Cover Art:
Original: Stacey looks… not cute on this cover. She looks like she has a mullet. I think it’s the way the sunglasses pull her hair back, but still. It’s awful.
Newer: I like this cover better. Stacey doesn’t look 12, but she does look pretty.
I’m not even going to comment on the newest covers that don’t show the girls. I don’t approve of them. Do you guys know what I’m talking about?
Plot:
Stacy has diabetes! For now, that’s as big of a deal as Jessi being black, but of course, we don’t know Jessi yet. Stacy’s parents tote her around from doctor to doctor trying to find a “cure” for diabetes. Silly, there’s no cure for diabetes. Just like there’s no cure for Jessi being black. Quit making it sound like the end of the world!
Stacey’s parents drag her back to New York for more tests. They want to see a “holistic” doctor – which does not mean “faith healer” Anastasia. Stacey ends up getting with Dr. Johanssen to make an appointment with a doctor who tells her that she’s perfectly healthy, except for the diabetes, but she’s handling it very well. By the end of the book, Stacy and her parents have a heart to heart and they agree to let go a little more.
Subplot:
Uh-Oh! There are new sitters in town and they are out to get the BSC. Their clients anyway. Now introducing… The Babysitters Agency. Kristy quickly changes the meeting to an emergency meeting of the BSC to discuss the Agency. The girls decide to add older members, but soon find out those older members are moles from the Agency. Jerks. Sandwich boards, anyone? And really, this was more of the plot than the subplot, but the book was named for Stacey’s problem, so I’m assuming that’s supposed to be the main plot. Oh, who cares?
Bullet-Point Worthy Items!!!:
- I like the flow of the first 3 books – they keep mentioning Mrs. Newton having her baby. Good continuity!
- Mimi is able to tell Mary Anne that she was born at night. Mary Anne was upset in the last book because her dad doesn’t talk about when she was a baby and she didn’t know if she was born early, on time, or late.
- Claudia was so upset about the Agency that she offered Stacey a piece of candy. And Mary Anne was so upset that she left the meeting a little late. Oh no!
- I know you all know this one – Stacey is reeaallllllly thirsty and then finds out she has diabetes. Raise your hand if you ever suspected diabetes was the cause of your thirst!
- Kristy is sitting in a desk chair with the visor and a pencil over ear. Mary Anne’s in the director’s chair. I wonder when Kristy shoved M.A. out of it and took it over. ?
- Kristy’s ideas for beating out the Agency:
o Doing housework
o Special deals for the best customers
o Kids Kits (!!!)
o Lower rates
o Take on late jobs or give jobs to older kids
- Claudia is all, “Hell no! Uh-uh. I ain’t doin’ no housework or giving my jobs away.” The girls settle on the Kid Kits and special deals.
- Stacey has a sitting job for her “almost sister” Charlotte Johanssen on a Monday. Dr. Johanssen should be back between 5 and 5:30. I should hope so! Those girls can’t have a sitting job during a meeting!
- I don’t remember 2nd graders being so mean. From what I remember, and see now with kids I work with, that 2nd graders are friends with most everyone in their class. Then again, this is just a book. I need to keep telling myself that.
- Mrs. Newton has her baby, and Jamie has a Big Brother Party. Nine-pound Lucy Jane Newton makes her appearance. Jamie’s upset because his mommy wants to start using the Agency instead of the BSC because they’re older.
- Kristy and Mary Anne weren’t present for the Monday BSC meeting because they were watching Jamie and cleaning up after the party. Interesting.
- Ooh, a triple emergency club meeting!
- Mary Anne mentions that they asked Stacey “all sorts of things” when they were deciding whether or not to let her join. If I recall correctly, Stacey volunteered that she babysat a lot and can stay out until 10. There wasn’t much of a debate on whether or not Stacey could join. We’ll see a debate later on with poor ass-hat Mallory.
- Claudia’s handwriting is atrocious in this book. Way worse than usual.
- Is Tab a soda? Stacey ordered it at the movies, but shouldn’t she have ordered Diet Tab?
- Stacey takes a call from Mrs. Newton for a job. Somehow Claudia reads Stacey’s mind and is mad because she would have liked a job with Jamie AND Lucy, even though Stacey never said the job was for Lucy too.
- Charlotte gets moved to 3rd grade in this book.
- I love Stacey’s cheer (the rah, rah, rah crap). Makes me wonder why the cheerleaders will choose to pass on her in book #70. I guess I’m not supposed to know that yet, though.
Outfits:
I’m sad to say that unless I completely spaced it, there were no outfits in this book.
Tab was like the original diet soda. There is no other version. You can still find it in stores sometimes but it's usually only a very small part of the soda display now that there are so many other diet choices. My ex-mother-in-law used to drink it all the time.
ReplyDeleteAlso I'm enjoying your blog quite a bit so far.
Thanks for the info on Tab. I should have googled it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! I'm really glad you're enjoying it. I'm having fun doing it and it's nice to know others are enjoying it too. =)
I beg to differ with you on the covers. I think Stacey looks adorable on the old cover. Although now that I take a closer look she looks a bit chubby for someone that watches her diet and is supposed to be slender. As far as her hair, it wouldn't be stylish in the mid eighties if she didn't have giant bangs :P
ReplyDeleteI was going to tell you about Tab too, but Happenstance beat me to it.
I actually think Stacey and Charlotte looks much better in the new cover because Stacey looked fat and same with charlotte and charlotte is described as skinny, not fat. And i thought stacey's outfit looked much better in the newer covers too.
ReplyDeleteI like how they continued on with mrs. newton's pregnacy too and how jamie newton stayed over at kristy's house while his mom goes to the hospital to have a baby.
I really like the style of this blog and looking forward to more blog posts from you in the future.
So the special rates for customers would explain why in later books Mary Anne's job description includes keeping track of rates
ReplyDelete