Mary Anne Saves the Day by Ann M. Martin

So, the random bits and pieces that stood out to me during this reread: However, we don’t get to attend most of these jobs with the girls because apparently they’re all too mad to even talk about them. In this book it’s alleged that we babysit for David Michael Thomas, Karen and Andrew Brewer, Jamie (Hi-hi!) and Lucy Newton, Charlotte Johansenn, Nina and Eleanor Marshall, all eight Pike kids at once (😱) and a new girl, Jenny Prezzioso. While the four current BSC members are shooting daggers across the cafeteria at each other with every glance, Mary Anne (in her infinite wisdom) decides that rather than telling Dawn the truth about their bust up, she’ll say her friends are absent from school that day. The start of their friendship is somewhat dodgy, though, with Mary Anne lying to her off the bat. Mary Anne meets Dawn on her second day at Stoneybrook Middle School. And we both love The Parent Trap (the original Hayley Mills version), except I can’t remember now if I fell in love with it before I met Mary Anne or because of her.īesides all of the time we spend watching our favourite babysitters pretty much hating each others’ guts, we are also introduced to our California girl. She had the courage that I wanted and the backbone I hoped was growing in me. I saw shy, sensitive me in her and the fact that she stood up to people in this book, despite this, made her kind of heroic in my eyes. I think what sealed the deal for me was Mary Anne herself.

On the surface it doesn’t seem like the type of book kid me would have loved but I know I did. Sure, it was the first one I read so it’s always going to hold a special place in my heart, but I’m the type of person who avoids conflict as much as possible. Kristy is the “biggest, bossiest know-it-all in the world”Īctually, given the amount of conflict in this book, it surprises adult me that this was the book that sucked me in.At least we now know what the BSC really think of each other: The other BSC members have been various shades of peeved because of these BSC blunders but nothing like the argument that follows Kristy’s mistake.īut, hey, let’s look at the bright side. Claudia and Stacey have both been guilty of exactly the same infraction (Mary Anne wouldn’t dare break a rule at this point so we won’t point any fingers at her). Having just reread the first three books, I found it quite interesting that it’s Kristy accidentally breaking this rule that’s the precursor for all of the drama that follows. Only three books after Kristy had her great idea, it’s time for The BSC and the Great Dummy Spit, A.K.A., Welcome to the Party, Dawn! Kristy, Claudia, Stacey and Mary Anne have a doozy of a fight during a BSC meeting after Kristy breaks one of the most important BSC rules: When you answer a call for a babysitting job you must offer the job to everyone else, not simply take it yourself.

Mary Anne Saves the Day by Ann M. Martin