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The Baby-Sitters Club #56
Keep Out, Claudia!
When Mrs. Lowell, the Baby-sitters Club's newest client, shows a dislike for Claudia and refuses to hire her as a sitter, Kristy, Mary Anne, Stacey, Dawn, Mallory, and Jessica decide to find out why. Original.
145 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1992
97 people are currently reading
866 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,102 books3,048 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 75 reviews
February 12, 2017
Claudia baby sits for white supremacists who are shocked that a baby sitting service in Stoneybrook would employ not only an Asian, but a black as well. And the baby sitters are shocked that racist people could exist in Stoneybrook and dare to call them. To soothe their shiny happy ideas of the world, they start a band with their charges, and decide to perform songs from Fiddler on the Roof. I've been reluctant to reread this book since even as a kid (I was probably nine or ten when I read this) there was something about the way this story was presented that didn't sit well with me, although as a kid I didn't have the knowledge to put my misgivings into words.
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
I remember this book pretty well since I thought about it a lot. I remember Claudia assuming that Mrs Lowell doesn't like her because she doesn't dress conservatively enough, and I remember Kristy deciding to wear a dress to her sitting job for the same reason. I remember Jessi working all night to put together an office kit for the Lowell children to play with only to have the door slammed in her face when she showed up for her sitting job. I also remember that Claudia mentions she likes Bach's music, which made me want to listen to Bach. (If Claudia liked it, I wanted to like it since she was my favorite baby sitter!) I also remember the know-it-all in my fifth grade class correcting me when I pronounced Bach like "batch" because I had only seen it written in BSC books.
Mostly I remember feeling almost a sense of dread when I was reaching the end of the book. I couldn't quite explain why. I had borrowed the book from a sort-of friend of mine, who was blonde and blue-eyed. I couldn't stand this girl most of the time, and I was only friends with her because her parents bought every single BSC book that was ever published, and she let me borrow them. Now that I'm older I understand that her family would have been considered white trash, or rednecks, and that her father was a raging racist. I remember she said to me that her father told her that she was a minority in Northern New Mexico and she shouldn't have to take crap (her words; fifth grade me was shocked!) from any of the "town brown". "If anyone gives me any trouble in school I'm supposed to let my dad know so that he can take care of the problem for me -- I'm not even supposed to tell the teachers," she told me when we were in third grade (the first year we went to school together). When her father came to pick her up at school he would sit in his truck, blocking all the other cars and stare really hard at all the kids in the playground. He would only move if the first grade teacher (who was the only teacher in the elementary school who was very obviously white, I think she had freckles and red hair) asked him to. If any other teacher asked him he would either ignore them, or say something like, "I'm not ready to move." I think what I didn't like about this book was that even well-meaning, so called "good" white people did not want to take on obvious racism. I knew there were obviously racist people all around me, even though Northern New Mexico is pretty diverse. I went to school with all kinds of kids, and I did a lot of extracurriculars in Santa Fe, but there was still obviously racism everywhere. My frenemy's father was just one example. I saw with my own eyes how no one wanted to stand up to him, even though he clearly hated all people of color, and he hated that his daughter was mixing with them. But even as a kid I also knew (although I didn't have the words for it) that I faced systematic racism all the time. From the drama teacher who gave all the leads to the white kids, to the dance teacher who put me and all the Hispanic and black girls in the back row of our recital, to the teacher who consistently marked my math papers with a lower grade than my white friend, even though we got the same answers. (She later implemented a rule that we couldn't compare our grades, since it was no one's business but our own, but the only kids who got in trouble for breaking that rule were the students of color.) If white people were not willing to confront the obvious racists, how could I expect them to defend me from the systematic racists, or even realize that such a thing existed, and was very real to me, and affected my entire future?
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
In the first chapter of this book the Rodowsky boys are talking about how they love show business and wish they could entertain people for a living. This is exactly how I imagine the Warner brothers acted when they were growing up. Little Jack, Harry, Albert, and Sam probably talked their baby sitters into helping them start a band, and they definitely raised money for uniforms.
This book was very clearly written by white people. White people only see racism when it smacks them in the face so hard that they are forced to acknowledge it, because they don't live with its consequences day after day. Therefore, the Lowells are so racist that it's obvious even to Kristy, who is usually oblivious to this sort of thing. They are clearly raising their children on a diet of literature by David Duke and Don Black. They are clearly sick, and twisted. They should clearly be driven away from suburban America by their neighbors. The BSC should clearly stay far away from them. They are very obviously scary. What bothered me as a kid (although I couldn't put it into words) and what REALLY bothers me as adult (because I can put it into words) is that this type of racism is so overt that it's easy to vilify. Why couldn't the Lowells have been more subtle, as many racists are? I would think in a town as white as Stoneybrook that at least one of the BSCs regular clients is racist without realizing it. They're the family that doesn't want Jessi to baby sit because the kids like Stacey and Dawn so much better. They're the family that never invites the Ramseys to join their book club, or are bitter when Claudia's father gets a raise. They're the ones at a cocktail party who sit in a little group and whisper about the immigrants getting all the jobs, and the Jews raising prices on everything. I really wish the story would have followed that kind of racism. I'm not saying that overtly frightening, Nazi-loving, white supremacy racism doesn't exist, I know that it does. I also know that these types of people tend to live in enclaves, making me wonder who else in Stoneybrook is "friends" with the Lowells. In the story the Lowells find a flier advertising the BSCs services, so therefore the baby sitters can't point fingers at the clients who might have recommended them. Apparently they heard from "somewhere" that the club was reliable. WHERE DID THEY HEAR IT? Who of the other BSC clients are bigots who are better at disguising their overt hatred than the Lowells?
As a kid, I don't remember being bothered by the band the BSC charges begin (in this book only of course; we never, ever hear about this band again) but as an adult I wanted to run screaming from this book, and not just because the chapters dealing with the band are incredibly boring. The kids decide to call their band All the Children because they are oh-so-diverse, and they represent all the children of the world! Jaime Newton even has a Native American ancestor, meaning he must be a true American! And he can stand in for any old Native American, any old time! I mean, he has a Native ancestor, right? He totally knows exactly what being an Indian is all about! The kids are as pleased as a board of directors in a corporation that they have Chinese friends! And a Japanese baby sitter! And one black family in town! No way could anyone call them racists, no sir!
When Kristy tells her parents that she thinks the Lowells are racists, even though there's no way to prove it, the first thing Watson says to her is, "That's a pretty strong word," like an admonishment. Like he's telling her, "Don't accuse someone of that if you don't know for sure." But why shouldn't Kristy say they Lowells are racist if they ARE RACIST? The ongoing problem with racism is that no one wants to admit their racism, and everyone is too scared to call someone out on it. Maybe if they did then children of racists would learn to pick up on unacceptable behaviors and work to better their racial and cultural understanding. I like Nannie's reaction to Kristy's statement a lot better because it's so sad, and so true. The only she says is, "With each generation I think it's going to be over. But it isn't even getting better. Maybe I'm just an old fool." I wonder if Nannie's age has made her see the racism that's all over Stoneybrook, including Kristy's dismissal of Becca's hurt feelings of racism in Jessi and the Secret Language. I notice that Kristy does not refer to the Lowells as racists for the rest of the book. Instead she says they are "prejudiced" which I guess is a nice way of saying racist. Thanks a lot, Watson. Yet another example of why no one wants to stand up to racists. And then Mary Anne cries because she thinks someone could beat her up because she has Russian ancestors. This book is probably what really kicked my hatred of Mary Anne into full gear.
As a kid I was desperate for someone, anyone to confront the Lowells and shame them for their behavior. I was furious when all that happened was that the BSC decided not to baby sit for the Lowells, and everyone went on their happy way. As an adult I understand this a lot better, even though I still don't like it. As Stacey points out, the BSC is just a bunch of thirteen year olds and a few eleven year olds. There's no way they can take on the complexities of one family's mindset, especially since there is no way in the world they will change an adult's thinking, and the children are under the reasonable care of their parents. I still don't like that when Claudia wants to tell the Lowells that "we're not going to sit for her family anymore because we don't like bigots," Kristy immediately says, "You know darn well we cannot say that." Why can't they say that? Because it's rude? Because that would hurt the Lowells feelings? But it's the truth, and I don't think it's rude, it's just disagreeing with the Lowells point of view, and the Lowells point of view is wrong. It's OK to stand up for what's right. And why should Kristy, a white rich girl be allowed to make that call when Claudia and Jessi were most affected by the Lowells behavior? I'm so mad at Watson for chastising Kristy for saying "racist" because she has instantly learned that no one should ever be called out for racist behavior, ever. And then Stacey brings up reverse racism, and I want to scream "THERE'S NO SUCH THING, STUPID WHITE GIRL!" I love that Claudia's response to this is just to snap, "Oh, who cares?" but I'm sure that was unintentional on the part of the writer given the insensitivity of this book. Despite all that nonsense, at the end of the book I understand when Dawn who says, "Maybe teaching the Lowells a lesson isn't our job." (But if not them, then whose job is it? Society clearly isn't doing much. I mean, the job has to start somewhere. I do understand the passiveness of a privileged white girl who will never experience racism, and has nothing to lose by defending her friends of color, but I still don't like it.) I have a grudging respect for Jessi (because she's a bigger person than I will ever be) when she says, "We can be good examples for the kids we sit for. . . whether they have prejudiced ideas or not. . . We can just show them how to be good neighbors." The baby sitters agree that is their role in life for now. At the very end of the book Jessi and Claudia witness the Lowell children sneaking into the Newton's yard to watch the concert which they have banned from playing in. They wonder, without much hope, if the kids will grow up to have different ideas about humans than what their parents are forcing them to believe. As Jessi says, "Maybe."
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
I remember this book pretty well since I thought about it a lot. I remember Claudia assuming that Mrs Lowell doesn't like her because she doesn't dress conservatively enough, and I remember Kristy deciding to wear a dress to her sitting job for the same reason. I remember Jessi working all night to put together an office kit for the Lowell children to play with only to have the door slammed in her face when she showed up for her sitting job. I also remember that Claudia mentions she likes Bach's music, which made me want to listen to Bach. (If Claudia liked it, I wanted to like it since she was my favorite baby sitter!) I also remember the know-it-all in my fifth grade class correcting me when I pronounced Bach like "batch" because I had only seen it written in BSC books.
Mostly I remember feeling almost a sense of dread when I was reaching the end of the book. I couldn't quite explain why. I had borrowed the book from a sort-of friend of mine, who was blonde and blue-eyed. I couldn't stand this girl most of the time, and I was only friends with her because her parents bought every single BSC book that was ever published, and she let me borrow them. Now that I'm older I understand that her family would have been considered white trash, or rednecks, and that her father was a raging racist. I remember she said to me that her father told her that she was a minority in Northern New Mexico and she shouldn't have to take crap (her words; fifth grade me was shocked!) from any of the "town brown". "If anyone gives me any trouble in school I'm supposed to let my dad know so that he can take care of the problem for me -- I'm not even supposed to tell the teachers," she told me when we were in third grade (the first year we went to school together). When her father came to pick her up at school he would sit in his truck, blocking all the other cars and stare really hard at all the kids in the playground. He would only move if the first grade teacher (who was the only teacher in the elementary school who was very obviously white, I think she had freckles and red hair) asked him to. If any other teacher asked him he would either ignore them, or say something like, "I'm not ready to move." I think what I didn't like about this book was that even well-meaning, so called "good" white people did not want to take on obvious racism. I knew there were obviously racist people all around me, even though Northern New Mexico is pretty diverse. I went to school with all kinds of kids, and I did a lot of extracurriculars in Santa Fe, but there was still obviously racism everywhere. My frenemy's father was just one example. I saw with my own eyes how no one wanted to stand up to him, even though he clearly hated all people of color, and he hated that his daughter was mixing with them. But even as a kid I also knew (although I didn't have the words for it) that I faced systematic racism all the time. From the drama teacher who gave all the leads to the white kids, to the dance teacher who put me and all the Hispanic and black girls in the back row of our recital, to the teacher who consistently marked my math papers with a lower grade than my white friend, even though we got the same answers. (She later implemented a rule that we couldn't compare our grades, since it was no one's business but our own, but the only kids who got in trouble for breaking that rule were the students of color.) If white people were not willing to confront the obvious racists, how could I expect them to defend me from the systematic racists, or even realize that such a thing existed, and was very real to me, and affected my entire future?
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
In the first chapter of this book the Rodowsky boys are talking about how they love show business and wish they could entertain people for a living. This is exactly how I imagine the Warner brothers acted when they were growing up. Little Jack, Harry, Albert, and Sam probably talked their baby sitters into helping them start a band, and they definitely raised money for uniforms.
This book was very clearly written by white people. White people only see racism when it smacks them in the face so hard that they are forced to acknowledge it, because they don't live with its consequences day after day. Therefore, the Lowells are so racist that it's obvious even to Kristy, who is usually oblivious to this sort of thing. They are clearly raising their children on a diet of literature by David Duke and Don Black. They are clearly sick, and twisted. They should clearly be driven away from suburban America by their neighbors. The BSC should clearly stay far away from them. They are very obviously scary. What bothered me as a kid (although I couldn't put it into words) and what REALLY bothers me as adult (because I can put it into words) is that this type of racism is so overt that it's easy to vilify. Why couldn't the Lowells have been more subtle, as many racists are? I would think in a town as white as Stoneybrook that at least one of the BSCs regular clients is racist without realizing it. They're the family that doesn't want Jessi to baby sit because the kids like Stacey and Dawn so much better. They're the family that never invites the Ramseys to join their book club, or are bitter when Claudia's father gets a raise. They're the ones at a cocktail party who sit in a little group and whisper about the immigrants getting all the jobs, and the Jews raising prices on everything. I really wish the story would have followed that kind of racism. I'm not saying that overtly frightening, Nazi-loving, white supremacy racism doesn't exist, I know that it does. I also know that these types of people tend to live in enclaves, making me wonder who else in Stoneybrook is "friends" with the Lowells. In the story the Lowells find a flier advertising the BSCs services, so therefore the baby sitters can't point fingers at the clients who might have recommended them. Apparently they heard from "somewhere" that the club was reliable. WHERE DID THEY HEAR IT? Who of the other BSC clients are bigots who are better at disguising their overt hatred than the Lowells?
As a kid, I don't remember being bothered by the band the BSC charges begin (in this book only of course; we never, ever hear about this band again) but as an adult I wanted to run screaming from this book, and not just because the chapters dealing with the band are incredibly boring. The kids decide to call their band All the Children because they are oh-so-diverse, and they represent all the children of the world! Jaime Newton even has a Native American ancestor, meaning he must be a true American! And he can stand in for any old Native American, any old time! I mean, he has a Native ancestor, right? He totally knows exactly what being an Indian is all about! The kids are as pleased as a board of directors in a corporation that they have Chinese friends! And a Japanese baby sitter! And one black family in town! No way could anyone call them racists, no sir!
When Kristy tells her parents that she thinks the Lowells are racists, even though there's no way to prove it, the first thing Watson says to her is, "That's a pretty strong word," like an admonishment. Like he's telling her, "Don't accuse someone of that if you don't know for sure." But why shouldn't Kristy say they Lowells are racist if they ARE RACIST? The ongoing problem with racism is that no one wants to admit their racism, and everyone is too scared to call someone out on it. Maybe if they did then children of racists would learn to pick up on unacceptable behaviors and work to better their racial and cultural understanding. I like Nannie's reaction to Kristy's statement a lot better because it's so sad, and so true. The only she says is, "With each generation I think it's going to be over. But it isn't even getting better. Maybe I'm just an old fool." I wonder if Nannie's age has made her see the racism that's all over Stoneybrook, including Kristy's dismissal of Becca's hurt feelings of racism in Jessi and the Secret Language. I notice that Kristy does not refer to the Lowells as racists for the rest of the book. Instead she says they are "prejudiced" which I guess is a nice way of saying racist. Thanks a lot, Watson. Yet another example of why no one wants to stand up to racists. And then Mary Anne cries because she thinks someone could beat her up because she has Russian ancestors. This book is probably what really kicked my hatred of Mary Anne into full gear.
As a kid I was desperate for someone, anyone to confront the Lowells and shame them for their behavior. I was furious when all that happened was that the BSC decided not to baby sit for the Lowells, and everyone went on their happy way. As an adult I understand this a lot better, even though I still don't like it. As Stacey points out, the BSC is just a bunch of thirteen year olds and a few eleven year olds. There's no way they can take on the complexities of one family's mindset, especially since there is no way in the world they will change an adult's thinking, and the children are under the reasonable care of their parents. I still don't like that when Claudia wants to tell the Lowells that "we're not going to sit for her family anymore because we don't like bigots," Kristy immediately says, "You know darn well we cannot say that." Why can't they say that? Because it's rude? Because that would hurt the Lowells feelings? But it's the truth, and I don't think it's rude, it's just disagreeing with the Lowells point of view, and the Lowells point of view is wrong. It's OK to stand up for what's right. And why should Kristy, a white rich girl be allowed to make that call when Claudia and Jessi were most affected by the Lowells behavior? I'm so mad at Watson for chastising Kristy for saying "racist" because she has instantly learned that no one should ever be called out for racist behavior, ever. And then Stacey brings up reverse racism, and I want to scream "THERE'S NO SUCH THING, STUPID WHITE GIRL!" I love that Claudia's response to this is just to snap, "Oh, who cares?" but I'm sure that was unintentional on the part of the writer given the insensitivity of this book. Despite all that nonsense, at the end of the book I understand when Dawn who says, "Maybe teaching the Lowells a lesson isn't our job." (But if not them, then whose job is it? Society clearly isn't doing much. I mean, the job has to start somewhere. I do understand the passiveness of a privileged white girl who will never experience racism, and has nothing to lose by defending her friends of color, but I still don't like it.) I have a grudging respect for Jessi (because she's a bigger person than I will ever be) when she says, "We can be good examples for the kids we sit for. . . whether they have prejudiced ideas or not. . . We can just show them how to be good neighbors." The baby sitters agree that is their role in life for now. At the very end of the book Jessi and Claudia witness the Lowell children sneaking into the Newton's yard to watch the concert which they have banned from playing in. They wonder, without much hope, if the kids will grow up to have different ideas about humans than what their parents are forcing them to believe. As Jessi says, "Maybe."
June 1, 2016
this is my first time reading this book!
in this SERIOUS ISSUE book, the bsc starts sitting for a new family, the lowells. the lowells are the perfect picture of aryan goodness -- you know, like the goebbelses, before their parents murdered them.
anyway, the lowells like mary anne and kristy fine but don't like claudia and jessi. claudia has apparently (according to her) never experienced racism (uhhhh...) so she has no idea why the kids are staring at her face and laughing. eventually it becomes apparent that the lowells are awful blatant white supremacists, and the baby-sitters don't sit for them anymore. meanwhile, the bsc kids all start a huge band (playing keyboards, violins, kazoos, oatmeal containers as drums, and more real and fake whimsical instruments) and perform the music of fiddler on the roof.
highlights:
-the lowell kids are clearly uncomfortable with catholics, saying that they think the pikes might be catholic bc they have so many kids. it's pretty funny. like, who is uncomfortable with catholics in 1992? that is some serious protestant supremacy silliness.
-jackie rodowsky suggests naming the band "all the children" because there are kids from different backgrounds in the band. with a name like that I'm picturing usa for africa or live aid or something -- oh, or the greatest love of all
-claudia is bewildered by racism since she's apparently never experience it before (which I doubt, considering she lives in the same sketchy connecticut town that treated the ramseys terribly because they were black). there's a well-handled scene where janine informs claudia about the internment camps for americans of japanese descent during WWII, and claudia is shocked. really good subtlety of sneaking in a teaching moment for kids here. I definitely didn't learn about that until high school and was completely shocked when I finally did.
-when kristy suspects that the lowells are racist, she tells her parents and nannie. when they back her, kristy says that she had hoped they would tell her she was wrong. well I guess this is growing up.
-claudia says: "when we get hungry we eat and when we get tired we sleep and we laugh and cry and fall in love." nice shylock speech ripoff, ann! no but seriously I actually liked this part a lot, considering the journey claudia had to go through to get to this point in the book.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-claudia says early in the book that "anyone with half a brain" would spell psychiatrist "sikiatrist". why you gotta be so mean about people who know how to spell? it comes from the greek psykhe (mind) and iatreia (healing). there is a scene where claudia attempts to use stacey's reverse psychology methods to convince the lowells not to eat oreos by telling them to eat the whole package and it backfires (they WANT to eat the whole package). maybe it backfired because reverse psychology was mad at you for not knowing how to spell the root psych- and being a jerk about it!
-mary anne is such an idiot. the lowells are watching a show that has asian people and the kids laugh and say "look at their eyes!" and mary anne doesn't realize they're racist. she's all, "hmm I don't get the joke!" when I see or hear kids say something that is harmful, I recognize it for what it is and use it as a teaching moment. has mary anne really never seen/heard a kid say something problematic before?
-stacey says that skinheads are people who beat up people that aren't like them. no, that's neo nazi skinheads. not all skinheads are like that.
-late in the book mrs. lowell actually asks for the blonde-haired, blue-eyed sitter she's heard about. I dunno, she seems a little more like an insidious racist to me -- I doubt she would actually be that up-front about it.
-stacey indicates that if claud told the lowells the bsc doesn't sit for blonde-haired, blue-eyed people, that would be reverse racism. that's not a thing. not associating with blonde-haired blue-eyed people on principle may be prejudiced and messed up but it is NOT reverse racism.
claudia outfit:
-"I caught sight of my black leggings and high-topped sneakers, my fringed blue-jean vest and beaded Indian belt, my six silver rings..."
jackie disasters:
-knocks the fin off a lego rocketship
-drops his kazoo in the piano
-trips over his untied shoelaces, falls over mathew hobart, and loses his kazoo
-drops his kazoo two more times (during the performance)
jessi's kid kit (which goes unused bc mrs. lowell won't even let a black person in her house):
-Blueberries for Sal, The Snowy Day, A Chair for My Mother, and Good Dog, Carl.
-art materials
-easy jigsaw puzzles
-matchbox car and trucks
-office set (a plastic box filled with colored pencils, magic markers, pens, erasers, paper clips [red, white, and blue], blunt scissors, tape, memo pads, rubber bands, stickers, animal stamps, writing paper, and envelopes)
snacks in claudia's room:
-ring-dings under a pile of papers and drawings on her desk
-payday bars in one of her bureau drawers
-unsalted stone-ground wheat crackers (n.s.)
in this SERIOUS ISSUE book, the bsc starts sitting for a new family, the lowells. the lowells are the perfect picture of aryan goodness -- you know, like the goebbelses, before their parents murdered them.
anyway, the lowells like mary anne and kristy fine but don't like claudia and jessi. claudia has apparently (according to her) never experienced racism (uhhhh...) so she has no idea why the kids are staring at her face and laughing. eventually it becomes apparent that the lowells are awful blatant white supremacists, and the baby-sitters don't sit for them anymore. meanwhile, the bsc kids all start a huge band (playing keyboards, violins, kazoos, oatmeal containers as drums, and more real and fake whimsical instruments) and perform the music of fiddler on the roof.
highlights:
-the lowell kids are clearly uncomfortable with catholics, saying that they think the pikes might be catholic bc they have so many kids. it's pretty funny. like, who is uncomfortable with catholics in 1992? that is some serious protestant supremacy silliness.
-jackie rodowsky suggests naming the band "all the children" because there are kids from different backgrounds in the band. with a name like that I'm picturing usa for africa or live aid or something -- oh, or the greatest love of all
-claudia is bewildered by racism since she's apparently never experience it before (which I doubt, considering she lives in the same sketchy connecticut town that treated the ramseys terribly because they were black). there's a well-handled scene where janine informs claudia about the internment camps for americans of japanese descent during WWII, and claudia is shocked. really good subtlety of sneaking in a teaching moment for kids here. I definitely didn't learn about that until high school and was completely shocked when I finally did.
-when kristy suspects that the lowells are racist, she tells her parents and nannie. when they back her, kristy says that she had hoped they would tell her she was wrong. well I guess this is growing up.
-claudia says: "when we get hungry we eat and when we get tired we sleep and we laugh and cry and fall in love." nice shylock speech ripoff, ann! no but seriously I actually liked this part a lot, considering the journey claudia had to go through to get to this point in the book.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-claudia says early in the book that "anyone with half a brain" would spell psychiatrist "sikiatrist". why you gotta be so mean about people who know how to spell? it comes from the greek psykhe (mind) and iatreia (healing). there is a scene where claudia attempts to use stacey's reverse psychology methods to convince the lowells not to eat oreos by telling them to eat the whole package and it backfires (they WANT to eat the whole package). maybe it backfired because reverse psychology was mad at you for not knowing how to spell the root psych- and being a jerk about it!
-mary anne is such an idiot. the lowells are watching a show that has asian people and the kids laugh and say "look at their eyes!" and mary anne doesn't realize they're racist. she's all, "hmm I don't get the joke!" when I see or hear kids say something that is harmful, I recognize it for what it is and use it as a teaching moment. has mary anne really never seen/heard a kid say something problematic before?
-stacey says that skinheads are people who beat up people that aren't like them. no, that's neo nazi skinheads. not all skinheads are like that.
-late in the book mrs. lowell actually asks for the blonde-haired, blue-eyed sitter she's heard about. I dunno, she seems a little more like an insidious racist to me -- I doubt she would actually be that up-front about it.
-stacey indicates that if claud told the lowells the bsc doesn't sit for blonde-haired, blue-eyed people, that would be reverse racism. that's not a thing. not associating with blonde-haired blue-eyed people on principle may be prejudiced and messed up but it is NOT reverse racism.
claudia outfit:
-"I caught sight of my black leggings and high-topped sneakers, my fringed blue-jean vest and beaded Indian belt, my six silver rings..."
jackie disasters:
-knocks the fin off a lego rocketship
-drops his kazoo in the piano
-trips over his untied shoelaces, falls over mathew hobart, and loses his kazoo
-drops his kazoo two more times (during the performance)
jessi's kid kit (which goes unused bc mrs. lowell won't even let a black person in her house):
-Blueberries for Sal, The Snowy Day, A Chair for My Mother, and Good Dog, Carl.
-art materials
-easy jigsaw puzzles
-matchbox car and trucks
-office set (a plastic box filled with colored pencils, magic markers, pens, erasers, paper clips [red, white, and blue], blunt scissors, tape, memo pads, rubber bands, stickers, animal stamps, writing paper, and envelopes)
snacks in claudia's room:
-ring-dings under a pile of papers and drawings on her desk
-payday bars in one of her bureau drawers
-unsalted stone-ground wheat crackers (n.s.)
November 20, 2010
claudia is babysitting for the rodowskys. shea is practicing for his piano recital, which makes archie & jackie feel a little envious. jackie is upset because he can't seem to take any lessons & pursue any hobbies without breaking something. archie just wants attention. he says he could be a star, if only someone gave him a chance. sorry, archie. stoneybrook has reached critical mass for red-headed talented children in one rosie wilder.
archie's whining gives claudia an idea. what if the babysitters club organized their regular charges into a makeshift band? some of the kids actually do play instruments--shea & marilyn arnold play piano. charlotte johanssen has started taking guitar lessons. matthew hobart plays violin. the other kids can play kid instruments like kazoos, & some kids could make their own instruments--like drums out of oatmeal containers. i can see like a thousand problems with this right off the bat. such as, won't the kids who actually know how to play instruments be resentful of playing with hacks beating on oatmeal boxes? how reasonable is the expectation that a seven-year-old blowing on a kazoo is actually going to be able to play a recognizable song? there's also the issue of kids being flaky & not necessarily wanting to commit to the tedium of practicing. but this is stoneybrook, where the children are unrealistically dedicated & obedient, & tons of them are excited about the band idea.
meanwhile, the sitters have a new family to sit for, named lowell. the lowells have three picture-perfect blonde blue-eyed children. caitlin is eight, mackie is six, & celeste is four. mary anne is the first one to watch them, & they are very good with her, though they ask a lot of questions, including weird shit like, "what's your religion?" they also suggest that the pikes must be catholic after mary anne tells them that there are eight pike children. & she catches them giggling at a television program featuring two asian children riding bicycles. they say that the kids on bikes "look funny". mary anne doesn't see what's so funny about them, but she speculates that she had her back turned while they did something silly, so she forgets about it.
claudia is the next one to watch the lowells, & things go pretty badly. mrs. lowell is brusque with her, & the kids are terrors who want to eat an entire bag of oreo cookies. she takes them to jamie newton's house to introduce them to the all-kids' band, & they like that. they want to join. but they also fling themselves at mary anne & don't want anything to do with claudia. claudia is concerned that her wild outfit may have scared or alienated the lowell family. she can't imagine what else she did wrong.
mrs. lowell calls again, specifically requesting any sitter but claudia, & this time only jessi is free. claudia has filled the other sitters in on her poor babysitting experience, so jessi decides to come prepared. she wears a tasteful outfit & stocks her kid-kit with toys specially geared to the lowell kids. she also takes pains to show up early, but not TOO early. but when she arrives, mrs. lowell takes one look at her & says she doesn't need a sitter after all. jessi knows something isn't right here, but she can't quite figure out what the problem is. she wonders if mrs. lowell was able to tell by looking at her that she is younger than the other sitters...but for all her attempts at being open-minded & practical, her feelings are hurt & she cries.
the other sitters are equally as flummoxed. mary anne is signed up to sit for the lowells again soon, so kristy convinces her to let kristy take the job, to try to get to the bottom of the problem. kristy also bends over backwards to prepare for her job. she even wears a skirt, lest mrs. lowell be of the opinion that girls need to dress in a feminine manner. the kids are pretty nice to her, but they make certain comments about their previous sitters that set kristy's mind to working. at home that night, she requests a family conference with her mom, watson, & nannie. she tells them that she suspects that the lowells are racist. that's why the kids wouldn't behave for claudia, who is japanese american, & why mrs. lowell wouldn't even allow jessi, who is black, in the door. the adults do not dissuade kristy of this theory. they basically just sigh & tell her that racism happens, & it sucks. kristy is sad & angry.
she brings her theory up at the next babysitters club meeting & jessi says she has been wondering the same thing. but claudia freaks out. she has apparently never been victimized by racism before & she is really angry. all the other babysitters are disgusted as well, but in my personal opinion, they are a LONG fucking way from being helpful. there's a lot of bullshit commentary about racist skinheads & the ku klux klan, like only the most obvious & violent racists are actually racist. i mean, the lowells are obviously racist, but there are a lot of more nuanced degrees of racism that are just as hurtful & dehumanizing. stacey & dawn huff & puff over how they probably wouldn't meet the lowells' standards either because their parents are divorced...like that is in any way the same thing as someone being racist against you. i mean, i know this is a kids' book & the general theme is about embracing diversity & being accepting of people who are different from you, regardles sof their ehtnicities, family situations, religions, etc, but it still really smacks of stacey & dawn (& kristy & mary anne & mallory) failing to support their friends of color because they are too busy fussing over the possibility that they may be victimized as well. mary anne (who i continue to loathe with all my being) actually CRIES when she speculates that racist skinheads might attack her because some of her ancestors are russian. what? SHUT UP, mary anne.
at dinner, claudia asks her parents if they have ever experienced racism. she says something to the effect of, "i never realized there was anything wrong with being japanese," & mr. kishi handles the situation pretty well when he replies, "i'm sorry you ever felt the need to say something like that." because obviously there IS nothing wrong with being japanese. janine is less helpful when she informs claudia that japanese americans were shipped off to interment camps in the united states during world war two because the government feared they would spy for the japanese enemy. claudia is horrified. she has been learning about german concentration camps in school, but she never realized there were camps in the united states. janine says the japanese internment camps were not death camps...but they still sucked & were a manifestation of racism. claudia employs a poor word choice in describing the german concentration camps, saying she's been learning about "all those camps with funny names." first of all, there's nothing "funny" about concentration camps. second of all, there is nothing "funny" (either ha-ha or weird) about names that are derived from a language other than english. get it together, claudia.
mrs. lowell actually has the nerve to call for yet another sitter, & she even goes so far as to request a blonde-haired blue-eyed sitter. kristy handles the call & suggests logan for the job. mrs. lowell splutters because she apparently doesn't think sitting is an appropriate job for a boy. kristy says she'd take the job herself, but she might be busy that day sitting for emily michelle, her adopted vietnamese sister. mrs. lowell says she doesn't need a sitter after all. kristy hangs up & gets on the cross over how mrs. lowell was hating on her for having a vietnamese sister. yeah, kind of pales in comparison to what jessi & claudia are dealing with right now, but nice try.
in some unbelievably heavy-handed contrast writing, jackie rodowsky decides the all-kinds' band needs a name. he suggest all the children, which is short for all the children of the world. which is the worst name i've ever heard. he says it's perfect because the kids in the band represent all different ages & ethnic backgrounds. he & his brothers are polish, the hsus are asian (country not specified), the papadakises are greek, & jackie makes a big production of announcing that jamie newton's great-great-great-grandfather was a real live INJUN! he doesn't use that word, but he may as well have. he even gives a little speech about how this makes jamie a real american, because the indians were here before anyone else. *sigh* i wonder if jamie's great-great-great-grandfather was a cherokee prince.
jackie proposes the name to the other kids at the next rehearsal & everyone is into it. they decide to put on a show & play a whole program. after some arguing, they settle on "fiddler on the roof". because the score from "cats" just wouldn't pack the punch necessary to shove this tolerance & diversity message all the way down our throats. mrs. lowell comes by to drop the kids off for practice, but collects them in a big huff when she notices some non-aryan children in the band & realizes they are playing songs about russian jews.
the babysitters scheme to figure out a way to teach the lowells a lesson, but ultimately, they concede that racism is an enormous societal problem that they can't fix single-handedly. they just agree not to sit for the lowells anymore, & to hope that as the lowell children get older, they stop parroting their parents' fucked up belief systems.
the "fiddler on the roof" show happens, the kids raise money to buy matching band t-shirts, & claudia notices ciatlin & mackie lowell hovering in the rear of the crowd, looking wistful, like they wish they could have performed with the band. she is hopeful that this is their first step toward not being huge racists. &...scene. we never again hear anything about the lowells or all the children. i'm going to go ahead & assume that the lowell family & all the children's instruments were strapped on to a train car & shipped off the shelbyville, a la the real seymour skinner in the "simpsons" episode where we learn that principal skinner is living under an assumed identity.
archie's whining gives claudia an idea. what if the babysitters club organized their regular charges into a makeshift band? some of the kids actually do play instruments--shea & marilyn arnold play piano. charlotte johanssen has started taking guitar lessons. matthew hobart plays violin. the other kids can play kid instruments like kazoos, & some kids could make their own instruments--like drums out of oatmeal containers. i can see like a thousand problems with this right off the bat. such as, won't the kids who actually know how to play instruments be resentful of playing with hacks beating on oatmeal boxes? how reasonable is the expectation that a seven-year-old blowing on a kazoo is actually going to be able to play a recognizable song? there's also the issue of kids being flaky & not necessarily wanting to commit to the tedium of practicing. but this is stoneybrook, where the children are unrealistically dedicated & obedient, & tons of them are excited about the band idea.
meanwhile, the sitters have a new family to sit for, named lowell. the lowells have three picture-perfect blonde blue-eyed children. caitlin is eight, mackie is six, & celeste is four. mary anne is the first one to watch them, & they are very good with her, though they ask a lot of questions, including weird shit like, "what's your religion?" they also suggest that the pikes must be catholic after mary anne tells them that there are eight pike children. & she catches them giggling at a television program featuring two asian children riding bicycles. they say that the kids on bikes "look funny". mary anne doesn't see what's so funny about them, but she speculates that she had her back turned while they did something silly, so she forgets about it.
claudia is the next one to watch the lowells, & things go pretty badly. mrs. lowell is brusque with her, & the kids are terrors who want to eat an entire bag of oreo cookies. she takes them to jamie newton's house to introduce them to the all-kids' band, & they like that. they want to join. but they also fling themselves at mary anne & don't want anything to do with claudia. claudia is concerned that her wild outfit may have scared or alienated the lowell family. she can't imagine what else she did wrong.
mrs. lowell calls again, specifically requesting any sitter but claudia, & this time only jessi is free. claudia has filled the other sitters in on her poor babysitting experience, so jessi decides to come prepared. she wears a tasteful outfit & stocks her kid-kit with toys specially geared to the lowell kids. she also takes pains to show up early, but not TOO early. but when she arrives, mrs. lowell takes one look at her & says she doesn't need a sitter after all. jessi knows something isn't right here, but she can't quite figure out what the problem is. she wonders if mrs. lowell was able to tell by looking at her that she is younger than the other sitters...but for all her attempts at being open-minded & practical, her feelings are hurt & she cries.
the other sitters are equally as flummoxed. mary anne is signed up to sit for the lowells again soon, so kristy convinces her to let kristy take the job, to try to get to the bottom of the problem. kristy also bends over backwards to prepare for her job. she even wears a skirt, lest mrs. lowell be of the opinion that girls need to dress in a feminine manner. the kids are pretty nice to her, but they make certain comments about their previous sitters that set kristy's mind to working. at home that night, she requests a family conference with her mom, watson, & nannie. she tells them that she suspects that the lowells are racist. that's why the kids wouldn't behave for claudia, who is japanese american, & why mrs. lowell wouldn't even allow jessi, who is black, in the door. the adults do not dissuade kristy of this theory. they basically just sigh & tell her that racism happens, & it sucks. kristy is sad & angry.
she brings her theory up at the next babysitters club meeting & jessi says she has been wondering the same thing. but claudia freaks out. she has apparently never been victimized by racism before & she is really angry. all the other babysitters are disgusted as well, but in my personal opinion, they are a LONG fucking way from being helpful. there's a lot of bullshit commentary about racist skinheads & the ku klux klan, like only the most obvious & violent racists are actually racist. i mean, the lowells are obviously racist, but there are a lot of more nuanced degrees of racism that are just as hurtful & dehumanizing. stacey & dawn huff & puff over how they probably wouldn't meet the lowells' standards either because their parents are divorced...like that is in any way the same thing as someone being racist against you. i mean, i know this is a kids' book & the general theme is about embracing diversity & being accepting of people who are different from you, regardles sof their ehtnicities, family situations, religions, etc, but it still really smacks of stacey & dawn (& kristy & mary anne & mallory) failing to support their friends of color because they are too busy fussing over the possibility that they may be victimized as well. mary anne (who i continue to loathe with all my being) actually CRIES when she speculates that racist skinheads might attack her because some of her ancestors are russian. what? SHUT UP, mary anne.
at dinner, claudia asks her parents if they have ever experienced racism. she says something to the effect of, "i never realized there was anything wrong with being japanese," & mr. kishi handles the situation pretty well when he replies, "i'm sorry you ever felt the need to say something like that." because obviously there IS nothing wrong with being japanese. janine is less helpful when she informs claudia that japanese americans were shipped off to interment camps in the united states during world war two because the government feared they would spy for the japanese enemy. claudia is horrified. she has been learning about german concentration camps in school, but she never realized there were camps in the united states. janine says the japanese internment camps were not death camps...but they still sucked & were a manifestation of racism. claudia employs a poor word choice in describing the german concentration camps, saying she's been learning about "all those camps with funny names." first of all, there's nothing "funny" about concentration camps. second of all, there is nothing "funny" (either ha-ha or weird) about names that are derived from a language other than english. get it together, claudia.
mrs. lowell actually has the nerve to call for yet another sitter, & she even goes so far as to request a blonde-haired blue-eyed sitter. kristy handles the call & suggests logan for the job. mrs. lowell splutters because she apparently doesn't think sitting is an appropriate job for a boy. kristy says she'd take the job herself, but she might be busy that day sitting for emily michelle, her adopted vietnamese sister. mrs. lowell says she doesn't need a sitter after all. kristy hangs up & gets on the cross over how mrs. lowell was hating on her for having a vietnamese sister. yeah, kind of pales in comparison to what jessi & claudia are dealing with right now, but nice try.
in some unbelievably heavy-handed contrast writing, jackie rodowsky decides the all-kinds' band needs a name. he suggest all the children, which is short for all the children of the world. which is the worst name i've ever heard. he says it's perfect because the kids in the band represent all different ages & ethnic backgrounds. he & his brothers are polish, the hsus are asian (country not specified), the papadakises are greek, & jackie makes a big production of announcing that jamie newton's great-great-great-grandfather was a real live INJUN! he doesn't use that word, but he may as well have. he even gives a little speech about how this makes jamie a real american, because the indians were here before anyone else. *sigh* i wonder if jamie's great-great-great-grandfather was a cherokee prince.
jackie proposes the name to the other kids at the next rehearsal & everyone is into it. they decide to put on a show & play a whole program. after some arguing, they settle on "fiddler on the roof". because the score from "cats" just wouldn't pack the punch necessary to shove this tolerance & diversity message all the way down our throats. mrs. lowell comes by to drop the kids off for practice, but collects them in a big huff when she notices some non-aryan children in the band & realizes they are playing songs about russian jews.
the babysitters scheme to figure out a way to teach the lowells a lesson, but ultimately, they concede that racism is an enormous societal problem that they can't fix single-handedly. they just agree not to sit for the lowells anymore, & to hope that as the lowell children get older, they stop parroting their parents' fucked up belief systems.
the "fiddler on the roof" show happens, the kids raise money to buy matching band t-shirts, & claudia notices ciatlin & mackie lowell hovering in the rear of the crowd, looking wistful, like they wish they could have performed with the band. she is hopeful that this is their first step toward not being huge racists. &...scene. we never again hear anything about the lowells or all the children. i'm going to go ahead & assume that the lowell family & all the children's instruments were strapped on to a train car & shipped off the shelbyville, a la the real seymour skinner in the "simpsons" episode where we learn that principal skinner is living under an assumed identity.
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October 14, 2025bro so basically kristy is so 100 percent me so i looked up edits of her (like one does) and apparently evb thinks shes les!! guys what does this mean
July 14, 2020
I grew out of the series and stopped reading BSC before this book came out so this is the first time for me. Growing up, I *knew* Claudia was Asian like me, but I never really I saw myself in her until I was an adult (mostly bc I heavily identified w Mary Anne -- still do; Claudia is too cool for me). But man if this book had come earlier in the series before I had aged out, I might have felt a stronger kinship to Claudia back then. BUT: Claud had *never* faced racism before 8th grade? And there are maddening responses to racism from the white members of the BSC and even the white adults, along the lines of "Welp, there's not much we can do about it."
June 2, 2019
Ugh racism.
July 15, 2021
When the girls get a call from a new family needing babysitters, they are over joyed!
When Mary Anne babysits for the first time, everything goes well. The mom is nice and the kids are well behaved and sweet. But when Claudia goes to babysit…the mom makes her feel a little uncomfortable and the kids laugh at her and don’t listen. When Jessi goes to babysit it’s even worst… the mom doesn’t even let her in the house and claims she no longer needs a babysitter….what is going on??
This book openly discusses racism and I enjoyed that a realistic and hard topic was brought up in this children’s book.
When Mary Anne babysits for the first time, everything goes well. The mom is nice and the kids are well behaved and sweet. But when Claudia goes to babysit…the mom makes her feel a little uncomfortable and the kids laugh at her and don’t listen. When Jessi goes to babysit it’s even worst… the mom doesn’t even let her in the house and claims she no longer needs a babysitter….what is going on??
This book openly discusses racism and I enjoyed that a realistic and hard topic was brought up in this children’s book.
September 8, 2019
I love Kristy so much. (And relate to her.) Here's how she's described:
-"Kristy's duties are to be in charge" (11).
-"What sort of person is Kristy? Well, she's energetic and outgoing and she talks a lot. Even *she* admits she has a big mouth" (14).
-Kristy is direct in dealing with uncomfortable situations
-Asks a kid, "'How could you come too a band rehearsal without your instruments'" (71) as Mallory and Mary Anne are soothing the other children.
There's a disappointing amount of gender conformity in this book...hm. But there are these revelatory gems Claudia passes on: "In our own we, we're all survivors" (20)--too true, Claud! and "Everyone is eleven at one time. We all live through it" (21).
This one clipped along at a nice pace. Mary Anne's books, from what I remember, were the dullest because she cries all the time and is so sensitive. But this one had a plot, a villain, a moral, and resolution. And it was funny! I laughed out loud more than once.
-"Kristy's duties are to be in charge" (11).
-"What sort of person is Kristy? Well, she's energetic and outgoing and she talks a lot. Even *she* admits she has a big mouth" (14).
-Kristy is direct in dealing with uncomfortable situations
-Asks a kid, "'How could you come too a band rehearsal without your instruments'" (71) as Mallory and Mary Anne are soothing the other children.
There's a disappointing amount of gender conformity in this book...hm. But there are these revelatory gems Claudia passes on: "In our own we, we're all survivors" (20)--too true, Claud! and "Everyone is eleven at one time. We all live through it" (21).
This one clipped along at a nice pace. Mary Anne's books, from what I remember, were the dullest because she cries all the time and is so sensitive. But this one had a plot, a villain, a moral, and resolution. And it was funny! I laughed out loud more than once.
October 20, 2020
I’m really glad this book focused on racism that Claudia faced because I feel like racism against Asian-Americans isn’t really talked about as much as other forms of racism.
The Lowells are quite racist. They would probably vote for 45, lol.
I kind of wish the ending was a tiny bit different, that it ended with Mrs. Lowell being more tolerant, but in actuality, it was probably very realistic because if you have someone that racist, you can’t really change their mind that fast, if at all.
All in all, good book. Thank you Phil Yu (a.k.a. Angry Asian Man) for making me aware of this book.
The Lowells are quite racist. They would probably vote for 45, lol.
I kind of wish the ending was a tiny bit different, that it ended with Mrs. Lowell being more tolerant, but in actuality, it was probably very realistic because if you have someone that racist, you can’t really change their mind that fast, if at all.
All in all, good book. Thank you Phil Yu (a.k.a. Angry Asian Man) for making me aware of this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2020
You never except the BSC books to be this timely, but in this one the club deals with a racist family that doesn’t want Claudia (who’s Japanese) or Jessi (who’s Black) to babysit for them. Yikes. Can’t wait to listen to the podcast recap - The Baby-Sitters Club Club.
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February 8, 2025Keep Out Claudia
It’s a Monday and Claudia is sitting for the Rodowsky’s. Shea is practicing for his piano recital. Jackie and Shea are building a rocket ship with Legos. Jackie accidently breaks off one of the fins and then Bo comes in and crash’s the table. Claudia, suggest he take Bo out for some exercise while she and Shea put the rocket ship back together. (Before this, Jackie says he wishes he could play an instrument). When Jackie goes out, Archie says he wishes he could be an entertainer. Claudia says they must all like show business and he says yes. Then he asks if she does. She admits she’s never thought about it. (Shea, it doesn’t seem is very good at the piano because he keeps messing up and exclaiming BULL FROGS)! Archie thinks Shea is lucky. He wants to put on a show and play “Mary Has a Little Lamb” and Jackie well he doesn’t quite know what he could do but he says something. Archie tho wants to be a star and sing and dance.
Claudia lets Janine in. (She’s lost her key) Then shows her some of her projects: a mobile with ceramic cowboy boots, a cactus, and a coyote, a still life, a charcoal sketch, and jewelry with beads, sequins, and lace. Then the BSC start arriving. Claudia says they should plan something for the kids that involves a musical performance. They get some new clients -the Lowells-. They have 3 kids. Two girls. One boy. Ages 8. 6, and 3. Maryanne gets the job. (Mal promised Vanessa she’d take her to the bookstore and Claudia decided to go to an art gallery).
Maryanne’s job is easy, the kids names are Caitlyn, Mckenize, and Mackie. The kids ask Maryanne a lot of questions. Does she have a pet? (She tells them about Tigger). Does she have brothers and sisters? (She tells them about Dawn and Jeff). Then she tells them about the BSC and that Mal has seven brothers and sisters. Caitlyn says she must be Catholic. Then Mackie asks Maryanne what religion is she. (She says they don’t go to church often but when they do they go to the Presbyterian Church). Then she takes them outside and they play (mother, may I? and red light, green light, statues, and hide-and-seek). Then they watch tv (but can’t find Leave It To Beaver) and Celeste tries to draw a picture of Tigger.
Maryanne rushes to the meeting after the job. Claudia says the musical thing the kids can do can be a band. Claudia sits for Lucy and Jaime and Jaime is giving all these ideas. So, Claudia suggest Dawn bring up Myriah and Gabby (and Laura). Stacey ends up bringing over Charlotte. Then Maryanne comes over with Johnny and Matthew Hobart. Claudia tells them about the band and they all love the idea. Even Charlotte (who says she just started guitar lessons). Johnny says he wants to play the drums. They decide to invite some others. Jessi brings Becca over and Mal brings over Nickey, Claire, and Margo. Maryanne makes a list of potential other kids to call to be in the bad. Also she makes a note of instruments they want to play. They decide it would be a good idea to ask the Lowell’s.
Mrs. Lowell is a little snappish with Claudia when she goes to sit for the Lowell kids. Claudia realizes it must be that her outfit is too wild. She’s wearing black leggings, black high-tops, a fringed vest and belt. When introduced to the kids Mackie says nothing but Caitlin giggles. Mrs. Lowell is hesitant about leaving. The kids aren’t good for Claudia. (This is giving me a REALLY bad memory). They ate too many cookies. Then they start screaming uncontrollably. Then Celeste starts to cry. When Claudia goes in to check on her after she gets quiet Celeste just stares at her. Claudia asks if she wants a snack and she says yes, but the other two want a snack. When Claudia tells them no they say they’ll tell she’s a mean sitter.
Claudia remembers Stacey using reverse psychology on the Delany’s and tells them to finish off the whole package of Ores and they say do you mean it. Maryanne calls and asks if the Lowell’s want to join the band and invites them over where the rest of them are (the Hobarts). This is whose over there. Myriah and Gabbie, who had run over from next door; Jamie Newton; Mallory with Nicky, Margo, and Claire; Kristy with David Michael, Karen, and Andrew; Stacey with Charlotte; Dawn with the Rodowsky boys; and Mary Anne with Jenny Prezzioso. A few other neighborhood kids had arrived, too.
The kids have a good time and don’t want to go back home. They keep trying to get more Oreos out of Claudia. While they’re playing “Memory” they keep sneaking out the room to get grapes. They remind Claudia she didn’t say grapes. She said they couldn’t have Oreos. By this time, she’s ready for their mother to get back. At the next BSC meeting, Mrs. Lowell calls and asks for a sitter .. anyone other than Claudia. Claudia admits to Kristy that the kids didn’t obey her and tried to get away with things. When she tried to set limits they said they’d tell their mom she was mean. Maryanne says when she sat for them they were perfect and Mrs. Lowell was full of compliments. They all try to come up with what could have happened. Maybe the kid’s didn’t have fun. Maybe it was how Claudia was dressed. Maybe they didn’t like the Hobarts. Kristy says she could call and ask but Mrs. Lowell did hire them again. Jessi says she’ll try to find out when she sits for them.
Jessi feels like she’s prepared for the job. She re-stocks her Kid Kit and asks Becca what 8 year old girls like. Becca suggests Barbies and playing office. When she gets there Mrs. Lowell’s expression is that of shock. Jessi is confused. (Although she SHOULDN’T be because she’s been through this MANY times). Jessi asks did she do something wrong and Mrs. Lowell says she doesn’t need a sitter after all and closes the door. Jessi is hurt but can’t figure out why but then starts to get a familiar feeling that she can’t place. She decides to go to the Pikes and by then she’s crying.
At the meeting again they all make guesses. Maybe Mrs. Lowell wanted someone older. Jessi shows them the office kit she put together for Caitlin. Kristy says maybe she’ll call. She doesn’t. Kristy says she should call but then Jessi says maybe she did just forget. Claudia says that doesn’t explain why she didn’t want her to sit. Maryanne says she has a job with them and she’ll see what happens. They adjourn on a solemn note.
These are some of the instruments choosen for the band: (kazoos, percussions, tambourines, sticks, cymbals, piano players, flutes, a trumpet, a violin, and a guitar. Myriah, Gabbie, Buddy and Margo are the singers. No band I’ve seen has singers but then again no band I’ve seen has piano, violin, or guitar players either. They all agree at the first place they’ll learn “Tomorrow” from Annie. (My mind kind of flashed to “Tomorrow” by Tevin Campbell-which coincidently has kids in it playing musical instruments-. Jackie wants to give the band and thinks of “The Beatles” “The Baby Beatles” “The Little Beatles” I seriously doubt Jackie even knows who the Beatles are.
He also thinks of “Jackie Rodowsky’s All Star Orchestra” Archie wants to name it “String Beans”. Shea wants to call it “Turtle Toes”. Jackie comes up with “All the Children” (short for “All The Children Of The World”. Did he hear the song “We Are The World. We Are The Children” on the radio? This seems to fit. The Rowdosky’s are Polish. The Papadakis are Greek. The Hobarts are Australian. So forth and so on. They decide to pratice before the big pratice. I take it back. Before I had the picture of a marching band in my head. Now I’m seeing more like a back up band (like at concerts).
They want Claudia to sing but she says she can’t sing (which she just said because she doesn’t know the words). So, Archie sings but he says “bet your bell bottoms” so they just practice with instruments. Claudia decides to head to Jaime’s when Archie wants a tambourine solo and Jackie drops his kazoo in the piano. There are some kids missing for the first practice (including the Lowell’s) but there’s still an impressive number. There are a few incidents: (Taken from the book)
Claire Pike fell and bumped her knees, Archie managed to sit on his tambourine (without breaking it), Hannie Papadakis lost her harmonica, and two kids announced that they had shown up for rehearsal without their drums. So Mal soothed her sister, Mary Anne helped Archie and Hannie. Jaime says they can use some of his mother’s empty coffee cans. Karen wants to put “All The Children” on the drums but none of them is big enough. So, they decide to make a banner. Then they want to have a musical program full of songs. Myriah and Gabby want to do all the songs from Annie. Kristy gets them back focused and tells them just practice “Tomorrow”.
Kristy switches jobs with Maryanne so she can see what’s going on. She asks Mrs. Lowell if she’s been satisfied so far. She says certainly. She asks was she pleased with Maryanne. She says definitely. She asks was she pleased with Claudia. She says she did a perfectly *adequate* job. She doesn’t answer and pretends to be distracted when she asks about Jessi.
When Kristy asks the kids about the band, they say they like the band. But when she asks why they aren’t there, they say their mother wants to see the kids they hang out with. They say she’s a nice baby sitter. Kristy asks them about about their other sitters. They say they like Maryanne. She was fun. They call Claudia “funny looking”. At first, Kristy thinks they must mean the way she dresses. Then she comments that they probably didn’t meet Jessi. When she tells them she’s black, they said well their mother probably didn’t like her. Kristy talks to her mom, Watson, and Nannie and says she thinks the Lowell’s are racist. Nannie says it never ends. Her mother says she feels sorry for the children. Kristy says she hopes she’s just being overly dramatic.
Kristy has the difficult task of telling Jessi and Claudia. Jessi is used to it but Claudia can’t understand it. Just because her features are Japanese-American she’s a person just like the Lowell’s. Maryanne tells her prejudice isn’t rational. Then they discuss prejudice organizations (like the KKK, the Skinheads, and slavery. Then Mrs. Lowell calls and request the blond-haired blue-eyed sitter she heard about. Maryanne points out to Claudia that she’s not alone. She didn’t want her or Kristy again either. Dawn and Stacey say they wouldn’t be caught dead sitting for the Lowell’s.
So, Kristy calls back and says they’re all out of blue-eyed blond sitters. In fact, they’re all busy. But they do have a boy sitter. That doesn’t fly with Mrs. Lowell. Kristy says she might can sit if she’s not busy with Emily Michelle. Her VIETNAMESE adopted sister. All of a sudden Mrs. Lowell doesn’t need a sitter anymore. Kristy says none of them would be good enough. Stacey and Dawn’s parents are divorced. Mal’s family is too big. Claudia is Japanese, Jessi is black, and she has a Vietnamese member of her family. Claudia later asks her father has anyone ever hated him because he’s Japanese. She then tells him about the Lowells. Then Janine gives Claudia a history lesson about WW2 and how some Japense had to be keep in concentration camps (which suprises Claudia).
At the next band practice, Jackie suggests they do “Fiddler On the Roof” instead of Annie.
Then he tells them about the story. This movie sounds WAY too mature for all these kids to have seen or been interested in. They decide to practice the song “Tradion”. Mrs. Lowell shows up her kids. She approach’s Dawn and asks if she’s one of the BSC. She asks if she’s in charge. Dawn says it was Claudia’s idea. Mrs. Lowell comments there’s an assortment of children there. Then she asks what songs are they learning when Dawn tells her she gets her kids and gets out of there. Celeste puts up a fuss. Mrs. Lowell makes a sour face as she leaves.
They talk about it and decide to go ahead with the program. Dawn says the other parents aren’t like the Lowell’s. As far as they know they don’t have a problem with the band or the songs the kids are singing. They try to keep in a good mood after this, but Claudia starts to dislike band practices for some reason. Maybe the Lowell’s ruined it for her. When she sits for Karen, Emily, and David Micheal, Karen wants to practice and she gives herself the name “Lucretia Marissa Von Brewer” and puts on a performance for Claudia. Karen decides it would be cool to have band uniforms, but they don’t have any. So, they all decide on red T-shirts and jeans. They decide to get shirts for everyone with “All The Children” on the front and they can raise the money (or take donations) at their first performance.
There are some slight issues at the rehearsal. Jackie trips and falls over Matthew. Claire loses her place. Jackie also says they’d be happy to take their money and reminds the audience the didn’t have to pay anything to get into the Newton’s yard. (Claudia tells him he can leave that off. They’ll leave out baskets). Claudia also tries to teach Jackie to be more “polite” (appropriate). At the meeting before the concert, they discuss ways to get back at the Lowell’s and their kids but don’t come up with anything. (Other than to keep telling Mrs. Lowell they’re busy until she gets the hint). Despite some little incidents the concert goes of well. The Lowell kids are seen at the concert but then run off. The BSC hopes they come around one day and be part of the band again. The band gets TONS of donations.
My Thoughts
First of all, I’ve heard of “Fiddler on the Roof” but I’ve never seen it. So, out of curiosity I’m YouTubing these songs because my first impression when Jackie was explaining this play was this does *not* sound like something this age group of kids would be into. “Anatevka” I’m trying to imagine Myriah, Gabby, and Buddy singing. It doesn’t seem to be that complicated a song. (It sounds like a chant). But then even using my imagination, again would a group of kids be able to play the music for this in a month? I don’t know. It’s the same with “Tradition.” There’s this second verse about a women getting prepared for marriage. This just doesn’t seem like a kid’s song to me.
I thought that after the book were Jessi was introduced and she had to deal with racism because up until this point it wasn’t stressed again (other them in the beginning where it tells us about each member and we’re forever reminded that some people weren’t so nice when she first got to Stoneybrooke) and I didn’t finish this series years ago, that was the end of that story line. Not that (that) was the end of the issue of course because this is Stoneybrooke. It did pop up when she was trying out to be “Peter Pan” (slightly hidden but still there). But I immediately knew. I was surprised slightly to see it directed at Claudia, but from the moment they gave her strange looks I already knew why.
I wasn’t surprised that Claudia *didn’t* recognize it. Even tho it’s highly-stressed that she’s Japanese-American, still in the eyes of Stoney-brooke (up until this point) they’ve accepted her more as “white”. Jessi however SHOULD have recognized what this was when Ms. Lowell told her she didn’t need a sitter and shut the door in her face because even later she says it’s happened to her before. So, why did the writer write she was confused? Hurt? Yes. Confused? No. I don’t think Jessi’s all that naïve.
Sometimes there are lessons in these, but in this one nothing really got accomplished. They made all these plans about how they were gonna handle Ms. Lowell if she called again but she didn’t. They had a chance to tell her off when she came to the rehearsal. They could have told her they didn’t want someone at their rehearsal that didn’t accept people of different racial backgrounds. And even if Ms. Lowell never calls them again, she’ll find another sitter (possibly just as racist as she is). So what was the point? To point out there’s racism in Stoneybrooke? To point out that it’s not just against people of color? I’m not really surprised.
Rating: 5 I really don't think despite what the author said at the end of the book about a reader feeling like it was necessary to show a racial issue with another character. I think it was pretty much beat into us with Jessi. It just feels redundant with Claudia.
It’s a Monday and Claudia is sitting for the Rodowsky’s. Shea is practicing for his piano recital. Jackie and Shea are building a rocket ship with Legos. Jackie accidently breaks off one of the fins and then Bo comes in and crash’s the table. Claudia, suggest he take Bo out for some exercise while she and Shea put the rocket ship back together. (Before this, Jackie says he wishes he could play an instrument). When Jackie goes out, Archie says he wishes he could be an entertainer. Claudia says they must all like show business and he says yes. Then he asks if she does. She admits she’s never thought about it. (Shea, it doesn’t seem is very good at the piano because he keeps messing up and exclaiming BULL FROGS)! Archie thinks Shea is lucky. He wants to put on a show and play “Mary Has a Little Lamb” and Jackie well he doesn’t quite know what he could do but he says something. Archie tho wants to be a star and sing and dance.
Claudia lets Janine in. (She’s lost her key) Then shows her some of her projects: a mobile with ceramic cowboy boots, a cactus, and a coyote, a still life, a charcoal sketch, and jewelry with beads, sequins, and lace. Then the BSC start arriving. Claudia says they should plan something for the kids that involves a musical performance. They get some new clients -the Lowells-. They have 3 kids. Two girls. One boy. Ages 8. 6, and 3. Maryanne gets the job. (Mal promised Vanessa she’d take her to the bookstore and Claudia decided to go to an art gallery).
Maryanne’s job is easy, the kids names are Caitlyn, Mckenize, and Mackie. The kids ask Maryanne a lot of questions. Does she have a pet? (She tells them about Tigger). Does she have brothers and sisters? (She tells them about Dawn and Jeff). Then she tells them about the BSC and that Mal has seven brothers and sisters. Caitlyn says she must be Catholic. Then Mackie asks Maryanne what religion is she. (She says they don’t go to church often but when they do they go to the Presbyterian Church). Then she takes them outside and they play (mother, may I? and red light, green light, statues, and hide-and-seek). Then they watch tv (but can’t find Leave It To Beaver) and Celeste tries to draw a picture of Tigger.
Maryanne rushes to the meeting after the job. Claudia says the musical thing the kids can do can be a band. Claudia sits for Lucy and Jaime and Jaime is giving all these ideas. So, Claudia suggest Dawn bring up Myriah and Gabby (and Laura). Stacey ends up bringing over Charlotte. Then Maryanne comes over with Johnny and Matthew Hobart. Claudia tells them about the band and they all love the idea. Even Charlotte (who says she just started guitar lessons). Johnny says he wants to play the drums. They decide to invite some others. Jessi brings Becca over and Mal brings over Nickey, Claire, and Margo. Maryanne makes a list of potential other kids to call to be in the bad. Also she makes a note of instruments they want to play. They decide it would be a good idea to ask the Lowell’s.
Mrs. Lowell is a little snappish with Claudia when she goes to sit for the Lowell kids. Claudia realizes it must be that her outfit is too wild. She’s wearing black leggings, black high-tops, a fringed vest and belt. When introduced to the kids Mackie says nothing but Caitlin giggles. Mrs. Lowell is hesitant about leaving. The kids aren’t good for Claudia. (This is giving me a REALLY bad memory). They ate too many cookies. Then they start screaming uncontrollably. Then Celeste starts to cry. When Claudia goes in to check on her after she gets quiet Celeste just stares at her. Claudia asks if she wants a snack and she says yes, but the other two want a snack. When Claudia tells them no they say they’ll tell she’s a mean sitter.
Claudia remembers Stacey using reverse psychology on the Delany’s and tells them to finish off the whole package of Ores and they say do you mean it. Maryanne calls and asks if the Lowell’s want to join the band and invites them over where the rest of them are (the Hobarts). This is whose over there. Myriah and Gabbie, who had run over from next door; Jamie Newton; Mallory with Nicky, Margo, and Claire; Kristy with David Michael, Karen, and Andrew; Stacey with Charlotte; Dawn with the Rodowsky boys; and Mary Anne with Jenny Prezzioso. A few other neighborhood kids had arrived, too.
The kids have a good time and don’t want to go back home. They keep trying to get more Oreos out of Claudia. While they’re playing “Memory” they keep sneaking out the room to get grapes. They remind Claudia she didn’t say grapes. She said they couldn’t have Oreos. By this time, she’s ready for their mother to get back. At the next BSC meeting, Mrs. Lowell calls and asks for a sitter .. anyone other than Claudia. Claudia admits to Kristy that the kids didn’t obey her and tried to get away with things. When she tried to set limits they said they’d tell their mom she was mean. Maryanne says when she sat for them they were perfect and Mrs. Lowell was full of compliments. They all try to come up with what could have happened. Maybe the kid’s didn’t have fun. Maybe it was how Claudia was dressed. Maybe they didn’t like the Hobarts. Kristy says she could call and ask but Mrs. Lowell did hire them again. Jessi says she’ll try to find out when she sits for them.
Jessi feels like she’s prepared for the job. She re-stocks her Kid Kit and asks Becca what 8 year old girls like. Becca suggests Barbies and playing office. When she gets there Mrs. Lowell’s expression is that of shock. Jessi is confused. (Although she SHOULDN’T be because she’s been through this MANY times). Jessi asks did she do something wrong and Mrs. Lowell says she doesn’t need a sitter after all and closes the door. Jessi is hurt but can’t figure out why but then starts to get a familiar feeling that she can’t place. She decides to go to the Pikes and by then she’s crying.
At the meeting again they all make guesses. Maybe Mrs. Lowell wanted someone older. Jessi shows them the office kit she put together for Caitlin. Kristy says maybe she’ll call. She doesn’t. Kristy says she should call but then Jessi says maybe she did just forget. Claudia says that doesn’t explain why she didn’t want her to sit. Maryanne says she has a job with them and she’ll see what happens. They adjourn on a solemn note.
These are some of the instruments choosen for the band: (kazoos, percussions, tambourines, sticks, cymbals, piano players, flutes, a trumpet, a violin, and a guitar. Myriah, Gabbie, Buddy and Margo are the singers. No band I’ve seen has singers but then again no band I’ve seen has piano, violin, or guitar players either. They all agree at the first place they’ll learn “Tomorrow” from Annie. (My mind kind of flashed to “Tomorrow” by Tevin Campbell-which coincidently has kids in it playing musical instruments-. Jackie wants to give the band and thinks of “The Beatles” “The Baby Beatles” “The Little Beatles” I seriously doubt Jackie even knows who the Beatles are.
He also thinks of “Jackie Rodowsky’s All Star Orchestra” Archie wants to name it “String Beans”. Shea wants to call it “Turtle Toes”. Jackie comes up with “All the Children” (short for “All The Children Of The World”. Did he hear the song “We Are The World. We Are The Children” on the radio? This seems to fit. The Rowdosky’s are Polish. The Papadakis are Greek. The Hobarts are Australian. So forth and so on. They decide to pratice before the big pratice. I take it back. Before I had the picture of a marching band in my head. Now I’m seeing more like a back up band (like at concerts).
They want Claudia to sing but she says she can’t sing (which she just said because she doesn’t know the words). So, Archie sings but he says “bet your bell bottoms” so they just practice with instruments. Claudia decides to head to Jaime’s when Archie wants a tambourine solo and Jackie drops his kazoo in the piano. There are some kids missing for the first practice (including the Lowell’s) but there’s still an impressive number. There are a few incidents: (Taken from the book)
Claire Pike fell and bumped her knees, Archie managed to sit on his tambourine (without breaking it), Hannie Papadakis lost her harmonica, and two kids announced that they had shown up for rehearsal without their drums. So Mal soothed her sister, Mary Anne helped Archie and Hannie. Jaime says they can use some of his mother’s empty coffee cans. Karen wants to put “All The Children” on the drums but none of them is big enough. So, they decide to make a banner. Then they want to have a musical program full of songs. Myriah and Gabby want to do all the songs from Annie. Kristy gets them back focused and tells them just practice “Tomorrow”.
Kristy switches jobs with Maryanne so she can see what’s going on. She asks Mrs. Lowell if she’s been satisfied so far. She says certainly. She asks was she pleased with Maryanne. She says definitely. She asks was she pleased with Claudia. She says she did a perfectly *adequate* job. She doesn’t answer and pretends to be distracted when she asks about Jessi.
When Kristy asks the kids about the band, they say they like the band. But when she asks why they aren’t there, they say their mother wants to see the kids they hang out with. They say she’s a nice baby sitter. Kristy asks them about about their other sitters. They say they like Maryanne. She was fun. They call Claudia “funny looking”. At first, Kristy thinks they must mean the way she dresses. Then she comments that they probably didn’t meet Jessi. When she tells them she’s black, they said well their mother probably didn’t like her. Kristy talks to her mom, Watson, and Nannie and says she thinks the Lowell’s are racist. Nannie says it never ends. Her mother says she feels sorry for the children. Kristy says she hopes she’s just being overly dramatic.
Kristy has the difficult task of telling Jessi and Claudia. Jessi is used to it but Claudia can’t understand it. Just because her features are Japanese-American she’s a person just like the Lowell’s. Maryanne tells her prejudice isn’t rational. Then they discuss prejudice organizations (like the KKK, the Skinheads, and slavery. Then Mrs. Lowell calls and request the blond-haired blue-eyed sitter she heard about. Maryanne points out to Claudia that she’s not alone. She didn’t want her or Kristy again either. Dawn and Stacey say they wouldn’t be caught dead sitting for the Lowell’s.
So, Kristy calls back and says they’re all out of blue-eyed blond sitters. In fact, they’re all busy. But they do have a boy sitter. That doesn’t fly with Mrs. Lowell. Kristy says she might can sit if she’s not busy with Emily Michelle. Her VIETNAMESE adopted sister. All of a sudden Mrs. Lowell doesn’t need a sitter anymore. Kristy says none of them would be good enough. Stacey and Dawn’s parents are divorced. Mal’s family is too big. Claudia is Japanese, Jessi is black, and she has a Vietnamese member of her family. Claudia later asks her father has anyone ever hated him because he’s Japanese. She then tells him about the Lowells. Then Janine gives Claudia a history lesson about WW2 and how some Japense had to be keep in concentration camps (which suprises Claudia).
At the next band practice, Jackie suggests they do “Fiddler On the Roof” instead of Annie.
Then he tells them about the story. This movie sounds WAY too mature for all these kids to have seen or been interested in. They decide to practice the song “Tradion”. Mrs. Lowell shows up her kids. She approach’s Dawn and asks if she’s one of the BSC. She asks if she’s in charge. Dawn says it was Claudia’s idea. Mrs. Lowell comments there’s an assortment of children there. Then she asks what songs are they learning when Dawn tells her she gets her kids and gets out of there. Celeste puts up a fuss. Mrs. Lowell makes a sour face as she leaves.
They talk about it and decide to go ahead with the program. Dawn says the other parents aren’t like the Lowell’s. As far as they know they don’t have a problem with the band or the songs the kids are singing. They try to keep in a good mood after this, but Claudia starts to dislike band practices for some reason. Maybe the Lowell’s ruined it for her. When she sits for Karen, Emily, and David Micheal, Karen wants to practice and she gives herself the name “Lucretia Marissa Von Brewer” and puts on a performance for Claudia. Karen decides it would be cool to have band uniforms, but they don’t have any. So, they all decide on red T-shirts and jeans. They decide to get shirts for everyone with “All The Children” on the front and they can raise the money (or take donations) at their first performance.
There are some slight issues at the rehearsal. Jackie trips and falls over Matthew. Claire loses her place. Jackie also says they’d be happy to take their money and reminds the audience the didn’t have to pay anything to get into the Newton’s yard. (Claudia tells him he can leave that off. They’ll leave out baskets). Claudia also tries to teach Jackie to be more “polite” (appropriate). At the meeting before the concert, they discuss ways to get back at the Lowell’s and their kids but don’t come up with anything. (Other than to keep telling Mrs. Lowell they’re busy until she gets the hint). Despite some little incidents the concert goes of well. The Lowell kids are seen at the concert but then run off. The BSC hopes they come around one day and be part of the band again. The band gets TONS of donations.
My Thoughts
First of all, I’ve heard of “Fiddler on the Roof” but I’ve never seen it. So, out of curiosity I’m YouTubing these songs because my first impression when Jackie was explaining this play was this does *not* sound like something this age group of kids would be into. “Anatevka” I’m trying to imagine Myriah, Gabby, and Buddy singing. It doesn’t seem to be that complicated a song. (It sounds like a chant). But then even using my imagination, again would a group of kids be able to play the music for this in a month? I don’t know. It’s the same with “Tradition.” There’s this second verse about a women getting prepared for marriage. This just doesn’t seem like a kid’s song to me.
I thought that after the book were Jessi was introduced and she had to deal with racism because up until this point it wasn’t stressed again (other them in the beginning where it tells us about each member and we’re forever reminded that some people weren’t so nice when she first got to Stoneybrooke) and I didn’t finish this series years ago, that was the end of that story line. Not that (that) was the end of the issue of course because this is Stoneybrooke. It did pop up when she was trying out to be “Peter Pan” (slightly hidden but still there). But I immediately knew. I was surprised slightly to see it directed at Claudia, but from the moment they gave her strange looks I already knew why.
I wasn’t surprised that Claudia *didn’t* recognize it. Even tho it’s highly-stressed that she’s Japanese-American, still in the eyes of Stoney-brooke (up until this point) they’ve accepted her more as “white”. Jessi however SHOULD have recognized what this was when Ms. Lowell told her she didn’t need a sitter and shut the door in her face because even later she says it’s happened to her before. So, why did the writer write she was confused? Hurt? Yes. Confused? No. I don’t think Jessi’s all that naïve.
Sometimes there are lessons in these, but in this one nothing really got accomplished. They made all these plans about how they were gonna handle Ms. Lowell if she called again but she didn’t. They had a chance to tell her off when she came to the rehearsal. They could have told her they didn’t want someone at their rehearsal that didn’t accept people of different racial backgrounds. And even if Ms. Lowell never calls them again, she’ll find another sitter (possibly just as racist as she is). So what was the point? To point out there’s racism in Stoneybrooke? To point out that it’s not just against people of color? I’m not really surprised.
Rating: 5 I really don't think despite what the author said at the end of the book about a reader feeling like it was necessary to show a racial issue with another character. I think it was pretty much beat into us with Jessi. It just feels redundant with Claudia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2021
Making the racism after-school special book a Claudia book was a choice that didn't really work to me. It seems like we're meant to make the shocking discovery that racism exists in little Stoneybrook along with Claudia and the BSC, but this makes no sense given Hello Mallory is about how racist Stoneybrook is. To me, the whole tone read, "You know this lady is SUPER racist because she's being racist to Claudia."
The racism in this book is handled way too casually when you consider Mrs. Lowell is not just racist but an overt white supremacist with very obvious references to believing in Nazi race theories.
The racism in this book is handled way too casually when you consider Mrs. Lowell is not just racist but an overt white supremacist with very obvious references to believing in Nazi race theories.
August 28, 2017
I always thought that the prejudice plot was handled very well in this book, and I still think that upon re-reading this. (Especially compared to how awkward it was always handled with Jessi!)
However, I still don't buy that Mrs. Lowell would actually have the nerve to request the "blonde-haired blue-eyed babysitter." Before that comment she tried so hard to hide her racism, so I don't think she would ever have been that blunt.
However, I still don't buy that Mrs. Lowell would actually have the nerve to request the "blonde-haired blue-eyed babysitter." Before that comment she tried so hard to hide her racism, so I don't think she would ever have been that blunt.
December 9, 2009
Ah, yes - the Very Special Episode about Racism, as illustrated on the cover by the token Asian juxtaposed with the three Aryan children. Of course being Asian is the only reason these people would not want Claudia to baby-sit their children - it couldn't possibly have anything to do with her schizophrenic clothing choices.
August 9, 2023
Sigh. This book meant well, in its time. And awesome for confronting racism head on. But it would have been more effective if the racist people hadn't been so intentionally racist, and so aware of it. It made it too easy to separate "racists" from "non-racists." And wtf Stacey, if parents want to teach their kids racism, you're not obligated to respect that!
August 30, 2020
This book thinks its capable of intelligently discussing racism, and while I guess it's a valiant effort for a bunch of white people in the early 90s, it really doesn't hold up to even the lightest of scrutiny.
August 19, 2017
I would love to give a better review, but I am exhausted.
Perhaps tomorrow.
Perhaps tomorrow.
Read
July 23, 2020Loved it 😍
Loved it 😍
Loved it 😍
Loved it so much
I loved o so so so so so so much 😍
Loved it 😍
Loved it 😍
Loved it so much
I loved o so so so so so so much 😍
December 9, 2023
This Babysitters Club book attempts to tackle the issue of racism, with mixed results. Even though it is certainly a flawed take on the subject, I was glad that a book in the fluffy Babysitters Club series would even dare to write about such a heavy topic as racism. Even if it turned out differently than its good intentions.
The Lowells, a perfect blonde, blue-eyed WASP family living in the New England state of Connecticut during the nineties, want to hire a sitter, but they only want a white babysitter. During the novel, the parents are less subtle with their racism than a WASP family in New England would be at that time. Nancy Dawes, a sitting charge, is mentioned as Jewish for the sake of representation, which is never brought up again. And the babysitters have never heard of racism before, despite the POV character here, Claudia, being Asian in the nineties.
This book is certainly a mixed bag. However, it certainly tries hard to deliver its message seriously. It is marred by being written in the nineties, but then again, in the nineties a lot of people thought racism was only in the past. Despite being only about individual racism rather than systemic, and despite its flaws, I appreciate this book for trying hard.
The Lowells, a perfect blonde, blue-eyed WASP family living in the New England state of Connecticut during the nineties, want to hire a sitter, but they only want a white babysitter. During the novel, the parents are less subtle with their racism than a WASP family in New England would be at that time. Nancy Dawes, a sitting charge, is mentioned as Jewish for the sake of representation, which is never brought up again. And the babysitters have never heard of racism before, despite the POV character here, Claudia, being Asian in the nineties.
This book is certainly a mixed bag. However, it certainly tries hard to deliver its message seriously. It is marred by being written in the nineties, but then again, in the nineties a lot of people thought racism was only in the past. Despite being only about individual racism rather than systemic, and despite its flaws, I appreciate this book for trying hard.
January 18, 2019
I feel like a lot happened in this book. Let’s start with the more simple storyline and the one that was relatively funny, all the kids getting together to form a musical band as Claudia got the idea from Jackie who he and his brothers desperately wanted to perform in front of an audience. So the BSC focus heavily on rehearsals and putting this show together for the kids. Cute idea and it was fun for the kids.
The other storyline within the story is a more deeper and darker one in which a white suprematist family higher the BSC, though they were unaware of the issues they would have until much later. Both Claudia and Jessi struggle with being prejudice against, but the rest of BSC start to worry too about the way that family were. But what’s harder is Kristy isn’t sure how to deal with the family as they haven’t had a family like that around them.
It was an okay story I like that it dealt with an unfortunate issue that still exists today I guess I’m like Nannie, and just think in time it has to end but it never seems too. It wasn’t a favourite of mine to read but I’m happy to have read it, I do like when books aimed at a younger audience deal with difficult real life issues.
The other storyline within the story is a more deeper and darker one in which a white suprematist family higher the BSC, though they were unaware of the issues they would have until much later. Both Claudia and Jessi struggle with being prejudice against, but the rest of BSC start to worry too about the way that family were. But what’s harder is Kristy isn’t sure how to deal with the family as they haven’t had a family like that around them.
It was an okay story I like that it dealt with an unfortunate issue that still exists today I guess I’m like Nannie, and just think in time it has to end but it never seems too. It wasn’t a favourite of mine to read but I’m happy to have read it, I do like when books aimed at a younger audience deal with difficult real life issues.
September 29, 2019
Keep out Claudia
As I said in my attatched comment, yes evil people with that much prejudice exist though it must be hard to if you ever encounter people ‘like you’ who are not prejudiced. It would be unusual for the kids to already be so prejudiced unless their parents specifically taken time to brainwash them in those ideas it would be great in any future series for the kids to have abandoned prejudice of this sort. It is totally itprrational like all sin but like all sin guilty parties think they are rational like small children demanding their limited way. Maybe having this much specific prejudice in one family feels like much, it can happen, but maybe spreading different sorts among a few clients would have felt more realistic to some, the family came off crazy which is what this prejudice is
As I said in my attatched comment, yes evil people with that much prejudice exist though it must be hard to if you ever encounter people ‘like you’ who are not prejudiced. It would be unusual for the kids to already be so prejudiced unless their parents specifically taken time to brainwash them in those ideas it would be great in any future series for the kids to have abandoned prejudice of this sort. It is totally itprrational like all sin but like all sin guilty parties think they are rational like small children demanding their limited way. Maybe having this much specific prejudice in one family feels like much, it can happen, but maybe spreading different sorts among a few clients would have felt more realistic to some, the family came off crazy which is what this prejudice is
December 15, 2020
(LL)
This book does an excellent job tackling: racism and how to properly handle it.
That is not an easy topic for a series based around babysitting and middle school drama to handle, but it was done so well. They weren’t mean to the children or parents, and accepted they can’t do anything about it. It’s always tough for kids to experience their first time being discriminated against, which is why Claudia took it so harshly and Jessi was used to it, as we have seen in the series already how people treat Jessi and her family. It was also important that Kristy went to her parents for advice, since Stacey pointed out they are kids too and don’t know how to solve everything.
It’s only the second time I’ve given a book in the series five stars, which is saying something because there are some really solid books in this series.
This book does an excellent job tackling: racism and how to properly handle it.
That is not an easy topic for a series based around babysitting and middle school drama to handle, but it was done so well. They weren’t mean to the children or parents, and accepted they can’t do anything about it. It’s always tough for kids to experience their first time being discriminated against, which is why Claudia took it so harshly and Jessi was used to it, as we have seen in the series already how people treat Jessi and her family. It was also important that Kristy went to her parents for advice, since Stacey pointed out they are kids too and don’t know how to solve everything.
It’s only the second time I’ve given a book in the series five stars, which is saying something because there are some really solid books in this series.
July 31, 2023
I remember this book really affecting me as a kid, coz it was about how Claudia, as an Asian-American, has to confront racism from a new BSC client.
I grew up in the Philippines, so my experience of racism was more conceptual that Claudia's: I knew I didn't have access to as many global opportunities as kids who grew up in North America or Europe, and I saw how white American tourists acted like they were owed better service than us Filipinos, even in our own country. But I didn't actually experience anyone talking to me like I'm less-than because of my Asian-ness until I moved to Canada as an adult. So I sympathized with Claudia without fully understanding her experience, but even then, this book left its mark on me. And re-reading it as an adult, it has lost none of its impact. So good!
I grew up in the Philippines, so my experience of racism was more conceptual that Claudia's: I knew I didn't have access to as many global opportunities as kids who grew up in North America or Europe, and I saw how white American tourists acted like they were owed better service than us Filipinos, even in our own country. But I didn't actually experience anyone talking to me like I'm less-than because of my Asian-ness until I moved to Canada as an adult. So I sympathized with Claudia without fully understanding her experience, but even then, this book left its mark on me. And re-reading it as an adult, it has lost none of its impact. So good!
Read
July 29, 2020These books tackled some tough topics for teens.
I am half Japanese so the Claudia books hold a special part of my heart.
And this book that deals with racism and prejudice were enough to make me feel validated and heard at a young age.
As a kid my best friends sister had the whole BSC series on a book shelf in her room. I thought she was so grown up. And I envied this bookshelf. And would often poke my head into that room just to look at it.
And when I read BSC, I felt like such a grown up.
And while I might have still been a little too young to understand some of the issues dealt with in these books, I do appreciated that Ann M. Martin tackled age appropriate issues, some being deeper than others, but still important.
I am half Japanese so the Claudia books hold a special part of my heart.
And this book that deals with racism and prejudice were enough to make me feel validated and heard at a young age.
As a kid my best friends sister had the whole BSC series on a book shelf in her room. I thought she was so grown up. And I envied this bookshelf. And would often poke my head into that room just to look at it.
And when I read BSC, I felt like such a grown up.
And while I might have still been a little too young to understand some of the issues dealt with in these books, I do appreciated that Ann M. Martin tackled age appropriate issues, some being deeper than others, but still important.
January 9, 2022
This book is about a woman named Ms. Lowell, who believes anyone whose skin color that is not the same as hers should not be in this world. She didn’t think the BSC was good enough for her. I liked that with the Baby-Sitters Club stood up for themselves and decided not to have Ms. Lowell as their client. I didn’t like that Miss Lowell was racist. She should realize that people are all the same no matter what color their skin is. Overall, it is sad that people judge other people because of the color of their skin.
Kaylyn (9 years old)
Kaylyn (9 years old)
January 16, 2022
This book addressed racism from baby sitting charges. The clients don't have an issue with Mary Anne and Kristy, but give Claudia a hard time and don't let Jessi in the house. After talking to the kids, Kristy realized the family are racists/white supremacists. On a side plot, the neighbourhood kids had formed a band and the clients had briefly joined, but their mom pulled them out cause she had an issue with them doing songs from Fiddler On The Roof. I think it was addressed in a sensitive manner, and this was one of the first BSC books I had read.
January 1, 2022
The two major plots of this book are racism and the second is a bunch of neighborhood kids starting a band. The band storyline was cute. The racism storyline was probably cutting edge in terms of children’s books when this book was first published, but I think discussions around racism have come a long way since then, so reading it today, it just comes across as a really outdated white perspective on racism.
January 1, 2021
Deals with important topic of racism. I am not an expert on how it was handled, so i dont want to speak on whether the situation was handled correctly or not. They are middle school students so I want to cut them some slack. Maybe tell an adult about what was going on would have been better. But very important topic.
March 5, 2023
When I was 10 I joined a readers club/group where we got a new book every week. I chose The babysitters club.
The books are fantastic! So enjoyable. I loved getting the book every week. They are super quick reads and I was able to read it in one day.
Highly recommend for young teenagers to read or even younger if they are able too read well.
The books are fantastic! So enjoyable. I loved getting the book every week. They are super quick reads and I was able to read it in one day.
Highly recommend for young teenagers to read or even younger if they are able too read well.
August 5, 2023
4 stars. This was wonderful. I loved the BSC had about prejudice and racism. Claudia deals both of these things when babysitting for a client and it was heartbreaking. Such a great read and I thought the topics were handled as well as they could be given the time that this was written. I really enjoyed it.
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