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The Baby-Sitters Club Mysteries #35
Abby and the Notorious Neighbor
Stuck at home with a minor illness, Abby is passing her time by staring out her window, spying on the neighbors with her binoculars, until her snooping uncovers a wanted criminal who has just been profiled on the "Mystery Trackers" television program. Original.
129 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1998
9 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,099 books3,039 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 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 21, 2024
Abby is a mess, but I do love her. She's one of our funniest babysitters, and even though this book is set mostly from the comfort of her bedroom (poor Abby), it doesn't quite fall into boring territory, even though the plot is undeniably thin. Even our B plot is thin, honestly, with the same material being sort of repeated throughout. I think the best segment was when Abby was describing to Kristy the things that happened in her neighborhood, including her own yard--very astute.
The entire plot was highly telegraphed for the most part, but, hey, that's what happens when you kind of sort of rip off a movie! As far as mysteries go, though, this isn't the worst.
The entire plot was highly telegraphed for the most part, but, hey, that's what happens when you kind of sort of rip off a movie! As far as mysteries go, though, this isn't the worst.
August 26, 2022
Definitely grabbed this at Goodwill because it looked like the plot to The Woman In The Window and it did not disappoint. Abby is home sick with allergies/bronchitis/asthma and has nothing better to do than stare out her window using binoculars to snoop on the neighbors. We’ve all been there before. But after Abby binges some true crime hunters tv show, she begins to suspect her neighbor is an on the run embezzler who bailed on his wife and kids in Iowa (can’t blame him, Iowa is wack).
Originally gave this 4 stars mostly for nostalgia sake, but deducted one star for the creepy line about the police officer being “really good looking for a grown up”
Originally gave this 4 stars mostly for nostalgia sake, but deducted one star for the creepy line about the police officer being “really good looking for a grown up”
October 8, 2020
I am well aware of how ridiculously implausible this story is, but it is one of my all-time favorite books in the series. I don’t even know why, but I just love it.
I’ve been really sick today, and losing myself in this book (where Abby is also sick!) just really helped pass the time.
Also, Stacey and Claudia learning how to use this magical device called the “Internet” is pretty hysterical.
I’ve been really sick today, and losing myself in this book (where Abby is also sick!) just really helped pass the time.
Also, Stacey and Claudia learning how to use this magical device called the “Internet” is pretty hysterical.
July 6, 2011
the book opens with some exposition about how abby & her family are constantly annoyed by their backyard neighbor, mr. finch, mainly just because he mows his lawn several times a week, always at like 7:30am. i guess that would be kind of annoying, but also...get over it. this book is set during the school year, which means abby & anna have to get up early anyway five days a week, & mrs. stevenson has a full-time job which includes a daily commute to new york city. if these people are not already awake by 7:30am at least on weekdays, they are obviously doing something wrong.
anyway, abby comes down with bronchitis & has to miss a bunch of school. to pass the time, she watches a lot of TV, including a popular show called "mystery trackers," which sounds like a rip-off of "america's most wanted". she thinks a featured criminal in one of the episodes looks familiar, but she can't place him. she also can't remember which criminal it was--either a bank robber or an embezzler. when she notices mr. finch chilling on his back patio a few days later, she realizes that he is a dead ringer for the criminal. his is the face she recognized.
she calls "mystery trackers" & an over-eager intern sends abby a copy of the episode. she watches it again & realizes that she thinks mr. finch is the embezzler. she calls "mystery trackers" back & they're like, "okay, cool. call us back again when you have more info." um, isn't it just their job to collect tips & pass them on the law enforcement? not to encourage 13-year-old girls to be vigilantes?
abby shares her suspicions with the other members of the babysitters club, but they scoff at her. she also calls sergeant johnson, but he's like, "cool story, bro. but i'm pretty busy...". so abby decides it's up to her to keep an eye on mr. finch & see if she can collect more evidence.
the "mystery trackers" profile says the embezzler is from iowa & had been married with two elementary-age children before he went on the lam. abby observes mr. finch burning some photographs in his sink, & she also notices that his refrigerator is covered in children's artwork. kristy comes over to visit & abby points this out to her. she even makes kristy watch the "mystery trackers" show, & the girls notice that the furniture in the embezzler's home (i guess there are photos?) looks a lot like the furniture in mr. finch's home. which means they have the same taste...& maybe are the same person? the show also shows photos of the embezzler's wife & says this his children's names are joseph & patty. isn't that kind of a breach of protection & privacy for innocent people that are connected with a criminal?
kristy gets all caught up in the excitement & decides to sneak over to mr. finch's house & peer through the window to read the names on the kids' drawings. because i know that every time i go on the lam under an assumed identity, i take a long a few drawings that my abandoned children made & then i hang them on my fridge. kristy also sneaks into mr. finch's trash can & absconds with some of the burned photos.
turns out the kids' drawings are signed "joseph" & "patty," & a woman still visible in one of the photographs looks just like the embezzler's wife. abby reports this info to both "mystery trackers" & sergeant johnson, but it's unclear if anyone is taking her seriously.
the next day, abby notices that mr. finch is loading belongings into his car trunk. she is worried that he knows someone is on to him & he's fleeing again. just as she starts getting really anxious about what to do, sergeant johnson, the FBI, & a "mystery trackers" camera crew appear on the horizon. mr. finch is arrested. i guess he was the embezzler all along. abby receives some reward money for her tips.
this was pretty dumb, but i have to give points for the fact that it wasn't all that clear up until mr. finch was arrested whether he really was the wanted embezzler or whether abby was going to end up learning a valuable lessons about spying on her neigbors & letting her imagination run away with her.
the B-plot is all about some dumb soap box derby. the children of stoneybrook seriously live in 1952.
anyway, abby comes down with bronchitis & has to miss a bunch of school. to pass the time, she watches a lot of TV, including a popular show called "mystery trackers," which sounds like a rip-off of "america's most wanted". she thinks a featured criminal in one of the episodes looks familiar, but she can't place him. she also can't remember which criminal it was--either a bank robber or an embezzler. when she notices mr. finch chilling on his back patio a few days later, she realizes that he is a dead ringer for the criminal. his is the face she recognized.
she calls "mystery trackers" & an over-eager intern sends abby a copy of the episode. she watches it again & realizes that she thinks mr. finch is the embezzler. she calls "mystery trackers" back & they're like, "okay, cool. call us back again when you have more info." um, isn't it just their job to collect tips & pass them on the law enforcement? not to encourage 13-year-old girls to be vigilantes?
abby shares her suspicions with the other members of the babysitters club, but they scoff at her. she also calls sergeant johnson, but he's like, "cool story, bro. but i'm pretty busy...". so abby decides it's up to her to keep an eye on mr. finch & see if she can collect more evidence.
the "mystery trackers" profile says the embezzler is from iowa & had been married with two elementary-age children before he went on the lam. abby observes mr. finch burning some photographs in his sink, & she also notices that his refrigerator is covered in children's artwork. kristy comes over to visit & abby points this out to her. she even makes kristy watch the "mystery trackers" show, & the girls notice that the furniture in the embezzler's home (i guess there are photos?) looks a lot like the furniture in mr. finch's home. which means they have the same taste...& maybe are the same person? the show also shows photos of the embezzler's wife & says this his children's names are joseph & patty. isn't that kind of a breach of protection & privacy for innocent people that are connected with a criminal?
kristy gets all caught up in the excitement & decides to sneak over to mr. finch's house & peer through the window to read the names on the kids' drawings. because i know that every time i go on the lam under an assumed identity, i take a long a few drawings that my abandoned children made & then i hang them on my fridge. kristy also sneaks into mr. finch's trash can & absconds with some of the burned photos.
turns out the kids' drawings are signed "joseph" & "patty," & a woman still visible in one of the photographs looks just like the embezzler's wife. abby reports this info to both "mystery trackers" & sergeant johnson, but it's unclear if anyone is taking her seriously.
the next day, abby notices that mr. finch is loading belongings into his car trunk. she is worried that he knows someone is on to him & he's fleeing again. just as she starts getting really anxious about what to do, sergeant johnson, the FBI, & a "mystery trackers" camera crew appear on the horizon. mr. finch is arrested. i guess he was the embezzler all along. abby receives some reward money for her tips.
this was pretty dumb, but i have to give points for the fact that it wasn't all that clear up until mr. finch was arrested whether he really was the wanted embezzler or whether abby was going to end up learning a valuable lessons about spying on her neigbors & letting her imagination run away with her.
the B-plot is all about some dumb soap box derby. the children of stoneybrook seriously live in 1952.
November 25, 2018
this is my first time reading this book!
in this hitchcock ripoff by ghostwriter Ellen Miles, abby becomes obsessed with the prospect that her neighbor is an embezzler/family deserter from iowa that she saw on a tv show called mystery trackers (which is basically america’s most wanted). this neighbor, mr. finch, mows his lawn early in the morning every day, which sounds like the kind of thing that should get you reported. abby is sick, so while staying home from school she distracts herself by spying on neighbors with a telescope. she tries to convince her friends in the bsc as well as sgt johnson from the local police that mr. finch is the embezzler/family deserter from mystery trackers, but no one believes her. abby sees that he has kids’ drawings on his fridge, which is weird since he lives alone. kristy finally believes abby enough to snoop in his mailbox and find mail from iowa. then abby sees him burning photos in his sink, and kristy steals them from his trash and sees that they are of the woman who was the wife of the embezzler. finally with all this information sgt johnson believes her and calls the police in des moines. finch starts packing and is about to flee when the cops come in the nick of time, with mystery trackers’ film team behind them, filming the arrest. abby gets the reward money for catching him, which she implies she’s gonna spend on pizza. in a silly subplot, the bsc kids are all competing in a soapbox derby race, and they all keep spying on each other’s teams working on their go carts to get good ideas. nobody wants nicky pike on his team (this is a very nicky plotline) but the triplets eventually let him in because he has cool decals that he will put on the go-cart.
highlights:
-an I love lucy reference! abby flips through reruns while channel surfing
-becca has a tootsie roll pop with an arrow getting shot at a star, so she thinks their go cart will win, because it's good luck. I looked this up and it's apparently a thing.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-abby's seen rear window and references it when talking about what’s going on with her to the bsc. but it's like...if you rip off a story as completely as ellen miles did with this one, then you have to at least pretend you didn't know about it, because otherwise, why did you even write it?
-abby says that sometime before she joined the club kristy came up with the idea for the mystery notebook. not true. they get the mystery notebook in Baby-Sitters Beware, and abby is already in the bsc in that book
-a couple hilarious instances of 1990s internet: "stacey had heard that you could look up anybody's name on the Internet" and then janine gets online: "with a few taps on the keyboard, a squeal from the modem, and a few more taps, she'd entered the Internet."
-this isn’t really much of a mystery. abby thinks this guy did something, then she finds some evidence, and yes, he did do the thing she thought he did. I think it would be better for the story if the whole thing were a bait and switch, like mr. finch isn’t actually the embezzler, but it turns out he’s doing something even worse, which the cops find out when they go to his house to arrest him, and instead they find his drug smuggling ring. you know? or something like this:
no outfits
jackie disasters:
-almost knocks over a jar of screws but catches it
-kicks a can of paint so it flows onto archie's sneakers
snacks in claudia’s room:
-hershey's kisses (n.s.)
-ring-dings (n.s.)
in this hitchcock ripoff by ghostwriter Ellen Miles, abby becomes obsessed with the prospect that her neighbor is an embezzler/family deserter from iowa that she saw on a tv show called mystery trackers (which is basically america’s most wanted). this neighbor, mr. finch, mows his lawn early in the morning every day, which sounds like the kind of thing that should get you reported. abby is sick, so while staying home from school she distracts herself by spying on neighbors with a telescope. she tries to convince her friends in the bsc as well as sgt johnson from the local police that mr. finch is the embezzler/family deserter from mystery trackers, but no one believes her. abby sees that he has kids’ drawings on his fridge, which is weird since he lives alone. kristy finally believes abby enough to snoop in his mailbox and find mail from iowa. then abby sees him burning photos in his sink, and kristy steals them from his trash and sees that they are of the woman who was the wife of the embezzler. finally with all this information sgt johnson believes her and calls the police in des moines. finch starts packing and is about to flee when the cops come in the nick of time, with mystery trackers’ film team behind them, filming the arrest. abby gets the reward money for catching him, which she implies she’s gonna spend on pizza. in a silly subplot, the bsc kids are all competing in a soapbox derby race, and they all keep spying on each other’s teams working on their go carts to get good ideas. nobody wants nicky pike on his team (this is a very nicky plotline) but the triplets eventually let him in because he has cool decals that he will put on the go-cart.
highlights:
-an I love lucy reference! abby flips through reruns while channel surfing
-becca has a tootsie roll pop with an arrow getting shot at a star, so she thinks their go cart will win, because it's good luck. I looked this up and it's apparently a thing.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-abby's seen rear window and references it when talking about what’s going on with her to the bsc. but it's like...if you rip off a story as completely as ellen miles did with this one, then you have to at least pretend you didn't know about it, because otherwise, why did you even write it?
-abby says that sometime before she joined the club kristy came up with the idea for the mystery notebook. not true. they get the mystery notebook in Baby-Sitters Beware, and abby is already in the bsc in that book
-a couple hilarious instances of 1990s internet: "stacey had heard that you could look up anybody's name on the Internet" and then janine gets online: "with a few taps on the keyboard, a squeal from the modem, and a few more taps, she'd entered the Internet."
-this isn’t really much of a mystery. abby thinks this guy did something, then she finds some evidence, and yes, he did do the thing she thought he did. I think it would be better for the story if the whole thing were a bait and switch, like mr. finch isn’t actually the embezzler, but it turns out he’s doing something even worse, which the cops find out when they go to his house to arrest him, and instead they find his drug smuggling ring. you know? or something like this:
no outfits
jackie disasters:
-almost knocks over a jar of screws but catches it
-kicks a can of paint so it flows onto archie's sneakers
snacks in claudia’s room:
-hershey's kisses (n.s.)
-ring-dings (n.s.)
January 4, 2025
In this Abby mystery and the 2nd last in the series thank god we have a ripoff of a Simpsons episode that was a spoof on the classic Hitchcock movie Rear Window. Abby thinks she's experiencing a particularly rough allergy season and feels more rotten than usual. After spiking a fever her mother takes her to the doctor and she is diagnosed with bronchitis which of course is made worse by her asthma and being allergic to life as she often puts it. She is now stuck home for two weeks. Unlike Anna who has indoor hobbies althetic Abby is bored before day one is out. She watches a crime show called Mystery Trackers which is either Unsolved Mysteries, or America's Most Wanted. I'll stick with Unsolved Mysteries since that's the show I watched that terrified me with the music and Robert Stack's deep voice. Anyway Abby is convinced that one of the criminals featured in the show is someone she's seen before. This begins her new pass time spying. She finds out a few things about the neighbours, Karen misses Andrew, Charlie Thomas's new girlfriend doesn't really like him that much, then she turns her attention on Mr. Finch the annoying neighbour who mows his lawn at the crack of dawn even on weekends. I had a neighbour who's driveway was next to my bedroom window and every damn morning between 530 and 6 he'd start up his big diesel engine practically right in my ear. I hate annoying neighbours but mowing your lawn at 8AM isn't as bad as the rattle of a diesel engine right next to your head. Anyway she becomes convinced that Finch is one of the criminals from the show and of course the BSC digs into the case. I wish it had been more like the Simpsons episode, it would've been far more entertaining. The b plot involved go cart races which I vaguely remember being a big thing at least for my brother when we were kids. Poor Nicky Pike being born smack in the middle of all those kids, his only make siblings a set of triplets. I hope he doesn't team up with Karen Brewer as an adult and become one of those killer couples. I could see her taking advantage of him and pushing him around. Anyway this was somewhat amusing but quite stupid and ridiculous. It would've worked better if it had played out like the Simpsons episode, Mr. Finch was a retired teacher or something but they went the crazy this would never happen in real life route as they tend to do with most of these mysteries.
November 28, 2017
Well clearly somebody was really into watching America's Most Wanted back in the day! I'm just glad the criminal they were looking for was an embezzler and not something even stupider. This was almost too much for me, and I am just SO THANKFUL that I only have one mystery book left. I have a couple of "super mysteries" after this, but still. I'm really close.
Also it's so weird how at the end of the series run Abby became a super health freak. I mean she was always an athlete and all, but out of seemingly nowhere she got really into running home from school like five miles a day? I don't know, it showed up in an earlier book and it weirded me out that it showed up again in this one.
Also it's so weird how at the end of the series run Abby became a super health freak. I mean she was always an athlete and all, but out of seemingly nowhere she got really into running home from school like five miles a day? I don't know, it showed up in an earlier book and it weirded me out that it showed up again in this one.
January 28, 2021
(LL)
Damn, this is the last BSC book I own/need to read.
With that said:
The premise was simple and plausible enough, but some of the things within the story were too much, especially the ending. It was also a rip off of “Rear Window” by Alfred Hitchcock...no worries they explicitly referenced the movie in the book to say how much it looks like Abby’s situation. (Gotta love a story that admits they are taking ideas from someone else.) It was a basic story to end my marathon of BSC books, so that was disappointing, but it was one of the mysteries so what was I expecting?!
Damn, this is the last BSC book I own/need to read.
With that said:
The premise was simple and plausible enough, but some of the things within the story were too much, especially the ending. It was also a rip off of “Rear Window” by Alfred Hitchcock...no worries they explicitly referenced the movie in the book to say how much it looks like Abby’s situation. (Gotta love a story that admits they are taking ideas from someone else.) It was a basic story to end my marathon of BSC books, so that was disappointing, but it was one of the mysteries so what was I expecting?!
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March 29, 2024"Rear Window" but with teenage babysitters!
I thought for SURE that Mr. Finch was going to be the real criminal's twin brother or something. I absolutely did not expect that and I for SURE didn't expect Abby's snooping to be a GOOD thing. The message of this book was basically, "Spy on your neighbors! Nothing bad can come of it!"
Also, did we already know that Sergeant Johnson was handsome, or is this the first time anyone in the club has made that observation?
I thought for SURE that Mr. Finch was going to be the real criminal's twin brother or something. I absolutely did not expect that and I for SURE didn't expect Abby's snooping to be a GOOD thing. The message of this book was basically, "Spy on your neighbors! Nothing bad can come of it!"
Also, did we already know that Sergeant Johnson was handsome, or is this the first time anyone in the club has made that observation?
September 22, 2023
BSC does rear window. Fun and And lol the b plot with the go kart race had zero connection to the main plot. Plus
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April 17, 2021Read my recap at A Year with the BSC via Stoneybrook Forever: www.livethemovies.com/bsc-blog/abby-a...
November 13, 2021
This is one of my favorite books it is so good!
August 16, 2023
Lol this mystery is pretty terrible. It's not very exciting, nothing really happens. And the ending is wholly unsatisfying.
February 15, 2011
Ridic. On the phone cracking the case with 'Mystery Trackers?' The idea of Abby home sick and spying on her neighbors is fun and believable but once again a BSC Mystery ruined with ridiculously unrealistic details. Sgt Johnson taking a bunch of hormonal 13 year olds seriously? Don't think so.
December 6, 2024
Rear Window meets Baby Sitters Club. It’s a cute little story, nothing original, but honestly after so many BSC books originality is no longer relevant. At least the mysteries provide a little more fun than the melodramatic main series.
October 19, 2024
My favorite trope is "things that are not Rear Window do Rear Window."
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews