Super Special #15 - Baby-sitters European Vacation

Plot
OMGGGGGG I cannot believe this is the last BSC book I will be covering!

So back in Book #120, this happened:
It is summer again, Dawn is back again, and, again, somehow, SMS has offered their students an amazing trip. This year it is Europe for FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS. THAT'S ALL.

There is also a opportunity at the playground for camp counselors. Everyone wants to do all of the things. But then Dawn says she is not going on the trip, so then Mary Anne decides she is not going. Then Logan says he is not going. Then Claudia says she is not going if she gets a playground job. Stacey, Abby and Kristy decide they want both, so they lie during the interview and say they won't go, but their plan is to just wait until they start and then ask for the ten days off. It's super shady and the girls fight pretty badly about it.

Mallory and Jessi get cut right from the start because of their age. Kristy, Stacey and Abby put their plan of lying into action. Meanwhile, Kristy is insistent everyone help fund raise even though not everyone is going. She is a huge bitch about it, which doesn't help with the fighting.

Subplot in this book is that little princess Victoria is moving back to Europe and she's sad. so they have an "American themed" goodbye party for her.

So as it ends up, the committee sees through the lies and only hires Dawn, Logan, MaryAnne and Claudia. They have this weird meeting where the formally apologize to each other and all is well.

So, this is the book where they go to Europe. I gotta be honest, it was pretty boring.

Highlights

• In Stoneybrook, Janine is like a lead counselor at the camp, for some reason, even though she never has been known to do anything outdoorsy. Her ex-boyfriend is also a camp counselor. She is very mean to Claudia, but it ends up it's because her ex is making her so uncomfortable. Claudia convinces her to stand up to him, and all ends well. The other babysitters that are still in Stoneybrook literally do nothing but write about Janine and Claudia. 
• Kristy meets a guy from another school who is also on this trip, and they fight the entire time....until the last night, where they realize they like each other and Kristy kisses him. 
• Mallory discovers she is a long lost relative of William Shakespeare and spends THE ENTIRE TRIP writing until Jessi is like dude, you are missing everything. 
• Jessi reunites with her ballet friends from New York who are doing a show in Europe. And how weird, one of the stars AND her understudy are both injured, so Jessi has to step in. And of course she learns the dance in like five minutes and is amazing. 
• Stacey's luggage gets lost and she loses her fucking mind and doesn't want to go anywhere because she has to borrow clothes from her mom and she can't believe how ugly she looks. But before she realizes it's not hers, she opens the suitcase and finds an urn full of ashes. It ends up her luggage got confused with a veteran who was bringing his body to Europe to spread his ashes where they served. They meet up and she gives him the urn. She kind of becomes less of a bitch at that point. 
• Abby meets up with Victoria, and she invites her to an event where they will meet the Queen. Of course Abby ends up stepping on the prince's toes. It's ridiculous. 
• Stacey's mom is a chaperone and she gets into fights with the other chaperone. 

And that's all folks! This was a fun little project, but I have to admit I'm glad it's done! 

I sold all of my BSC books on Facebook - I found a woman (named Jen, weirdly), whose daughter has started reading them and she was SO excited to find such a big collection. And I am so excited they went into the hands of a young girl who will appreciate them as much as I did when I was younger. 

Super Special #14 - BSC in the USA

Plot

Dawn and Jeff are in Stoneybrook for the summer. Their dad is going to NYC to pick up an RV to drive back to California, so he arranges it with their mom to pick the kids up and drive cross country with them. Then somehow this morphs into Krisy's stepdad doing the same thing, so now we have:

Brewer RV with Watson, Elizabeth, David Michael, Karen, Andrew, Abby, Jessi and Mallory

Schafer RV with Mr. Schafer, Jeff, Dawn, Claudia, Stacey, Kristy and Mary Anne

Each RV was taking a different route to get to California, and each person got to pick a place along the way that was special to them. 

And yes, Kristy ditched her own family because the other RV's route took them past more MLB stadiums. 

Highlights

• So much happened in this book. 
• Mallory's special place was this small town where her horse books take place. She got to see a lot of horses. 
• Jessi's special place was a plantation where her family were owned as slaves. Also, since they drove through her hometown they stopped there and had dinner with her grandma. Mallory started acting shy, so of course Jessi decided she is secretly racist. 
• Kristy, for some reason, got to go to a million special places. They were all baseball stadiums. And at the one in San Fran, she saw her biological father on the big screen! She magically finds him and they promise to keep in touch. 
• Claudia's special place was an art museum, but then she also fell in love with Wall Drug in South Dakota, where she buys an artist's sketch for ONE DOLLAR that ends up being worth $500. 
• Stacey's special place was Seattle, where her boyfriend Ethan was staying for the summer. 
• Also, Stacey and Claudia fight during the entire trip because Stacey thinks Claudia was snooping through her journal. So they wasted the entire trip fighting rather than talking about it. 
• MaryAnne's place was going to be her grandmother's house in Iowa, but then her grandma suggests they meet in Minneapolis instead at the Mall of America. 
• Abby's special place is Graceland, where they think they see Elvis. But then when they are at the Grand Canyon, she is miserable bc it was a favorite place of her father's. But then she accepted it and spent time just taking in the view and felt at peace and like her father was there. 
• Of course there are two huge almost catastrophes. Mr. Schafer somehow runs out of gas and has to leave the kids alone on the RV when he walks to find a gas station and they are all scared to death. This is happening while the other RV stops at Watson's college roommate's house in Oklahoma, and of course there is a tornado while they are there. 
• The adults did not plan anything for this trip. Every day they just decides where to drive. Mr. Schafer ran out of freaking gas for crying out loud. I don't know how they could plan a cross country trip with no planning. 

Super Special #13 - Ahola, Baby-sitters!

Plot
Most of the BSC is going to Hawaii - everyone except Kristy and Mallory. Kristy isn't going because her own family is going to Hawaii in a few weeks, and Mallory isn't going because her family can't afford it. Jessi feels awful, so she decides she needs to document every single moment of the trip and make a scrapbook so Mallory feels like she was there. She gets everyone on the trip to contribute to the journal.

Takeaways

• Jessi is highly annoying with her documentation. She is always writing in a notebook or taking photos. At some point you think she would realize she wasn't even enjoying her own vacation because she was too busy trying to document it, but she doesn't. You would also think at some point someone would realize Mallory may not want to see all this shit from a vacation she wasn't allowed to go on, but no one does. 
• Of course Stacey gets in a HELICOPTER accident and is missing for a night. Of course. 
• Claudia clearly hasn't paid attention in any history classes, so when she learns about Pearl Harbor she spends the rest of the trip depressed about her ancestry. 
• Abby finds a commercial being shot on the beach and lies her way into being in it. 
• Mary Anne........OF COURSE........finds a family to babysit for while she is there. 
• Dawn....of course....finds a beach to clean up, and lectures the town people about keeping it clean. 
• Logan and MaryAnne decide to spend time with their friends on this trip, rather than just each other. But by the end of the trip, they realize they missed out on a lot of memories together and decide never to do that again. 
• Stacey is also with Robert during this book, and he is flirty with another girl so Stacey gets pissy. One chapter is from his point of view and he explains how bipolar she is acting. But then he literally watches her helicopter crash so they fall back in love. And probably bang that night. 
• Mallory and Kristy are in Stoneybrook and they get into a fight with a lady in the park who thinks they are shitty babysitters. But then Mallory goes back to the park and sees her being a shitty mom so she just stares at her all smug like. 
• Hawaii is on my bucket list of places to go, but no book I have ever read has made it seem as boring as these girls did. 

Super Special #12 - Here Come the Bridesmaids!

Plot
Dawn is in California for her extended stay, and her dad is marrying his girlfriend, Carol. She invites the whole club, but only Kristy and MaryAnne can go - Claudia wants to but can't afford it, so Dawn's dad "hires" her to come and help with the wedding, paying for half her plane ticket. I don't know why that arrangement gets made for her but no one else, but whatevs.

The reason the entire club can't make the trip is because Mrs. Barrett is marrying her boyfriend, Mr. DeWitt, ON THE SAME WEEKEND (which of course makes Dawn angry, because why didn't Mrs. Barrett check with the BSC first to make sure that weekend would work?) so Shannon and Mallory are hired as "wedding babysitters" (because of course no one can watch the children on this special day) and Stacey is in the wedding as a bridesmaid (.....). Jessi is also working, as a mall Santa (...).

Since they can't all be together, Dawn decides they should each have to keep a journal, to compile into a book about these weddings.

Highlights

• This book makes no sense. 
• Dawn's dad and Carol ask her to be maid of honor. For some reason, she takes that to mean she is in charge of picking the bridesmaids. So she picks out a dress and asks MaryAnne to be a bridesmaid. MA is pissed at first bc why would Dawn assume she wants to be the center of attention? But then MA is excited about it. And THEN Dawn's dad drops the bomb that Dawn has no fucking clue what she is talking about and the complete wedding party is Dad, Carol, Dawn and Jeff and that's it. So then MA is mad that Dawn is stupid. But they cry and make up in time for the wedding. 
• Claudia is "hired" help, so she has to pick out flowers and take photos at the wedding. 
• Kristy gets all buddy buddy with the We Love Kids Club (even though she hates their club) and plans a goodbye party for Dawn because after the wedding she is going back to Stoneybrook forever (nope). 
• Meanwhile, back in Stoneybrook, Mrs. Barrett asks Stacey to be a bridesmaid about a week before the wedding. One of her friends backed out at the last minute. I mean, I guess I get it because it's not like a 13 year old is really going to have anything else going on, and she could fit into the dress. But who would want a 13 year old in her wedding party.
• So at the wedding, Shannon takes the youngest kid out of the church bc he is crying, so she just sits and cuddles him during the ceremony. Meanwhile Mallory gets to handle like four fucking brats all by herself. I would be pissed if I were Mallory. 
• Oh and also Mallory is fighting with her boyfriend, Ben, because she agreed to go caroling with him on the wedding day, but then remembers it's the wedding day so she calls to cancel and Ben gets irrationally pissed. But then they make up and just go caroling the next day. 
• Meanwhile, at the mall, the mall Santa has backed out and they need a replacement. Out of all of the people in the world, why not have an 11 year old do it? There are probably 11 year olds still going to SEE SANTA. What the fuck is wrong with this town that the only people who can do anything are 11-13 year old girls?
• Also, after the Barrett-DeWitt wedding, those families are combining into one house. Guess who gets called to help them move? THE BSC DUH. 
• 
  

Super Special #11 - The Baby-Sitters Remember

Plot
The Babysitters are on summer vacation and they are having a slumber party. They are discussing their summer homework assignment - an essay entitled "What I did this summer" - and complaining the assignment is so lame. Jessi says she wishes the assignment had been more thought-provoking, like "what is your most vivid memory"...

Highlights

• Kristy's most vivid memory is when her mom let her babysit David Michael by herself for the first time, and it started her obsession with babysitting. 
• MaryAnne's is when she had what she thought was a really horrible babysitter, but when she is babysitting for MA, Claudia and Kristy one night they spend the night playing jokes on her and she plays right along. That's when MA discovered how important it is to be a good, fun babysitter. (I think this is a super lame "most vivid" memory.)
• Claudia's is my favorite - it is when, in first grade, they are given a homework assignment to make a self portrait. Claudia makes this amazing butterfly, full of color and life. Then, at school, she gets in trouble for not understanding the assignment and not taking it seriously. She goes home and cries to Mimi, and Mimi marches right to the school and tells the art teacher that Claudia is the ONLY one who understood the assignment, and she drew how she sees herself. 
• Stacey's is then she got super sick in New York when she first got diabetes but she wasn't diagnosed yet. She gets sick at a slumber party and wets the bed she is sharing with Laine. All her friends tell everyone at school; the entire school is terrible to her, plus she gets officially diagnosed and they can't get her blood sugar under control, so she is in the hospital a lot. When her dad tells her they are moving to Connecticut, she can't wait. 
• Dawn's is when her parents tell her and Jeff they are getting divorced and the kids are moving with their mom to Stoneybrook. 
• Mallory's is when she stands in line to meet her favorite author, then can't speak to her when she gets to the front of the line and just bursts into tears. She decides she will be an author someday so she can have that same affect on someone.
• Jessi's is when her baby brother is born. 
• Shannon's is my least favorite. It's when a new girl comes to her school and "picks" girls from the class to be best friends with. When it's Shannon's turn, Shannon is busy studying to be in the Astronomy Club. She hangs out with her for awhile, but then decides the club is more important and tells her she can't hang out, so she gets ditched. She can't believe she almost gave up a chance to be in the Astronomy Club to hang out with someone. Dumb. 
• Logan's is moving to Stoneybrook, meeting MaryAnne and falling in LUV.
• I'm so glad Abby isn't in the club yet bc I would cry my eyes out if her vivid memory was losing her dad. 

Super Special #10 - Sea City, Here We Come!

Plot

The whole group is going to Sea City. The Pike's are going like they do every year. Normally Stacey and MA go as mother's helpers, but this year Mallory is acting as one (why would she want a normal vacation when she could BABYSIT the whole time), and since Jessi is her best friend, she is invited as the other. The Barrett's are also coming, and Stacey is their mothers helper. Kristy, Dawn, Claudia and MA are coming down for the second week. Mrs. Barrett's boyfriend, along with his four kids and Logan, drive them all down. They leave after a few days (Logan goes with them), and Kristy, Dawn, Claudia and MA hitch a ride back with the Barrett's or Pike's. 

While they are there, a hurricane hits and they have to take shelter in an elementary school. But it ends up being fine. 

Highlights

• Like, you would think a fucking hurricane would be the main point of this book, but it is literally one chapter, then we find out in the letter at the beginning of the next chapter that everything is fine. 
• Also, can we talk about how many letters and postcards these people write? Stacey literally wrote a postcard saying she was stranded in an elementary school - to her MOM. Maybe that should have been a phone call instead. 
• When they get there, Stacey immediately runs into her "ex-boyfriend", who she literally went on one date with and got "dumped" the next day. His name is Toby, and since Stacey won't give him the time of day, he starts hitting on Mallory and asks her on a date. Stacey gets super pissed and won't talk to Mal. Mallory decides she doesn't want to go on the date, so she breaks it off. Then Stacey finally apologizes. Also, in the letter Toby writes Mallory after they all go home (because Toby would write to Mallory......nope), he asks for Jessi's phone number. 
• Before the four extra babysitters go to Sea City, Claudia is in summer school; Kristy is coaching the Krushers and Dawn/MA have a summer camp in their backyard. It is written about extensively and is pretty boring. 
• Logan gets to go for a weekend, and he meets Alex, the boy MA went on a date with last time she was there. He is very jealous. Then when he goes back home, he can't stop thinking about how MA is probably cheating on him. When he finally hears from her, he realizes he is being cray and orders a HORSE AND BUGGY to pick her up when she arrives home. 
• Jessi decides she has to be a super sitter and is crazy about it. 
• There is an unnecessary chapter from Karen's point of view and she isn't even fucking there. 
• Dawn contributed nothing in this book. 

Super Special #9 - Starring the Baby-sitters Club!

Plot
All the Stoneybrook schools are putting on a play, Peter Pan. Jessi sees a flyer for it and decides she is the only person qualified, in all of the schools, to be Peter Pan. She is so confident she goes to the school newspaper and offers to write a insider article about it, since she will be playing the lead. She asks everyone to give her notes from their experience, so...we get a Super Special.

Highlights

• Jessi, however, does not get to be Peter Pan. Kristy does. Jessi is a freaking pouty baby about it the entire book. She gets cast as an Indian....or Lost Boy? Something like that. But she rejects the role. She does help choreograph dances for the little kids, but crosses her name off the program because she is literally the most bitter giant baby ever. Then, at the very last minute, Pete Black,  who is playing the dog and the crocodile, breaks his nose so Jessi gets to fill in. 
• Kristy is Peter Pan, and she has problems learning her lines, but then she is amazing. 
• Dawn is Wendy, and she wants to change all Wendy's lines to be more #metoo, but she gets denied. She gets her life together and is amazing. 
• Stacey and Sam are still dating, and they get cast as Mr. and Mrs. Darling. Sam makes a big show of teasing her, and it ends up it's because his friends give him a hard time for dating a younger girl and he wants them to see how much fun they have together. Finally they talk about it, they get their lives together and they are amazing. 
• Mallory is on the costume team, but she is too embarrassed to measure any of the boys so she is basically worthless. Then she becomes even more worthless bc she doesn't think she needs to be doing anything so she starts telling all the little kids what to do. But...
• MaryAnne is hired on (for free) to be the "backstage babysitter" and Mallory starts butting into her job when she gets bored with her real job. MA finally snaps at her, and Mallory finally realizes she actually does need to pay attention and do her job. 
• Claudia is a set designer. She is amazing. 
• Karen, per usual, is a little brat and, even though the director wasn't planning on casting anyone as TinkerBell, Karen gets cast and is amazing. 
• This play was offered to all the Stoneybrook skills, but somehow Kristy and Dawn get the leading roles? No one older auditioned for those? Basically the only high schooler in the play is the guy who plays Captain Hook (who Mallory won't measure even though its her fucking job).