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The Baby-Sitters Club #18
Stacey's Mistake
Stacey's so excited! She's invited her friends from the Baby-sitters Club down to New York City for a long weekend. It's going to be perfect - a party and a sleepover on Friday night, a big baby-sitting job on Saturday, and lots of sight seeing on Sunday.
But what a mistake! The Baby-sitters are way out of place in the big city. Mary Anne sounds like a walking guide book; Dawn's afraid of everything; Kristy can't keep her mouth shut; and Claudia's jealous of Stacey friends.
Does this mean Stacey can't be the Baby-sitters' friend anymore? Will the Baby-sitters Club fall apart?
But what a mistake! The Baby-sitters are way out of place in the big city. Mary Anne sounds like a walking guide book; Dawn's afraid of everything; Kristy can't keep her mouth shut; and Claudia's jealous of Stacey friends.
Does this mean Stacey can't be the Baby-sitters' friend anymore? Will the Baby-sitters Club fall apart?
145 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1988
172 people are currently reading
1329 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,114 books3,062 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 132 reviews
September 16, 2020
This is a middle-grade book, and this is the 18th book in the Baby-Sitters Club Series. I listen to the audiobook for this book with my daughter, and the audiobook was really good. The narrator was really and easy to understand. In this book the Baby-Sitters Club goes to New York to visit Stacey. This book is about how teenagers gets mad at each other about little things, but they work though it. I think the book had a good message. (*)
February 11, 2010
this probably isn't really a two-star book, but i am marking it down due to the conceit of the premise: stacey is living on the upper west side of new york city with her parents. they live in a fancy apartment building with a doorman. a homeless woman lives on the street outside their building. her name is judy. sometimes she's friendly & nice & calls stacey "missy" (stacey says this like it's a nice thing, but it makes my skin scrawl that this 40-something homeless woman would use a term of respect like that to refer to a spoiled 13-year-old). other times, she doesn't seem to recognize anyone & screams & insults people. i think the implication is that maybe she is schizophrenic. the adults in stacey's building decide to have a meeting to discuss the "homeless situation" & figure out "how to help". WTF? classic ann m. martin: acknowledge a social issue like homelessness & then give it the most worthless possible band-aid treatment. anyway, the adults all ask stacey to babysit their kids while they're at this very important meeting. she can't possibly watch all the kids on her own...so she gets permission from her parents to invite the BSC to visit & help take care of the kids. & all of their parents okay it (except for the pikes & the ramseys, because mal & jessi are only eleven...which doesn't explain new york, new york!, super special #8, but...sure).
stacey's mistake was that she did not foresee that maybe having all of her friends visit new york wasn't a great idea. mary anne is obsessed with new york & embarrasses stacey by constantly spouting off guide book factoids like how many acres are in central park & shit. kristy is kind of a dumbass tourist who does things like whip her wallet out on the street with no thought of being mugged, & mispronouncing "filet mignon" in a restaurant (not a fancy restaurant though--it's just the hard rock cafe, what's the problem?). claudia brought too many suitcases, as usual, & doesn't get along with laine. apparently both laine & claudia are jealous of the other's friendship with stacey & all they do is snipe at each other. & dawn is terrified of the big, bad city & seems to be convinced that she's about the be besieged by murderers, muggers, cockroaches, & CHUDs every time she turns around.
first, the babysitters get kind of lost in grand central station & are late meeting stacey. then they have to take a cab back to stacey's apartment to drop off claudia's nine million bags. then kristy has her "filet mignon" incident, & the wallet thing, & mary anne starts embarrassing stacey. dawn acts scared of everything. then they go to bloomingdale's (which stacey actually refers to as "bloomie's"--how undignified) & mary anne is collared by security for stealing an eye shadow sample. which is really weird because i don't think richard really lets mary anne wear make-up yet. but anyway.
they go back to stacey's house to get ready for the party that mr. & mrs. mcgill charitably allowed stacey to throw. laine comes over to help & this is when she & claudia start getting into it. when the party starts, kristy meets a boy she likes & then claudia cuts in & hurts kristy's feelings (as if kristy thomas wouldn't cut right back in if she was that invested in the dude). mary anne bores stacey's sophisticated new york friends by spouting trivia at them, but wins them over by making fun of dawn & her phobias. stacey hulks out on everyone & it's a big mess.
the next day, they start their babysitting job. they are watching ten kids, & the parents have provided money for entertainment & food. the girls take the kids to the museum of natural history, which is walking distance from stacey's building. they lose one of the littlest kids when he goes back to see the brontosaurus (not a real dinosaur--if i recall, the "bronto" skeleton was renamed a brachiosaurus by the time i was at the museum in 2004). mary anne finds him again & all is well. they have lunch at the museum cafeteria, which always makes me think of that episode of "friends" where ross gets joey a job as a tour guide at the museum, but won't eat lunch with him until joey leads everyone in a confessional trust exercise. sadly, nothing like that happens in this book.
next they hit central park, which is right across the street. they ride the carousel & see the alice in wonderland statue & no one gets mugged, murdered, lost, or eaten by wolverines. they have snacks & buy balloons & the baysitters start having a really nice time together. they decide to stay together for the kids. or...they make up. they take the kids home, & laine calls to invite the babysitters to a broadway play. her dad is a big-time broadway producer who gets comped free tickets all the time & can have a limo pick them up. the babysitters are all over it, claudia agrees to give laine a chance, & they all have a great time. the play involves actors on roller skates. what? stacey invites laine to spend the night again, but laine says stacey should enjoy her quality time with the BSC. so stacey does, everyone is happy, the end. oh, & the grown-ups get a church to help them start a soup kitchen to help out the homeless. fab.u.lous.
a CHUD really would have spiced this book up a little.
stacey's mistake was that she did not foresee that maybe having all of her friends visit new york wasn't a great idea. mary anne is obsessed with new york & embarrasses stacey by constantly spouting off guide book factoids like how many acres are in central park & shit. kristy is kind of a dumbass tourist who does things like whip her wallet out on the street with no thought of being mugged, & mispronouncing "filet mignon" in a restaurant (not a fancy restaurant though--it's just the hard rock cafe, what's the problem?). claudia brought too many suitcases, as usual, & doesn't get along with laine. apparently both laine & claudia are jealous of the other's friendship with stacey & all they do is snipe at each other. & dawn is terrified of the big, bad city & seems to be convinced that she's about the be besieged by murderers, muggers, cockroaches, & CHUDs every time she turns around.
first, the babysitters get kind of lost in grand central station & are late meeting stacey. then they have to take a cab back to stacey's apartment to drop off claudia's nine million bags. then kristy has her "filet mignon" incident, & the wallet thing, & mary anne starts embarrassing stacey. dawn acts scared of everything. then they go to bloomingdale's (which stacey actually refers to as "bloomie's"--how undignified) & mary anne is collared by security for stealing an eye shadow sample. which is really weird because i don't think richard really lets mary anne wear make-up yet. but anyway.
they go back to stacey's house to get ready for the party that mr. & mrs. mcgill charitably allowed stacey to throw. laine comes over to help & this is when she & claudia start getting into it. when the party starts, kristy meets a boy she likes & then claudia cuts in & hurts kristy's feelings (as if kristy thomas wouldn't cut right back in if she was that invested in the dude). mary anne bores stacey's sophisticated new york friends by spouting trivia at them, but wins them over by making fun of dawn & her phobias. stacey hulks out on everyone & it's a big mess.
the next day, they start their babysitting job. they are watching ten kids, & the parents have provided money for entertainment & food. the girls take the kids to the museum of natural history, which is walking distance from stacey's building. they lose one of the littlest kids when he goes back to see the brontosaurus (not a real dinosaur--if i recall, the "bronto" skeleton was renamed a brachiosaurus by the time i was at the museum in 2004). mary anne finds him again & all is well. they have lunch at the museum cafeteria, which always makes me think of that episode of "friends" where ross gets joey a job as a tour guide at the museum, but won't eat lunch with him until joey leads everyone in a confessional trust exercise. sadly, nothing like that happens in this book.
next they hit central park, which is right across the street. they ride the carousel & see the alice in wonderland statue & no one gets mugged, murdered, lost, or eaten by wolverines. they have snacks & buy balloons & the baysitters start having a really nice time together. they decide to stay together for the kids. or...they make up. they take the kids home, & laine calls to invite the babysitters to a broadway play. her dad is a big-time broadway producer who gets comped free tickets all the time & can have a limo pick them up. the babysitters are all over it, claudia agrees to give laine a chance, & they all have a great time. the play involves actors on roller skates. what? stacey invites laine to spend the night again, but laine says stacey should enjoy her quality time with the BSC. so stacey does, everyone is happy, the end. oh, & the grown-ups get a church to help them start a soup kitchen to help out the homeless. fab.u.lous.
a CHUD really would have spiced this book up a little.
January 29, 2021
Be a Part of It
I left New York City in 2016 after 10 years. My time there had long since played out, and despite some excellent people, I was feeling isolated and directionless. But the reasoning isn't important. All you need to know is that I left for Chicago, and it was the right choice.
Since then, my mother has asked me no less than once a month whether I miss New York. The answer every time has been "No."
I miss certain people and access to certain experiences -- a book club I was in and the energy of our bar nights; being able to run downstairs at 2 a.m. for a grape Crush and a pint of peach sorbet at the little bodega (my current Walgreens is a shocking 2 blocks away); a constant supply of social events due to the network of people I had established over a decade -- but I never missed the city itself. Everything is just more difficult there. The amount of planning and work involved in a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond is amazing, and the bus, subway, and taxis are all terrible options for lugging home an inconveniently-shaped box with a stock pot inside. Living quarters are smaller, food is more expensive, and everything is just more exhausting.
Now, I can hop in the car and park for free at the Bed, Bath & Beyond that I used to go to before I hooked up with a weirdo who works there in 2019.
The indie bookstore scene is way better in Chicago, and my favorite is the one just a few blocks away that I used to go to before I asked out and got shot down by a dude who works there in 2019.
And the bars and restaurants are cheaper and more spacious. The Rule of Threes compels me to mention my favorite local bar that makes a good Manhattan but which I haven't to in a long time as it's the regular haunt of someone whose engagement I nearly destroyed in 2019.
So despite 2019 not being an amazing year (in honesty, all these events took place within a 2-month span towards the end of it), I'm very happy with where I live and disinclined to think back on where I was before. Really, what's to miss?
Well that was my attitude until I read Stacey's Mistake last week. You will think I am making this up, but the book made me so wistful and nostalgic for New York that I teared up a little.
Stacey, who has been living in New York for a number of months at this point, invites the 4 other primary members of the Club to a long weekend visit where they will babysit 10 kids for a day and otherwise just have a good time. The conflict comes from her Connecticut friends being super overexcited and touristy. To cool, jaded, 12-year-old Stacey, this is mortifying.
Wackiness and some reconciliation ensue, and Stacey learns that she has become way too unappreciative of the city she lives in, taking the culture and people for granted. Her friends reopen her eyes to how colorful and exciting New York is. And this is what resonated with me. When I think back on New York, I think about how life was after years of being there. When I visit, it feels as though I never left.
But if I cast my mind further back, I remember a sense of novelty and discovery and magic that I think is unique to New York. Obviously I'm not excited by the same things as a bunch of 12-year-old girls. Serendipity and the Hard Rock Cafe don't exactly butter my eggroll. But their excitement reminded me of my own substitutes for these things:
My first midnight cab ride home driving up the FDR gazing at Queens. A commute to work where I could reliably see the woman with the warbly voice singing in the 42nd St. subway corridor, the dude with the Casio keyboard on the Time Square shuttle who ONLY knows the Song of Storms from Ocarina of Time, and the sweet Jehovah's witness lady who I always said "Good morning" to but never took a copy of the Watchtower from. Walking 90 blocks from Battery Park to my apartment with no interruption in the string of restaurants, shops, people, and activity.
I read somewhere recently that some folks who experience good sleight-of-hand magic later describe the sky seeming bluer and sounds and smells more acute. Forcing yourself out of your usual perceptions can make the world seem more vibrant by causing you to experience things fresh rather than allowing your senses to be clouded by expectations.
Stacey was shaken out of her usual experience by coming to understand her friends' point-of-view.
I guess this works for memories too because watching Stacey go through that shook things up for me as well. Next time my mom asks me if I miss New York... I'll still probably say "No." But I'll be lying.
*************************************
Homework: Choose something that doesn't excite you like it used to and try to remember exactly what you loved about it. Then go do it like it's the last time you ever will.
<< #17: Mary Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery
#19: Claudia and the Bad Joke >>
I left New York City in 2016 after 10 years. My time there had long since played out, and despite some excellent people, I was feeling isolated and directionless. But the reasoning isn't important. All you need to know is that I left for Chicago, and it was the right choice.
Since then, my mother has asked me no less than once a month whether I miss New York. The answer every time has been "No."
I miss certain people and access to certain experiences -- a book club I was in and the energy of our bar nights; being able to run downstairs at 2 a.m. for a grape Crush and a pint of peach sorbet at the little bodega (my current Walgreens is a shocking 2 blocks away); a constant supply of social events due to the network of people I had established over a decade -- but I never missed the city itself. Everything is just more difficult there. The amount of planning and work involved in a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond is amazing, and the bus, subway, and taxis are all terrible options for lugging home an inconveniently-shaped box with a stock pot inside. Living quarters are smaller, food is more expensive, and everything is just more exhausting.
Now, I can hop in the car and park for free at the Bed, Bath & Beyond that I used to go to before I hooked up with a weirdo who works there in 2019.
The indie bookstore scene is way better in Chicago, and my favorite is the one just a few blocks away that I used to go to before I asked out and got shot down by a dude who works there in 2019.
And the bars and restaurants are cheaper and more spacious. The Rule of Threes compels me to mention my favorite local bar that makes a good Manhattan but which I haven't to in a long time as it's the regular haunt of someone whose engagement I nearly destroyed in 2019.
So despite 2019 not being an amazing year (in honesty, all these events took place within a 2-month span towards the end of it), I'm very happy with where I live and disinclined to think back on where I was before. Really, what's to miss?
Well that was my attitude until I read Stacey's Mistake last week. You will think I am making this up, but the book made me so wistful and nostalgic for New York that I teared up a little.
Stacey, who has been living in New York for a number of months at this point, invites the 4 other primary members of the Club to a long weekend visit where they will babysit 10 kids for a day and otherwise just have a good time. The conflict comes from her Connecticut friends being super overexcited and touristy. To cool, jaded, 12-year-old Stacey, this is mortifying.
Wackiness and some reconciliation ensue, and Stacey learns that she has become way too unappreciative of the city she lives in, taking the culture and people for granted. Her friends reopen her eyes to how colorful and exciting New York is. And this is what resonated with me. When I think back on New York, I think about how life was after years of being there. When I visit, it feels as though I never left.
But if I cast my mind further back, I remember a sense of novelty and discovery and magic that I think is unique to New York. Obviously I'm not excited by the same things as a bunch of 12-year-old girls. Serendipity and the Hard Rock Cafe don't exactly butter my eggroll. But their excitement reminded me of my own substitutes for these things:
My first midnight cab ride home driving up the FDR gazing at Queens. A commute to work where I could reliably see the woman with the warbly voice singing in the 42nd St. subway corridor, the dude with the Casio keyboard on the Time Square shuttle who ONLY knows the Song of Storms from Ocarina of Time, and the sweet Jehovah's witness lady who I always said "Good morning" to but never took a copy of the Watchtower from. Walking 90 blocks from Battery Park to my apartment with no interruption in the string of restaurants, shops, people, and activity.
I read somewhere recently that some folks who experience good sleight-of-hand magic later describe the sky seeming bluer and sounds and smells more acute. Forcing yourself out of your usual perceptions can make the world seem more vibrant by causing you to experience things fresh rather than allowing your senses to be clouded by expectations.
Stacey was shaken out of her usual experience by coming to understand her friends' point-of-view.
I guess this works for memories too because watching Stacey go through that shook things up for me as well. Next time my mom asks me if I miss New York... I'll still probably say "No." But I'll be lying.
*************************************
Homework: Choose something that doesn't excite you like it used to and try to remember exactly what you loved about it. Then go do it like it's the last time you ever will.
<< #17: Mary Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery
#19: Claudia and the Bad Joke >>
January 30, 2016
stacey invites the eighth-grade members of the bsc to new york to baby-sit a big group of kids in her building (while their parents attend a meeting to discuss how to support the neighborhood's homeless population, and this subject brings up a lot of good moments in the book). stacey gets super embarrassed by the bsc members' towny qualities, and the bsc members don't get along with stacey's big city friends (and even end up fighting amongst themselves). then they all learn some lessons. the end.
highlights:
-I kind of like the homelessness psa. stacey acknowledges her privilege by saying that she sees judy (the homeless lady who lives on her block) when she goes back and forth between her private school and her doorman-guarded building, and she says, "I'm sure you can't completely understand homelessness until you've experienced it."
-probably my favorite lines in the book. the baby-sitting chargers natalie and peggie, on their creative theater group: "we express emotions through actions," and "we've learned that the theater is really a stage for life."
-stacey, when she finds the bsc after looking for a while: "where on earth have you been?"...[since I already sounded like my mother, I went ahead and added], "I was worried sick!"
-the musical they go to see is starlight express, by andrew lloyd weber and for which the whole cast wears roller skates the whole time. holy moly, that sounds just cheesy enough to be my favorite musical ever. must see!
-stacey's journey from being constantly embarrassed by her bumpkin friends to enjoying herself is handled well. when in central park, the baby-sitting charges all sing "for they are jolly good sitters" and at first stacey is embarrassed, but then has a revelatory moment where she gets over herself and her own coolness and appreciates how sweet the kids are being.
-this description of future me: "an old man with a flowing white beard was riding an adult-sized tricycle. attached to the back of the tricycle was a kid's red wagon. and riding placidly in the wagon were three fluffy white persian cats. they looked like the man's beard." man. I wish I could grow a beard without having to take hormones.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-claudia starts the fight with laine, which I guess isn't really out of character (she was a jerk in Claudia and Mean Janine) but I don't want to be angry at her because I mostly think she's great. also the whole miserable attempt at a party for stacey's ny friends to meet her stonybrook friends is just uncomfortable. also mary anne is a jerk to dawn which is out of character.
-mary anne gets caught stealing an eyeshadow sample by accident at bloomingdale's. she thinks sample means it's for taking. this part is really just a bummer, and I feel so bad for mary anne who didn't know any better.
-when I was 13, I knew who the doors AND chubby checker were, so I am disappointed by the bsc members who are older than me!
-at a "cool" restaurant (hard rock cafe, LOL) with a cool waitress, kristy orders "fill-it mig-nun". and stacey is mortified. it kind of sucks that stacey is so mean to kristy here. for the most part I sympathize with stacey, but this is one part where she's really a jerk.
-dawn "won't touch meat" - so inconsistent! is she or isn't she a vegetarian?
-lox isn't cooked, but stacey says it is. it is smoked cured salmon. NOT cooked. raw foodists can eat it!
-dawn is by far the worst character in this book. I HATED HATED HATED HER. see the "why dawn sucks" section for details.
why dawn sucks (quotes from this book)
-"today I saw a gigantic rat, and a person without a home who picked through a garbage can until she found half a hamburger. she ate it without even washing it off."
-"they have doormen here to keep the murderers away."
-"I'll have the poppied fruit and avocado salad, please. it sounds so californian." (okay, that one's kind of funny)
-after leaving central park, dawn is relieved because she thought she was gonna get mugged there since, "you always hear stories about people getting mugged in central park. and not just at night." then she makes it worse by following it up with, "plus, homeless people live in the park, don't they?" to which stacey says, "just because they're homeless doesn't mean they're going to hurt you." THANK YOU, STACEY.
the outfits the girls (bsc plus laine) wear to stacey's crappy party:
party outfits:
-claudia: "I wanted her to wear this outfit that was sleek and black and covered with silver star and sparkles...And she was wearing her hair simply, for once--brushed back from her face and held in place by a white beaded headband."
-kristy: "kristy was wearing a white turtleneck with little red and blue hearts all over it, a red sweater, jeans, and sneakers."
-dawn: "dawn had chosen an oversized peach-colored sweater-dress, lacy white stockings, and black ballet slippers."
-stacey: "I was wearing a short, short yellow dress that flared out just above my hips, white stockings, yellow push-down socks, and these new shoes that my parents hate."
-mary anne: "I had chosen a bright, big-patterned sweater and a pair of black pants for her. She'd looked at them, shaken her head...and put on this other outfit--a ruffly white blouse, a long paisley skirt, and these little brown boots."
-laine: "she had chosen a short black dress, black stockings, and simple black flats. on one wrist was a single silver bangle bracelet. on her dress was one of those silver squiggle pins. her fluffy brown hair was newly permed and perfectly cut."
no snacks in claudia's room (mostly because this whole book takes place in new york)
highlights:
-I kind of like the homelessness psa. stacey acknowledges her privilege by saying that she sees judy (the homeless lady who lives on her block) when she goes back and forth between her private school and her doorman-guarded building, and she says, "I'm sure you can't completely understand homelessness until you've experienced it."
-probably my favorite lines in the book. the baby-sitting chargers natalie and peggie, on their creative theater group: "we express emotions through actions," and "we've learned that the theater is really a stage for life."
-stacey, when she finds the bsc after looking for a while: "where on earth have you been?"...[since I already sounded like my mother, I went ahead and added], "I was worried sick!"
-the musical they go to see is starlight express, by andrew lloyd weber and for which the whole cast wears roller skates the whole time. holy moly, that sounds just cheesy enough to be my favorite musical ever. must see!
-stacey's journey from being constantly embarrassed by her bumpkin friends to enjoying herself is handled well. when in central park, the baby-sitting charges all sing "for they are jolly good sitters" and at first stacey is embarrassed, but then has a revelatory moment where she gets over herself and her own coolness and appreciates how sweet the kids are being.
-this description of future me: "an old man with a flowing white beard was riding an adult-sized tricycle. attached to the back of the tricycle was a kid's red wagon. and riding placidly in the wagon were three fluffy white persian cats. they looked like the man's beard." man. I wish I could grow a beard without having to take hormones.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-claudia starts the fight with laine, which I guess isn't really out of character (she was a jerk in Claudia and Mean Janine) but I don't want to be angry at her because I mostly think she's great. also the whole miserable attempt at a party for stacey's ny friends to meet her stonybrook friends is just uncomfortable. also mary anne is a jerk to dawn which is out of character.
-mary anne gets caught stealing an eyeshadow sample by accident at bloomingdale's. she thinks sample means it's for taking. this part is really just a bummer, and I feel so bad for mary anne who didn't know any better.
-when I was 13, I knew who the doors AND chubby checker were, so I am disappointed by the bsc members who are older than me!
-at a "cool" restaurant (hard rock cafe, LOL) with a cool waitress, kristy orders "fill-it mig-nun". and stacey is mortified. it kind of sucks that stacey is so mean to kristy here. for the most part I sympathize with stacey, but this is one part where she's really a jerk.
-dawn "won't touch meat" - so inconsistent! is she or isn't she a vegetarian?
-lox isn't cooked, but stacey says it is. it is smoked cured salmon. NOT cooked. raw foodists can eat it!
-dawn is by far the worst character in this book. I HATED HATED HATED HER. see the "why dawn sucks" section for details.
why dawn sucks (quotes from this book)
-"today I saw a gigantic rat, and a person without a home who picked through a garbage can until she found half a hamburger. she ate it without even washing it off."
-"they have doormen here to keep the murderers away."
-"I'll have the poppied fruit and avocado salad, please. it sounds so californian." (okay, that one's kind of funny)
-after leaving central park, dawn is relieved because she thought she was gonna get mugged there since, "you always hear stories about people getting mugged in central park. and not just at night." then she makes it worse by following it up with, "plus, homeless people live in the park, don't they?" to which stacey says, "just because they're homeless doesn't mean they're going to hurt you." THANK YOU, STACEY.
the outfits the girls (bsc plus laine) wear to stacey's crappy party:
party outfits:
-claudia: "I wanted her to wear this outfit that was sleek and black and covered with silver star and sparkles...And she was wearing her hair simply, for once--brushed back from her face and held in place by a white beaded headband."
-kristy: "kristy was wearing a white turtleneck with little red and blue hearts all over it, a red sweater, jeans, and sneakers."
-dawn: "dawn had chosen an oversized peach-colored sweater-dress, lacy white stockings, and black ballet slippers."
-stacey: "I was wearing a short, short yellow dress that flared out just above my hips, white stockings, yellow push-down socks, and these new shoes that my parents hate."
-mary anne: "I had chosen a bright, big-patterned sweater and a pair of black pants for her. She'd looked at them, shaken her head...and put on this other outfit--a ruffly white blouse, a long paisley skirt, and these little brown boots."
-laine: "she had chosen a short black dress, black stockings, and simple black flats. on one wrist was a single silver bangle bracelet. on her dress was one of those silver squiggle pins. her fluffy brown hair was newly permed and perfectly cut."
no snacks in claudia's room (mostly because this whole book takes place in new york)
December 27, 2020
I finally moved into my Fairy House and I was able to unpack all my boxes out of storage. That means I have access to my Babysitters Club and Goosebumps series again. This was the next book I had available to read and it featured my least favorite member, Stacey. Yuck. This seemed like a pamphlet to visit New York City in the 80's like advertising the Hard Rock Cafe, Central Park, and Natural History Museum (?). Out of curiosity I looked up the menu for the restaurant and then I was sent coupons from PayPal later that week for the Hard Rock Cafe. Thanks, Google.
It didn't seem safe to have unchaperoned preteens traipsing around New York with a horde of children, even in the 80's. That may be the sensitive lamb in me, but I couldn't stop thinking about that element to the story. I wasn't that invested in the story and would have preferred the book to be back in its home turf of Stoneybrook, CT. Hopefully, we won't have to endure any more Stacey books considering she moved(!) but I'm looking forward to reading more of my favorite gal pals. I definitely don't want to go to a museum with Stacey McGill, but I wouldn't be opposed with some other friends to accompany me.
It didn't seem safe to have unchaperoned preteens traipsing around New York with a horde of children, even in the 80's. That may be the sensitive lamb in me, but I couldn't stop thinking about that element to the story. I wasn't that invested in the story and would have preferred the book to be back in its home turf of Stoneybrook, CT. Hopefully, we won't have to endure any more Stacey books considering she moved(!) but I'm looking forward to reading more of my favorite gal pals. I definitely don't want to go to a museum with Stacey McGill, but I wouldn't be opposed with some other friends to accompany me.
July 7, 2020
While I actually started reading around age 3 (thank you, my Granny's Dick and Jane books!), this series is what I remember most about loving to read during my childhood. My sister and I drank these books up like they were oxygen. I truly think we owned just about every single one from every one of the series. We even got the privilege of meeting Ann M. Martin at a book signing, but of course little starstruck me froze and could not speak a word to my biggest hero at that time. Once in awhile if I come across these at a yard sale, I will pick them up for a couple hour trip down memory lane, and I declare nearly nothing centers and relaxes me more!
December 2, 2012
Ugh, I don't know why I like Stacey when I was younger because she is so obnoxious. Everything she said and did in this novel annoyed me. Yes, we get it, you're a rich, spoiled white girl living in New York City. No need to shove your pretentiousness down our throats or make it so obvious you think you are better than your less "sophisticated" friends.
March 2, 2019
Stacey moved back to New York a couple of months ago and has been babysitting on her own, but NOW she needs all the help she can get. When she has 10 kids in her apartment building who all need to be babysat on the same day she recruits her friends from StoneyBrook to come help her. The girls are so excited to be reunited!! Can they manage all 10 kids in busy New York though? And what happens when Stacey’s 2 best friends clash heads after meeting for the first time?
August 28, 2023
Laine mentioned a couple of other stars, and I thought Mary Anne would pass out from the sheer joy of it all.
“Oh! Oh!” she shrieked. “You’re kidding, aren’t you? No, you’re not kidding!”
“Lord,” Claudia mumbled. Then she spoke up. “Guess who lives in Stoneybrook, Connecticut, Laine,” she said.
“Who?” asked Laine.
“Herbert von Knuffelmacher.”
“I—I don’t think I know who that is,” said Laine.
“Exactly,” replied Claudia. “Nobody does.”
4.5 stars. What a fun trip to NYC to hang with Stacey! Lots of great stuff happens in this one: Kristy mispronounces filet mignon at the Hard Rock Cafe, Mary Anne drives everyone nuts by spewing out random guidebook facts all the damn time, and, perhaps most importantly, Claudia teaches Laine not to talk so much about all the celebs who live near her with that sick burn of hers 😂 Love this one.
April 29, 2009
Whoa, as much as I don't like Stacey, Laine is even more awful! This one was funny, seeing how differently they all acted in the big city. By the way, a bunch of (small-town) thirteen-year-olds running around on their own in NYC? Suuuure.
September 1, 2016
Stacey shows off her hometown of NYC to her BSC friends, who all act like idiots, for a variety of reasons. I think this book was supposed to be the first of the series that had Stacey's own adventures in baby sitting, a sort of spin off series that never spun anywhere.
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
Nothing. The story seems familiar, but I realized that I was mixing up my memories of the super special New York, New York! and Welcome back, Stacey! I know I must have read this book, but I can't remember specifics.
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
I didn't realize that Judy (who also appears in Welcome Back, Stacey!) inspired such a show of neighborhood awareness in this book. In the first place, was there really only ONE homeless person on their block? I can't imagine there was only Judy. In the second place, Stacey says, "I see Judy twice a day. . . and I have an idea of what her life is like." Stacey, while traipsing between your Upper West Side apartment, and your private school, you have NO IDEA of what her life is like. I really, really wish that sentence wasn't in the book because the rest of Stacey's observations about Judy are pretty well done. Stacey mentions the random things she carries around, things some people might classify as trash, but what Stacey realizes are Judy's most treasured possessions. She says that Judy often stands on the street and screams. She looks much older than she is. And Stacey herself doesn't try to come up with idealistic, misguided ways to help homeless people, she just mentions that her neighbors are trying to do that. I just wish she hadn't said something as stupid as she knows what Judy's life is like. Clearly Judy has a mental illness, one she has probably dealt with for years. Who knows what she went through to end up on the streets of NYC? Who really knows what chronically homeless people have to deal with on a day to day basis except the chronically homeless themselves? Later in the book, when Dawn is so nervous about the homeless people in Central Park Stacey tells her, "Just because they're homeless doesn't mean they're going to hurt you." I love that she said that to Dawn, who was overreacting to everything about New York, but I can't forget that she thinks she knows what Judy's life is like just because she walks by her twice a day.
Stacey thinks the place to go for excitement in Stoneybrook is Washington Mall. This is such an 1980s thought, that my mind in 2016 can barely process it. Remember when malls used to be places where people would just hang out, for fun? Stacey is also embarrassed by Claudia's suitcase on wheels, which is hilarious considering every single person in the entire world has a suitcase on wheels now. My 2016 mind thinks that it would be more embarrassing to have your friend huffing and puffing through NYC, hauling around a huge suitcase.
Dawn is so annoying about being in New York. She is sure that she is going to get mugged and murdered, and while I was sympathetic at first, it got very wearing, very quickly. Although I think Stacey overreacted to a lot of her friends behavior, I think she was pretty patient with Dawn, and I'm surprised that she later invited Dawn to visit her in New York, New York! In my years of traveling I have met a lot of people like Dawn, and I always dropped them as traveling companions because they are so obnoxious. Throughout the entire series everyone talks about how self-confident and comfortable with herself Dawn is, but she never shows any real sign of it. If I knew Dawn based on this book alone I would think she's a neurotic, needy, clingy idiot.
There were a lot of things the baby sitters did that annoyed me just as much as they did Stacey. Since I don't remember reading this as a kid I can't decide if they would have annoyed me then too. Kristy stops in the middle of the street in a major city to take her wallet out in front of a homeless man, which made me want to smack her for her stupidity. However, if I had read that as a nine year old, would I have known how naive that was? Later when Mary Anne asks Stacey why her building doesn't have more celebrities, Stacey has to remind her that it's just an apartment building in New York, and that not everyone in New York is rich and famous. Mary Anne gets huffy about this, but I understand Stacey's frustration. Most people live ordinary lives, but that doesn't necessarily make them (or their children) any less interesting. I don't know if I would have thought this when I was a kid.
I think it's interesting that this book (published in 1988) presents some ideas that people back then thought were great ways to help chronically homeless people. Soup kitchens, church assistance, all the things that people who work in homelessness today know doesn't help in the long term.
I think the fight the BSC gets into in this book is done very realistically. Stacey's expectations and excitement for her friends' visit is palpable in the first chapter, and everything slowly unravels when the BSC doesn't adjust to New York like she assumes they would. Instead of being understanding and patient, she gets embarrassed by them. Being a teen she only sees their faults, and she spends all her time snapping at the BSC to behave. Stacey's reflections on the fact that traveling sets people on edge, and they act differently when they aren't in familiar settings are spot on, and is a very mature realization for her to come to. (I did not come to that realization until I was in my 20s.) Since Stacey is often referred to in this series as "sophisticated" and "cosmopolitan" it makes sense that she catches onto this pretty quickly, even as she doesn't realize that the BSC sees her as jaded, and snobby. Claudia acts like the most immature bitch in the chapters about the party Stacey throws, and while it's out of character for her, it's totally believable that a thirteen year old girl who is away from her small hometown acts out in this way. What I like about the books in this series that were actually written by Ann M Martin was that she understood how to make teenage girls fight and make up in a realistic way
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
Nothing. The story seems familiar, but I realized that I was mixing up my memories of the super special New York, New York! and Welcome back, Stacey! I know I must have read this book, but I can't remember specifics.
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
I didn't realize that Judy (who also appears in Welcome Back, Stacey!) inspired such a show of neighborhood awareness in this book. In the first place, was there really only ONE homeless person on their block? I can't imagine there was only Judy. In the second place, Stacey says, "I see Judy twice a day. . . and I have an idea of what her life is like." Stacey, while traipsing between your Upper West Side apartment, and your private school, you have NO IDEA of what her life is like. I really, really wish that sentence wasn't in the book because the rest of Stacey's observations about Judy are pretty well done. Stacey mentions the random things she carries around, things some people might classify as trash, but what Stacey realizes are Judy's most treasured possessions. She says that Judy often stands on the street and screams. She looks much older than she is. And Stacey herself doesn't try to come up with idealistic, misguided ways to help homeless people, she just mentions that her neighbors are trying to do that. I just wish she hadn't said something as stupid as she knows what Judy's life is like. Clearly Judy has a mental illness, one she has probably dealt with for years. Who knows what she went through to end up on the streets of NYC? Who really knows what chronically homeless people have to deal with on a day to day basis except the chronically homeless themselves? Later in the book, when Dawn is so nervous about the homeless people in Central Park Stacey tells her, "Just because they're homeless doesn't mean they're going to hurt you." I love that she said that to Dawn, who was overreacting to everything about New York, but I can't forget that she thinks she knows what Judy's life is like just because she walks by her twice a day.
Stacey thinks the place to go for excitement in Stoneybrook is Washington Mall. This is such an 1980s thought, that my mind in 2016 can barely process it. Remember when malls used to be places where people would just hang out, for fun? Stacey is also embarrassed by Claudia's suitcase on wheels, which is hilarious considering every single person in the entire world has a suitcase on wheels now. My 2016 mind thinks that it would be more embarrassing to have your friend huffing and puffing through NYC, hauling around a huge suitcase.
Dawn is so annoying about being in New York. She is sure that she is going to get mugged and murdered, and while I was sympathetic at first, it got very wearing, very quickly. Although I think Stacey overreacted to a lot of her friends behavior, I think she was pretty patient with Dawn, and I'm surprised that she later invited Dawn to visit her in New York, New York! In my years of traveling I have met a lot of people like Dawn, and I always dropped them as traveling companions because they are so obnoxious. Throughout the entire series everyone talks about how self-confident and comfortable with herself Dawn is, but she never shows any real sign of it. If I knew Dawn based on this book alone I would think she's a neurotic, needy, clingy idiot.
There were a lot of things the baby sitters did that annoyed me just as much as they did Stacey. Since I don't remember reading this as a kid I can't decide if they would have annoyed me then too. Kristy stops in the middle of the street in a major city to take her wallet out in front of a homeless man, which made me want to smack her for her stupidity. However, if I had read that as a nine year old, would I have known how naive that was? Later when Mary Anne asks Stacey why her building doesn't have more celebrities, Stacey has to remind her that it's just an apartment building in New York, and that not everyone in New York is rich and famous. Mary Anne gets huffy about this, but I understand Stacey's frustration. Most people live ordinary lives, but that doesn't necessarily make them (or their children) any less interesting. I don't know if I would have thought this when I was a kid.
I think it's interesting that this book (published in 1988) presents some ideas that people back then thought were great ways to help chronically homeless people. Soup kitchens, church assistance, all the things that people who work in homelessness today know doesn't help in the long term.
I think the fight the BSC gets into in this book is done very realistically. Stacey's expectations and excitement for her friends' visit is palpable in the first chapter, and everything slowly unravels when the BSC doesn't adjust to New York like she assumes they would. Instead of being understanding and patient, she gets embarrassed by them. Being a teen she only sees their faults, and she spends all her time snapping at the BSC to behave. Stacey's reflections on the fact that traveling sets people on edge, and they act differently when they aren't in familiar settings are spot on, and is a very mature realization for her to come to. (I did not come to that realization until I was in my 20s.) Since Stacey is often referred to in this series as "sophisticated" and "cosmopolitan" it makes sense that she catches onto this pretty quickly, even as she doesn't realize that the BSC sees her as jaded, and snobby. Claudia acts like the most immature bitch in the chapters about the party Stacey throws, and while it's out of character for her, it's totally believable that a thirteen year old girl who is away from her small hometown acts out in this way. What I like about the books in this series that were actually written by Ann M Martin was that she understood how to make teenage girls fight and make up in a realistic way
January 15, 2018
Stacey's Mistake
PLOT: Stacey invites her friends out to NY for a weekend when the adults in her building decide to get together for a day to work on a solution that will help the homeless. That leaves 5 families with no one to watch their kids. Only Stacey can't watch all those kid's alone. When the BSC arrives they act like they've never been outside of Connecticut. Maryanne has turned into a walking guide book. Dawn is freaked out by the city's bad rep. Kristy is just her typical loud self and Claudia well Claudia is someone else completely. She turns jealous and bitchy. The BSC manages to come to a truce after things get tense after a party doesn't go so well as she planned to introduce her old crew to her NY friends and they take the kid's out for an enjoyable afternoon. The weekend ends on a high note involving a limo and a Broadway play curtesy of Laine (Stacey's NY best friend).
MY THOUGHTS:
*I think Stacey gets embarrassed to easily. She does and does not seem to forget off and on that her friend's aren't from New York. For example they get lost in Grant Central Station. Just out of curiosity I did a search on Grand Central Station. It's got 68 freaking shops and 35 dining places. Stacey says they'd better not have stopped to go shopping. Ok even if they hadn't, did she seriously think Mary Anne wouldn't have probably stopped and taken like a trizzilion pictures between where they got off and the information desk? Even if they hadn't gotten lost (which was probably also easy to do.) just because Stacey was used to the place's layout doesn't mean her friends were. Thus she should have been a little more understanding. Unless the main room and the information desk was right there when they stepped off the train with a big sign in front of them. Somehow I don't think this was the case (without having been myself)
*She gets pissed because Claudia brings a big suitcase with wheels, which is ridiculous because if you went to a airport now a days that's half the suitcases probably and I bet you someone else in that station that wasn't an old lady had one. And like she said it's CLAUDIA. I'm surprised the others were able to fit three days' worth of clothes in back packs and just a carry on. She should have automatically assumed she'd have to make another stop to drop off their things.
*She gets embarrassed because Kristy mispronounces fillet mignon. I'm sure the waitress has heard mispronunciations of things on the menu before and its not her first time. She wasn't bothered by it why was Stacey.
*She gets "huffy" when Maryanne asks if there are any other celebrities in her building, which to me seems like maybe a far fetched question but one that seems pretty understandable. But then having studied the guide book word for word wouldn't Maryanne already know?
*They're away for a WEEKEND and their writing their families and other members of the club stuff they can just tell them when they get back. It's not that serious.
*This book is consistent with Welcome Back stuff with Henry liking Bronto's.
* Ok I've heard of Stuart Little but I never read the books or watched the movies. A MOUSE is born to human parents? Did I read that correctly? How is that even remotely possible?
*If each kid had a partner maybe they should have kept that system while they were in the Museum then maybe Henry wouldn't have gotten left or either they should have checked that all the kids were with them after they came out of the Dinosaur room. Careless on the BSC's part.
*What's up with Claudia in this book? She seems VERY out of character. She calls out Laine (despite how I feel that Laine needed to be called out for treating Stacey like a leaper over having diabetes) and she c-blocks Kristy because Coby "was the only guy she felt comfortable talking to". No time before this in the story did it say she'd been talking to Coby. He'd been talking to Kristy most of the night up until after they were introduced until she cuts in on their dance.
*If this party wasn't about "dressing up" then why did Laine have on a short, black, dress, STOCKINGS, and flats. Which kind of puts me in the mind of a video vixen in the early 90s more than of sophistication.
RATING: 7 The descriptions of the places in this were so inspired it made me go to each one's official page (Central Park, Grand Central Station, and the American Museum of Natural History and the Hard Rock Cafe). I've never been to New York (even though I have a cousin who lives there) and reading this definitely made me want to go and see each one in person. Minus the doing them with 10 kids. That part I could skip. Even though Henry and Grace were my favorites. They kind of remind me of my two little cousins. Stacey in this is just a little irritating. Yeah I know Maryanne was like a tour guide on speed, Dawn was a little nervous about the city (which well NY isn't always painted in the best light), and Claudia was insecure but their your friends and its there first time in a new place. If I took my friends to let's say Orlando (which is my favorite place) even though I've been several times if they'd never been I'd be so excited to show them all the things I love about it. It would be just like my first time all over again, and I can't wait until we take the newest member of our family. So it's not always true that things you love and have seen a lot can get familiar and not impressive to you anymore. Put yourself in their shoes. If the situation was reversed would they see it as a mistake inviting you if say it was Cali (Dawn's home town) or does Stacey think she's so sophisticated that she'd never lose her cool like that being from the city and all? Sometimes I think Stacey does have just a tad bit of snob in her
PLOT: Stacey invites her friends out to NY for a weekend when the adults in her building decide to get together for a day to work on a solution that will help the homeless. That leaves 5 families with no one to watch their kids. Only Stacey can't watch all those kid's alone. When the BSC arrives they act like they've never been outside of Connecticut. Maryanne has turned into a walking guide book. Dawn is freaked out by the city's bad rep. Kristy is just her typical loud self and Claudia well Claudia is someone else completely. She turns jealous and bitchy. The BSC manages to come to a truce after things get tense after a party doesn't go so well as she planned to introduce her old crew to her NY friends and they take the kid's out for an enjoyable afternoon. The weekend ends on a high note involving a limo and a Broadway play curtesy of Laine (Stacey's NY best friend).
MY THOUGHTS:
*I think Stacey gets embarrassed to easily. She does and does not seem to forget off and on that her friend's aren't from New York. For example they get lost in Grant Central Station. Just out of curiosity I did a search on Grand Central Station. It's got 68 freaking shops and 35 dining places. Stacey says they'd better not have stopped to go shopping. Ok even if they hadn't, did she seriously think Mary Anne wouldn't have probably stopped and taken like a trizzilion pictures between where they got off and the information desk? Even if they hadn't gotten lost (which was probably also easy to do.) just because Stacey was used to the place's layout doesn't mean her friends were. Thus she should have been a little more understanding. Unless the main room and the information desk was right there when they stepped off the train with a big sign in front of them. Somehow I don't think this was the case (without having been myself)
*She gets pissed because Claudia brings a big suitcase with wheels, which is ridiculous because if you went to a airport now a days that's half the suitcases probably and I bet you someone else in that station that wasn't an old lady had one. And like she said it's CLAUDIA. I'm surprised the others were able to fit three days' worth of clothes in back packs and just a carry on. She should have automatically assumed she'd have to make another stop to drop off their things.
*She gets embarrassed because Kristy mispronounces fillet mignon. I'm sure the waitress has heard mispronunciations of things on the menu before and its not her first time. She wasn't bothered by it why was Stacey.
*She gets "huffy" when Maryanne asks if there are any other celebrities in her building, which to me seems like maybe a far fetched question but one that seems pretty understandable. But then having studied the guide book word for word wouldn't Maryanne already know?
*They're away for a WEEKEND and their writing their families and other members of the club stuff they can just tell them when they get back. It's not that serious.
*This book is consistent with Welcome Back stuff with Henry liking Bronto's.
* Ok I've heard of Stuart Little but I never read the books or watched the movies. A MOUSE is born to human parents? Did I read that correctly? How is that even remotely possible?
*If each kid had a partner maybe they should have kept that system while they were in the Museum then maybe Henry wouldn't have gotten left or either they should have checked that all the kids were with them after they came out of the Dinosaur room. Careless on the BSC's part.
*What's up with Claudia in this book? She seems VERY out of character. She calls out Laine (despite how I feel that Laine needed to be called out for treating Stacey like a leaper over having diabetes) and she c-blocks Kristy because Coby "was the only guy she felt comfortable talking to". No time before this in the story did it say she'd been talking to Coby. He'd been talking to Kristy most of the night up until after they were introduced until she cuts in on their dance.
*If this party wasn't about "dressing up" then why did Laine have on a short, black, dress, STOCKINGS, and flats. Which kind of puts me in the mind of a video vixen in the early 90s more than of sophistication.
RATING: 7 The descriptions of the places in this were so inspired it made me go to each one's official page (Central Park, Grand Central Station, and the American Museum of Natural History and the Hard Rock Cafe). I've never been to New York (even though I have a cousin who lives there) and reading this definitely made me want to go and see each one in person. Minus the doing them with 10 kids. That part I could skip. Even though Henry and Grace were my favorites. They kind of remind me of my two little cousins. Stacey in this is just a little irritating. Yeah I know Maryanne was like a tour guide on speed, Dawn was a little nervous about the city (which well NY isn't always painted in the best light), and Claudia was insecure but their your friends and its there first time in a new place. If I took my friends to let's say Orlando (which is my favorite place) even though I've been several times if they'd never been I'd be so excited to show them all the things I love about it. It would be just like my first time all over again, and I can't wait until we take the newest member of our family. So it's not always true that things you love and have seen a lot can get familiar and not impressive to you anymore. Put yourself in their shoes. If the situation was reversed would they see it as a mistake inviting you if say it was Cali (Dawn's home town) or does Stacey think she's so sophisticated that she'd never lose her cool like that being from the city and all? Sometimes I think Stacey does have just a tad bit of snob in her
May 3, 2020
aventuras del club de las niñeras en NYC fue super divertido de leer, lo disfruté mucho y es que yo al igual que Mary Anne tengo un crush MUY intenso con la ciudad de Nueva York.
December 20, 2020
Not only did this one have the usual BSC nostalgia, but it also brought back so many memories of our trips to New York when I was a kid...although we never went to the Hard Rock Cafe and I wasn't afraid of homeless people and I knew how to pronounce filet mignon.
My mom grew up in New York, and her parents lived there until I was around 16, so we took a number of trips back East when I was a kid. I LOVED New York, and I remember asking my mom when I was in elementary school multiple times if she ever wanted to move back, because I had this dream of our family moving there and getting to be a teenager in such a cool place. Probably a good thing we didn't, though, because I likely would have turned into the same kind of snob as Stacey.
I mean, okay, yes, the other girls were being ridiculous. They all had believable reactions to the city, but on such an exaggerated scale. And I can sympathize with Stacey getting frustrated with or embarrassed by them. But what did she expect?? These girls have lived their whole lives in little suburbs. Kristy, Claudia, and Mary Anne have always lived in Stoneybrook, and Dawn came from what she refers to as a suburb of Anaheim. (I wonder what town...Placentia? Los Alamitos? Knott's Berry Farm? I kid.) Of course they're going to be over the top about New York. And while pulling your wallet out in the middle of the sidewalk is obviously not a smart idea (c'mon, Kristy!), thinking an eyeshadow sample was the kind you could take with you is pretty understandable (poor Mary Anne, her first run-in with the law!).
So I kind of saw it from both sides, and I did appreciate that Stacey eventually realizes she's being a jerk and that she takes a lot of the amazing things in the city for granted. I did also like that even on the day they spend the whole time with ten kids, there was minimal annoying as fuck kid stuff, which is notable for a BSC book. The two girls who take theater classes were hilarious, the little one who was scared of the "monster bones" in the museum was sweet and totally relatable, and even the one with all the allergy and health issues wasn't too bad because she only repeated it twice, rather than five or six times, like usual.
Couple little qualms: Mary Anne making fun of Dawn in order to get in with Stacey's New York friends was super out of character for her; the spat between Laine and Claudia was 100% Claudia's bullshit and Laine didn't have anything to apologize for, after Claudia was literally a snot to her in the very first words they ever spoke to each other; and Miss Perfect New Yorker Stacey called Bloomingdale's "Bloomies" which I'm pretty sure is akin to calling San Francisco "Frisco."
But I still enjoyed this one and it especially gave me fond memories of eating at the Sherwood Diner, seeing 42nd Street and Guys and Dolls on Broadway, and going clothes shopping with Grandma Lily. (The shopping gene skipped a generation; my mom hated going anywhere near a mall or department store.)
My mom grew up in New York, and her parents lived there until I was around 16, so we took a number of trips back East when I was a kid. I LOVED New York, and I remember asking my mom when I was in elementary school multiple times if she ever wanted to move back, because I had this dream of our family moving there and getting to be a teenager in such a cool place. Probably a good thing we didn't, though, because I likely would have turned into the same kind of snob as Stacey.
I mean, okay, yes, the other girls were being ridiculous. They all had believable reactions to the city, but on such an exaggerated scale. And I can sympathize with Stacey getting frustrated with or embarrassed by them. But what did she expect?? These girls have lived their whole lives in little suburbs. Kristy, Claudia, and Mary Anne have always lived in Stoneybrook, and Dawn came from what she refers to as a suburb of Anaheim. (I wonder what town...Placentia? Los Alamitos? Knott's Berry Farm? I kid.) Of course they're going to be over the top about New York. And while pulling your wallet out in the middle of the sidewalk is obviously not a smart idea (c'mon, Kristy!), thinking an eyeshadow sample was the kind you could take with you is pretty understandable (poor Mary Anne, her first run-in with the law!).
So I kind of saw it from both sides, and I did appreciate that Stacey eventually realizes she's being a jerk and that she takes a lot of the amazing things in the city for granted. I did also like that even on the day they spend the whole time with ten kids, there was minimal annoying as fuck kid stuff, which is notable for a BSC book. The two girls who take theater classes were hilarious, the little one who was scared of the "monster bones" in the museum was sweet and totally relatable, and even the one with all the allergy and health issues wasn't too bad because she only repeated it twice, rather than five or six times, like usual.
Couple little qualms: Mary Anne making fun of Dawn in order to get in with Stacey's New York friends was super out of character for her; the spat between Laine and Claudia was 100% Claudia's bullshit and Laine didn't have anything to apologize for, after Claudia was literally a snot to her in the very first words they ever spoke to each other; and Miss Perfect New Yorker Stacey called Bloomingdale's "Bloomies" which I'm pretty sure is akin to calling San Francisco "Frisco."
But I still enjoyed this one and it especially gave me fond memories of eating at the Sherwood Diner, seeing 42nd Street and Guys and Dolls on Broadway, and going clothes shopping with Grandma Lily. (The shopping gene skipped a generation; my mom hated going anywhere near a mall or department store.)
March 25, 2021
stacey was my favorite growing up and i usually love her books but i need anastasia elizabeth back in stoneybrook. the whole club goes to NYC for the weekend to help stacey sit for a lot of kids in her building while the adults discuss the growing unhoused population. this was written in 1988 and it has the classic ann m. martin "introduce a very serious topic and then don't address it in any meaningful way at all." stacey interacts with judy, one of her unhoused neighbors who is clearly struggling with mental health issues. the parents, in an aside at the end of the book, have settled on a partnership with a local church to create a soup kitchen. not a bad idea, but also not super super helpful. none of this is the main story of the book, but the actual story is boring. claudia acts like a jerk (wholly unlike her and don't slander my girl like that again) and then they take all these kids to central park. 3 stars for stacey nostalgia, minus 2 for the trash 1980s politics.
June 2, 2018
I've never been a big fan of Stacey's books, and almost all of the baby-sitters behaved unbearably in this one. The change of scenery was nice, though. I'd say I was shocked that the parents entrusted their kids to a bunch of thirteen-year-olds at the American Museum of Natural History, but I'm past being surprised by the behavior of BSC parents!
February 3, 2013
How does Stacey the Sophisticate handle the NYC onslaught of the Stoneybrook bumpkins? With characteristic grace and aplomb, of course (she actually is pretty nice in this one)!
Boys, parties, and crazy fashion! Oh yes, and babysitting!
Boys, parties, and crazy fashion! Oh yes, and babysitting!
January 29, 2022
my favorite part of this book is when Mary Anne rips into Kristy’s fashion sense
update: this book was so forgettable I just read it again because I forgot I already had and thought this was the next in the series.
update: this book was so forgettable I just read it again because I forgot I already had and thought this was the next in the series.
May 3, 2019
No way would a 13 year old and her friends be able to go to a Broadway show unchaperoned.
May 14, 2021
Alkaa vähitellen väsyttää tämä sarja, mutta pakko lukea loppuun, kun kerran aloitin. :-D
April 10, 2020
Really great! Stacey is in New York and she invites the Club over for a sleepover and a baby-sitting job. Nothing goes as planned.
The books about the entire club are few and far between so that was a treat. I also REALLY enjoyed that it was about New York, Ann Martin did a great job of showing what was special about the city. Liked the girls fighting a lot less, that was a shame, but the book is a good one nonetheless.
The books about the entire club are few and far between so that was a treat. I also REALLY enjoyed that it was about New York, Ann Martin did a great job of showing what was special about the city. Liked the girls fighting a lot less, that was a shame, but the book is a good one nonetheless.
July 5, 2020
Per Jack and Tanner’s example, Stacey books lose a star, because she’s the worst!
March 4, 2021
One of my favorites of the series!
March 26, 2022
Major BSC props for mentioning Talking Heads *and* Rosemary’s Baby!
July 15, 2023
Found this at the family cabin and read for old times sake. I can see how a 12 or 13 year old might like it haha. Read in a couple hours.
February 13, 2021
I read the Babysitters Club books when I was younger but quickly grew out of them due to the poor writing. Well, I've recently found the books online (for free) and have nothing else to do, so here I am. If I read this book before, I don't remember doing so (really, I don't remember *any* of the books, but I know I read them). Here are my thoughts:
1. Stacey is a spoiled brat. The way she acted in "Boy Crazy Stacey", especially towards Mary Anne, and on a SITTING JOB, was awful. Especially when she tried to justify her behavior, and said that Mary Anne's friend was a nerd. Like, we get it (in every book's introductions, especially): you think you're oh-so sophisticated and mature, and Mary Anne is a shy little baby. (Even though it isn't Mary Anne's fault; for one, she lives a sheltered life due to her overprotective father. And second, she's 12 - she acts and dresses like a normal 12 year-old.) So anyway, I did not like Stacey from that book and on, although she was a little better in "Goodbye Stacey, Goodbye!" and this book confirmed that for me. She was obnoxious and full of herself. God forbid her friends act like tourists, they ARE tourists! Sure, Dawn is going overboard and Mary Anne is obnoxious, but really, they're 12/13. They're acting their age. I'm glad that later on she realizes she's been a jerk, but as always, the conflict is resolved in about two seconds, which is oh-so realistic of real life. Oh...wait.
2. The fact that five 13 year-olds were allowed to walk TEN KIDS around New York City is unrealistic. Babysitting in your neighborhood is one thing. Running a play group of sorts for fourteen kiddos in your background is one thing. Taking ten little kids around a giant museum and Central Park is another thing entirely. Like, sure, the girls are responsible with kids and have proven they can handle large groups. That's not the issue here. The issue is the fact that they were allowed to DO this. I mean, Stacey even said that ten year-olds aren't really allowed to go in the park. But a young teenager is? The teenager is a little bit smarter, sure, but still vulnerable, especially when there's five of them watching ten little children. I do appreciate that Stacey realized making them name tags was a bad idea, but the whole thing in itself doesn't seem realistic. But then again, I'm from a small town - the hicks, you could say. And this book was set in what, the 90s or so? So maybe it's realistic for the setting time-wise? And maybe this is a norm with parents...?
3. The fact that Mary Anne was allowed to go is not believable at all lmao. I mean, he let her go to the beach for two weeks, but that is very different from NYC. I mean the dude wouldn't even let her babysit alone a year ago, and now he's letting her walk around a major city? Walking ten kids on the boardwalk is very different from walking ten kids in NYC.
4. I didn't know that Ann M. Martin had ghost writers, but I guess they messed up on a minor detail. At the beginning, when Stacey is describing Dawn, she straight-up says that Dawn's brother ended up moving back to California. But later, at the end, she's completely surprised and says she didn't realize it happened. Huh?
5. I'm sure the point above isn't the only minor detail error in the series, especially if there were multiple ghost writers. Especially if the books from #9/#10 on are ALL set in eighth grade. For some reason the characters are forbidden from high school? I know in a later book Claudia is moved back to seventh grade, but if the books are going in series order (which I've gathered it does), then it's November in this book. Does Claudia move back in the middle of the school year? And why are so many books set in eighth grade? I mean, Claudia breaks her leg in the next book and that of course is a timeline of a couple months, which would mean February or so by the next book. Yet the next 80 books are all in eighth grade? Huh???? Someone explain this to me?
1. Stacey is a spoiled brat. The way she acted in "Boy Crazy Stacey", especially towards Mary Anne, and on a SITTING JOB, was awful. Especially when she tried to justify her behavior, and said that Mary Anne's friend was a nerd. Like, we get it (in every book's introductions, especially): you think you're oh-so sophisticated and mature, and Mary Anne is a shy little baby. (Even though it isn't Mary Anne's fault; for one, she lives a sheltered life due to her overprotective father. And second, she's 12 - she acts and dresses like a normal 12 year-old.) So anyway, I did not like Stacey from that book and on, although she was a little better in "Goodbye Stacey, Goodbye!" and this book confirmed that for me. She was obnoxious and full of herself. God forbid her friends act like tourists, they ARE tourists! Sure, Dawn is going overboard and Mary Anne is obnoxious, but really, they're 12/13. They're acting their age. I'm glad that later on she realizes she's been a jerk, but as always, the conflict is resolved in about two seconds, which is oh-so realistic of real life. Oh...wait.
2. The fact that five 13 year-olds were allowed to walk TEN KIDS around New York City is unrealistic. Babysitting in your neighborhood is one thing. Running a play group of sorts for fourteen kiddos in your background is one thing. Taking ten little kids around a giant museum and Central Park is another thing entirely. Like, sure, the girls are responsible with kids and have proven they can handle large groups. That's not the issue here. The issue is the fact that they were allowed to DO this. I mean, Stacey even said that ten year-olds aren't really allowed to go in the park. But a young teenager is? The teenager is a little bit smarter, sure, but still vulnerable, especially when there's five of them watching ten little children. I do appreciate that Stacey realized making them name tags was a bad idea, but the whole thing in itself doesn't seem realistic. But then again, I'm from a small town - the hicks, you could say. And this book was set in what, the 90s or so? So maybe it's realistic for the setting time-wise? And maybe this is a norm with parents...?
3. The fact that Mary Anne was allowed to go is not believable at all lmao. I mean, he let her go to the beach for two weeks, but that is very different from NYC. I mean the dude wouldn't even let her babysit alone a year ago, and now he's letting her walk around a major city? Walking ten kids on the boardwalk is very different from walking ten kids in NYC.
4. I didn't know that Ann M. Martin had ghost writers, but I guess they messed up on a minor detail. At the beginning, when Stacey is describing Dawn, she straight-up says that Dawn's brother ended up moving back to California. But later, at the end, she's completely surprised and says she didn't realize it happened. Huh?
5. I'm sure the point above isn't the only minor detail error in the series, especially if there were multiple ghost writers. Especially if the books from #9/#10 on are ALL set in eighth grade. For some reason the characters are forbidden from high school? I know in a later book Claudia is moved back to seventh grade, but if the books are going in series order (which I've gathered it does), then it's November in this book. Does Claudia move back in the middle of the school year? And why are so many books set in eighth grade? I mean, Claudia breaks her leg in the next book and that of course is a timeline of a couple months, which would mean February or so by the next book. Yet the next 80 books are all in eighth grade? Huh???? Someone explain this to me?
September 6, 2025
I loved getting a glimpse of Stacey’s New York life! This book was one I enjoyed very much! I thought the mistake would not resolve!
October 26, 2022
After Staceys dads job transferred him back to NYC after a year of living in Stoney brook Connecticut, Stacey has to leave all her friends and return to her friends in NY. Because of this, she obviously wants to see her Stoney brook friends again, so she invites 4 of her friends, Dawn, Kristy, Maryanne, and Claudia. These friend of hers are also members of a business Kristy had organised called The Baby Sitters Club.
The visit started off with Staceys friends almost getting LOST because they couldn’t find their way to Stacey, but eventually they found each other and went to Hard Rock Cafe to eat which took up most of their time for that day because they had trouble finding their way to find Stacey. After that, I’m pretty sure they just went to shop and Stacey was getting annoyed at them basically the whole visit. Why? Because she was bothered about how Dawn was scared of the city (honestly, she has the right to and i get that), Kristy has a ‘big mouth’ , and Mary Anne was SUPER interested in New York, but Claudia also got jealous of Staceys other friends which bothers Stacey but that hadn’t started yet. They had all got hard rock cafe t-shirts and were super excited about them.
A little later, Staceys New York friends and Stoney brook friends had come over for a PARTY! yay! except “yay” isn’t really the best way to describe the party though because Mary Anne was basically a walking map the whole time, Claudia was fighting with Laine ( Staceys New York best friend ). However, Kristy and Dawn were terrified the WHOLE time. Mary Anne actually talks some trash about Dawn, saying how pathetic it was when Dawn had gotten scared by a mouse earlier. Kristy had gotten a bit mad at Claudia because Kristy had gotten a chance to dance with a boy (?…bit strange that it was a boy) and Claudia had distracted him into dancing with her instead. That was basically all that happened at the party and then Laine and the BSC were going to have a sleepover. Of course, this didn’t end well either because Claudia and Laine were fighting the whole time, Kristy was kind of backing Laine up because she was also mad at Claudia for stealing her dance. Mary Anne and Dawn were also fighting about the whole mouse and trash talk thing.
Stacey had had enough and Laine called her dad to pick her up. The BSC then tried to get some sleep because they had a big day of baby sitting ahead of them. When they all woke up, they decided to make up for all their arguing— especially considering they were gonna have to spend the entire day together in-front of a bunch of kids.
Then, for the whole entire day they were walking a bunch of kids around New York which is basically all that had happened BUT they ended up LOSING a CHILD!! but they found him. After the huge long day, Stacey catches up on some news that Laine and her father had bought tickets for Stacey and her friends to see something in the theatre, Stacey then asks the BSC if they want to go with her and Claudia decides she wanted to try and start over with Laine.
They all go and watch something at the theatre with Laine, and Claudia exchanges phone numbers with her since they had now become good friends. Which makes a nice ending for the book apart from when everyone woke up the next morning to pack and leave.
There was SO many arguments in this one, wow— but i loved the ending. I also didn’t like how it was Staceys POV but i think thats just because i don’t really know if i like Stacey or not. For some reason, Kristy seemed really, REALLY funny in this one and i don’t know why.
3 and a half stars I’d say.
The visit started off with Staceys friends almost getting LOST because they couldn’t find their way to Stacey, but eventually they found each other and went to Hard Rock Cafe to eat which took up most of their time for that day because they had trouble finding their way to find Stacey. After that, I’m pretty sure they just went to shop and Stacey was getting annoyed at them basically the whole visit. Why? Because she was bothered about how Dawn was scared of the city (honestly, she has the right to and i get that), Kristy has a ‘big mouth’ , and Mary Anne was SUPER interested in New York, but Claudia also got jealous of Staceys other friends which bothers Stacey but that hadn’t started yet. They had all got hard rock cafe t-shirts and were super excited about them.
A little later, Staceys New York friends and Stoney brook friends had come over for a PARTY! yay! except “yay” isn’t really the best way to describe the party though because Mary Anne was basically a walking map the whole time, Claudia was fighting with Laine ( Staceys New York best friend ). However, Kristy and Dawn were terrified the WHOLE time. Mary Anne actually talks some trash about Dawn, saying how pathetic it was when Dawn had gotten scared by a mouse earlier. Kristy had gotten a bit mad at Claudia because Kristy had gotten a chance to dance with a boy (?…bit strange that it was a boy) and Claudia had distracted him into dancing with her instead. That was basically all that happened at the party and then Laine and the BSC were going to have a sleepover. Of course, this didn’t end well either because Claudia and Laine were fighting the whole time, Kristy was kind of backing Laine up because she was also mad at Claudia for stealing her dance. Mary Anne and Dawn were also fighting about the whole mouse and trash talk thing.
Stacey had had enough and Laine called her dad to pick her up. The BSC then tried to get some sleep because they had a big day of baby sitting ahead of them. When they all woke up, they decided to make up for all their arguing— especially considering they were gonna have to spend the entire day together in-front of a bunch of kids.
Then, for the whole entire day they were walking a bunch of kids around New York which is basically all that had happened BUT they ended up LOSING a CHILD!! but they found him. After the huge long day, Stacey catches up on some news that Laine and her father had bought tickets for Stacey and her friends to see something in the theatre, Stacey then asks the BSC if they want to go with her and Claudia decides she wanted to try and start over with Laine.
They all go and watch something at the theatre with Laine, and Claudia exchanges phone numbers with her since they had now become good friends. Which makes a nice ending for the book apart from when everyone woke up the next morning to pack and leave.
There was SO many arguments in this one, wow— but i loved the ending. I also didn’t like how it was Staceys POV but i think thats just because i don’t really know if i like Stacey or not. For some reason, Kristy seemed really, REALLY funny in this one and i don’t know why.
3 and a half stars I’d say.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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