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The Baby-Sitters Club #0.5
The Summer Before
Before there was The Baby-sitters Club, there were four girls named Kristy Thomas, Mary Anne Spier, Claudia Kishi, and Stacey McGill. As they start the summer before seventh grade, Kristy is still hoping that her father will return to her family, Mary Anne has to prove that she's no longer a little girl, Claudia is navigating her first major crush, and Stacey is leaving her entire New York City life behind. Separately, it's a lot to deal with. But together, these friends will find a way to make it through--with plenty of laughter, tears, and suprises along the way.
215 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
141 people are currently reading
3357 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,101 books3,047 followersAnn Matthews Martin was born on August 12, 1955. She grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, with her parents and her younger sister, Jane. After graduating from Smith College, Ann became a teacher and then an editor of children's books. She's now a full-time writer.
Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. But many of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes.
Ann has always enjoyed writing. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. L. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. They inspired her to become a writer herself.
Since ending the BSC series in 2000, Ann’s writing has concentrated on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.
After living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/annmma...
Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. But many of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes.
Ann has always enjoyed writing. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. L. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. They inspired her to become a writer herself.
Since ending the BSC series in 2000, Ann’s writing has concentrated on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.
After living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/annmma...
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August 6, 2011Before sexy vampires and werewolves with six-pack abs, before angsty adolescent wizards, there was The Baby-Sitters Club (the BSC, natch). As a former Club devotee, turned card-carrying almost 30-something, I rushed out to purchase “The Summer Before,” Ann M. Martin’s new BSC prequel. As I presented the hardback to my almost 30-something salesclerk, she exclaimed, “I’ve been meaning to buy this! Which girl was your favorite?” With less hesitation than I approach 99% of life’s questions, I replied, “Well, I always identified most with Mary Anne...” (“Me too!” the salesclerk said.) “But I’d have to say that Claudia was my favorite. She had the best clothes.” (“Mine too!” my new BF affirmed. “And she was an artist!”) Maybe we should all form a club.
“The Summer Before” is a pared-down version of most BSC books, since it takes place before Kristy had her momentous “great idea.” There’s no crunchy granola Dawn or prima ballerina Jessi—only the original Fab Four: Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey. Mallory makes a cameo as one of Mary Anne’s first baby-sitting charges, but she’s blanketed under the other seven Pike dwarves. (Or, as the Duggars call them, “That cute little family.”)
Not much has changed since Stoneybrook circa 1990. I wondered how Martin would handle the elaborate descriptions of Claudia’s over-the-top, uber-trendy fashions—would Claud step out in a “Team Edward” t-shirt and derby, instead of barrettes and strirrup pants? Duh, of course not. It’s “The Summer Before,” not “Years Later.” Kristy is still perfecting her softball pitch, Mary Ann is still chafing under Dad’s rules, Stacey is still diabetic and misunderstood, and Claudia is wearing a “fluorescent-green hat” that resembles “a bejeweled engineer’s cap.” If only it were the ‘00s instead of the early ‘90s, Claudia would’ve had a field day with the BeDazzler.
The BSC’s stubborn refusal to age is both sweet and a bit frustrating. “The Summer Before” was written for a preteen (or younger) version of you, not 30-something you. There are no “wink, nudge” references to the Super Specials or BSC Mysteries. There aren’t any major revelations about the girls. There’s not even a Logan Bruno to sultry up the mix. You might almost ask why Ann bothered to revisit the old gang at all. Maybe she wanted to have one last, long summer with the four characters who inspired millions of future babysitters—and future parents—and future almost 30-somethings. Maybe, like me, she missed her friends.
“The Summer Before” is a pared-down version of most BSC books, since it takes place before Kristy had her momentous “great idea.” There’s no crunchy granola Dawn or prima ballerina Jessi—only the original Fab Four: Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey. Mallory makes a cameo as one of Mary Anne’s first baby-sitting charges, but she’s blanketed under the other seven Pike dwarves. (Or, as the Duggars call them, “That cute little family.”)
Not much has changed since Stoneybrook circa 1990. I wondered how Martin would handle the elaborate descriptions of Claudia’s over-the-top, uber-trendy fashions—would Claud step out in a “Team Edward” t-shirt and derby, instead of barrettes and strirrup pants? Duh, of course not. It’s “The Summer Before,” not “Years Later.” Kristy is still perfecting her softball pitch, Mary Ann is still chafing under Dad’s rules, Stacey is still diabetic and misunderstood, and Claudia is wearing a “fluorescent-green hat” that resembles “a bejeweled engineer’s cap.” If only it were the ‘00s instead of the early ‘90s, Claudia would’ve had a field day with the BeDazzler.
The BSC’s stubborn refusal to age is both sweet and a bit frustrating. “The Summer Before” was written for a preteen (or younger) version of you, not 30-something you. There are no “wink, nudge” references to the Super Specials or BSC Mysteries. There aren’t any major revelations about the girls. There’s not even a Logan Bruno to sultry up the mix. You might almost ask why Ann bothered to revisit the old gang at all. Maybe she wanted to have one last, long summer with the four characters who inspired millions of future babysitters—and future parents—and future almost 30-somethings. Maybe, like me, she missed her friends.
May 30, 2010
I must have read at least fifty of these books as a child and after coming across them in a charity shop at the age of sixteen and rediscovering the joy of the adventures of these preteen babysitters, I started to recollect the books. I now have half a shelf full of these colourful little novels sitting on my bookcase that I revisit when I'm in need of some light relief to destress myself. So when I heard that a prequel was being written I was naturally excited at the premise of it. Although many BSC fans would like to hear about the lives of the characters as adults, writing about children is what Ann M. Martin does best. The Summer Before did not disappoint.
Martin seemed to slip back into the voices of the characters very easily. I particularly liked Stacey's story as it showed her as a normal girl, dealing with the problems of broken friendships and moving house. A lot of the BSC books focused on Stacey's diabetes or her boyfriends or how "sophisticated" she was. In The Summer Before she was just a regular preteen girl and I felt that she was very realistically portrayed. I also enjoyed Claudia's story and the excitement yet disappointment of having your "first love." This was also very natural, although it would have been nice to see more of Claud's relationship with her sister Janine. Mary Anne has to cope with convincing her dad that she's old enough to babysit, and although she came across as less mature than the other girls this was in fitting with her character in the regular series. It was nice to watch Mary Anne grow and become more confident with babysitting and talking to her dad. Kristy's story was my least favourite as it seemed a bit out of the blue for her to suddenly expect her dad to visit, but it did kind of tug at heart strings. I could never imagine what it would be like to be missing one parent and have no way of contacting them, but her emotions seemed believable to me.
All in all, this was a fantastic book and was definitely worth waiting for. I only wish Ann M. Martin was creating more new Babysitters Club books as she definitely hasn't lost her touch. 10/10
Martin seemed to slip back into the voices of the characters very easily. I particularly liked Stacey's story as it showed her as a normal girl, dealing with the problems of broken friendships and moving house. A lot of the BSC books focused on Stacey's diabetes or her boyfriends or how "sophisticated" she was. In The Summer Before she was just a regular preteen girl and I felt that she was very realistically portrayed. I also enjoyed Claudia's story and the excitement yet disappointment of having your "first love." This was also very natural, although it would have been nice to see more of Claud's relationship with her sister Janine. Mary Anne has to cope with convincing her dad that she's old enough to babysit, and although she came across as less mature than the other girls this was in fitting with her character in the regular series. It was nice to watch Mary Anne grow and become more confident with babysitting and talking to her dad. Kristy's story was my least favourite as it seemed a bit out of the blue for her to suddenly expect her dad to visit, but it did kind of tug at heart strings. I could never imagine what it would be like to be missing one parent and have no way of contacting them, but her emotions seemed believable to me.
All in all, this was a fantastic book and was definitely worth waiting for. I only wish Ann M. Martin was creating more new Babysitters Club books as she definitely hasn't lost her touch. 10/10
January 5, 2022
A very sweet prequel to the classic series. I enjoyed getting more background information about the four girls. Recommended for fans of the Babysitters Club.
September 2, 2020
I didn't even know this existed until I started re-reading some of the Baby-Sitters Club books this year. I guess that was because it was published in 2010... well after the original series was complete. I really enjoyed this one! This tells the story of each of the girls before the start of 7th grade and before the Baby-Sitters Club actually began. It has been 20+ years since I read this series, so I'm not entirely sure if any of this stuff is touched on or flashed back in the other books or not. You get to see Claudia's first boyfriend and why she began to drift away from her old friends, Mary Anne and Kristy. My favorite part was getting to see glimpses into Stacey's life in New York before she moved to Stoneybrook, and how she met Claudia. The book ends with the 1st scenes you see in Kristy's Great Idea (Book 1) and why she came up with the Club in the first place.
May 14, 2021
I loved getting to learn more about the BSC girls’ lives. It was very interesting to see Mary Anne and Kristy growing apart from Claudia from Claudia’s perspective because it was just as hard for her as it was for them. It broke my heart reading about Kristy waiting for her dad to surprise her for her birthday and he didn’t even remember. And reading about Claudia being broken up with by Frankie. It was also great to learn about Stacey’s process of moving to Stoneybrook and learning about how nasty Laine was to her. I think that’s something a lot of elementary school and middle school girls would be able to relate to.
July 24, 2025
This is the primordial soup of the Baby-Sitters Club.
An archaeological dig into the minds of four pre-teens discovering that childcare can be a lucrative business.
An archaeological dig into the minds of four pre-teens discovering that childcare can be a lucrative business.
August 19, 2010
When I found out that there was a new Babysitter's Club coming out, I actually pre-ordered the book from my local bookstore. I was--although I probably shouldn't have been--kind of amazed at the instantaneous nostalgia that this publication inspired for me. Suddenly, I was remembering the family driving trip through the Four Corners where I pretty much missed all of Utah because I was reading the first Super Special (Babysitters on Board!) and literally could not pull my eyes away from the pages. I remembered the awesome passages about Claudia's fantastic wardrobe, which inspired in me a life-long love of red shoes and dangly earrings (and has since been immortalized, to great effect, in the blog ""What Claudia Wore.") I remembered the sympathy I felt for Mary Ann, who had, like myself, a rather strict set of rules to live by. There's really no doubt that this series was one of the pivotal cultural touch points of my young life, which I'm sure is true for a lot of my peers.
The point being, it would be difficult for anyone to live up to the nostalgia created by this series, so I commend Ann M. Martin for being brave enough to attempt to write a new installment. Maybe she was capitalizing on a moment and trying to revive her series' popularity for a new generation, but I'm going to choose not to be cynical. I think it was a bold move, and she pulled it off rather well. There's actually not an excess of babysitting in this prequel, but enough to set the stage. And Martin still treats each girl with a great deal of empathy and concern for the problems--big and small--that affect each of them. She gently captures a range of experiences: Mary Ann sorting through her deceased mother's memory box, Claudia spending the summer with her first boyfriend, Kristy struggling to let go of her absent father, and Stacey getting a fresh start in Stoney Brook after a humiliating year of dealing with her diabetes in New York.
The only real problem I had was that at the end of the book, Kristy, Mary Ann, and Claudia all have a heart to heart after a summer of being a little disconnected from one another and their self-awareness and getting-at-the-big-theme-ness is a little overbearing. Claudia repeats a sentiment that Mimi shared with her--that all girls grow up at different rates--and neither Mary Ann nor Kristy are remotely affronted that she's basically just called them immature. Then there is a whole bunch of dialog where they explicate that they are bonded together through experience and friendship and that (I'm paraphrasing) "we are the glue that holds us together." Now, young girls are extremely intense in their friendships, that is true, but this seems a little too end-of-the-episode/Big Idea for three 12 year olds to be explaining. But, eh--I still don't really mind. It's a sweet set up for the series.
As a sort of side note, I realized reading this book how affirming the actual set up of the Babysitter's Club is for young girls. I didn't realize it at the time, but here was a series of books that was encouraging teen age girls to take a form of employment that almost all young women fall into at one time or another--babysitting--and use it to develop all sorts of important, quasi-feminist qualities. For one, they don't need allowances--they make their own money. (I don't think allowances are mentioned at all in this new book; I forget about the others.) They are innovative (kid-kits!), responsible, independent, supportive, and smart. So I'm just all aglow with the Babysitter's books, all over again.
The point being, it would be difficult for anyone to live up to the nostalgia created by this series, so I commend Ann M. Martin for being brave enough to attempt to write a new installment. Maybe she was capitalizing on a moment and trying to revive her series' popularity for a new generation, but I'm going to choose not to be cynical. I think it was a bold move, and she pulled it off rather well. There's actually not an excess of babysitting in this prequel, but enough to set the stage. And Martin still treats each girl with a great deal of empathy and concern for the problems--big and small--that affect each of them. She gently captures a range of experiences: Mary Ann sorting through her deceased mother's memory box, Claudia spending the summer with her first boyfriend, Kristy struggling to let go of her absent father, and Stacey getting a fresh start in Stoney Brook after a humiliating year of dealing with her diabetes in New York.
The only real problem I had was that at the end of the book, Kristy, Mary Ann, and Claudia all have a heart to heart after a summer of being a little disconnected from one another and their self-awareness and getting-at-the-big-theme-ness is a little overbearing. Claudia repeats a sentiment that Mimi shared with her--that all girls grow up at different rates--and neither Mary Ann nor Kristy are remotely affronted that she's basically just called them immature. Then there is a whole bunch of dialog where they explicate that they are bonded together through experience and friendship and that (I'm paraphrasing) "we are the glue that holds us together." Now, young girls are extremely intense in their friendships, that is true, but this seems a little too end-of-the-episode/Big Idea for three 12 year olds to be explaining. But, eh--I still don't really mind. It's a sweet set up for the series.
As a sort of side note, I realized reading this book how affirming the actual set up of the Babysitter's Club is for young girls. I didn't realize it at the time, but here was a series of books that was encouraging teen age girls to take a form of employment that almost all young women fall into at one time or another--babysitting--and use it to develop all sorts of important, quasi-feminist qualities. For one, they don't need allowances--they make their own money. (I don't think allowances are mentioned at all in this new book; I forget about the others.) They are innovative (kid-kits!), responsible, independent, supportive, and smart. So I'm just all aglow with the Babysitter's books, all over again.
May 7, 2010
I can't bring myself to utter one negative word about a novel by the author who inspired me to become a writer and move to New York City. I bought this prequel both out of nostalgia and and a desire to support Ann M. Martin no matter what she does. I was a little disappointed by the lack of desciption of fashionable outfits (no matter how horribly '80s); the book seemed to have a serious (maybe even depressing?) psychological undercurrent that ran deeper than the books in the original series. That said, I wish I had read the part about ***SPOILER ALERT*** the end of Claudia's one-sided relationship earlier in my life. It was, again, a little depressing, but some women are way older than 12 when they learn that boys sometimes woo you, but that doesn't mean they're in it for the long haul. So. But I digress.
One thing that I was reminded of toward the end of the book is the power of a child's imagination. This book wasn't intended for me or for anyone in her 20s who remembers how awesome the BSC made her feel, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I was reminded exactly how well I knew these characters - how they looked, what their houses were like, and how thrilled I would have been if I had had a friend like Stacey to pluck me from rural Oklahoma and show me around New York City.
One thing that I was reminded of toward the end of the book is the power of a child's imagination. This book wasn't intended for me or for anyone in her 20s who remembers how awesome the BSC made her feel, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I was reminded exactly how well I knew these characters - how they looked, what their houses were like, and how thrilled I would have been if I had had a friend like Stacey to pluck me from rural Oklahoma and show me around New York City.
March 16, 2012
Honestly, there wasn't even time for me to put this on "to read" and/or to list progress on it. I was walking through the new children's library when I went to renew my card yesterday, saw that somehow, I missed the release of an actual honest-to-goodness BSC book, and not just one of the re-releases.
So I read it one sitting. Just like I used to. Except, as I pointed out to a friend, this time I did not lock myself in the bathroom the way I used to have to in order to keep out my older brothers while I read. I'm a grownup with a whole apartment to myself nowadays, so I read it sprawled on the couch.
And what is there to say other than that it was fun. I appreciated how true it stayed to the originals--I think it's easy, after so long (and so many ghostwriters!) to lose sight of the characters as they were, and doubly hard to evoke them again in a reader who is now more than three times as old as she was the first time she met them. The only character who struck me as a little off was Claudia, and while she had a fabulous little lesson-learning story arc that was exactly the kind of arc that made this series fun back in the day, she was less compassionately portrayed than I think she often came off in the books.
But as for the other three, it was spot-on. The same sort of sappy sweet friendship and heartache over growing up too slowly, over friendships changing. Even the writing style was exactly the same--as silly as some of the narration strikes me as a writer these days, the explanation of who all the characters are and where they came from and why they are where they are, which got so repetitive after fifty books, felt like putting on a comfortable pair of favorite shoes here.
One thing I noticed and stopped to marvel at was how the lack of technology didn't take a thing away from this story. Of course, if the story were truly set in 2010, the girls would have access to computers, and chat, and probably even their own cellphones for texting and phone calls. Back in 1988, that Claudia had her own phone line was really, REALLY cool. Yet, the amazing thing was that 12 years later, with all that's come in-between, the book didn't feel that it was missing anything for the lack of those gadgets. Makes you think, a bit.
Honestly, this is probably a 4, maybe even 3.5-star book. There definitely were places where the plots fell short or felt a little on the preachy side, and of course, BSC books by their very nature are very "tell"-y. But somehow as I read this, I was transported back to being the second grader reading it in a locked bathroom to escape her big brothers. So I'm giving it an extra star for sheer magic.
So I read it one sitting. Just like I used to. Except, as I pointed out to a friend, this time I did not lock myself in the bathroom the way I used to have to in order to keep out my older brothers while I read. I'm a grownup with a whole apartment to myself nowadays, so I read it sprawled on the couch.
And what is there to say other than that it was fun. I appreciated how true it stayed to the originals--I think it's easy, after so long (and so many ghostwriters!) to lose sight of the characters as they were, and doubly hard to evoke them again in a reader who is now more than three times as old as she was the first time she met them. The only character who struck me as a little off was Claudia, and while she had a fabulous little lesson-learning story arc that was exactly the kind of arc that made this series fun back in the day, she was less compassionately portrayed than I think she often came off in the books.
But as for the other three, it was spot-on. The same sort of sappy sweet friendship and heartache over growing up too slowly, over friendships changing. Even the writing style was exactly the same--as silly as some of the narration strikes me as a writer these days, the explanation of who all the characters are and where they came from and why they are where they are, which got so repetitive after fifty books, felt like putting on a comfortable pair of favorite shoes here.
One thing I noticed and stopped to marvel at was how the lack of technology didn't take a thing away from this story. Of course, if the story were truly set in 2010, the girls would have access to computers, and chat, and probably even their own cellphones for texting and phone calls. Back in 1988, that Claudia had her own phone line was really, REALLY cool. Yet, the amazing thing was that 12 years later, with all that's come in-between, the book didn't feel that it was missing anything for the lack of those gadgets. Makes you think, a bit.
Honestly, this is probably a 4, maybe even 3.5-star book. There definitely were places where the plots fell short or felt a little on the preachy side, and of course, BSC books by their very nature are very "tell"-y. But somehow as I read this, I was transported back to being the second grader reading it in a locked bathroom to escape her big brothers. So I'm giving it an extra star for sheer magic.
February 21, 2015
Not as interesting as the regular series, in my opinion.
October 4, 2021
Cute nostalgic story. I wish I had my own daughter to share them with now that I am grown.
February 12, 2018
I’ve always loved the BSC and I think somewhere along the line, I’ve read all of the books in the series, so when I found out there was a prequel, I had to pick that up to, if only to complete the series.
This book follows 4 storylines about the original members of the BSC and what they are going through in their lives before the formation of the club.
Kristy - wants to believe that her father will come back in her life. I thought this storyline was okay, but it seemed slightly out of character for Kristy to be so emotional. I felt for her though, and I really like the way this storyline was resolved.
Mary-Anne - tries to show her father that she’s more grown up than he believes her to be. I was surprised by this one. I liked Mary-Anne a lot more than I usually do (she’s probably my least favorite sitter) and I was pleased that she could show some backbone. It was a nice prequel about how she was introduced to babysitting as well.
Claudia - navigates her first crush. I didn’t care for this storyline at all. It seemed a little unrealistic that Claudia’s parents would allow a seventh grader to go everywhere all summer long with a freshman in high school. Or that Janine would like the same guy. I’ve always seen Janine as an almost female Sherlock Holmes - cerebral and detached - so to see her over the moon about a guy was odd. For all Claudia’s talk of how much more quickly she had grown up than Mary-Anne and Kristy, I thought she was the least mature of the 3.
And then Stacey - moves from NYC to CT. Stacey always was my favorite so maybe that’s why I liked her storyline the best. I liked seeing her with the kids she sat for in the city and I thought she handled the bullying from her former friend well. I also liked that her storyline ended with her meeting Claudia, who becomes her best friend.
Overall a cute prequel with more background information about characters we all know and love.
This book follows 4 storylines about the original members of the BSC and what they are going through in their lives before the formation of the club.
Kristy - wants to believe that her father will come back in her life. I thought this storyline was okay, but it seemed slightly out of character for Kristy to be so emotional. I felt for her though, and I really like the way this storyline was resolved.
Mary-Anne - tries to show her father that she’s more grown up than he believes her to be. I was surprised by this one. I liked Mary-Anne a lot more than I usually do (she’s probably my least favorite sitter) and I was pleased that she could show some backbone. It was a nice prequel about how she was introduced to babysitting as well.
Claudia - navigates her first crush. I didn’t care for this storyline at all. It seemed a little unrealistic that Claudia’s parents would allow a seventh grader to go everywhere all summer long with a freshman in high school. Or that Janine would like the same guy. I’ve always seen Janine as an almost female Sherlock Holmes - cerebral and detached - so to see her over the moon about a guy was odd. For all Claudia’s talk of how much more quickly she had grown up than Mary-Anne and Kristy, I thought she was the least mature of the 3.
And then Stacey - moves from NYC to CT. Stacey always was my favorite so maybe that’s why I liked her storyline the best. I liked seeing her with the kids she sat for in the city and I thought she handled the bullying from her former friend well. I also liked that her storyline ended with her meeting Claudia, who becomes her best friend.
Overall a cute prequel with more background information about characters we all know and love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2024
The Summer Before by Ann M. Martin
Baby-Sitters Club #0.5
216-page Kindle Ebook
Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Middle Grade
Featuring: Prequel, Multiple POVs, Connecticut, Suburban Life, Tweens, Coming of Age, Advertisements
Rating as a movie: G
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½☀️ Reread
My thoughts: 📘 I read this book over 10 years ago and I don't remember much about it other than it didn't line up with Kristy's Great Idea. I decided to give it another read and maybe this time I'll be more forgiving.
🔖Page 114 of 216 [10] Claudia - It started okay but it has been updated, I don't remember Stacey eating organic eggs and tofu sausage in the paperback I read. It also seems more repetitive than I remember, it's putting me to sleep.
This wasn't as bad as I remembered, although it clearly has been rewritten since I first read it. There were some grammatical errors I was surprised to see but mainly it was the continuity issues and updates I had issues with, which I think is a me problem because it affects the nostalgia value of the story. Overall it wasn't as good as Kristy's Great Idea, which it retells in the final chapter, but I think it's a great book for kids and new fans of the series. It was nice to be back in Stoneybrook. I also discovered the Family Tree series.
Recommend to others: Yes! This is a nice addition to the series.
Baby-Sitters Club
✔︎ 1 Kristy's Great Idea (1986)
✔︎ 2 Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (1986)
✔︎ 3 The Truth About Stacey (1986)
✔︎ 4 Mary Anne Saves the Day (1987)
✔︎ 5 Dawn and the Impossible Three (1987)
✔︎ 6 Kristy's Big Day (1987)
✔︎ 7 Claudia and Mean Janine (1987)
✔︎ 8 Boy Crazy Stacey (1987)
✔︎ 9 The Ghost at Dawn's House (1988)
✔︎ 10 Logan likes Mary Anne! (1988)
✔︎ 11 Kristy and the Snobs (1988)
✔︎ 12 Claudia and the New Girl (1988)
✔︎ 13 Good-Bye, Stacey, Good-Bye (1993)
✔︎ 14 Hello, Mallory (1993)
✔︎ 15 Little Miss Stoneybrook...and Dawn (1993)
✔︎ 16 Jessi's Secret Language (1991)
✔︎ 17 Mary Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery (1993)
✔︎ 18 Stacey's Mistake (1988)
✔︎ 19 Claudia and the Bad Joke (1988)
✔︎ 20 Kristy and the Walking Disaster (1993)
✔︎ 21 Mallory and the Trouble With Twins (1994)
✔︎ 22 Jessi Ramsey, Pet-Sitter (1989)
✔︎ 23 Dawn on the Coast (1994)
✔︎ 24 Kristy and the Mother's Day Surprise (1989)
✔︎ 25 Mary Anne and the Search for Tigger (1992)
✔︎ 26 Claudia and the Sad Good-Bye (1992)
✔︎ 27 Jessi and the Superbrat (1992)
✔︎ 28 Welcome Back, Stacey! (1992)
✔︎ 29 Mallory and the Mystery Diary (1992)
✔︎ 30 Mary Anne and the Great Romance (1990)
✔︎ 31 Dawn's Wicked Stepsister (1992)
✔︎ 32 Kristy and the Secret of Susan (1990)
✔︎ 33 Claudia and the Great Search (1995)
✔︎ 34 Mary Anne and Too Many Boys (1990)
✔︎ 35 Stacey and the Mystery of Stoneybrook (1993)
✔︎ 36 Jessi's Baby-Sitter (1990)
✔︎ 37 Dawn and the Older Boy (1990)
✔︎ 38 Kristy's Mystery Admirer (1993)
✔︎ 39 Poor Mallory! (1993)
✔︎ 40 Claudia and the Middle School Mystery (1991)
✔︎ 41 Mary Anne Vs. Logan (1991)
✔︎ 42 Jessi and the Dance School Phantom (1991)
✔︎ 43 Stacey's Emergency (1991)
✔︎ 44 Dawn and the Big Sleepover (1991)
✔︎ 45 Kristy and the Baby Parade (1991)
✔︎ 46 Mary Anne Misses Logan (1991)
✔︎ 47 Mallory on Strike (1994)
✔︎ 48 Jessi's Wish (1994)
✔︎ 49 Claudia and the Genius of Elm Street (1991)
✔︎ 50 Dawn's Big Date (1992)
✔︎ 51 Stacey's Ex-best Friend (1992)
✔︎ 52 Mary Anne and Too Many Babies (1992)
✔︎ 53 Kristy for President (1992)
✔︎ 54 Mallory and the Dream Horse (1992)
✔︎ 55 Jessi's Gold Medal (1992)
✔︎ 56 Keep Out, Claudia! (1993)
✔︎ 57 Dawn Saves the Planet (1992)
✔︎ 58 Stacey's Choice (1995)
✔︎ 59 Mallory Hates Boys and Gym (1995)
✔︎ 60 Mary Anne's Makeover (1999)
✔︎ 61 Jessi and the Awful Secret (1993)
✔︎ 62 Kristy and the Worst Kid Ever (1993)
✔︎ 63 Claudia's Friend (1993)
✔︎ 64 Dawn's Family Feud (1990)
✔︎ Postcard Book (1991)
✔︎ Stacy's Revenge (1991)
✔︎ 65 Stacey's Big Crush (1993)
✔︎ 66 Maid Mary Anne (1993)
✔︎ 67 Dawn's Big Move (1993)
✔︎ 68 Jessi and the Bad Baby-Sitter (1993)
✔︎ 69 Get Well Soon, Mallory! (1993)
✔︎ 70 Stacey and the Cheerleaders (1999)
✔︎ 71 Claudia and the Perfect Boy (1994)
✔︎ 72 Dawn and the We Love Kids Club (1994)
✔︎ 73 Mary Anne and Miss Priss (1994)
✔︎ 74 Kristy and the Copycat (1996)
✔︎ 75 Jessi's Horrible Prank (1996)
✔︎ 76 Stacey's Lie (1994)
✔︎ 77 Dawn and Whitney, Friends Forever (1994)
✔︎ 78 Claudia and Crazy Peaches (1994)
✔︎ 79 Mary Anne Breaks the Rules (1994)
✔︎ Secret Santa (1994)
✔︎ 80 Mallory Pike, #1 Fan (1994)
✔︎ 81 Kristy and Mr. Mom (1995)
✔︎ 82 Jessi and the Troublemaker (1995)
✔︎ 83 Stacey vs The BSC (1995)
✔︎ 84 Dawn and the School Spirit War (1995)
✔︎ 85 Claudia Kishi, Live from WSTO! (1995)
✔︎ 86 Mary Anne and Camp BSC (1995)
✔︎ 87 Stacey and the Bad Girls (1995)
✔︎ 88 Farewell, Dawn (1995)
✔︎ The Baby-Sitters Club: The Movie (1995) (with A L Singer (Peter Lerangis))
✔︎ 89 Kristy and the Dirty Diapers (1999)
✔︎ 90 Welcome to the BSC, Abby (1995)
✔︎ 91 Claudia and the First Thanksgiving (1995)
✔︎ 92 Mallory's Christmas Wish (1995)
✔︎ 93 Mary Anne and the Memory Garden (1995)
✔︎ 94 Stacey McGill, Super Sitter (1996)
✔︎ 95 Kristy + Bart = ? (1996)
✔︎ 96 Abby's Lucky Thirteen (1996)
✔︎ 97 Claudia and the World's Cutest Baby (1999)
✔︎ 98 Dawn and Too Many Sitters (1999)
✔︎ 99 Stacey's Broken Heart (1996)
✔︎ 100 Kristy's Worst Idea (2000)
✔︎ 101 Claudia Kishi, Middle School Dropout (1996)
✔︎ 102 Mary Anne and the Little Princess (1999)
✔︎ 103 Happy Holidays, Jessi (1996)
✔︎ 104 Abby's Twin (2000)
✔︎ 105 Stacey the Math Whiz (1997)
✔︎ 106 Claudia, Queen of The Seventh Grade (1999)
✔︎ 107 Mind Your Own Business, Kristy! (1997)
✔︎ 108 Don't Give Up, Mallory (1997)
✔︎ 109 Mary Anne to the Rescue (1997)
✔︎ 110 Abby the Bad Sport (1997)
✔︎ 111 Stacey's Secret Friend (1997)
✔︎ 112 Kristy and the Sister War (1997)
✔︎ 113 Claudia Makes Up Her Mind (1997)
✔︎ 114 The Secret Life of Mary Anne Spier (1997)
✔︎ 115 Jessi's Big Break (1998)
✔︎ 116 Abby and the Best Kid Ever (1998)
✔︎ 117 Claudia and the Terrible Truth (1998)
✔︎ 118 Kristy Thomas, Dog Trainer (1998)
✔︎ 119 Stacey's Ex-Boyfriend (1998)
✔︎ 120 Mary Anne and the Playground Fight (1998)
✔︎ 121 Abby in Wonderland (1998)
✔︎ 122 Kristy in Charge (1998)
✔︎ 123 Claudia's Big Party (1998)
✔︎ 124 Stacey Mc Gill... Matchmaker? (1998)
✔︎ 125 Mary Anne in the Middle (1998)
✔︎ 126 The All-New Mallory Pike (1999)
✔︎ 127 Abby's Un-Valentine (1999)
✔︎ 128 Claudia and the Little Liar (1999)
✔︎ 129 Kristy at Bat (1999)
✔︎ 130 Stacey's Movie (1999)
✔︎ 131 The Fire at Mary Anne's House (1999)
✔︎ 0.5 The Summer Before (2010)
Baby-Sitters Club #0.5
216-page Kindle Ebook
Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Middle Grade
Featuring: Prequel, Multiple POVs, Connecticut, Suburban Life, Tweens, Coming of Age, Advertisements
Rating as a movie: G
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½☀️ Reread
My thoughts: 📘 I read this book over 10 years ago and I don't remember much about it other than it didn't line up with Kristy's Great Idea. I decided to give it another read and maybe this time I'll be more forgiving.
🔖Page 114 of 216 [10] Claudia - It started okay but it has been updated, I don't remember Stacey eating organic eggs and tofu sausage in the paperback I read. It also seems more repetitive than I remember, it's putting me to sleep.
This wasn't as bad as I remembered, although it clearly has been rewritten since I first read it. There were some grammatical errors I was surprised to see but mainly it was the continuity issues and updates I had issues with, which I think is a me problem because it affects the nostalgia value of the story. Overall it wasn't as good as Kristy's Great Idea, which it retells in the final chapter, but I think it's a great book for kids and new fans of the series. It was nice to be back in Stoneybrook. I also discovered the Family Tree series.
Recommend to others: Yes! This is a nice addition to the series.
Baby-Sitters Club
✔︎ 1 Kristy's Great Idea (1986)
✔︎ 2 Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (1986)
✔︎ 3 The Truth About Stacey (1986)
✔︎ 4 Mary Anne Saves the Day (1987)
✔︎ 5 Dawn and the Impossible Three (1987)
✔︎ 6 Kristy's Big Day (1987)
✔︎ 7 Claudia and Mean Janine (1987)
✔︎ 8 Boy Crazy Stacey (1987)
✔︎ 9 The Ghost at Dawn's House (1988)
✔︎ 10 Logan likes Mary Anne! (1988)
✔︎ 11 Kristy and the Snobs (1988)
✔︎ 12 Claudia and the New Girl (1988)
✔︎ 13 Good-Bye, Stacey, Good-Bye (1993)
✔︎ 14 Hello, Mallory (1993)
✔︎ 15 Little Miss Stoneybrook...and Dawn (1993)
✔︎ 16 Jessi's Secret Language (1991)
✔︎ 17 Mary Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery (1993)
✔︎ 18 Stacey's Mistake (1988)
✔︎ 19 Claudia and the Bad Joke (1988)
✔︎ 20 Kristy and the Walking Disaster (1993)
✔︎ 21 Mallory and the Trouble With Twins (1994)
✔︎ 22 Jessi Ramsey, Pet-Sitter (1989)
✔︎ 23 Dawn on the Coast (1994)
✔︎ 24 Kristy and the Mother's Day Surprise (1989)
✔︎ 25 Mary Anne and the Search for Tigger (1992)
✔︎ 26 Claudia and the Sad Good-Bye (1992)
✔︎ 27 Jessi and the Superbrat (1992)
✔︎ 28 Welcome Back, Stacey! (1992)
✔︎ 29 Mallory and the Mystery Diary (1992)
✔︎ 30 Mary Anne and the Great Romance (1990)
✔︎ 31 Dawn's Wicked Stepsister (1992)
✔︎ 32 Kristy and the Secret of Susan (1990)
✔︎ 33 Claudia and the Great Search (1995)
✔︎ 34 Mary Anne and Too Many Boys (1990)
✔︎ 35 Stacey and the Mystery of Stoneybrook (1993)
✔︎ 36 Jessi's Baby-Sitter (1990)
✔︎ 37 Dawn and the Older Boy (1990)
✔︎ 38 Kristy's Mystery Admirer (1993)
✔︎ 39 Poor Mallory! (1993)
✔︎ 40 Claudia and the Middle School Mystery (1991)
✔︎ 41 Mary Anne Vs. Logan (1991)
✔︎ 42 Jessi and the Dance School Phantom (1991)
✔︎ 43 Stacey's Emergency (1991)
✔︎ 44 Dawn and the Big Sleepover (1991)
✔︎ 45 Kristy and the Baby Parade (1991)
✔︎ 46 Mary Anne Misses Logan (1991)
✔︎ 47 Mallory on Strike (1994)
✔︎ 48 Jessi's Wish (1994)
✔︎ 49 Claudia and the Genius of Elm Street (1991)
✔︎ 50 Dawn's Big Date (1992)
✔︎ 51 Stacey's Ex-best Friend (1992)
✔︎ 52 Mary Anne and Too Many Babies (1992)
✔︎ 53 Kristy for President (1992)
✔︎ 54 Mallory and the Dream Horse (1992)
✔︎ 55 Jessi's Gold Medal (1992)
✔︎ 56 Keep Out, Claudia! (1993)
✔︎ 57 Dawn Saves the Planet (1992)
✔︎ 58 Stacey's Choice (1995)
✔︎ 59 Mallory Hates Boys and Gym (1995)
✔︎ 60 Mary Anne's Makeover (1999)
✔︎ 61 Jessi and the Awful Secret (1993)
✔︎ 62 Kristy and the Worst Kid Ever (1993)
✔︎ 63 Claudia's Friend (1993)
✔︎ 64 Dawn's Family Feud (1990)
✔︎ Postcard Book (1991)
✔︎ Stacy's Revenge (1991)
✔︎ 65 Stacey's Big Crush (1993)
✔︎ 66 Maid Mary Anne (1993)
✔︎ 67 Dawn's Big Move (1993)
✔︎ 68 Jessi and the Bad Baby-Sitter (1993)
✔︎ 69 Get Well Soon, Mallory! (1993)
✔︎ 70 Stacey and the Cheerleaders (1999)
✔︎ 71 Claudia and the Perfect Boy (1994)
✔︎ 72 Dawn and the We Love Kids Club (1994)
✔︎ 73 Mary Anne and Miss Priss (1994)
✔︎ 74 Kristy and the Copycat (1996)
✔︎ 75 Jessi's Horrible Prank (1996)
✔︎ 76 Stacey's Lie (1994)
✔︎ 77 Dawn and Whitney, Friends Forever (1994)
✔︎ 78 Claudia and Crazy Peaches (1994)
✔︎ 79 Mary Anne Breaks the Rules (1994)
✔︎ Secret Santa (1994)
✔︎ 80 Mallory Pike, #1 Fan (1994)
✔︎ 81 Kristy and Mr. Mom (1995)
✔︎ 82 Jessi and the Troublemaker (1995)
✔︎ 83 Stacey vs The BSC (1995)
✔︎ 84 Dawn and the School Spirit War (1995)
✔︎ 85 Claudia Kishi, Live from WSTO! (1995)
✔︎ 86 Mary Anne and Camp BSC (1995)
✔︎ 87 Stacey and the Bad Girls (1995)
✔︎ 88 Farewell, Dawn (1995)
✔︎ The Baby-Sitters Club: The Movie (1995) (with A L Singer (Peter Lerangis))
✔︎ 89 Kristy and the Dirty Diapers (1999)
✔︎ 90 Welcome to the BSC, Abby (1995)
✔︎ 91 Claudia and the First Thanksgiving (1995)
✔︎ 92 Mallory's Christmas Wish (1995)
✔︎ 93 Mary Anne and the Memory Garden (1995)
✔︎ 94 Stacey McGill, Super Sitter (1996)
✔︎ 95 Kristy + Bart = ? (1996)
✔︎ 96 Abby's Lucky Thirteen (1996)
✔︎ 97 Claudia and the World's Cutest Baby (1999)
✔︎ 98 Dawn and Too Many Sitters (1999)
✔︎ 99 Stacey's Broken Heart (1996)
✔︎ 100 Kristy's Worst Idea (2000)
✔︎ 101 Claudia Kishi, Middle School Dropout (1996)
✔︎ 102 Mary Anne and the Little Princess (1999)
✔︎ 103 Happy Holidays, Jessi (1996)
✔︎ 104 Abby's Twin (2000)
✔︎ 105 Stacey the Math Whiz (1997)
✔︎ 106 Claudia, Queen of The Seventh Grade (1999)
✔︎ 107 Mind Your Own Business, Kristy! (1997)
✔︎ 108 Don't Give Up, Mallory (1997)
✔︎ 109 Mary Anne to the Rescue (1997)
✔︎ 110 Abby the Bad Sport (1997)
✔︎ 111 Stacey's Secret Friend (1997)
✔︎ 112 Kristy and the Sister War (1997)
✔︎ 113 Claudia Makes Up Her Mind (1997)
✔︎ 114 The Secret Life of Mary Anne Spier (1997)
✔︎ 115 Jessi's Big Break (1998)
✔︎ 116 Abby and the Best Kid Ever (1998)
✔︎ 117 Claudia and the Terrible Truth (1998)
✔︎ 118 Kristy Thomas, Dog Trainer (1998)
✔︎ 119 Stacey's Ex-Boyfriend (1998)
✔︎ 120 Mary Anne and the Playground Fight (1998)
✔︎ 121 Abby in Wonderland (1998)
✔︎ 122 Kristy in Charge (1998)
✔︎ 123 Claudia's Big Party (1998)
✔︎ 124 Stacey Mc Gill... Matchmaker? (1998)
✔︎ 125 Mary Anne in the Middle (1998)
✔︎ 126 The All-New Mallory Pike (1999)
✔︎ 127 Abby's Un-Valentine (1999)
✔︎ 128 Claudia and the Little Liar (1999)
✔︎ 129 Kristy at Bat (1999)
✔︎ 130 Stacey's Movie (1999)
✔︎ 131 The Fire at Mary Anne's House (1999)
✔︎ 0.5 The Summer Before (2010)
October 28, 2020
Ever since I learned that Netflix was reimagining one of my favorite childhood book series, I had decided that I would be embarking on a re-read of this series, reliving a series of books that helped to shape me into a voracious reader. And with The Summer Before, I'm off on this mission. This particular book didn't even exist in the way back, when I first fell in love with the BSC, as it's only about ten years old. It was the perfect introduction, really, feeling both fresh and familiar.
What I liked about The Summer Before:
Oh, the nostalgia - I am a sucker for nostalgia and this was the best sort. Characters so familiar, it was like reuniting with old friends. Stoneybrook, CT, an idealized New England town, which of course feels like home to me. If you look up 'nostalgia' in the dictionary, I'm pretty sure you'll find a picture there of me reading this book.
Backstory - It was fun to find out what happened to the four original BSC girls the summer before everything changed for them, seeing how they came together and fought not to grow too far apart.
What I didn't care for:
Shall we call it allusions to Dawson's Creek? - The slight unbelievability of these being roughly-twelve-year-old almost-seventh-graders based on their vocabulary choices. Maybe I just can't remember thirty-some-odd years ago with much clarity, but did I really use the word 'enlighten' at that age? I don't know. They just "talked a little old" to me at times.
I am so excited to embark on this travel back in time. I don't expect to be mentally stimulated -- I mean, I'm not exactly a pre-teen middle-schooler these days -- but I make no apology for choosing to enjoy this series from the perspective of adulthood. Don't expect me to have any sort of psychoanalyst or feminist sermonizing on the appropriateness of the situations or the effects on a young girl reading these books; there's plenty of that to go around already. I spent my girlhood reading them cover to cover dozens of times and I think I came out all right. ::shrug:: I'm here for the nostalgia and the meander down memory lane, as I recall how the adventures of Kristy and Mary Anne and Claudia and Stacey (and all the later additions) accompanied me through the bulk of my formative years.
What I liked about The Summer Before:
Oh, the nostalgia - I am a sucker for nostalgia and this was the best sort. Characters so familiar, it was like reuniting with old friends. Stoneybrook, CT, an idealized New England town, which of course feels like home to me. If you look up 'nostalgia' in the dictionary, I'm pretty sure you'll find a picture there of me reading this book.
Backstory - It was fun to find out what happened to the four original BSC girls the summer before everything changed for them, seeing how they came together and fought not to grow too far apart.
What I didn't care for:
Shall we call it allusions to Dawson's Creek? - The slight unbelievability of these being roughly-twelve-year-old almost-seventh-graders based on their vocabulary choices. Maybe I just can't remember thirty-some-odd years ago with much clarity, but did I really use the word 'enlighten' at that age? I don't know. They just "talked a little old" to me at times.
I am so excited to embark on this travel back in time. I don't expect to be mentally stimulated -- I mean, I'm not exactly a pre-teen middle-schooler these days -- but I make no apology for choosing to enjoy this series from the perspective of adulthood. Don't expect me to have any sort of psychoanalyst or feminist sermonizing on the appropriateness of the situations or the effects on a young girl reading these books; there's plenty of that to go around already. I spent my girlhood reading them cover to cover dozens of times and I think I came out all right. ::shrug:: I'm here for the nostalgia and the meander down memory lane, as I recall how the adventures of Kristy and Mary Anne and Claudia and Stacey (and all the later additions) accompanied me through the bulk of my formative years.
July 12, 2020
I'm going to be reading a bunch of The Baby-Sitters Club books, so beware.
May 26, 2010
Is there any way to objectively evaluate this book? I spent my childhood reading literally HUNDREDS of Baby-Sitters Club books, so reading this newly-released prequel was like watching a home movie -- full of so much nostalgia and warmth that it doesn't matter how awkward it is in retrospect.
I really love how easily Ann M. Martin was able to slip back into these characters, and each girl in the story has a very clear narrative arc. It's not great art, and the writing style is as weird as ever (weirdly adult language and observations mixed with very 12-year-old thoughts, vaguely stilted dialogue), but the characters are exactly the girls I fell for in elementary school. I was especially taken by Stacey's arc -- her diabetes diagnosis and subsequent shunning by her friends (and attempts to hide it, and need to move far away to start a new, anonymous life) feel very much like a mutant's backstory, which is awesome for the X-Men fan in me.
If you've ever read and loved a Baby-Sitters Club book, I highly recommend this novel. But if you have absolutely no prior attachment to the girls, I'm not sure I can recommend it.
I really love how easily Ann M. Martin was able to slip back into these characters, and each girl in the story has a very clear narrative arc. It's not great art, and the writing style is as weird as ever (weirdly adult language and observations mixed with very 12-year-old thoughts, vaguely stilted dialogue), but the characters are exactly the girls I fell for in elementary school. I was especially taken by Stacey's arc -- her diabetes diagnosis and subsequent shunning by her friends (and attempts to hide it, and need to move far away to start a new, anonymous life) feel very much like a mutant's backstory, which is awesome for the X-Men fan in me.
If you've ever read and loved a Baby-Sitters Club book, I highly recommend this novel. But if you have absolutely no prior attachment to the girls, I'm not sure I can recommend it.
March 23, 2011
OMG! I feel like a middle-schooler again! Not that that was a great time, but I loved reading the Baby-Sitter's Club books. I read them voraciously. And, I'm not embarrassed to admit, I kinda wanna read them all again after reading this one!
The Summer Before is a prequel book to all of the other Baby-Sitter's Club books. The girls are in the summer before 7th grade and are just beginning to babysit. At the very end of the book, Kristy gets the idea for the club. Which is where the first book, Kristy's Great Idea (written back in 1986), started out.
There's something refreshing about the way Ann M Martin writes these books. They're easy to read (obviously) and fun. She has great insight into the 11- to 13-year old mind set. Of course there were moments when I'd roll my eyes, but for the most part, these books and these girls were just like me at that age.
The Summer Before is a prequel book to all of the other Baby-Sitter's Club books. The girls are in the summer before 7th grade and are just beginning to babysit. At the very end of the book, Kristy gets the idea for the club. Which is where the first book, Kristy's Great Idea (written back in 1986), started out.
There's something refreshing about the way Ann M Martin writes these books. They're easy to read (obviously) and fun. She has great insight into the 11- to 13-year old mind set. Of course there were moments when I'd roll my eyes, but for the most part, these books and these girls were just like me at that age.
June 10, 2010
I really loved this book; it reminded me of how much I liked the series when I was a little girl. The Babysitter's Club launched when I was in fifth grade (1986), and I bought "Kristy's Great Idea" off the shelf at my local Waldenbooks and eagerly awaited every new release. This captures the charm of the early books (which were written by Martin rather than ghostwriters), and she touches on some themes of the series in a slightly more serious way. It's great to revisit such familiar characters without all the boring repetition of the later books. Definitely recommended for any nostalgic 30something, and a good gift for a younger girl who isn't familiar with the series.
March 22, 2017
A throwback to my childhood. As I was reading, I couldn't help but think that it'd be wonderful to live in Stoneybrook and be friends with these girls, especially Kristy and Mary Anne. Stoneybrook feels like a different time/place from the world that we know today (imho). There's a sense of community here; neighbours talked to and trusted one another. The girls also had a great deal of freedom and responsibility (sitting jobs where they took care of 2 and 3 year olds). I lived and breathed these books as a kid and I hope that the magic of the BSC series continues to appeal to audiences today.
April 23, 2010
It was nice to take a trip down memory lane with the fab four. I loved the series when I was growing up. I hope this book re-news interest in the books for young girls. :)
March 17, 2016
I liked this book a lot. t was very happy and upbeat. I could relate to it a lot.
March 14, 2020
It’s exactly what you think it will be. Nostalgia to the max.
June 28, 2020
I loved revisiting the Baby-Sitters Club in anticipation of the Netflix remake that launches in a few weeks! I adored these books when I was in middle school, and I was pleased to see that some serious topics were tackled, which must be such a comfort for young readers trying to overcome the same obstacles. The writing is mature, too, which I didn’t remember, but it made reading this book as an adult all the more enjoyable.
I’ll definitely plan to reread more of this series (and Sweet Valley Twins, too, of course) — I’m hoping I can encourage my daughters to join me in reading these books when they grow up!
I’ll definitely plan to reread more of this series (and Sweet Valley Twins, too, of course) — I’m hoping I can encourage my daughters to join me in reading these books when they grow up!
April 9, 2010
I give the extra star not because the book necessarily deserves it as a whole, but because nostalgia works in funny ways.
It's been 20 some-odd years since I started reading the BSC books and I'm glad AMM resisted the urge to do a book about life after the Club. That said, a lot of the special BSC books already delved back into life prior to the club forming, so some of this book feels like a retread. The rest throws some interesting new trivia our way.
The book is split four ways, with each chapter narrated by one of the original club members, much like the various super specials in the series, but without the headache inducing handwriting.
First there's Kristy. The rest of the Thomas clan loves Watson, the man Kristy's mother has recently begun dating, but Kristy still misses her real father desperately. For reasons even she can't really explain, she convinces herself that he's planning a big surprise for her birthday. Either a phone call, or a gift, or maybe a card... or, and this is the crazy part, maybe he'll visit. Just walk through the door and wish her a happy birthday. She knows it's crazy and yet she keeps hoping. She pins her entire summer on the hope that at the end, her father will finally come through for her.
Yeah. Kristy's issue is the same one we almost always deal with, and if there weren't at least three other books dealing with her hoping her father would finally do right by her (plus that movie), this would be more interesting. As it is, I wish AMM had spent more time on how Kristy felt/dealt with Watson being welcomed into the family so quickly. I liked the bits where Kristy resented Watson either assuming he was invited to 'family' get togethers or that Kristy's mom invited him without considering the fact that maybe at least one of her kids would want to spend time with just the actual family. Especially when we're told Watson's only been dating Mrs. Thomas since May.
In a lot of the early books, it's pointed out that Mary Anne still plays with dolls. This is usually to illustrate how much younger MA is than Claudia or Stacey. We finally learn what started that observation and it has very little to do with actually playing with dolls.
MA goes searching in the attic (yeah, again... but for the first time? Time warp confusion!) and finds a box of her mother's things. In it, she finds four dolls that she suspects her mother was keeping to give to her when she was old enough, only MA is now a little too old for them. Instead, she decides she'll make them clothes and play with them that way. She tells Kristy who understands, but when they ask for Claudia for help (without telling them the dolls were MA's mother's), Claudia bails on them.
Elsewhere we learn that as of the start of this book, MA hasn't babysat anyone before because her father doesn't think she's old enough. Funny, later in the series when she helps torture Mal, this never comes up. MA spends a good portion of her summer trying to find a way to convince her father that she's old enough to babysit alone.
The real standout for me, with MA, is the way she realizes that Kristy's summer wish is never going to happen, and when her father inevitably lets her down, Kristy will need something big to pick her back up again. And then shy, sweet MA recruits people for the first ever Kristy Day. Even when people make fun of her or her ideas, MA still pushes forward because she knows her best friend in the world needs something to cheer her up. This makes me love MA/Kristy something fierce.
Claudia should sue for defamation of character. As readers my age look back on the original series, they frequently comment that usually Claudia is the sanest of the bunch, awful and improbable spelling aside. She's developed a bit of a cult following, even.
This book? This one sets fire to the roots of that following. First there's the way Claud bails on MA and Kristy when MA asks for help with the dolls. She doesn't ever learn the truth, I don't think, and is rude the way she just disappears on them. Then Claudia's birthday rolls around and she has Janine invite friends to the party so she won't be bored. She watches as Janine lights up when the guy she's invited shows up. She doesn't realize Janine is interested in the guy (Frankie) until Janine fusses at her _after_ the party. Considering the way Claud was blinded by Frankie, this I'm willing to believe.
But even after Claud realizes her sister is interested in Frankie, she still goes out with him. A lot. Annnnnnd I've got to say I found her story the least interesting of the bunch, really. But I will say this: Janine was much nicer than I would have imagined she'd be.
Stacey's story involves the most amount of retcon in the least amount of time. Assuming you've read the BSC series prior, you know that sixth grade brings the end of Laine and Stacey. TSB begs to differ on that. Instead it says that after Laine comes back from her summer at camp, she's changed. She begins to freeze Stacey out before the diabetes even factors into things. She's also downright nasty to Stacey, in front of their parents, and gets away with it.
I wish there'd been more to Stacey's story than there actually was and I really wish the book hadn't ended with basically a rehash of the first paragraph of Krisy's Great Idea.
Overall, it's a nice, sweet story that adds to the BSC's history, but I'm not sure how well it holds up on it's own.
It's been 20 some-odd years since I started reading the BSC books and I'm glad AMM resisted the urge to do a book about life after the Club. That said, a lot of the special BSC books already delved back into life prior to the club forming, so some of this book feels like a retread. The rest throws some interesting new trivia our way.
The book is split four ways, with each chapter narrated by one of the original club members, much like the various super specials in the series, but without the headache inducing handwriting.
First there's Kristy. The rest of the Thomas clan loves Watson, the man Kristy's mother has recently begun dating, but Kristy still misses her real father desperately. For reasons even she can't really explain, she convinces herself that he's planning a big surprise for her birthday. Either a phone call, or a gift, or maybe a card... or, and this is the crazy part, maybe he'll visit. Just walk through the door and wish her a happy birthday. She knows it's crazy and yet she keeps hoping. She pins her entire summer on the hope that at the end, her father will finally come through for her.
Yeah. Kristy's issue is the same one we almost always deal with, and if there weren't at least three other books dealing with her hoping her father would finally do right by her (plus that movie), this would be more interesting. As it is, I wish AMM had spent more time on how Kristy felt/dealt with Watson being welcomed into the family so quickly. I liked the bits where Kristy resented Watson either assuming he was invited to 'family' get togethers or that Kristy's mom invited him without considering the fact that maybe at least one of her kids would want to spend time with just the actual family. Especially when we're told Watson's only been dating Mrs. Thomas since May.
In a lot of the early books, it's pointed out that Mary Anne still plays with dolls. This is usually to illustrate how much younger MA is than Claudia or Stacey. We finally learn what started that observation and it has very little to do with actually playing with dolls.
MA goes searching in the attic (yeah, again... but for the first time? Time warp confusion!) and finds a box of her mother's things. In it, she finds four dolls that she suspects her mother was keeping to give to her when she was old enough, only MA is now a little too old for them. Instead, she decides she'll make them clothes and play with them that way. She tells Kristy who understands, but when they ask for Claudia for help (without telling them the dolls were MA's mother's), Claudia bails on them.
Elsewhere we learn that as of the start of this book, MA hasn't babysat anyone before because her father doesn't think she's old enough. Funny, later in the series when she helps torture Mal, this never comes up. MA spends a good portion of her summer trying to find a way to convince her father that she's old enough to babysit alone.
The real standout for me, with MA, is the way she realizes that Kristy's summer wish is never going to happen, and when her father inevitably lets her down, Kristy will need something big to pick her back up again. And then shy, sweet MA recruits people for the first ever Kristy Day. Even when people make fun of her or her ideas, MA still pushes forward because she knows her best friend in the world needs something to cheer her up. This makes me love MA/Kristy something fierce.
Claudia should sue for defamation of character. As readers my age look back on the original series, they frequently comment that usually Claudia is the sanest of the bunch, awful and improbable spelling aside. She's developed a bit of a cult following, even.
This book? This one sets fire to the roots of that following. First there's the way Claud bails on MA and Kristy when MA asks for help with the dolls. She doesn't ever learn the truth, I don't think, and is rude the way she just disappears on them. Then Claudia's birthday rolls around and she has Janine invite friends to the party so she won't be bored. She watches as Janine lights up when the guy she's invited shows up. She doesn't realize Janine is interested in the guy (Frankie) until Janine fusses at her _after_ the party. Considering the way Claud was blinded by Frankie, this I'm willing to believe.
But even after Claud realizes her sister is interested in Frankie, she still goes out with him. A lot. Annnnnnd I've got to say I found her story the least interesting of the bunch, really. But I will say this: Janine was much nicer than I would have imagined she'd be.
Stacey's story involves the most amount of retcon in the least amount of time. Assuming you've read the BSC series prior, you know that sixth grade brings the end of Laine and Stacey. TSB begs to differ on that. Instead it says that after Laine comes back from her summer at camp, she's changed. She begins to freeze Stacey out before the diabetes even factors into things. She's also downright nasty to Stacey, in front of their parents, and gets away with it.
I wish there'd been more to Stacey's story than there actually was and I really wish the book hadn't ended with basically a rehash of the first paragraph of Krisy's Great Idea.
Overall, it's a nice, sweet story that adds to the BSC's history, but I'm not sure how well it holds up on it's own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2024
I have realized at some point or another I have read this one or seen it in one of the Series' or Movies that were made. Yes, this is a library edition and school edition. This is where most of Kristy's Ideas become known and makes it into her own Club. That is probably where I remember reading it from Book 1 of the actual Series and it goes from there.
I do recommend it, if you find it.
I do recommend it, if you find it.
June 3, 2017
This was a fun book to read. It still feels like the BSC books that I read in elementary school. I'm glad that the author remained true to the original series. Although, I didn't like Claudia as much in this book. Also, I wouldn't mind a book or books set in the future. It would be nice to see what became of the BSC.
Read
December 26, 2017The origin story of The Baby-Sitters Club! I thought this was a really cute read. It gives you an idea of what the 4 original girls (Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey) were going through during the summer before they started the club. I especially liked reading about the friendship between Kristy and Mary Anne and how they help each other through various problems in their lives. Great read for all fans of the BSC.
September 3, 2025
how did I not know there was a prequel to the series that defined my childhood
April 19, 2019
This was my fave serie when I was younger and I'm so glad I decided to read again some of the novels!
I love the characters
I love the characters
July 11, 2017
As I've mentioned in several places, I originally read "The Baby-Sitters Club" from 1992 (halfway through third grade) until late summer of 1995 (right before starting seventh grade). I was familiar with the numbered series (I read up to #88), the Super Specials, Reader Requests, and to a lesser extent, the Mysteries. I also read the "Little Sister" spin-off during that same time (I think I read about 50 of those books). I loved "The Baby-Sitters Club," and the only reason I stopped reading them was because I was 12 (almost 13), and felt like I was "too old" and ready to move on to bigger and better things/readings.
Last year, I found an article about Ann M. Martin and the 30th Anniversary of "The Baby-Sitters Club," and was naturally intrigued. As a nostalgia geek/buff and writer, I was so happy to find out something of my childhood was being celebrated, especially something I held in such a high regard at a critical time to develop a love of reading. I never knew how much existed in the years after I stopped reading the books, and that the series, which started right before my 4th birthday in 1986, was published up until the fall of 2000. To give you an idea of how long 14 years is, I was in pre-school when the first books came out. By the time the last book ("Graduation Day") was released, I was filling out my college application and writing the essay to go with it. I didn't have a book series (or book) of choice during that time (so much school reading!), and hadn't in probably four years at that point. So to find out how long the series ran, the cynic in me said "Wow, it took them 14 years to finish middle school?!"
I don't say this to be all long-winded and such - there is a point to all of this. I never knew how much existed beyond the books released up until August 1995, and I certainly didn't know there was a prequel book that lays it all out. I am, of course, happy that Ann M. Martin decided to revisit the series 10 years after the last book was published, and go all the way back to the beginning. I bought it for my Kindle last fall (when it was released digitally), but only got to it recently.
"The Summer Before" flashes back to the summer before Kristy had her great idea, and is told from the points of view of the Core Four as they spend the summer between sixth and seventh grades in their different lives. Kristy and Mary Anne are best friends, and their ways and personalities don't always play well with their friend Claudia, who desires to grow up a little faster than she perhaps should. Meanwhile, Stacey is still living in New York City, and is looking forward to a fresh start in a new town, away from the stigma her diabetes diagnosis has caused.
All the chapters are first-person point-of-view (like all the books have been), but each character gets a certain number of chapters to tell their story. It is the stories you haven't heard already, but leads up to the story you know and love, moving toward the Great Idea that set the whole fourteen years (seriously, fourteen years!) worth of books in motion.
My Take: I really enjoyed this one. Again, from a nostalgic standpoint, this tickled my nostalgic love and appreciation for something I fondly remember. I knew the backstory of each character going into this, but it was refreshing to see what life was like pre-BSC, and how the rift between Kristy and Mary Anne with Claudia finally gets patched up, and how Stacey's life was about to change in a big way. Ann M. Martin recaptured the series us 80s/90s girls knew and loved, and gave the beloved characters their familiar voices once again.
In short, I loved this book!
Now, if only we could see a "revisited" book that shows them graduating from high school, or perhaps their lives ten years after the final book...
Might be alot to ask.
Do I recommend this book? Oh yes, and not just for kids currently reading it (do kids read the series these days?), but for the nostalgic adults who loved the series growing up. Say hello to your friends once more, and see before it all began!
Last year, I found an article about Ann M. Martin and the 30th Anniversary of "The Baby-Sitters Club," and was naturally intrigued. As a nostalgia geek/buff and writer, I was so happy to find out something of my childhood was being celebrated, especially something I held in such a high regard at a critical time to develop a love of reading. I never knew how much existed in the years after I stopped reading the books, and that the series, which started right before my 4th birthday in 1986, was published up until the fall of 2000. To give you an idea of how long 14 years is, I was in pre-school when the first books came out. By the time the last book ("Graduation Day") was released, I was filling out my college application and writing the essay to go with it. I didn't have a book series (or book) of choice during that time (so much school reading!), and hadn't in probably four years at that point. So to find out how long the series ran, the cynic in me said "Wow, it took them 14 years to finish middle school?!"
I don't say this to be all long-winded and such - there is a point to all of this. I never knew how much existed beyond the books released up until August 1995, and I certainly didn't know there was a prequel book that lays it all out. I am, of course, happy that Ann M. Martin decided to revisit the series 10 years after the last book was published, and go all the way back to the beginning. I bought it for my Kindle last fall (when it was released digitally), but only got to it recently.
"The Summer Before" flashes back to the summer before Kristy had her great idea, and is told from the points of view of the Core Four as they spend the summer between sixth and seventh grades in their different lives. Kristy and Mary Anne are best friends, and their ways and personalities don't always play well with their friend Claudia, who desires to grow up a little faster than she perhaps should. Meanwhile, Stacey is still living in New York City, and is looking forward to a fresh start in a new town, away from the stigma her diabetes diagnosis has caused.
All the chapters are first-person point-of-view (like all the books have been), but each character gets a certain number of chapters to tell their story. It is the stories you haven't heard already, but leads up to the story you know and love, moving toward the Great Idea that set the whole fourteen years (seriously, fourteen years!) worth of books in motion.
My Take: I really enjoyed this one. Again, from a nostalgic standpoint, this tickled my nostalgic love and appreciation for something I fondly remember. I knew the backstory of each character going into this, but it was refreshing to see what life was like pre-BSC, and how the rift between Kristy and Mary Anne with Claudia finally gets patched up, and how Stacey's life was about to change in a big way. Ann M. Martin recaptured the series us 80s/90s girls knew and loved, and gave the beloved characters their familiar voices once again.
In short, I loved this book!
Now, if only we could see a "revisited" book that shows them graduating from high school, or perhaps their lives ten years after the final book...
Might be alot to ask.
Do I recommend this book? Oh yes, and not just for kids currently reading it (do kids read the series these days?), but for the nostalgic adults who loved the series growing up. Say hello to your friends once more, and see before it all began!
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