Stoneybrook Reunion: The Baby-Sitters Club Book Club

A creepy old house on Stacey’s street is set to be demolished, and the baby-sitters (along with honorary BSC member Charlotte Johanssen) are convinced that there is a mystery surrounding the strange happenings at the property. But… is there? Is Stoneybrook built on an ancient burial ground? What’s with all those flies? Is the mystery just a collective hallucination inspired by a few good horror movies? Join us and our return guest Tim to watch the old house and its mystery come tumbling down in Stacey and the Mystery of Stoneybrook. <br>A few links from our conversation: The Amityville Horror (1979) Pet Sematary (1989)  Summer of My German Soldier The rules of War (card game) <br>Tim’s excellent film review podcast and website, Alternate Ending, where they’re discovering good movies, one bad movie at a time. <br>Was there a haunted house in your neighborhood? We want to hear about it! Find us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion or send us an email at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com. 

Mary Anne and Stacey are headed back to Sea City with the Pike crew– plus a few male ghosts from the past that turn Stacey into a bad friend and make Mary Anne question her relationship with Logan. How can she go out and have fun with Alex when Logan is back home waiting for her? Can boys and girls truly be platonic friends? Meanwhile, Vanessa enjoys her first crush on a 12-year-old ice cream server, and learns a few tough lessons of her own. Sea City never disappoints! Join us as we question child labor laws and hope Margo doesn’t barf on a trampoline while we discuss Mary Anne and Too Many Boys. <br>Urban Decay Nail Polish unboxing video A history of Howard Johnson’s<br>Have a favorite ice cream flavor or nail polish name? Let us know at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com. Find us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion. 

After Janine wins an academic achievement award, Claudia can’t shake the feeling that she is fundamentally different from her family members. Inspired by Kristy’s new sister Emily Michelle, Claudia convinces herself that she is adopted, setting off a wild goose chase for her family of origin. Join us as we follow Claudia’s leap off a logic cliff and subsequent plunge through libraries, phone books, and cold calls (with some “help” from Stacey), in Claudia and the Great Search.<br>Lois Lowry Reading ListFind a Stranger, Say GoodbyeNumber the StarsThe Giver<br>Thoughts on the origins of Ring A Ring o’ Roses/Ring Around the Rosie:  https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2014/07/ring-around-the-rosie-metafolklore-rhyme-and-reason/<br>Re-release date for Claudia and the Great Search: December 2025

In Book 32, the sitters meet two new families–the Felders, who have lived around the corner from Bradford Court/BSC headquarters for years, and the Hobarts, who moved into Mary Anne’s old house all the way from Australia. As the Felders prepare to send their daughter Susan to a boarding school for autistic children, Kristy devises a plan to keep her newest baby-sitting charge in Stoneybrook…but this time, Kristy’s idea (and some of the other neighborhood children involved) may not be so great. Gather with us and our guest Elena, a clinical psychologist and researcher, in the Hobarts’ yard as the new kids on the block square off against all of the heretofore unmentioned neighborhood bullies, and we discuss Kristy and the Secret of Susan. As noted in Ann M. Martin’s Dear Reader Letter:Inside Out by Ann M. Martin (1985)Feedback for us on this or other episodes? Get in touch at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com. Find us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion. 

Dawn and Mary Anne have finally realized their shared dream of sisterhood! Once the Spiers move into the old farmhouse, though, Dawn’s delight at combining bedrooms (and closets) with her new “sis” ends almost as abruptly as Richard and Sharon’s honeymoon. Unwilling to admit that her initial plan took a nightmarish turn, Dawn hatches another one to prod Mary Anne to move into the guest room and reveals a heretofore hidden side of her personality. Squeeze into the Junk Bucket’s way back with us as we bicker over who gets a seatbelt and who’s the least fair stepsister of them all in our chat about Book 31, Dawn’s Wicked Stepsister.Experiences Befitting a Crab QueenCheck out some crankies from artist Katherine FaheyDine at Ed Debevic’sTell us how you’d respond to a surprise spring cleaning day and repeat breakfast meats at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com

After a 26-book wait, Richard and Sharon finally announce their plans to marry, to their daughters’ delight…and Mary Anne and Dawn’s dreaming and scheming shifts from Parent Trapping to high-gear wedding planning. As Mary Anne mentally prepares to gain a stepfamily and lose the only home she’s ever known, she somehow also steers the Arnold twins through conflict as they try on their new, separate identities. Join us and our guest Jessie in a pew at the back of the chapel (plenty of room…where are Sharon and Richard’s friends?) as we titter about Dawn’s attire and share why we’re gaga for Gozzie Kunka in our chat about Mary Anne and the Great Romance.Learn more about Jessie at jessierosen.com, and find her new book, All the Signs, at bookshop.org.What the Arnold twin room row called to mind(just one of many examples)Implausible Anachronistic/Time-Traveling Suitor WatchlistBridgertonKate & LeopoldIs Kristy the Miranda of the first four? Let us know at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.Find us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

It’s winter in Stoneybrook, and the baby-sitters are off to Vermont for the annual trip to Leicester Lodge, hosts of the Winter War. No sooner do they arrive at the Overlook-esque ski lodge than a real ripsnorter of a storm blows in (with thanks for the phrase to local armchair meteorologist Teensy Mooseman), and a busload of children are stranded without adequate supervision. Cue the BSC! They spend the week caring for kids, competing for colors, and crushing on maybe Canadians, with plenty of hot chocolate and local legends to go around. Take off your fat mittens and join us as we curl up by the fire and pull Super Special #3: Baby-sitters’ Winter Vacation off the library shelf. School Vacation Media List: I’m Henry the VIII by Herman’s Hermits John Jacob Jingleheimer SchmidtThe Shining trailerWhite Christmas trailer Chains of Love by Pat BooneI Love Lucy Vitameatavegamin sceneDon’t Sit Under the Apple Tree by the Andrews SistersSend us your bad drawings of winter vacations at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.Find us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

As the McGill gals settle into their new old house and start to clear forgotten treasures from the attic, neighbor Mal scores a most handsome trunk and finds evidence of a kindred spirit (possibly from the spirit world) within. Join hands with us at the seance table (but leave the offensive costume and behavior behind, Kristy) as we learn the distinction between journals and diaries, which of the sitters are believers in or skeptics of ghoulies and ghosties, and what an inspiring reading tutor junior officer Pike is in Mallory and the Mystery Diary.Media recommendations from this week's episode:Season 1 of Yellowjackets (2021)Now and Then (1995)About The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud (2025)The one thing Mallory maybe missed the mark on:GOOPS and How to be Them by Gelett Burgess (1900)Share tuna casserole recipes with us at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.Find us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

As Mr. and Mrs. McGills’ relationship unravels, Stacey finds herself caught in the fray and, after several failed attempts to Parent Trap her mom and dad into reconciling, confronts a big decision: should she stay in New York in her father’s pre-war bachelor pad, or leave the city yet again to live with her mother in Stoneybrook suburbia? Pile into the backseat of the McGill’s station wagon with us (and Claudia) as we house-hunt and spend some time in the mind of America’s Favorite Baby-sitter (as of 1989) in Welcome Back, Stacey! (What a tell-all title.)As mentioned on this episode:How we picture Laine (Elizabeth Perkins in Big (1988))Another gal we love with a taxi cab wardrobe palette The Brave Little Toaster (1987) Did you ever decline an Oreo and braid hair instead at a sleepover? Tell us at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.Find us (and a picture of the much-discussed cover) on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

Child celeb Derek Masters returns to Stoneybrook from L.A., and–guess what–his parents need a sitter. In keeping with an emerging pattern for Jessi-centric books, stars align for her to take on most of the gigs with the new charge, and she and the BSC help him process some setbacks at school and settle back into everyday suburban Connecticut life. Derek returns the favor by coaching Jessi through a series of high-stakes auditions for Swan Lake, and even has her considering new outlets for her performative (and workaholic) energies…Microwave your Kid Cuisine of choice, then join us and the fam in front of the TV for some appointment viewing and conversation as we revisit Jessi and the Superbrat.As mentioned on this episode:A bit of what Jan Carr has been up to since 1989, plus a couple media references that Karen brought to mind with her play and costume choices:The Muppet Movie (1979)Dressed up E.T.Send us pointers on how to make it in *showbiz* at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com. Find us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

Claudia has long grappled with her grandmother’s declining health, but is still unprepared for the moment that she actually passes away. Luckily, she can lean on her artwork and her friends in the BSC. Join us for a celebration of Mimi’s life (and a bit of papier-mâché art therapy) as we navigate Claudia and the Sad Goodbye. We'd love to hear from you! Find us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion, or email us at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.

It’s ten o’clock. Do you know where your kitten is? Though Mary Anne may have shaken off the chain letter curse back in Book 17, her bad luck (and ominous mail streak) continues in her next spin as narrator when her beloved pet goes missing and her usually exemplary boyfriend turns distant and moody in Book 25: Mary Anne and the Search for Tigger.Grab a flashlight and a stack of posters from Mrs. Brewer’s office Xerox and head out with us and our return guest Tim as we hunt for the littlest tiger-striped cat and encounter local kids LARPing as cops and criminals along the way. Age-Inappropriate Watchlist for Stoneybrook ChildrenMagnum, P.I.MatlockCOPSAre the Brunos a problem family? Do trees grow in fields and make for good hiding spots? Add your two cents at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.Find us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion, and more from Tim at alternateending.com.

It’s springtime in Stoneybrook, and Mother’s Day looms large in the minds of our baby-sitters– with glances askance to Mary Anne, of course. Kristy’s Idea Brain comes up with a gift for their clients: a day off for the moms while the BSC takes charge of their kids. Join us at the Sudsy’s Carnival midway and please try not to barf as we, like Kristy, are pleasantly distracted from what turns out to be the *real* surprise of Kristy and the Mother's Day Surprise.<br>This episode’s pop culture deep cuts and rabbit holes:For the carnival curious: According to Wikipedia, the term “midway games” originated at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893.Vintage V8 and Sunny D commercials“Side by Side” from Richie Rich (1994)

After a slumber party send-off, Dawn spends spring break in Orange County with her father and brother and tries on a more laid-back lifestyle among many other blondes making similar snack (but questionable beach) choices. Dawn considers what her quotidian routine would be like if she decides to stay, and whether the abundant sunshine and other items on the California pros list win out over the few on the Stoneybrook one. Slide into the booth beside us at Cabbages and Kings as we hash over pizza fouls, flight attendant fails, and preferred alternatives to LAX in our review of Dawn on the Coast.As mentioned on this episode:Sardi’s portraits artists: Alex Gard, John Mackey, Donald Bevan, and Richard BaratzA glimpse of the TV-on-a-cart scene from Back to the Future (1985)List of BSC books written by Ann M. Martin and other authorsA brief fan history of Bear Country at Disneyland, and changes to that area of the park since 1989

Jessi has a break from ballet classes and her regular gig with the Braddocks’, and she can’t wait to kick back and crack open a good horse book…until she hears that the Mancusi menagerie is in need of a last-minute sitter. What was supposed to be a chill week for Jessi takes a few worrying turns, with an escaped snake, a very fat, self-isolating hamster, and a row among the senior sitters about club roles.Invite yourself (and all of the neighborhood children) over to the Mancusis’ and squawk with us and our avian friend Frank about Jessi Ramsey, Pet-Sitter.As mentioned, for as long as the links last:Zack Morris is Trash (Funny or Die)hamster etymology (Merriam-Webster)Pee-wee and the snakes, from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)Star Trek: The Trouble with Tribbles (1967)Cold-Blooded: What’s It Mean? (Zoo Atlanta)Hamsters navigating video game levels and other environments, from homurahamDid you decode the Mancusi pet naming convention? Sneak us a hint at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

Mallory is on a mission to age up her appearance, and the pull of the piercing boutique and her desire for a decent haircut compel her to take on a twice-a-week sitting job with the Arnold twins to fund her physical transformation. The new charges seem to be identical, but don’t let the precious matching looks (right down to their pinky rings) deceive you–these girls are tired of being treated like carbon copies and have some hijinks up their lace-edged sleeves. In the first episode of our third season, meet us and The New Mallory Pike at the Merry-Go-Round as we select accessories and debate about the relative prevalence of minivans vs. station wagons and the best chicken nuggets in the late ‘80s. ***Check out the work of Hodges Soileau at the artist’s site, https://www.hodgessoileau.com/. ***Did you plan twinning moments with a friend or participate in peanut hunts as a kid? Share your reminiscences with us at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.Follow us on Instagram at @stoneybrookreunion.

Somehow it’s summer again in the Baby-sitters-verse, and that means it’s time for more Super Special-style world-building! In Baby-sitters’ Summer Vacation, the map expands upstate as the Stoneybrook sitters cajole Stacey into leaving the comforts of concrete (?) and Bloomingdale’s to join them as counselors-in-training at Camp Mohawk/Camp Moosehead. Excavate your embroidery floss and meet us and CharJo at the craft cabin as we unravel the common threads between Super Special #2 and The Parent Trap and hear about real-life camp experiences from the other side of the lake with our guest (and Cameron’s cousin) Tobin. Find Tobin on Substack: 43rd Degree Classic Camp Media Watch List Meatballs (1979) Ernest Goes to Camp (1987) Salute Your Shorts (1991-1992) Addams Family Values (1993) Camp Nowhere (1994) Heavyweights (1995) Wet Hot American Summer (2001) What did it take to convince you to go to (or remain at) summer camp? Send a(n online) postcard to stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com. See the map that suggests there are no 12-year-old cabins (or campers) on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

Hello, sports (and romance) fans! You’re in for a treat–this week’s book/episode is light on babysitting and heavy on baseball (and crush-induced butterflies). When all of the kids in Stoneybrook seem to be in their backyards with bats and gloves, Kristy notices that the local little league has left out her younger siblings and many of the club’s charges. In a typical Kristy move, she decides to start and coach a softball team of her own–but her Krushers [sic] aren’t the only game in town. Soon neighborhood cutie Bart and his Bashers challenge them to a face-off. Find us under the bleachers as we hunt for bottle caps and chat about how Kristy’s motley crew fares (and who the real heart of the story is) in Kristy and the Walking Disaster. Watch List for Even Non-Sports Fans: Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) The Bad News Bears (1976) The Sandlot (1993) Little Giants (1994) Friday Night Lights (2006-2011) Illustrated book about the Endurance/Shackleton’s journey: https://flyingeyebooks.com/book/shackletons-journey/

A prank gone awry during a gig lands Claudia in the hospital and launches her into an existential crisis. If babysitting is this risky, she’s not sure it’s for her! While Claudia recovers and once again mulls whether she’ll leave the club, the BSC takes on the serious business of sitting for and waging a practical joke war with the new problem child charge, Betsy. Sit beside us on the Sobaks’ sofa (but watch out for that whoopee cushion!) as we discuss Claudia and the Bad Joke, and what Lady Gaga and Kristy Thomas have in common. Grandma’s/Home from School Programs List Noozles Barney & Friends Wheel of Fortune -or- Jeopardy The Price is Right Your soap of choice Your afternoon talk show of choice A 3+ hour block of Designing Women Where did you find the finest prank goods for grade school hijinks? Let us know at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.  Follow us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

When an upcoming gig in Stacey’s apartment building is too much for the single-member NY branch of the BSC to handle, she invites the OG sitters to travel down and pitch in–but she’s shocked at the versions of her friends who show up. Usually cool Claudia rolls into Grand Central with a suitcase on wheels–how embarrassing!, self-assured Dawn is afraid of her own shadow, and Mary Anne is not at all shy about sharing her ambitious itinerary or shading one of her BFFs. (Kristy is, well, Kristy.) The long weekend is not at all going according to plan, but Stacey won’t let bumpkin behavior or friend tensions distract them from their duty to care for ten kids.   Two more resident New Yorkers join us for this week’s stroll through Central Park and chat about Stacey’s Mistake: a chihuahua named Bianca and her human, Kiwi Callahan.  If you’re looking for a gift for that Hallmark holiday movie lover or hater in your life, check out Kiwi’s game at badchristmasmoviebingo.com. Homework assignment:  Write a sonnet inspired by the love affair portrayed in the Opposites Attract music video; a report on the history and present-day status of the Hard Rock Cafe; or a journal entry on your class field trip to see Starlight Express (all rabbit holes worth going down, trust us).  Here for a Friends 4-Ever or Stuart Little Book Club? Sign up at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.