The Baby-Sitters Club - General Discussion

[Mirabelle]

1 hour ago, ruby24 said:

Funnily enough, I always knew they wouldn't change Stacey from a blonde. I'm not surprised they picked Dawn to change- my guess is they chose her because she was the least popular of the original characters and they thought less people would complain about it (also with the changes to her backstory and family).

I don't have any stats on hand, but I'm guessing Stacey was one of the most popular with fans (maybe the most)? I seem to remember thinking or knowing that back when I used to read the books.

I've been doing a deep dive on BSC and I recently read an interview with Ann M. Martin where she said they received a lot of backlash when the character moved back to New York. That's when they realized just how popular the character was. Introducing Mallory as her replacement didn't help either. That last part is my assumption - I remember not being all that jazzed to lose Stacey for Mallory. Stacey was aspirational - she was who you wanted to actually be while Mallory was who you desperately didn't want to be (but probably were.)

Edited July 9, 2020 by Mirabelle

[SeanC]

2 hours ago, ruby24 said:

Funnily enough, I always knew they wouldn't change Stacey from a blonde. I'm not surprised they picked Dawn to change- my guess is they chose her because she was the least popular of the original characters and they thought less people would complain about it (also with the changes to her backstory and family).

They said in one of the interviews that they decided Dawn being Latina made sense since "California girl" was a big identifier for her and California obviously has a very large Hispanic population.

[Minneapple]

1 hour ago, Mirabelle said:

I've been doing a deep dive on BSC and I recently read an interview with Ann M. Martin where she said they received a lot of backlash when the character moved back to New York. That's when they realized just how popular the character was. Introducing Mallory as her replacement didn't help either. That last part is my assumption - I remember not being all that jazzed to lose Stacey for Mallory. Stacey was aspirational - she was who you wanted to actually be while Mallory was who you desperately didn't want to be (but probably were.)

Of course Stacey was hugely popular -- she was blond, fashionable, pretty, and from a glamorous place like New York. She made diabetes cool! All of us bookworms from boring-ass places like Minnesota wanted to be Stacey!

[Annber03]

Just now, Minneapple said:

Of course Stacey was hugely popular -- she was blond, fashionable, pretty, and from a glamorous place like New York. She made diabetes cool! All of us bookworms from boring-ass places like Minnesota wanted to be Stacey!

When my school choir took a trip to New York City when I was in 10th grade, I kept thinking about those books and Stacey while I was there, as well as Mary Anne's excitement to go there :D. One day the tour bus we took passed the Dakota apartment building, and when the tour guide asked if any of us knew what the name of that building was, I knew the answer, thanks to those books. 

I also think of Stacey anytime there's discussion of the movie Mary Poppins, or I see it on TV or something :). 

[Spencer Hastings]

13 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

When my school choir took a trip to New York City when I was in 10th grade, I kept thinking about those books and Stacey while I was there, as well as Mary Anne's excitement to go there :D. One day the tour bus we took passed the Dakota apartment building, and when the tour guide asked if any of us knew what the name of that building was, I knew the answer, thanks to those books. 

I went to NYC for the first time last year and was thinking of Stacey the whole time.  My sister thought I’d lost my mind when we passed the Dakota and I started talking about the BSC and Laine. I’m still such a nerd.

Edited July 9, 2020 by Spencer Hastings

[Guest]

27 minutes ago, SeanC said:

They said in one of the interviews that they decided Dawn being Latina made sense since "California girl" was a big identifier for her and California obviously has a very large Hispanic population.

That’s way I like the change. Book Dawn was the stereotypical image of what a “California girl” was. Even 30 years ago I couldn’t relate to her and I live in California. The new Dawn is still somewhat of a stereotype but she’s much more realistic. 

 

33 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

Of course Stacey was hugely popular -- she was blond, fashionable, pretty, and from a glamorous place like New York. She made diabetes cool! All of us bookworms from boring-ass places like Minnesota wanted to be Stacey!

I think bookworms everywhere wanted to be her. I certainly did. After all every book reminded me she was sophisticated. 

[Zima]

3 hours ago, ruby24 said:

Funnily enough, I always knew they wouldn't change Stacey from a blonde. I'm not surprised they picked Dawn to change- my guess is they chose her because she was the least popular of the original characters and they thought less people would complain about it (also with the changes to her backstory and family).

I don't have any stats on hand, but I'm guessing Stacey was one of the most popular with fans (maybe the most)? I seem to remember thinking or knowing that back when I used to read the books.

 

2 hours ago, Mirabelle said:

I've been doing a deep dive on BSC and I recently read an interview with Ann M. Martin where she said they received a lot of backlash when the character moved back to New York. That's when they realized just how popular the character was. Introducing Mallory as her replacement didn't help either. That last part is my assumption - I remember not being all that jazzed to lose Stacey for Mallory. Stacey was aspirational - she was who you wanted to actually be while Mallory was who you desperately didn't want to be (but probably were.)

I remember that there was a survey in the back of one of the books, asking people to mail in their response to the question, "Who is your favorite baby-sitter?"  A few books later, the results were in. Stacey was #1, Claudia was #2...I don't remember the order of the rest, except that Kristy was last (which made me sad, because she was my fav). Jessi and Mallory weren't even considered. 

[Spencer Hastings]

1 hour ago, Zima said:

 

I remember that there was a survey in the back of one of the books, asking people to mail in their response to the question, "Who is your favorite baby-sitter?"  A few books later, the results were in. Stacey was #1, Claudia was #2...I don't remember the order of the rest, except that Kristy was last (which made me sad, because she was my fav). Jessi and Mallory weren't even considered. 

This is interesting that the readers voted her last because Kristy has always been (and is to this day) Ann M. Martin’s favorite. I feel like she put the most time into Kristy’s character/personality because she was based off of her best friend. 

Edited July 9, 2020 by Spencer Hastings

[PRgal]

Another thing:  what was so great about BSC was not only their ethnically diverse characters long before diversity was a “thing,” but no one ever thought that they had to be of the same or similar cultural background as the character to relate to her.  At least not at my school!!  And they were also not stereotypical.  I mean, Claudia was no Janine!!  

Edited July 9, 2020 by PRgal

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, PRgal said:

Another thing:  what was so great about BSC was not only their ethnically diverse characters long before diversity was a “thing,” but no one ever thought that they had to be of the same or similar cultural background as the character to relate to her.  At least not at my school!!  And they were also not stereotypical.  I mean, Claudia was no Janine!!  

So true :). You either related to them or wanted to be like them, and you wanted to be friends with them. You could feel like you'd be accepted in their group, no matter who you were. 

[PRgal]

Just a question:  Was Charlotte adopted in the books?  I don't remember!  

[Guest]

1 hour ago, PRgal said:

Just a question:  Was Charlotte adopted in the books?  I don't remember!  

She wasn’t. 

Edited July 9, 2020 by Guest

[bettername2come]

Until I got on these forums, I don't think I realized how unpopular Dawn was. I mean, it does make sense that she would move across country if she wasn't popular, but she also had that spinoff series with her California friends. Of course, I never read it or even saw it in the library, so maybe it wasn't popular either. Her possibly haunted house with a secret passageway was always my favorite thing about her.

Claudia was always my favorite. She was the babysitter least like me. Asian, gorgeous, zit-free, cool, fashionable, artistic, book dumb. I never disliked any of the babysitters, Jessi was likely my least favorite at the time. but looking back I think I find Mallory's storylines the least memorable. 

Watching the show I'm realizing just how deeply some of the plotlines and characters from the series are burned into my brain. 

[PRgal]

Did anyone notice the Cher Horowitz shout-out outfit Claudia wore on episode 4??

[Guest]

23 hours ago, Mirabelle said:

I've been doing a deep dive on BSC and I recently read an interview with Ann M. Martin where she said they received a lot of backlash when the character moved back to New York. That's when they realized just how popular the character was. Introducing Mallory as her replacement didn't help either. That last part is my assumption - I remember not being all that jazzed to lose Stacey for Mallory. Stacey was aspirational - she was who you wanted to actually be while Mallory was who you desperately didn't want to be (but probably were.)

I think I recently read that one. It’s a interesting read. She also revealed that Dawn was the hardest to write. 

Quote

 “I didn’t feel like I knew her as well, and didn’t spend a lot of time in California,” she said

 

21 hours ago, Zima said:

 

I remember that there was a survey in the back of one of the books, asking people to mail in their response to the question, "Who is your favorite baby-sitter?"  A few books later, the results were in. Stacey was #1, Claudia was #2...I don't remember the order of the rest, except that Kristy was last (which made me sad, because she was my fav). Jessi and Mallory weren't even considered. 

Sometimes I really love the internet. The series has a wiki with all the giveaways and polls. Apparently the favorite babysitter poll was done twice. For first one the order was Stacey, Claudia, Dawn, Mary Anne and Kristy. Same results the second time with Mallory 6th and Jessie last. 

[truthaboutluv]

Still making my way through the episodes (I'm currently on Boy Crazy Stacy) and my two biggest observations so far is I don't remember Kristy being so unlikable in the books but maybe I was just too young to notice. And I feel bad for disliking her so much because she is a kid and I understand it's tough having to accept a new step-dad when her dad just split.

But man so far, it's hard to understand why any of these girls would deal with Kristy. I know it was mean but hell, I didn't blame Claudia when she pretty much flat out told Kristy her stank attitude was the reason she stopped hanging out with her and Mary Ann. 

My other observation is a far more shallow one. I'm greatly depressed that 13 year old Stacy is more fashionable and fierce than I will ever be. I mean don't get me wrong, I do my thing but I was a wee bit freaked out to find myself constantly coveting a 13 year old's wardrobe. Of course that could just mean they're styling the character way too adult for a 13 year old. Except I can't say I've ever found her looks inappropriate. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by truthaboutluv

[HolmesUltimateQu]

3 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

My other observation is a far more shallow one. I'm greatly depressed that 13 year old Stacy is more fashionable and fierce than I will ever be. I mean don't get me wrong, I do my thing but I was a wee bit freaked out to find myself constantly coveting a 13 year old's wardrobe. Of course that could just mean they're styling the character way too adult for a 13 year old. Except I can't say I've ever found her looks inappropriate. 

I made the comment (to my child) that, during the wedding, Stacy and Claudia are so so extra. But Stacy did make the comment at one point (after Christmas break) that she needed babysitting jobs because she spent so much money on boots. So maybe they spend their babysitting money on fashion. 

I actually really love that they recycled outfits. Stacy wore the pink polka dot shirt in, at least, two separate episodes and Claudia wore the white flower shirt in at least two different episodes. 

I love all the updates. I like all the girls. Stacy was my favorite in the books but I'm not sure who my favorite is now. They're all so cute and their own character. And there wasn't anyone who I was looking forward to getting back to. 

I was excited about the Sea City episode and laughed out loud when Mary Anne said, "that MAN is too old for you. He's 17!" Or something like that. But I thought MA and Stacy did a bit more sight seeing on their day off in the books and I remember loving them going out by themselves (so mature!). 😆 or is there a different book where two girls go and they are able to get away a bit? 

I do agree that the show should've explained more why Kristy wasn't excited about moving - because he lived so far away. 

Edited to say, I did some research and I'm probably thinking of SS #10. Sea City Here We Come!

Edited July 10, 2020 by HolmesUltimateQu
Researched and found answer

[PRgal]

11 hours ago, bettername2come said:

Until I got on these forums, I don't think I realized how unpopular Dawn was. I mean, it does make sense that she would move across country if she wasn't popular, but she also had that spinoff series with her California friends. Of course, I never read it or even saw it in the library, so maybe it wasn't popular either. Her possibly haunted house with a secret passageway was always my favorite thing about her.

Claudia was always my favorite. She was the babysitter least like me. Asian, gorgeous, zit-free, cool, fashionable, artistic, book dumb. I never disliked any of the babysitters, Jessi was likely my least favorite at the time. but looking back I think I find Mallory's storylines the least memorable. 

Watching the show I'm realizing just how deeply some of the plotlines and characters from the series are burned into my brain. 

LOL-ing at being zit-free.  Claudia is 12, going on 13 in the series.  She might not get those zits until she’s 14 or 15.  My skin was the worst between 14-17!  And I was using medicated cleanser until I was 20!  And recently, at 40, I got two “quarantine zits,” including one close to my eyes.  

[idiotwaltz]

9 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Still making my way through the episodes (I'm currently on Boy Crazy Stacy) and my two biggest observations so far is I don't remember Kristy being so unlikable in the books but maybe I was just too young to notice. And I feel bad for disliking her so much because she is a kid and I understand it's tough having to accept a new step-dad when her dad just split.

But man so far, it's hard to understand why any of these girls would deal with Kristy. I know it was mean but hell, I didn't blame Claudia when she pretty much flat out told Kristy her stank attitude was the reason she stopped hanging out with her and Mary Ann. 

My other observation is a far more shallow one. I'm greatly depressed that 13 year old Stacy is more fashionable and fierce than I will ever be. I mean don't get me wrong, I do my thing but I was a wee bit freaked out to find myself constantly coveting a 13 year old's wardrobe. Of course that could just mean they're styling the character way too adult for a 13 year old. Except I can't say I've ever found her looks inappropriate. 

I loved that Claud called Kristy out on her bossiness. I found Kristy overbearing at times but knowing the reasons for her desire for control, I could empathize. Wouldn’t want to hang out with her though. 

I love Stacey’s outfits. So stylish but without being oversexualised, which I really appreciate. Sadly, my fashion choices lean more towards Kirsty’s. Jeans and a hoodie are my go-to. 

[peachmangosteen]

13 hours ago, bettername2come said:

Until I got on these forums, I don't think I realized how unpopular Dawn was.

Same! For some reason, I actually thought Dawn was the most popular and that she had been in the club from the start. So weird!

[truthaboutluv]

43 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Same! For some reason, I actually thought Dawn was the most popular and that she had been in the club from the start. So weird!

I didn't know she was unpopular with readers at the time but I knew she wasn't an original member of the club and joined after she and mom moved to Stonybrook from California. 

[peachmangosteen]

I don't know why, but when I think of the BSC, the first person I think of is Dawn.

[idiotwaltz]

46 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I don't know why, but when I think of the BSC, the first person I think of is Dawn.

The first BSC book I read was one narrated by Dawn, so I always think of her first. She wasn’t my favourite but I didn’t dislike her; I liked the stepsister relationship she had with Mary Anne. And I coveted her long, platinum blonde hair. My least favourite was Mallory because she was so blah. 

I think AMM might have had a thing for large families. She wrote two books about a family with 10 (later 11) children called Ten Kids, No Pets and Eleven Kids, One Summer. I really enjoyed those them. The kids were better defined than the Pikes but they had really stupid names due to their parents’ absurd naming system. I still can’t forget that one of the kids was called Woody and another one Hardy. 

[Annber03]

I always liked Mallory 'cause she liked to write stories, like I did :). 

I think a book about Stacey might've been the first one I remember reading. I want to say Stacey's Emergency might've been the first book I read, but I can't remember how I came upon getting that book. 

5 minutes ago, idiotwaltz said:

I think AMM might have had a thing for large families. She wrote two books about a family with 10 (later 11) children called Ten Kids, No Pets and Eleven Kids, One Summer. I really enjoyed those them. The kids were better defined than the Pikes but they had really stupid names due to their parents’ absurd naming system. I still can’t forget that one of the kids was called Woody and another one Hardy. 

I loved those books, too. I think that was another reason I liked Kristy and Mallory when I was a kid, I found their big families so fascinating and I always thought it'd be so fun to be part of a big family with so many other kids around to play with and whatnot :D. 

[PRgal]

What was everyone's first BSC book (if you can remember)?  Mine was Claudia and Mean Janine.  It was also the first book narrated by an Asian character I read.  I don't have a mean older sister (only here), but like Claudia, I (probably) have an undiagnosed learning disability.  My spelling is much better than hers, however.  And I'm nowhere NEAR as artistic (or fashionable).  I went backwards after that, starting from the beginning (my mom bought me a box set of the first four books).  I read somewhere that AMM only intended to write four books, each featuring one of the original sitters.

Have people read OTHER AMM books?  I read Yours Turly, Shirley, but no other stand-alone novels.  

[Maelstrom]

Just finished Mary Anne Saves the Day and damn can I relate to MA - shy, nervous talking to people and crying when confronted about pretty much anything. It felt like watching myself, both as a child and even now as an adult (what can I say, it's been a hard year).

But I also always related to Claudia's love of art, Jessi's love of dance, and Dawn's free spirit nature. So I guess that'd make me a MA with a moon in Claudia, and a Jessi and Dawn rising, lol.

I loved this take on Dawn! I never knew she was so unpopular either, but looking back I can see that she was probably one of the least developed, so some changes would be necessary bringing her to the screen in the modern day. The way she and MA became friends felt so natural and easy it was really sweet to watch, especially after the way the others club members treated her. Having been on the receiving end of a bit of that behavior from my own "friends" as a kid, I was as thrilled as MA to meet Dawn.

Random comment: I've known more than a few Aunt Esmes over the years and attended a few similar types of gatherings, but never saw anyone snap their fingers. Are they beatniks, lol?

Still having a tough time seeing Richard Spier and not Shawn the demon/professor Kevin Cozner but his heart to heart with her at the end was nicely done. And as someone else posted awhile back, I loved the fact that her braids weren't a product of his strictness but rather a complete lack of other hairstyling ideas, lol.

The first of the books I ever read was the first one, Kristy's Big Idea. I'd asked for the American Girls books for my birthday (anyone remember those?) but my grandmother accidentally got these instead. Even though I never babysat or even liked kids, I got hooked. I think ultimately because of what Annber03 posted upthread: 

On 7/9/2020 at 9:43 AM, Annber03 said:

So true :). You either related to them or wanted to be like them, and you wanted to be friends with them. You could feel like you'd be accepted in their group, no matter who you were. 

 

[LadyChatts]

51 minutes ago, PRgal said:

What was everyone's first BSC book (if you can remember)?  Mine was Claudia and Mean Janine.  It was also the first book narrated by an Asian character I read.  I don't have a mean older sister (only here), but like Claudia, I (probably) have an undiagnosed learning disability.  My spelling is much better than hers, however.  And I'm nowhere NEAR as artistic (or fashionable).  I went backwards after that, starting from the beginning (my mom bought me a box set of the first four books).  I read somewhere that AMM only intended to write four books, each featuring one of the original sitters.

Have people read OTHER AMM books?  I read Yours Turly, Shirley, but no other stand-alone novels.  

I started reading the BSC Little Sister books first before I got into the regular BSC books (which had been out for a few years at that point).  My first book was one of the mysteries, Beware Dawn.  I will say I always loved the mysteries way more than the regular books (and also the Super Specials were fun).  I was always jealous of the girls, because I wanted my friends and I have to have some kind of mystery to solve like the BSC.  Haunted houses, missing jewelry and kids, mysterious fires, catching a crook in a photograph...wish my life was that exciting at 12 and 13.

My favorite BSC member was always Dawn, probably for the same reasons people liked Stacey.  I loved that Dawn was from California (wanted to move there so bad as a kid), that she was a vegetarian, loved animals, and had her own individual fashion sense.  Also, she loved ghost hunting.  I grew up in an old-ish house, and when I read The Ghost at Dawn's House, trust me, I looked for a secret passage everywhere. 

I want to say that this is the first reboot that hasn't disappointed me.  The BSC books were such a huge part of my child hood, and I liked the original short lived series, so I was debating whether to watch and have my childhood destroyed like pretty much every other reboot has done.  But I absolutely love it, and can't wait for more episodes.  I agree with those that like how they've updated it to fit our current times, yet are still staying fairly true to the story lines of the books.  I especially loved when the girls did the sandwich boards to advertise their club, to show how outdated that is.  The girl who plays Dawn is exactly how I would expect Dawn to be like.  I love that the focus is more on the girls, less on their clients (though I always loved the kids).  Next to Dawn, I always loved Claudia and Mallory.  I love that they still have Claudia hiding candy in her rooms.  I'm glad they are basing the episodes off the books, and not random story lines like the original did.  And I love the updated diversity.  No doubt that's how the books would be written if they were made today.  Hope we get more episodes!  

ETA: oh, and Morbidda Destiny/Mrs. Porter/Aunt Esme is awesome.  I'd watch a whole episode of her.

Edited July 10, 2020 by LadyChatts

[starri]

49 minutes ago, PRgal said:

What was everyone's first BSC book (if you can remember)?

The Ghost at Dawn's House.  I loved spooky stories, and I think the title is what drew me in.  And I was always fond of Dawn because of that.  I was actually a little put-out that show-Dawn doesn't appear to live in an old farmhouse, because that was such a big part of her character for me.

[Annber03]

5 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

Also, she loved ghost hunting.  I grew up in an old-ish house, and when I read The Ghost at Dawn's House, trust me, I looked for a secret passage everywhere. 

Yeeeees! Same :D! I was fascinated with stories about haunted places as a kid as it was, so I liked that Dawn seemed to share that same interest. 

[ruby24]

I can't remember the first one I read. I know I started with Little Sister, but it wasn't too long before I moved on to BSC (and grew to think Karen was obnoxious, lol. Even when I read LS, I liked her friends more than her).

[Guest]

2 hours ago, PRgal said:

What was everyone's first BSC book (if you can remember)?  Mine was Claudia and Mean Janine.  It was also the first book narrated by an Asian character I read.  

Mine was Claudia and the Sad Goodbye. It’s also the only BSC book I still own. My mom bought it for me when my grandmother got sick. It may be the only time I’ve started a series in the middle. 

19 hours ago, bettername2come said:

Until I got on these forums, I don't think I realized how unpopular Dawn was. I mean, it does make sense that she would move across country if she wasn't popular, but she also had that spinoff series with her California friends. Of course, I never read it or even saw it in the library, so maybe it wasn't popular either. Her possibly haunted house with a secret passageway was always my favorite thing about her.

I think Dawn’s popularity took a hit when she was spun-off into her own series. I’ve always though she was pretty popular on the original series. 

[peace355]

1 hour ago, starri said:

The Ghost at Dawn's House.  I loved spooky stories, and I think the title is what drew me in.  And I was always fond of Dawn because of that.  I was actually a little put-out that show-Dawn doesn't appear to live in an old farmhouse, because that was such a big part of her character for me.

That was my first book too. I remember my uncle got it as Christmas present along with 2 specials BSC Summer Holiday and Winter Holiday.

My last regular series book was also a Dawn book, Farewell Dawn when she left for California for good. Also I loved the mystery books, though oddly enough the publication in Ireland was all off (or maybe it was my local bookshop stock) so the mysteries came out ahead of the regular series, so even though Dawn leaving was the last book I read, I already had books in the mystery series where Abby had already replaced her.

[PRgal]

I've always wondered about Watson.  Are his parents still alive (but left the main house to him while they permanently live in Florida or something)?  I think Elizabeth's parents (or at least one of them) are...I somehow remember a grandmother?  I'm not a fan of how he wastes his money (and I don't think a 2019-2020 Charlie would even BE driving.  Not every kid goes for their licence at 16 anymore).  He doesn't seem to follow the "rules" of "old money" - not to be too showy, etc... (I guess his family's money isn't all that old, but it is definitely not new-new).  But that's just me.

[andromeda331]

My first book was Kristy's Great Idea. I don't know how many remember when Scholastic used to have catalogs or something to order books from they'd send them to the schools. They had an offer of for 4 BSC books every month my mom signed me up for. I got hooked. I was probably a cross between Mallory and Claudia. I loved books, writing and art. I even took art classes for a couple years growing up. Claudia had Mimi and I had my great-grandfather. I got the idea to hide junk food in my room from her. My dad was a huge junk food person that if you wanted cookies or a candy bar later they'd be gone. So started stashing them in my room. My mom did end up finding out but instead of busting me I ended up supplying her. I liked all of the characters except Kristy mostly because her bossiness but also she liked baseball and a lot of her books were about the Krushers which I wasn't really into. I loved Claudia for her clothes and arts, Stacey for her clothes and cool trips to NYC, Dawn mostly for her trips to California, MA she was nice, had a cat and I always loved her when she tried to stand up for herself plus she and Dawn ended up stepsisters how could would it be to have your best friend become your stepsister, Jessi for the ballet, Mallory because she loved to read and write, Abby for her jokes and she often stood up to Kristy for her bossiness and Shannon because of all the cool clubs and classes at her private school they had an astronomy club. Logan mostly didn't really have any personality and I really didn't care about him him except for in Mary Anne vs Logan when he suddenly becomes a jerk and in Mary Anne Misses Logan when he's still a jerk. I hated Karen. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by andromeda331

[Annber03]

1 minute ago, andromeda331 said:

I don't know how many remember when Scholastic used to have catalogs or something to order books from they'd send them to the schools. They had an offer of for 4 BSC books every month my mom signed me up for. 

I do :)! It was always so exciting when I got to school and found the batch of books I ordered sitting on my desk. 

[andromeda331]

12 minutes ago, PRgal said:

I've always wondered about Watson.  Are his parents still alive (but left the main house to him while they permanently live in Florida or something)?  I think Elizabeth's parents (or at least one of them) are...I somehow remember a grandmother?  I'm not a fan of how he wastes his money (and I don't think a 2019-2020 Charlie would even BE driving.  Not every kid goes for their licence at 16 anymore).  He doesn't seem to follow the "rules" of "old money" - not to be too showy, etc... (I guess his family's money isn't all that old, but it is definitely not new-new).  But that's just me.

I don't think we ever saw his parents. But the mansion he lived in was also the one he grew up in. So I guess it was a family home. Elizabeth's mom was alive she was Kristy's Big Day making the dresses and moved in after Emily Michelle was adopted to help take care of her. I always thought that was weird though. While Elizabeth was raising four kids on her own after her husband took off she didn't live with them. But after she marries a millionaire and adopts a two year old suddenly she moves in? Why? At that point all the kids were in school except for Emily Michelle. It didn't really make any sense. But then again neither did Mrs. Pike not working even though they had eight kids until Mr. Pike was laid off. Why wasn't she working too? Or at least after the last kid started school. 

[starri]

1 minute ago, andromeda331 said:

Elizabeth's mom was alive she was Kristy's Big Day making the dresses and moved in after Emily Michelle was adopted to help take care of her.

And the neighbors probably complained that the Pink Clinker lowered their property values.

[andromeda331]

6 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

I do :)! It was always so exciting when I got to school and found the batch of books I ordered sitting on my desk. 

Me too. I always got it and marked so many books that I wanted. There were so many books that sounded so good.  Of course I wasn't allowed to buy them all. Only one or two which is why my mom signed me up for the BSC books once a month.  That way we'd both be happy I'd get four books a month and she wouldn't be harassed (as much) with the catalog that had circles around half of the books.

[LadyChatts]

18 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

My first book was Kristy's Great Idea. I don't know how many remember when Scholastic used to have catalogs or something to order books from they'd send them to the schools. They had an offer of for 4 BSC books every month my mom signed me up for. I got hooked. I was probably a cross between Mallory and Claudia. I loved books, writing and art. I even took art classes for a couple years growing up. Claudia had Mimi and I had my great-grandfather. I got the idea to hide junk food in my room from her. My dad was a huge junk food person that if you wanted cookies or a candy bar later they'd be gone. So started stashing them in my room. My mom did end up finding out but instead of busting me I ended up supplying her. I liked all of the characters except Kristy mostly because her bossiness but also she liked baseball and a lot of her books were about the Krushers which I wasn't really into. I loved Claudia for her clothes and arts, Stacey for her clothes and cool trips to NYC, Dawn mostly for her trips to California, MA she was nice, had a cat and I always loved her when she tried to stand up for herself plus she and Dawn ended up stepsisters how could would it be to have your best friend become your stepsister, Jessi for the ballet, Mallory because she loved to read and write, Abby for her jokes and she often stood up to Kristy for her bossiness and Shannon because of all the cool clubs and classes at her private school they had an astronomy club. Logan mostly didn't really have any personality and I really didn't care about him him except for in Mary Anne vs Logan when he suddenly becomes a jerk and in Mary Anne Misses Logan when he's still a jerk. I hated Karen. 

I hid junk food in my room for no reason other than I thought it was a cool idea.  My parents liked sweets, and while us kids had our limits, they weren't super strict.  But I loved the idea.  Also learned some valuable lessons of where not to hide jolly ranchers and mini chocolate bars.  

I remember Elizabeth's mom, Nannie, because she drove a pink car (I feel like the car had a nickname?  I might be thinking of what they used to call Charlie's car, the junk bucket).  She seemed like a super awesome lady that between her and watching The Golden Girls, it made growing old seem fun.  Of course that was back when I was 8-ish, so I don't know that I feel that way anymore.  I actually quit reading the books before Abby joined.  I also remember the box sets of the books, and that was how I finally got my hands on the first 10 or so.  I don't remember much about Logan, other than everyone thought he was dreamy, and that I tried reading Logan's dialogue as if I was hearing his southern accent since they talked about it all the time.  I felt like the way it was written in the book, it confused me more about how he was supposed to sound. 

ETA:

Quote

And the neighbors probably complained that the Pink Clinker lowered their property values.

The Pink Clinker!  That was it.  

Edited July 10, 2020 by LadyChatts

[PRgal]

Just now, LadyChatts said:

I hid junk food in my room for no reason other than I thought it was a cool idea.  My parents liked sweets, and while us kids had our limits, they weren't super strict.  But I loved the idea.  Also learned some valuable lessons of where not to hide jolly ranchers and mini chocolate bars.  

I remember Elizabeth's mom, Nannie, because she drove a pink car (I feel like the car had a nickname?  I might be thinking of what they used to call Charlie's car, the junk bucket).  She seemed like a super awesome lady that between her and watching The Golden Girls, it made growing old seem fun.  Of course that was back when I was 8-ish, so I don't know that I feel that way anymore.  I actually quit reading the books before Abby joined.  I  

I always wondered where Claudia got the money to buy all that junk food prior to the BSC.  I suppose she has an allowance, but what about her clothes?  Does Mimi buy her stuff?

[LadyChatts]

4 minutes ago, PRgal said:

I always wondered where Claudia got the money to buy all that junk food prior to the BSC.  I suppose she has an allowance, but what about her clothes?  Does Mimi buy her stuff?

And her art supplies.  I suppose her parents may have bought her some, but she mentioned in the books using her baby sitting money towards that.  And with all the different kinds of art Claudia did, even back in the 80s and 90s, I know that stuff wasn't exactly cheap. I don't know how she afforded all that stuff pre BSC, or even with baby sitting money. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by LadyChatts

[peachmangosteen]

42 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

I don't know how many remember when Scholastic used to have catalogs or something to order books from they'd send them to the schools. 

I remember when they'd have the book fairs at school and we'd go down and shop the little store. I'm sure I bought some BSC books there. Man, the nostalgia!

[bettername2come]

59 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

My first book was Kristy's Great Idea. I don't know how many remember when Scholastic used to have catalogs or something to order books from they'd send them to the schools. 

FYI, they still have these.

First BSC book: I tried to read "Claudia and the Bad Joke" but it was too advanced for me. A year or so later, I found my sister's old copy of "Kristy's Great Idea" which she had been too old for when she read it shortly after it came out. I then kept checking the books out and buying those Scholastic four packs (including the one with "Claudia and the Bad Joke") and I know that by the time I outgrew the books I had read over a hundred of the books from the main series, mystery and Baby-sitter's Little Sister books. 

Camp Moosehead comments: 

"Most of us don't have hundreds of extra dollars to have you teach us to inexpertly tie dye." Claudia's an artist. She knows all about shading. I can see some of Dawn's annoying tendencies coming through here. Her segue into issues in Central America during morning announcement was something classic Dawn would do. I loved her leading the kids in a Hunger Games salute as they took Claudia away. Making people pay that much extra for s standard activity was ridiculous.

Jessi seems perfectly cast, just like everyone else has been. 

"I know Karen seems like a confident, mature woman, but she's only seven, and she's missing." That was amusing. The Karen and Kristy relationship has always been one of the best, but I think they've pushed it a little having Kristy call her her "real sister" when they've only interacted onscreen a few times. I did think it came off as genuine when when the girls said Karen was their friend. I loved Karen's  shock at Vanessa Pike getting her role, and the way she strolled back into the play after that. 

 

[Zima]

My first BSC book was Kristy's Great Idea. My aunt thought that it was important for me to develop a love of reading, so she bought me the first books of a few different series (I think the Boxcar Children was one of them), and the Baby-Sitters' Club was the one I really enjoyed. From there, I went in order all the way into the 100's. I even read the BSC Friends Forever books that came after the original series stopped, even though I was wayyyy too old to be into the BSC as much as I was by then 😛 If anyone hasn't read them, I'd suggest checking them out. They cut way back on the baby-sitting and focused on the 4 main characters (the others were off doing their own thing). In the last book, the girls finally graduated from 8th grade! I swear I didn't cry or anything. 😝

Edited July 11, 2020 by Zima

[Jenniferbug]

I'm pretty sure I read the books in order, but honestly don't remember for sure now. I don't remember what the last book I read was either, but I had stopped reading by the time Abby came along. I called my mom the other day to ask if she still had my old American Girl books for my daughters, and she mentioned all the BSC books were stored too. We're going to try to have my kids visit soon since they haven't seen my parents since February and we've all been staying in, and I told my mom I'd take most of my old books when I'm there. I'm excited to see them all! 

[PRgal]

3 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I remember when they'd have the book fairs at school and we'd go down and shop the little store. I'm sure I bought some BSC books there. Man, the nostalgia!

I often ordered BSC books with those Scholastic things.  But I mostly bought them in stores. 

[LadyChatts]

1 hour ago, Zima said:

My first BSC book was Kristy's Great Idea. My aunt wanted me to read more, so she bought me the first books of a few different series, and that was the one I really took to. From there, I went in order all the way into the 100's. I even read the BSC Friends Forever books that came after the original series stopped, even though I was wayyyy too old to be into the BSC as much as I was by then 😛 If anyone hasn't read them, I'd suggest checking them out. They cut way back on the baby-sitting and focused on the 4 main characters (the others were off doing their own thing). In the last book, the girls finally graduated from 8th grade! I swear I didn't cry or anything. 😝

I wanted to read the Friends Forever books.  I actually never heard of them until I ran across a blog site that use to review the book series.  I can't remember when I actually stopped reading the series as a whole.  I know there was a point where I stopped, but would occasionally see a book at the library or store and it looked interesting enough so I would get it.  I remember Farewell Dawn-Kristy looked way too happy on the cover of that book, so that stood out, but I couldn't believe Dawn was leaving for real.  And then Stacey vs the BSC and Kristy's Worst Idea  I remember reading.  But there were books before and after them that I know I didn't read.  When I read the Kristy one I thought the series was done, then was surprised to see it continued.  I've actually been buying books here and there to try and get a complete set (thank goodness for ebay).  But I haven't run across the Friends Forever ones yet.

I always thought it was weird to think about the girls graduating middle school and moving onto high school.  It was weird to think of them driving, getting jobs that didn't involve baby sitting, and looking ahead to college.  I hated to think that they wouldn't be friends anymore 😞 

[PRgal]

13 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

I always thought it was weird to think about the girls graduating middle school and moving onto high school.  It was weird to think of them driving, getting jobs that didn't involve baby sitting, and looking ahead to college.  I hated to think that they wouldn't be friends anymore 😞 

Same here.  I wonder what they’d be doing as adults!!  Mallory would have gone into creative writing, for sure.  And possibly Karen, too.  With her crazy imagination and Watson’s connections, she could be writing for Hollywood.  

[KaveDweller]

5 hours ago, PRgal said:

I've always wondered about Watson.  Are his parents still alive (but left the main house to him while they permanently live in Florida or something)?

I don't remember even hearing about Watson's parents. There is a Little Sister book where Karen talks about all her grandparents, but I don't remember what she says about them.

4 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I don't think we ever saw his parents. But the mansion he lived in was also the one he grew up in. So I guess it was a family home. Elizabeth's mom was alive she was Kristy's Big Day making the dresses and moved in after Emily Michelle was adopted to help take care of her. I always thought that was weird though. While Elizabeth was raising four kids on her own after her husband took off she didn't live with them. But after she marries a millionaire and adopts a two year old suddenly she moves in? Why? At that point all the kids were in school except for Emily Michelle. It didn't really make any sense. But then again neither did Mrs. Pike not working even though they had eight kids until Mr. Pike was laid off. Why wasn't she working too? Or at least after the last kid started school. 

Maybe Nannie moving in had to do with her not wanting to live alone anymore?

But yeah, it was weird that Elizabeth could handle 4 kids (including a baby) on her own and then needed live-in help for Emily. But family moving in seemed to be a theme with these books. Jessi's Aunt Cecilia moved in to help after her mom went back to work.

4 hours ago, PRgal said:

I always wondered where Claudia got the money to buy all that junk food prior to the BSC.  I suppose she has an allowance, but what about her clothes?  Does Mimi buy her stuff?

In the books she did baby-sit before the club formed, so she would have some money from that. I'm sure Mimi chipped in too.

I can't remember my first book. Maybe the Phantom Phone Caller? I do remember when I stopped though. It was book #99, Stacey's Broken Heart. I saw that the next one was called Kristy's Worst Idea and was about the club breaking up and didn't want to read it. I was also at least 14 at that point and way to old to be reading them.

I did later go back and read them as an adult though, I did a blog for awhile where I recapped all the books. But I don't remember the later ones at all, and the ones I read as a kid are still totally stuck in my head.

[Mirabelle]

2 hours ago, PRgal said:

Same here.  I wonder what they’d be doing as adults!!  Mallory would have gone into creative writing, for sure.  And possibly Karen, too.  With her crazy imagination and Watson’s connections, she could be writing for Hollywood.  

Stacey is working for a hedge fund or is the CFO of some company. Jessi danced professionally and when she retired she became an instructor or opened up her own school. Mary Ann became a guidance counselor. Claudia teaches and is a free lance graphic designer. Dawn is a lawyer at a non-profit. Kristy is the office manager for the front office of a professional sports team or she's the head of human resources for a Fortune 500 company. 

That's what I can picture them doing based on their 13-year-old and 11-year-old personalities and talents. 

Edited July 11, 2020 by Mirabelle