Kathryn's Inbox

We had to wait until episode nine for Jessi to get top billing, but it's worth the wait considering that Nicole Leach proves herself to be one of the more talented actors on the series. She was also one of the more experienced actors on the show, having previously appeared on several episodes of The Cosby Show and was a regular on a television series titled Shining Time Station. Much like Meghan Andrews who played Mallory, Nicole Leach is still a working actor.  Within the Babysitters Club universe Jessi stories often featured a variety of social justice issues--the first novel to be narrated by Jessi had her learning sign language so that she could communicate with a character from the series who was deaf. In later books she would help a kid with a life threatening illness, apologise to a teacher who was being bullied and help a friend who was suffering from Anorexia Nervosa. Jessi was always portrayed as being fairly mature for her age, though it was obvious from her...

For some reason, I remember this episode of the BSC a lot more clearly than some of the others, even though I'm pretty sure that I only viewed it the once, when it aired in Australia on Channel 2 (now better known as ABC1.) I think I just enjoyed Claudia and Janine's bickering. Now here's a random fact about Claudia: she's the only member of the BSC to be the youngest child. All of the others are the oldest child (Dawn, Mallory, Jessi,) the only child (Stacey and Mary Anne,) or they are the middle child (Kristy.) I think for that reason, I always felt a tiny bit of solidarity with Claudia.  Claudia and the Secret Passage opens with the girls from the BSC, along with Mal and Jessi's little sisters Vanessa and Becca, working hard on a storyboard titled "Stoneybrook through the years" which is to be displayed at the local library. To keep the board safe before they can present it to the library, Dawn decides to keep it in the secret passage that leads...

I suspect that I've never seen this particular episode of the BSC TV series before, as I could not remember a thing about it, whereas with some of the others, I could remember a thing or two, whether it be a pie in the face of a mean girl, or a slogan that was yelled out several times during the episode (count on Court.) Or maybe this episode is just less memorable for me, because it moves away from the core themes of the series, babysitting and responsibility, and moves a little closer to romance, a theme that was often included but was never a core part of the BSC books.  Anyway, in this episode, Dawn becomes a bit infatuated with Jamie Anderson, a boy from their grade who plays on the school soccer team. Only trouble is, she has never even spoken to him. Never mind. It turns out that he and Mary Anne have English together.  In a further stroke of luck, Mary Anne has been tasked with collecting Jackie Rodowski from soccer lessons which are being taught by none o...

Stacey's diabetes may have been overlooked in Stacey's Big Break, but in this episode, it takes a starring role when Stacey decides to go off her diet. Meanwhile, Kirsty is busy earning money to help pay for her Christmas gift, despite the fact that her mother is married to a millionaire. (Seems suspiciously like slave labour to me.) The other baby-sitters are busy working on a Christmas party that is to be held in the children's wing of the local hospital for all the sick kids. Inevitably, the episode ends with Stacey in hospital, and with Kristy giving her new and expensive baseball glove to a boy in the hospital who is so poor that his parents couldn't afford to give him any presents this year. This episode was schmultzy, overlong and rather annoying but I guess that is what happens when you watch Christmas specials at the end of January ...  Note: This is the first episode of the series that I cannot remember watching at all when I was a kid. I'm won...

The second episode of the BSC TV series may have Dawn's name in the title, but it focuses almost as much on Claudia. As the episode opens, a few members of the BSC are out and about on their bicycles, putting up flyers to advertise their business. After one flyer is nailed to a post, Dawn points out Mrs Slade's house to the others. Dawn believes that she is a witch, but the other girls aren't convinced ... or are they. Later they return to BSC headquarters where they meet up with Claudia, whose behaviour is a little well, odd. What the other girls don't know (or what Claudia won't tell them,) is that she's having trouble with her schoolwork and her parents are going to make her quit the BSC unless her grades pick up. Meanwhile, the BSC gains some new clients who, as it turns out just happen to live next door to Mrs Slade. The new sitting charges are quick to tell Dawn and Stacey some scary stories about Mrs Slade. That, and a strange encounter at a hardw...