Book report.
Sometimes the Baby-sitters Club can surprise you.
I recently finished my first-ever reading of #62, Kristy and the Worst Kid Ever, in which the family across the street from Kristy takes in a foster kid named Lou who is, as the title suggests, a terror. Now, I admit, I wasn't expecting much out of this title, partly because Ms. Martin's treatment of Very Special Topics is kind of hit-or-miss, and partly because Kristy books are hit-or-miss for me. (I was never a huge fan of Kristy.)
However, like the unexpected gem Mind Your Own Business, Kristy!, Worst Kid Ever actually far exceeded my expectations.
One thing that stood out for me (and surely no reader of this journal will wonder why) was the use of "theme" in this book, in a subtle and constant way that reminded me of "themes" you talk about in AP English. In this book, there was a recurring mention of "The Wizard of Oz." Kristy begins her narration by referencing it, and it continues to pop up throughout the book, even during a random sleepover scene. The symbolism, of course, is that Lou, like Dorothy, only wants to go back to a home she left far behind, but it impressed me that Ms. Thacker (the ghostwriter) never made it totally explicit. It was a rather mature, literary moment for the series.
Another thing that struck me was the depiction of the Baby-sitters. It feels like rarely is there ever time in the books to show the girls just being themselves, but there were several scenes in this book that showed just that: very refreshing, satisfying examples of the club members' rapport. Notable were the lunchroom scene towards the beginning (even Logan was there, acting like a boy!), and the sleepover scene, in which Claudia gives Kristy a makeover. Their welcome presence in this book only serves to make me miss such scenes more in other titles.
Finally, the treatment of the main topic itself was, I thought, executed rather well. I didn't find it to make sweeping generalizations about the foster care system; instead, it was merely a drama focused on the troubles of a little girl named Lou, who I thought was actually fleshed out quite nicely and didn't seem at all two-dimensional. Scenes in which the Baby-sitters were allowed to get close to Lou (one with Kristy, one with Dawn) managed to steer pretty clear of cringe-worthy falseness, and for the most part rang true and sincere. Such is not the case with all books in the series, and I was glad to see it executed well here.
Overall, I found Kristy and the Worst Kid Ever to be a surprisingly mature offering from this series, and I very much enjoyed it. It's good to see that even children's lit aimed at fourth-graders can rise above itself once in a while.
[For the uninitiated in the audience, I was a big fan of "The Baby-sitters Club" when I was a kid, and now that the books are out-of-print, I'm a collector. And a scholar, too, apparently.]
In other news, DMB concert was last night. Lots of pot, hippies, and drunken frat boys, but boy, is that band fun to watch!
I recently finished my first-ever reading of #62, Kristy and the Worst Kid Ever, in which the family across the street from Kristy takes in a foster kid named Lou who is, as the title suggests, a terror. Now, I admit, I wasn't expecting much out of this title, partly because Ms. Martin's treatment of Very Special Topics is kind of hit-or-miss, and partly because Kristy books are hit-or-miss for me. (I was never a huge fan of Kristy.)
However, like the unexpected gem Mind Your Own Business, Kristy!, Worst Kid Ever actually far exceeded my expectations.
One thing that stood out for me (and surely no reader of this journal will wonder why) was the use of "theme" in this book, in a subtle and constant way that reminded me of "themes" you talk about in AP English. In this book, there was a recurring mention of "The Wizard of Oz." Kristy begins her narration by referencing it, and it continues to pop up throughout the book, even during a random sleepover scene. The symbolism, of course, is that Lou, like Dorothy, only wants to go back to a home she left far behind, but it impressed me that Ms. Thacker (the ghostwriter) never made it totally explicit. It was a rather mature, literary moment for the series.
Another thing that struck me was the depiction of the Baby-sitters. It feels like rarely is there ever time in the books to show the girls just being themselves, but there were several scenes in this book that showed just that: very refreshing, satisfying examples of the club members' rapport. Notable were the lunchroom scene towards the beginning (even Logan was there, acting like a boy!), and the sleepover scene, in which Claudia gives Kristy a makeover. Their welcome presence in this book only serves to make me miss such scenes more in other titles.
Finally, the treatment of the main topic itself was, I thought, executed rather well. I didn't find it to make sweeping generalizations about the foster care system; instead, it was merely a drama focused on the troubles of a little girl named Lou, who I thought was actually fleshed out quite nicely and didn't seem at all two-dimensional. Scenes in which the Baby-sitters were allowed to get close to Lou (one with Kristy, one with Dawn) managed to steer pretty clear of cringe-worthy falseness, and for the most part rang true and sincere. Such is not the case with all books in the series, and I was glad to see it executed well here.
Overall, I found Kristy and the Worst Kid Ever to be a surprisingly mature offering from this series, and I very much enjoyed it. It's good to see that even children's lit aimed at fourth-graders can rise above itself once in a while.
[For the uninitiated in the audience, I was a big fan of "The Baby-sitters Club" when I was a kid, and now that the books are out-of-print, I'm a collector. And a scholar, too, apparently.]
In other news, DMB concert was last night. Lots of pot, hippies, and drunken frat boys, but boy, is that band fun to watch!