Abby's Twin

The Baby-Sitters Club #104

by Ann M. Martin, Hodges Soileau (Illustration)

Abby and Anna weren't dressed alike as babies. They've worn their hair differently for years. And while they do have some common interests, they have plenty of separate ones, too. Still, the twins have always shared a closeness no one and nothing could interfere with.

Now Anna--and Anna alone--faces bad news that will affect her health and her future. Abby's determined to be there for her. But Anna doesn't seem to want her help. Aren't twins supposed to go through things like this together?

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary, Friendship, Juvenile

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Ann 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...

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on my kindle while on my exercise bike 🤣 just to have a light read while I exercised. I liked this book, I hadn't read this one before. I've been feeling nostalgic and decided to revisit a favorite childhood series.

[Ciara · Rating 2 out of 5]

man. they are really struggling plotlines. in this one, anna is diagnosed with scoliosis & has to be fitted for a brace. abby panics because she thinks that she & anna won't be twins anymore if anna is wearing a scoliosis brace. they have a big fight & then make up. the B-plot is all about some dumb winter carnival kristy organizes with the other babysitters. everyone is worried that it won't snow in time for the carnival...but it does & everyone has fun.

as someone who actually has scoliosis, this book really annoyed me. both abby & anna are given notes to take home to their mom, because the scoliosis tester detects a curvature in both of them. anna is like, "whatevs," but abby PANICS. you wouldn't think that a person who already has serious allergies & asthma would be all that concerned about something as inconsequential as a possible spine curvature, but abby actually cries because she is so scared. what exactly does she think scoliosis is? i think she might be confusing it with...i don't know...pancreatic cancer or something. just chill out, dude.

mrs. stevenson takes them both to a specialist in new york, who does find spinal curvatures in both girls. abby's is pretty minor, but anna's is serious enough that he recommends the brace. anna is like, "okay, this isn't awesome, but i can deal." abby is like, "oh my god, anna, you must be so scared! i will support you every step of the way! i am here for you, whatever you may need!" she starts feeling guilty anytime she is doing anything other than hovering around anna. she figures that anna must be experiencing a profound scoliosis-related depression because sometimes she just sits around watching the symphony on TV. bear in mind that anna enjoys classical music & plays it herself, on her violin. she even tells abby in no uncertain terms, "i'm not moping. i'm watching the symphony. i like it." but abby thinks that anna would have more fun playing video games or choosing bicycle shorts from a catalogue. apparently these are the things that abby does for fun.

in this book, abby acts a lot like karen brewer acts in super mystery #2, when the sitters & the brewer-thomases go to maine to check out the supposedly haunted house their friends inherit. remember how karen bosses around the friends' youngest daughter & constantly tries to force her to meet other kids, even though she is shy & likes to read? that's exactly like abby in this book, & it is equally annoying.

the doctors tell anna that she may want to invest in some slightly larger clothes because she has to wear the brace 23 hours a day & it will cause a little bit of bulk under her clothes. abby convinces her mom to give her $200 & drive her & stacey to the mall to pick out a new wardrobe for anna. (stacey is quick to point out that $200 won't buy an entire wardrobe, though it will buy several nice items.) i think it should have been clear to mrs. stevenson that it was probably a better use of funds to let anna choose her own clothes, but maybe she just wanted to give abby something to do. stacey suggests some nice laura ashley dresses & conservative sweaters & basic skirts & other things that are similar to how anna dresses, but abby rejects it all. she choose bright jogging outfits, sweatshirts, baseball caps, & bike shorts. in other words, the kinds of shit she likes, & the kinds of shit that she thinks will "cheer anna up" (because it's brightly colored) & will help facilitate anna's exercise regimen. needless to say, anna is pretty lukewarm on all of it.

in school, after anna gets her brace, alan gray bumps into her & knocks her down. abby screams at him, & then anna screams at abby for embarrassing her. anna tells her to back off because the scoliosis is happening to her, not abby. abby calls anna selfish & ungrateful. they stop speaking.

the dumb carnival happens & anna catches a ride with shannon. she sleds down a hill even after abby tells her not to because she might get hurt, & she is fine. she has proved to both abby & herself that she's not some fragile little snowflake. the twins make up.

this was like a deenie for the next generation. how many little girls were completely terrified of scoliosis after reading this book?

[Lianna Kendig · Rating 3 out of 5]

(LL)
This book was good at talking about scoliosis, which it is always good to teach kids about conditions they may not learn about in school or see first hand what it’s like to live with scoliosis. However, since we had the book on the Arnold twins, all the lessons in this book are repetitive. That’s why I gave the book three stars.

As an aside: Anna almost never spends time with the BSC so there is no way Stacey would know Anna’s style and pick out clothes Anna would like.

[Maeve · Rating 2 out of 5]

After a school health screening, both Abby and Anna are sent to an orthopedic specialist to determine if they have scoliosis. Abby is ecstatic when she learns she does not have it...but Anna does. In an effort to help Anna feel better, Abby tries to cheer her up; but only offers suggestions that she herself would enjoy. The twins have a huge falling out, and after some time to both process their emotions, they apologize to one another.

[Jaclyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this story. Good deep dive into the feelings of guilt and helplessness when someone you love is going through something you can't take on for them, and how these feelings are amplified when that person is your identical twin. I love this exploration of Abby and Anna's relationship, and I also love that this book can maybe make scoliosis a bit less scary for readers, just like BSC books have done with Stacey's diabetes and Abby's allergies/asthma.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having just re-read “Deenie”, I thought it was a good time to also re-read the only other scoliosis book that I remember from my childhood.

I always loved this one, and it’s still really good. I remember thinking Abby was so overbearing here as a kid, but I actually really sympathized with her while reading it now.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed a chaser from the giant books I've been reading non-stop lately. I always love the Baby-Sitters Club books! Gosh, these bring me back to my childhood. But even as an adult, I love them. The stories are so good for young teens, and even someone three times that age can remember and reminisce about familiar themes!

[Devon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally one of the less annoying members of the BSC, Abby really pushed my buttons in this one. How obtuse can one 13-year-old babysitter be? That said, I do enjoy Abby's perspective of the other babysitters--it always feels a little fresher. The B plot with the winter carnival, though, didn't save the main plot. It mostly felt recycled from previous books.

[Cassandra Doon · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was 10 I joined a readers club/group where we got a new book every week. I chose The babysitters club.
The books are fantastic! So enjoyable. I loved getting the book every week. They are super quick reads and I was able to read it in one day.
Highly recommend for young teenagers to read or even younger if they are able too read well.

[Cloud · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the books that explore Abby and Anna's relationship! I think it's very underutilized in the series. I think this book was realistic in how hard it is to see those you love going through something hard that you don't really understand, but all you want to do is help them.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abby can be dull on her own. Add in super boring Anna and this put me to sleep at work today. Well, that and the cold meds I'm on.

[Jennifer Baratta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review on www.Audible.com please listen to this book to learn more about Scoliosis.

[Marcella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

This book was very interesting and different from the others in the series, I was surprised that it was about scoliosis.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Does having a boyfriend really have anything to do with being cool? I’m not entirely sure about that.” gay rights!

[Christina]

Read my recap at A Year with the BSC via Stoneybrook Forever: https://www.livethemovies.com/bsc-blo...

[aem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abby sure is loud, obnoxious and self centered…

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, I love Abby, but she was insufferable in this. Give me the BSC winter carnival B-plot any day!

[Aaliyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a good book I agree with what it said and the moral I felt like the ending could have a bit more work.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abby doesn't know how to listen. You'd think in 13 years, she'd already have noticed that she's a different person from her sister.

[Laura Rayner]

Trying to cheer up her twin, Anna, who has been diagnosed with scoliosis, Abby fears that the condition is driving them apart when Anna seems to not want Abby's help and begins to do things on her own.

[Yailene_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun and yet got me worked up a bit too, being able to relate to wanting to help but not knowing how to.

@BSC I bought a ton of these at a $1 Book Charity Drive and now have tons of random BSC novels to get through! Woo, the babysitters club will be taking me down memory lane once again

[Diya · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was weird man, I don’t know what else to say. It genuinely pains me to score a BSC book so low, but this one just was not it (which ghostwriter got their hands on this?).

Pros:
-Abby and Kristy’s dynamic is always fun! It’s always funny to see how Abby describes Kristy while somehow not realizing that they’re eerily similar. Also, this exchange between them:
“It’s me. Come over to my house as fast as you can.” It was Kristy. “I just had a great idea.”
I rolled my eyes. “I was on my way back to bed.”
“See you in five minutes,” she said, hanging up.
-The b-plot, truly the highlight of the book. I loved all the chapters about the Winter Carnival and it’s always fun when the kids show up. (Although, Kristy wanting the kids to help them earn money for it when the club is organizing for the kids is so funny and it is peak Kristy behaviour.)
-“Enough with the Snow White songs, already.” - See, Byron gets it. Also, Kristy, you can’t be as insane as Abby in her own book, calm down girl.

Cons:

Literally just the entire a-plot of the book. Abby was infuriating! I get it okay, she’s like 13 and doesn’t know how to deal with her emotions, but her behaviour toward Anna was so bizarre! Anna’s a better person than me because I would not have been nearly as forgiving or understanding.

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh Abby you were my favourite but boy were you tough to like here. The book starts with a school health check. Do they still do those? I remember them, eyes and ears mostly because being partially deaf my mother would always get that concerned phone call that I was deaf. Like my mom was a shitty parent who didn't already know that. These health checks also include scoliosis tests and both Abby and Anna are sent to the doctor. Abby is fine Anna has to wear a brace. Abby becomes Anna's shadow cutting her hair like hers and buying her clothes that suit Abby more. They have a huge blow up fight over it. The b plot involves a winter carnival the girls throw. The catch is that after a winter of nothing but snow (2022 anyone? Ugh) now there's no snow and they worry that they can't have the carnival but as they are about to cancel the snow falls again. Not a bad book Abby was hard to like here which is sad because she's one of my favourites and a breath of fresh air in the BSC universe.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite what people seem to think this is not a complete ripoff of Deenie by Judy Blume. In fact it goes rather well as a companion piece. While Deenie was about Deenie's struggles with scoliosis, Abby's Twin is about Abby's struggles with her sister's scoliosis.

And yes, there is that annoying b-plot with the winter carnival because nothing says "b-plot" like throwing a shindig in Mary Anne's barn. (In real life there'd be a official there in five seconds flat "do you have a permit for this? Insurance? Anything?... No? Is this barn even up to code?")

I really liked this book as a kid. I don't know why; I found myself cringing and skipping parts this time, but of books upward of a hundred this is the one I remembered the most fondly.

[Kelly Thevenot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abby's Twin is a heart wrenching story of close siblings who faces the bad news that might change their life. Anna is faced with the news that she has scoliosis and her bones are not as developed as her twin sisters, which is not uncommon in twins. I would have my students read this book to discuss how sometimes life does not go as planned and at times we are faced with scary situations, but with family and friendship we can get through tough times. I believe that beginning readers would really enjoy reading this book.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic books for young girls getting into reading!! Great stories about friendship and life lessons. The characters deal with all sorts of situations and often find responsible solutions to problems.

I loved this series growing up and wanted to start my own babysitting business with friends. Great lessons in entrepreneurship for tweens.

The books may be dated with out references to modern technology but the story stands and lessons are still relevant.

Awesome books that girls will love! And the series grows with them! Terrific Author!

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

In which Anna has scoliosis, which terrified me in school because I read Deenie and as a result prayed during those school tests that I didn't have it and wouldn't have to wear a Milwaukee brace. Oh, and Abby goes overboard, as usual. STFU, Abby.

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

Judy Blume does scoliosis better. Also, ABBY IS NOT A REAL BABY-SITTER.

[Aisha Naamani]

twins

[Melenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved these books as a child