#2 Claudia and the Phantom Phone Caller

The plague has hit and we’ve all been dealing with sickness at our homes, except for Tess, who has no school aged children and is vacationing in Acapulco with her husband while her son gets some quality grandma time. (I’ll pay for that when she gets back).  So, without further delay, let’s get to the snarking, aye?

This is the second book in the series and it was one of my favorites, simply because, ooOOoo, secret admirers!  Now I worry about letting my girls leave the house alone in case some creepy preteen boys decide to stalk them.

We meet Claudia on a gloomy fall evening as she’s mooning over Trevor Sandbourne and bemoaning about having to do homework.  She talks about how she needs help with her work because she tends to daydream.  Mimi is there to help her and she finishes fairly quickly.  Instead of reading or daydreaming, she asks Mimi to come in and finish sitting for a portrait she’s doing.  They talk about why she and Janine don’t get along and Mimi gives her some sage advice about having to try to get along with her sister.  Yay Mimi!

The girls get together the following Saturday and Claudia moons over Trevor  and the upcoming dance, the Halloween Hop.  Kristy describes the wonderful Alan Gray.  MA reads in the paper that there is a phantom phone caller on the loose.  He calls to see if they’re home and then breaks in to rob them, even if they’re home.  This panics the girls slightly and they develop a code they can use on a phone call in case they’re sitting and something similar happens.  They decide to keep this a secret from their parents.

Now these are the days before the BSC clique, so Claudia is sitting with her other friends and Dorianne Wallingford dramatically sighs that her grandparents were robbed by the phantom phone caller.  Claudia panics until she mentions her grandparents live in a couple of towns over.  Another girl mentions in the bathroom Claudia’s crush on Trevor and Claudia flips out at Kristy for blabbing.  Kristy defends herself and Claud believes her.  So who is spreading these little rumors….

A sitting chapter.  Claudia sits for Jamie Newton and Kristy scares the snot out of Claudia.

The next evening as Claudia’s working on another painting when she hears that the state troopers are tailing the Phantom.  She calls Stacey and rejoices with her…until the next evening, when she’s sitting for the Marshalls.  The phone rings and no one is there.  Claudia gets the girls to bed and calls Stacey.  They’re talking when Claudia hears some noises as someone is trying to get through the door.  She tries to use the code, but panics, then she realizes it is just the Marshalls, who have forgotten their keys.

Another sitting chapter.  Kristy sits for Karen and Andrew and Karen starts in on her witch nonsense again.  After the kids go to bed, the phone rings a couple of times, again with no one on the other end of the line.  Hmmm…..

And yet another sitting chapter.  Stacey sits for Charlotte J and the lights go out.  No weird phone calls though.

Wow, three sitting chapters in a row.  MA is sitting for DM while the rest of the family is out.  She rigs up some crazy alarms, just in case.  No crazy phone calls here either…

At the next meeting, there is more talk about Alan Gray and Trevor Sandbourne and how awful Alan is and how wonderful Trevor is.

That night as Mimi is helping Claudia, The Goldmans come from next door a little shaken up.  It appears that they have been robbed by the phantom phonecaller.  MA’s father catches wind of this and forbids her to babysit.

At school the next day, Claudia is a little distracted, but she tries to talk to Trevor and ends up dumping red jello in his lap.  Smooth.

That night, she and Kristy are sitting for the Newtons, who have cousins visiting them.  (The “evil” Feldman children).  The  kids start off by being wild, but Kristy and Claudia calm them down.  While the kids are playing, the phone rings three times and three times there is no one on the other end of the line.  As they’re feeding the kids, the girls see a shadow go by the house.  Claudia calls the police.  Who is skulking around the house?  Alan Gray.  He wanted to ask Kristy to the Halloween Hop. 

That night Claudia bonds with Janine over some salt water taffy as she explains what happened at the Newtons.

The next day, Claudia puzzles over who could have a crush on her as she sits for the Marshall girls.  The phone rings and again there is no one on the line.  The next time it rings, Claudia demands they speak and lo and behold, it’s Trevor Sandbourne.  Hoorah, they’re going to the dance together.

The girls go to the dance (except MA), the phantom phone caller is caught and Claudia’s grades start to go up.  Yay. 

Mommy Moments:

• I kind of agree with the Kishis having someone work with Claudia on her homework.  As is repeated a lot in the early books, she is smart, she just needs to focus.
• I kind of have to agree with Richard on this one; I would likely ask the girls stay home while a criminal who doesn’t mind breaking in while people are in the house is on the loose.
• Really guys?  You have to skulk around like this just to ask a girl out?  I probably wouldn’t let my daughter go out with you after you stalked her for two weeks.
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Common Sense Moments:

• 911 was implemented in 1968.  I think it would be better to call 911 than call a friend and ask her if she’s seen your red ribbon.

Claudia Outfits:

• Some hair:  “That day I had fixed it in five slim braids, and looped each one up on my head, holding them in place with beaded barrettes that had sparkly streamers attached to them.”

#13 Good-bye Stacey, Goodbye

Enter Stacey, fantasizing about being in a candy land and eating it all, because she has diabetes and can never ever eat sweets. 

 Sigh.  I’m sure we’ve all looked it up, but people with type 1 diabetes can have sweets occasionally.  Either medical science didn’t know that back then or Ann has no clue.  Stacy says she would kill for a tootsie pop.  Congratulations, Ann.  You’ve just created a serial killer.  Perhaps you can write a series on the Tootsie Pop killer.

Hmmm…turns out Stacey was in math class while fantasizing and is saved by the bell.  She spends her afternoon sitting for Charlotte Johanssen before heading off to a club meeting.  Her mom calls at the end of the meeting to hurry her home and she leaves with a sick feeling in her stomach.

No need to panic, Stacey.  You’re just moving back to NYC in five or six weeks.  She drops her knife twice during this conversation. 

She’s not totally excited about this until her parents start reminder her of all the good old days and things they can do until she’s totally psyched.  Then she calls Laine, her formerly former best friend, who tosses cold water on her by reminding her of all the people who don’t like her at her old school and think she’s weird.  Then she calls Claudia, heads over to her house and they cry together and try to think of ways Stacey could stay in the ‘Brook.  There really is no way, because the McGills aren’t going to let their daughter stay behind and they aren’t staying, so it’s time for an emergency meeting of the BSC.

Stacey tells everyone the next day at lunch and then scuttles off to talk to her math teacher before the tears really flow.  Of course, the remaining girls decide to throw a going away party for her, although they only have $15.  Then they realize they have a lot of business and are going to be short a sitter.  (if they have all this business, why are they so broke?)

Sitting chapter: MA sits for Jeff Schafer and finds out he really doesn’t want to be in Connecticut and that he misses his dad pretty badly.  This has been building for a couple of books now.

The McGills have started packing and realize they have too much junk to fit into their apartment.  Stacey volunteers to hold a yard sale with the help of her friends.  Tada!   

A way for them to make money to pay for the party! (aside from the copious amounts of sitting they’re supposedly doing).

Another sitting chapter.  Claudia is sitting at the Pikes with Mallory and the kids are spying on their new neighbors.  Mal’s not doing it because she’s “too old.”  I call shenanigans because in SS#1 she was Harriet the Spy all over that cruise ship.

The BSC organizes for the yard sale, Claudia and Stacey are sad together and the girls decide to sell brownies and potholders along with the McGills’ stuff.

Sitting Chapter #3: Kristy sits for her sibs and some of their friends.  Karen starts talking about how Mrs. Porter is a witch.  Mrs. Porter invites the hoard over to make lemonade and Kristy realizes she’s just a lonely old woman. (well, duh).  I don’t get why that family lets Karen get away with besmirching and old lady’s name.

Stacey hasn’t told Charlotte J that she’s moving yet and today’s the day.  Charlotte reacts the way you’d expect and eight-year-old to act, telling Stacey she hates her, then wanting a hug.  Stacey takes her over to the McGill house and shows her all the things they are getting ready for the yard sale.  She sets aside a copy of A Cricket in Times Square for Charlotte, including a personal inscription.

Yet another sitting chapter: Dawn sits for the Barretts and they decide to have a yard sale.  They sell one thing, but they give Dawn an idea for Stacey’s going away party.

It’s yard sale day!  The sale is from 10-4:30.  Odd hours for a sale; most around here start at 8 or earlier.  Must be the East coast.  They get everything set up and the day goes by busily.  They apparently make a crap ton of money, but, like every other BSC book where money is involved, we don’t get the actual figure.

Charlotte J stops by and give Stacey a book she made for her.

Stacey gets an invitation a few days later for a farewell party in her honor.  She is confused, as it instructs her to wear old clothes.  She arrives at Kristy’s suitably dressed and is let to the backyard to see….KIDS!!!!  All the kids they sit for, minus the babies, of course.  They start with an egg relay race, then musical rug, pin the baby on the sitter, hunting peanuts (not in the day and age with all the nut allergies out there), Simon Says and races.  There are prizes for the winners; it turns out the girls spent the yard sale money on them[.

At the end of the party, the kids draw Stacey a huge picture of Stoneybrook for her to take to NYC.  Then they have cake (including a sugar free one for Stacey) and give Stacey a card before they leave.

It’s Stacey’s last BSC meeting and there are things to do.  Kristy officially “thanks” Stacey for her service and transfers the treasurer position to Dawn.  They think about asking Mallory to join.  Dawn points out Mallory could take a lot of afternoon jobs, freeing them up for the evenings.  Now, I snarked Hello Mallory a few months ago and that point wasn’t brought up until the end of the book.  Even Ann can’t remember what she writes from book to book.  

Stacey gets to call her and ask if she’d be interested and Mallory shrieks her ecstatic yes.

The morning of the move starts with Stacey bemoaning the fact that she didn’t sleep well.  No one usually does when something big is happening.  She and her parents clean out the refrigerator, having odd things for breakfast.  Stacey returns to her room to double check her stuff and weep over the good bye cards her former sitting charges.  As she sobs away, she hears her friends outside calling to her, holding up a big sign that reads, “See you soon Stacey!”  She gets to keep the sign and she gives them cards with her name and address that her parents had printed for her.  I’m glad that’s just a drawing, because the card is a little….umm….I dunno, not exciting looking.  Maybe it’s just me.  They watch the movers pack up the McGills’ stuff and then the girls say good bye.  Claudia slips Stacey a letter to read in the car, which outlines all the fun things they’ve done and how Stacey’s her best friend ever. ~Sniff~  Stacey closes up the letter and starts thinking about New York and all the fun things she’ll do there.  She’s ready; bring it on .

Just for fun, a Claudia outfit:  “a purple and white striped body suit under a gray jumper thing(real technical here).  The body suit went all the way to her ankles, but she was wearing purple pushdown socks anyways.  Around her middle was a wide purple belt with a buckle in the shape of a telephone.  On her feet were black ballet slippers.”  I would love to know where you could find a belt with a telephone shaped buckle…but then, it was the ‘80’s.

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