What's the best book for each character?

[oldmeanie]

Surprised there isn't a thread like this already, unless it's in my blind spot.

Title is pretty self-explanatory... which is the best book for each character (can be main series, mysteries, even CDs, FF, or portraits. Just not Super Specials because of the switching narrators)? I'm not including Karen because I haven't read her books in at least 2 decades, so it's not exactly fair. I'm also including why (tried to keep it brief, but I can never accomplish that lol!)

Mine:

Kristy- #11 Kristy and the Snobs. It's one of the saddest books in the series, I really like the Delaneys, and I like how it includes her adjusting to her new neighborhood. Very good book.

Mary Anne- Logan Likes Mary Anne! It's just so iconic! I like Logan in this book, it's the first time the 8th grade girls all eat together at lunch, and for some reason I love the famous cities skirt lol.

Claudia- Claudia and the Sad Good-bye. Yes, another sad one. This is a trend you'll see from me. It's very well-written... one thing AMM does very well is grief. It's so real to me.

Stacey- Boy-Crazy Stacey. I tend to like the summer books a lot too. This one is just so fun to read and the descriptions of Sea City make me want to go there! I like that Stacey has a realistic flaw in being kind of flaky about work. It feels real. I love early Stacey.

Dawn- The Ghost at Dawn's House. I think this might be my favorite overall. It's so much fun and so nostalgic. I love the farmhouse, the passage, all the descriptions (the heat, thunderstorms, Trip-Man, looking for a secret passage, even the baby-sitting chapters are good). The girls are also together a lot in this book outside BSC meetings and it includes a sleepover! Dawn's early books are all really good actually.

Mallory- Mallory and the Mystery Diary. I don't know why I don't love the mysteries that much, because I really like the early "spooky" books. This one is very good and in my top 5 BSC books for sure. I just love it. I really like how the subplot is connected to the main plot as well, without being forced. It's a very good book for Mal as well, nothing bad happens to her lol! I really enjoy the often hilarious ("If I was thirteen, my life would be a picnic." LOL!) diary entries. I wish they'd continued that with Mal's books.

Jessi- Jessi and the Dance School Phantom. This one was way better than I remembered. They mystery gets pretty dark, she actually makes ballet interesting, and it was just a fun read.

Abby- Abby's Lucky Thirteen. I would say Abby's Book, but I haven't read it in years and I'm trying to be fair (when I get there, this answer might change). Fun plot and I like how Abby isn't the best student. I like how it manages to be serious when it needs to be.

Logan- Logan Bruno, Boy Baby-sitter. It's just so d*** funny.

Shannon- well, I guess I have to go with Shannon's Story. Not a big fan if I'm being honest.

Sunny- Sunny Diary 3. HEARTBREAKING. Again, AMM does grief very well. It's like a once every 5 years read at most because of how sad it is.

Maggie- Maggie Diary 1 is the only one I like, and that one's just all right (she comes across as a Mary Sue in the CDs). I like the haircut part?

Amalia- Amalia Diary 2. All of hers are good, but this one is the most entertaining (minus the Maggie stuff). It feels like a very typical feel-good high school plot, but it works.

Ducky- Ducky Diary 2. It does get... intense at one point. But overall I like this one. And it made me hate his parents.

[booboobrewer]

What a great thread! I’ll have to look at the book list and think more about it before I post mine, but do agree about The Ghost at Dawn’s House.

[oldhickory]

I'm doing regular club members only. I barely remember the associates' books or CD.

Kristy - Kristy's Great Idea. The book that kicked off this whole thing and set the tone for how all characters interact.

Claudia - Claudia and Mean Janine. So much stuff happens for her character here, like Mimi getting sick, Claudia turning to art to cope, and the sisters struggling to communicate.

Mary Anne - it's hard to vote for anything besides Logan Likes Mary Anne. She's the first member to get a boyfriend and he's the first guy to join the main cast. It also introduces associate members as a concept and the Rodowskys make their debut.

Stacey - Stacey's Mistake. It's set in NYC and shows her conflicted between her two lives, a theme which would come up over and over again with Laine, the Bad Girls, and with boys in general.

Dawn - Ghost at Dawn's House is soooo good. Classic early BSC. The haunted passage and spooky ghost story wouldn't have worked for anybody else. It's Dawn in her element.

Mallory - Mallory Hates Boys and Gym. I've read this one so many times and I love when she pushes back against a teacher because it's unexpected. It reminds me of the time when I got in trouble in class and I had the choice of standing for 10 days or doing 10 pushups. I stood for 9 days and did one push up on the last day. It feels good to not let an unfair teacher beat you down.

Jessi - Dance School Phantom for sure. Mystery and ballet make this book feel unlike other Jessi books and I like that the main plot is not school related. It's like if Phantom of the Opera was set at the ballet instead.

Abby - Welcome to the BSC Abby is the perfect introduction. She's so different from everyone else and feels like a breath of fresh air for the series. When I think of Abby, I picture her in the red velvet dress from this cover. Her asthma attack and the train derailment are such big events too.

[fairy3lf2]

This is a great thread and I love the comments in it. I don't have any answers now but I'm glad somebody else agrees about Maggie coming across like a Mary Sue.