#49 Claudia and the Genius of Elm Street

Summary

Claudia gets a (somewhat) long-term job sitting for Rosie Wilder. Rosie is...difficult, to say the least. She's incredibly talented, both academically and performance-wise, and she has a busy career as a child actor. She's also sort of cold and unfriendly, and manages to make Claud feel like the stupidest person in the world. Claudia doesn't even want to go back to the Wilder's a second time, but she sucks it up and goes. When Rosie needs help with her homework, though, Claudia calls in Janine to work with her.

On the few days that Claudia can't be with Rosie, other BSC members take her place. Stacey goes, and ends up having to read a soap opera scene with Rosie while she auditions for a tv show. Jessi tries to get Rosie to talk about dance (something they have in common), but Rosie has to practice for a crossword puzzle competition that she's going to be in at school. Jessi ends up calling in Janine as well, and (just like Claud, Stacey, and Jessi), Janine ends up getting frusrated with Rosie's attitude. Before Jessi leaves, Rosie makes a surprising request: she only wants Claudia to sit with her from then on, because she likes Claudia the best. That's a pretty surprising statement from a kid who doesn't seem to like much of anyone or anything.

Claudia finally realizes that Rosie acts the way she does because she's unhappy. She's doing too much (the girl is only 7), and she doesn't really like all of her activities. Claud encourages Rosie to talk to her parents, and they agree to let her pare down her list of activities to the ones she enjoys most. One of those activities is going to be art; that's why Rosie was so adamant about wanting only Claudia to sit for her. Rosie liked watching Claudia work!

Subplot: Claudia is getting ready for an art show (in her garage) of some Andy Warhol-inspired paintings of junk food.

Rating: 3

Thoughts and Things

• Is it just me, or were the BSC members too hard on Rosie? She had a bit of an attitude, but she wasn't that bad. The Delaneys were a heck of a lot worse when they first appeared in the series, but no one really dreaded sitting for them like Claud did for Rosie.
• Another Ironic Quote: "I don't want to be part of any audition," said Kristy. "I'd die." Well, she's about three Super Specials away from proving herself very, very wrong. ;)
• The junk food paintings project is probably my favorite project of Claud's from the entire series. I wonder why she didn't think of it sooner! I also wonder what her parents thought of it, seeing as they don't want her eating that stuff. They had to know that she was using real subjects.
• I had fun trying to come up with the crossword clues as Rosie was working on her puzzles. I got most of them right, too! :)
• Man...I never realized how boring most of the books in the late 40's through early 50's are! The one notiable exception would be #50, which is one of my personal favorites in the whole series. Other than that...I think I'm in for a rough few weeks. Thank goodness for the Super Specials!