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A review by perfect_escape
Stacey's Mistake by Ann M. Martin
2.0
I read the Babysitters Club books when I was younger but quickly grew out of them due to the poor writing. Well, I've recently found the books online (for free) and have nothing else to do, so here I am. If I read this book before, I don't remember doing so (really, I don't remember *any* of the books, but I know I read them). Here are my thoughts:
1. Stacey is a spoiled brat. The way she acted in "Boy Crazy Stacey", especially towards Mary Anne, and on a SITTING JOB, was awful. Especially when she tried to justify her behavior, and said that Mary Anne's friend was a nerd. Like, we get it (in every book's introductions, especially): you think you're oh-so sophisticated and mature, and Mary Anne is a shy little baby. (Even though it isn't Mary Anne's fault; for one, she lives a sheltered life due to her overprotective father. And second, she's 12 - she acts and dresses like a normal 12 year-old.) So anyway, I did not like Stacey from that book and on, although she was a little better in "Goodbye Stacey, Goodbye!" and this book confirmed that for me. She was obnoxious and full of herself. God forbid her friends act like tourists, they ARE tourists! Sure, Dawn is going overboard and Mary Anne is obnoxious, but really, they're 12/13. They're acting their age. I'm glad that later on she realizes she's been a jerk, but as always, the conflict is resolved in about two seconds, which is oh-so realistic of real life. Oh...wait.
2. The fact that five 13 year-olds were allowed to walk TEN KIDS around New York City is unrealistic. Babysitting in your neighborhood is one thing. Running a play group of sorts for fourteen kiddos in your background is one thing. Taking ten little kids around a giant museum and Central Park is another thing entirely. Like, sure, the girls are responsible with kids and have proven they can handle large groups. That's not the issue here. The issue is the fact that they were allowed to DO this. I mean, Stacey even said that ten year-olds aren't really allowed to go in the park. But a young teenager is? The teenager is a little bit smarter, sure, but still vulnerable, especially when there's five of them watching ten little children. I do appreciate that Stacey realized making them name tags was a bad idea, but the whole thing in itself doesn't seem realistic. But then again, I'm from a small town - the hicks, you could say. And this book was set in what, the 90s or so? So maybe it's realistic for the setting time-wise? And maybe this is a norm with parents...?
3. The fact that Mary Anne was allowed to go is not believable at all lmao. I mean, he let her go to the beach for two weeks, but that is very different from NYC. I mean the dude wouldn't even let her babysit alone a year ago, and now he's letting her walk around a major city? Walking ten kids on the boardwalk is very different from walking ten kids in NYC.
4. I didn't know that Ann M. Martin had ghost writers, but I guess they messed up on a minor detail. At the beginning, when Stacey is describing Dawn, she straight-up says that Dawn's brother ended up moving back to California. But later, at the end, she's completely surprised and says she didn't realize it happened. Huh?
5. I'm sure the point above isn't the only minor detail error in the series, especially if there were multiple ghost writers. Especially if the books from #9/#10 on are ALL set in eighth grade. For some reason the characters are forbidden from high school? I know in a later book Claudia is moved back to seventh grade, but if the books are going in series order (which I've gathered it does), then it's November in this book. Does Claudia move back in the middle of the school year? And why are so many books set in eighth grade? I mean, Claudia breaks her leg in the next book and that of course is a timeline of a couple months, which would mean February or so by the next book. Yet the next 80 books are all in eighth grade? Huh???? Someone explain this to me?
1. Stacey is a spoiled brat. The way she acted in "Boy Crazy Stacey", especially towards Mary Anne, and on a SITTING JOB, was awful. Especially when she tried to justify her behavior, and said that Mary Anne's friend was a nerd. Like, we get it (in every book's introductions, especially): you think you're oh-so sophisticated and mature, and Mary Anne is a shy little baby. (Even though it isn't Mary Anne's fault; for one, she lives a sheltered life due to her overprotective father. And second, she's 12 - she acts and dresses like a normal 12 year-old.) So anyway, I did not like Stacey from that book and on, although she was a little better in "Goodbye Stacey, Goodbye!" and this book confirmed that for me. She was obnoxious and full of herself. God forbid her friends act like tourists, they ARE tourists! Sure, Dawn is going overboard and Mary Anne is obnoxious, but really, they're 12/13. They're acting their age. I'm glad that later on she realizes she's been a jerk, but as always, the conflict is resolved in about two seconds, which is oh-so realistic of real life. Oh...wait.
2. The fact that five 13 year-olds were allowed to walk TEN KIDS around New York City is unrealistic. Babysitting in your neighborhood is one thing. Running a play group of sorts for fourteen kiddos in your background is one thing. Taking ten little kids around a giant museum and Central Park is another thing entirely. Like, sure, the girls are responsible with kids and have proven they can handle large groups. That's not the issue here. The issue is the fact that they were allowed to DO this. I mean, Stacey even said that ten year-olds aren't really allowed to go in the park. But a young teenager is? The teenager is a little bit smarter, sure, but still vulnerable, especially when there's five of them watching ten little children. I do appreciate that Stacey realized making them name tags was a bad idea, but the whole thing in itself doesn't seem realistic. But then again, I'm from a small town - the hicks, you could say. And this book was set in what, the 90s or so? So maybe it's realistic for the setting time-wise? And maybe this is a norm with parents...?
3. The fact that Mary Anne was allowed to go is not believable at all lmao. I mean, he let her go to the beach for two weeks, but that is very different from NYC. I mean the dude wouldn't even let her babysit alone a year ago, and now he's letting her walk around a major city? Walking ten kids on the boardwalk is very different from walking ten kids in NYC.
4. I didn't know that Ann M. Martin had ghost writers, but I guess they messed up on a minor detail. At the beginning, when Stacey is describing Dawn, she straight-up says that Dawn's brother ended up moving back to California. But later, at the end, she's completely surprised and says she didn't realize it happened. Huh?
5. I'm sure the point above isn't the only minor detail error in the series, especially if there were multiple ghost writers. Especially if the books from #9/#10 on are ALL set in eighth grade. For some reason the characters are forbidden from high school? I know in a later book Claudia is moved back to seventh grade, but if the books are going in series order (which I've gathered it does), then it's November in this book. Does Claudia move back in the middle of the school year? And why are so many books set in eighth grade? I mean, Claudia breaks her leg in the next book and that of course is a timeline of a couple months, which would mean February or so by the next book. Yet the next 80 books are all in eighth grade? Huh???? Someone explain this to me?