It’s time for Duck Creek’s Halloween Fair and Nelson and Kenny have been eating all their vegetables and working out to prepare for it. Last year they weren’t tall enough to go on the scariest rides but they’re determined to be able enjoy them this year.
It’s a good thing Grandma has a brand new invention, a size converter, which she cautions the boys not to use because it still has some kinks.
Like accidentally making you smaller when you wanted to be taller. This comes with a unique set of problems.
It wouldn’t be a Ninja Kid book if evil Dr Kane didn’t show up in his helicopter, ready to implement his latest dastardly plan to run everyone out of Duck Creek.
This looks like a job for Ninja Kid and H-Dude!
‘Ah, maybe they’ve got other problems to deal with’
Ninja Kid and H-Dude may look more adorable than they ever have before …
but they’re still ready to take on Dr Kane and save Duck Creek again.
Grandma, as usual, was the highlight of the book for me. Readers who have been following this series from the beginning are being rewarded for their patience; we’re closer than ever to finding out exactly what happened to Nelson’s father.
Anton Emdin’s illustrations are staying true to the style Jeremy Ley introduced in the early books. The details are fun, the Halloween costumes are imaginative and the fair definitely looks like somewhere I would want to spend Halloween.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
The fair is in town! Nelson and Kenny want to go on ALL the rides! But after testing Grandma’s new invention, they’re suddenly TOO SMALL to go anywhere! Luckily, Nelson and Kenny have a plan to get TALLER again … way, WAAAAY TALLER!
I didn’t think the awe I felt when I first saw Helen Ahpornsiri’s A Year in the Wild could be replicated. I was wrong. Beneath the Waves has had the same effect on me.
Helen took me on a journey through the seasons in A Year in the Wild, using petals and leaves to create the most adorable array of animals. My favourite image from that book remains the owl.
In Beneath the Waves, Helen uses seaweed, coastal flowers and garden plants to explore the coast, open ocean, tropics and polar waters. I loved the entire book but did have a few favourites:
The baby turtles, each of which have a different expression and unique shell design.
The contrast of the polar bear against the black background enables the details to stand out more. There’s a black background behind the angler fish as well and it’s absolutely stunning.
The blue whale. Not only was this image so detailed, my favourite fact of the book accompanied it. Their “tongues alone weigh as much as an adult elephant!” How’s that for perspective?!
If you can’t believe an artist could possibly transform pressed plants into such realistic animals, I’d encourage you to watch Helen at work on YouTube.
I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
Thank you so much to Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Take a journey through the oceans of the world in this beautiful book, made entirely from hand-pressed plants.
Artist Helen Ahpornsiri transforms silky seaweeds, feathery algae and bright coastal blooms into playful penguins, scuttling crabs and schools of silvery sharks. Turn the page to explore each corner of the oceans, from hidden rock pools to the darkest depths. Marvel as plants transform into marvellous creatures, and discover the magic and beauty that lies beneath the waves…
Here we are in Brutalia, where there are two towers, both of which look like they could come crashing down into the Salty Sea at any moment.
The Queen and King were horrible.
The people were violent.
And the ravens were ravenous.
As the sign tells you in no uncertain terms, you are not welcome here. Not that it’s a place you’d want to go on vacation; the people are perpetually hungry, rule breakers suffer unimaginable punishments (like wasp baths) and then there’s Brutalia’s motto:
LIVE OR DIE
Trust me when I say you’re more likely to die than live if you’re foolish enough to visit. There’s so much death here that there’s an official Body Carrier. And a Body Lugger. I doubt you would want either job.
So why do we want to hear any more about this horrific place? Well, because it’s where Mort lives. This is Mort.
He’s got a lot on his mind this week. Mort is a pacifist, which is sort of inconvenient, especially considering he’s Brutalia’s new Royal Executioner. His first job is to execute his “most delicious-smelling friend”, Weed.
And so the plot thickens.
This was a delightful story. Well, as delightful as it could be with everyone hungry and fearing for their lives, and the ravens hoping that someone will give them some eyeballs for dinner.
This is a place where a misunderstood homonym can kill you, where there’s battle cutlery and you need to be extremely careful if you encounter a Grot Bear. It’s also a place where a pacifist will try to save his best friend (and himself) from a death most brutal. Mort is an underdog I believe in and want to spend more time with.
The ravens stoles the best lines, although I’m sure they would have much preferred to have stolen some food. Their chats at the beginning of each chapter were something I quickly looked forward to.
“I’ve got an idea.”
“Can I have some of your eye, dear?”
“What? No! I said an IDEA.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve forgotten it now.”
Sometimes I find it annoying when the narrator randomly addresses the reader throughout the story but it wasn’t overdone here and it even managed to elicit some smiles from me.
Doesn’t time go fast when you’re watching other people struggle with a difficult plot!
I loved George Ermos’ illustrations. They were dark when they needed to be (they wouldn’t have scared me if I’d read this book as a kid). They also incorporated some humour, particularly when the ravens, who were my favourite characters, were featured. I thought using feathers as page breaks was a really nice touch.
There’s going to be a sequel, The Monstrous Quest.
“Well, thank the gallows for that!”
It has tentacles and it looks as though Ono, Mort’s new friend who I haven’t had anywhere near enough page time with yet, is going to be involved in the quest. I can’t wait!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Stripes Publishing, an imprint of Little Tiger Group, for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
The first in a wickedly funny new series about an aspiring pacifist in a brutal kingdom!
On Brutalia, violence is a way of life. Ravenous ravens circle overhead, monstrous grot bears cause chaos and the streets are bulging with brawls. But Mort isn’t like the other islanders – he’s determined to live peacefully. His struggle is made even tougher when the cruel queen appoints Mort as Royal Executioner. No one has challenged the royals and lived to tell the tale. Can Mort keep his head and outwit the queen?
Shelly the shark has something special planned this Christmas. She makes a sign for her front door welcoming everyone to Santa’s Grotto. The only problem is that none of the other fish trust her, so they quickly make themselves scarce. Fair enough, too. I’m pretty sure I’d be questioning Jaws’ motives before willingly stepping foot inside their home.
The exception is one inquisitive squid named Sid. Maybe Sid doesn’t know who lives behind this driftwood door or maybe they’re just so excited about meeting Santa Claus… Soon Sid finds himself face to face with Santa Jaws, not Santa Claus.
This book is so cute! The rhymes flow well and the repetition isn’t overused. The highlight of this book for me, though, were Sophie Corrigan’s illustrations. They use bright colours, the fish are all quite expressive and there are plenty of details to enjoy.
I particularly loved the coral Christmas trees with shell decorations, the snowman made of sand, the angler fish finding love beneath the mistletoe and the stingray wearing a Santa hat.
I hereby decree that stingrays must wear Santa hats at all times from this day forth, so we may never forget how adorable they make them look.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Today’s my LUCKY, LUCKY day.
Golly, whizz and gee!
For GUESS WHO’s meeting Santa Claus …
Yes, me! Yes, me! YES, ME!
Ho-ho-ho! It’s Christmas Eve and Sid the squid is SUPER-excited. He’s going to meet Santa Claus AT LAST!
But as he enters the dark underwater grotto, all is not as it seems …
Will there be a happy ending? Let’s hope so. It IS Christmas, after all!
That howling you hear at night? It’s not the wind, but a werewolf moaning at the moon. That tapping at your window? It’s not a branch, but a vampire inviting himself in for a snack of your blood. That creaking in the hallway? It’s not just “the house settling”, but a hag creeping towards your bedroom – they keep children as pets, you know.
You probably didn’t know monsters were real because of the Monster Secrecy Act but Theodora Hendrix knows about all of these monsters, and many more. She was adopted by a whole bunch of them when she was a baby.
But no one can ever know that she’s at the Monstrous League of Monsters mansion (it’s haunted, of course) or else there will be consequences for her monster kin.
“Harbouring a human is punishable by death”
Okay, really serious consequences.
Theodora goes to Appleton Primary School, where Ms Frumple has obviously been taking lessons in being a head teacher from the Trunchbull. We don’t like Ms Frumple. At all.
There’s also been someone delivering threatening letters to the Monstrous League of Monsters, someone who knows they’ve broken one of the rules of the Monstrous League of Monsters Charter.
1. Keep monsters hidden from humans
2. Protect humans from bad monsters
3. Help bad monsters become good monsters
But it’s not all bad news. Theodora has a new friend, a human friend, Dexter. And there’s a seemingly never ending supply of leftover pizza.
Theodora is a wonderful character. She’s strong, courageous and isn’t afraid of standing up for herself. Dexter, who compliments Theodora really well, is more reserved and much more concerned about following rules than his new friend.
This story was so imaginative and engaging. There was a fun mystery with some red herrings, great locations and enough quirkiness to hold my attention throughout the book.
Naturally, I want to live in the haunted mansion. There’s a secret passageway to explore, a squishy blue eyeball doorbell and I love Theodora’s bedroom.
There are also plenty of friendly monsters to hang out with, like Mummy the mummy, Georgie Hendrix the zombie, Bandit the masked vampire-cat, Helter-Skelter the skeleton butler, Hamlet the skull, Mousetrap the raven and Figaro the operatic ghost.
My personal favourite, though, was Sherman the tarantula, Theodora’s friend who’s “the cheese to her pizza”. He wears a top hat and monocles, and believes there isn’t a food that can’t be improved with strawberry jam.
Chris Jevons’ illustrations are absolutely adorable, with an Addams Family vibe. They bring the characters to life so well and although the details occasionally don’t line up perfectly with the text, the majority of the time they do. I particularly loved the cute little bats in the text breaks.
I can’t wait to continue this delightful series.
Oh, the password is “Coconut-fried cockroaches” but, shh! You didn’t hear it from me!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Monstrous League of Monsters Charter
Keep monsters hidden from humans
Protect humans from bad monsters
Help bad monsters become good monsters
Orphaned and raised by an … unconventional family, Theodora knows the importance of these rules more than most. And so far, it’s not been too hard to keep her monstrous home life a secret.
UNTIL NOW.
Someone is about to reveal everything, and it’s up to Theodora to save her family – fast!
It’s the first second BSC book! Okay, that sounds really awkward. What I’m trying to say is that each of the five current members of the BSC have told their story in one book and Kristy is the first member to tell the second part of her story. It’s also one of Ann M. Martin’s favourite books of the series.
While this wasn’t one of my absolute favourites growing up, I did love it, mostly because it introduced me to Nannie. I love the grandmothers in this series. Nannie is Kristy’s maternal grandmother and she’s so much fun.
We meet her when she shows up in her car, the Pink Clinker. I’d never heard of anyone naming their car before and thought it was brilliant. Nannie is the reason I name my own cars and one of Ann M. Martin’s other books, Ten Kids, No Pets, is the reason my first car’s name started with an A, my second car’s name started with a B and my current car’s name starts with a C. Wow, this author has shaped my life in so many ways …
This is a happy-sad book. It’s a joyous occasion because Kristy’s mother and Watson are getting married. In the process, Kristy gets a new stepsister (Karen) and stepbrother (Andrew). She adores them. Watson is a good guy, he’s a millionaire and he makes Mrs Brewer happy.
It’s sad as well because the new blended family will be living in Watson’s mansion. Don’t get me wrong; the mansion itself is not a bad thing, unless you think living next door to a rumoured witch is a problem.
No, the reason it’s sad is that for her entire life Kristy has lived next door to her best friend, Mary Anne, on Bradford Court, and Claudia has always lived across the street. Kristy and Mary Anne’s bedrooms even have windows that face each other so they can communicate by torchlight at night and pull faces at one another when they’re in a fight. Understandably, Kristy doesn’t want to leave her childhood home.
It’s also bad news because in order for Kristy to attend BSC meetings once she’s living at Watson’s, she’ll need to pay her brother, Charlie, to drive her. Charlie’s a great guy and we assume he will be a safe driver so he’s not the problem. It does mean that the BSC members will need to pay more club dues each week. So far, so good. No one is whinging about having to pay them yet but if memory serves me, the obligatory groaning whenever Stacey collects the dues is coming fairly soon.
I’m liking Kristy more as an adult so far than I ever did as a kid. In this book she does do a few decidedly un-Kristy-like things, though.
She arrives at a BSC meeting at 5:36pm. That’s almost as bad as not attending at all, like she did in book #4. She did have a good excuse for being late so we’ll forgive her this time.
She gets excited at the thought of wearing a bridesmaid dress. Kristy, excited about a dress? I never thought I’d see the day.
She’s also happy about wearing heels. Okay, that’s just wrong. You can’t play baseball in heels, Kristy.
We babysit for Jenny (our angel) Prezzioso, Claire and Margo Pike and David Michael Thomas.
Then, in the lead up to the wedding, we babysit for 14 kids at once: Karen and Andrew Brewer, David Michael Thomas, Ashley, Berk, Grace and Peter (Aunt Colleen and Uncle Wallace’s kids), Emma, Beth and Luke (Aunt Theo and Uncle Neal’s kids), and Katherine, Patrick, Maura and Tony Fielding (their father, Tom, is Watson’s best friend). Jamie (Hi-hi!) Newton also drops by one day but, hey, what’s one more at this point.
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. 14 kids. 5 babysitters. I could easily imagine a room in hell looking just like this. It must be time for an emergency BSC meeting. We haven’t had one of those in a while.
In 1987 I couldn’t fathom the Thomas’ living in a house that had three bathrooms, and that was before they all go across town to live in a mansion with nine bedrooms!
In the kids’ practice wedding, “holy matrimony” accidentally becomes “holy moly”. I loved that as a kid and it still got a chuckle out of me during my reread.
This book’s school dance: the Final Fling, the last school dance of the year.
Movie in a book: Mary Poppins, which I decided I liked even more as a kid when I learned it was sophisticated, former New Yorker Stacey’s favourite movie. Actually, I seem to remember finding parts of it fairly boring before Stacey convinced me to fall in love with the entire movie, not just the dancing penguins, chalk paintings and catchy tunes. (I was so proud when I learned how to spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. It’s one of those really useful things that’s burned into my brain.)
Stoneybrook Central Time: It’s June when we join Kristy on this adventure. Kristy’s mother and Watson are getting married in two and a half weeks. The Thomas’ need to have moved into Watson’s mansion before 15 July because the people who bought their house need to move in by then. We began this entire adventure on the first Tuesday of seventh grade. Google tells me that this is probably in August or early September.
About the cover: The shoes Kristy and Karen will be wearing to the wedding are special because you can dye them to match your dress. On the original cover, Karen’s shoes are black, not yellow.
Up next: Claudia and Janine came to an understanding during the whole Phantom Phone Call jump scare. Something tells me it’s not going to last.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Kristy’s mum is getting married, and Kristy’s a bridesmaid. The only trouble is, fourteen little kids are coming to the wedding, and they all need babysitters. Here comes the Baby-Sitters Club!
Stacey, Claudia, Mary Anne, Dawn, and Kristy think they can handle fourteen kids. But that’s before they spend five days changing diapers, stopping fights, solving mix-ups, righting wrongs … and getting sick and tried of babysitting!
One thing’s for sure: This is a crazy way to have a wedding. But it’s a great way to have a lot of fun!
It’s our California girl’s first BSC book! Dawn, whose hair I wanted when I was growing up and whose potentially haunted 1795 farmhouse I still want to live in, or at least have a chance to explore, is the BSC’s Alternate Officer.
So, what’s an Alternate Officer? Well, basically Dawn’s the understudy for all of the other roles and she’s ready to jump right in there and fill in if any of the other members can’t perform her duty for whatever reason. Or you could say that Dawn’s mother moved her and her brother to Stoneybrook a few months too late for her to get a real job title and now Kristy’s struggling to come up with a name that sounds super important but on most days means diddly-squat.
I connected with Dawn when I was growing up because I spent a great deal of my childhood soaking up the sun at the beach as well. Come to think of it, though, that’s about all we have in common. She’s neat; I’m messy. She loves tofu; I’m more interested in raiding Claudia’s junk food stash. Dawn and I do both enjoy ghost stories but we don’t know that about Dawn yet.
When I was a kid I truly believed the Barrett kids were impossible. Why? Because the title and blurb told me they were. Now that I am an adult and can actually think for myself, they seem like pretty ordinary kids. Sure, they’re upset about their parents’ divorce (Dawn bonds with them over that) but that’s to be expected. If there’s anything a little odd about them, it’s that Dawn could so easily convince them that cleaning the house is a fun game. It is not!
In this book, we babysit for all eight of the Pike kids, Jenny (our angel) Prezzioso, Jamie (Hi-hi!) Newton, Karen and Andrew Brewer, Buddy, Suzi and Marnie (who makes the ham face when she’s happy) Barrett, David Michael Thomas, Charlotte Johansenn and Jeff Schafer (Dawn’s younger brother).
We meet and babysit the Barrett kids and Jeff Schafer for the first time, and we play ‘Let’s All Come In’ with Hannie Papadakis, one of Karen Brewer’s friends. Dawn’s California best friend, Sunny Winslow, is also mentioned.
The green eyed monster is hanging out with Kristy who, until book #4, was Mary Anne’s only best friend. Now Mary Anne has two best friends and Kristy isn’t keen on sharing.
We get to explore the Dawn’s new-old home’s barn but we don’t find out anything more exciting about the house. Yet. Creepy, quirky stuff is coming soon. Please be as creepy and quirky as I remember …
Dawn misses a BSC meeting but, unlike Kristy’s dummy spit related no-show in book #4, Dawn can’t get away from a babysitting job because Mrs Barrett is late. Again.
We’re introduced to the Pike kids’ Bizzer Sign. I can’t believe I’d forgotten all about this.
Bzzz.
Dawn predicts Mallory’s BSC membership.
Random thoughts:
The Pike family have eight kids. At one point the triplets are at ice hockey practice and Vanessa is at a violin lesson. Another time Jordan, one of the triplets, is at a piano lesson. How can these parents afford to feed and clothe eight kids plus pay for them to do activities? Is everyone in Stoneybrook millionaires?
I called Dawn’s home her ‘new-old’ one in my review of book #4, forgetting that that’s what Mallory Pike calls it in book #5. Did this series become part of my DNA or something? Also, what really important information has my brain discarded to hold onto BSC trivia?
The Pike family have Band-Aids with dinosaurs on them! Is this why I am incapable of buying a Band-Aid that doesn’t have a fun design on it?
Dating Dawn’s mother really agrees with Mary Anne’s father. She’s allowed to wear jeans now, for the first time in her twelve years. I’m hoping this means Mr Spier’s rule that says Mary Anne isn’t allowed to wear pants to school might not be set in stone anymore. Mary Anne also gets to redecorate her pink room.
When I read this book as a kid I had no idea what Doritos were. I also had never heard of tofu, granola, Pop Tarts, saltwater taffy or Ho-Hos. There were so many BSC foods I didn’t encounter in Australia as a kid. I’ll never forget the day I first saw a Hershey’s bar in real life (actually, I haven’t tried one yet). I still don’t know what Ho-Hos are but if junk food addict Claudia likes them, there’s a pretty good chance I will too.
When I was a kid I read lots of words I’d never heard of before. I thought Connecticut was pronounced ‘connect-e-cut’. Why am I telling you embarrassing childhood memories?
Watson’s mansion has nine bedrooms! I would not want to clean that house! Maybe the Barrett kids would do it for me …
As a kid I thought the babysitters were really mature at twelve years old. Perhaps, overall, they are. But these girls you’re trusting your kids with are the same girls who have been convinced (by a six year old, no less) that Watson’s next door neighbour is a scary witch.
Stoneybrook Central Time: Dawn and her family moved to Stoneybrook in book #4. Mary Anne met her the day after the big BSC barney; that was Dawn’s second day at school and fourth day living in Stoneybrook. In the beginning of this book Dawn has lived in Stoneybrook for a few months.
Best insult: Dawn calls the weatherman on the radio a “cheesebrain”. I’m going to try to find a good time to use that one.
Up next: Do you hear wedding bells?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Dawn’s the newest member of the Baby-sitters Club and everybody’s glad – except Kristy. Kristy thinks things were better without Dawn around. That’s why Dawn’s eager to take on a big babysitting job: It’s her chance to show Kristy what she’s made of.
What a mistake! Taking care of the three Barrett kids is too much for any babysitter. The house is in chaos, the kids are impossible, and Mrs. Barrett never does any of the things she promises. Dawn’s got more trouble than she bargained for. But she’s not going to give up until all four Barretts are under control and she’s friends with Kristy.
This is the first of Raina’s BSC graphic novel adaptations that I’ve seen in their full technicolor glory. I’m so in love with it, not that I didn’t enjoy the black and white illustrations in the versions I read of the first two graphic novels in the series.
Raina has once again captured the original story so well. Her illustrations are always amazing, with giggle-worthy exaggerated expressions.
I have so many favourites in this graphic novel, but check out Kristy’s face when she realises she’s broken one of her own BSC rules! Priceless!
The differences in the story, which were all only minor, that stood out to me as I was reading were:
Book: Mary Anne’s mother’s name is not mentioned. Graphic novel: Mary Anne’s mother’s name is Alma. I don’t remember ever knowing this before.
Book: Mary Anne wishes Humpty Dumpty and two Alice in Wonderland pictures weren’t on her bedroom wall. Graphic novel: Mary Anne wishes Humpty Dumpty and Mother Goose pictures weren’t on her bedroom wall.
Book: When Mary Anne looks around the cafeteria the day after the BSC’s fight, the fourth chair at her usual table has been removed. Graphic novel: When Mary Anne looks around the cafeteria the day after the BSC’s fight, the fourth chair at her usual table has Kristy’s backpack and hoodie on it.
Book: Dawn temporarily has the family’s VCR in her room. Her mother taped The Parent Trap. Graphic novel: Dawn temporarily has the family’s DVD player in her room. Her mother bought The Parent Trap.
Book: Mary Anne babysits for Jenny Prezzioso both times. Graphic novel: Stacey babysits for Jenny Prezzioso the first time.
Book: Mary Anne gives her note to Mimi to pass along to Claudia later in the story. Graphic novel: Mary Anne gives Claudia her note at the end of the first BSC meeting after the fight.
Book: We attend the first Prezzioso job with Mary Anne but we don’t read about it in the BSC notebook. Graphic novel: Stacey writes up the first Prezzioso job in the BSC notebook. We also attend the job with her.
Book: Claudia blasts music on her tape deck when it’s Mary Anne’s turn to answer the BSC calls. Graphic novel: Claudia blasts music on her CD player when it’s Mary Anne’s turn to answer the BSC calls.
Book: When Mary Anne and Kristy babysit together, the eight Pike kids put on two plays. Graphic novel: When Mary Anne and Kristy babysit together, Mary Anne only reads to the younger Pike kids upstairs before bedtime. There are no plays.
Book: The second time the BSC babysit for Jenny, she’s wearing a pale blue dress with a white collar and cuffs, and white tights, shoes and hair ribbon. Graphic novel: The second time the BSC babysit for Jenny, she’s wearing a white dress, a short sleeve black cardigan, white socks, black and white shoes and a red hair ribbon.
Book: Mary Anne has Blueberries For Sal, The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin and Caps For Sale in her Kid-Kit. Graphic novel: Mary Anne has Princess Gwynn and Hats for Bats in her Kid-Kit.
Book: Mr Prezzioso gives Mary Anne and Dawn $10 each after they take care of Jenny when she’s sick. Graphic novel: Mr Prezzioso gives Mary Anne and Dawn $50 each after they take care of Jenny when she’s sick.
Book: Mary Anne doesn’t visit her mother’s grave. Graphic novel: Mary Anne visits her mother’s grave after her fight with Dawn. I thought this was a really good addition, especially given how lonely and upset Mary Anne is at this point in the story.
Book: At Jamie (Hi-hi!) Newton’s birthday party, Kristy is the one that suggests the kids sit around the couch and gloats when Mrs Newton agrees with her. Graphic novel: At Jamie (Hi-hi!) Newton’s birthday party, we don’t see which babysitter suggests the kids sit around the couch but Claudia is the one who gloats, so I guess it was her.
Book: At the end, Dawn says, “To me!” I prefer this version; it made me smile when I read it. Graphic novel: At the end, Dawn says, “To us!!”
Random thoughts:
Mary Anne’s room is just as pink as I imagined it would be. Humpty Dumpty is even on the wall.
Mary Anne’s dad is kinda cute, in a dad way, of course. When I’ve I imagined him previously, he’s been exclusively dour until the very end of the story and sort of bland looking.
Mimi looks more adorable that I’d even hoped. I love Mimi! I know she’s not a BSC member but I’d love to read her memoirs.
Also, Claudia’s response to the “my Mary Anne” incident is brilliant!
I love that we get to see Mary Anne give her father the scarf she’s been working on with Mimi’s help for a couple of books. That was my favourite illustration.
About the cover: Love it! Love the colours. Love the expressions. My only nitpicks are that Mary Anne’s skirt is clearly above her knees and I’m certain that her dad, Richie, would never have allowed Mary Anne to leave the house looking like that. Why, that would almost be as scandalous as giving her permission to wear pants to school! Also, is it just me or at a quick glance, does it look as though Claudia doesn’t have pupils, giving her a bit of a zombie vibe?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
When The Baby-sitters Club gets into a huge fight, Mary Anne is left to her own devices. She has to eat by herself in the school cafeteria, figure out how to make new friends and deal with her overprotective father. But the worst happens when she finds herself in a babysitting emergency and can’t turn to her friends for help. Will Mary Anne solve her problems and save The Baby-sitters Club from falling apart?
Only three books after Kristy had her great idea, it’s time for The BSC and the Great Dummy Spit, A.K.A., Welcome to the Party, Dawn! Kristy, Claudia, Stacey and Mary Anne have a doozy of a fight during a BSC meeting after Kristy breaks one of the most important BSC rules: When you answer a call for a babysitting job you must offer the job to everyone else, not simply take it yourself. Or else!
Having just reread the first three books, I found it quite interesting that it’s Kristy accidentally breaking this rule that’s the precursor for all of the drama that follows. Claudia and Stacey have both been guilty of exactly the same infraction (Mary Anne wouldn’t dare break a rule at this point so we won’t point any fingers at her). The other BSC members have been various shades of peeved because of these BSC blunders but nothing like the argument that follows Kristy’s mistake.
But, hey, let’s look at the bright side. At least we now know what the BSC really think of each other:
Kristy is the “biggest, bossiest know-it-all in the world”
Claudia is a “stuck-up job-hog”
Stacey is a “conceited snob”
Mary Anne is a shy little baby.
Actually, given the amount of conflict in this book, it surprises adult me that this was the book that sucked me in. Sure, it was the first one I read so it’s always going to hold a special place in my heart, but I’m the type of person who avoids conflict as much as possible. On the surface it doesn’t seem like the type of book kid me would have loved but I know I did. I’ve read it so many times!
I think what sealed the deal for me was Mary Anne herself. I saw shy, sensitive me in her and the fact that she stood up to people in this book, despite this, made her kind of heroic in my eyes. She had the courage that I wanted and the backbone I hoped was growing in me. And we both love The Parent Trap (the original Hayley Mills version), except I can’t remember now if I fell in love with it before I met Mary Anne or because of her.
Besides all of the time we spend watching our favourite babysitters pretty much hating each others’ guts, we are also introduced to our California girl. Mary Anne meets Dawn on her second day at Stoneybrook Middle School. The start of their friendship is somewhat dodgy, though, with Mary Anne lying to her off the bat.
While the four current BSC members are shooting daggers across the cafeteria at each other with every glance, Mary Anne (in her infinite wisdom) decides that rather than telling Dawn the truth about their bust up, she’ll say her friends are absent from school that day. And the day after. And the day after …
In this book it’s alleged that we babysit for David Michael Thomas, Karen and Andrew Brewer, Jamie (Hi-hi!) and Lucy Newton, Charlotte Johansenn, Nina and Eleanor Marshall, all eight Pike kids at once (😱) and a new girl, Jenny Prezzioso. However, we don’t get to attend most of these jobs with the girls because apparently they’re all too mad to even talk about them.
So, the random bits and pieces that stood out to me during this reread:
Mary Anne is in battle mode for much of the book, also engaging in some traditionally un-Mary Anne-like behaviour with Dawn and her super strict father. This is the man whose rules include not allowing his twelve year old daughter to wear pants to school because, um, reasons?
Kristy misses a BSC meeting. Did you ever think you’d live to see the day?
Dawn has a VCR at her house, which was a pretty big deal in the 80’s. For those of you who are too young to know what a VCR is, they’re how we watched movies at home in the olden days, before DVD’s, Blu-rays or streaming were invented. If you rented a movie, you absolutely had to rewind the video cassette before returning it to the video store, lest you incur the wrath of the teenager working there.
My Mimi commits a cardinal sin: she calls Mary Anne “my Mary Anne”. Claudia is decidedly unimpressed.
NO FAIR. So there.
Tales from Stoneybrook Central Time: Lucy Newton, who was born during book #3, isn’t two months old yet but at least it proves that Stoneybrook Central Time isn’t slowing down a great deal yet. I wonder how many years these girls remain roughly the same age for.
Further proof that time is in fact still moving forward: The BSC members are invited to Jamie (Hi-hi!) Newton’s fourth birthday party.
Movie in a book: Mary Anne and Dawn watch The Parent Trap. Come to think of it, Mary Anne and Dawn pull a bit of a Parent Trap move on their parents.
Books in a book:
Mary Anne reads A Wrinkle in Time.
Vanessa Pike reads The Phantom Tollbooth.
The younger Pike kids put on a Peter Rabbit play.
Nicky and Vanessa Pike are reading Pippi Longstocking.
Mary Anne has Blueberries For Sal, The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin and Caps For Sale in her Kid-Kit.
About the cover: Jenny’s hair ribbons are supposed to be white, not blue. She is also supposed to be asleep when Mary Anne takes her temperature. Close enough, though. I love the original covers!
Next BSC read: Our newest member, Dawn, makes her mark. I loved Dawn’s new-old home when I was growing up. I hope it’s as creepy and quirky as I remember.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Mary Anne has never been a leader of the Baby-sitters Club. She’s left that up to Kristy … or Claudia … or Stacey. But now there’s a big fight among the four friends, and Mary Anne doesn’t have them to depend on anymore.
It’s bad enough when she’s left alone at the lunch table at school. But when she has to babysit a sick child without any help from her friends, Mary Anne knows it’s time to take charge.
The Baby-sitters Club is going to fall apart unless somebody does something – fast. Maybe it’s time for Mary Anne to step in and save the day!
Raina did such a fantastic job translating the third BSC book into a graphic novel. But was there ever any doubt? I’d be on board if she made the entire series into graphic novels.
Given that I’ve read both the book and graphic novel today and because the graphic novel remains so true to the source material, there’s not a lot I can say that I didn’t already say in my review of the book.
Instead I’ll mention some of the changes I noticed between the two. I loved that all of the changes were minor, so the story you’ve known for over three decades is the story you’ll find here.
Book: Everyone goes home to get their own box before returning to Claudia’s house to decorate the Kid-Kits. Graphic Novel: Claudia gets empty boxes for everyone from her basement.
Book: Kristy is usually sprawled out on Claudia’s floor during meetings. This changes for the emergency meeting, when she’s all official with her clipboard, visor and pencil over her ear. Graphic Novel: Kristy begins the story sitting in a chair during BSC meetings. She does hang out on Claudia’s bed later in the story.
Book: Stacey gets her money out before deciding not to buy anything at the candy store. Graphic Novel: Stacey doesn’t get her money out at all. She simply thinks about it and tells Charlotte she shouldn’t have any sweets.
Book: The babysitters put on a record for Jamie’s Big Brother Party. Graphic Novel: The babysitters put on a CD for Jamie’s Big Brother Party.
The Baby-sitters Agency set up a recruitment table inside the school. The babysitters head to the school bathroom to strategise. Book: The babysitters talk in the bathroom, then decide to hold a meeting at Kristy’s house after school. Graphic Novel: The entire conversation takes place in the school bathroom.
Book: Stacey and Dr Johansenn have their talk about the new doctor Stacey’s parents want to take her to in the den. Graphic Novel: Stacey and Dr Johansenn have their talk about the new doctor Stacey’s parents want to take her to in the kitchen.
Book: Pete asks Stacey to the Snowflake Dance when they’re in the cafeteria. Graphic Novel: Pete asks Stacey to the Snowflake Dance when they’re in the hallway in front of the lockers..
Book: Mary Anne answers the phone call from Mr Kelly and then hands the phone to Kristy once she finds out why he’s calling. Graphic Novel: Kristy answers the call.
Book: Stacey babysits for Jamie (Hi-hi!) Newton and he tells her about his other babysitters. Graphic Novel: Mary Anne babysits for Jamie (Hi-hi!) Newton and he tells her about his other babysitters.
Book: Stacey talks to Dr Johansenn a second time in the Johansenn’s home. Graphic Novel: Stacey talks to Dr Johansenn a second time while Dr Johansenn is driving her home.
Book: The babysitters discuss their concerns about Jamie with their parents before talking to Mrs Newton. Graphic Novel: The babysitters wait out in the snow until Cathy has left and then go talk to Mrs Newton.
The babysitters quiz members of The Baby-sitters Agency about the kids they babysit. Book: They ask what Charlotte’s favourite TV show is. Graphic Novel: They ask what Charlotte’s favourite game is.
Book: When Stacey and her parents arrive at Laine’s family’s apartment, Laine is in her bedroom. Graphic Novel: When Stacey and her parents arrive at Laine’s family’s apartment, Laine is in the same room as her parents.
Book: The popcorn and diet soda Stacey buys at the movies costs $1.75. Graphic Novel: The popcorn and diet soda Stacey buys at the movies costs $9.25.
Book: Makeovers Inc. sounds as though it’s going to be a moneymaker. Graphic Novel: Makeovers Inc. sounds as though it’s going to be a flop.
The illustrations are the usual Raina awesomeness, with characters whose expressions tell the story just as well as the words. One of my favourite scenes was when Kristy calls The Baby-sitters Agency to find out how they operate and says she has a date with Winston Churchill.
I really enjoyed the flashback scenes in the graphic novel that give you an idea of what Stacey’s life in New York was like. The text that’s added to those panels felt like it belonged in the story. I loved Stacey and Laine’s ideas for the apartment they planned to get together when they were in the fifth grade.
I read the black and white version of this graphic novel. Sorry about the dodgy photos I took of it. To give you an idea of what the colour version looks like, here are the first three pages:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Poor Stacey. She just moved to a new town, is still coming to terms with her diabetes, and is facing baby-sitting problems left and right. Fortunately, Stacey has three new friends – Kristy, Claudia, and Mary Anne. Together they’re the BSC, and they will deal with whatever’s thrown their way … even if it’s a rival baby-sitting club!
Schizanthus Nerd 