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The Baby-Sitters Club #79
Mary Anne Breaks the Rules
Hoping to provide a male role model for a new charge whose parents' divorce has him missing his father, Mary Anne invites Logan to accompany her baby-sitting jobs and has a lot of explaining to do when Mrs. Kuhn does not understand. Original.
123 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1994
45 people are currently reading
781 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,112 books3,056 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 35 reviews
January 20, 2017
in this defense of mary anne's terrible personality by ghostwriter Peter Lerangis, the kuhns have recently gotten divorced and mr. kuhn has moved to texas. mary anne sees how bummed jake is to not have a male presence in his life and asks logan to stop by regularly when she is babysitting. she doesn't run it by the other bsc members or mrs. kuhn, so when mrs. kuhn comes home early one day to see mary anne's BOYFRIEND (!) in the house, she gets really mad. it turns into a Stacey and the Missing Ring-style book: angry parent calls the bsc to complain about the sitter in question, the bsc is resentful towards that sitter, everyone thinks that the coincidental lack of sitting jobs coming to the bsc is because of that parent, etc. finally everything is resolved in an infuriating way (see lowlights for more on that). meanwhile there are competing bsc kids haunted houses: a gross scary one made by the braddocks and vanessa pike, and a silly/funny scary one by jake and buddy barrett and nicky pike.
highlights:
-when mary anne comments that her dad's omelet is white, he responds, "the chickens who laid these eggs were raised in total darkness." mary anne doesn't get that it's a joke. though this seems a little too funny for richard spier, I still love it.
-in a fight jake kuhn and buddy barrett call each other fake prune and cruddy carrot
-the punchline at the end of the book: alan gray helped the rival haunted house kids out. vanessa explains: when she told mallory she wanted the house to be disgusting, mallory said, "call alan gray, he's an expert."
lowlights/nitpicks:
-the book starts with mary anne waking from a dream that she's belle in beasty and the beast. barf.
-the reason mary anne doesn't run the logan idea by mrs. kuhn is because she's scared mrs. kuhn will be offended by the implication that jake needs a male presence in his life. because mary anne is an annoying baby, and I hate her. just be transparent with the people who are paying you to watch their kids, dude!
-after the blowup with mrs. kuhn mary anne doesn't explain anything to anyone, clear the air, etc. so everyone in the bsc is mad at her. BUT WHY CAN'T YOU JUST FREAKIN' EXPLAIN YOURSELF?
-logan says he is going to go to jake's soccer game to watch and give him pointers but after the blowup he doesn't go after talking to mary anne about it. then when mary anne finds out jake spent the whole game looking for logan and sulking, logan says, "that's terrible. you should have let me go." while I'm mad at mary anne for not just dealing with the problem, this is really obnoxious of logan.
-the whole drama is resolved when mrs. kuhn finds out from jake (not mary anne!) why logan had been coming over and goes to mary anne to clear the air. mary anne never has to learn her lesson or do anything properly ever because she is just SO SENSITIVE.
-mrs. kuhn says she is grateful to mary anne for bringing over logan. UGHHHHH.
-the club members are apologetic for giving mary anne a hard time over this. UGHHHH.
outfits:
mary anne:
-"I had picked out my clothes the night before: a brand-new pair of rust-colored corduroy slacks, a blue button-down shirt, and a floral-patterned white cotton sweater."
stacey:
-"Stacey was wearing this stunning black double-breasted tuxedo-style suit with a satiny white tank underneath."
robert:
-"Robert was wearing a navy jacket with a tie and crispy gray wool pants."
snacks in claudia's room:
-gummi worms (n.s.)
-english toffee candies under her pillow
-mallomars
-chips in her closet
-chunky (n.s.)
-pretzels (n.s.)
-milk duds (n.s.)
-heath bars (n.s.)
-m&ms (n.s.)
highlights:
-when mary anne comments that her dad's omelet is white, he responds, "the chickens who laid these eggs were raised in total darkness." mary anne doesn't get that it's a joke. though this seems a little too funny for richard spier, I still love it.
-in a fight jake kuhn and buddy barrett call each other fake prune and cruddy carrot
-the punchline at the end of the book: alan gray helped the rival haunted house kids out. vanessa explains: when she told mallory she wanted the house to be disgusting, mallory said, "call alan gray, he's an expert."
lowlights/nitpicks:
-the book starts with mary anne waking from a dream that she's belle in beasty and the beast. barf.
-the reason mary anne doesn't run the logan idea by mrs. kuhn is because she's scared mrs. kuhn will be offended by the implication that jake needs a male presence in his life. because mary anne is an annoying baby, and I hate her. just be transparent with the people who are paying you to watch their kids, dude!
-after the blowup with mrs. kuhn mary anne doesn't explain anything to anyone, clear the air, etc. so everyone in the bsc is mad at her. BUT WHY CAN'T YOU JUST FREAKIN' EXPLAIN YOURSELF?
-logan says he is going to go to jake's soccer game to watch and give him pointers but after the blowup he doesn't go after talking to mary anne about it. then when mary anne finds out jake spent the whole game looking for logan and sulking, logan says, "that's terrible. you should have let me go." while I'm mad at mary anne for not just dealing with the problem, this is really obnoxious of logan.
-the whole drama is resolved when mrs. kuhn finds out from jake (not mary anne!) why logan had been coming over and goes to mary anne to clear the air. mary anne never has to learn her lesson or do anything properly ever because she is just SO SENSITIVE.
-mrs. kuhn says she is grateful to mary anne for bringing over logan. UGHHHHH.
-the club members are apologetic for giving mary anne a hard time over this. UGHHHH.
outfits:
mary anne:
-"I had picked out my clothes the night before: a brand-new pair of rust-colored corduroy slacks, a blue button-down shirt, and a floral-patterned white cotton sweater."
stacey:
-"Stacey was wearing this stunning black double-breasted tuxedo-style suit with a satiny white tank underneath."
robert:
-"Robert was wearing a navy jacket with a tie and crispy gray wool pants."
snacks in claudia's room:
-gummi worms (n.s.)
-english toffee candies under her pillow
-mallomars
-chips in her closet
-chunky (n.s.)
-pretzels (n.s.)
-milk duds (n.s.)
-heath bars (n.s.)
-m&ms (n.s.)
February 25, 2011
this book was great fodder for my big list of reasons why i hate mary anne spier.
so, mary anne takes a job babysitting for the kuhn kids. obsessive readers (& you'd have to be obsessive to even remember that the kuhns exist as characters in the babysitters club series; even in the book in which jake fell into the basement of a house under construction & was missing for three days, i was like, "who the fuck is jake kuhn?") may recall that the kuhn parents are going through a rather nasty divorce. jake is pretty bummed about being stuck in a house with all girls & not getting to see his dad very often. his best friend, buddy barrett, is in the exact same boat though--divorced parents, two little sisters. the difference is that mrs. barrett is going to be marrying franklin dewitt soon, & buddy will be getting a new stepdad & some brothers. buddy brings this all to the fore when he innocently invites jake to his mom's wedding. they have a big fight & jake confides in mary anne.
mary anne thinks jake could really benefit from some kind of male rold model. she talks to logan about it & he offers to swing by some time while she is babysitting & spend some dudebro quality time with jake. mary anne agrees to this plan.
logan stops by during mary anne's next sitting job. while mary anne stays inside with patsy & laurel, jake & logan hang out in the yard & play soccer. you may recall that logan is pretty athletic & jake is not so much (in one book, kristy refers to him as a "fatso," not even kidding). but jake WANTS to be athletic & is really impressed by logan's abilities & coaching tips. he's in a great mood after logan leaves & mary anne is pleased to see jake looking so happy.
mrs. kuhn calls shortly for another sitter & says that jake specifically requested mary anne. soon mary anne is sitting for the kuhns pretty much around the clock, & logan stops by to play soccer with jake pretty regularly.
the shit hits the fan when mrs. kuhn comes home a little earlier than expected one afternoon & discovers logan sitting in the kitchen with the kids, having a snack. she jumps to the conclusion that mary anne invited her boyfriend over--which is true, but not for the reasons mrs. kuhn thinks. jake tries to smooth things over by explaining that it's okay, logan has been over several times. mrs. kuhn is NOT pleased. mary anne wonders if she should explain that she was inviting logan over to spend quality time with jake because she felt he needed a male presence in his life (mr. kuhn has moved to texas). she decides that might sound like she's criticizing mrs. kuhn's parenting skills, so she chooses not to say anything. she just meekly goes home. neither logan nor jake say anything to help clarify the situation either.
mrs. kuhn calls during the next babysitters club meeting & speaks with kristy. she expresses her displeasure at mary anne's hijinks. kristy is PISSED at mary anne for compromising the babysitters club's reputation & integrity that way. mary anne explains that it's not how it looked, but kristy is all, "it doesn't matter why logan was there. it doesn't look good to the client & you done fucked up, spier." (not an exact quote from the book.) all the other babysitters of course fall in line with chairman kristy & make mary anne feel like crap. remarkably, she manages not to cry. kind of shocking, coming from the girl who burst into tears when she found out that some of her sitting charges were going to have to give their dog away to some of her other sitting charges.
all the sitters are worried about what will happen to their business once mrs. kuhn finishes telling all the parents in town that the babysitters club are a bunch of hussies who tote their boyfriends along on jobs, undoubtedly in order to better fornicate & sell crack to children. calls start to drop off & the calendar is looking pretty sparse, even though halloween is right around the corner & usually the club is swamped with jobs from parents too lazy to help their kids come up with costumes & go trick or treating this time of year. pretty much everyone silently blames mary anne.
after about a week of this madness, mrs. kuhn stops by mary anne's house with jake in tow. she explains that she's been really busy & only just now had a chance to ask jake about logan coming by during sitting jobs. jake truthfully explains that logan just came by to hang out with him & play soccer, & that mary anne spent the time he was there watching patsy & laurel. mary anne confirms this & grudgingly explains that she felt jake could benefit from a male role model. mrs. kuhn couldn't agree more & is dumbfounded that mary anne didn't just come right out & explain sooner. mary anne says she was worried that it would seem like she was criticizing mrs. kuhn. mrs. kuhn disagrees & says that mary anne was being very thoughtful & generous. she apologizes for jumping to conclusions & calls logan to apologize to him too. mary anne asks how to deal with all the parents that have stopped calling the club since mrs. kuhn warned them away from the club, but of course, mrs. kuhn hasn't told anyone. the drop-off in babysitting jobs was just a coincidence. at the next meeting, calls pick right back up again. happy ending. also a story & ending that is almost 100% identical to stacey & the missing ring. sitter is accused of wrongdoing even though she is innocent, angry parent threatens to turn stoneybrook against the club, jobs stop coming in, club assumes it's accused babysitter's fault, accused babysitter feels sad & lonely, angry parents discovers truth, apologizes to accused babysitter, & explains that she never got around to making all those calls to other parents, jobs pick up again. boring.
the B-plot is all about how the kids in stoneybrook want to make a haunted house for halloween. they end up splitting off into two separate groups because one group (jake, nicky pike, buddy barrett, etc) wants a funny haunted house, & the other group (haley braddock, vanessa pike, etc) wants a gross haunted house. the funny haunted house is in the kuhns basement, & the gross haunted house is at the pikes'. i think. maybe the braddocks'. anyway, both houses do well. logan helps with the funny house & alan gray helps with the gross one. it's all pretty tiresome.
why this book makes me hate mary anne: she had a perfectly reasonable explanation for why logan was at the kuhns' & she didn't say anything because she feared hurting mrs. kuhn's feelings. it's nice to look out for other people's feelings, but maybe not when they're standing there calling you a whore. maybe then it's okay to offer a rational explanation for your behavior, regardless of feelings that may be hurt. she also compromised the integrity of the entire club, all because she couldn't bear MAYBE POSSIBLY hurting someone's feelings. mrs. kuhn would still be raging if jake hadn't explained the situation to her. jake probably never would have seen logan again, which would have led to far more serious hurt feelings than suggesting to mrs. kuhn that maybe her son would benefit from a male role model. jake already felt abandoned by his dad, & when logan didn't show up to his soccer game (because he & mary anne agreed it was probably best for them both to keep a distance from the kuhn family), he felt even more abandoned. that's the kind of shit people end up in therapy over. i think that's far more serious than telling mrs. kuhn something she probably already knows.
so, mary anne takes a job babysitting for the kuhn kids. obsessive readers (& you'd have to be obsessive to even remember that the kuhns exist as characters in the babysitters club series; even in the book in which jake fell into the basement of a house under construction & was missing for three days, i was like, "who the fuck is jake kuhn?") may recall that the kuhn parents are going through a rather nasty divorce. jake is pretty bummed about being stuck in a house with all girls & not getting to see his dad very often. his best friend, buddy barrett, is in the exact same boat though--divorced parents, two little sisters. the difference is that mrs. barrett is going to be marrying franklin dewitt soon, & buddy will be getting a new stepdad & some brothers. buddy brings this all to the fore when he innocently invites jake to his mom's wedding. they have a big fight & jake confides in mary anne.
mary anne thinks jake could really benefit from some kind of male rold model. she talks to logan about it & he offers to swing by some time while she is babysitting & spend some dudebro quality time with jake. mary anne agrees to this plan.
logan stops by during mary anne's next sitting job. while mary anne stays inside with patsy & laurel, jake & logan hang out in the yard & play soccer. you may recall that logan is pretty athletic & jake is not so much (in one book, kristy refers to him as a "fatso," not even kidding). but jake WANTS to be athletic & is really impressed by logan's abilities & coaching tips. he's in a great mood after logan leaves & mary anne is pleased to see jake looking so happy.
mrs. kuhn calls shortly for another sitter & says that jake specifically requested mary anne. soon mary anne is sitting for the kuhns pretty much around the clock, & logan stops by to play soccer with jake pretty regularly.
the shit hits the fan when mrs. kuhn comes home a little earlier than expected one afternoon & discovers logan sitting in the kitchen with the kids, having a snack. she jumps to the conclusion that mary anne invited her boyfriend over--which is true, but not for the reasons mrs. kuhn thinks. jake tries to smooth things over by explaining that it's okay, logan has been over several times. mrs. kuhn is NOT pleased. mary anne wonders if she should explain that she was inviting logan over to spend quality time with jake because she felt he needed a male presence in his life (mr. kuhn has moved to texas). she decides that might sound like she's criticizing mrs. kuhn's parenting skills, so she chooses not to say anything. she just meekly goes home. neither logan nor jake say anything to help clarify the situation either.
mrs. kuhn calls during the next babysitters club meeting & speaks with kristy. she expresses her displeasure at mary anne's hijinks. kristy is PISSED at mary anne for compromising the babysitters club's reputation & integrity that way. mary anne explains that it's not how it looked, but kristy is all, "it doesn't matter why logan was there. it doesn't look good to the client & you done fucked up, spier." (not an exact quote from the book.) all the other babysitters of course fall in line with chairman kristy & make mary anne feel like crap. remarkably, she manages not to cry. kind of shocking, coming from the girl who burst into tears when she found out that some of her sitting charges were going to have to give their dog away to some of her other sitting charges.
all the sitters are worried about what will happen to their business once mrs. kuhn finishes telling all the parents in town that the babysitters club are a bunch of hussies who tote their boyfriends along on jobs, undoubtedly in order to better fornicate & sell crack to children. calls start to drop off & the calendar is looking pretty sparse, even though halloween is right around the corner & usually the club is swamped with jobs from parents too lazy to help their kids come up with costumes & go trick or treating this time of year. pretty much everyone silently blames mary anne.
after about a week of this madness, mrs. kuhn stops by mary anne's house with jake in tow. she explains that she's been really busy & only just now had a chance to ask jake about logan coming by during sitting jobs. jake truthfully explains that logan just came by to hang out with him & play soccer, & that mary anne spent the time he was there watching patsy & laurel. mary anne confirms this & grudgingly explains that she felt jake could benefit from a male role model. mrs. kuhn couldn't agree more & is dumbfounded that mary anne didn't just come right out & explain sooner. mary anne says she was worried that it would seem like she was criticizing mrs. kuhn. mrs. kuhn disagrees & says that mary anne was being very thoughtful & generous. she apologizes for jumping to conclusions & calls logan to apologize to him too. mary anne asks how to deal with all the parents that have stopped calling the club since mrs. kuhn warned them away from the club, but of course, mrs. kuhn hasn't told anyone. the drop-off in babysitting jobs was just a coincidence. at the next meeting, calls pick right back up again. happy ending. also a story & ending that is almost 100% identical to stacey & the missing ring. sitter is accused of wrongdoing even though she is innocent, angry parent threatens to turn stoneybrook against the club, jobs stop coming in, club assumes it's accused babysitter's fault, accused babysitter feels sad & lonely, angry parents discovers truth, apologizes to accused babysitter, & explains that she never got around to making all those calls to other parents, jobs pick up again. boring.
the B-plot is all about how the kids in stoneybrook want to make a haunted house for halloween. they end up splitting off into two separate groups because one group (jake, nicky pike, buddy barrett, etc) wants a funny haunted house, & the other group (haley braddock, vanessa pike, etc) wants a gross haunted house. the funny haunted house is in the kuhns basement, & the gross haunted house is at the pikes'. i think. maybe the braddocks'. anyway, both houses do well. logan helps with the funny house & alan gray helps with the gross one. it's all pretty tiresome.
why this book makes me hate mary anne: she had a perfectly reasonable explanation for why logan was at the kuhns' & she didn't say anything because she feared hurting mrs. kuhn's feelings. it's nice to look out for other people's feelings, but maybe not when they're standing there calling you a whore. maybe then it's okay to offer a rational explanation for your behavior, regardless of feelings that may be hurt. she also compromised the integrity of the entire club, all because she couldn't bear MAYBE POSSIBLY hurting someone's feelings. mrs. kuhn would still be raging if jake hadn't explained the situation to her. jake probably never would have seen logan again, which would have led to far more serious hurt feelings than suggesting to mrs. kuhn that maybe her son would benefit from a male role model. jake already felt abandoned by his dad, & when logan didn't show up to his soccer game (because he & mary anne agreed it was probably best for them both to keep a distance from the kuhn family), he felt even more abandoned. that's the kind of shit people end up in therapy over. i think that's far more serious than telling mrs. kuhn something she probably already knows.
February 19, 2024
As an adult this book kind of annoyed me. Mostly because as a kid I was exactly like Mary Anne and probably would've done the same thing. The story revolves around the Kuhn kids. I'm not quite sure who they are, they just sort of dropped into the series somehow. Their parents are divorced, dad lives in Texas and Jake the only boy feels left out. I can relate kid. Ever since my mom died I'm surrounded by boys including my pets. It sucks not having a same sex person around in your family. Mary Anne takes on a bunch of jobs caring for them and invites Logan to help Jake who's depressed. His friend Buddy Barrett is getting a new dad and brothers and he's no longer like him surrounded by girls. So while Mary Anne cares for the two sisters Logan and Jake play sports in the yard. Then Mrs. Kuhn comes home early and flips out when she sees Logan. Logan f's off leaving Mary Anne alone (great guy you've got there should've gone for Pete Black when you had the chance girl) the club is notified by Mrs. Kuhn and Kristy flips, they all do and refuse to let Mary Anne take on anymore jobs because they are assholes. Of course the number of jobs declines and we repeat Stacey and the Missing Ring for the next few chapters until Mrs. Kuhn learns the truth. I have many questions. Why did Mrs. Kuhn jump to the worst conclusion. Her son was so much happier. If Mary Anne brought Logan over to flirt and coo over each other those kids would've been miserable. I get hating confrontation but when asked just say it. And why wouldn't you just get Logan to sit with the Kuhns? Also it is wrong to just bring random people over to someone else's house. It's rude to start with and also a rule they mentioned to the kids several times. Plus Logan is such an ass in this book. I wish Mary Anne had dumped him for good. My other question involves Dawn? Why is she still in California? She was supposed to be there six months. It's Halloween she left almost a year ago didn't she? This place is worse than Springfield. (home of the Simpsons) Anyway the b plot involves a haunted house contest between the Braddocks and Kuhns (in their respective houses) one has a scary house the other more funny. It's cute especially the end with Alan Gray making a surprise appearance which cracked me up. This was an okay book, but since it was a recycled story not one of the best.
February 7, 2018
Mary Anne's heart is in the right place (no surprise there) when she asks her boyfriend, Logan, to spend time with her babysitting charge, eight-year-old Jake Kuhn. Jake misses his father following his parents' divorce, and his father's move to Texas. But while Mary Anne's good intentions prove to be positive for Jake, his mother isn't seeing it the same way. Will this ruin the Baby-Sitters Club's reputation? Was Mary Anne right for doing what she did?
Subplot: It's October in Stoneybrook, and the kids are preparing a haunted house idea, but infighting between the kids results in two competing haunted houses. Which one will be better?
I knew this story sounded familiar to me - it was one of the books I read while I was still into the BSC novels. Mary Anne does quite the honorable (at least, in my book) duty of having a positive male role model spend time with a kid who really would benefit, since he is the only male in the house. I feel bad for Jake in that sense - he's the only male, and he's sad because his friend Buddy Barrett, who he was able to relate to (Since Buddy also lives with his divorced mother and two younger sisters), will soon have a new stepfather. Mary Anne's noble action does, unfortunately, get her in trouble. The reasoning behind why she would get in trouble is certainly understandable. Having a boyfriend come over while you're babysitting in someone else's house could send the wrong message, but knowing this is Mary Anne, it should never be of concern.
I liked the story - it is of the standard Baby-Sitters Club stories, and it shows how strong the relationship between Mary Anne and Logan is. When I was this age, I would have loved a Logan Bruno in my life. :-)
And, and to answer the questions...nope, you're just going to have to read it to find out. And the haunted house subplot...nope, you're going to have to read it to find out about that too!
Subplot: It's October in Stoneybrook, and the kids are preparing a haunted house idea, but infighting between the kids results in two competing haunted houses. Which one will be better?
I knew this story sounded familiar to me - it was one of the books I read while I was still into the BSC novels. Mary Anne does quite the honorable (at least, in my book) duty of having a positive male role model spend time with a kid who really would benefit, since he is the only male in the house. I feel bad for Jake in that sense - he's the only male, and he's sad because his friend Buddy Barrett, who he was able to relate to (Since Buddy also lives with his divorced mother and two younger sisters), will soon have a new stepfather. Mary Anne's noble action does, unfortunately, get her in trouble. The reasoning behind why she would get in trouble is certainly understandable. Having a boyfriend come over while you're babysitting in someone else's house could send the wrong message, but knowing this is Mary Anne, it should never be of concern.
I liked the story - it is of the standard Baby-Sitters Club stories, and it shows how strong the relationship between Mary Anne and Logan is. When I was this age, I would have loved a Logan Bruno in my life. :-)
And, and to answer the questions...nope, you're just going to have to read it to find out. And the haunted house subplot...nope, you're going to have to read it to find out about that too!
January 23, 2022
I think I'm losing interest in re-reading these because they're getting SO LAZY. This is the exact same plot as Stacey and the Missing Ring, except it's actually worse because no one does anything to solve this problem except be passive-aggressive.
It goes without saying that this entire problem could have been solved by Mary Anne just speaking up and explaining the problem, of course. At no point does she ever attempt to contact Mrs. Kuhn to explain the situation—she waits for this single mother who is having a struggle to come find HER.
Of course, I almost want to give this book a high star review for showing how incompetent the Thomas administration and the BSC as a whole is. This is kind of a serious issue because Mrs. Kuhn doesn't seem aware that Logan is also a member of the BSC! Shouldn't one of their MANY club events be some sort of open house so parents can meet all the sitters who might be watching their kids? Kristy also never reaches out to this woman to address the situation or explain what they're doing to make sure it never happens again. They effectively put Mary Anne on probation—maybe that could have been mentioned so this lady would know there was at least action taken?
Regardless of why Logan is there, it's definitely a conflict and the new rule should be that a BSC member can't have a BSC member over that they're dating (so, Mary Anne and Logan can't sit together). This eliminates any uncomfortable vibes for parents or potential problems. But basically because their main problem solving method is just to bully the BSC member until the problem solves itself, they did nothing.
It goes without saying that this entire problem could have been solved by Mary Anne just speaking up and explaining the problem, of course. At no point does she ever attempt to contact Mrs. Kuhn to explain the situation—she waits for this single mother who is having a struggle to come find HER.
Of course, I almost want to give this book a high star review for showing how incompetent the Thomas administration and the BSC as a whole is. This is kind of a serious issue because Mrs. Kuhn doesn't seem aware that Logan is also a member of the BSC! Shouldn't one of their MANY club events be some sort of open house so parents can meet all the sitters who might be watching their kids? Kristy also never reaches out to this woman to address the situation or explain what they're doing to make sure it never happens again. They effectively put Mary Anne on probation—maybe that could have been mentioned so this lady would know there was at least action taken?
Regardless of why Logan is there, it's definitely a conflict and the new rule should be that a BSC member can't have a BSC member over that they're dating (so, Mary Anne and Logan can't sit together). This eliminates any uncomfortable vibes for parents or potential problems. But basically because their main problem solving method is just to bully the BSC member until the problem solves itself, they did nothing.
April 9, 2021
This book is such a cop-out. I hate that Mrs Kuhn had to come to Mary Anne to resolve the problem (instead of Mary Anne 'fessing up to it.) I hated how spineless Mary Anne was in this book. I understand where she's coming from, but it dragged on way more than it needed to if she had just talked it out with Mrs Kuhn. I hate that the BSC were so quick to put the business before their friendship, and even after Mary Anne explained why to them, they were still pissy bitches until Mrs Kuhn ironed it all out. And I hate the same BSC trope of something going wrong, the club's business slowing down (and the assumption that it's because of said wrongdoing,) but all along it was just slow because all the parents of Stoneybrook were just and had forgotten to call the Sitters and it had nothing to do with the main plot. (See:
Stacey and the Missing Ring
.)
Also I hated that the book seemed to be taken over by the subplot by the end; I didn't care about the kids or their haunted houses, so it was a few chapters wasted. Then again, it beats a few more chapters of Mary Anne not facing her problem, so maybe it was the lesser of two evils.
Also I hated that the book seemed to be taken over by the subplot by the end; I didn't care about the kids or their haunted houses, so it was a few chapters wasted. Then again, it beats a few more chapters of Mary Anne not facing her problem, so maybe it was the lesser of two evils.
November 8, 2021
Another strange one--almost like the ghostwriter reached their hand into a hat and pulled out a couple of plot points. Halloween and...babysitters who invite their boyfriends over. Sure. Sounds reasonable. That would have been fine, honestly, if the two plot points had ever tied together in any way but instead they just seemed completely separate of each other in this book. The main plot point is wrapped up by about halfway through, and we're left with the secondary plot. Which is great, because the secondary plot is the only reason I really enjoyed this one.
These Mary Anne books can be so painful because she literally never learns the lesson to just speak up for herself.
These Mary Anne books can be so painful because she literally never learns the lesson to just speak up for herself.
May 6, 2024
What kind of responsibility are these kids not learning? Mary-Anne had a compelling reason for asking Logan to join her at the Kuhns.
December 22, 2020
(LL)
This book does a great job tackling: inviting people over while babysitting and trying to help a kid without offending the parent. Usually the BSC can be pretty condescending towards parents as far as telling them what to do with their kids, but in this one Mary Anne and Logan were just trying to help the kid feel better and that’s all.
As an aside. There was some slight problematic behavior from the rest of the BSC towards Mary Anne, which this group of “friends” does to each other quite a lot.
This book does a great job tackling: inviting people over while babysitting and trying to help a kid without offending the parent. Usually the BSC can be pretty condescending towards parents as far as telling them what to do with their kids, but in this one Mary Anne and Logan were just trying to help the kid feel better and that’s all.
As an aside. There was some slight problematic behavior from the rest of the BSC towards Mary Anne, which this group of “friends” does to each other quite a lot.
June 22, 2025
Mary Anne is supposed to be shy and sensitive but really she’s just a big old wimp. I am shy and sensitive, well I was when I was 13, but come on. I get that it can be hard to stand up to your friends but this isn’t some situation with frenemies these are her true friends.
This is the second time in two Mary Anne books that Mary Anne has refused to just talk to an adult which would have solved the issue. All she had to do was tell Mrs Kuhn the real reason Logan was there, or better yet have Logan babysit for them.
This is the second time in two Mary Anne books that Mary Anne has refused to just talk to an adult which would have solved the issue. All she had to do was tell Mrs Kuhn the real reason Logan was there, or better yet have Logan babysit for them.
October 9, 2017
Was it really so hard for Mary Anne to just tell Mrs. Kuhn the truth in the first place? It wasn't like she had done anything wrong, but by being a blubbering doofus she made herself look guilty and she kind of deserved the pariah treatment she got from the BSC. Talking is not hard, not even for "shy" people. Just open your mouth, tell the truth, and boom. Crisis averted.
Mary Anne, sometimes you make me really hate you.
Mary Anne, sometimes you make me really hate you.
October 23, 2018
I wanted to re-read this one solely for the Halloween subplot.
The main plot's conflict lasts about two chapters, so I'm not sure why it warranted an entire book. BUT, I still absolutely love the warring haunted houses, and I love that Alan Gray helped Vanessa and her friends out. I have such a soft spot for him.
Oh, and Watson is described as a widower in this book, haha. Who killed off his ex-wife?
The main plot's conflict lasts about two chapters, so I'm not sure why it warranted an entire book. BUT, I still absolutely love the warring haunted houses, and I love that Alan Gray helped Vanessa and her friends out. I have such a soft spot for him.
Oh, and Watson is described as a widower in this book, haha. Who killed off his ex-wife?
Read
July 29, 2020As 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.
December 13, 2021
This was fun! I have some thoughts.
On page 27 when Mary Anne is talking to Jake about his fight with Buddy, I really like the way she handles it. She says, "Boy, you look furious," which acknowledges his feelings and puts words to them, while also showing that she understands and is there to talk about it. Yes, this is how you do it.
(And yes, I have been watching parenting videos despite being far too young to even think about having kids)
On page 27 when Mary Anne is talking to Jake about his fight with Buddy, I really like the way she handles it. She says, "Boy, you look furious," which acknowledges his feelings and puts words to them, while also showing that she understands and is there to talk about it. Yes, this is how you do it.
(And yes, I have been watching parenting videos despite being far too young to even think about having kids)
February 12, 2022
While Mary Anne was babysitting for the Kuhn children (whose parents recently got divorced), she notices that Jake desperately misses his father. Mary Anne invites Logan over to be a mentor for Jake, which the boy ends up loving. It seems perfect, but Mary Anne never got permission, and when Mrs. Kuhn finds out, she is furious. The whole BSC is nervous that Mary Anne has endangered their reputation, but Mrs. Kuhn realizes the truth and apologizes to the baby-sitters.
April 21, 2024
This is one of the most boring Mary Anne books. Nothing happens, literally, in the first four chapters. In a book called "Mary Anne Breaks the Rules" you'd expect some actual rules to be broken, or some drama to rival Stacey's "bad girl" phase. Alas, the plot is just one simple misunderstanding that gets forcibly stretched across 15 chapters. Nothing happens, there are no consequences, MA cries a lot. Ugh.
September 7, 2020
Okay, one thing that I’m learning in my second journey into the BSC books? These later ones, the ghostwriters that Ann M Martin uses, absolutely unequivocally suck. The plot in this one was so paper thin! I did give it points for it being Halloween themed. Other than that, another book not doing justice to the characters.
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.
November 10, 2024
This one's pretty cute. It does a good job capturing Mary Anne's feelings of guilt, shame, and humiliation, including why she feels unable to speak up for herself. Also, there are a lot of really funny bits. The big downside, though, is the gender of it all. Can we STOP with the "boys and girls are just fundamentally different" nonsense?
Read
October 26, 2020Read my recap at A Year with the BSC via Stoneybrook Forever: https://www.livethemovies.com/bsc-blo...
January 8, 2024
I really liked this one, which is surprising for a Mary Anne book! The premise was a little silly, but well executed. And the haunted house storyline was fun!
July 3, 2025
3 stars. Not the most interesting book in the series.
March 3, 2017
Well I love this series.... this book made me cringe a few times I think I cried one time I definitely laughed and smiled and once or twice I got angry with the baby sitters when they were cold to Mary Anne....All in All I don't regret re-reading this book
May 23, 2025
2023 REVIEW: Anxious and considerate Mary-Anne uncharacteristically makes a bad decision without thinking of how it'll impact others, but then she characteristically is unable to defend herself when she's found out.
Her heart is in the right place in asking Logan to play with Jake and give him a nice older brother influence, but it's hard to believe that Mary Anne of all the BSC members wouldn't think of asking Mrs Kuhn for permission first. I get that she doesn't want to make Mrs Kuhn feel like she's judging Mrs Kuhn's solo-parenting skills, but this anxiety doesn't even come up for her until later in the story, so it seems like something she'd consider from the start?
Also, side-eye Logan for breaking his promise to watch Jake's soccer game because Mrs Kuhn may be there. That's not at all responsible older brothering, dude.
Also, this is admittedly a nitpicky question, but does Logan do all this for free then? Mrs Kuhn technically gets two sitters for the price of one? I'm surprised business boss lady Kristy didn't have more to say about that.
Still, all's well that ends well. I think Mrs Kuhn let Mary Anne off a bit too easily and Mary Anne's apology was half-hearted at best. But I think it's cool that Logan was able to fill in a gap in Jake's life since the divorce, and I just hope he and Mary Anne have a plan to support Jake for when Logan won't be as available to hang out.
Her heart is in the right place in asking Logan to play with Jake and give him a nice older brother influence, but it's hard to believe that Mary Anne of all the BSC members wouldn't think of asking Mrs Kuhn for permission first. I get that she doesn't want to make Mrs Kuhn feel like she's judging Mrs Kuhn's solo-parenting skills, but this anxiety doesn't even come up for her until later in the story, so it seems like something she'd consider from the start?
Also, side-eye Logan for breaking his promise to watch Jake's soccer game because Mrs Kuhn may be there. That's not at all responsible older brothering, dude.
Also, this is admittedly a nitpicky question, but does Logan do all this for free then? Mrs Kuhn technically gets two sitters for the price of one? I'm surprised business boss lady Kristy didn't have more to say about that.
Still, all's well that ends well. I think Mrs Kuhn let Mary Anne off a bit too easily and Mary Anne's apology was half-hearted at best. But I think it's cool that Logan was able to fill in a gap in Jake's life since the divorce, and I just hope he and Mary Anne have a plan to support Jake for when Logan won't be as available to hang out.
May 1, 2013
Fantastic books for young girls getting into reading!! Great stories about friendship and life lessons. The characters deal with all sorts of situations and often find responsible solutions to problems.
I loved this series growing up and wanted to start my own babysitting business with friends. Great lessons in entrepreneurship for tweens.
The books may be dated with out references to modern technology but the story stands and lessons are still relevant.
Awesome books that girls will love! And the series grows with them! Terrific Author!
I loved this series growing up and wanted to start my own babysitting business with friends. Great lessons in entrepreneurship for tweens.
The books may be dated with out references to modern technology but the story stands and lessons are still relevant.
Awesome books that girls will love! And the series grows with them! Terrific Author!
May 29, 2009
18. 3/29/09: Baby-Sitters Club #79, Mary Anne Breaks the Rules, by Ann M. Martin. This is one of those later books in the series that I must have read, but don't remember. I can understand why. Nothing interesting happens in this book. It is one of the funnier books in the series, though, because it was written by Peter Lerangis. So overall a solid contribution to the series although nothing special.
April 13, 2025
This was a good one. I've found that the B plot line is always my least favorite but in this book Maryanne asks Logan to hang out at the house she sits at to keep Jake (dealing with divorce) company. He does and the mom freaks out since Maryanne didn't ask permission first. I understand both sides but the mom flips out irrationally and of course, Kristy loses her mind over it. Still an enjoyable read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2016
In which MA breaks the rules by having Logan over while she's babysitting, though unfortunately not so they can engage in sexual shenanigans.
I love how they harp on and on about how it's wrong of MA to have Logan Bruno, Boy Babysitter, over while she's sitting, but they never say exactly why it's wrong.
I love how they harp on and on about how it's wrong of MA to have Logan Bruno, Boy Babysitter, over while she's sitting, but they never say exactly why it's wrong.
December 9, 2009
Mary Anne's new haircut has reshaped her personality. Now she is boldy inviting Logan over while she's baby-sitting... but only so Logan can help her charge improve his soccer game and be a father figure. But she gets in trouble anyway!
October 6, 2007
I don't remember reading this at all..but it must have been good ;)
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