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vll295's review against another edition
4.0
The BSC changed my life in the 5th and 6th grade. My friends and I would coordinate so that we could read all of the books. I remember writing to Ann M. Martin to get her autograph. I thought it was amazing that she actually responded to me! Dawn was always 'so cool' with her stories about California!
kelleemoye's review against another edition
4.0
Reread for #BSC #bookaday
I remember really liking this specific BSC book. It is one of the titles I always remembered; however, the title totally doesn't give you any idea about what the book is about. It should be Dawn and the Impossible Mother of 3 Children, because the kids weren't really the issue in this book, the mother was a much bigger pain in the butt. I kept on getting so angry at her! Dawn was much calmer than I would have been.
I remember really liking this specific BSC book. It is one of the titles I always remembered; however, the title totally doesn't give you any idea about what the book is about. It should be Dawn and the Impossible Mother of 3 Children, because the kids weren't really the issue in this book, the mother was a much bigger pain in the butt. I kept on getting so angry at her! Dawn was much calmer than I would have been.
hannahreadsmoer's review against another edition
& thus i continue my life’s work: reading every single one of these books, even if reading 150+ of this formulaic middle grade feels overwhelming. THEY ARE JUST SO NOSTALGIC AND GOOD.
sweeneysays's review against another edition
helendeu's review against another edition
4.0
Reading in chronological order (with the exception of The Kids in Mrs Colman's Class series).
An extra star for nostalgia. Loved this series as a kid and re-reading it is giving me all the warm and fuzzies.
An extra star for nostalgia. Loved this series as a kid and re-reading it is giving me all the warm and fuzzies.
miszjeanie's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorites in the series so far! I think Dawn might be my favorite now. In this installment, she bravely stands up to a client and handles herself like a mature professional. For someone who struggles with confrontation and negotiation, this inspires me to step up.
aurigae's review against another edition
4.0
I always found Dawn to be kind of a mystery and still kind of do. Much is made in the stories of her love of health food and aversion to standard-issue Connecticut fare, but in the course of her first story we see her eating and enjoying pizza (all-natural meatless freezer pizza, but it seems to still have cheese) and various candy from Claudia's room. Dawn's idea of health food is mostly centered around granola bars (which were definitely a thing on the East Coast in the 80s) and tofu. Lots of tofu. I find it a tiny stretch that even Dawn is happy to eat a lunch consisting of lukewarm ginger tofu cooked by her too-scattered-to-wear-matching-earrings mother.
Also - Mrs. Barrett. I don't think I registered much about her as a kid, but in my re-read I had a lot of compassion for her. She has three little kids, one an actual baby, and has just gotten divorced. Many of her outings are for job interviews, presumably so she can afford actual non-child childcare. But, she also forgets to give Dawn basic information about the kids, so at the very least she needs to get organized. As for her house... is Dawn unusually sensitive to the grossness of the Barretts' home because her own mother can't seem to put anything away correctly? Or is she inured to all but the highest levels of mess? I don't know what to make of it.
Either way, I loved seeing Kristy and Dawn find an axis of commonality. I enjoyed getting to know the Pike kids a little better. I'm definitely in favor of Mary Anne and Dawn's parents' relationship and am thinking it would make a great adult romance (which someone has probably already written). But as for the main plot of this book... eh, those kids aren't impossible, or even particularly difficult, at all.
Also - Mrs. Barrett. I don't think I registered much about her as a kid, but in my re-read I had a lot of compassion for her. She has three little kids, one an actual baby, and has just gotten divorced. Many of her outings are for job interviews, presumably so she can afford actual non-child childcare. But, she also forgets to give Dawn basic information about the kids, so at the very least she needs to get organized. As for her house... is Dawn unusually sensitive to the grossness of the Barretts' home because her own mother can't seem to put anything away correctly? Or is she inured to all but the highest levels of mess? I don't know what to make of it.
Either way, I loved seeing Kristy and Dawn find an axis of commonality. I enjoyed getting to know the Pike kids a little better. I'm definitely in favor of Mary Anne and Dawn's parents' relationship and am thinking it would make a great adult romance (which someone has probably already written). But as for the main plot of this book... eh, those kids aren't impossible, or even particularly difficult, at all.
sarahcoller's review against another edition
4.0
I've been reading through all the Baby-sitters books in order and this is my favorite so far. I quickly remembered how much I liked Dawn as a kid---I think she was my favorite character. She's funny, acts way more mature than the other babysitters, and she's from the West Coast like me. I also had super long blonde hair and a little brother.
This book reminded me about latchkey kids---a term that always seemed weird but very 80s (I was one, too). Also that having a VCR was a really big deal (my spell check doesn't recognize the term, VCR-- hahaha!)
One thing that SUPER bugged me is that the noncustodial father in this book was able to kidnap his kid and get off with a warning. Regardless of whether or not it was "his week", I'm pretty sure there would be much more serious consequences for that in real life.
This book reminded me about latchkey kids---a term that always seemed weird but very 80s (I was one, too). Also that having a VCR was a really big deal (my spell check doesn't recognize the term, VCR-- hahaha!)
One thing that SUPER bugged me is that the noncustodial father in this book was able to kidnap his kid and get off with a warning. Regardless of whether or not it was "his week", I'm pretty sure there would be much more serious consequences for that in real life.
jazzyjan94's review against another edition
4.0
This review appears on my blog: https://confessionsofabookwormweb.wordpress.com/2020/11/09/book-review-dawn-and-the-impossible-three-the-baby-sitters-club-5-by-ann-m-martin/
Dawn is a member of the Baby-sitters Club, but she still feels like an outsider, especially since the other four members each have an official position in the club. Also, Kristy is jealous of her blossoming friendship with Mary Anne, especially when Mary Anne tels her first - and enlists her help - that she is redecorating her room. Also, they continue to grow closer when Mary Anne's dad and Dawn's mom - who used to be high school sweethearts - start dating again.
In an effort to prove herself to Kristy, Dawn takes on a babysitting job for the Barretts. However, the Barretts are a handful and Mrs. Barrett constantly forgets to give her important information, including emergency number, and the house is always a mess! The children are not complete terrors, but Mrs. Barrett continuously calls on Dawn to babysit, mor so than is reasonable. Everything comes to a head when one of the Barrett children disappears and Dawn doesn't know how to get a hold of Mrs. Barret, will this be her final time baby sitting the Barretts?
I liked this instalment in the Baby-sitters Club series, however the title is way more overdramatic than what actually ends up happening in the novel.
I also liked how throughout the novel we see how divorce can affect a family, especially in the early aftermath of one. We see how it can cause chaos, especially for a peresnt who used to stay at home, but now has to become the provider of the family. I also appreciate how we see Dawn making friends with the other members of the BSC, especially Kristy, who is usually jealous of her. 4/5 Stars.
Dawn is a member of the Baby-sitters Club, but she still feels like an outsider, especially since the other four members each have an official position in the club. Also, Kristy is jealous of her blossoming friendship with Mary Anne, especially when Mary Anne tels her first - and enlists her help - that she is redecorating her room. Also, they continue to grow closer when Mary Anne's dad and Dawn's mom - who used to be high school sweethearts - start dating again.
In an effort to prove herself to Kristy, Dawn takes on a babysitting job for the Barretts. However, the Barretts are a handful and Mrs. Barrett constantly forgets to give her important information, including emergency number, and the house is always a mess! The children are not complete terrors, but Mrs. Barrett continuously calls on Dawn to babysit, mor so than is reasonable. Everything comes to a head when one of the Barrett children disappears and Dawn doesn't know how to get a hold of Mrs. Barret, will this be her final time baby sitting the Barretts?
I liked this instalment in the Baby-sitters Club series, however the title is way more overdramatic than what actually ends up happening in the novel.
I also liked how throughout the novel we see how divorce can affect a family, especially in the early aftermath of one. We see how it can cause chaos, especially for a peresnt who used to stay at home, but now has to become the provider of the family. I also appreciate how we see Dawn making friends with the other members of the BSC, especially Kristy, who is usually jealous of her. 4/5 Stars.
bibliotequeish's review against another edition
As a kid my best friends sister had the whole BSC series on a book shelf in her room. I thought she was so grown up. And I envied this bookshelf. And would often poke my head into that room just to look at it.
And when I read BSC, I felt like such a grown up.
And while I might have still been a little too young to understand some of the issues dealt with in these books, I do appreciated that Ann M. Martin tackled age appropriate issues, some being deeper than others, but still important.