Stoneybrook Reunion: The Baby-Sitters Club Book Club

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.

We'll be back next week!

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.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 reivew 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.

Calling all Gen-Xers and Millenials! Did you have a rainbow dolphin binder for your math homework? Perhaps a painterly panda? Did you prefer Hunter the cheetah or Forrest the tiger as your big cat of choice? Was your sticker collection game TOTALLY ON POINT? Ours too! We watched Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story, and were instantly transported to our early days of school-supply shopping. Join us as we work through the docuseries (and debate Sanrio characters), during our brief break between seasons.

We'll be back in a couple of weeks! Until then, tune in to our special Emergency Meeting, releasing on Thursday!

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. 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.

A string of mishaps at home, school, and on the job have the babysitters wondering whether Mary Anne should have responded to an ominous chain letter …better wear the follow-on so-called bad-luck charm just in case. This book has everything: surprise mail, an emergency library quest, DIY costumes, a cemetery, and the first appearance of the series villain. Meet us at midnight at Old Man Hickory's headstone, under the light of a full moon, as we hold flashlights under our chins and chat about childhood talismans, enduring just-in-case rituals, and Mary Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery. Halloween/Comfort Rereads What's A Ghost Going to Do? by Jane Thayer Georgie book series by Robert Bright Little Women, Chapter 40: The Valley of the Shadow,* by Louisa May Alcott *from Mary Anne, NOT us Very superstitious? Tell us which common or not-so-common ones we left out at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com (but no chain letter emails, please!).  Check out what an evil powermaster looks like on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

Though Jessi has only recently arrived in Stoneybrook and joined the BSC, she steps up to take the lead role in an upcoming ballet performance and take on a twice-a-week sitting gig for the Braddocks, another new family in the neighborhood. Matt Braddock is deaf and uses sign language to communicate, and Jessi sees that he and his sister Haley are having a tough time settling in. Jessi is just the right sitter for the job, with her empathy, facility with languages and expression through movement, and close (telepathic?) connection with a best friend who happens to have seven siblings keen to learn Jessi's Secret Language. In this episode, we're lucky to have storyteller Kambri Crews, a CODA fluent in American Sign Language, join us to discuss Book 16. You can find out about Kambri's memoir here. Collection of mentions: NYT article from 2021 about name signs in deaf culture A colloquial sign in ASL for bullsh*t Merill Ashley, inspiration for Lyssa's pointe shoes Cat book reading list from Becca's bookshelf: The Christmas Day Kitten by James Herriot, illustrated by Ruth Brown Pinky Pye by Eleanor Estes, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág  Follow along on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion. Get in touch at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.

The pageant circuit has come to Stoneybrook, and the two youngest Pike girls are HERE FOR IT–Margo can't wait to show off her toothy alligator swimsuit and her unconventional banana-peeling method. Mrs. Pike rings the BSC to recruit the collected and capable Dawn as their coach (don't even think about asking Mallory to help out her sibs on this one), and the special gig inspires a spirit of competition among the senior sitters. Strap on your tap shoes, grab your lolliprop, and peek from behind the curtain to check out how the pageant heads and newcomers fare in Little Miss Stoneybrook…and Dawn.  Planning to copy Claire's moves for an upcoming talent show? Start here, maybe, to learn more about the hornpipe. Submit your votes for Old Bad John as an inductee to the pirate hall of fame at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com. Find us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

After Stacey moves back to New York, a vacancy in the club creates an opportunity for the eldest Pike child to graduate from charge to sitter–but opinions differ on whether Mallory is ready for the responsibility. Bolstered by a budding best friendship, Mallory and the latest new girl in town, Jessi Ramsey, decide to strike out on their own and threaten the BSC's monopoly. Join us at the moping tree to hatch plans, talk horse books, and greet/meet the ambitious sixth grade sitters in Hello, Mallory. Animal-themed reading list Lizard Music by Daniel Pinkwater Dr. Doolittle by Hugh Lofting The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford Impossible Charlie by Barbara Morgenroth A Morgan for Melinda by Doris Gates The Chronicles of Narnia books, specifically The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis Homework assignment: Draw the divestive digestive system from memory.  Did your parents (like the Pikes) order literal name-brand clothing from Lillian Vernon? Share your stories or alternative sources at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.  See snaps of some of our special trees on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

Just as Stacey has hit her stride in Stoneybrook, she hears that her family will soon return to the big city…and she'll have to leave her new BFF Claudia, the club, and all of the suburban clutter from the McGill home behind. How will the BSC manage without one of its founding members, and how will they give Stacey a proper send-off? Head on over with your spare wares, pull up a folding chair, and kvetch with us about punctuation, grammar, and cumbersome fabric going-away gifts as we discuss Goodbye Stacey, Goodbye.  Books to Remember Stacey by (sorry, Lyssa…) Iggy's House A Cricket in Times Square Possible Inspirations for Math Teachers and Plays Dr. Zizmor (remember Zizmorcore?) Thoroughly Modern Millie, the 1967 movie  Mad About Millie comics Are signed t-shirts still a thing? Outfit fan art to share? Get in touch at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com, or on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

Another new girl has moved to Stoneybrook…and this one doesn't bother to secure her boho braid with an elastic or give a flip about babysitting. Ashley Wyeth's life revolves around her ART, and she soon pulls Claudia into that orbit. Unsurprisingly, the BSC won't give up their VP without a fight and a flurry of passive-aggressive notes. Meet us at the gallery opening in your vintage flared denim and huddle around a half-completed sculpture as we whisper about Claudia and the New Girl. Newbery Award Winner Selected Reading List From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler The Westing Game A Wrinkle in Time The Twenty-One Balloons Which BSC parents do you think were at Woodstock? Let us know at  stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com, or on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

Welcome back to Season 2! Louie, I've a feeling we're not on Bradford Court anymore! After Kristy's mom marries Watson, our fearless leader finds herself across town in a land of tennis courts, front hall fountains, pedigreed pets…and snobs. Kristy can't seem to catch a break as the new kid on the block–the family dog is not doing well, and a rankled resident sitter is defending her turf by waging a prank war. But Kristy has the support of the BSC, and they win over the nouveau riche new clients with mind tricks and a good game of Snail. Curl up with your fur (or feather, or scale) baby and hear how our hero (fatal flaws and all) navigates tragedy and settles into her new neighborhood in Kristy and the Snobs. RIP Louie Thomas (d. 1988), Richard Simmons (d. 2024), and the Neptune Diner (d. 2024) Reading List Where the Red Fern Grows The Best Cat Ever The Tenth Good Thing about Barney Tell us which blonde villains we forgot at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com, and follow us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

Hey BSC fans! We just wanted to drop in to say we miss you and we will be back in a couple of weeks. Get your ears ready for our discussions of: -Kristy and the Snobs -Claudia and the New Girl -Goodbye Stacey, Goodbye -Hello, Mallory -Little Miss Stoneybrook... and Dawn -Jessi's Secret Language -Mary Anne's Bad Luck Mystery -Stacey's Mistake -Claudia and the Bad Joke -Kristy and the Walking Disaster -Super Special #2: Baby-sitters' Summer Vacation

Thanks to the largesse of Mr. Pike's employer and kindly Stoneybrook gajillionaire Watson, the Pikes, Brewers, Thomases, and entire BSC fly to Florida for a twenty-two-person, three-site vacation outside of time. In this super special Super Special episode, our friend/fave film critic/Disney scholar and Disney-goer Tim joins us aboard the Ocean Princess and in Magic Kingdom queues as we immerse ourselves in the MMORPG that is Baby-sitters on Board!, a book with “the structure of As I Lay Dying, with as many characters as Robert Altman's Nashville.” Multi-narrator and NPC-inspired summer reading list: Harriet the Spy The Mayor of Casterbridge Wuthering Heights Baby Island Treasure Island The Princess and the Goblin Find Tim at alternateending.com and on Letterboxd. Follow along on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.  Did the babysitters do Disney World wrong? Share the optimal three-day park plan with us at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.

It's the start of the eighth grade, and Mary Anne is the last of the sitters to turn 13…but the first to have a boyfriend! (How fast she forgets her Sea City special someone when another boy baby-sitter enters the scene!) To commemorate this major series moment, we welcome our first guest (and a newcomer to the BSC books) to share a guy's POV on middle school milestones. Retreat to the bleachers during the school dance with us as we consider conversation-starting locker decor, build a party playlist, and chat about Logan Likes Mary Anne! Reading List: Tik Tok of Oz by L. Frank Baum The Day the Toys Came to Silver Dollar City by John Barrett How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss Beginning books by McGraw Hill '80s After School Drug Movie Watch List: Ben Affleck gets hooked on steroids in A Body To Die For Helen Hunt gets hooked on "crank" and jumps out a window in Desperate Lives Follow along on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion. Was your math folder also red? Any mortifying moments to report? Email us at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com

Step aside, narrator Dawn, because the Schafer home is a-creaking and a-groaning and giving spooky main character energy in The Ghost at Dawn's House. Grab your flashlight and creep through Connecticut boiler rooms and barns with us as we whisper about the rite of [secret] passage[s] and the horrors of certain so-called “salads.” Extra credit reading list: Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh Don't Touch My Room by Patricia Lakin Goosebumps/Fear Street series by R.L. Stine Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alan Schwartz Viewer discretion probably advised for: Ghostbusters Sixteen Candles National Lampoon's European Vacation  Labyrinth Neverending Story Revenge of the Nerds Police Academy History project topics: Elizabeth Taylor's diet (do not try this at home) Winchester Mystery House  Sixteen Magazine Follow along on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion. Argue with us about vintage confectionery at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.

Two carsful of Pikes are headed to the Jersey shore, and two babysitters are along for the ride as "mother's helpers." Stacey can't help falling in LUV with a lifeguard and leaves all of the labor to Mary Anne, who is red with anger, or sunburn, or both. Link arms and stroll the boardwalk with us as we question Boy-Crazy Stacey's supposed sophistication and gift selections and describe our own travel memories and mementos. One of us may still be fired up about the straw doll that got away... Board game to pack in your suitcase: Dream Phone Summer movie night selections (Keanu double feature!): Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) (no Noskote or Zinka in this scene, but Napoleon sure is enjoying Waterloo!) Parenthood (1989) Slightly disturbing bedtime story: Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood Parents' choice for a rainy day vacation activity: https://plimoth.org/ Background on name change: https://plimoth.org/news-press/commemorating-400-years-reflecting-on-our-mission  Follow along on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion. 

School's out for Claudia, but her sister won't give her a break–any conversation with Janine the Genius involves a lesson. A family member's serious health emergency forces the sisters to examine their sibling strife and confront their lifelong communication issues in Claudia and Mean Janine. *** Information on the forced relocation and incarceration of Japanese Americans in the U.S. during WWII, from the National Archives *** Additional show notes, listed in order of discussion: An external source for babysitter birthdays The Four Tendencies Framework, from author and podcaster Gretchen Rubin Harry the Dirty Dog, read by Betty White, written by Gene Zion Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr The Claudia Kishi Club documentary (2020) Follow along on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.  Share feedback and get in touch at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.

Grab your pet manatee, hop in your Flintstones Foot Car, and don't forget to kiss your husband Devon Sawa on your way to the WNBA– we're predicting futures, middle-school-fantasy-style. This Emergency Meeting was called for one reason and one reason only: a good old-fashioned game of MASH. Who were your celebrity spousal picks? Did you end up driving a limo AND living in a shack? How many of your infinity children have been born? Are any of you ACTUALLY marine biologists? We'd love to know! DM us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion or shoot us an email at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com

Wedding bells are ringing for Elizabeth and Watson, but Kristy isn't about to let her bridesmaid duties distract her from a prime business opportunity. Pile into the Pink Clinker and crank that dial to hear us reminisce about friendly neighborhood extraterrestrials and cartoon crushes, and assess the BSC's tactics for minding one million children ahead of Kristy's Big Day. Extra credit reading and viewing list: LuLaRoe documentary Lisa Frank documentary Inside the Rainbow Gulag: The Technicolor Rise and Fall of Lisa Frank Robin Hood (1973) Anastasia (1997) Mary Poppins (1964) Out of This World (1987-1991) Craft project:  Dye a pair of shoes to match your very finest 'fit, or draw your own strange family tree! Follow along on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.  Share stories about your grandma's car and commentary on our apparent time travel to last year at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.

The newest member of the BSC is doing her best turn as sitter for the Barrett family, but they need way more than a spoonful of sugar…and that's too much for a 13-year-old to manage. Step away from the chaos, slather on an egg rinse, and tune into our chat about Dawn and the Impossible Three. Group project assignment:  Plan and host a “Let's All Come In” theme party: pretend to be the staff and guests at “a big, fancy, old-fashioned hotel.” Follow along on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.  Share your Sunny Winslow fanfic, weigh in on which generation(s) were the most latchkey (don't @ us, Gen Xers), and opine on whether or not Elvis has left the building at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.

While the sitters squabble, Mary Anne redecorates her babyish bedroom, befriends a new girl in town (and recruits the fifth BSC member), and generally handles sh*t like a bad*ss. Let's Get Together to recall our own friend fights and talk about how the club secretary shines in Mary Anne Saves the Day.  Extra credit reading and viewing list:  A Wrinkle in Time Blueberries for Sal Pippi Longstocking The Parent Trap (1961 version) Homework assignment: Research prices in late '80s CT. Were the BSC paid reasonably? Follow along on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion. Get in touch at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.

There's a new babysitting business in town...how will the BSC compete against older girls with later curfews? And that's not all that's troubling one of the sitters. Climb into the backseat of a NY-bound station wagon, crack open a Tab, and learn The Truth About Stacey. Extra credit reading list: Where the Wild Things Are he Cricket in Times Square  anything by Judy Blume Vol. 22 of the 1966 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica Americana (Photography to Pumpkin, not Pumps to Russellville--Carol was one off.)  Homework assignment: Visit a mall and note which of your favorite 90s fragrances remain at Bath & Body Works and Victoria's Secret (any at all!?). Craft project: assemble and decorate your very own Kid Kit, or at least think about what you'd include in one.  Follow along on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion. Get in touch at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com

What is scarier: running a baby-sitting business while a burglar is on the loose, or asking someone to the school dance? Sit with us at the seventh-grade lunch table as we revisit Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (and the Slime Kings).  Extra credit reading list:  The Phantom Tollbooth  The Phantom of Pine Hill The Witch Next Door The Witch of Blackbird Pond Follow along on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion. Get in touch at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.

Our inaugural episode! Get to know us and what The Baby-Sitters Club series meant to us as children, then join us as we delve into the book that started it all–Kristy's Great Idea. Follow along on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion. We want to hear from you! Email us at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com. Show Notes Re-acquaint yourself with the babysitters at the BSC Wiki: https://babysittersclub.fandom.com/wiki/The_Baby-Sitters_Club_Wiki