Young Adult Revisited

Let's go way back in time. It's 1988 according to this book, which means that I was eight years old and just discovering the BSC books and a young girl named Jessi Ramsey just moved to Stoneybrook. In case you didn't know, Jessi is an amazing ballerina, which this book lets us know on page one. By page three, we also know that she's black and a transplant from New Jersey, which is okay because at least in Connecticut, she has her own barre to practice moves in her basement. At the next BSC meeting, a new client named Mrs. Braddock calls in for help. Her son is deaf and she needs a regular sitter willing to learn the language. Mary Anne and Dawn want to keep their schedules free, Claudia has an art class, Kristy lives too far away, and Mallory has to sit for her siblings, so Jessi gets the job. Even though she knows it will be hard, she looks forward to it. Jessi has to go over for a few hours to learn some signs and meet the kids. I sincerely hope that M...

After what was supposedly several months but only feels like a few weeks, Tricia Martin is finally ready to die. Since her family sucks totally and completely, only the Wakefield clan is on hand to bid her goodbye. Jessica tells her to "take care" because she doesn't know what to say to a dying person, and Tricia makes a big deal out of how Steve is one of the good ones and how his parents raised him right. Wonder if she would feel the same way after learning how fast he moved on. When the rest of the family leaves, Tricia makes Steve promise that he'll look after her sister Betsy. Betsy is just super troubled and has a good heart, but she doesn't show it very often. After he agrees, she pretty much dies. Cue Betsy running into the hospital, screaming, crying, and drunk off her ass. She manages to sober up when Ned decides that she should come home with them for a bit. Since Steve feels some weird sense of obligation, he goes out of his way to do wha...