The Baby-Sitters Club #102: Mary Anne and the Little Princess

Logan and Kristy are outside playing football with some of their charges while Mary Anne reads a book when they see a moving van. Kristy immediately thinks of new clients and takes over a flyer. They later learn that she dropped off a new flyer every day until she actually met the parents. Watson then invited them over for dinner with his family. All they really know is that they are very posh and British.

During the next BSC meeting, they get a call from someone Mary Anne thinks is the mom but is really the nanny Mrs. Rutherford. The family wants someone to spend time with their daughter Victoria and help her acclimate with her new surroundings. The woman instantly assumes that Mary Anne will be the one to work with Victoria and plans to send a car for her before she can say much, though she does inform her that Victoria is a princess.

Mary Anne is obviously a little freaked out and worries over what to wear but eventually settles on a white blouse, plaid skirt, knee socks, and loafers. She meets Lord and Lady Kent, who are way too posh for words and spends some time with Victoria. Victoria is actually a little brat. She won't let Mary Anne play with her and keeps her nose up in the air all the time.

This turns out to be the same way she acts around other kids. The BSC plans a few outings to get her more involved, but she pretty much ignores them. Becca becomes obsessed with the idea of having sleepovers in a castle, but even she gets turned off. They all go to a football game, but Victoria bosses around her nanny and ignores the other kids. When Mrs. Rutherford tells them that they're taking a trip to NYC and Victoria learns that Stacey grew up there, she demands that she go with them. Mary Anne suggests they bring someone else, and Victoria decides to take Kristy after pointing out that the other kids are pretty much dreadful.

This trip goes about as well as you would expect. Mrs. Rutherford spends the whole trip complaining about her feet, the crowds, the noise, and dozens of other things, which leads to the kids ditching her after establishing where they would meet the driver later. They take Victoria on a tour of all the hot spots in New York and then meet up with Mrs. Rutherford who was so upset that she called the cops.

They had plans to meet the Kent parents for dinner, but they later announce that they don't have time to eat with them. Victoria is so upset that she refuses to eat anywhere other than Pizza Hut. Mary Anne realizes that she acts out because she misses her parents. They have a long talk with Victoria agreeing to talk things out with her mom and dad. She also asks if she can invite Karen and maybe some other kids over to play.

At the same time, it's once again Thanksgiving time. Richard has to work on a case in Wisconsin, which leaves Mary Anne and Sharon home alone. Mary Anne comes home one day and finds a note from Sharon that she signed as mom. Sharon keeps looking through and crying over pictures of her kids, and she takes Mary Anne shopping and tries to buy her stuff that Dawn would like. She eventually tells Mary Anne that she would cry if she lost her too because you cry when you lose something/someone you love.

Dawn, Mary Anne, and Richard sneak around to get Dawn to Stoneybrook for Thanksgiving. They invite Mrs. Rutherford, the driver George, and Victoria to eat too. George picks up Dawn and Richard at the airport and brings them back. Sharon gets misty eyed over Dawn before realizing that she forgot to turn on the oven. Richard decides it's the perfect time to show them slides from his trip, while Dawn and Mary Anne take Victoria over to Kristy's for awhile.

*Kristy says her mom noticed they were wearing designer Georgie Mannie clothing, which cracked me up when I realized she meant Georgio Armani.

*Dawn coming to Stoneybrook is totally not fair. Her dad says she can go if she agrees to stay in California for Christmas. Um, isn't there some type of custody agreement going on? Does that mean Jeff will come to Connecticut on his own for the holidays? This seems like something Sharon should agree to.

*I really don't like Victoria at all. She's a complete and total brat. Missing her parents is no excuse, and frankly, you would think she would be used to it by now.

*Victoria is 29^th in line for the throne. Now, I don't know how the royal family thing works, but it doesn't seem like she should be a princess. Is the daughter of a Lord and Lady really a princess?

*There's a comment about how the Kents are probably renting the house they live in because the kids know the owner. Given that they pick up and take off later, I figure they rented too. But, they actually wallpaper Victoria's room and make other big changes to the house too.

*Mary Anne spends way too much time worrying about Sharon calling herself mom and referring to MA as her daughter. Considering that every MA book mentions how her mom died, you would think that she would appreciate that.

*Lord and Lady Kent are supposedly working for the UN, which makes me think they should have probably found a townhouse or a hotel in the city.

*When the kids hear about the Kent name, they automatically think Superman is moving to Stoneybrook. Kristy even makes a joke about how they need to charge extra to sit for a flying baby.

*Speaking of Kristy, she isn't exactly herself in this one. She lets Mary Anne take a job without it going out to everyone, and she even agrees to skip a BSC meeting to go to the city.

*The kids are all astounded that Victoria never learned about Thanksgiving in school or that the founders left England because of religious persecution.

*Victoria has her own credit card and goes a little crazy at the Washington Mall, but Mrs. Rutherford tries to reign her in a little. The Kents don't really seem like the type to care how much their kids spends though.

*Sharon is at her worse in this book. Not only does she forget to turn on the oven to cook the turkey, but she also puts one of Richard's ties in the dictionary, puts a loaf of bread behind the throw pillows on the couch, and leaves a pan of eggs on the stove. I really don't know how Richard can deal with all this or how she hasn't been committed yet.