#91 Claudia and the First Thanksgiving

Summary

It's time once again for a new plot device...um, I mean Short Takes class. All of the new ST classes will center around drama; some classes will read plays as literature, some will perform a play, and some will study drama from around the world. Claudia, Stacey, and Abby are all in a class who will be writing a play for the third graders at SES to perform. The class tosses around a few ideas before deciding that they'll write their play about a girl named Alice who falls asleep the day before Thanksgiving and wakes up at the very first Thanksgiving. The only people who can see her when she travels back in time are the pilgrim and Indian children. Alice and the children exchange information about what Thanksgiving is like for them, with a heavy emphasis on women's and men's roles. The class has to do quite a bit of research on what Thanksgiving was really like for the pilgrims, and they're pretty surprised by what they find...

Casting the play proves to be the easy part; Betsy Sobak gets the lead role of Alice, and they find places for all the other kids who want to participate. Rehearsals run pretty smoothly, until one afternoon. Claudia notices some parents and SES teachers watching the kids practice. They don't seem happy, but Claudia doesn't find out why until the next rehearsal. In the middle of the play, one of the teachers stands up, orders them to stop, and denounces the play as un-American. Plenty of parents and other teachers are unhappy as well, and rehearsal ends. The next day, Ms. Garcia (Claudia's Short Takes teacher) has bad news for the class: they either put on a play that tells the traditional, watered-down version of the first Thanksgiving, or there won't be a play. The class is pretty mad, but they decide to put on a censored version of the play. They DO get the last word, though, by wearing censorship buttons, putting "censored" on the programs, and putting on the original version of the play with SMS students. The whole fiasco makes Claudia think about censorship and freedom of speech, and exactly how far is too far.

Subplot: every single member of the BSC had made plans for Thanksgiving, and every single one of those plans falls through. So, the club decides to have one big dinner for all their families over at Kristy's. Even Dawn shows up!

Rating: 1.5

Thoughts and Things

• So...it was Halloween at the end of the last book, and all the kids dresses up like Ghostbusters. It was also Halloween in the beginning of this book, and all the kids dressed up like Groucho Marx. I don't think anyone was even trying when it came to continuity at this point...
• Poor Mal...her family was once again supposed to go to New York for Thanksgiving and see the parade, but the apartment they were going to borrow gets flooded. At least it wasn't Mallory's fault this time!
• I wonder if Nola Thacker is a feminist? There was a LOT of women's rights stuff in this book.
• Speaking of Nola, this book actually read much more like a Lerangis book. There were tons of cheesy puns, and a snot reference. Usually, he's the one that's all over stuff like that.
• I kind of love how Abby tells everyone off. :)

M#22 Stacey and the Haunted Masquerade

Summary

It's almost Halloween, and SMS is going to be holding its first Halloween Masquerade in 28 years. Stacey wants to have more to her life than just the BSC (even though she likes being back in the club), so she signs up for the decorating committee. She's not too excited to find out that Cokie Mason is also on the decorating committe, but she doesn't have anything to worry about for that quarter. From the very first committee meeting, Cokie's constantly getting ignored, and her ideas are always getting voted down by everyone else in the group. This includes Grace Blume, Cokie's supposed BFF. They also have a cool advisor: Mr. Rothman, who's news to teaching at SMS.

In other news, a group called the Mischief Knights has taken hold of the school. They're pulling pranks, like switching items in people's lockers, writing messages on blackboards, and soaping up windows. No one knows who they are, and no one is owning up to being a part of the group. The beginning of the pranks just happened to coincide with none other than Cary Retlin starting at SMS, though. The BSC isn't going to put two and two together until closer to the end of the book, but I thought I'd throw that little piece of information in now. :)

One day before school, Rick Chow (also on the decorating committee) finds Stacey with some big news. Someone trashed all the supplies they'd bought so far for the dance. First, they think it might be the Mischief Knights. They more or less rule them out, since that level of destruction isn't really their style. Plus, there was no "signature" note, and the Knights always leave those. Then, Stacey wonders if it could be Grace. Cokie had mentioned that Grace had been bragging about some hot date she was planning to bring to the dance, and Cokie isn't sure he really exists. Stacey thinks that Grace could be trying to get the dance cancelled to save face.

The following week, there's more destruction. Claudia had made some ad posters for the dance, and someone cuts them into confetti. The culprit leaves one intact, though, and paints "Will you still love me tomorrow?" across it. This time, Cokie is a suspect. She's been kind of bitter about no one in the committee liking her ideas from the start, and Claudia thinks that she might have wrecked the posters for revenge. Less than a day later, someone spray paints "$10" on the walls of the gym. The Mischief Knights are also brought up as possible suspects again, as is a Mr. Wetzler. He's a Stoneybrook resident who doesn't like the fact that SMS is using funding for the dance,and the girls think he might be trying to get it cancelled for that reason. The BSC members decide they need to do some research. Apparently, there was some sort of tragedy at the last Masquerade, which is why the school hasn't had one in 28 years. They question Sharon and Richard first. Neither remembers much about that night (they were only in 6th grade at the time), but they DO remember that a teacher was killed. After checking old issues of the Stoneybrook News at the library, the club gets all the details they need: during the dance, someome turned off the lights, then set off the fire alarm. There was a stampede of panicked students trying to leave the school, and this teacher had a heart attack during all the commotion. Next, the girls decide to hunt up a copy of the yearbook from that year, just to see what they can find. Interestingly, both Mr. Wetzler and Mr. Rothman were at SMS back then...

Just as the girls are finishing up their yearbook research in the school library, a special assembly is announced. At first, the club thinks it's either another prank, or that the cancellation of the dance is about be made. Neither is the case; it's a legitimate assembly featuring a local theater group. What happens during the assembly, though, isn't legitimate. The lights go out, and a good chunk of the student body freaks out. When the lights come back, they discover that one of the actresses had fallen and broken her arm. Other than that, no inuries, and everyone is sent back to class.

After that, Stacey decides that she needs to interview Mr. Wetzler. She cooks up a story about being with the SMS Express, and that she's doing a story about the school budget. She manages to steer the conversation around to the dance, and finds out that some girl was dumped at the last masquerade. Rumor had it that she was the one responsible for the lights and fire alarm going off, and she left school not long after. Mr. Wetzler suddenly remembers an appointment after revealing that, and rushes out like he's on fire. The BSC again turns to the yearbook for help. The culprit wouldn't have a picture in there if she left before it went to press, but yearbooks usually come with a list of students that aren't pictured. Sure enough, there are three girls listed. The next stop for the club is the school basement, to check out old school records. By looking at the files on all three girls, they figure out that the one they want must be Elizabeth Connor. She left SMS in early November, right after the dance. Not only that, but when she lived in Stoneybrook, she lived in the Johanssen's house.

Luckily, Mary Anne has a sitting job at the Johanssen house that night. Since all the Stoneybrook kids are into playing Ghostbusters, she figures that it would be a perfect cover for taking a close look at the house. Stacey joins her, along with the Braddock kids. In Charlotte's room, they find height markings on the door frame, along with the name "Elizabeth." They've been painted over, but are still readable. In the basement, they find a heart containing the initials "LC+MR" carved into it. Liz Connor and Mike Rothman...as in the decorating committe advisor. Stacey confronts Mr. Rothman, and he tells her everything. Back in middle school, he was one of the most popular kids at SMS. Liz, on the other hand, was not. Mr. Rothman tried to be nice to her, though, and she developed this big crush on him. His friends dared him to ask her to the dance, and bet $10 that he wouldn't last all evening with her. Since being popular was important to him, he agreed. He made it all the way to the last dance of the evening ("Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?") before confessing. Then, Liz stormed out of the gym, and not long after, the lights went out and fire alarm went off. It appears that Liz just might be back in Stoneybrook, and Mr. Rothman's fears are confirmed the next morning when he and Stacey find a dummy hanging from a noose on one of the basket ball hoops.

The day of the dance arrives without any further problems. It looks like everything is going well, until Stacey heads into the bathroom and finds one of the teachers in there, missing the big heavy cloak from her costume. She tells Stacey that someone spilled dip on it, then followed her into the bathroom and stole it when she tried to clean it up. Stacey puts two and two together, figures out who must have taken the cloak, and runs back into the gym. She spots Mr. Rothman, dancing with someone who just happens to be wearing the cloak. It's just about time for everyone to unmask themselves, and when they do, Mr. Rothman finds himself face to face with Liz Connor. He's really very gentle with her, gets her out of the gym, and makes sure she gets the help she needs.

Rating: 3

Thoughts and Things

• Exactly how is this dance different from the Halloween Hop that SMS has every year? The way that everyone was talking, you'd think they hadn't had a Halloween dance at all since the tragic one.
• Why did the BSC have to go to the SMS library to look at the right yearbook? Sharon and Richard would have had copies, too.
• Cary Retlin is a real guy. :) No kidding... he lives (or did at one point) in my home state of Washington!
• Still no hot Sgt. Johnson, but I decided that Mr. Rothman bears a striking resemblance to Matthew Morrison from Glee. :D

#90 Welcome to the BSC, Abby

Summary


The Stevenson family is more or less settled in Stoneybrook. Mrs. Stevenson is busy with work, Anna is busy with orchestra, and Abby is busy with the BSC. Everything is going well until one afternoon when Abby's at the Papadakises. All the mold from the falling leaves is aggravating her allergies, and the kids think she's having some sort of attack. Hannie runs right into the street in her quest to get help for Abby, which turns Abby's simple allergy problems into a full scale asthma attack. She even has to be taken to the emergency room, leaving the kids with Kristy.


Abby is cleared to go to school the next day. On the bus, she gets the third degree from Kristy about her asthma attacks (how often they happen, severity, what would happen if she were sitting for kids that couldn't get help). Kristy eventually drops the subject, but Abby knows she's worried and might even be reconsidering Abby's membership status. At the next club meeting, a job comes up that only Mary Anne or Abby could take, and Kristy insists that Mary Anne take it. She tells Abby that she doesn't want the club to tire her out so soon after her asthma attack, and won't listen when Abby insists that she feels fine. Abby's feeling so good, in fact, that she mobilizes her whole family into running a booth at the upcoming carnival to raise money for the public schools' art and music programs. The only problem is that her mom and Anna aren't nearly as into the idea.

The twins are unpacking some of their boxes one afternoon when they come upon a bunch of kitchen stuff. Some fancy cake pans give Abby the idea for her family's carnival booth: they'll make fancy cakes in the shape of musical and art-related things and sell pieces, as well as sell plain cupcakes for kids to decorate. Abby's ready and raring to go on the project, but Anna wants to finish unpacking. They find a box that neither of them recognizes, and find it contains some of their father's stuff (for anyone who left the BSC readership before the Abby years, Mr. Stevenson died in a car wreck when the twins were 9). Both girls decide their mother must have forgotten about the stuff, and are pretty mad at her for doing so. They put the box up in the attic for the time being.

Day number one of the carnival arrives, and it's a big success. Day number two doesn't start out quite as well for Abby; no one seems to want to buy cake at breakfast time. Then, she happens to hear a radio report about a derailed train coming from New York City....a train her mother was supposed to be on. Abby panics, and Kristy's mom drives her to the train station to see if they can find out anything there. When they don't get the information they need, they all head back to the fair and wait. Finally, Mrs. Stevenson shows up, safe and sound. The family starts feeling pretty close after the near miss, so the twins bring out the box of their dad's stuff to show their mom. She gets emotional, and tells the girls that she put everything away because it just hurt too much to look at it. Mrs. Stevenson puts some of the things around the house, so there are always reminders of Mr. Stevenson there, and gives his harmonica to Anna, and his watch to Abby.

At the next meeting, another job call comes in that Abby is available to take. To her surprise, Kristy confidently tells her to take it, and Abby knows that her place in club is safe.

Rating: 2.5

Thoughts and Things

• This book, along with #89, represent the beginning of the end of the BSC for me, even though there are still lots of books to go. I think it was the combination of the advent of Abby and the new covers.
• I like the interactions with the Stevenson family as a trio, but I find myself bored when it's just Abby and Anna. I'm also glad that Mrs. Stevenson didn't just jump right into another relationship like so many Stoneybrook parents do when they find themselves single. Sometimes, it actually takes people awhile to get over things.
• Oh, Sari...what did you ever do to Hodges to make him draw you like that? The hair...eesh.
• The fact that Hannie is almost always pictured with her trademark pigtails is a nice bit of consistency.
  

Dawn's Book

What a coincidence...Dawn's school in California has given their 8th graders the EXACT SAME AUTOBIOGRAPHY PROJECT that the SMS 8th graders have to do....

West Coast Beginnings

Dawn is born, then Jeff is born. In preschool, Dawn and her little friend Ruthie build Paris out of blocks every day, only to have it get wrecked when it's someone else's turn to use them. They get the brilliant idea to glue their tower together, but their teacher makes them wash all the glue off when she finds out what they've done.

The New Girl on the Block

Dawn is 6, and really wants a best friend that lives in her neighborhood. When the Winslows move in, she thinks she may have found that friend. Too bad the Winslows are, in Dawn's eyes, weird. They wear hippie clothes, dance in their yard without shoes, and are planting flowers in the shape of a peace sign in their front yard. At first, Dawn doesn't want much to do with them, because she's afraid of what everyone else will think if she's seen with the Winslows. Then, Sharon announces that the two of them will be taking Sunny and her mother shopping. Dawn isn't thrilled, but when a big storm hits, she's pretty glad to have Sunny around. Sunny stays calm, and when the girls discover that their mothers got stuck in an elevator, she uses Morse code to talk to Mrs. Winslow and find out that everything is okay. From that day on, Dawn doesn't care what people think of the Winslows, or about Dawn herself for hanging out with them.

The Golden Anniversary

Dawn's now 10. Granny and Pop-Pop are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, and the whole family (Dawn, her parents, Jeff, and Granny and Pop-Pop of course) are going to celebrate in San Francisco. Right off the bat, Dawn notices that things seem to have gone sour for her grandparents. They don't seem to want to spend any time together, and they're always arguing and teasing each other. Dawn is really upset that they don't seem to be in love after all those years of marriage, but her theory that they don't like each other goes right out the window on the night of their big celebratory dinner. Pop-Pop is VERY late meeting them at the restaurant, which is totally unlike him. Granny is obviously VERY worried about him, and the way they are with each other when Pop-Pop finally DOES show up (he'd been told that dinner started later than everyone else thought it did) shows Dawn that they're still in love. :)

Fire!

Dawn is 12, still living in California, and terrified of fire. She lectures her family on fire safety, and even wakes them up in the middle of the night for an escape drill. One day, she's sitting for Clover and Daffodil Austin when their kitchen catches fire due to faulty wiring. Dawn stays calm in spite of her fears, gets the girls out of the house, and calls 911. The fire is contained in the kitchen, and no one is hurt. Dawn finds that she's less scared of fire after that experience, and learns that she can stay calm in that kind of crisis.

A New Life on the East Coast

Not long after Dawn moves to Connecticut, she sits for some new BSC clients, the Lazars. Sandra, their daughter, is having some trouble with reading, and Dawn finds a letter from her school stating that she needs to repeat second grade. Sandra brings this up to her mom after a sitting job, and Mrs. Lazar is not happy with Dawn for snooping. Dawn is afraid that she'll call the BSC to complain, and Dawn will be kicked out, but Mrs. Lazar simply never calls the BSC again.

Rating: 3

Thoughts and Things

• Dawn gets and A- for content and a B for presentation on her project.
• Explain to me how Granny can be in her 50's or 60's in The Ghost at Dawn's House, and in her 80's in this book. Does she age backwards like Benjamin Button???
• This was a pretty boring book overall, but I DID like seeing the fire story that Dawn brought up so many other times near the beginning of the series.
• So there are notes included that Dawn, Jill, and Maggie passed back and forth to each other in elementary school, but when Sunny surprised Dawn with the We Love Kids Club in Dawn on the Coast, Dawn didn't seem to know the other two that well. There definitely wasn't any mention made of them having all been in elementary school together....

#89 Kristy and the Dirty Diapers

Summary

There's a lot going on in Kristy's world. The whole BSC is working more than ever, thanks to Dawn's departure, there are new neighbors (with twins!) moving into the neighborhood, and, last but not least, the Krushers are about to start playing a World Series against (who else?) he Bashers. The first game of the series goes well; the Krushers come from behind to win. After the game, a man comes up to Kristy and introduces himself as Neil Davis of Davis Diapers (a cloth diaper service). He's interested in sponsoring the Krushers, which would mean official uniforms, new equipment, the works. Kristy's a little worried that accepting the sponsorship will make the Krushers too regimented and less fun, but after talking to her family and the BSC, she decides to go for it.

Meanwhile, the Stevenson family has finally arrived in the neighborhood, two houses down from Kristy. Unfortunately, the utilities in the house aren't being turned on until the next day, so Kristy's mom invites Abby, Anna (the twin girls) and their mother to stay at the Brewer-Thomas house for the night. This gives Kristy a chance to get to know the girls a little better. At first, she likes Anna a lot better than Abby. Abby's just a little too loud, and loves to be the center of attention. That means, of course, that Kristy doesn't get to be. Kristy is also unhappy when she witnesses Abby giving some of her Krushers softball lessons, making a big joke out of the fundamentals of the game. Baseball is serious business, after all....

Not long after the twins move in, a big box of uniforms arrive from Davis Diapers. Kristy's a little upset that they don't say "Krushers" anywhere on them, but David Michael and the other Krushers are even more upset by what they DO say: the only decorations are the name of the company and the Davis Diaper logo which is (you guessed it) a diaper. By the time that game number two of the World Series rolls around, mysterious things have started to happen to some of the kids' uniforms (dogs using them as bathrooms, etc). So, not all the kids are in uniforms, which doesn't make Mr. Davis happy when he stops by to check on the game. He's also not happy when the Krushers/Diapers lose the game. Kristy knows she'll need help at the next practice to get the Krushers back in fighting form for the next game, but no one in the BSC is free. Abby Stevenson is, though, and she shows up to lend a hand. Kristy isn't a fan of her methods, but even she has to admit that having Abby there is a bonus.

Game Three of the World Series rolls around, which the Krushers lose. Mr. Davis is there, and he has plenty to say about (and to) the Krushers players. He complains about their technique, and all but calls them losers. Abby tells him off, which kind of shocks Kristy. She then tells Mr. Davis that they no longer need the sponsorship of Davis Diapers, and that they'll be giving the uniforms and equipment back. The Krushers get their team spirit, and go on to win the next two games. That means they're the Krushers/Bashers World Series Champions!

So...all is well at this point with the Krushers, but no so much with the BSC. Kristy had hoped that Shannon would be able to take over full time again, but that's not going to happen. Then, Kristy gets one of her patented ideas: why not ask Abby and Anna to join as co-alternate officers? They're both good with kids. Kristy asks them to come to a meeting with her, but when she extends the offer, only Abby accepts. Anna is a serious musician (she plays the violin), and doesn't have the time to be in the BSC and give her music all the attention she wants to. The BSC is back to full strength!

Rating: 2.5

Thoughts and Things

• In this book, Kristy is the one who assures everyone else that Abby's asthma won't interfere with her being a sitter, but in the next book, Kristy is the one who freaks out the most when Abby has an attack on the job.
• I don't blame the kids for not wanting to wear diaper uniforms.
• Abby and Anna are supposed to be 5'7". Really? At 12?
• Of COURSE Mrs. Porter aka Morbidda Destiny would have a granddaughter named Drusilla. No Janes or Jennifers in that family...

#88 Farewell, Dawn

Summary

Dawn's missing California again. She misses her friends, her family, her school, the weather, everything, Plus, Sunny's mom has just been diagnosed with lung cancer, and Dawn really wants to be there for her best friend and the Winslow family. So, she makes a big decision: she's going to move back to Palo City for good. She breaks the news first to Carol during a phone call from California. Carol promises to tell Jack. Sharon walks in just in time to hear the end of the conversation, so Dawn has to tell her. Sharon is, understandably, upset that Dawn wants to leave Stoneybrook. Richard gets home from work in the middle of their conversation, so he's let in on the plan at that point, too. The one family member that Dawn doesn't tell? Mary Anne. Dawn knows that her stepsister will be upset, and needs to figure out how to break the news to her as gently as possible. Luckily, Mary Anne has been so busy with baby-sitting and spending time with Logan that she doesn't notice how oddly everyone is acting at home.

Dawn is alone one afternoon, and she starts on a list of things she needs to do to get ready for the move. That's when she realizes that she needs to let the BSC know ASAP, so they can find a replacement. Dawn calls Kristy and tells her what's going on, and asks her not to tell anyone, since she STILL hasn't found a way to let Mary Anne know what's happening. Kristy agrees. Dawn finally decides to break the news the next day. She and Mary Anne are planning to make a pizza together for dinner, and Dawn writes a whole speech that she'll give when she tells Mary Anne that she's going back to California. Too bad Dawn never gets a chance to use it; before she can steer the conversation in the right direction, Logan calls Mary Anne to see how she's taking the news that Dawn is moving. Apparently, Kristy told Claudia, who told Stacey, who told Robert, who told Logan. Mary Anne is furious that she was the last to find out, and she says some pretty awful things to Dawn. The girls don't exactly stop speaking, but things are definitely different between them. Mary Anne starts acting like she doesn't care anything about Dawn, and she does her best to avoid her stepsister while the club is working on their latest event (a surprise Christmas in summer for James Hobart, who's laid up with a broken leg).

Dawn really wants to fix things with Mary Anne before she leaves, so she plans a fancy dinner for the two of them one evening when their parents are out. They manage to have some decent conversation, but when Dawn tries to bring up the subject of her move and her friendship with Mary Anne, Mary Anne clams up. Things don't get any better by the time Dawn's farewell party rolls around. She's sure that Mary Anne has some big surprise cooked up for her, but that doesn't seem to be true. In fact, Mary Anne doesn't seem to have had much to do with planning the party at all. It isn't until the day before Dawn leaves that things finally go back to normal, with lots of crying. At least Dawn can leave, knowing that Mary Anne doesn't hate her....

Rating: 3

Thoughts and Things

• For once, the BSC decides that there shouldn't be any kids at Dawn's party so it doesn't seem too much like a baby-sitting job. I wonder how poor Stacey felt about that, since she DID have to put up with a bunch of little kids at her good-bye party way back in the day???
• I can't believe Sharon agreed to let Dawn go with no argument. On one hand, kudos to her for putting Dawn's happiness first. On the other, why is she letting her 13 year old make such important life decisions without any discussion?
• Dawn's hair on the cover comes awfully close to matching the descriptions in the books. Good going, Hodges!
• I liked this book better during this reading than I ever have before. I sort of identify with a lot of what Dawn is feeling; I'm not really happy living where I am, and I wouldn't mind moving somewhere else for awhile...
• Dawn's Big Move is missing from the list of Dawn books after the last chapter.
  

M#21 Claudia and the Recipe for Danger

Summary

Stoneybrook is playing host to a baking contest. There will be a junior division (9 to 15 years old) and and adult division (16 nd up) and the winner from each will get $1000 and have the winning recipe published in a cookbook. Claudia decides to enter, and since teams of up to three people are allowed, Mary Anne and Shea Rodowsky join her. The contest will run over two weekends, and ( as usual) the whole BSC is involved. Mary Anne, Claudia, and Logan are the only members who are actually entering the contest (Logan is on a team with his sister and Austin Bentley); the rest of them are going to help run the day care that's being set up so the adult contestants have a place to leave their kids while they're baking.

The day before the start of the contest, the girls head to SHS (that's where the contest is being held) to meet with Marty Nisson, the guy who's helping them get the day care set up. He also asks one of them to be a "Cake Cop:" someone who walks around and makes sure everyone is following the rules. Wanna guess who signs up for that? Yep, it's Kristy. On the first day of the contest, the adults are up first, so everyone in the BSC is in the day care, helping. It's a little hectic, since the teacher's lounge is pretty small, and not really designed for the purpose. PRetty soon, though, the afternoon rolls around and it's time for Mary Anne and Claudia to start baking. Strange things start to happen right away; someone substitutes flour for baking soda, causing Claud, Mary Anne, and Shea's cake to come out flat. Someone also turns the temperature on the oven that Logan's team is using, and increases the baking time. Claudia immediately suspects Grace Blume and Mari Drabek; nothing went wrong for them, and they've never gotten along with the BSC. The next day, though, there's a fire in Grace and Mari's oven, and they suspect Claudia and her friends of causing it. Not so; someone had subsituted baking powder for the cornstarch that was supposed to be used in their recipe, causing the batter to rise, spill over the pan, and catch fire. Grace and Mari are given an extension , but still don't finish.

Not long after, Claudia is picking up some things at the hardware store for her parents when she runs into Grace Blume. Grace accuses Claud and her friends of being behind all the sabotage, and Claud accuses her right back. They both deny it and convince each other that they're being truthful. They decide to join forces to try and figure out who's behind the sabotage. There are a few suspects; several of the parents of the younger contestants have been hanging around, trying to interfere (against the rules of the contest). A couple of them have even been escorted out by Kristy the Cake Cop. Jackie Rodowsky has also been acting strangely. He disappears from the day care, and reappears later, covered in white powder. The BSC knocks him off the suspect list pretty quickly; he's been borrowing ingredients to make his own cake, just to prove that he can do what big brother Shea is doing.

When the results of the qualifying round are announced, Claud's team, Logan's team, and Grace's team have all made it into the finals. They celebrate with pizza, and more discussion about who's trying to sabotage the contest. They realize that the culprit seems to be targeting the more successful bakers (duh), but aren't any closer to figuring out who that culprit is. They arrive early on the day of the finals, and another piece is added to the puzzle. They spot one of the older contestants in the junior divison getting out of her car....with Marty Nisson. It's pretty clear they're together. COuld Marty want to help his girlfriend win badly enough to try and wreck other contestants' chances? Yep. Claudia's team sets up a little sting operation to try and catch the culprit. They mix up their cake, and when it's time to bake, they use Grace and Mari's oven. They let it be known that they'll all be away from their cooking station, and they hide in another station across the room to watch. Sure enough, Marty sneaks in and tries tampering with their oven. Claudia had put a thin layer of flour all over everything, so even if Marty had managed to get away, it would have been clear that he was the guilty party. He's not the only one; his girlfriend entered the contest illegally. After all, the junior division is for kids ages 9 to 15. Why would a 15 year old be driving a car?

The rest of the contest runs smoothly. Claud and her team are all nervous when it comes time to announce the winners. They didn't need to be; their chocolate cherry cake (a favorite recipe of Mary Anne's mother) is the big winner.

Rating: 2

Thoughts and Things

• Wow...Claudia's hair isn't in a side ponytail on this cover! I guess that would be kind of hard to manage, given the chef's hat.
• Remember my plan to get through the rest of the mysteries by picturing Sgt. Johnson as super hot? That's been a little tough, considering he hasn't been in any of the mysteries since I made that decision. Oh, well....at least this one had plenty of cake. And pizza!
• I really like Grace Blume in this book, and it's a shame that her friendship with the BSC didn't really continue in any future books. That might have made for some interesting conflicts.
• I wonder what methods Kristy used to escort rule breaking parents out the contest? I'm guessing that most of them were bigger than her, but it only says that she got help once.
• Claudia has a Hershey's Kiss charm on her charm bracelet...which is pretty awesome.
• Claudia also spends half a chapter talking about how awesome her family's new cordless phone is. She's excited about the fact that she can almost walk into the neighbor's yard before it gets staticy. She'd probably pee herself if someone told her about cell phones...