#78 - Claudia and Crazy Peaches

Timeline
Fall, their 5th time through 8th grade

Plot
Claudia's crazy Aunt Peaches is pregnant, and they immediantly buy  a bigger house in Stoneybrook. There is a month between move out and move in day, so they move in with the Kishi's. Claudia is so excited, but then Peaches always wants to be doing something...making a huge dinner, going shopping, going to movies, sneaking out of the house at midnight...and Claudia ends up in trouble, but then screams at Peaches that it is all her fault. They tiptoe around each other, and then Peaches finally yells at Claudia for being an immature teenager. A few days later, Peaches loses the baby. Claudia thinks it is all her fault for yelling at Peaches. She apologizes, Peaches apologizes, and they make up.

Subplot is that there is a new babysitting charge in town, Natalie, who has no friends. The BSC takes it upon themselves to get her some friends and launch what they call the "Friendship Campaign". Natalie doesn't make it easy, but eventually becomes friends with Becca and Charlotte.

Also, MaryAnne is teaching Claudia how to knit.

Takeaways
When Peaches calls Claudia to tell her she is pregnant, she says she will have a cousin in seven months. So she is two months along. And she has already quit her job to be a stay at home mom. What the fuck.

Also, they move in with the Kishi's for a month, and the very first day Peaches and Claudia go on a massive shopping spree for everything needed for the baby. With seven months to go. So she must not be planning on having any showers?

The miscarriage was pretty tough to read about.

Claudia is the first one to babysit Natalie, and Natalie kind of latches on to her. Claudia comes home one day and Natalie is just sitting on her front step waiting for her. My question is - why did her parents allow her to just go sit on a teenagers doorstep? Natalie is 8 years old.

Best Character
MaryAnne, because Claudia is fucking hopeless when she starts knitting and she has the patience to help her learn.

Worst Character
I would say Claudia's mom. When Peaches wakes Claudia up to sneak out to get pizza at midnight, Claudia's mom freaks out on Claudia. Um. It was fucking Peaches's fault, Claudia's mom.