The Baby-Sitters Club #63: Claudia’s (Freind) Friend

Claudia is in serious trouble because she’s in danger of failing English class again. When she tells the BSC, they decide that the perfect solution is to tutor her themselves instead of, you know, getting her some actual help. Stacey volunteers to take the first session, and turns into an uber bitch. She holds the session in the kitchen, blocks all the clocks, and acts like that teacher everyone hates.

Stacey decides that it would be too confusing for Claudia to have more than one tutor, so she takes all the jobs. Every time Claudia wants to have any fun, Stacey shoots her down with another session or practice test. She finally gives her a notebook and tells her to use it as a journal. Claudia looks up the spelling of every word, but Stacey still attacks the journal with a red pen.

At the same time, Mrs. Rodowsky calls the club because Shea was recently diagnosed with dyslexia and she wants to hire a few tutors. Mary Anne takes one job and helps Shea write a letter to someone he admirers, but she keeps correcting him and he gets so frustrated that he wants to quit. Claudia helps him too and the same thing happens again.

During another sitting job, Claudia admits that she has problems with school. Shea and her bond and she helps him with an assignment. He has so much fun that Mrs. Rodowsky hires her for more tutoring sessions. Shea eventually helps Claudia study for her big spelling test, and she learns more with him than she did with Stacey.

During one BSC meeting, someone leaves an anonymous note on the front door. Since there’s yet another big dance coming up, they think that someone has a crush on a member. The notes keep coming, and each girl thinks that the note is for her. Claudia blows up at Stacey when she thinks the notes are from Sam. The two stop talking, but Stacey still takes her journal home to correct.

The only problem is that Claudia started keeping a second journal that let her bitch about Stacey and that’s the one she takes. The last note they get asks the entire club to meet for ice cream. Kristy decides that it must be Cokie’s group, so they wear their worst clothes and bring prank stuff to the shop, but it’s actually just a bunch of their charges.

Shea leaves Claudia a note thanking her for all her help and she gets a little teary eyed. She feels so bad that she calls Stacey later that night. They meet, talk about what happened, Stacey admits that she was a bitchy teacher, Claudia admits that she was a bad student, and they make up. She gets her test back and scores a B with an A on the spelling section.

*The whole journal thing really irked me. Stacey gives her a lined composition book and Claudia uses a sketchbook as her secret diary. How the hell could Stacey grab a sketchbook and think it’s the one she’s been reading all along?

*This is the book where Claudia mentions getting tested for dyslexia and not having any learning disabilities. I call bull shit, especially since she mixes up stuff like how and who.

*What’s up with that outfit she’s wearing on the cover? She describes it as her mess-proof outfit, but it looks like something Mark Walberg wore back in the day.

*Nonnie actually gets an outfit description! She wears a pink silk dress with a twisted pink and silver sash, silver earrings, and silver slippers.

*Claudia wears blue and white polka dotted socks, a blue and white striped shirt, and blue shorts.

*Stacey wears black Doc Marten’s, black jeans, and a yellow shirt with big black buttons down the front.

*At the Rosebud Café, Dawn gets a big bowl of frozen yogurt with fresh fruit and Stacey gets stuck with a diet soda. Could she not eat fresh fruit?

*Claudia wears holey jeans that she ripped across the knee and a shirt with a bleach stain on it to the café. Everyone else wears crazy clothes too, but when they discover their charges, they make themselves look fine in like 2 minutes.

*Claudia’s parents always get a bad rep as hardasses, but they are really lenient with her. When she tells them that she’s about to fail, they totally agree to let her friends help instead of sending her to the resource room.

*Sam asks Stacey to the dance, even though Kristy said he didn’t know about it. Also, I read one of the later books where they both liked each other but barely talked again.