# 100 Kristy's Worst Idea

[fluffycakes]

^ I did that, too!

It seems like I'm in the minority here, but I actually liked this book. I liked how it was more realistic(ish) than the other later books. It was kinda cool to see for once the members not being 100% freakishly dedicated to the club - appointments during meeting times, wanting to switch meeting days around to make a better schedule for themselves, that sort of thing. I admit Kristy was really unreasonable about Jessi and Mal missing meetings, and Abby made a good point - the parents don't care if someone misses a meeting. But I'm getting a bit off track here.

I also really like the girls' reactions to the break-up, especially Kristy's. I thought it was pretty realistic how she was torn up about it: mostly sad, but a little bit relieved at the same time. I also think her constantly changing her mind about the decision was interesting and pretty plausible as well.

All in all, not a bad book considering it was the 100th in the series. I love any book with BSC drama, and this one is full of it. I love that scene where she disbands the club, and love how Claudia's first reaction is to change to outgoing message on her answering machine.

[aln1982]

^ I also think Kristy's reaction was realistic and did like that the girls had other lives. The thing, I think, that I didn't like about this book were the changes that almost happened. Anything about the BSC ending makes me sad ;D

[alula]

I think I would have liked it better if Kristy had had a little more realization about the way she leads. Everyone talks about her being such a great leader, and she does have some great traits--besides her "great ideas" she's confident, creative, organized and charismatic. But she also can be insensitive, tyrannical for no real purpose, and unwilling to get input from the other girls (especially outside their own "specialties"). It just seems like this would have been a good opportunity for her to think about what it means to be the leader as opposed to the boss. I think in Kristy in Charge, it really shows some of the weaknesses in her leadership style, and it would have been nice to addess that and not just be "Oh, Kristy" and fear the look.

[fluffycakes]

They sort of reference that at the end. When they get together to talk about starting up the club again, Kristy starts barking at them but then realizes she's doing it. Logan and Abby laugh at her and joke about her being "Kristy II" and new and improved, or something like that. But after this book, it seems to go out the window. I agree, it would have been interesting if Kristy realized what she was doing wrong and worked on it after this book. Alula, you made me want to read Kristy in Charge now. Sounds pretty interesting.

[starrynight]

I liked this book overall, and it was neat to see how the members' lives changed without the BSC as a driving force. I agree that Kristy was really unreasonable about Mallory wanting to miss/switch meetings for her writing group. That was a great opportunity for her, and it made me mad that she felt like she had to offer to give it up because she felt that Kristy would want that for the sake of the club. I wouldn't have been so meek about it.

[sarish]

I actually just read this book and I disliked it over every other Baby-Sitter's Club book I have read. I thought most of the characters were not in 'character', but for their hobbies and Mary Anne crying a lot. I did not like the plot but I am glad that the club got back together in the end.

[janey83]

Poor Jackie got hurt twice in this book!

Kristy felt so high and mighty listening to some of the other SMS girls talking about babysitting -- I don't remember who was talking, but Kristy made the girl feel like crap just because she wasn't as experienced -- and it was interesting to think about how other kids weren't getting babysitting jobs because Kristy held some sort of monopoly in Stoneybrook.

Still can't imagine Cokie willingly taking a job. Unless her mom forced her into it.

Anyone look at the letter from Ann at the back of the book? How she looked forward to book #200 in 2005? Oh, Ann....

[greer]

poor ann

i can see cokie wanting the cash.

[aln1982]

janey83 said:

Poor Jackie got hurt twice in this book!

Kristy felt so high and mighty listening to some of the other SMS girls talking about babysitting -- I don't remember who was talking, but Kristy made the girl feel like crap just because she wasn't as experienced -- and it was interesting to think about how other kids weren't getting babysitting jobs because Kristy held some sort of monopoly in Stoneybrook.

Still can't imagine Cokie willingly taking a job. Unless her mom forced her into it.

Anyone look at the letter from Ann at the back of the book? How she looked forward to book #200 in 2005? Oh, Ann....

What girls did Kristy criticize? If it was the ones in Truth About Stacey, I think she was right in that. There is a big difference (in my opinion) between what happened with Kristy in this book and girls bringing their boyfriends and cigarettes into clients' houses and sending 4 year olds out in the cold with no hat, gloves, etc.

I can see Cokie wanting the money, too, and wish there would have been 200 BSC books. ;D

[janey83]

^It was Erica Blumberg talking to a friend -- she was sitting for Lucy Newton, and couldn't figure out what to do when she cried, and finally realized her diaper needed to be changed. Kristy says something about how to check the diaper, but it comes out kind of snooty -- and she doesn't realize that other girls don't have the experience she does.

Oh, and Claudia was telling some of the parents to look up Mary Anne's number in the phone book -- first of all, wouldn't she have Mary Anne's number memorized? And I know Claudia is bad at spelling, but I thought it was silly that she mis-spelled Spier.

[aln1982]

^ Okay. If Erica didn't know to check a diaper, though, that indicates to me (maybe just to me and I'm sure it did come out snooty in some people's perspective ;D) that she doesn't necessarily have the experience or knowledge of a good baby-sitter.
Maybe Claud was just trying to be a jerk about not giving out the phone number. I've done this before when people call asking for my grandpa (he has the same name as my dad) ;D

[nothingtolose18]

^ Just finished reading this one for the first time, and I'm pretty sure Claudia wasn't trying to be a jerk. She was upset because she couldn't do her homework because people kept interrupting her with calls (and of course, she was having trouble in general) and she misspelt MA's name. When Kristy told her that it was actually Spier, she was like, 'Speer, Spier, it's all the same' or something along those lines.

I actually really liked this book. It seemed that it was written kind of sarcastically, or in a snarky manner, with all the amusing things that were written.

One thing that kind of seemed odd though - why all of a sudden? I believe it was aln who said that it seemed kind of forced? Well, I thought that the 'breaking out from the BSC' seemed kind of forced. I mean, all of a sudden, everyone's got commitments that are within meeting times? I can understand Jessi's dance class being changed, and Mal's creative writing thing, but what about Stacey getting tickets for a Broadway play, or whomever it was (think it was Stacey again) who had a doctor appointment for a meeting time? Why hadn't these things come up before (I don't think they have - correct me if I'm wrong). Also, it doesn't seem like a big deal to excuse Mallory from just six meetings, or even Jessi from every Friday's. As Abby (I think) said, it was easy to schedule appointments for members who weren't present.

Is it pathetic that I, at 19 years old and knowing that the BSC obviously didn't break up (or at least, in this book), teared up when reading the part where they officially broke up the club? LOL. I couldn't help it!

Overall, I really liked this book. It seemed as though it had a different type of writing, for some reason. More sarcastic comments and lines that made me laugh (and where the new line under my picture comes from ;D)

Sorry for the long post, I could probably think of more to write, too, but I'll leave it for now ;D

EDIT: Wanted to agree with you, aln, on the fact that Erica should have known to check Lucy's diaper. I mean, I haven't babysat any babies (youngest I've sat for would probably be a three year old) but I would know to check and see if the baby needed to be changed.

[aln1982]

^ It almost scares me that Erica didn't know....
I teared up, too, with the break up of the club. The feelings of tension and finality were what I didn't like at all about this one.

[nothingtolose18]

^ I know! One thing I forgot to mention was how Stacey only seemed to want to get the club back together for the money, and that made me sad I can understand that the money would be a big deal to them, but still... I liked the idea that they just loved kids in general.. though I'm sure Stacey didn't mean to sound like that, from her talk with Jamie (also thinking back to a wayyyy earlier book, when Stacey told Charlotte that she would sit for her even if her parents had no money to pay her). And Kristy was acting bitchy, but I still felt ... I dunno.. sort of bad for her. Haha, it's hard for me to feel anything but like for the BSC - they feel like old friends, and just like I wouldn't say stuff about my friends, I feel I shouldn't say mean things about the BSC! (though I do like reading snark, and even tried my own hand at writing it. But just the gentler snark - not where Dawn is a horrible b*tch and Kristy is definitely lesbian and Stacey is ... umm.. very promiscuous. I don't like those).

[Rie]

Jackie's letter here was very touching.