Kristy’s Great Idea by Ann M. Martin
My rating: 5/5 cats
okay, so i have never babysat a day in my life. is it surprising that no one would entrust their little precious dumplings to my care??
however – i loved these books. and lately, i have found my mind drifting back to this series, and i kind of want to read them again, is that bad?? they were such a huge part of my early reading life – i read them ever so many times, and took my favorite ones on vacation with me year after year when my mom told me i could bring a friend (is that super sad?) i still remember tons of tiny details about the series:
i remember that kristy burned her mouth on pizza in book one.
i remember that mary-anne’s father told her she could buy a bikini as long as the bottom was decent (guess he didn’t mind seeing her boobs hanging all over the place)
i remember that claudia’s sister’s iq was 196.
just stupid little facts, but i remember more about this series than i do about actual people i know (i recently got back in touch with one of my favorite people from high school and she mentioned that her brother just got engaged, and i was like – “dude, you have a brother?” however, i know that kristy had three (charlie, sam, and david michael))
bsc was my introduction to camus (and you had better believe i mispronounced that shit. also “janine.” for some reason i rhymed it with “canine” in my head.) see how cute i was??
but what is the appeal of a series like this to a girl like me, who never wanted children, and preferred stuffed animals to dolls and never wanted even to be around other children?? was it just because i was a voracious reader, and these books came out so quickly that there was always something new? was it just for me to learn how to socialize with more normal girls with more traditional goals and mindsets? was it just because i had a mad crush on claudia and wanted to find all her hidden candy stashes? was it just because of the depth of characterization and high-lit postmodern flourishes of ann m martin?
it’s anyone’s guess really, but i feel like these stories, read so long ago, are nonetheless deeply ingrained on my brain. and lo!
i found a baby sitters club chronology,and i realize i only ever got up to number 24! so many more to read! plus super specials and bsc mysteries and baby sitter’s little sister and super specials and bsc friends forever, whatever those are. i might just toss proust in the corner and regress and only read this series for the rest of my life.
but i looked at some silly timeline this on the internet, and now i have spoiled it – i know all the future events!! there is trauma and death and fire and leaving and returning and getting kicked out (!) of bsc!! (what did she do???)
also, in researching to figure out where i stopped reading them, i found this woman whose bsc reviews own my heart now.
i thank you for indulging me in what is in no way a book review, but a little squee of nostalgia from me to you.
p.s. – i hate hate hate the new covers.
