The Babysitters Club is a wonderful series novel. The narrator is a young teenager, Stacey, who is part of The Babysitters Club that includes five other members. School is coming to an end and Stacey is sad because her boyfriend, Robert, has a summer job working on a Ferry that travels back and forth from New York to Davis Park which is far away from where they live in Stoneybrook. This means she’s never going to get to see Robert! However, Stacey’s father has a surprise for her. He is taking a vacation for two weeks and wants to spend it with her. The best part is Stacey gets to decide where they will travel to. She quickly makes up her mind to go to Davis Park. Her father, a bit taken back that Stacey has ever heard of Davis Park, agrees and plans are immediately made. Stacey brings her best friend, Claudia, who is also a member of The Babysitters Club. She, knowingly, does not tell anyone that Robert is going to be there. Everything first starts to unravel when Claudia finds out about Robert and soon feels like she is being ignored. Then, while walking on the beach with Robert they run into Stacey’s dad and he’s not alone! He’s with another woman, his girlfriend Samantha. Things start fuming between Stacey and everyone. Before she knows it, Robert has broken up with her, Claudia has gone home early and is not speaking to her, and her dad disregards anything she has to say while spending all of his time with Samantha. She is soon forced to realize the errors of her ways and makes every attempt to repair the damage she’s done. In the end she is given a second chance but she learns a big and important lesson never to lie.
I really enjoyed this book. She really got herself into a mess because of her lying by omission. What surprised me most was how she didn’t lose any friends in the end. I predicted that after Robert broke up with her that they wouldn’t have got back together. I was apparently wrong. I think the book would have had a better message to send if Stacey had more consequences for her actions. She was selfish and wanted the best of both worlds by splitting her time between Claudia, her father, and mostly Robert. When she was with Robert she had Claudia waiting for her. Also, she made her dad take her to Davis Park so she could primarily spend time with Robert. However, I did find it interesting how they portrayed a young girl and show how she can be swept up in love with a boy and lose herself in the process.
Stacey was so mesmerized by Robert that she pushed other people that were really important to her aside. Her lying not only caused her more stress and turmoil, it put stress on everyone around her. Stacey was afraid Claudia wouldn’t have come if Robert was going to be there. She was right. However, it wasn’t fair for Claudia not to have the option whether or not she wanted to be the third wheel. I would have been miserable the whole trip too if I was treated like that by Stacey. This is a perfect example of what can happen if you let greed take over. This book has many great qualities though because it is relatable to its audience which is mostly young girls. I think it sends the message to remain loyal to those that you are closest to because they will be the ones who will hurt the most by your lack of honesty.
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