What do you think?
Rate this book
The Baby-Sitters Club #123
Claudia's Big Party
Stressed out by the demands of her seventh-grade social life, Claudia decides to bring her school friends, her Baby-Sitters' Club friends, and her new boyfriend together for a party at her house, a plan that goes terribly awry. Original.
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1998
44 people are currently reading
579 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,098 books3,047 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...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 8, 2017
I wasn't feeling very well the other day and was craving something quick and cute to read. I reached for my BSC shelf and blindly grabbed this book, which made me secretly happy. For some inexplicable reason I've always loved this one, and I still loved re-reading it now.
I really don't know why I like it so much. Maybe because I love Claudia's seventh grade friends? They all have such real personalities, which is refreshing because at this point in the series most of the BSC members were reduced to caricatures of their former selves. (I'm looking at you, Kristy.) Or is it because Janine features so heavily in this one? I've always had a soft spot for her, and I love the books where she and Claudia get along. Or is it simply because everyone acts like real teenagers in this one?
Whatever the case... I just flat-out love this one.
I really don't know why I like it so much. Maybe because I love Claudia's seventh grade friends? They all have such real personalities, which is refreshing because at this point in the series most of the BSC members were reduced to caricatures of their former selves. (I'm looking at you, Kristy.) Or is it because Janine features so heavily in this one? I've always had a soft spot for her, and I love the books where she and Claudia get along. Or is it simply because everyone acts like real teenagers in this one?
Whatever the case... I just flat-out love this one.
January 22, 2025
After talking to my niece about the BSC, I wanted to read some of the books towards the end of the series to see where they all ended up. I've read very few of the books after maybe #75, so it was interesting to see how though the kids haven't really aged at all and are still in eighth grade, so much has happened in their lives and now some parents leave their "cellular phone" numbers and Janine is searching the "World Wide Web."
Everything else was pretty typical BSC.
Everything else was pretty typical BSC.
December 12, 2018
in this book by ghostwriter Vicki Berger Erwin, there just aren’t enough hours in the day for claud to spend time with her bsc friends, her newer 7th grade friends, her boyfriend josh, and her family. especially not since janine has been trying to be bffs with her. when the kishi parents go out of town, they leave janine and claud home alone. janine, trying to be cool to get along with claud, agrees to let claud have a party with her friends so they can all hang out together and her social life won’t feel so siloed. though janine approves, she and claud still lie to peaches and russ (who are supposed to check on them periodically) about the party. some of the bsc members invite other people without asking claud (see lowlights/nitpicks) and the party gets out of hand, with everyone making a huge mess and breaking a vase. the bsc equivalent of a sixteen candles-style party: no drugs or drinking or sex, just making a big ol’ mess out of cookie crumbs and the like. janine is living it up, totally ignoring the chaos and instead just taking part in the wild partying. then peaches and russ show up to check on the girls and catch them in their lie. janine acts like it’s all claudia’s fault and then bosses her around in cleanup. when the bsc stop by the following day with a replacement vase, janine snaps at claudia and knocks the vase over, almost breaking it. though the vase doesn’t break, the tension does, and claudia finally confronts janine about how she’s been alternating between being grumpy and clingy since she and jerry broke up. janine explains that she basically stopped hanging out with her friends because she was in lovejail. janine and claud both agree to try to do better at this whole socializing thing. they do a good enough job cleaning up that their parents aren’t even really mad at them in the end. and after ignoring josh a lot, claud makes it up to him by giving him a candy bouquet with “claudia time certificates” that he can claim for QT hangouts. meanwhile, mal is getting more and more bummed and not doing well in school, since everyone is still calling her spaz girl after the events of Kristy in Charge. meanwhile meanwhile, bill korman is an aggro, violent jerk to his sister melody for no reason. mary anne manipulates the two of them into working together on a task and then they get along swimmingly.
highlights:
-mrs. kishi is going to "a library convention in chicago." this book takes place in fall. let’s mull this over. she’s coming from connecticut, so it can’t be a regional conference. which means it’s probably ALA midwinter or annual (both of which happen every year and are often in chicago, since that’s where ALA is based), or it’s PLA, since mrs. kishi is the head librarian at a public library. but none of those conferences happen in the fall. the only “library conventions” I know about that take place in the fall are regional. I even looked back at previous conferences and even in the 90s this was the case.
-janine excitedly tells claudia to tell stacey she found a fashion website. I love perceptions of the internet in media of the late 90s. but also it's just cute how janine is trying to be cool
-in claud and janine’s fight, claud says, "you only wish you had friends to invite to a party." damn. cold. she immediately regrets it, but it’s like, you can’t take back words that are that cruel.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-on a triple date with mary anne and logan and stacey and ethan, josh calls ethan "earring" by accident when he first meets him and sees that he has an earring. this is the kind of thing that always happens in movies but doesn’t actually happen in real life.
-claud plans a trivia game for the party with questions about attendees so others will find out information about each other. it's like..do you really need an icebreaker? you're 13. she also makes them wear themed stickers so they can split into groups. she's been doing too much babysitting, so she’s treating her friends like babysitting charges. she’s really kristy-ing out in this book.
-people claud didn't invite show up: pete black, emily bernstein, erica blumberg, austin bentley, shannon's friend greer. because the bsc members invited them. without consulting claud. ugh. mary anne says "you said to let our other friends know about the party." which is not true. I looked back, and what happened was abby asked if she could bring anna, and mary anne asked if she could bring logan. and claud said yes to those two isolated queries. not "invite the whole freakin' middle school!" ain’t it just like mary anne?
-janine was definitely part of the party but once the adults come acts like she wasn't and that it's all claudia's fault. usually I side with janine in these sisterly fights (like in Claudia and Mean Janine, but I’m pretty mad at her in this one.
-it’s weird that bill, who is clearly going through something intense considering how cruel he is to his sister, suddenly wants to hang out with her once they work together on something. this plotline seems to lack a fundamental understanding of human psychology.
claud outfits:
-"I'd worked hard on my outfit--a long black skirt, a white shirt with full sleeves, and a short vest that I'd covered with bright-colored buttons and bows. My hair was braided with strands of ribbons that matched the decorations on the vest."
-"I slipped into the black jeans, then pulled a black turtleneck over my head. I had a fleece top with turquoise, hot pink, and lime green stripes and one thin line of red. It was a boxy jacket style and looked festive, I decided...I found a pair of earrings I'd made out of curling ribbon and put them on, then stood back and looked at the results."
jeannie outfit:
-"She modeled her black velour vest, pointing out the red ribbon roses decorating the bottom edge. With her black jeans, black suede shoes, and long-sleeved white shirt, it made a very cool outfit."
snacks in claudia’s room:
-m&ms in her desk drawer
-pretzels in her desk drawer
-snickers bars in the middle drawer in her desk
-m&ms under her bed
-hershey bar in an old purse in her closet
highlights:
-mrs. kishi is going to "a library convention in chicago." this book takes place in fall. let’s mull this over. she’s coming from connecticut, so it can’t be a regional conference. which means it’s probably ALA midwinter or annual (both of which happen every year and are often in chicago, since that’s where ALA is based), or it’s PLA, since mrs. kishi is the head librarian at a public library. but none of those conferences happen in the fall. the only “library conventions” I know about that take place in the fall are regional. I even looked back at previous conferences and even in the 90s this was the case.
-janine excitedly tells claudia to tell stacey she found a fashion website. I love perceptions of the internet in media of the late 90s. but also it's just cute how janine is trying to be cool
-in claud and janine’s fight, claud says, "you only wish you had friends to invite to a party." damn. cold. she immediately regrets it, but it’s like, you can’t take back words that are that cruel.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-on a triple date with mary anne and logan and stacey and ethan, josh calls ethan "earring" by accident when he first meets him and sees that he has an earring. this is the kind of thing that always happens in movies but doesn’t actually happen in real life.
-claud plans a trivia game for the party with questions about attendees so others will find out information about each other. it's like..do you really need an icebreaker? you're 13. she also makes them wear themed stickers so they can split into groups. she's been doing too much babysitting, so she’s treating her friends like babysitting charges. she’s really kristy-ing out in this book.
-people claud didn't invite show up: pete black, emily bernstein, erica blumberg, austin bentley, shannon's friend greer. because the bsc members invited them. without consulting claud. ugh. mary anne says "you said to let our other friends know about the party." which is not true. I looked back, and what happened was abby asked if she could bring anna, and mary anne asked if she could bring logan. and claud said yes to those two isolated queries. not "invite the whole freakin' middle school!" ain’t it just like mary anne?
-janine was definitely part of the party but once the adults come acts like she wasn't and that it's all claudia's fault. usually I side with janine in these sisterly fights (like in Claudia and Mean Janine, but I’m pretty mad at her in this one.
-it’s weird that bill, who is clearly going through something intense considering how cruel he is to his sister, suddenly wants to hang out with her once they work together on something. this plotline seems to lack a fundamental understanding of human psychology.
claud outfits:
-"I'd worked hard on my outfit--a long black skirt, a white shirt with full sleeves, and a short vest that I'd covered with bright-colored buttons and bows. My hair was braided with strands of ribbons that matched the decorations on the vest."
-"I slipped into the black jeans, then pulled a black turtleneck over my head. I had a fleece top with turquoise, hot pink, and lime green stripes and one thin line of red. It was a boxy jacket style and looked festive, I decided...I found a pair of earrings I'd made out of curling ribbon and put them on, then stood back and looked at the results."
jeannie outfit:
-"She modeled her black velour vest, pointing out the red ribbon roses decorating the bottom edge. With her black jeans, black suede shoes, and long-sleeved white shirt, it made a very cool outfit."
snacks in claudia’s room:
-m&ms in her desk drawer
-pretzels in her desk drawer
-snickers bars in the middle drawer in her desk
-m&ms under her bed
-hershey bar in an old purse in her closet
January 19, 2021
(LL)
Yeah, based on 120+ books with Janine, there is no freaking way Janine would have allowed this party to happen without contacting her parents to make sure it was okay. If they had it at Stacey’s house perhaps it would have been more plausible. The funny thing though, was Mr. and Mrs. Kishi trusting Janine to watch the house and Claudia over the weekend was the most plausible baby-sitter to have that happen to, so it’s sad it didn’t work out as well as the premise set up.
The party was boring, but they kind of had to in order to make it age-appropriate for the readers (8-13).
The behavior Bill displayed in the subplot was concerning, as he didn’t show any signs of remorse after pushing his sister into a couch and bumping her head...and said she deserved it. That’s some red flag behavior right there.
Yeah, based on 120+ books with Janine, there is no freaking way Janine would have allowed this party to happen without contacting her parents to make sure it was okay. If they had it at Stacey’s house perhaps it would have been more plausible. The funny thing though, was Mr. and Mrs. Kishi trusting Janine to watch the house and Claudia over the weekend was the most plausible baby-sitter to have that happen to, so it’s sad it didn’t work out as well as the premise set up.
The party was boring, but they kind of had to in order to make it age-appropriate for the readers (8-13).
The behavior Bill displayed in the subplot was concerning, as he didn’t show any signs of remorse after pushing his sister into a couch and bumping her head...and said she deserved it. That’s some red flag behavior right there.
July 14, 2011
this book is somewhat uneventful, but i enjoyed it anyway. i always like claudia books. the premise is that claudia feels stressed out by all the conflicting demands on her time. the book opens at the end of a school day. she's getting ready to head downtown to go shopping with her seventh grade friends, jeannie, shira, & johanna. but then her boyfriend, josh, walks up & claudia remembers that she'd promised to have an after-school date with him that day. she asks if he wants to join the shopping trip, & he agrees, but claudia feels that he is disappointed.
this becomes even more clear at the boutique, where claudia is asked to weigh in on earring selections for all of her friends. it's clear that josh isn't having fun. she thought the shopping trip would be quick & she would have some one-on-one quality time with josh before the babysitters club meeting, but that isn't happening. she has to rush home to the meeting, but first she promises to call josh that evening.
but that evening, homework is taking longer that claudia expected, & janine won't let claudia make a quick phone call before she's finished with her math. then their parents come in to announce that they're going on a short trip to chicago & have decided that janine & claudia are old enough to stay home by themselves. peaches & russ will check in on them, & mrs. kishi will make & freeze a bunch of casseroles & leave the girls some emergency grocery money. both girls are excited about this, but claudia's enthusiasm is swiftly dampened when janine starts talking about how it will be a great opportunity for them to spend a lot of sister quality time together. claudia doesn't know how to fit janine into her schedule, along with homework, babysitting, her babysitters club friends, her seventh grade friends, josh, & art.
the book continues in this vein for quite some time. eventually claudia realizes that mr. & mrs. kishi being out of town might be a great opportunity for her to have a little get-together for her babysitters club friends & her seventh grade friends, so they can all mingle & get to know each other better. janine agrees that it sounds like fun. claudia extends the invites & she & janine get busy laying in a supply of snacks & soda, coming up with party games, etc. claudia thinks it will be fun for her friends to break into teams & answer trivia questions about each other. the winning team will get bags of cookies. sounds pretty dorky, but i guess it's age-appropriate for middle schoolers.
unfortunately, things take a left turn when the guests start arriving. pete black, emily bernstein, anna stevenson, & a bunch of other people claudia hadn't invited show up. turns out that her friends thought claudia was telling them to spread the word about the party. the kids go through the snacks & soda in no time, & while everyone is mixing well & having a nice time, claudia & janine are a little bit panicked. claudia tries to get the party games going, but there's not a lot of interest. people would rather hang out. some kids put on a game, & claudia catches some other kids watching TV in her parents' room. the pizza is gone in flash & claudia & janine don't have money to order more. the kids start playing hockey & keep away with the cookies. mallory accidentally knocks over a vase, which smashes. claudia is so busy trying to do damage control that she barely speaks to any of her friends, including josh. in fact, she kind of snaps at him when he tries to be helpful. & then peaches & russ show up to check on the girls. they are pissed & usher everyone out.
janine turns on claudia & starts complaining about how claudia's childish friends wrecked the house--even though she'd been having a great time at the party until peaches & russ broke it up. the girls get to cleaning up the next day. claudia really wants to call josh & apologize for snapping at him, but janine won't let her. stacey drops by to give claudia a replacement vase for the one mallory broke. everyone at the party chipped in to pay for it because they felt bad that claudia got in trouble. the girls manage to whip the house back into shape before mom & dad get home, but they still tell the truth. mr. & mrs. kishi are disappointed that the girls had a party without permission, but they are impressed with the honesty.
claudia & janine have a heart to heart. janine admits that she has been pretty lonely since she split up with jerry, her ex-boyfriend. she realizes now that she spent too much time with jerry, to the exclusion of her other friends, & now that she & jerry have broken up, she doesn't know how to get back in touch with her old friends. she's jealous that claudia has so many good friends, & that sometimes claudia wants to spend time with them to the exclusion of spending time with janine. claudia helps janine brainstorm some ways to get in touch with her old friends again, & they agree to spend more time together. claudia wants to learn about the internet from janine, & janine wants to learn about art from claudia. claudia manages to apologize to josh & he is understanding. & claudia notices that her babysitters club friends & seventh grade friends are now mixing a lot better. in fact, they all make plans to go bowling together.
this becomes even more clear at the boutique, where claudia is asked to weigh in on earring selections for all of her friends. it's clear that josh isn't having fun. she thought the shopping trip would be quick & she would have some one-on-one quality time with josh before the babysitters club meeting, but that isn't happening. she has to rush home to the meeting, but first she promises to call josh that evening.
but that evening, homework is taking longer that claudia expected, & janine won't let claudia make a quick phone call before she's finished with her math. then their parents come in to announce that they're going on a short trip to chicago & have decided that janine & claudia are old enough to stay home by themselves. peaches & russ will check in on them, & mrs. kishi will make & freeze a bunch of casseroles & leave the girls some emergency grocery money. both girls are excited about this, but claudia's enthusiasm is swiftly dampened when janine starts talking about how it will be a great opportunity for them to spend a lot of sister quality time together. claudia doesn't know how to fit janine into her schedule, along with homework, babysitting, her babysitters club friends, her seventh grade friends, josh, & art.
the book continues in this vein for quite some time. eventually claudia realizes that mr. & mrs. kishi being out of town might be a great opportunity for her to have a little get-together for her babysitters club friends & her seventh grade friends, so they can all mingle & get to know each other better. janine agrees that it sounds like fun. claudia extends the invites & she & janine get busy laying in a supply of snacks & soda, coming up with party games, etc. claudia thinks it will be fun for her friends to break into teams & answer trivia questions about each other. the winning team will get bags of cookies. sounds pretty dorky, but i guess it's age-appropriate for middle schoolers.
unfortunately, things take a left turn when the guests start arriving. pete black, emily bernstein, anna stevenson, & a bunch of other people claudia hadn't invited show up. turns out that her friends thought claudia was telling them to spread the word about the party. the kids go through the snacks & soda in no time, & while everyone is mixing well & having a nice time, claudia & janine are a little bit panicked. claudia tries to get the party games going, but there's not a lot of interest. people would rather hang out. some kids put on a game, & claudia catches some other kids watching TV in her parents' room. the pizza is gone in flash & claudia & janine don't have money to order more. the kids start playing hockey & keep away with the cookies. mallory accidentally knocks over a vase, which smashes. claudia is so busy trying to do damage control that she barely speaks to any of her friends, including josh. in fact, she kind of snaps at him when he tries to be helpful. & then peaches & russ show up to check on the girls. they are pissed & usher everyone out.
janine turns on claudia & starts complaining about how claudia's childish friends wrecked the house--even though she'd been having a great time at the party until peaches & russ broke it up. the girls get to cleaning up the next day. claudia really wants to call josh & apologize for snapping at him, but janine won't let her. stacey drops by to give claudia a replacement vase for the one mallory broke. everyone at the party chipped in to pay for it because they felt bad that claudia got in trouble. the girls manage to whip the house back into shape before mom & dad get home, but they still tell the truth. mr. & mrs. kishi are disappointed that the girls had a party without permission, but they are impressed with the honesty.
claudia & janine have a heart to heart. janine admits that she has been pretty lonely since she split up with jerry, her ex-boyfriend. she realizes now that she spent too much time with jerry, to the exclusion of her other friends, & now that she & jerry have broken up, she doesn't know how to get back in touch with her old friends. she's jealous that claudia has so many good friends, & that sometimes claudia wants to spend time with them to the exclusion of spending time with janine. claudia helps janine brainstorm some ways to get in touch with her old friends again, & they agree to spend more time together. claudia wants to learn about the internet from janine, & janine wants to learn about art from claudia. claudia manages to apologize to josh & he is understanding. & claudia notices that her babysitters club friends & seventh grade friends are now mixing a lot better. in fact, they all make plans to go bowling together.
February 3, 2025
Claudia and Janine are left alone for a few days while their parents go out of town. Claudia has been feeling torn between her BSC friends, her 7th grade friends and boyfriend Josh. Janine is feeling lonely since she broke up with her boyfriend Jerry. Since most of his friends were also hers she feel alone and tries to get closer to Claudia. When their parents leave town Claudia decides to have a gathering of her BSC friends and 7th grade ones. Janine agrees and decides to join in which was hilarious. But of course the BSC are terrible people. Claudia agrees to let Logan, Shannon and Anna join in and for some reason they decide to invite friends over including Shannon's friend Greer that no one knows. It's just odd. Anyway they eat all the food make a huge mess, break a vase, and Peaches and Russ show up and bust them. Janine throws Claudia under the bus. But they have a sweet heart to heart in the end. The b plot has Bill amd Melody Korman fighting. Mary Anne brings them together by losing a key and getting them to plot ways of getting into the house including breaking a window. It's okay. I did love the bonding between Janine and Claudia, they are very realistic of most siblings I think or maybe just me and my brother who are as opposite as the Kishi sisters are. I also got a kick out of early internet references. I remember well when the internet was new and exciting. Not a bad book. Not terribly exciting but still pretty good compared to these later books. Eight more to go and I'm done!
October 25, 2017
I love when Janine is a featured player in the Claudia books, especially in the later ones! It's fun to see their sisterly relationship grow and change, and it's nice to see that Claudia stops regarding Janine as just a "brain" and sees her as a real person. This one was especially great, because we see Janine trying to reach out more and build a better sisterly bond with Claud, and both of them messing up big time.
Also I prefer fun Peaches to wanna be hardass Peaches. I mean, yes, adults have to act like adults now and then, but come on. Let her just be the cool all the time aunt we all wish we'd had as kids!
Also I prefer fun Peaches to wanna be hardass Peaches. I mean, yes, adults have to act like adults now and then, but come on. Let her just be the cool all the time aunt we all wish we'd had as kids!
February 24, 2021
Claudia's parents went to Chicago for a long weekend, so Mrs. Kishi could attend a library conference. Like in every teen movie ever, Claudia decided to throw a party while her parents were out of town. She wanted her friend groups (BSC members and new friends/boyfriend from when she got sent back to seventh grade) to get to know each other better.
Claudia's older sister, Janine, was totally fine with the party, which was completely out of character for her. She did freak out though because the party ended up being larger than they expected (21 people in attendance instead of the expected 14 people). I felt bad for Janine in this book. She was just trying to be a good sister and friend, but Claudia was snarky and mean back to her.
Claudia's older sister, Janine, was totally fine with the party, which was completely out of character for her. She did freak out though because the party ended up being larger than they expected (21 people in attendance instead of the expected 14 people). I felt bad for Janine in this book. She was just trying to be a good sister and friend, but Claudia was snarky and mean back to her.
March 18, 2023
When I was 10 I joined a readers club/group where we got a new book every week. I chose The babysitters club.
The books are fantastic! So enjoyable. I loved getting the book every week. They are super quick reads and I was able to read it in one day.
Highly recommend for young teenagers to read or even younger if they are able too read well.
The books are fantastic! So enjoyable. I loved getting the book every week. They are super quick reads and I was able to read it in one day.
Highly recommend for young teenagers to read or even younger if they are able too read well.
June 24, 2019
I think I read this same book when it was Sweet Valley Twins, but I missed this one as a kid because it was too late in the series for me. I did not miss much, apparently. It's better than Abby's book, but then, what isn't.
April 15, 2024
Claudia is struggling to make time for her boyfriend, the BSC, her 7th grade friends, and Janine...so she decides to take advantage of her weekend home alone with Janine to throw a small gathering. The gathering turns into a party and quickly spirals out of control.
April 1, 2025
Poor Claudia, but...honestly? Poor Janine. Claudia is kind of a jerk to her the entire book, and her takeaway is to be nice to Josh? Ah, young love.
It is nice to have a pretty down to earth and normal B plot for a change, though!
It is nice to have a pretty down to earth and normal B plot for a change, though!
December 3, 2019
How not to have a party at your house when parents are away.
January 24, 2021
Not much about babysitting adventures. More about personal trials and tribulations of a 13 yr old babysitter. And what’s up with another of the babysitter’s remained unresolved.
January 28, 2021
I can never resist a Claudia story and although this one won't rank among my favourites it wasn't one I'd read before so that was a novelty.
Read
June 8, 2021Read my recap at A Year with the BSC via Stoneybrook Forever: www.livethemovies.com/bsc-blog/claudi...
August 30, 2021
Not My Favorite
It was okay. I wish Janine was given more of a story arc. It was fine but not the best.
It was okay. I wish Janine was given more of a story arc. It was fine but not the best.
October 16, 2021
Janine Is so cute in this!!!
September 14, 2023
I'm with Peaches, I'm dying to see what "sisterly bonding" between Claudia and Janine looks like.
Read
November 28, 2023Quickly making my way through these! I'd love to finish before the new year!
December 10, 2024
not much of a party...but I guess they're only 13
November 25, 2025
this is my favorite book
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!
January 17, 2009
Similar to other later BSC books. Thin plot. Thin characters (particularly Kristy). Some 'deep' character realisations. Luckily these concerned Claudia and her sister Janine (who has always been one of my favourite characters) and their relationship. Also about Claudia and her seventh and eighth grade friends.
December 24, 2021
I really like getting the chance to read more about Claudia and Janine as sisters, and I really appreciate seeing Janine as a more 3-dimensional character and less as "just a genius." I loved seeing them spend time together and figure things out.
December 26, 2010
I didn't like this one because I never enjoyed the books where Claudia was back in 7th grade.
November 1, 2013
In which the Kishi's leave Caludia and Janine alone and Caludia throws a party.
October 26, 2024
I mean party-wise, it was really tame. Meh on
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews