#4 Mary Anne Saves the Day

Summary
In this one, the BSC gets in what might be the mother of all club fights. First, Kristy accepts a sitting job for Jamie and Lucy Newton without offering it to anyone else. Claudia calls her a job hog, which reminds the others of all the times that Claudia herself took jobs without offering them around. Stacey reminds everyone that she's from New York and doesn't need shy little babies (Mary Anne), stuck-up job hogs (Claudia), and bossy know-it-alls (Kristy) as friends. Mary Anne flies off the handle, calls everyone names, and storms home. Then she cries (big shock).

The next day, Mary Anne realizes that she's all alone for lunch. Kristy's taken over their group of friends, and she never really hung out with Stacey and Claudia's other friends. So, she sits by herself and is approached by a new girl...Dawn Schafer. Mary Anne lets Dawn think that all her friends are absent. Really? Why not just be honest about that? Oh, yeah...then Mary Anne wouldn't have been able to use Dawn to make Kristy jealous. Which she does. Multiple times. Dawn eventually figures it out, though.

Claudia and Mary Anne make up temporarily, but that's over when Claudia overhears Mimi calling her "my Mary Anne." I think Claudia kind of overreacted to that. I mean, she really freaked out. I can understand being a little mad or jealous, but good grief, Claudia!

The fight lasts about a month, until all four girls help out at Jamie Newton's birthday party. It's a mess; they don't communicate about where to put the children, and get into a shoving match when Mrs. Newton asks for one of them to go check on Lucy. The worst of it happens at cake time: Mary Anne starts things by pouring punch on Kristy, and mass hysteria ensues. Mary Anne decides that enough is enough, and calls a meeting for after the party. No one can remember who's mad at whom or why, so they apologize in unison. I remember them demonstrating that for one of the newer members in a later book (Jessi?), and it's going to drive me crazy until I can remember which book it is. Anyway, Mary Anne gets to host her first BSC party + Dawn. By this time, Dawn and Mary Anne have discovered that their parents were hot and heavy in high school, and (ever so convieniently) they're reintroduced to each other when Sharon drops Dawn off for the party. They make a date for dinner, Dawn joins the club, and we get our very first BSC pizza toast.

In other news, Mary Anne is having daddy issues. She isn't terribly close to her father, and is starting to feel stifled by his strict rules. She doesn't really make any headway with him until the Jenny Prezzioso incident (Mary Anne had to get her to the hospital). The Prezzioso parents call Richard later and compliment Mary Anne on the responible way she handled the situation, which makes him see that she really is growing up.


Thoughts and Things

• This book contains some of the only mentions of religion in the series, until Abby joins. Mary Anne talks about her father including her mother in their dinnertime prayer, and about her own bedtime prayers (Ishe thinks blessing her mother at bedtime should be enough).


• The late Mrs. Spier's name is Abigail in this book. It's Alma everywhere else.


• The BSC ran meetings one member at a time when they were mad at each other. I wonder what did the Kishis thought of that. Did they even notice?


• Adam and Jordan Pike want to put on a play about Chuck Norris. Hee hee hee. :D


• Mr. Prezzioso gives Dawn and Mary Anne TEN. WHOLE. DOLLARS. each as a thank you for getting Jenny to the hospital when she got sick. Sigh. I remember when ten dollars was a big deal.


• Mary Anne uses the word "midget" twice in one chapter. That would never fly today.