The kids play outside during this whole book, so it must be the beginning of spring during their third 6th grade/8th grade year.
Plot
The Papadakis family (who live across the street from Kristy) have decided to become a foster family, and they get a kid almost immediately. Lou (short for Louisa) shows up and she's a fucking terrorist. Her dad has died and her mom is no where to be found, so her and her brother got placed in foster homes, not together. She is rude, mean, and terrible to all the animals in the neighborhood. She even puts BooBoo, Kristy's family's cat, in a pillowcase and swings him around. Karen and Hannie (one of the Papadakis kids), and their other friend, Nancy, are spending all their time making a clubhouse in the back yard and Lou just rips on it all the time. All of the babysitters who have to babysit this terroristic brat end up losing their temper with her.
It all comes to a head when Kristy is babysitting and gets a call from Lou's social worker. She comes over and tells Lou they found an aunt and uncle who want to adopt her. Lou loses her goddamned mind bc she doesn't want an aunt/uncle, she wants her mom back. She trashes the Papadakis house and runs away. She runs into Kristy's yard and trashes the clubhouse. Then she ends up at a pond, where Kristy finds her and takes her home.
The Papadakis family throws a goodbye party for Lou. Her aunt and uncle come to pick her up and bring two surprises - 1. her brother, who they are also adopting, and 2. a new puppy for Lou. It seems like everything will work out just fine for her.
Subplot is that the Middle School is hosting an auction to raise money for new computers. The BSC struggles bc they can't come up with anything to donate. Cokie Mason gets a record store to donate a three minute shopping spree, so their donation has to be even better than that. Kristy gets the idea to ask celebrities for donations, so they send a bunch of letters and somehow actually get shit back from them. But what raised the most money at the auction? 24 hours of babysitting, donated by the BSC. Aw.
Takeaways
It took me so long to get through this book. It just could not hold my interest at all.
Why would the Papadakis's be a foster family, but then hire a babysitter all the fucking time?
During the scene when Lou is losing her mind, Mrs. Papadakis and the social worker are trying to reel her in. Kristy is just standing there watching, and finally Mrs. P is like "we've got it Kristy" so she leaves. I love that. Kristy is essentially a child, she doesn't need to be in the room for that.
Best Character
Honestly, probably Karen. Lou is a huge bitch to her, but Karen is always still trying to include her in stuff.
Worst Character
Duh, Lou, the cat swinger.
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