Rereading My Childhood: The Baby-Sitters Club

#7: Claudia and Mean Janine

I have a sister. She's one of my loyal readers. She's also younger than me. When we were kids, she was active, popular, artistic, and had an effortlessly cool style. I was always more withdrawn with my nose behind a book, an unwillingness to talk to people, and a style that included ill-fitting pants and even more ill-fitting sweaters and/or windbreakers. Like I was going to hike in the '90s at any moment. She's one of my best friends now, but during my swishy-pants days, we did not get along.

It's the same for Claudia and Janine. Claudia is the cool younger sister and Janine is the stuffy older sister. In this book, the sisters have to confront their differences and their strained relationship after a family emergency. Let's get to it - I'm eager to use this YA book from 1987 to figure out my strained teenage sibling relationship.

First thing in the morning, Claudia compares herself to Janine. Her older sister is smart, gets good grades, doesn't give anyone trouble, and studies all the time. Meanwhile, Claudia is outgoing, artistic, and brags about her "two semi-boyfriends," which I'm assuming means they're interested, but they're not steady. I don't think she means boyfriends who are semis, rolling down the interstate, shipping cargo across this great nation.

We learn that Claudia's father is a "partner in an investment business in Stamford," and her mother is "the head librarian at the local public library." Claudia says that the only books she likes are Nancy Drew mysteries, which the library doesn't have and she has to hide them because her parents don't want her reading them.

What kind of library doesn't carry Nancy Drew? Don't they just come with the library? You say, "Hey, I want a library," and suddenly, those distinctive yellow spines appear on a shelf. Also, what kind of librarian discourages reading? Every librarian I've ever interacted with (and I've interacted with a lot - weirdo bookworm, remember) has been happy to give me any book I've ever asked for, including the En-suck-lopedia. ( When I put it on hold at the library, the librarian did a double-take before saying out loud, "It's really En-suck-lopedia, huh?")

Back to the book, after breakfast, there's a BSC meeting. Kristy gets another great idea that sets up the B plot of the book. Since most of the kids are on summer vacation, they should have a "play group" a la the one they just held in Kristy's Big Day.

"We'd just hold the play group a few mornings a week. It could be outdoors, in somebody's yard, just like last week at my house. We could tell all our regular customers about it, and they could send their kids over any time they wanted. We could charge, say, three dollars per kid per morning. That's a bargain for our clients, and even divided five ways, the money should be good for us, since chances are there wouldn't be enough jobs for every single one of us to be sitting if we weren't holding the play group."

The day camp is to be held at Stacey's house and the next day, the girls go from client to client armed with fliers and the slogan: "Summer Play Group: the unique alternative to baby-sitting."

Later that night, Mimi and Claudia are making a special meal of waffles and they talk about the impending play group. Janine joins them for dinner and afterward asks if they all want to play The Trivia Game. Mimi wants to play and Claudia reluctantly joins. Claudia spends the whole game griping, thinks Janine made up Napoleon Bonaparte, and gets mad when Janine, predictably, wins the game. Mimi tells her that Claudia's behavior wasn't very nice and Claudia replies,

"Oh, you just take Janine's side because she's smarter than I am. Mom and Dad love her more because she's smarter, and I bet you do, too!"

Mimi says she's tired, goes to her room, and shuts her door.

Claudia and Janine snipe at each other for a bit, but it comes to an abrupt end when they hear a thud from Mimi's room. Mimi has collapsed and is unconscious. Janine instructs Claudia to call 911 while she covers Mimi with a bathrobe. Then she tells Claudia to wait outside for the ambulance and to guide them to Mimi's room when they arrive.