Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club, #2)

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Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club #2)

3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 · rating details · 3,308 ratings · 91 reviews

Claudia decides to investigate when she and the other members of the Baby-sitters Club receive mysterious phone calls while out on assignments.

Paperback, 153 pages

Published October 28th 1986 by Scholastic (first published August 15th 1986)

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Jul 13, 2011 Rhiannon rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, ya-realistic-times, completed-series

"Well, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm not up to trigonomulus, or whatever it is she does. We can't all be scholars." - Claudia, expressing frustration with both math and her sister, who is an Android being, probably from the future, and possibly "related" to Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation

Was Claudia described as having almond-shaped eyes:
Thankfully, she did not describe her own eyes this way.

Was Mimi's accent described as rolling:
Yes! Like a "ship at sea."

How many times was the word inc...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Swankivy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first book about Claudia, our Japanese-American fashion diva. Lots of people who discuss these books kinda fun-lovingly make fun of the outfits she wears--which, even in the 80s and 90s, sounded kinda ridiculous, but at least they were individualistic in a way that was NOT an Establishment Way Of Being Unique. But for some reason, the thing that always stuck in my head was that Claudia hid junk food all over her room! ALL OVER HER ROOM! I did that a few times after being inspired by...more This is the first book about Claudia, our Japanese-American fashion diva. Lots of people who discuss these books kinda fun-lovingly make fun of the outfits she wears--which, even in the 80s and 90s, sounded kinda ridiculous, but at least they were individualistic in a way that was NOT an Establishment Way Of Being Unique. But for some reason, the thing that always stuck in my head was that Claudia hid junk food all over her room! ALL OVER HER ROOM! I did that a few times after being inspired by this book (and others) to do so, but I never forgot where I hid my candy. I also ended up having a "candy drawer" in my desk in college because I liked the idea of random candy but didn't really want to have to search for it. Claudia was frequently described as being able to eat anything she wanted without getting acne, though, and I didn't understand that. It's a common misconception that zits are caused by junk food. Even as a kid I knew it wasn't true.

In this book, one of the things Claudia deals with is her depressing relationship with her older sister Janine, who is a genius while Claudia does so poorly in school (despite her sort-of efforts) that it's sometimes suggested she's got an undiagnosed learning disability. I liked that Claudia was Asian and not automatically pigeonholed as "the smart one," but it kind of sucked that their family had to be the one that DID have a "smart one" in the family. Janine was also not written realistically if Martin was trying to make her sound like a genius. She sounded a lot more like people I talk to online who are trying to sound "intellectual" and are consciously throwing out their SAT words in awkward ways.

The other main things Claudia and her friends are dealing with are anxiety over whether boys are going to ask them to a Halloween dance and fear over being targeted by the Phantom--a burglar who calls houses before burgling them. They're worried that they will be attacked while babysitting. And while that's scary, it seems kind of ridiculous that they don't bring these concerns up to the children's PARENTS because they don't want to lose babysitting opportunities. Ugh. I also thought it was ridiculous that boys who liked the main characters would try to call them while they were at other people's houses--that's a really contrived way of making everything okay at the end.(less)

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Sep 07, 2011 Tracy Poff rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grade, other-stuff-exists, location-fiction

Claudia, Stacey, Kristy, and Mary Anne formed the Baby-sitters Club a few weeks ago, and since then, things have been going well: they've had plenty of business, and no big trouble with the kids they're baby-sitting. Lately, though, there's been news of a thief, dubbed the Phantom Caller, who calls people, hangs up, and then later steals their jewelry. And he seems to be moving closer to Stoneybrook, where the girls live.

On top of all this, the boy Claudia likes, Trevor Sandbourne, doesn't seem...more Claudia, Stacey, Kristy, and Mary Anne formed the Baby-sitters Club a few weeks ago, and since then, things have been going well: they've had plenty of business, and no big trouble with the kids they're baby-sitting. Lately, though, there's been news of a thief, dubbed the Phantom Caller, who calls people, hangs up, and then later steals their jewelry. And he seems to be moving closer to Stoneybrook, where the girls live.

On top of all this, the boy Claudia likes, Trevor Sandbourne, doesn't seem to know she exists, and the school dance, the Halloween Hop, is coming up. Claudia's sister, Janine, is as unbearable as usual, and although Claudia tries to work on their relationship, like her grandmother suggested, there's just not enough time!

Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls is a middle-grade novel, the second in the Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin. It's told from Claudia's point of view.

The change from Kristy's point of view in Kristy's Great Idea to Claudia's in this book is good. Despite Claudia repeating a lot of events that happened in the previous book, it's still interesting, since we get to heat her perspective on the events and on her friends. It might get a little old if there's that much repetition in future books, but it's not too bad, this time.

The story is great. There are several plotlines going at once. Primarily, the girls are trying to be brave and babysit while they're worried about the Phantom Caller, and this just intensifies when they start getting mysterious phone calls, with the caller hanging up without speaking. This plotline is great, and there's some real suspense when they're babysitting and they hear strange noises and receive phone calls like those from the Phantom Caller. You know that they're bound to be all right in the end, but could there be a thief, waiting to break into the homes, while they're babysitting?

The second plotline, with Claudia hoping that Trevor will ask her to the dance, gives us plenty of opportunity to see how all the girls feel about the subject of boys, and is a good secondary plot for the novel.

Finally, Claudia's desire to improve her relationship with her sister, though showing up rarely throughout the book, provides a good reminder that these characters have more going on in their lives than just the main events of the book, and gives a sense that they're real people with real relationships, rather than just characters in a story, serving only the purpose of furthering the plot.

Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls is another great middle-grade novel, and a good followup to Kristy's Great Idea. It's definitely worth reading, and, like the previous book in the series, will be available as an ebook for the Kindle starting October 1, 2011.

This review also appears on my blog.(less)

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Jan 06, 2010 Ciara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-books, read-in-2010

another classic of my childhood. i remember this one came out around halloween--veyer thematic, as the entire premise is that claudia has a crush on the school poet, travor sandbourne, & hopes that he'll ask her to the halloween hop. in the meantime, a local robber called the phantom caller has been calling the homes of rich people & then breaking in & stealing jewelry when no one answers. the babysitters are concerned that someone may rob the houses where they are babysitting, or th...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Laura Hughes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: babysitters-club

The baby-sitters choose to fear a jewel thief.

The babysitters are spooked by a news story about a jewel thief who calls homes and then hangs up without saying anything to make sure no one is there before he comes to rob them, especially after Claudia and Kristy receive “phantom phone calls” at their babysitting jobs. Various creepy sitting jobs follow, most of which are made more creepy by the girls’ expectations of disaster. Kristy is creeped out by the Brewers’ next-door neighboor, whom Karen...more The baby-sitters choose to fear a jewel thief.

The babysitters are spooked by a news story about a jewel thief who calls homes and then hangs up without saying anything to make sure no one is there before he comes to rob them, especially after Claudia and Kristy receive “phantom phone calls” at their babysitting jobs. Various creepy sitting jobs follow, most of which are made more creepy by the girls’ expectations of disaster. Kristy is creeped out by the Brewers’ next-door neighboor, whom Karen is convinced is a witch. Stacey is freaked by weird noises from the Johanssen basement during a power failure (it’s just the dog). Mary Anne, with a plucky resourcefulness belied by her timidity, masterminds several homebrew burglar alarms at the Thomas house (which are, of course, all set off accidentally). Finally, while tag-team babysitting Jamie Newton and his cousins, Claudia and Kristy see prowlers and call the police, only to discover that their “phantom” stalkers all along were boys who were too shy to ask them out.

A jewel thief story sets an early precedent for mysteries and seems a slightly odd choice for a second book in a baby-sitting girls series. But it’s a logical enough choice to follow a September school-starting story with October and a Halloween story. Claudia, the vice president (the initial stories are told in rank order, it seems), is a Nancy Drew fiend, so she seems like the right sitter to get a mystery story. Finally, the general moral is about safety on the job, not a bad lesson for baby-sitters. I’m pleased that the story has a mundane conclusion and that they don’t really capture the jewel thief, the way they would if this were in the Baby-sitters Club Mystery spinoff series.

Highlights: The girls come up with a secret code to tell each other on the phone if they think they might be in danger on the job, but they don’t want to give away their concerns to the children (or to an intruder who might be listening in). Kristy makes the girls rehearse the code, which they never can get right.

Lingering Questions: It’s explained how the boys knew where the girls would be baby-sitting, but why call them there instead of at home? Are the girls just always baby-sitting continuously until it’s too late to politely call their homes?

What would Claudia wear? There are times when it's revealed you've gone a whole scene not realizing that the character you are supposed to identify with is dressed like Rita from MR. F storyline on Arrested Development, and in this book, that is the point where she describes her purple short pants with suspenders, clock tights, lobster earrings, and "plaid shirt with a matching hat." Is there any way this DOESN'T come off like insane, purple, clock/lobster leiderhosen?

Signs of the Times: Stacey’s VCR is broken, so the girls read the newspaper for fun. And Charlotte can't watch MTV because she doesn't get cable. I had the misfortune of rereading this in the 2010 reprint, where both of these references are updated, Stacey saying that the "player" is broken (so they still... um... read the paper. Not look at Google News?) and Charlotte explaining that she can't watch MTV (it's still MTV) because "Mommy and Daddy block channels they don't want me to watch," which explanation makes Charlotte look out-of-character babyish and the Johansens look out-of-character restrictive. Cable still exists, you guys, and wouldn't Stacey just want to watch U4Me on Youtube anyway?(less)

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Jan 16, 2013 Natalí rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bbc, kindle, oldie

Continuing my re-read of the BSC books in Kindle edition, it was fun to enter Claudia's mind, as most of the books I read back then where Maty Anne's and Kristy's. I specially liked he way Claudia, even as she is VERY different than her two friends for always, tries to find common ground with them so they don't drift apart. Though, the whole "truth" about THEIR Phantom Caller was a bit of a let down. I'm already in book 3 ;)

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Apr 19, 2011 Robin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: baby-sitters-club, fiction, young-adult, reread

Okay, despite the fact that Kristy shouted, "One false move and I'll punch your lights out!" at a room full of children in this book, and despite the fact that she agreed to go to the dance with the stalker in the bushes in front of the house where she was babysitting (yuck), I really enjoyed this reread. It's another solid effort from the patron saint of babysitters, Ann M. Martin. The later books don't contain gems of character descriptors like, "an old, whiskery face with snappish little eyes...more

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Apr 06, 2011 Dawn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh, the BSC. After getting back into the Baby-sitter's Club books with the new prequel, The Summer Before, and the first BSC book, Kristy's Great Idea, I thought, what the heck, I'll keep on going! So I read the second BSC installment, Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls. I still maintain that these are great books, especially for pre-teens. But they even hold up pretty well after you've gotten older and more cynical. My heart actually quickened a little when the phone rang and no one was there,...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Abbey Pace rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novel

Back in elementary school, I read every single book in The Babysitter's Club series. While reading this book again, years later, I was surprised by how much I still remember about this particular book. Claudia was always one of my favorites, so it was nice reading reading this book from her perspective. I have babysat many times throughout the years, and sometimes found myself to be scared because of certain noises or phone calls that I would receive. I was able to relate to their feelings compl...more

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Mar 18, 2007 Ainsley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

If you ever get a call from me asking about a blue ribbon, you'll know what to do. If you've read this book, that is.

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Mar 18, 2007 Janet rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childhood-favorites

i think sley put it best: this book has staying power. Have you seen my blue hair ribbon?

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Jun 30, 2012 Audra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nostalgia, babysitter-s-club

I have 50 of these that I plan to read, so be prepared for lots of reviews. A quick read for an adult caught up in nostalgia, but could probably be pretty quick for an upper elementary school / middle school student as well. The innocence of adolescence is captured pretty well, and the first-person narrative works. The "mystery" was not so mysterious for me; my husband guessed the caller as soon as I told him the premise of the book. But I remember loving all of these books when I was young, and...more

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Mar 16, 2013 April rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, reviewed

Fantastic books for young girls getting into reading!! Great stories about friendship and life lessons. The characters deal with all sorts of situations and often find responsible solutions to problems.

I loved this series growing up and wanted to start my own babysitting business with friends. Great lessons in entrepreneurship for tweens.

The books may be dated with out references to modern technology but the story stands and lessons are still relevant.

Awesome books that girls will love! And the...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com

Things are starting to go well for The Baby-Sitters Club. They're getting a fair amount of babysitting jobs and the business is paying off not only for them, but the adults who hire them, as well.

When the Phantom Caller, a jewel thief who calls and hangs up, then robs the house he just called, is reported in the area, the babysitters are uneasy. Their fear, however, grows worse when they start receiving hang-up calls on the job.

Is it the Phantom Caller or a...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Delicious Strawberry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ann-m-martin

Back when I was an avid reader of the BSC series, I was eager to read all of the books (at least the ones that were out at that time) and this book is one of the ones I remember most. People think that prank calling is no big deal, but it's not so much fun to be at the receiving end, especially when the call is meant to be scary rather than annoying. However, the BSC deal with it and the matter is resolved at the end.

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Jul 26, 2011 Katie Fitzgerald rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: realistic-fiction, middle-grade, series, old-school-sunday, reviewed-on-blog, published-1980s

All in all, this was a fun book to revisit. I read it on a sunny day at lunchtime with the sun streaming in through the window, but the creepy noises the girls heard and phone calls they received immersed me fully in the dark and stormy atmosphere of the book's late-season thunderstorms and the ongoing suspense surrounding the Phantom Caller. This would still be a great mystery to recommend to younger tweens today, and as with the first book, I was impressed by the quality of the writing as comp...more

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Jan 12, 2011 Amancay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s, teen-young-adult, 2003, mystery, asian, paperback, baby-sitters-club

even Alicia remembers this mystery...

---
Número dos, señoritas y señores... this is so much fun! I just plowed through this one (in a wider spread set of stints then the first book)as well and was quickly drawn into the mystery and the "drama".
For a young group of gals these girls are head smart with a lot of bright ideas for combating their own insecurities whilst maintaining a peaceful atmosphere for their charges!

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Mar 01, 2013 Kayla rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ohmigoodness I LUV the BSC there books are so realistic! This book is defiantly one of the best though. I mean the first time I read it I totally felt all the emotions. I nearly dropped the book at some points. I luv books like that!! Now I have read it about 4-6 times one just being the other day and for me it never gets old. BSC 4 EVER!!!!!! :-)

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Jun 13, 2011 Kellee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-as-a-kid, middle-grade, juvenile-and-kid-lit, realistic-fiction, baby-sitters-club

Reread for #BSC #bookaday 6/13/2011

All of the girls in the baby-sitters club are readers! Within this book, there are shout-outs to Nancy Drew, Ramona Quimby and The Secret Garden! And in the first book it mentioned Peter Rabbit and Where the Wild Things are. Stuff like this makes me so happy.

I also liked how the book deals with a struggling student. Claudia has a high IQ, but struggles in school. Another way that Ann M. Martin makes sure that every reader will see a reflection of themselves in...more

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Jul 14, 2011 Shannon rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1994

This is where the idea for Scream came from, I'm sure of it. This was about as scary as my scary story reading got. I was always so frustrated that Claudia liked so much junk food and that she couldn't spell well. Children weren't as well-tuned to be understanding of folks with dyslexia in that era, I suppose... :)

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Jul 17, 2011 Alisse rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought this book was one of the best books yet. My favorite part was when ever Claudia and Kristy gats these phone calls that when ever they pick it up nobody is on the other end of the line. And it turns out that the people who called Claudia and Kristy turned out to be their lovers who wanted to dance.

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Mar 26, 2012 Jessica (j*&p*) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: rereads, 2012-books, book-club-picks, childhood-favorites

The BSC books were the first book series that I remember reading (and rereading and rereading)on my own so I think they had had a lot to do with forming my ideas about storytelling and fueling my love of reading. So much fun and nostalgia in picking up childhood favorites again.

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Nov 20, 2012 Odessa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was a really good book, and it had mystery and creepy things. It's really hard to put it down because you don't know what will be next. Warning: If you get scared of robbers easily, DON'T READ!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Sep 13, 2011 Mirabelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Every chapter ends with a cliffhanger! Just to let you know, this book is so amazing and it makes me wonder why Raina Telgemier didn't make a graphic novel out of this like she did with other BSC books

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Apr 30, 2010 Maria M. Elmvang rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2002-and-before, 2010, 4-stars, baby-sitters-club, owned

Okay, so you really have to completely ignore the ages of the kids in these books ;) But that aside, this is one of my favourite in the series, without me really being able to say why - I just like it ;)

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May 20, 2009 Sarina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I wasn't too big on the ending - everything was resolved in the last 4-5 pages.

Pretty sure if I rated this book circa 1992 I'd give it 5 stars

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Jul 03, 2012 Kimberly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-and-young-adult

I loved the BSC series when I was younger and even more glad that I held on to them all these years so my children would be able to enjoy them as well. I would recommend for tween girls.

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Apr 05, 2011 Stephanie (BlackCanary) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childhood-favorites, fiction, young-adult

This was one of my favorite Baby-Sitter Club books. I remember being scared when I read it. I still find it entertaining when I re-read it now.

Apparently I had filled out the questionnaire in the back of the book when I was younger. Hilarious...oh the memories.

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Jan 08, 2011 Ellen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Katie's reading list
I like this book so far because it's really scary and I want to know what's going to happen next! I think it's like a Nancy Drew book. I love mystery books!

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Aug 04, 2009 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I LOVED Tha Babysitter's Club series as a kid. Claudia was my favorite and I owned this book at one time. I truly hope they are still being read by young readers today!

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About Ann M. Martin

Ann Matthews Martin was born on August 12, 1955. She grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, with her parents and her younger sister, Jane. After graduating from Smith College, Ann became a teacher and then an editor of children's books. She's now a full-time writer.

Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood me...more

More about Ann M. Martin...

Books by Ann M. Martin

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