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The Baby-Sitters Club Mysteries #25
Kristy and the Middle School Vandal
Suspecting that Cary and his Mischief Knights are behind recent school vandalism pranks, Kristy and her friends begin an investigation that challenges them to solve eight puzzles in order to catch the real culprit
141 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
17 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,112 books3,055 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 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 24, 2018
in this mystery by ghostwriter Nola Thacker (NOT Ellen Miles -- only the second mystery after Mary Anne and the Zoo Mystery to be penned by someone other than ellen miles) kristy enters into a mystery challenge with cary retlin. he will give her a clue that leads to another clue that leads to another clue, etc. and if she solves the final mystery cary/the mischief knights will leave the members of the bsc alone. if they lose, he gets to keep kristy’s watch, which he stole without her noticing. as the teachers at sms are talking about striking due to low pay, someone starts engaging in vandalism around the school and signing it MK (a la the mischief knights, which we suspect cary retlin to be the kingpin of) but signing it in green, though historically the mischief knights have signed in red. the vandalism is so bad that local school board member mr. oates (who is basically donald trump if the only thing he ever got elected to was the school board, which would never happen, because he hates public schools) starts claiming that the teachers don’t deserve higher pay because they can’t discipline their students. two students that have recently been suspended, brad simon (see Abby's Lucky Thirteen for why he was suspended) and troy parker (no, not trey parker -- this book came out a little over a year before south park premiered, so no one would even have thought the name was a funny coincidence back then), have been hanging out at the school. the bsc thinks they are prime suspects, as is cary. at one point, the bsc follows one of cary’s clues into the auditorium only to find the school play’s set has been vandalized. mr. oates is there, and he assumes the bsc are the vandals. kristy believes that cary set the bsc up to take the fall for him and is therefore the vandal, so she tells mr. kingbridge, who reads cary the riot act before determining he didn’t actually do anything wrong. cary’s last clue in the mystery states that the bsc have to catch the false mischief knight. they figure out that it’s most likely trey parker, since they suspect he’s colorblind due to his poor fashion sense (I wish I were joking, but I am not). they want proof before they turn him in, so they ask cary’s help to break into trey’s locker and find evidence. cary agrees to help if they forfeit. they do, so he ends up winning the mystery challenge. in the end, he gives kristy her watch back, but it is implied that he will keep giving the bsc a hard time, when kristy finds a ton of perfume samples from magazines in her locker, stinking up all her stuff. in a subplot mirroring the scavenger hunt between the bsc and cary, the bsc hosts scavenger hunts for the bsc kids. these ones are the more traditional variety, where they have a list of clues and have to find things that fit the clue and are judged on completeness, timeliness, and creativity.
highlights:
-comedian abby: "where do radiators come from? well, first a mommy radiator and a daddy radiator have to meet..."
-kristy says mr. oates looks like a cartoon politician due to his red cheeks and nose, round stomach, and perfectly combed hair. I chuckled.
-not a highlight or lowlight really but this book also only has 14 chapters! the vast, vast majority of bsc books that are not super specials or super mysteries have 15 chapters.
-kristy snitches and is wrong! and cary gets in trouble for no reason and kristy feels guilty about it! I like the lesson here that snitching to authority figures is not the right decision and kristy is a jerk for doing it.
-the clues in cary’s mystery (shown below) are generally fun. I found myself trying to figure out what he could mean for each of them while reading it.
-some of cary’s clues are just like crossword puzzle clues. I especially felt that way reading the second clue: a drop of golden sun / just short of failing / a skater’s figure / not him you see, but. straight up crossword clues. and I love crosswords, so I loved it.
-also the bsc kids scavenger hunts subplot are a fun read. usually a babysitting subplot in a book that otherwise is entirely school-based ends up reading forced and boring, but this one felt naturally compatible with the main plot, since cary was essentially sending the bsc on one big scavenger hunt.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-there’s a reference to abby and anna living next-door to the brewer-thomases. not true. they live two doors down. mrs. porter lives next door, between them.
-why does kristy, someone who finds fashion nuances boring, describe claud's outfit in such exhaustive detail?
-in one of the bsc kids scavenger hunts the kids get something from the papadakises but they're in the pikes'/claud's neighborhood. the papadakises live in kristy and abby’s neighborhood, which is driving distance, not walking distance, from claud’s.
-cary says that since he was in class during one of the vandalism incidents and he doesn't have "telepathic" powers, he couldn't have telekinetically done the vandalism. telepathy and telekinesis are two totally different things. telepathy is charles xavier, telekinesis is jean grey. he means telekinesis/psychokinesis.
-really? trey’s color blind, and they can tell because he makes bad fashion decisions? REALLY? I’ve known plenty of color blind people, and that doesn’t suddenly make them think that busy patterns look good together, or that the grunge look was still cool in 1996. sidenote: I have no problem with the grunge look, but at one point that’s stacey’s criticism of his style. she thinks he’s too grungy. color blindness doesn’t make you suddenly think that relaxed fit jeans look like fitted jeans.
cary mystery/scavenger hunt clues:
-get your mother (understands): means the next clue is in the gym, under the stands
-a drop of golden sun / just short of failing / a skater's figure / not him, you see, but (where does it all come from): means radiator...the heat comes from the boiler room, where the next clue is.
-toasted gloves or barbecued bats, anyone?: means the next clue is in the shed that burned down in Kristy and the Copycat
-cafeteria hamburger + a theory of man and woman - sms on street = a fly on the wall of...: cost of hamburger + call no. of the book - sms address number = classroom where the next clue is
-nothing personal, claudia, but check your spelling: a spellcheck program on the computer claud used to use for her column (see Claudia and the Perfect Boy holds the next clue
-b2 or not b2...that is the question. (are you sitting down?): means the clue is in seat b2 in the school auditorium
-hey abby. IPA2tFotUSoAand2tR [a picture of four witches] (look up): means in abby's homeroom, they should look at the flag (since it represents the pledge of allegiance. four witches stand/for which it stands is my favorite part).
-bring me the head of the false mischief knights!: means they have to solve the vandalism mystery
claudia outfit:
-'Today she was wearing pink jellies, white ankle socks with pink hearts around the edges, and majorly baggy white overalls, cut off just below the knee, over a tie-dyed pink, green, and yellow T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up. She had a ring on every finger and one on each thumb, including a heart-shaped mood ring, a ring with a little bell on it, a ring that looked like a cat winding around her finger, a baby ring with her birthstone in it, and a ring she'd made herself out of clay and beads. Her hair was pulled back into three braids, which were tied together at the bottom with a pink and green ribbon. She had on her peace-symbol earrings, too, and a button that said, "Jerry Garcia Lives" in black script against a tie-dyed background that matched her T-shirt.'
stacey outfit:
-"Today she was wearing black leggings, side-zippered flat black ankle boots with pointed toes, a silver-threaded T-shirt dress that stopped at mid-thigh, and heart earrings. Her fluffy blonde hair was pulled back with a twisted black and silver headband."
snacks in claudia’s room:
-jujubes behind the books on her bookcase
-pretzels behind the books on her bookcase
-mint chocolate m&ms (n.s.)
-all natural potato chips (n.s.)
highlights:
-comedian abby: "where do radiators come from? well, first a mommy radiator and a daddy radiator have to meet..."
-kristy says mr. oates looks like a cartoon politician due to his red cheeks and nose, round stomach, and perfectly combed hair. I chuckled.
-not a highlight or lowlight really but this book also only has 14 chapters! the vast, vast majority of bsc books that are not super specials or super mysteries have 15 chapters.
-kristy snitches and is wrong! and cary gets in trouble for no reason and kristy feels guilty about it! I like the lesson here that snitching to authority figures is not the right decision and kristy is a jerk for doing it.
-the clues in cary’s mystery (shown below) are generally fun. I found myself trying to figure out what he could mean for each of them while reading it.
-some of cary’s clues are just like crossword puzzle clues. I especially felt that way reading the second clue: a drop of golden sun / just short of failing / a skater’s figure / not him you see, but. straight up crossword clues. and I love crosswords, so I loved it.
-also the bsc kids scavenger hunts subplot are a fun read. usually a babysitting subplot in a book that otherwise is entirely school-based ends up reading forced and boring, but this one felt naturally compatible with the main plot, since cary was essentially sending the bsc on one big scavenger hunt.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-there’s a reference to abby and anna living next-door to the brewer-thomases. not true. they live two doors down. mrs. porter lives next door, between them.
-why does kristy, someone who finds fashion nuances boring, describe claud's outfit in such exhaustive detail?
-in one of the bsc kids scavenger hunts the kids get something from the papadakises but they're in the pikes'/claud's neighborhood. the papadakises live in kristy and abby’s neighborhood, which is driving distance, not walking distance, from claud’s.
-cary says that since he was in class during one of the vandalism incidents and he doesn't have "telepathic" powers, he couldn't have telekinetically done the vandalism. telepathy and telekinesis are two totally different things. telepathy is charles xavier, telekinesis is jean grey. he means telekinesis/psychokinesis.
-really? trey’s color blind, and they can tell because he makes bad fashion decisions? REALLY? I’ve known plenty of color blind people, and that doesn’t suddenly make them think that busy patterns look good together, or that the grunge look was still cool in 1996. sidenote: I have no problem with the grunge look, but at one point that’s stacey’s criticism of his style. she thinks he’s too grungy. color blindness doesn’t make you suddenly think that relaxed fit jeans look like fitted jeans.
cary mystery/scavenger hunt clues:
-get your mother (understands): means the next clue is in the gym, under the stands
-a drop of golden sun / just short of failing / a skater's figure / not him, you see, but (where does it all come from): means radiator...the heat comes from the boiler room, where the next clue is.
-toasted gloves or barbecued bats, anyone?: means the next clue is in the shed that burned down in Kristy and the Copycat
-cafeteria hamburger + a theory of man and woman - sms on street = a fly on the wall of...: cost of hamburger + call no. of the book - sms address number = classroom where the next clue is
-nothing personal, claudia, but check your spelling: a spellcheck program on the computer claud used to use for her column (see Claudia and the Perfect Boy holds the next clue
-b2 or not b2...that is the question. (are you sitting down?): means the clue is in seat b2 in the school auditorium
-hey abby. IPA2tFotUSoAand2tR [a picture of four witches] (look up): means in abby's homeroom, they should look at the flag (since it represents the pledge of allegiance. four witches stand/for which it stands is my favorite part).
-bring me the head of the false mischief knights!: means they have to solve the vandalism mystery
claudia outfit:
-'Today she was wearing pink jellies, white ankle socks with pink hearts around the edges, and majorly baggy white overalls, cut off just below the knee, over a tie-dyed pink, green, and yellow T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up. She had a ring on every finger and one on each thumb, including a heart-shaped mood ring, a ring with a little bell on it, a ring that looked like a cat winding around her finger, a baby ring with her birthstone in it, and a ring she'd made herself out of clay and beads. Her hair was pulled back into three braids, which were tied together at the bottom with a pink and green ribbon. She had on her peace-symbol earrings, too, and a button that said, "Jerry Garcia Lives" in black script against a tie-dyed background that matched her T-shirt.'
stacey outfit:
-"Today she was wearing black leggings, side-zippered flat black ankle boots with pointed toes, a silver-threaded T-shirt dress that stopped at mid-thigh, and heart earrings. Her fluffy blonde hair was pulled back with a twisted black and silver headband."
snacks in claudia’s room:
-jujubes behind the books on her bookcase
-pretzels behind the books on her bookcase
-mint chocolate m&ms (n.s.)
-all natural potato chips (n.s.)
April 28, 2011
this book gets points for moving at a pretty good clip & featuring lots of cary retlin, but the plot is a little bit on the lame side. basically. cary & kristy get into an argument over who is the better detective or something, & cary challenges kristy to a mystery war. he writes up eight clues which he hides around the school. each clue leads to the next clue. the babysitters have six days to solve all the clues & the final mystery. if they succeed, cary will stop pranking them (for example, he stole kristy's math homework, erased all the answers, & put it back in her backpack). if they fail, cary gets to keep kristy's fancy digital watch (which he somehow stole off her wrist while she was yelling at him about the homework).
the clues are essentially riddles, & the babysitters work through them with a middling level of difficulty. but while all this is going on, the mischief knights are wreaking havoc around the school. or at least, someone who is signing his vandalism with the mischief knights' tag is causing trouble. someone vandalized what they thought was the principal's car (same make, wrong color) & signed it "MK". there are several false fire alarms, & each time, someone scrawls "MK" in green paint or chalk on the wall after pulling the alarm. someone stoppers up all the sinks in one of the girls' bathrooms & leaves the water running, & again signs the door with a green "MK". the babysitters are confused because usually the mischief knights sign their work in red...& their pranks are usually more clever than just straight up vandalism. the babysitters suspect that cary is the leader of the mischief knights, but none of them (except kristy) think he would stoop so low as to vandalize a car.
after some sets for a school play are destroyed while the babysitters are in the auditorium looking for their next clue, kristy decides that cary is behind all the pranks & is trying to frame the babysitters club, so she rats him out to the principal, even though the other babysitters don't think she should do it without proof. cary comes to claudia's house during the babysitters club meeting that afternoon & confronts kristy. he's pissed because he just spent two hours convincing the principal that he isn't the culprit. he was alibis for every single prank. kristy backs off, but cary says this is just more proof that they babysitters are no good at solving mysteries.
complicating things even further, the teachers & the school board are having trouble working out their next contract. the school board doesn't want to concede any ground because they think the teachers are to blame for all the vandalism. they say that if the teachers were any good at their jobs, they would be able to discipline their students & keep this kind of shit from happening. the babysitters do not want the teachers to strike, because they'll have to make up the missed days during the summer. they start trying to solve the vandalism mystery to try to broker peace between the teachers & the school board.
& everything dovetails when they get their final clue from cary: "bring me the head of the false mischief knights!" the babysitters HAVE to figure out who the vandal is in order to win their bet with cary. they have suspects:
* cary himself. but he is more or less cleared from suspicion once he shares all his alibis with kristy.
* mr. oates, from the school board. the sitters think maybe he's been perpetrating the vandalism to make the teachers look bad & fuck up the contract negotiations. he's always around when something happens.
* mr. milhaus, the school custodian. he also always seems quick on the scene when something happens, & he has been worried that the custodial budget will be slashed during contract negotiations. maybe he's creating chaos to prove how indispensable he is.
* troy parker &/or brad simon, two kids who were recently suspended. brad simon was suspended for selling cheat sheets to students. no one knows why troy is in trouble, but everyone thinks it must be bad because he was suspended for two weeks. both have been hanging around the school looking suspicious.
the sitters finally figure out that the vandal must be colorblind, which explains why he is signing his work with green paint. he can't differentiate between red & green. that's also why he vandalized the wrong car in the faculty lot. the principal drives a red car & a green car was damaged. the babysitters figure out that the culprit must be troy parker, because his clothes never match properly. but they don't want to accuse him without evidence, so they ask cary to help them break into troy's locker. cary agrees to do it if the babysitters forfeit the mystery war. they grudgingly agree, cary does his thing, & the locker is full of green paint & chalk.
unfortunately, troy catches them going through his stuff. they boldly confront him & he admits that he is colorblind & that he is behind all the pranks. he was suspended for stealing (stealing what?) & he says he is innocent & did the vandalism to get back at the principal. the babysitters turn him in, & i'm sure he "gets the help he needs," like all bad guys in the babysitters club, whether they are little kids burning library books or crazy ladies who never got over being unpopular in junior high or lunatics who feel their fathers shouldn't be punished for running illegal dognapping rings.
the vandalism stops, the school board & the teachers sign a new contract, no one goes on strike, & cary returns kristy's watch. WHY do the babysitters hate cary so much? he's awesome, hello! i am totally naming my first child cary if it's a boy.
the clues are essentially riddles, & the babysitters work through them with a middling level of difficulty. but while all this is going on, the mischief knights are wreaking havoc around the school. or at least, someone who is signing his vandalism with the mischief knights' tag is causing trouble. someone vandalized what they thought was the principal's car (same make, wrong color) & signed it "MK". there are several false fire alarms, & each time, someone scrawls "MK" in green paint or chalk on the wall after pulling the alarm. someone stoppers up all the sinks in one of the girls' bathrooms & leaves the water running, & again signs the door with a green "MK". the babysitters are confused because usually the mischief knights sign their work in red...& their pranks are usually more clever than just straight up vandalism. the babysitters suspect that cary is the leader of the mischief knights, but none of them (except kristy) think he would stoop so low as to vandalize a car.
after some sets for a school play are destroyed while the babysitters are in the auditorium looking for their next clue, kristy decides that cary is behind all the pranks & is trying to frame the babysitters club, so she rats him out to the principal, even though the other babysitters don't think she should do it without proof. cary comes to claudia's house during the babysitters club meeting that afternoon & confronts kristy. he's pissed because he just spent two hours convincing the principal that he isn't the culprit. he was alibis for every single prank. kristy backs off, but cary says this is just more proof that they babysitters are no good at solving mysteries.
complicating things even further, the teachers & the school board are having trouble working out their next contract. the school board doesn't want to concede any ground because they think the teachers are to blame for all the vandalism. they say that if the teachers were any good at their jobs, they would be able to discipline their students & keep this kind of shit from happening. the babysitters do not want the teachers to strike, because they'll have to make up the missed days during the summer. they start trying to solve the vandalism mystery to try to broker peace between the teachers & the school board.
& everything dovetails when they get their final clue from cary: "bring me the head of the false mischief knights!" the babysitters HAVE to figure out who the vandal is in order to win their bet with cary. they have suspects:
* cary himself. but he is more or less cleared from suspicion once he shares all his alibis with kristy.
* mr. oates, from the school board. the sitters think maybe he's been perpetrating the vandalism to make the teachers look bad & fuck up the contract negotiations. he's always around when something happens.
* mr. milhaus, the school custodian. he also always seems quick on the scene when something happens, & he has been worried that the custodial budget will be slashed during contract negotiations. maybe he's creating chaos to prove how indispensable he is.
* troy parker &/or brad simon, two kids who were recently suspended. brad simon was suspended for selling cheat sheets to students. no one knows why troy is in trouble, but everyone thinks it must be bad because he was suspended for two weeks. both have been hanging around the school looking suspicious.
the sitters finally figure out that the vandal must be colorblind, which explains why he is signing his work with green paint. he can't differentiate between red & green. that's also why he vandalized the wrong car in the faculty lot. the principal drives a red car & a green car was damaged. the babysitters figure out that the culprit must be troy parker, because his clothes never match properly. but they don't want to accuse him without evidence, so they ask cary to help them break into troy's locker. cary agrees to do it if the babysitters forfeit the mystery war. they grudgingly agree, cary does his thing, & the locker is full of green paint & chalk.
unfortunately, troy catches them going through his stuff. they boldly confront him & he admits that he is colorblind & that he is behind all the pranks. he was suspended for stealing (stealing what?) & he says he is innocent & did the vandalism to get back at the principal. the babysitters turn him in, & i'm sure he "gets the help he needs," like all bad guys in the babysitters club, whether they are little kids burning library books or crazy ladies who never got over being unpopular in junior high or lunatics who feel their fathers shouldn't be punished for running illegal dognapping rings.
the vandalism stops, the school board & the teachers sign a new contract, no one goes on strike, & cary returns kristy's watch. WHY do the babysitters hate cary so much? he's awesome, hello! i am totally naming my first child cary if it's a boy.
July 11, 2020
This is my favourite Babysitters Mystery so far! It reminds me of the beginning of my Grade 9 year. Our teachers kept striking basically once a week for 4 months, trying to stop our premier from cutting classes and staff. While this was going on we had our own school vandal. I don’t know who was part of the group but it was a group of boys that loved to vandalize their bathroom. It caused lots of problems for the rest of us because the second floor bathrooms were off limits for awhile, and a staff member always stood right outside the doors to keep an eye on who went in and when, and our bathroom breaks were timed during class. I could totally relate to the babysitters’ annoyance and disgust with the Mischief Knights. I don’t even know if they ever caught the boys who were destroying our bathrooms, but like Kristy I have my suspicions...
May 13, 2023
For all Kristy complains about Cary Retlin, he actually does keep things interesting. And his mystery war with the BSC all seems in good fun.
The mystery of the fake Mischief Knight is more serious, coz that person did some criminal damage like false fire alarms and scratching teachers' cars. Major major kudos to Mary Anne for picking up on the crucial clue
The subplot about the impending teachers' strike and the potential cuts to maintenance budgets was realistic and smart. I like how the janitor called out the teachers for sacrificing his salary in their fight to get themselves a fair wage. This is why the maintenance team needs a union of their own, TBH.
The B plot was about the BSC organizing a scavenger hunt for the kids they sit for. It was okay. I feel like an old grouch for thinking this, but as they were looking through all the boxes of the stuff the kids found and feeling proud of how successful the contest was, I just kept thinking, now what are they going to do with all that junk? (including a pair of dirty sweat socks, eww)
The mystery of the fake Mischief Knight is more serious, coz that person did some criminal damage like false fire alarms and scratching teachers' cars. Major major kudos to Mary Anne for picking up on the crucial clue
The subplot about the impending teachers' strike and the potential cuts to maintenance budgets was realistic and smart. I like how the janitor called out the teachers for sacrificing his salary in their fight to get themselves a fair wage. This is why the maintenance team needs a union of their own, TBH.
The B plot was about the BSC organizing a scavenger hunt for the kids they sit for. It was okay. I feel like an old grouch for thinking this, but as they were looking through all the boxes of the stuff the kids found and feeling proud of how successful the contest was, I just kept thinking, now what are they going to do with all that junk? (including a pair of dirty sweat socks, eww)
August 30, 2022
The conclusion to this mystery was pretty weak, and there's always some shady politician, but I love any book that features Cary Retlin fucking with the BSC. Also props to all the BSC call-backs (Claudia's personals, the burned-down gym shed, why Brad was suspended.)
January 27, 2024
I always love a good Kristy book (not just because she shares my name), but this one was better than some of the others I've been reading lately. Not quite four stars, but I enjoyed the plot and the mystery better than the past two! This was a good one.
August 16, 2017
If there's one thing I learned from reading this, it's that you should not jump to any conclusion without enough reason.
November 16, 2017
This book gets some bonus points for featuring so much Cary Retlin. Points are then taken away because the plot is just so lame.
Read
December 17, 2020Read my recap at A Year with the BSC via Stoneybrook Forever: https://www.livethemovies.com/bsc-blo...
September 21, 2022
I had a good time solving the clues (and thinking of what I would choose for the scavenger hunt items) and I honestly think Cary Retlin should be a part of the BSC mystery team at this point.
October 26, 2023
Really enjoyed this mystery a lot. I liked the interactions between Kristy and Cary.
Read
February 14, 2024I liked that the reader was actively able to solve clues along with the BSC. Also, Cary Retlin is a MENACE.
February 17, 2017
Overall I thought the mystery was interesting. And I do enjoy Cary as a "villain" He's certainly a better villain than most other SMS middleschoolers.
However, as a person who is colorblind red/green as well, I thought the portrayal, was ridiculous. But I know this is par for the course when introducing a character that is different. I have the same rant about Dawn, as she and I are both Californians.
However, as a person who is colorblind red/green as well, I thought the portrayal, was ridiculous. But I know this is par for the course when introducing a character that is different. I have the same rant about Dawn, as she and I are both Californians.
July 5, 2024
I'm impressed. This was definitely one of the better mysteries. Started slow but got going and was quite good. More like a mystery kids would solve. I think Nola Thacker is one of the better ghostwriters since her books seem to be enjoyable. Anyway this one stars Cary Reitin who is both amazing and also annoying at times. He erases Kristy's math homework and it's on. Called the mystery war Cary gives the club a series of clues. The next clue will be hidden where the current puzzle leads them. It's an interesting plot. It ties into one of two school related sub plots, the first being a potential teacher's strike, the second being a rash of vandalism, from cars being keyed and painted to flooding in the girl's washroom with the mischief knights from a previous mystery claiming responsibility. Since the girls think Cary is the sole member of the knights they suspect him. Only this guy leaves a green MK and Cary (if it's him and let's face it it probably is) leaves a red MK. Cary's last clue asks the girls to find the real vandal. The b plot was actually kind of fun. The club decides to hold a scavenger hunt for the kids using clues instead of a list and be creative with the answers and items they bring back. There's a tree branch for paper, windchimes for something that flies in the air and sings shoes for something that brings you to school. They come up with some interesting team names Klue Krushers, Buzzard Bashers among them. Overall this was a good one. I am baffled by a few things however. How and why did Cary erase Kristy's math homework? How is that even possible? Why go to that trouble? Why not just switch papers or something? Also I am a bit concerned about his kleptomania. He literally steals Kristy's watch without her knowing it and can break into a locker in seconds. The first one might explain the homework thing but it still seems odd and kind of dumb, but you do have to sort of admire his commitment to the prank.
January 2, 2016
This was a real page turner! Good mystery, lots of suspense to keep you interested and a fast paced narrative. I'm time fan of the Baby-Sitters Club, but a lot of times the mysteries are disappointing--weak plot, no real mystery, more baby-sitting than anything else to the point where it should be a standard book! This one however surprised me with an honest to goodness whodunit for the BSC to solve, and if you like the side character Cary Retlin, I recommend this one.
July 15, 2011
A lot more believable than most of the Mysteries, and I liked the clues, so definitely one of the better ones.
June 7, 2012
Okay book.Sometimes it was kinda hard to read and understand.Changes Points of views.End made no sense!
December 4, 2013
Read this book in elementary school, it left the impression that people are not nice and always taking!
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