself to navigate the world that was full of people who just didn't like me. . . or who didn't like me because I was Native? Was it fair of me to think every non-Native person who was mean or rude to me was probably a closet racist. . . or what it unfair that I was forced to think these things based on past experiences? I was crushed that we never heard another word about this in the series, and we never got to hear the conversation Jessi wanted to have with her family about this. As an adult. . .
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
I have even more mixed feelings about this than I did as a child. Why should Jessi feel she is in the wrong for thinking someone who treats her badly may be a racist? On the other hand it's a terrible way to go through life assuming everyone who doesn't like you, or who is rude to you is a racist. As an adult I'm actually a little angry that this issue was even brought up in a book written and edited by white people. White people simply do not understand those of us who deal with institutional racism. It's entirely possible that Pinky's parents speak rudely to black people, and order them around, and that although Pinky doesn't realize it, she has picked up their habits. She knows she's being mean (which is why she apologizes to Jessi) but she doesn't realize that had a white baby sitter be looking after her, she might add a please and thank you to her demands, and she might not take on such an angry tone. (I noticed that Pinky opens up about her fears to Dawn, a white girl.) I think if Jessi assumes racism, there's a good chance there is some form of racism there, especially since there is no mention in the story of Pinky being rude to Stacey, the baby sitter who helped her at the site of the bus crash. The trouble with this series is that the writers and editors assume that racism only exists in overt forms. For this reason I was bothered by Mallory's dismissal of Jessi's concerns about Pinky, especially since Mallory is usually pretty understanding about Jessi's problems with prejudice.
Once again a Super Special has made my head hurt thinking of the improbability of the cost. Several years after I left the fancy private school they stopped taking the high schoolers on the skiing trip because the school's insurance could no longer cover the cost of so many hormonal young adults running around a ski lodge (even though the size of the high school had gone down by then; the first class of graduates who didn't get to go skiing was only six students). I can't imagine taking 400 students, sixth to eighth grades from Connecticut to Vermont for a week. That's at least a four hour drive, probably made longer by winter weather (dangerous driving conditions in other words) over multiple state lines. I can see this trip being an extra curricular trip (one that costs money) for some of the school sports teams to compete against other schools. But why would you make an entire school go on this trip for no money in the middle of winter? It sounds like an insurance nightmare. And why are the only chaperones teachers? How are there not a bunch of pregnant teens in Stoneybrook after this trip? Never mind that it might be hard to sneak in and out of dorms at night (although there seem to be no teachers assigned to sleep in the dorms with the students) but the students are left entirely to their own devices during the day, and they have the run of a huge lodge with very little adult supervision. They are not made to take skiing or skating lessons. They are not required to check in with anyone. They could hitchhike to Canada for all the adults care. Stacey could have gotten it on with Pierre in the quiet secluded room they were sitting in alone when Mallory attempted to spy on them. If they hadn't caught her, maybe they would have. As it is the book makes constant references to "Stacey was nowhere to be found" and "She's been pretty scarce ever since Tuesday morning."
The other thing that was strange about the trip was the Winter War. I don't understand why you would bother having one if you're not making the kids participate. What if lots of students for the Red Team turn up at the contests, but almost none for the Blue Team? (Actually this did happen in the book, which makes it seem unfair that Kristy's team lost . . . even if she shouldn't have pushed Jay to enter the competition.) And why let Claudia judge one of the competitions when she's competing in other contests as a member of the Red Team? Also, the prize is said to be a free slice of pizza, which is the lamest thing I ever heard of, so I guess it might not be worth it to enter. But then, do you still get a free slice of pizza if you are on the winning side, but you didn't participate? Later in the series teachers and administration freak out over student participation in Spirit Week, and the whole town comes to blows over this stupid controversy. If you're that nuts about making students feel bad about not participating in Spirit Week, and put pressure on them to do so, then why is Winter War participation so loosy-goosy? It doesn't make sense.
Claudia's crush on her ski instructor is adorable. When she's in her thirties she will look back on herself and laugh in relief that Guy wasn't a creepy pedophile, but a regular twenty-something with an age appropriate wife and two young children, who had no designs on Claudia at all.
As a kid I thought Mary Anne's attitude about Logan was completely ridiculous. As an adult I understand it, but I do think it's weird. Why does Mary Anne completely lose herself just because Logan's not around? She seems too young to be so co-dependent. Also, why does she write a weird skit for children to perform about a girl breaking up with her boyfriend? Does she secretly want to break up with Logan already? Since her father isn't yet married to Dawn's mother the time when Mary Anne does break up with Logan is way in the future. And why does she miss him so much that she doesn't do anything else her whole trip but pine for him, if she subconsciously wants to break up with him? This whole story line is very, very strange.
Mallory is really annoying in this book, so much so that I'm surprised she had any friends left by the end of it. In many ways she was the only one who acted so out of character. Dawn makes a huge fuss about how she's not as independent and resilient as she thinks she is, but I feel like that's already been established. Maybe it was a revelation to her, but not to me. There is nothing unique and individual about Dawn. She is exactly what you would think a mean-spirited, moody, bossy, insecure teenage girl would be. Mary Anne acts exactly the way you would expect Mary Anne to act. I don't think of Mary Anne as being sensitive and understanding. I think she's often manipulative, and self-centered, exactly the way she acts with Dawn in this book. Kristy is weirdly competitive as she can be sometimes. Stacey thinks she's in love with a boy she just met who she will never mention again. (I thought it was hilarious that Stacey comes off sounding like a Victorian debutante in this book when she talks about being rude by only dancing with Pierre, so they are sure to trade partners every so often.) Mallory on the other hand has always seemed like a pretty calm person, but in this book she loses it on too many occasions. She makes much too big a deal about going to a dance, she tells Jessi that Pinky's racism is not "the problem this time", and she jumps to crazy conclusions about the people she spies on. When she finds one of her teachers crying in the bathroom why did her mind immediately go to assuming that it was because she has a crush on the vice-principal? Why did she instantly think the cook was trying to poison everyone when she just . . . saw him cooking? It's the most far-fetched thing. It would be one thing to come up with these outlandish stories if she was working on becoming the next Nora Roberts, or Sue Grafton, but she says that she wants to uncover truths and secrets about the people around her. Why? She does a terrible job at it. Stick to fiction Mallory.
June 15, 2019
It’s time for the schools annual winter trip to Liecester Lodge! Every year the school (grades 6-8) go on a winter vacation to the lodge. They have skiing and snowball fights and competitions! The girls are all excited. Kristy is obsessed with her team winning ALL the completions. Stacey meets a boy named Pierre and thinks she’s falling in love. Claudia develops the biggest crush on her Ski Instructor and hopes the feelings are mutual. Mary Anne so desperately misses her boyfriend Logan who is on a different vacation with his family. Dawn is just trying to enjoy all the games and activities without being such a klutz. Mallory is in detective mode, trying to work on a special project, and Jessi is in charge of the Talent Show! So much is going on and the girls still find time to help babysit the younger kids that won a trip to the lodge.
December 12, 2019
I do not think I can objectively judge the Babysitters Club. It’s like as I read them I’m split into two people - one notices the problematic ways race is death with and also the fat shaming. The other is 12 and is just yelling “Babysitters Club, woohoo!”
May 1, 2024
This book was not a great read in terms of BSC lore. The group goes on a trip to a ski lodge and has to deal with an accident that leaves them...guess what.... taking care of kids! The book was kind of dull and contained a lot of boring subplots. I really didn't care about the whole competition aspect and I didn't like many of the throwaway characters. I did appreciate that they brought back Ashley Wyeth, but this book pales in comparison to the last two Super Specials.
January 9, 2026
a fun little winter adventure. It's been awhile since I've revisited the BSC and now I'm tempted to go back and reread them all.
Sure, it had it's usual late 80s/early 90s cheese, but in a fun way, eye-rolling way (alllll the boy trouble).
It was better-written than I remembered, and also had a bit more depth; I appreciated Jessi's openness about dealing with racism.
this was a post-op, post-holidays read, and it was the mood.
Sure, it had it's usual late 80s/early 90s cheese, but in a fun way, eye-rolling way (alllll the boy trouble).
It was better-written than I remembered, and also had a bit more depth; I appreciated Jessi's openness about dealing with racism.
this was a post-op, post-holidays read, and it was the mood.
August 30, 2023
This is my least favorite BSC book in my re-read! The way that Mary Anne is written really bothered me- and Mallory is even more annoying than I usually find her!
August 12, 2021
Baby-Sitters Winter Vacation
Plot: The kids at SMS get invited to Leicester Lodge by the owners for a week for free and while they’re there they hold an event called the Winter War which is part of the Winter Carnival. The events are an ice-skating contest, a snowball fight, a snow sculpture contest, a downhill ski competition, and a cross country skiing competition. Since Logan can’t go Maryanne decides to keep a journal for him. Kristy, Maryanne, Claudia, and Jessi all have jobs. Maryanne is the record-keeper, Kristy is over the war, Claudia is going to judge the snow sculptures, and Jessi is over Talent Night. There’s a scare of a snowstorm and the bus in order to avoid a deer skid into a snow embankment, but they eventually make it there. Another school (Conway Cove)’s bus has an accident, but this one is worse and the police and rescue squad have to be called. Kristy volunteers the BSC to go to the scene of the accident and tells each one to grab a couple from the 16 kids on the bus and try to help calm them down. Maryanne asks them on the way back to each written entry in the book for Logan. After dinner, the question comes up what to do with the kids. The Georges doesn’t want to send them home because they won a contest. Kristy again volunteers the BSC to watch the kids free of charge for five days.
Maryanne: Maryanne is assigned a historian and has to write a paper on the Lodge. While researching, she finds a ghost tale mentioned in a lot of the books. She interviews some of the staff, but they all give her cryptic answers. She then gets distracted and started writing Logan and imagining him with someone else in Aruba. She tries again to get info out of the staff and they give her some good stuff. That is until the subject of the ghost comes up. She’s able to get out of Mr. George (finally) that the story originated from a guest dying at the lodge and afterward strange things began happening. But he and his wife have never seen anything out of the usual. Maryanne afterward has a heart-to-heart with the gym teacher and they both bond over missing their significant others. Significant because Maryanne spends the book avoiding her because she thinks she hates her because she sucks at sports. The teacher tho tells her she’s proud of her because she keeps at it. Dawn apologizes and they make up and become bunkmates again. Maryanne then has an idea for the play to read this lame skit about a breakup, but Jessi turns it down. She gets a phone call and is scared that something happened back home but it’s Logan. Blah Blah Blah they miss each other and love each other sooo much. They reunite when they get back and he loves the book.
Jessi- Jessi gets scared that doing any of the snow events will injure her and thus prevent her from dancing so she volunteers to watch one of the kids named Pinky. Pinky has a sprained ankle and has to sit out going outside so, in turn, she’s a bitch to Jessi. Jessi wonders if she’s prejudiced but attempts to play board games with her. Until she calls her a cheater. For the rest of the afternoon, Jessi shoves a book at starts to think about what to do for the talent show. Jessi holds auditions for the show. She’s a little irritated that Maryanne didn’t write a sketch for the Conway kids, but decides they can do a skit about their school. Pinky doesn’t agree because she says the teachers won’t like it. Jessi thinks it's because she’s prejudice even tho Mal says that’s not it. The talent show goes great! Jessi’s Swan Lake performance gets tons of applause. Later she finds Pinky crying in the bathroom and she apologizes. This leaves Jessi to wonder is she prejudice.
Stacey- Stacey volunteers to help one of the teachers take care of the kids and while taking a ski lesson meets a guy named Pierre, that she instantly falls for. While taking a ski lesson she falls in love with a guy named Pierre. He feels the same and they spend most of the trip together.
Mallory: Mallory is worried because dance is announced on Friday and she’s got no experience with dancing or boys. The rest of the time she’s snooping on people and making up exaggerations in a notebook under the guise that she’s preparing for a career in spying. She realizes she’s def not a spy. At the dance, she volunteers to watch the kids. But they all start to dance and she’s left alone. Finally, a boy named Justin asks her to dance.
Dawn: Dawn has a bad day. She causes her team to lose because she falls twice during the skating race and she drops the baton. Later she even falls getting on the ski slope. To top it off she and Maryanne have a fight because she’s trying to tell Maryanne about her bad day and she’s all spaced out over Logan. They dump each other as bunkmates. Pinky helps Dawn see that because she’s around her classmates and she’ll have to be around them on a daily basis maybe that’s the reason she’s been messing up (nerves?) She also sees that Pinky is being a jerk because she thinks she’s being strong, but really she’s home-sick.
Kristy: Kristy lets the kids participate in a snowman building contest and gets Claudia to judge it. She praises her for her good idea to display the winners of the contest pictures with their creation and ribbons underneath. But later gets upset when she declares the winner of the snow sculpture contest someone on her team (the Red Team). She’s already lost the skating competition and she’s fuming because she just *has* to win! Kristy gets desperate and pushes some kids to join the cross-country ski event. One of them (Jay) breaks his ankle. Kristy feels guilty and realizes she’s too competitive and starts feeling guilty. But Jay forgives her and dances with her at dance. (The Blue Team) ends up losing.
Claudia: Claudia while taking ski lessons falls in love with the instructor Guy who calls her his star pupil. But it turns out Guy has a wife and two kids. Claudia is embarrassed but is glad that she still has Will. Guy dances with her at the dance and she’s “in heaven”.
My Thoughts:
*The Winter Events didn’t do anything for me. I’m not into sports so toward the end of the book I skimmed through those.
*Maryanne’s part was mostly BORING! I didn’t care about her missing Logan this ENTIRE book. I hate books, where the girl is away from her boyfriend for a short amount of time and acts like the world, is gonna end. The only part that was interesting (the ghost part) kind of went nowhere.
*Stacey’s part was BORING because in the next Super Special she’ll have found someone else. She changes love interest like people change clothes. Sorry Pierre you’re just the flavor of this Super Special.
*Claudia’s part was REPETITIVE because does there always have to be a book for each member falling in love with someone older and then discovering they're either with someone else or married? There was one about Stacey. There was one about Dawn. This time it was Claudia. Poor Will. I’d never wanna be anyone’s second choice. But Claudia cluelessly thinks this is okay.
*Mallory’s part was BORING because this Lodge is BORING. There was nothing to go on for her to spy on. There could have been some kind of “mystery” to give her part a lil more intrigue like in Mallory and the Mystery Diary.
*Dawn practically didn’t have a part other than than to screw up in every event and fight with Maryanne over not being heard.
*I’m over the repetition of Jessi either being around racist people or thinking everyone is racist. Then does AMM really know what the meaning of racism is? Jessi wonders if she’s racist when really she should be wondering if she’s paranoid.
*Kristy’s part annoyed me because like I said I could care less about this Winter War. Like Claudia said “Big deal you win a slice of pizza. We have that all the time at home and can have it whenever we want.” But I really think Kristy needs some psychological help because if you’re so competitive and obsessive about winning that you push people to the point that they hurt themselves YEAH you need serious help.
Ok. Why are all these people risking their lives to get to this lodge in a FREAKING SNOW STORM that they can WAIT OUT UNTIL ITS OVER?
Why would Logan want a memory book for a trip that didn’t include him? I once did a memory book for a guy but it was about OUR memories. And then teenage boys aren’t teenage girls and I doubt that Logan is that sentimental that he wants to keep his girlfriend’s and her friend’s memories in a book. He’ll probably look at that once and throw it under his bed somewhere.
After the accident, the Georges discuss “What they’ll do with the kids”. Why would they need to *do* anything? If the point was they’d come there after winning a contest and they got there safely and the teachers wouldn’t be in the hospital but a night why would there be a problem with them continuing the stay there. The only problem I see is how they’ll get back with the bus crashed.
Since when do teachers divulge anything about their personal lives and who they’re seeing to students? That seems to violate some kind of code. Not only that if I was in the 8th grade that would just be weird as hell if my teacher sat down and asked me who I was seeing and told me they missed someone like we were girlfriends. UH NOOO!!!
*Lol So Claudia wishes she could speak English? Guy has an accent but he still speaks in ENGLISH. “I wish I could speak whatever Guy’s native language is.”
*Why is AMM she’s so OBSESSED with either pointing out the racism towards the only black character. Even when there isn't any?
*And again. They’re in a SNOW CABIN that’s fully equipped to deal with a snow in. Why would they assume they’d be evacuated in the middle of a STORM to drive home?
Rating: 5
Plot: The kids at SMS get invited to Leicester Lodge by the owners for a week for free and while they’re there they hold an event called the Winter War which is part of the Winter Carnival. The events are an ice-skating contest, a snowball fight, a snow sculpture contest, a downhill ski competition, and a cross country skiing competition. Since Logan can’t go Maryanne decides to keep a journal for him. Kristy, Maryanne, Claudia, and Jessi all have jobs. Maryanne is the record-keeper, Kristy is over the war, Claudia is going to judge the snow sculptures, and Jessi is over Talent Night. There’s a scare of a snowstorm and the bus in order to avoid a deer skid into a snow embankment, but they eventually make it there. Another school (Conway Cove)’s bus has an accident, but this one is worse and the police and rescue squad have to be called. Kristy volunteers the BSC to go to the scene of the accident and tells each one to grab a couple from the 16 kids on the bus and try to help calm them down. Maryanne asks them on the way back to each written entry in the book for Logan. After dinner, the question comes up what to do with the kids. The Georges doesn’t want to send them home because they won a contest. Kristy again volunteers the BSC to watch the kids free of charge for five days.
Maryanne: Maryanne is assigned a historian and has to write a paper on the Lodge. While researching, she finds a ghost tale mentioned in a lot of the books. She interviews some of the staff, but they all give her cryptic answers. She then gets distracted and started writing Logan and imagining him with someone else in Aruba. She tries again to get info out of the staff and they give her some good stuff. That is until the subject of the ghost comes up. She’s able to get out of Mr. George (finally) that the story originated from a guest dying at the lodge and afterward strange things began happening. But he and his wife have never seen anything out of the usual. Maryanne afterward has a heart-to-heart with the gym teacher and they both bond over missing their significant others. Significant because Maryanne spends the book avoiding her because she thinks she hates her because she sucks at sports. The teacher tho tells her she’s proud of her because she keeps at it. Dawn apologizes and they make up and become bunkmates again. Maryanne then has an idea for the play to read this lame skit about a breakup, but Jessi turns it down. She gets a phone call and is scared that something happened back home but it’s Logan. Blah Blah Blah they miss each other and love each other sooo much. They reunite when they get back and he loves the book.
Jessi- Jessi gets scared that doing any of the snow events will injure her and thus prevent her from dancing so she volunteers to watch one of the kids named Pinky. Pinky has a sprained ankle and has to sit out going outside so, in turn, she’s a bitch to Jessi. Jessi wonders if she’s prejudiced but attempts to play board games with her. Until she calls her a cheater. For the rest of the afternoon, Jessi shoves a book at starts to think about what to do for the talent show. Jessi holds auditions for the show. She’s a little irritated that Maryanne didn’t write a sketch for the Conway kids, but decides they can do a skit about their school. Pinky doesn’t agree because she says the teachers won’t like it. Jessi thinks it's because she’s prejudice even tho Mal says that’s not it. The talent show goes great! Jessi’s Swan Lake performance gets tons of applause. Later she finds Pinky crying in the bathroom and she apologizes. This leaves Jessi to wonder is she prejudice.
Stacey- Stacey volunteers to help one of the teachers take care of the kids and while taking a ski lesson meets a guy named Pierre, that she instantly falls for. While taking a ski lesson she falls in love with a guy named Pierre. He feels the same and they spend most of the trip together.
Mallory: Mallory is worried because dance is announced on Friday and she’s got no experience with dancing or boys. The rest of the time she’s snooping on people and making up exaggerations in a notebook under the guise that she’s preparing for a career in spying. She realizes she’s def not a spy. At the dance, she volunteers to watch the kids. But they all start to dance and she’s left alone. Finally, a boy named Justin asks her to dance.
Dawn: Dawn has a bad day. She causes her team to lose because she falls twice during the skating race and she drops the baton. Later she even falls getting on the ski slope. To top it off she and Maryanne have a fight because she’s trying to tell Maryanne about her bad day and she’s all spaced out over Logan. They dump each other as bunkmates. Pinky helps Dawn see that because she’s around her classmates and she’ll have to be around them on a daily basis maybe that’s the reason she’s been messing up (nerves?) She also sees that Pinky is being a jerk because she thinks she’s being strong, but really she’s home-sick.
Kristy: Kristy lets the kids participate in a snowman building contest and gets Claudia to judge it. She praises her for her good idea to display the winners of the contest pictures with their creation and ribbons underneath. But later gets upset when she declares the winner of the snow sculpture contest someone on her team (the Red Team). She’s already lost the skating competition and she’s fuming because she just *has* to win! Kristy gets desperate and pushes some kids to join the cross-country ski event. One of them (Jay) breaks his ankle. Kristy feels guilty and realizes she’s too competitive and starts feeling guilty. But Jay forgives her and dances with her at dance. (The Blue Team) ends up losing.
Claudia: Claudia while taking ski lessons falls in love with the instructor Guy who calls her his star pupil. But it turns out Guy has a wife and two kids. Claudia is embarrassed but is glad that she still has Will. Guy dances with her at the dance and she’s “in heaven”.
My Thoughts:
*The Winter Events didn’t do anything for me. I’m not into sports so toward the end of the book I skimmed through those.
*Maryanne’s part was mostly BORING! I didn’t care about her missing Logan this ENTIRE book. I hate books, where the girl is away from her boyfriend for a short amount of time and acts like the world, is gonna end. The only part that was interesting (the ghost part) kind of went nowhere.
*Stacey’s part was BORING because in the next Super Special she’ll have found someone else. She changes love interest like people change clothes. Sorry Pierre you’re just the flavor of this Super Special.
*Claudia’s part was REPETITIVE because does there always have to be a book for each member falling in love with someone older and then discovering they're either with someone else or married? There was one about Stacey. There was one about Dawn. This time it was Claudia. Poor Will. I’d never wanna be anyone’s second choice. But Claudia cluelessly thinks this is okay.
*Mallory’s part was BORING because this Lodge is BORING. There was nothing to go on for her to spy on. There could have been some kind of “mystery” to give her part a lil more intrigue like in Mallory and the Mystery Diary.
*Dawn practically didn’t have a part other than than to screw up in every event and fight with Maryanne over not being heard.
*I’m over the repetition of Jessi either being around racist people or thinking everyone is racist. Then does AMM really know what the meaning of racism is? Jessi wonders if she’s racist when really she should be wondering if she’s paranoid.
*Kristy’s part annoyed me because like I said I could care less about this Winter War. Like Claudia said “Big deal you win a slice of pizza. We have that all the time at home and can have it whenever we want.” But I really think Kristy needs some psychological help because if you’re so competitive and obsessive about winning that you push people to the point that they hurt themselves YEAH you need serious help.
Ok. Why are all these people risking their lives to get to this lodge in a FREAKING SNOW STORM that they can WAIT OUT UNTIL ITS OVER?
Why would Logan want a memory book for a trip that didn’t include him? I once did a memory book for a guy but it was about OUR memories. And then teenage boys aren’t teenage girls and I doubt that Logan is that sentimental that he wants to keep his girlfriend’s and her friend’s memories in a book. He’ll probably look at that once and throw it under his bed somewhere.
After the accident, the Georges discuss “What they’ll do with the kids”. Why would they need to *do* anything? If the point was they’d come there after winning a contest and they got there safely and the teachers wouldn’t be in the hospital but a night why would there be a problem with them continuing the stay there. The only problem I see is how they’ll get back with the bus crashed.
Since when do teachers divulge anything about their personal lives and who they’re seeing to students? That seems to violate some kind of code. Not only that if I was in the 8th grade that would just be weird as hell if my teacher sat down and asked me who I was seeing and told me they missed someone like we were girlfriends. UH NOOO!!!
*Lol So Claudia wishes she could speak English? Guy has an accent but he still speaks in ENGLISH. “I wish I could speak whatever Guy’s native language is.”
*Why is AMM she’s so OBSESSED with either pointing out the racism towards the only black character. Even when there isn't any?
*And again. They’re in a SNOW CABIN that’s fully equipped to deal with a snow in. Why would they assume they’d be evacuated in the middle of a STORM to drive home?
Rating: 5
April 27, 2024
Rated 4.25 stars on platforms that are more nuanced.
Before I get to my actual review, a quick disclaimer: Ever since I learned that Netflix was reimagining one of my favorite childhood book series, I had decided that I would be embarking on a re-read of this series, reliving a series of books that helped to shape me into a voracious reader. I am so excited to embark on this travel back in time. I don't expect to be mentally stimulated -- I mean, I'm not exactly a pre-teen middle-schooler these days -- but I make no apology for choosing to enjoy this series from the perspective of adulthood. Don't expect me to have any sort of psychoanalyst or feminist sermonizing on the appropriateness of the situations or the effects on a young girl reading these books; there's plenty of that to go around already. I'm here for the nostalgia and the meander down memory lane.
*************
I don't know what it was about the Super Specials but there was always this increased level of anticipation for me. Longer and with (back in my day, anyway) the telltale white cover, I couldn't even wait to get my new book home before I would crack it open for a taste. Unlike the first two, where cruises and Disney World and summer camp were unknown territory for me, snow covered wonderlands were something with which I had experience.
What I liked about Baby-Sitters' Winter Vacation:
Ah, the usual drama and hijinks - Squabbles and hurt feelings, misunderstandings and misassumptions. Par for the course. I know what I'm getting from these, it's just a matter of how it's going to present this time around. Did I roll my eyes at Claudia and Stacey and their respective love interests? Was I cringing at Mary Anne's runaway imagination? Was I face-palming Mallory's sleuthing theories? Yes, yes, and yes. Could my younger self identify with this ridiculousness? Also yes.
The setting - Was I entranced by the inn? Most assuredly. The cozy inn, the romance of the snowfall - I was as spellbound by it as an adult as I was during my childhood. I couldn't have cared less about the winter sports events, but the idea of being snowed in with a roaring fire, cozy chairs, and books sounds like my idea of a getaway.
This book elicited some vivid memories for me - I can recall in striking detail what it was like to be traveling in the snow in a vehicle that isn't necessarily ideal for the circumstances. My Dad drove a Camaro for most of my childhood. While it was sporty and fun in the summer months, it was not a car that performed well in wintry precipitation. While we never had any sort of incident as we inched along winding New England roads, I remember the tension. The buses struggling to make forward progress in this book took me right back to those childhood experiences, and I felt them right along with the baby-sitters.
What I didn't care for:
Ghost story night - I was fine with a little spooky storytelling around the fireplace, but I couldn't help feeling as if some of the stories themselves were somewhat inappropriate for the middle school set.
I can only suspend disbelief so far - I'll be frank: I could live with the BSC jumping in to help take care of the teacherless kids from the other school group, because that's their gig. But to have them accompany the adults to the scene of the bus crash? Bridge too far.
Overall, I found this one enjoyable, as expected, but I also felt that, to some degree, my nostalgia for this one didn't really hold up. The parts I remembered loving delivered, but the parts I didn't remember were also the parts I could have done without from my adult perspective. My original five-star rating felt a bit of a reach for me; I still enjoyed it, but I'm dialing it back to a more reasonable 4.25, just based on the nature of the details that bugged me.
Before I get to my actual review, a quick disclaimer: Ever since I learned that Netflix was reimagining one of my favorite childhood book series, I had decided that I would be embarking on a re-read of this series, reliving a series of books that helped to shape me into a voracious reader. I am so excited to embark on this travel back in time. I don't expect to be mentally stimulated -- I mean, I'm not exactly a pre-teen middle-schooler these days -- but I make no apology for choosing to enjoy this series from the perspective of adulthood. Don't expect me to have any sort of psychoanalyst or feminist sermonizing on the appropriateness of the situations or the effects on a young girl reading these books; there's plenty of that to go around already. I'm here for the nostalgia and the meander down memory lane.
*************
I don't know what it was about the Super Specials but there was always this increased level of anticipation for me. Longer and with (back in my day, anyway) the telltale white cover, I couldn't even wait to get my new book home before I would crack it open for a taste. Unlike the first two, where cruises and Disney World and summer camp were unknown territory for me, snow covered wonderlands were something with which I had experience.
What I liked about Baby-Sitters' Winter Vacation:
Ah, the usual drama and hijinks - Squabbles and hurt feelings, misunderstandings and misassumptions. Par for the course. I know what I'm getting from these, it's just a matter of how it's going to present this time around. Did I roll my eyes at Claudia and Stacey and their respective love interests? Was I cringing at Mary Anne's runaway imagination? Was I face-palming Mallory's sleuthing theories? Yes, yes, and yes. Could my younger self identify with this ridiculousness? Also yes.
The setting - Was I entranced by the inn? Most assuredly. The cozy inn, the romance of the snowfall - I was as spellbound by it as an adult as I was during my childhood. I couldn't have cared less about the winter sports events, but the idea of being snowed in with a roaring fire, cozy chairs, and books sounds like my idea of a getaway.
This book elicited some vivid memories for me - I can recall in striking detail what it was like to be traveling in the snow in a vehicle that isn't necessarily ideal for the circumstances. My Dad drove a Camaro for most of my childhood. While it was sporty and fun in the summer months, it was not a car that performed well in wintry precipitation. While we never had any sort of incident as we inched along winding New England roads, I remember the tension. The buses struggling to make forward progress in this book took me right back to those childhood experiences, and I felt them right along with the baby-sitters.
What I didn't care for:
Ghost story night - I was fine with a little spooky storytelling around the fireplace, but I couldn't help feeling as if some of the stories themselves were somewhat inappropriate for the middle school set.
I can only suspend disbelief so far - I'll be frank: I could live with the BSC jumping in to help take care of the teacherless kids from the other school group, because that's their gig. But to have them accompany the adults to the scene of the bus crash? Bridge too far.
Overall, I found this one enjoyable, as expected, but I also felt that, to some degree, my nostalgia for this one didn't really hold up. The parts I remembered loving delivered, but the parts I didn't remember were also the parts I could have done without from my adult perspective. My original five-star rating felt a bit of a reach for me; I still enjoyed it, but I'm dialing it back to a more reasonable 4.25, just based on the nature of the details that bugged me.
August 3, 2016
In this book, the Baby-Sitters go on a mandatory school trip to a ski lodge in Vermont. I wish my school had done this type of thing. Maybe I would've liked going there better if they did. Anyway, the girls are all looking forward to experiencing the lodge and being involved in the Winter War. When they get there, a group of elementary school kids needs chaperones when a couple of their teachers get hurt in a bus accident. So who volunteers-why the Baby-Sitters Club, of course.
The storylines are:
-Mary Anne: She is supposed to be doing a paper of the history of the lodge but spends most of the book mooning about Logan being in Aruba and not with her. Mary Anne has never annoyed me more than in this book. When I read the series when I was a kid, she was in my top two favorite characters, but as an adult reading this book, I wanted to reach through the pages and slap her. In the book, she wrote these creepy love letters to Logan about pining for him and missing him and it's like, "Get a grip, girl". Then she doesn't understand when Dawn confides in her and then gets mad at her when Mary Anne doesn't even pay attention to what she says and instead asks how far the lodge is to Aruba.
But then the kicker of me wanted to slap Mary Anne is at the end of the book. The kids are on their way back to Stoneybrook and the boys sing a really rude song about Ethel, an overweight classmate on the bus. Instead of being outraged and feeling sorry for Ethel, she makes the comment of "but that didn't stop her from eating three Snickers bars". Ugh, way harsh, Mary Anne. How would you feel if you were humiliated in front of everybody? How would you feel if you had to deal with the fact that your name was Ethel AND you were overweight? You who cries if someone looks at you wrong.
Kristy: Kristy is doing her competitive thing. She's a team captain (of course) and wants nothing more than to win. This has her butting heads with Claudia and Dawn at different points of the book. But something happens that makes her feel bad and she understands the error of her ways (until next time).
Claudia: Claudia is the judge of the snow sculpting competition and competes in skiing competition. She gets competitive with Kristy. She also gets a crush on an older skiing instructor with a French accent.
Stacey: Apart from the beginning and the end of the book, Stacey is non-existent in this story. She meets Pierre and disappears. They fall in luv and do some dancing.
Jessi: Jessi is in charge of the talent show. She is flustered when she thinks Pinky, an elementary student that the BSC has to watch, dislikes her because she is black. But she can't see that Pinky is a brat to everyone, not just Jessi.
Dawn: Dawn is usually sure of herself but when she does badly in some of the Winter War and gets the wrath of Kristy, she begins to feel bad about herself. She tries to confide to Logan-obsessed Mary Anne but when Mary Anne is off in dreamland and ignores what Dawn has said, they argue. They make-up pretty quickly and you really don't see her much more.
Mallory: Debbie Downer Mallory doesn't want to do much while there except spy on people. She makes up stories about people because she thinks she's Harriet the Spy. She does some creepy spying on Stacey and Pierre because she wants to see what it looks like when a boy and girl kiss. That's a little too creepy, Mallory. Has she never seen her parents kiss? Or watched a movie with kissing? She also complains about not wanting to dance at the end of the trip dance party.
Overall, the book was okay. I don't think this was the best Super Special of the series but it still kept my interest.
The storylines are:
-Mary Anne: She is supposed to be doing a paper of the history of the lodge but spends most of the book mooning about Logan being in Aruba and not with her. Mary Anne has never annoyed me more than in this book. When I read the series when I was a kid, she was in my top two favorite characters, but as an adult reading this book, I wanted to reach through the pages and slap her. In the book, she wrote these creepy love letters to Logan about pining for him and missing him and it's like, "Get a grip, girl". Then she doesn't understand when Dawn confides in her and then gets mad at her when Mary Anne doesn't even pay attention to what she says and instead asks how far the lodge is to Aruba.
But then the kicker of me wanted to slap Mary Anne is at the end of the book. The kids are on their way back to Stoneybrook and the boys sing a really rude song about Ethel, an overweight classmate on the bus. Instead of being outraged and feeling sorry for Ethel, she makes the comment of "but that didn't stop her from eating three Snickers bars". Ugh, way harsh, Mary Anne. How would you feel if you were humiliated in front of everybody? How would you feel if you had to deal with the fact that your name was Ethel AND you were overweight? You who cries if someone looks at you wrong.
Kristy: Kristy is doing her competitive thing. She's a team captain (of course) and wants nothing more than to win. This has her butting heads with Claudia and Dawn at different points of the book. But something happens that makes her feel bad and she understands the error of her ways (until next time).
Claudia: Claudia is the judge of the snow sculpting competition and competes in skiing competition. She gets competitive with Kristy. She also gets a crush on an older skiing instructor with a French accent.
Stacey: Apart from the beginning and the end of the book, Stacey is non-existent in this story. She meets Pierre and disappears. They fall in luv and do some dancing.
Jessi: Jessi is in charge of the talent show. She is flustered when she thinks Pinky, an elementary student that the BSC has to watch, dislikes her because she is black. But she can't see that Pinky is a brat to everyone, not just Jessi.
Dawn: Dawn is usually sure of herself but when she does badly in some of the Winter War and gets the wrath of Kristy, she begins to feel bad about herself. She tries to confide to Logan-obsessed Mary Anne but when Mary Anne is off in dreamland and ignores what Dawn has said, they argue. They make-up pretty quickly and you really don't see her much more.
Mallory: Debbie Downer Mallory doesn't want to do much while there except spy on people. She makes up stories about people because she thinks she's Harriet the Spy. She does some creepy spying on Stacey and Pierre because she wants to see what it looks like when a boy and girl kiss. That's a little too creepy, Mallory. Has she never seen her parents kiss? Or watched a movie with kissing? She also complains about not wanting to dance at the end of the trip dance party.
Overall, the book was okay. I don't think this was the best Super Special of the series but it still kept my interest.
October 31, 2021
This super special was absolutely wild and ridiculous, and I loved it. The premise is ridiculous on about five different levels, but it was just pure fun. It seems like Ann M. Martin learned from previous super specials that there are too many POVs and plotlines, and she found a way to condense them into a more cohesive story.
I knew this book was going to be fun, because it takes place while the BSC is in eighth grade, in winter, after Mimi is already dead—which means we went both forwards and backwards in time. The older girls should be in the winter of their ninth grade year, but they're now doomed to repeat eighth grade forever.
KRISTY: Kristy is truly in her element in this book, and I fucking loved it for her. A winter sports paradise with emergency babysitting duties and a serious competition is like heaven on earth for Kristy.
DAWN: Ann always does something unexpected with Dawn in a super special. This time, Dawn is bad at sports and a little bit bullied. We're 29 books and three specials in at this point, and it feels like she hasn't decided whether Dawn is "cool" like Stacey and Claudia or dorky like Mary Anne and Kristy.
CLAUDIA: Claudia is apparently a championship skier??? Random. I also don't like Claudia anymore, so I loved that she got completely humiliated by her love interest.
STACEY: Stacey completely faded into the background in this book! After getting all the diseases at camp, I'm glad she had a solid vacation.
MARY ANNE: Even in a Logan-free book, Mary Anne's whole plotline is dedicated to Logan. Great.
MALLORY: SO GODDAMN ANNOYING. Seriously, Mallory almost redeemed herself for me after I liked Mallory and the Mystery Diary, but here she is back to being such a creepy little weirdo.
JESSI: When I saw that this took place at a winter sports lodge, I was so worried we were going to have to read a Jessi POV that didn't incorporate the performing arts, but but THANK GOD she found a way to not grow as a character at all and stick her in lane.
I knew this book was going to be fun, because it takes place while the BSC is in eighth grade, in winter, after Mimi is already dead—which means we went both forwards and backwards in time. The older girls should be in the winter of their ninth grade year, but they're now doomed to repeat eighth grade forever.
KRISTY: Kristy is truly in her element in this book, and I fucking loved it for her. A winter sports paradise with emergency babysitting duties and a serious competition is like heaven on earth for Kristy.
DAWN: Ann always does something unexpected with Dawn in a super special. This time, Dawn is bad at sports and a little bit bullied. We're 29 books and three specials in at this point, and it feels like she hasn't decided whether Dawn is "cool" like Stacey and Claudia or dorky like Mary Anne and Kristy.
CLAUDIA: Claudia is apparently a championship skier??? Random. I also don't like Claudia anymore, so I loved that she got completely humiliated by her love interest.
STACEY: Stacey completely faded into the background in this book! After getting all the diseases at camp, I'm glad she had a solid vacation.
MARY ANNE: Even in a Logan-free book, Mary Anne's whole plotline is dedicated to Logan. Great.
MALLORY: SO GODDAMN ANNOYING. Seriously, Mallory almost redeemed herself for me after I liked Mallory and the Mystery Diary, but here she is back to being such a creepy little weirdo.
JESSI: When I saw that this took place at a winter sports lodge, I was so worried we were going to have to read a Jessi POV that didn't incorporate the performing arts, but but THANK GOD she found a way to not grow as a character at all and stick her in lane.
April 10, 2022
Cute - interesting how much they can cram into one short week in a book - seemed to be way too few chaperones - especially for such little kids. I like the super specials as they have all points of view. Personal summary/spoiler in comments
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2013
This a good book, I like it because I never get to see snow!
June 29, 2025
We’ve had a Baby-Sitters Summer Vacation, and now it’s time for Winter Vacation! The Baby-Sitters Club, along with the entire 8th grade of Stoneybrook Middle are headed to Vermont for a week at Leicester Lodge. There will be snow, skiing, ice skating, and even a Winter War!
The girls of the BSC are so excited for their snow-filled school trip to the Lodge! But what was supposed to be a fun week of snow sports and lodge living, soon turns into a … (what else?!) baby-sitting job for the girls when a school bus load of children is involved in an accident on their way up to the Lodge. Of course, the Baby-Sitters Club steps up and volunteers to care for the kids while their teachers recover from their injuries. They even agree to do it unpaid … well, because the BSC is just not selfish that way.
The girls incorporate baby-sitting with practicing for and competing in the Winter War, while also prepping for a Talent Show spearheaded by Jessi, all while writing journal entries assigned by Mary Anne so that she can create a book (yes, this novel) for Logan, who is away in Aruba and missing this trip. As is the Super Special style, the girls each have their own adventure at the Lodge, which is told in alternating chapters from their POVs.
Kristy is all about winning the Winter War, while Claudia only has eyes for her much older ski instructor. Mary Anne, who would prefer NOT to do any sports, is holed up in the Lodge where she is supposed to be working on a project as this year’s trip historian, but instead, she spend most of her time swooning over Logan. Stacey falls for a French 8th grader from another school, and Dawn’s California roots must be showing because she just can’t seem to get a handle on snow sports. Mallory is also not interested in anything that takes her out of her comfort zone, and spends the week spying on the Lodge’s guests, while Jessi coordinates the Talent Show, while also dancing in it herself.
I don’t remember reading this Super Special as a child, but I am sure that I must have. It just must not have made a huge impression on me then, and still fails to now. While more organized and conversational than the previous BSC Summer Vacation with much more interaction between the members of the BSC, Winter Vacation’s plot wasn’t the most exciting. As far as BSC Super Specials go, this one isn’t the most fun or memorable, but it is still a solid read that highlights the girls’ distinct personalities. There’s a little something for everyone here, whether your preferred winter vacation is spending it in the snow or cozying up by the fire.
The girls of the BSC are so excited for their snow-filled school trip to the Lodge! But what was supposed to be a fun week of snow sports and lodge living, soon turns into a … (what else?!) baby-sitting job for the girls when a school bus load of children is involved in an accident on their way up to the Lodge. Of course, the Baby-Sitters Club steps up and volunteers to care for the kids while their teachers recover from their injuries. They even agree to do it unpaid … well, because the BSC is just not selfish that way.
The girls incorporate baby-sitting with practicing for and competing in the Winter War, while also prepping for a Talent Show spearheaded by Jessi, all while writing journal entries assigned by Mary Anne so that she can create a book (yes, this novel) for Logan, who is away in Aruba and missing this trip. As is the Super Special style, the girls each have their own adventure at the Lodge, which is told in alternating chapters from their POVs.
Kristy is all about winning the Winter War, while Claudia only has eyes for her much older ski instructor. Mary Anne, who would prefer NOT to do any sports, is holed up in the Lodge where she is supposed to be working on a project as this year’s trip historian, but instead, she spend most of her time swooning over Logan. Stacey falls for a French 8th grader from another school, and Dawn’s California roots must be showing because she just can’t seem to get a handle on snow sports. Mallory is also not interested in anything that takes her out of her comfort zone, and spends the week spying on the Lodge’s guests, while Jessi coordinates the Talent Show, while also dancing in it herself.
I don’t remember reading this Super Special as a child, but I am sure that I must have. It just must not have made a huge impression on me then, and still fails to now. While more organized and conversational than the previous BSC Summer Vacation with much more interaction between the members of the BSC, Winter Vacation’s plot wasn’t the most exciting. As far as BSC Super Specials go, this one isn’t the most fun or memorable, but it is still a solid read that highlights the girls’ distinct personalities. There’s a little something for everyone here, whether your preferred winter vacation is spending it in the snow or cozying up by the fire.
December 20, 2021
Funny to read this book again as a teacher who has chaperoned overnight field trips several times, for kids who are the same age as the members of the babysitters club. What a flip in perspectives!
I didn’t feel the same nostalgia reading this one as I did reading the Little Sister Super Special.
2021 notes for the book written in 1989:
-Guy’s handling of Claudia’s crush on him is disturbing. He’s a grown man with a wife and child, yet has a skiing student who is infatuated with him. He responds by slow dancing with her and then writing her a postcard. The book treats it as normal.
-there’s a brief anecdote of fat-shaming with the boys in the back of the bus on the way home. What makes it worse is that Mary Anne snidely narrates that the taunting of the boys didn’t stop the girl they made fun of from eating three snickers bars. Shut up Mary Anne.
-I believe that, if written today, Ms Halliday would be gay and not crying in the bathroom, missing her fiancé bc she was away from home for five days.
-Jessi’s story line involves her wondering if Pinky is mistreating her out of “prejudice”. Jessi learns at the end that she was mistaken and feels ashamed for thinking that, wondering if maybe SHE Has maybe been racist for wondering such a thing. That she needs to go home and think through that with her parents. This…felt weird.
-Mallory’s story line was underdeveloped. She was terrified of going to the dance. She ended up going and Stacey mentions off hand that Mallory was dancing with a boy! Well who was it?! It never comes up again.
Anyways, criticism aside, I still remember being swept away by this story the first time I read it and thought of all the BSC members as adults away on a skiing trip. 😊
I didn’t feel the same nostalgia reading this one as I did reading the Little Sister Super Special.
2021 notes for the book written in 1989:
-Guy’s handling of Claudia’s crush on him is disturbing. He’s a grown man with a wife and child, yet has a skiing student who is infatuated with him. He responds by slow dancing with her and then writing her a postcard. The book treats it as normal.
-there’s a brief anecdote of fat-shaming with the boys in the back of the bus on the way home. What makes it worse is that Mary Anne snidely narrates that the taunting of the boys didn’t stop the girl they made fun of from eating three snickers bars. Shut up Mary Anne.
-I believe that, if written today, Ms Halliday would be gay and not crying in the bathroom, missing her fiancé bc she was away from home for five days.
-Jessi’s story line involves her wondering if Pinky is mistreating her out of “prejudice”. Jessi learns at the end that she was mistaken and feels ashamed for thinking that, wondering if maybe SHE Has maybe been racist for wondering such a thing. That she needs to go home and think through that with her parents. This…felt weird.
-Mallory’s story line was underdeveloped. She was terrified of going to the dance. She ended up going and Stacey mentions off hand that Mallory was dancing with a boy! Well who was it?! It never comes up again.
Anyways, criticism aside, I still remember being swept away by this story the first time I read it and thought of all the BSC members as adults away on a skiing trip. 😊
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2023
2.75. Not a big fan of this one but it was fine.
I felt like there wasn’t much of a through-line in this book, just a bunch of disconnected happenings. Day to day life at a winter lodge. Each babysitter learned valuable life lessons. The end. 😂 Less of an adventure and more just everyone having problems and not speaking to each other half the book.
Would’ve loved to see more of the other students, considering the entire school pretty much was present on this trip. Would’ve been a good opportunity to interact with more of them.
Also would’ve been fun to hear more about the ghost story that was hinted at. I feel like that storyline didn’t get much justice.
I’ve read a lot of these books before but this one didn’t seem familiar, so I don’t think I ever read this one. In general I remember really enjoying the Super Specials as a kid though, but this one was more of a dud than I was expecting. More than usual too, I found myself having trouble keeping the various POVs separate in my head. Everything in this book felt kind of jumbled together, repetitive, and not super interesting. Oh well. 🤷🏼♀️
I felt like there wasn’t much of a through-line in this book, just a bunch of disconnected happenings. Day to day life at a winter lodge. Each babysitter learned valuable life lessons. The end. 😂 Less of an adventure and more just everyone having problems and not speaking to each other half the book.
Would’ve loved to see more of the other students, considering the entire school pretty much was present on this trip. Would’ve been a good opportunity to interact with more of them.
Also would’ve been fun to hear more about the ghost story that was hinted at. I feel like that storyline didn’t get much justice.
I’ve read a lot of these books before but this one didn’t seem familiar, so I don’t think I ever read this one. In general I remember really enjoying the Super Specials as a kid though, but this one was more of a dud than I was expecting. More than usual too, I found myself having trouble keeping the various POVs separate in my head. Everything in this book felt kind of jumbled together, repetitive, and not super interesting. Oh well. 🤷🏼♀️
November 20, 2024
When I saw a handful of these original cover BSC books at Goodwill I couldn’t help but buy them.
This one was a quick read with POV chapters from all the girls. It was like going through every insecure and emotional journey that a teen would have in one book because the girls are all so different. Haha
It was also nostalgic going back to the days when kids wrote notes to each other instead of texts. And the beginning of each chapter had a bit of cursive writing to show a personalized journal entry. Do they even still teach that in school?
I honestly didn’t realize these were written in the 1980s because I didn’t become aware of them until the 90s when I was a preteen. The stories, however, still reminded me a bit of my childhood. I couldn’t do what these girls did in the 8th grade, though. They seemed very organized and responsible for that age. I do remember being just as boy crazy as a few of them were even down to liking the older guy.
A quick walk down memory lane, and I noticed these books are still in print but with new covers. I wonder if they have been updated a bit to go with the times?
This one was a quick read with POV chapters from all the girls. It was like going through every insecure and emotional journey that a teen would have in one book because the girls are all so different. Haha
It was also nostalgic going back to the days when kids wrote notes to each other instead of texts. And the beginning of each chapter had a bit of cursive writing to show a personalized journal entry. Do they even still teach that in school?
I honestly didn’t realize these were written in the 1980s because I didn’t become aware of them until the 90s when I was a preteen. The stories, however, still reminded me a bit of my childhood. I couldn’t do what these girls did in the 8th grade, though. They seemed very organized and responsible for that age. I do remember being just as boy crazy as a few of them were even down to liking the older guy.
A quick walk down memory lane, and I noticed these books are still in print but with new covers. I wonder if they have been updated a bit to go with the times?
February 27, 2021
2 stars. My least favorite BSC book. A lot of the girls felt out of character. And then Claudia was crushing on an older guy which was super freakin’ weird. But what really pissed me off was Jessi’s storyline. She gets stuck with a kid, Pinky, who is shitty towards her and Jessi thinks the girls is racist. Turns out the kid is just a little shit and then Jessi feels bad about thinking she was racist. Martin does not handle Jessi being Black well at all and she tends to always brush off Jessi’s problems with other people when it comes to her race. She minimizes it into “Well, everyone has problems and is judged for something.” I hate it. Pinky very much could have some bias towards her because of her race but Martin dropped the ball completely. It just was handled so terribly and did not sit right with me at all.
September 8, 2021
When I was in high school, my 40-person marching band made a trip to Disney World, twice. Between the two trips, all matter of morally and legally questionable activities occurred. It was an enormous headache for the adults involved, and stories of our trip were widely dispersed among our high school.
Ten years after my graduation, I have now been a teacher and have been a chaperone for many a single-day field trip.
The prospect of taking an ENTIRE middle school on a full-week trip sounds like a spectacularly hellish experience for any adult involved and I truly have to wonder about the soundness of the decision to plan this trip and the soundness of the parents' decision to allow their children to go.
That said, this was a fun BSC read. It fits between books 29 and 30, for anyone curious.
Ten years after my graduation, I have now been a teacher and have been a chaperone for many a single-day field trip.
The prospect of taking an ENTIRE middle school on a full-week trip sounds like a spectacularly hellish experience for any adult involved and I truly have to wonder about the soundness of the decision to plan this trip and the soundness of the parents' decision to allow their children to go.
That said, this was a fun BSC read. It fits between books 29 and 30, for anyone curious.
July 11, 2023
Makenna and I read this together as a bedtime story last week. It... wasn't great. But, and this may come as a surprise, but an almost-40 year-old man is not the target audience for this book. 😅 So I would usually defer to Mak on the rating for the book; she gave it 3 ⭐s. I knocked off a star for some fat-shaming and a few anachronisms that haven't aged well. Makenna picked up on a few of them, and a few she missed.
We didn't like how unlikeable some of the babysitters were in the book, but most of our exposure to the BSC is through the Netflix shows and some of the newer graphic novel remakes. Perhaps this is consistent with all the original books, but we didn't care for it.
Something that was consistent, we both liked Mary Anne, who remains a queen of queens, even though she spent most of the first half of the book actively simpering over a boy. [Boys are 🤢, obviously. 😁]
We didn't like how unlikeable some of the babysitters were in the book, but most of our exposure to the BSC is through the Netflix shows and some of the newer graphic novel remakes. Perhaps this is consistent with all the original books, but we didn't care for it.
Something that was consistent, we both liked Mary Anne, who remains a queen of queens, even though she spent most of the first half of the book actively simpering over a boy. [Boys are 🤢, obviously. 😁]
January 16, 2023
Re-reading the BSC series as a grown ass woman, super special edition:
The absolute HELL I would raise if I found out that my children had been left in the care of some random 13 years olds on a school trip would be something to behold. They would speak about it in hushed tones for years to come as that time they saw their lives flash before their eyes due to pure fear.
That aside though, this installment is a bit bleh. Why are the girls always falling for grown ass men? And not only that, Claudia thought a man old enough to be married with two kids was interested in her.. what kind of men are these girls exposed to?!
Anyway, definitely not my favourite. Yawn.
The absolute HELL I would raise if I found out that my children had been left in the care of some random 13 years olds on a school trip would be something to behold. They would speak about it in hushed tones for years to come as that time they saw their lives flash before their eyes due to pure fear.
That aside though, this installment is a bit bleh. Why are the girls always falling for grown ass men? And not only that, Claudia thought a man old enough to be married with two kids was interested in her.. what kind of men are these girls exposed to?!
Anyway, definitely not my favourite. Yawn.
August 25, 2023
I first read this well over twenty years ago, but rereading it now had me wondering just why the babysitters always have to work while they're on holiday. Seriously, there's sixteen elementary schoolers and the staff and teachers at the resort are just like, sure, we'll get half a dozen middle schoolers to wrangle them for free while they're on their own vacation, rather being adults and figuring it out themselves. (Yes, I know the books are about babysitters, but the specials are their own thing, to an extent, and I certainly wouldn't insist on kids doing childcare while they were on holiday).
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