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The Baby-Sitters Club #50
Dawn's Big Date
Nervous about her blind date with Logan's cousin, Dawn tries to create a new image with new clothes, a new hairstyle, lots of makeup, and a new attitude
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
106 people are currently reading
853 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,120 books3,075 followersAnn 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 memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. But many of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes.
Ann has always enjoyed writing. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. L. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. They inspired her to become a writer herself.
Since ending the BSC series in 2000, Ann’s writing has concentrated on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.
After living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/annmma...
Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. But many of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes.
Ann has always enjoyed writing. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. L. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. They inspired her to become a writer herself.
Since ending the BSC series in 2000, Ann’s writing has concentrated on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.
After living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/annmma...
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November 6, 2010
this book opens with dawn & mary anne getting ready for their new year's eve party. mary anne wants to make english muffin pizzas & pigs-in-a-blanket. dawn suggests soybean pie & some other weirdo health food snack. while they make their grocery lists, dawn gets to thinking about how no boy has ever really liked her the way that logan seems to like mary anne. logan's cousin lewis is visiting stoneybrook soon, from louisville. lewis & dawn have been exchanging letters ever since dawn gave up on travis, the older boy. dawn starts plotting to make lewis a test case. if she can get lewis to like her, like really like her, then she can use her newfound skills to find herself a local boyfriend.
that night at the sleepover, all the girls make resolutions. kristy vows to turn the krushers into a winning team. mallory promises to be more accepting of her braces. claudia resolves to do better in school. dawn outwardly says that she plans to do more interesting things with her hair--but her secret resolution is to get a boyfriend, & that means somehow finding a way to make boys like her.
dawn borrows a stack of teen & fashion magazines from stacey. she starts flipping through them & making notes. she concludes that all of her clothes are too baggy--boys need to see a form if they are to become warm for it. she needs to learn to highlight her features with make-up & be more creative with her hair--but never just pull it all the way back, because supposedly boys don't like that. mary anne pops in while dawn is looking at the magazines. she seems really excited about the idea of giving dawn a makeover. mary anne finds a photo of a model who kind of looks like dawn, but with way more make-up, curly hair, & different clothes. she sets dawn's hair in curlers & borrows sharon's make-up to make dawn over. dawn likes the results, although she feels she doesn't look like herself. she asks mary anne to take a photo so she can send it to lewis.
meanwhile, we have our babysitting B plot. this is the reason this book gets three stars instead of four. i like this book a lot, but reading about poor norman hill bums me out. the hills are new clients. they have two kids--nine-year-old sarah & seven-year-old norman. mr. hill ordinarily works from home, but he has a new client & has to take a lot of meetings for a while. the kids' grandmother used to sit for them, but she died recently.
dawn gets the first job with the hills, & is a little taken aback by norman. she says he is fat--not husky, not stout, not plump. fat. but he seems like a nice little kid. he claims he has homework & disappears into his room. sarah busts in on him with dawn on her heels, exposing norman's big secret--he eats. a lot. he hoards food in his room (like claudia) & just sits in there & eats. his family knows & they try to stop him when they figure out what he's doing, but norman has gotten really good at hiding his eating. sarah is really mean about it, yelling at him & trying to make him feel like shit. when sarah's friend elizabeth comes over to play, she tells dawn that the kids at school call norman enormous hill. elizabeth thinks this is really clever. dawn tells her it's not funny. she asks norman how he feels about all of this later, after sarah has gone to elizabeth's house. he just shrugs & says he's used to it, but he seems sad.
the other sitters also end up with jobs at the hills' house. norman continues to secretly eat, sarah & elizabeth continue to torment him. when mary anne shows up for her first job there (sitting while the hill parents go to the gym, of course), she finds that there are lists of "norman-no" & "norman-yes" foods all over the house. sarah teases norman by drawing insulting pictures of him as a huge hill & as a pig. mary anne suggests that he express his feelings by tearing the pictures up. norman does so & seems to feel a lot better. sarah is angry at first, but seems to develop newfound respect for norman. norman confides that his parents relentlessly focus on his weight. when he brought home an excellent report card, his dad said, "how come a smart kid like you can't lose some weight?" norman also overheard mr. hill say, "norman is so fat, i can't believe he's our son." i find both of these remarks really, really cruel & difficult to read. there are other depictions of child abuse in the babysitters club series, but i think this is seriously the worst.
anyway, mary anne suggests that norman talk to his parents & tell them how he feels. the next time a sitter comes to watch the hill kids, all the "norman no" food lists are gone, along with all the tempting sugary snacks & sweets that norman had been binging on. apparently the hills finally pulled their heads out of their asses & realized that if they don't keep cookies & cupcakes in the house, norman won't eat them. norman seems a lot happier, he's getting along better with sarah, & he asks dawn to snap a photo of him to send to his pen pal, brittany. his goal is to pretend he is diabetic like stacey, to avoid being tempted by treats. that way he'll lose weight, avoid a stint in fat camp, & be able to maintain his quasi-romantic pen pal relationship with brittany.
kind of frustrating & gross that the bottom line for norman's happiness is still losing weight...but it is true that his binging was unhealthy.
anyway, back to dawn. dawn kind of goes nuts with the makeover stuff. she cuts up all her clothes & sews them back together to make them tighter & more stylish. she starts doing weird shit with her hair, like braiding it, gelling it, & unbraiding it so it's all "crinkly" (her word--i personally don't wish for "crinkly" hair, but what do i know?). richard, for one, is not pumped about dawn's transformation, but sharon says it's just a phase. dawn starts mouthing off in class, & horror of horrors, chewing gum! chewing gum is the babysitters club equivalent of shooting heroin with a dirty needle. when dawn stocked up sugarless trident, she may as well have just moved into a flophouse on skid row.
by the time lewis comes to visit, the transformation is complete. mary anne has tutored dawn on how to impress boys through conversation, using teen magazines as a guide. dawn's hair is crinkly, her make-up is heavy, & her skirt is poofy with crinoline. lewis seems very nervous meeting her, & she isn't the world's most sparkling conversationalist, despite implementing many of the tips in the magazines. mary anne is very disappointed in dawn, but schedules a double movie date to try to give dawn another chance to impress lewis.
the movie date goes even worse than picking up lewis up at the airport went. dawn spills popcorn all over the floor, cries off her eyeliner, can't seem to say anything right. the date ends early & lewis does not seem displeased. but dawn is pissed at mary anne. mary anne kept pinching dawn & bossing her around through the date. dawn thinks it may have gone better without mary anne's interference. she's also upset that mary anne hasn't been critical of dawn's cool kid transformation. her feelings are hurt by the idea that mary anne may think that dawn NEEDED her makeover.
after everything gets resolved with norman, dawn realizes that she & norman were in a similar boat. both they & the people around them were too focused on what needed to change about their appearances to appreciate all the good stuff about their real personalities. she calls lewis & asks him out again, one-on-one. she scrubs off her make-up, combs out her hair, puts on normal clothes, & invites lewis over for a health food smorgasbord. dawn acts like herself, & she & lewis have a great time. they agree to see each other again the next evening, & lewis kisses her. they agree to keep writing to each other & try to pull off the long-distance relationship thing.
& that's the last we hear of lewis bruno. moral of the story: be yourself. but also don't be fat.
that night at the sleepover, all the girls make resolutions. kristy vows to turn the krushers into a winning team. mallory promises to be more accepting of her braces. claudia resolves to do better in school. dawn outwardly says that she plans to do more interesting things with her hair--but her secret resolution is to get a boyfriend, & that means somehow finding a way to make boys like her.
dawn borrows a stack of teen & fashion magazines from stacey. she starts flipping through them & making notes. she concludes that all of her clothes are too baggy--boys need to see a form if they are to become warm for it. she needs to learn to highlight her features with make-up & be more creative with her hair--but never just pull it all the way back, because supposedly boys don't like that. mary anne pops in while dawn is looking at the magazines. she seems really excited about the idea of giving dawn a makeover. mary anne finds a photo of a model who kind of looks like dawn, but with way more make-up, curly hair, & different clothes. she sets dawn's hair in curlers & borrows sharon's make-up to make dawn over. dawn likes the results, although she feels she doesn't look like herself. she asks mary anne to take a photo so she can send it to lewis.
meanwhile, we have our babysitting B plot. this is the reason this book gets three stars instead of four. i like this book a lot, but reading about poor norman hill bums me out. the hills are new clients. they have two kids--nine-year-old sarah & seven-year-old norman. mr. hill ordinarily works from home, but he has a new client & has to take a lot of meetings for a while. the kids' grandmother used to sit for them, but she died recently.
dawn gets the first job with the hills, & is a little taken aback by norman. she says he is fat--not husky, not stout, not plump. fat. but he seems like a nice little kid. he claims he has homework & disappears into his room. sarah busts in on him with dawn on her heels, exposing norman's big secret--he eats. a lot. he hoards food in his room (like claudia) & just sits in there & eats. his family knows & they try to stop him when they figure out what he's doing, but norman has gotten really good at hiding his eating. sarah is really mean about it, yelling at him & trying to make him feel like shit. when sarah's friend elizabeth comes over to play, she tells dawn that the kids at school call norman enormous hill. elizabeth thinks this is really clever. dawn tells her it's not funny. she asks norman how he feels about all of this later, after sarah has gone to elizabeth's house. he just shrugs & says he's used to it, but he seems sad.
the other sitters also end up with jobs at the hills' house. norman continues to secretly eat, sarah & elizabeth continue to torment him. when mary anne shows up for her first job there (sitting while the hill parents go to the gym, of course), she finds that there are lists of "norman-no" & "norman-yes" foods all over the house. sarah teases norman by drawing insulting pictures of him as a huge hill & as a pig. mary anne suggests that he express his feelings by tearing the pictures up. norman does so & seems to feel a lot better. sarah is angry at first, but seems to develop newfound respect for norman. norman confides that his parents relentlessly focus on his weight. when he brought home an excellent report card, his dad said, "how come a smart kid like you can't lose some weight?" norman also overheard mr. hill say, "norman is so fat, i can't believe he's our son." i find both of these remarks really, really cruel & difficult to read. there are other depictions of child abuse in the babysitters club series, but i think this is seriously the worst.
anyway, mary anne suggests that norman talk to his parents & tell them how he feels. the next time a sitter comes to watch the hill kids, all the "norman no" food lists are gone, along with all the tempting sugary snacks & sweets that norman had been binging on. apparently the hills finally pulled their heads out of their asses & realized that if they don't keep cookies & cupcakes in the house, norman won't eat them. norman seems a lot happier, he's getting along better with sarah, & he asks dawn to snap a photo of him to send to his pen pal, brittany. his goal is to pretend he is diabetic like stacey, to avoid being tempted by treats. that way he'll lose weight, avoid a stint in fat camp, & be able to maintain his quasi-romantic pen pal relationship with brittany.
kind of frustrating & gross that the bottom line for norman's happiness is still losing weight...but it is true that his binging was unhealthy.
anyway, back to dawn. dawn kind of goes nuts with the makeover stuff. she cuts up all her clothes & sews them back together to make them tighter & more stylish. she starts doing weird shit with her hair, like braiding it, gelling it, & unbraiding it so it's all "crinkly" (her word--i personally don't wish for "crinkly" hair, but what do i know?). richard, for one, is not pumped about dawn's transformation, but sharon says it's just a phase. dawn starts mouthing off in class, & horror of horrors, chewing gum! chewing gum is the babysitters club equivalent of shooting heroin with a dirty needle. when dawn stocked up sugarless trident, she may as well have just moved into a flophouse on skid row.
by the time lewis comes to visit, the transformation is complete. mary anne has tutored dawn on how to impress boys through conversation, using teen magazines as a guide. dawn's hair is crinkly, her make-up is heavy, & her skirt is poofy with crinoline. lewis seems very nervous meeting her, & she isn't the world's most sparkling conversationalist, despite implementing many of the tips in the magazines. mary anne is very disappointed in dawn, but schedules a double movie date to try to give dawn another chance to impress lewis.
the movie date goes even worse than picking up lewis up at the airport went. dawn spills popcorn all over the floor, cries off her eyeliner, can't seem to say anything right. the date ends early & lewis does not seem displeased. but dawn is pissed at mary anne. mary anne kept pinching dawn & bossing her around through the date. dawn thinks it may have gone better without mary anne's interference. she's also upset that mary anne hasn't been critical of dawn's cool kid transformation. her feelings are hurt by the idea that mary anne may think that dawn NEEDED her makeover.
after everything gets resolved with norman, dawn realizes that she & norman were in a similar boat. both they & the people around them were too focused on what needed to change about their appearances to appreciate all the good stuff about their real personalities. she calls lewis & asks him out again, one-on-one. she scrubs off her make-up, combs out her hair, puts on normal clothes, & invites lewis over for a health food smorgasbord. dawn acts like herself, & she & lewis have a great time. they agree to see each other again the next evening, & lewis kisses her. they agree to keep writing to each other & try to pull off the long-distance relationship thing.
& that's the last we hear of lewis bruno. moral of the story: be yourself. but also don't be fat.
May 17, 2016
in this unofficial sequel to Dawn and the Older Boy by ghostwriter Suzanne Weyn, logan's sexy cousin lewis comes to stoneybrook (the same lewis that dawn has been semi-romantically penpalling with for the past fifteen or so books) and dawn decides to make herself over to look like/act like the girls in stacey's teenybopper magazines to impress him. turns out, he prefers plain jane dawn, and they kiss. meanwhile, in one of the most brutal and upsetting baby-sitting subplots, dawn and the others start sitting for the hill family -- mr. and mrs. fat-shaming hill, their daughter sarah fat-shaming hill, and their son norman hill (whom neighborhood kids call "enormous hill"). he stands up for himself at some point to his abusive family, and this plot gets slightly less awful for a second, until the scary and gross resolution to his plotline (see more in lowlights/nitpicks).
highlights:
-there is one major thing that makes this book tolerable: it has SO MANY OUTFIT DESCRIPTIONS. since there were so many I decided not to type them up if they were very vague or uninteresting (like dawn's sweatpants and t-shirt at the new year's eve party).
-stacey gets mary anne a present from new york: the "cam geary sings" tape. I seriously laughed out loud, like pretty intensely.
-norman and sarah's dad is named harold hill. is that harold hill spelled with a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for pool?
-when asked to name two forms of igneous rock, dawn says, "heavy metal and pop." her attempts at being a rebellious cool kid are so dumb and funny.
-a postcard dawn sends to lewis when she is trying to be sexy/forward magazine-girl: "dying to see you friday night. mary anne said you have an extremely hunky voice. can't wait to hear it whisper in my ear."
-sarah does a silly dance called the pogo stick dance. as though that isn't already a dance
lowlights/nitpicks:
-another annoying/inaccurate reference to claudia's mom calling nancy drew books frivolous. SHE'S A LIBRARIAN, DUDE. LIBRARIANS ENCOURAGE READING IN ANY FORM.
-the whole norman plotline is so painful. his parents are awful/abusive to him. at one point he says that when he brought home a good report card his father said, "how come a smart boy like you can't lose weight?" it gets resolved when he starts standing up to them and telling them that he gets more likely to eat when he's sad, and he's sad when they treat him like crap. but the problem is that the expectation from the reader (and author, and all the characters including the baby-sitters) is that he still needs to lose weight. it's only resolved when he says that he intends to lose weight by pretending to be stacey (i.e. have diabetes and not be able to eat junk food without getting sick) in order to trick himself into a diet. THIS IS NOT HEALTHY! how could ANYONE think this is healthy? even STACEY hasn't always stuck to her diet, for godssakes! AAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHH! just once, I'd like a bsc book about a fat kid to resolve in a, "and the fat kid found self-love and everyone embraced them for who they were and nobody expected them to change unless they felt like it." he even sends a photo to his penpal/girlfriend (see his previous letter to her below) and says something about how he is fat now but he won't be soon. BARF.
-another example of dawn being SUCH an individual that she listens to everything magazines say. I'm tired of this "dawn is an individual" thing, when she has twice had books that revolve around how much she changes to impress boys.
-also mary anne is SO MARY ANNE in this book. she keeps telling dawn how to make herself look and act and then on a double date keeps pinching her when she says/does something mary anne doesn't like. I HATE MARY ANNE SO MUCH!
norman's EXTREMELY DEPRESSING letter to his pen pal/girlfriend (they haven't met in person):
"today was another awesome day for me. I managed to clobber some school bullies, but good. they were picking on this kid at school. he's a totally amazing kid, just slightly heavy. that's why they pick on him. about ten bullies surrounded him. they were the gooniest kids in the whole school -- and the ugliest. and they were big and mean. everyone else is afraid of them. I'm not. I grabbed one of them and karate-chopped him. his friend tried to get me, but I hit him with my flying judo kick. everyone was cheering. kids in school were yelling, 'norman! norman! go! go! go!" two guys came at me at once. I clunked their heads together. that made the rest of them run away. that was my day. how was yours? thanks for the picture you sent. you are very pretty. I don't have any pictures of myself. but I'll send you one as soon as my mother's camera is fixed. I keep reminding her to fix it, but she keeps forgetting."
claudia outfits:
-"Today, for example, she was wearing maroon leggings and ballet slippers under an oversized yellow shirt. Around her waist she wore this great belt that she made herself from three thin strips of leather tied together and decorated with ceramic beads. For the final touch, Claudia had swept her hair over to one side and tied it up with another thin leather strip that had the same kind of beads on it."
-"Claudia had tied her hair up in a high ponytail with this silver netting around it. She was wearing wide black pants and a top with a silver moon appliquéd on the front."
stacey outfit:
-"Stacey wore a form-fitting purple dress and pink tights with black stripes."
dawn outfits:
-"Here's the outfit: black ballet slippers; black lace capri leggings; a short metallic silver skirt with all this crinoliny stuff underneath that made it poof out; a stretchy, tight, black-and-white-striped top with long sleeves. I'd bought six rubber bangle bracelets, and a new pair of feather earrings that reached down to my shoulder. (I wore both earrings in the two holes in my right ear. I put a pair of small black hoops in the two holes on the left.)"
-"Today I was wearing the tie-dyed tights, my new sweat skirt, and one of the T-shirts belted over a leotard."
snack in claudia's room:
-popcorn tin (regular, caramel, cheese) (n.s.)
highlights:
-there is one major thing that makes this book tolerable: it has SO MANY OUTFIT DESCRIPTIONS. since there were so many I decided not to type them up if they were very vague or uninteresting (like dawn's sweatpants and t-shirt at the new year's eve party).
-stacey gets mary anne a present from new york: the "cam geary sings" tape. I seriously laughed out loud, like pretty intensely.
-norman and sarah's dad is named harold hill. is that harold hill spelled with a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for pool?
-when asked to name two forms of igneous rock, dawn says, "heavy metal and pop." her attempts at being a rebellious cool kid are so dumb and funny.
-a postcard dawn sends to lewis when she is trying to be sexy/forward magazine-girl: "dying to see you friday night. mary anne said you have an extremely hunky voice. can't wait to hear it whisper in my ear."
-sarah does a silly dance called the pogo stick dance. as though that isn't already a dance
lowlights/nitpicks:
-another annoying/inaccurate reference to claudia's mom calling nancy drew books frivolous. SHE'S A LIBRARIAN, DUDE. LIBRARIANS ENCOURAGE READING IN ANY FORM.
-the whole norman plotline is so painful. his parents are awful/abusive to him. at one point he says that when he brought home a good report card his father said, "how come a smart boy like you can't lose weight?" it gets resolved when he starts standing up to them and telling them that he gets more likely to eat when he's sad, and he's sad when they treat him like crap. but the problem is that the expectation from the reader (and author, and all the characters including the baby-sitters) is that he still needs to lose weight. it's only resolved when he says that he intends to lose weight by pretending to be stacey (i.e. have diabetes and not be able to eat junk food without getting sick) in order to trick himself into a diet. THIS IS NOT HEALTHY! how could ANYONE think this is healthy? even STACEY hasn't always stuck to her diet, for godssakes! AAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHH! just once, I'd like a bsc book about a fat kid to resolve in a, "and the fat kid found self-love and everyone embraced them for who they were and nobody expected them to change unless they felt like it." he even sends a photo to his penpal/girlfriend (see his previous letter to her below) and says something about how he is fat now but he won't be soon. BARF.
-another example of dawn being SUCH an individual that she listens to everything magazines say. I'm tired of this "dawn is an individual" thing, when she has twice had books that revolve around how much she changes to impress boys.
-also mary anne is SO MARY ANNE in this book. she keeps telling dawn how to make herself look and act and then on a double date keeps pinching her when she says/does something mary anne doesn't like. I HATE MARY ANNE SO MUCH!
norman's EXTREMELY DEPRESSING letter to his pen pal/girlfriend (they haven't met in person):
"today was another awesome day for me. I managed to clobber some school bullies, but good. they were picking on this kid at school. he's a totally amazing kid, just slightly heavy. that's why they pick on him. about ten bullies surrounded him. they were the gooniest kids in the whole school -- and the ugliest. and they were big and mean. everyone else is afraid of them. I'm not. I grabbed one of them and karate-chopped him. his friend tried to get me, but I hit him with my flying judo kick. everyone was cheering. kids in school were yelling, 'norman! norman! go! go! go!" two guys came at me at once. I clunked their heads together. that made the rest of them run away. that was my day. how was yours? thanks for the picture you sent. you are very pretty. I don't have any pictures of myself. but I'll send you one as soon as my mother's camera is fixed. I keep reminding her to fix it, but she keeps forgetting."
claudia outfits:
-"Today, for example, she was wearing maroon leggings and ballet slippers under an oversized yellow shirt. Around her waist she wore this great belt that she made herself from three thin strips of leather tied together and decorated with ceramic beads. For the final touch, Claudia had swept her hair over to one side and tied it up with another thin leather strip that had the same kind of beads on it."
-"Claudia had tied her hair up in a high ponytail with this silver netting around it. She was wearing wide black pants and a top with a silver moon appliquéd on the front."
stacey outfit:
-"Stacey wore a form-fitting purple dress and pink tights with black stripes."
dawn outfits:
-"Here's the outfit: black ballet slippers; black lace capri leggings; a short metallic silver skirt with all this crinoliny stuff underneath that made it poof out; a stretchy, tight, black-and-white-striped top with long sleeves. I'd bought six rubber bangle bracelets, and a new pair of feather earrings that reached down to my shoulder. (I wore both earrings in the two holes in my right ear. I put a pair of small black hoops in the two holes on the left.)"
-"Today I was wearing the tie-dyed tights, my new sweat skirt, and one of the T-shirts belted over a leotard."
snack in claudia's room:
-popcorn tin (regular, caramel, cheese) (n.s.)
November 10, 2010
This was one of the few BSC books that I actually owned as a kid but I was always annoyed at Dawn for trying to change herself so that Lewis would like her when he clearly already liked her enough if he was coming to visit her! But now I can see that she's just being a typical teenage girl and worrying about her appearance too much. I remember wearing a ton of blue - YES, BLUE - eyeshadow and mascara to school when I was her age because I wanted to look older so that a guy two years above me would notice me. So basically, girls will always wear stupid things in the hope that it impresses a guy. It's nice to see Dawn being concerned about normal, girly things at this stage in the books, as opposed to later when she's caricatured and only really cares about health food and the environment. Although I do want to know why Mary Anne didn't just tell her to stop worrying and be herself. 8/10
October 10, 2012
I like this book and I like dawn because she is an individual!
December 30, 2016
Mary Anne and Logan insist on making Dawn go out with Lewis, Logan's cousin from Louisville, when he comes for a visit. Dawn decides that Lewis won't like her until she makes herself up like a trashy nineties mall rat, and takes some dating advice from fashion magazines.
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
I totally bought this book for the cover. Dawn's eyes look crossed, and combined with Lewis sitting with his arms folded, looking over at Dawn like she's a deranged mental patient, I thought this cover was very funny.
Dawn's teacher asking for two kinds of igneous rock and Dawn answering "heavy metal and pop." I thought that was such a stupid answer because why wouldn't she just name a band name if she was trying to be clever? I also didn't understand why she didn't turn her heavy metal and pop answer into a joke, and then give the real answer.
Dawn and Lewis go on a double date with Logan and Mary Anne to see Gone With the Wind. When I was a kid I hated this movie (although I like it very much now) and I couldn't imagine sitting in a theater for hours and hours watching it with some boy I was trying to impress.
Dawn ripping up all her clothes to look "cool". I always wondered what she did when she decided to go back to her old look. Did she have to buy new clothes?
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
This is actually a pretty great book about the insecurities we all feel, and how trying to help someone become a so-called better person can backfire. Dawn is always proclaiming her individualism at the top of her lungs, and saying she doesn't care what anyone thinks, and she does things without worrying about trends, and on and on, but throughout the series she has never showed that so-called individualism and self-confidence. In this book she finally admits that she is insecure as hell, and she's upset that she doesn't seem attractive to boys. She's terrified of disappointing Lewis, and the only way she sees to take control of the situation is by changing her looks, and adopting the personality of a sexy, confident girl, even though she has no clue how to pull it off. I think I like Dawn best in this book because she's acting exactly like someone who has not an ounce of individual thought or creativity in them at all. Dawn would totally have grown up to be an earnest hipster who moves to Portland, and only does something if all the other trendy people are doing it too. Because this book was published in 1992 Dawn does things like rip her jeans to make a miniskirt, tears up her shirts to make off-the-shoulder tops, a la Flashdance, and considers getting a perm. Mary Anne is trying to help Dawn figure out a way to be more comfortable with dating and boys, but Dawn finds she's more upset than grateful that Mary Anne is trying to help her. She wants Mary Anne to reassure her, not constantly tell her what she's doing wrong. The double date they go on is well done -- it's a chaste middle school date, and it's very awkward. Mary Anne and Dawn make a bad situation worse by reading a bunch of lame magazine articles beforehand to learn to become great conversationalists, and how to act on a date.
Although I remembered the general Norman Hill plot line, I had forgotten most of the details. I had forgotten that Mr and Mrs Hill were so dismissive of their children. I hadn't realized that that Sarah and Norman Hill's "nanna" (who I assume was their grandmother) had looked after them until her very recent death. I'm guessing that Nanna did most of the parenting of Sarah and Norman, and that she was probably something like Mimi was to Claudia; someone who loved you no matter what your faults or disabilities were. I wonder if Norman's eating increased after her death, or if Sarah's teasing of him got worse when the grandmother wasn't around the supervise them. The book kind of skims over the emotional crutch of Norman's eating, although it does mention it. Norman likes to eat, and when he's sad eating makes him feel better. As a kid I didn't really get it, but as an adult it makes a lot of sense. Norman's family and classmates constantly point out Norman's weight to him, and never bring up the things he's good at (he's clearly a smart, and creative kid). So he eats to comfort himself and to lift his spirits, which makes him gain more weight, which is made fun of by friends and family. It's a terrible cycle. And as Norman points out his parents are not forcing him to lose weight because of their concerns for his health. They're just embarrassed that their son is so fat. However, what's annoying about this book, is that instead of pointing out that being overweight, especially when you're a kid, is terribly unhealthy, everyone wants Norman to lose weight so that kids will stop picking on him, and he'll be happy. But who's to say he'll be happy when he loses weight? I mean, it's not a guarantee. Claudia also sneaks junk food, and she eats it because she likes it. But because she's thin, and thereby popular, it's OK for her to do it, even though (again) it's a very unhealthy way to live? Everyone (Claudia included) acts so superior in this book, with the guise of doing what's best for Norman. "She had to find some way to get through to Norman. Somebody had to. Otherwise he was just going to keep getting fatter and more miserable." Says who? Claudia Kishi, the junk food addict, who is lucky enough to eat tons of fat and sugar without gaining weight? How obnoxious.
At the end of the book we learn that the Hills are treating Norman a bit better, and that they have removed most of their diet propaganda from the walls of the house. And they stopped buying junk food. Duh. Why would they keep that stuff in the house if they want Norman to lose weight? I thought the problem was he was getting the food somewhere else and then sneaking it into the house. I just don't buy the tidy ending, where Norman decides to pretend he's diabetic so he'll lose weight and his family just leaves him alone. It doesn't make any sense considering Norman's issues with food seem to be more complex than just eating too much.
Dawn is upset that Claudia tells her the look is "all wrong." Why isn't there a better explanation for this offhand comment? I'm guessing she means that Dawn isn't pulling the look off, or that she is clearly uncomfortable wearing it. Then why doesn't she just say that? Instead Dawn is mad because she assumes that Claudia is upset that Dawn is trying to look trendy and fashionable, even though being trendy and fashionable is Claudia and Stacey's territory. Dawn thinks Claudia just wants Dawn to stay plain and boring forever so that Claudia will always look better than her. Instead of being upfront with her Claudia just says she doesn't like what Dawn is doing. Claudia, just suck it up and deal with your friend's harmless experimentation with clothes and makeup! Jeez, middle school girls are touchy.
It drives me nuts that the food Dawn likes is so despised by the people of Stoneybrook. Sometimes I agree with them. Soybeans are not acceptable in pie or burgers, and carob is an evil substance. Also Dawn drinks a lot of juice in place of sodas, which has just as much sugar. However, I was sympathetic to Dawn in this book. Mary Anne throws a fit at the beginning of the book about Dawn making food with natural peanut butter, and then Lewis is reluctant to eat the hummus and babaganoush Dawn makes for him. What is the matter with these people? Natural peanut butter and hummus are delicious.
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
I totally bought this book for the cover. Dawn's eyes look crossed, and combined with Lewis sitting with his arms folded, looking over at Dawn like she's a deranged mental patient, I thought this cover was very funny.
Dawn's teacher asking for two kinds of igneous rock and Dawn answering "heavy metal and pop." I thought that was such a stupid answer because why wouldn't she just name a band name if she was trying to be clever? I also didn't understand why she didn't turn her heavy metal and pop answer into a joke, and then give the real answer.
Dawn and Lewis go on a double date with Logan and Mary Anne to see Gone With the Wind. When I was a kid I hated this movie (although I like it very much now) and I couldn't imagine sitting in a theater for hours and hours watching it with some boy I was trying to impress.
Dawn ripping up all her clothes to look "cool". I always wondered what she did when she decided to go back to her old look. Did she have to buy new clothes?
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
This is actually a pretty great book about the insecurities we all feel, and how trying to help someone become a so-called better person can backfire. Dawn is always proclaiming her individualism at the top of her lungs, and saying she doesn't care what anyone thinks, and she does things without worrying about trends, and on and on, but throughout the series she has never showed that so-called individualism and self-confidence. In this book she finally admits that she is insecure as hell, and she's upset that she doesn't seem attractive to boys. She's terrified of disappointing Lewis, and the only way she sees to take control of the situation is by changing her looks, and adopting the personality of a sexy, confident girl, even though she has no clue how to pull it off. I think I like Dawn best in this book because she's acting exactly like someone who has not an ounce of individual thought or creativity in them at all. Dawn would totally have grown up to be an earnest hipster who moves to Portland, and only does something if all the other trendy people are doing it too. Because this book was published in 1992 Dawn does things like rip her jeans to make a miniskirt, tears up her shirts to make off-the-shoulder tops, a la Flashdance, and considers getting a perm. Mary Anne is trying to help Dawn figure out a way to be more comfortable with dating and boys, but Dawn finds she's more upset than grateful that Mary Anne is trying to help her. She wants Mary Anne to reassure her, not constantly tell her what she's doing wrong. The double date they go on is well done -- it's a chaste middle school date, and it's very awkward. Mary Anne and Dawn make a bad situation worse by reading a bunch of lame magazine articles beforehand to learn to become great conversationalists, and how to act on a date.
Although I remembered the general Norman Hill plot line, I had forgotten most of the details. I had forgotten that Mr and Mrs Hill were so dismissive of their children. I hadn't realized that that Sarah and Norman Hill's "nanna" (who I assume was their grandmother) had looked after them until her very recent death. I'm guessing that Nanna did most of the parenting of Sarah and Norman, and that she was probably something like Mimi was to Claudia; someone who loved you no matter what your faults or disabilities were. I wonder if Norman's eating increased after her death, or if Sarah's teasing of him got worse when the grandmother wasn't around the supervise them. The book kind of skims over the emotional crutch of Norman's eating, although it does mention it. Norman likes to eat, and when he's sad eating makes him feel better. As a kid I didn't really get it, but as an adult it makes a lot of sense. Norman's family and classmates constantly point out Norman's weight to him, and never bring up the things he's good at (he's clearly a smart, and creative kid). So he eats to comfort himself and to lift his spirits, which makes him gain more weight, which is made fun of by friends and family. It's a terrible cycle. And as Norman points out his parents are not forcing him to lose weight because of their concerns for his health. They're just embarrassed that their son is so fat. However, what's annoying about this book, is that instead of pointing out that being overweight, especially when you're a kid, is terribly unhealthy, everyone wants Norman to lose weight so that kids will stop picking on him, and he'll be happy. But who's to say he'll be happy when he loses weight? I mean, it's not a guarantee. Claudia also sneaks junk food, and she eats it because she likes it. But because she's thin, and thereby popular, it's OK for her to do it, even though (again) it's a very unhealthy way to live? Everyone (Claudia included) acts so superior in this book, with the guise of doing what's best for Norman. "She had to find some way to get through to Norman. Somebody had to. Otherwise he was just going to keep getting fatter and more miserable." Says who? Claudia Kishi, the junk food addict, who is lucky enough to eat tons of fat and sugar without gaining weight? How obnoxious.
At the end of the book we learn that the Hills are treating Norman a bit better, and that they have removed most of their diet propaganda from the walls of the house. And they stopped buying junk food. Duh. Why would they keep that stuff in the house if they want Norman to lose weight? I thought the problem was he was getting the food somewhere else and then sneaking it into the house. I just don't buy the tidy ending, where Norman decides to pretend he's diabetic so he'll lose weight and his family just leaves him alone. It doesn't make any sense considering Norman's issues with food seem to be more complex than just eating too much.
Dawn is upset that Claudia tells her the look is "all wrong." Why isn't there a better explanation for this offhand comment? I'm guessing she means that Dawn isn't pulling the look off, or that she is clearly uncomfortable wearing it. Then why doesn't she just say that? Instead Dawn is mad because she assumes that Claudia is upset that Dawn is trying to look trendy and fashionable, even though being trendy and fashionable is Claudia and Stacey's territory. Dawn thinks Claudia just wants Dawn to stay plain and boring forever so that Claudia will always look better than her. Instead of being upfront with her Claudia just says she doesn't like what Dawn is doing. Claudia, just suck it up and deal with your friend's harmless experimentation with clothes and makeup! Jeez, middle school girls are touchy.
It drives me nuts that the food Dawn likes is so despised by the people of Stoneybrook. Sometimes I agree with them. Soybeans are not acceptable in pie or burgers, and carob is an evil substance. Also Dawn drinks a lot of juice in place of sodas, which has just as much sugar. However, I was sympathetic to Dawn in this book. Mary Anne throws a fit at the beginning of the book about Dawn making food with natural peanut butter, and then Lewis is reluctant to eat the hummus and babaganoush Dawn makes for him. What is the matter with these people? Natural peanut butter and hummus are delicious.
December 28, 2025
This was a good one - good lesson in being yourself. Dawn has a pen pal that's a friend of Logan's. She thinks she has to change who she is to make him like her because she's sortof invisible to boys. But he liked her the way she was in the letters so she goes back to being herself. They get a new client - parents who are absolutely horrible. They have an obese 7 year old and do everything you shouldn't do with an obese child. It's pretty sad. However, the BSC help him out and eventually the family figures out he's fine the way he is. I don't really like the fact that they expect a 7 year old to lose weight or else he has to go to a fat camp - but at least they stop making him feel like he's a second class citizen because he's fat.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2018
Book 3 in my #bscbinge, this Dawn story was much better. This one didn't lead to stalking 🤦, but deals with Dawn realizing that you have to be your authentic self for a boy to like you. And Mary Anne, bless her heart, plucked my nerves.
December 14, 2021
It is so important to me that girls know that they are beautiful, you don’t have to change just for a guy to like you. Be yourself and people will like the real you.
June 19, 2018
This is still one my favorite books in the series!
I loved the appearance of Lewis, who we first "met" back in Dawn and the Older Guy, and I really wish he and Dawn could have had a real romance. But most of all, of course, I love the makeover Dawn gives herself. I remember wanting to emulate some of her outfits as a kid (I know....) but reading them now it took everything in me not to laugh. The outfit descriptions in this book are legendary, and I love how we know Dawn is serious about changing her image when she CHEWS GUM. (As all BSC fans know, only the bad kids chew gum!)
Honestly I almost gave this book 5 stars because I still love it so very much, but the subplot with Norman Hill is so much worse than I remember and for that reason I can't. His sister is awful but his parents are actually emotionally abusive, and it hurt my heart to read about it. I can't remember if we ever hear about the Hills again, and so I have no idea if Norman ever learns to love himself in spite of his family. I'd like to think so since this is the BSC after all, but I don't know how realistic that really is. Poor Norman.
On a side note, man do I love this cover. Lewis's expression as he looks over at Dawn is perfect, but that little girl in the front who is turned around and totally spying on their date always makes me laugh. And I just noticed all the children sitting behind them - they're watching Gone with the Wind and it gets out at almost 10 PM. Why are all these children there unsupervised?
I loved the appearance of Lewis, who we first "met" back in Dawn and the Older Guy, and I really wish he and Dawn could have had a real romance. But most of all, of course, I love the makeover Dawn gives herself. I remember wanting to emulate some of her outfits as a kid (I know....) but reading them now it took everything in me not to laugh. The outfit descriptions in this book are legendary, and I love how we know Dawn is serious about changing her image when she CHEWS GUM. (As all BSC fans know, only the bad kids chew gum!)
Honestly I almost gave this book 5 stars because I still love it so very much, but the subplot with Norman Hill is so much worse than I remember and for that reason I can't. His sister is awful but his parents are actually emotionally abusive, and it hurt my heart to read about it. I can't remember if we ever hear about the Hills again, and so I have no idea if Norman ever learns to love himself in spite of his family. I'd like to think so since this is the BSC after all, but I don't know how realistic that really is. Poor Norman.
On a side note, man do I love this cover. Lewis's expression as he looks over at Dawn is perfect, but that little girl in the front who is turned around and totally spying on their date always makes me laugh. And I just noticed all the children sitting behind them - they're watching Gone with the Wind and it gets out at almost 10 PM. Why are all these children there unsupervised?
December 13, 2020
(LL)
Yo, this book is fire.
***Disclaimer for all of these book reviews both past and future: Most of the girls only have two points/facts about them that gets used over and over. While this is not the greatest thing ever the series is way better than other kid’s book series I’ve read, so the minor problematic parts of the plot/continued storyline isn’t too concerning. I only give low stars to the books in this series that are sending the wrong message to the audience, which is impressionable preteens and teens, as otherwise it doesn’t make the books bad enough to deserve one or two stars. Kids books and Fiction should be rated for what they are, and not rated down so heavily for the obvious plot holes and hyperbolic school drama.***
It does an amazing job dealing with childhood obesity and disordered eating. Yeah, most of the characters are terrible to Norman, but that’s the point. Kids can be absolutely terrible, so it’s not unrealistic.
It also does a fantastic job at showing people they don’t need to change who they are to make someone like them. (Yes, it was extreme and dramatic at times, but that’s the point.) Definitely in the top five books of the series.
Yo, this book is fire.
***Disclaimer for all of these book reviews both past and future: Most of the girls only have two points/facts about them that gets used over and over. While this is not the greatest thing ever the series is way better than other kid’s book series I’ve read, so the minor problematic parts of the plot/continued storyline isn’t too concerning. I only give low stars to the books in this series that are sending the wrong message to the audience, which is impressionable preteens and teens, as otherwise it doesn’t make the books bad enough to deserve one or two stars. Kids books and Fiction should be rated for what they are, and not rated down so heavily for the obvious plot holes and hyperbolic school drama.***
It does an amazing job dealing with childhood obesity and disordered eating. Yeah, most of the characters are terrible to Norman, but that’s the point. Kids can be absolutely terrible, so it’s not unrealistic.
It also does a fantastic job at showing people they don’t need to change who they are to make someone like them. (Yes, it was extreme and dramatic at times, but that’s the point.) Definitely in the top five books of the series.
December 6, 2019
I'm very biased and give all BSC books five stars, even if they're not five-star worthy. Like, say, Dawn's Big Date. Sorry Ann M and Suzanne Weyn, but this book was cringey af. Not just the "oh, Dawn's such an individual, she's so different!" but then she changes for a boy
again
(does Dawn even have a personality other than "comes from California and is a vegetarian?") but that "Enormous Hill" baby-sitting subplot, oof. Everything about that was baaaad. Not a fan of this book, though I did always think that Lewis was pretty hunky on the cover.
November 18, 2021
Ugh, this book was gross. All Dawn’s catty little parentheticals about Claudia’s junk food and the Spiers’ food taste come full circle as her “health food” obsession is exposed as the orthorexia we all knew it was. This entire plot was totally fatphobic. Dawn being “odd” is compared to a young boy being considered “odd” for his struggle with childhood obesity, emotional abuse, bullying, and some heavy depression.
I also don’t like that this book gaslights both Mary Anne and the reader into thinking that it’s Mary Anne’s fault that Dawn had a makeover misfire.
I feel like the writers are growing to hate Dawn too, because this is the second Dawn book in a row that’s just recycled an old plot.
I also don’t like that this book gaslights both Mary Anne and the reader into thinking that it’s Mary Anne’s fault that Dawn had a makeover misfire.
I feel like the writers are growing to hate Dawn too, because this is the second Dawn book in a row that’s just recycled an old plot.
January 6, 2016
Enjoyed this book and wish there was more Dawn-Lewis romance in the series.
September 30, 2024
Dawn’s Big Date
On New Year’s Eve, Dawn and Maryanne are about to have a sleepover. Maryanne mentions Lewis Bruno (Logan’s cousin) will be there in January and even though Dawn and Lewis have been writing each other back and forth and have chemistry, she’s worried he won’t find her attractive.
At the meeting, Dawn gets the kids of a new client (Sarah and Norman Hill). At the party, they all call boys to wish them Happy News Years, and Dawn feels bad that she doesn’t have a boy to call. While they’re making resolutions, she tells them hers is to do something more interesting with her hair. But really, she makes a resolution to get a boyfriend and be more attractive.
Dawn finds out that Norman is fat and his sister is a bitch and a tyrant. Norman says his parents are going to send him to fat camp if he doesn’t lose weight. Sarah’s friend even has a name for him “Enormous Hill”. He says he’s used to it but Sarah and her friend make a snowman of him and kinda hurt his feelings.
With Lewis coming in a week, Dawn starts her transformation. She starts to check out fashion magazines. She and Maryanne set her hair (to make it wavy) and give her makeup. She even takes a shirt and turns it into a off the shoulder shirt. Satisfied she takes a picture and sends it to him.
Claudia sits for the Hills, but she likes Sarah because she’s artistic. Norman gets taunted by some kids and comes home wet up with snowballs. Claudia later has a talk with him and he tells her he doesn’t like being fat but he likes to eat and he eats when he’s sad. He tells her he does have a friend and a girlfriend. Proving his point, the friend calls and she sees a letter he wrote to the girl (Brittany).
Because Dawn didn’t smile in the picture she’s hit with inspiration and decides she’ll be “New Dawn”. In class even though she knows the answer to a science question when called on she turns it into a smart-alecky comment. The rest of the club don’t care for the new Dawn’s attitude. Only Maryanne seems to understand.
Dawn sends Lewis a sexy, postcard to show she’s now daring. When Dawn meets Lewis, she looks like Cyndi Lauper and it’s awkward Maryanne gives her this article about directing the conversation to the guy and then tells her she’s arranged a double date.
Stacey sits for Norman and his parents get stricter. Because of Dawn and Claudia, they restrict him from junk and they make him exercise. Sarah is going on a picnic and makes Norman feel bad, but then he repays her by making exercising with Stacey seem fun. When finding Norman trying to sneak junk again, he tells Stacey that all his parents care about is his weight and nothing else he does (He even got 4 E’S in school). She tells him the next time he should tell them to flush it (not a good idea).
Dawn’s date with Lewis goes badly. She wears too much makeup and smears it during the movie, she makes a comment about his name that he doesn’t find funny, she spills popcorn everywhere, and she tries to hard to direct the conversation at him. She and Maryanne blame each other and don’t speak at the BSC meeting.
As the BSC thinks of solutions to help Norman and his parents Dawn realizes that her date would have been better if Maryanne hadn’t interfered. Maryanne realizes this too while giving Norman a lesson on how to stand up to Sarah.
Dawn gets Lewis to meet her after school and then she apologizes. She invites him over to her house so he can meet the “real her”. It works. He’s into her and he even likes the healthy food she makes. So she and Maryanne set up another double date and it goes much better. They go bowling and eat at a vegan restaurant. Then when they’re alone Lewis puts his arms around Dawn and kisses her and tells her she’s the prettiest girl he’s ever met.
So in the end Sarah starts to respect Norman more after he ripped her pictures off the wall, the parents took the rules down but cut out buying the sweets, Norman is confident enough to take a picture for Brittany, and he says he’ll lose weight by pretending he’s Stacey. And Lewis is definitely sprung over Dawn.
My Thoughts:
*YES! (In ny Brain voice) I get it! I’ve been there. I get why it was so appealing to not be the one that tries just to be pleasant and go along with what everyone else wants and then one day just not give damn. I have had this “whatever” attitude.
*I also understand (and can relate to) feeling like when you’re yourself guys don’t like *the real you* and feeling like you have to be someone harder because they don’t seem to like the *nice* *good* girls. Even though I’ve heard over and over how you just have to be yourself. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always end with a Lewis.
*I also get what it’s like to have a sister that’s always on your case about something and you just wanna tell them to kiss your behind and leave you the hell alone! As well as someone in your family take interest in only one thing about your life.
*Dawn’s outfit. Dawn’s outfit. black ballet slippers ok.. black lace leggings .. cute.. silver skirt that poofs out.. trendy.. long-sleeved black and white tight stretchy top.. NO! The outfit was ok until got to this top.. How bout black lace-up body top. CHECK! Or she could have borrowed Claudia’s New Years' shirt the black one with the silver moon appliques. I think that sales girl at Zingers needs to be looking for another career. But she IS a salesgirl. She’ll probably say anything to make a sale. And feather earrings? Just NO Dawn! We’re not going for Cindy Lauper. LMAO and Maryanne question the SKIRT?
*The black turtleneck, denim skirt, and textured stockings sound cute! This one gets my approval.
*(Snorts(“Let him see your feminine beauty loose and flowing free?” What era did this magazine come from? So if women have short hair they’re manly?
*And I loved how the message of this book was LEAVE PEOPLE THE HELL ALONE! If they want to make changes they will. You can’t push or force anybody to do anything. If you leave them alone they’ll do what they’re gonna do when and how they’re comfortable doing it. SO MANY PEOPLE NEED TO LEARN THIS LESSON!
*I even liked the cover of this. I actually liked Lewis and Dawn together!
Rating: 7
On New Year’s Eve, Dawn and Maryanne are about to have a sleepover. Maryanne mentions Lewis Bruno (Logan’s cousin) will be there in January and even though Dawn and Lewis have been writing each other back and forth and have chemistry, she’s worried he won’t find her attractive.
At the meeting, Dawn gets the kids of a new client (Sarah and Norman Hill). At the party, they all call boys to wish them Happy News Years, and Dawn feels bad that she doesn’t have a boy to call. While they’re making resolutions, she tells them hers is to do something more interesting with her hair. But really, she makes a resolution to get a boyfriend and be more attractive.
Dawn finds out that Norman is fat and his sister is a bitch and a tyrant. Norman says his parents are going to send him to fat camp if he doesn’t lose weight. Sarah’s friend even has a name for him “Enormous Hill”. He says he’s used to it but Sarah and her friend make a snowman of him and kinda hurt his feelings.
With Lewis coming in a week, Dawn starts her transformation. She starts to check out fashion magazines. She and Maryanne set her hair (to make it wavy) and give her makeup. She even takes a shirt and turns it into a off the shoulder shirt. Satisfied she takes a picture and sends it to him.
Claudia sits for the Hills, but she likes Sarah because she’s artistic. Norman gets taunted by some kids and comes home wet up with snowballs. Claudia later has a talk with him and he tells her he doesn’t like being fat but he likes to eat and he eats when he’s sad. He tells her he does have a friend and a girlfriend. Proving his point, the friend calls and she sees a letter he wrote to the girl (Brittany).
Because Dawn didn’t smile in the picture she’s hit with inspiration and decides she’ll be “New Dawn”. In class even though she knows the answer to a science question when called on she turns it into a smart-alecky comment. The rest of the club don’t care for the new Dawn’s attitude. Only Maryanne seems to understand.
Dawn sends Lewis a sexy, postcard to show she’s now daring. When Dawn meets Lewis, she looks like Cyndi Lauper and it’s awkward Maryanne gives her this article about directing the conversation to the guy and then tells her she’s arranged a double date.
Stacey sits for Norman and his parents get stricter. Because of Dawn and Claudia, they restrict him from junk and they make him exercise. Sarah is going on a picnic and makes Norman feel bad, but then he repays her by making exercising with Stacey seem fun. When finding Norman trying to sneak junk again, he tells Stacey that all his parents care about is his weight and nothing else he does (He even got 4 E’S in school). She tells him the next time he should tell them to flush it (not a good idea).
Dawn’s date with Lewis goes badly. She wears too much makeup and smears it during the movie, she makes a comment about his name that he doesn’t find funny, she spills popcorn everywhere, and she tries to hard to direct the conversation at him. She and Maryanne blame each other and don’t speak at the BSC meeting.
As the BSC thinks of solutions to help Norman and his parents Dawn realizes that her date would have been better if Maryanne hadn’t interfered. Maryanne realizes this too while giving Norman a lesson on how to stand up to Sarah.
Dawn gets Lewis to meet her after school and then she apologizes. She invites him over to her house so he can meet the “real her”. It works. He’s into her and he even likes the healthy food she makes. So she and Maryanne set up another double date and it goes much better. They go bowling and eat at a vegan restaurant. Then when they’re alone Lewis puts his arms around Dawn and kisses her and tells her she’s the prettiest girl he’s ever met.
So in the end Sarah starts to respect Norman more after he ripped her pictures off the wall, the parents took the rules down but cut out buying the sweets, Norman is confident enough to take a picture for Brittany, and he says he’ll lose weight by pretending he’s Stacey. And Lewis is definitely sprung over Dawn.
My Thoughts:
*YES! (In ny Brain voice) I get it! I’ve been there. I get why it was so appealing to not be the one that tries just to be pleasant and go along with what everyone else wants and then one day just not give damn. I have had this “whatever” attitude.
*I also understand (and can relate to) feeling like when you’re yourself guys don’t like *the real you* and feeling like you have to be someone harder because they don’t seem to like the *nice* *good* girls. Even though I’ve heard over and over how you just have to be yourself. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always end with a Lewis.
*I also get what it’s like to have a sister that’s always on your case about something and you just wanna tell them to kiss your behind and leave you the hell alone! As well as someone in your family take interest in only one thing about your life.
*Dawn’s outfit. Dawn’s outfit. black ballet slippers ok.. black lace leggings .. cute.. silver skirt that poofs out.. trendy.. long-sleeved black and white tight stretchy top.. NO! The outfit was ok until got to this top.. How bout black lace-up body top. CHECK! Or she could have borrowed Claudia’s New Years' shirt the black one with the silver moon appliques. I think that sales girl at Zingers needs to be looking for another career. But she IS a salesgirl. She’ll probably say anything to make a sale. And feather earrings? Just NO Dawn! We’re not going for Cindy Lauper. LMAO and Maryanne question the SKIRT?
*The black turtleneck, denim skirt, and textured stockings sound cute! This one gets my approval.
*(Snorts(“Let him see your feminine beauty loose and flowing free?” What era did this magazine come from? So if women have short hair they’re manly?
*And I loved how the message of this book was LEAVE PEOPLE THE HELL ALONE! If they want to make changes they will. You can’t push or force anybody to do anything. If you leave them alone they’ll do what they’re gonna do when and how they’re comfortable doing it. SO MANY PEOPLE NEED TO LEARN THIS LESSON!
*I even liked the cover of this. I actually liked Lewis and Dawn together!
Rating: 7
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2021
The babysitters club girls are at it again.
When the girls get a phone call from a new client (The Hills), they are so excited to get to babysit for two new kids. When they show up though, they are surprised to see a skinny family...and one “fat” kid. His name is Norman, and he isn’t just husky or sticky...he actually is fat.
All Norman does all day is eat, get sad because he’s fat, and then eat some more. His family isn’t helping by constantly pointing out his size though. They have him on a strict diet and are threatening to send him to fat camp over the summer.
Also, Logan’s cousin Lewis is coming to town! Lewis and Dawn have been writing to each other for a few months now and are both so excited to finally see each other in person. Dawn starts over thinking things though and decides she needs a new look in order to impress Lewis.
Maybe she should have just been herself instead of trying to change though?
I enjoyed this book because I enjoy all of them. The nostalgia is always real.
When the girls get a phone call from a new client (The Hills), they are so excited to get to babysit for two new kids. When they show up though, they are surprised to see a skinny family...and one “fat” kid. His name is Norman, and he isn’t just husky or sticky...he actually is fat.
All Norman does all day is eat, get sad because he’s fat, and then eat some more. His family isn’t helping by constantly pointing out his size though. They have him on a strict diet and are threatening to send him to fat camp over the summer.
Also, Logan’s cousin Lewis is coming to town! Lewis and Dawn have been writing to each other for a few months now and are both so excited to finally see each other in person. Dawn starts over thinking things though and decides she needs a new look in order to impress Lewis.
Maybe she should have just been herself instead of trying to change though?
I enjoyed this book because I enjoy all of them. The nostalgia is always real.
April 1, 2015
Right after reading: 3 stars for the story, but I had to bump it up a star for all the amazing outfits! Can't wait to "Polyvore" them. :)
So this story really deserves like a 2.5 for the actual plot (major fat-shaming going on that I'll get into later) but I just had to bump it up for the outfits. There are a plethora of outfits and Dawn is bringing her A-game in this one, folks. (Too bad she goes back to Cali-casual in the end.)
The book starts off on the day before New Year's Eve and Mary Anne & Dawn are getting ready for their epic BSC slumber party, making their grocery list. Dawn wants to make gross vegan (their words, not mine) stuff, of course, like soybean pie and tofu apple nut loaf. Mary Anne goes for the good stuff, like pigs in a blanket (she liked the name lol) and English muffin pizzas. They start talking about Logan and his cousin, Lewis. Remember him? Yeah me neither, hang on let me go look him up. Oh yeah, he shows up after that creepy pedo Travis. Okay, got it.
So apparently, Dawn & Lewis have been penpalling it for awhile now and Lewis is finally coming to Stoneybrook. Dawn is excited but super nervous and doesn't think he'll actually like her. I know this sounds like I'm totally insecure, but I'm not. People are always saying what an individual I am. You have be at least somewhat secure to be an individual. Oookay. She makes a resolution to get a boyfriend, even if it means changing herself to do that. (Hello, she already almost did that with Travis?!)
Dawn gets a sitting gig for the family du jour, Sarah and Norman Hill. We also, surprisingly, get an update on another family: the Kormans. Apparently Bill & Melody are no longer terrified of the toilet monster. I know you're glad to hear it. So let's talk about the Hills. In Dawn's words: Norman Hill...was fat. (I don't mean to be unkind. There's just no other way to say it. He wasn't stout. He wasn't husky or stocky or pudgy. He was fat.) Okay then. It's going to be like that? On her first sitting job, Norman gorges on cupcakes in his room, eats Hershey Kisses the entire time they watch The Little Mermaid, and eats an early dinner of pb&j sandwich with Oreos and milk. The neighborhood kids call him Enormous Hill and his parents have threatened to send him to fat camp if he doesn't lose 20 pounds.
Okay, yeah that's bad and all. But his parents kind of suck. They don't try to figure out WHY he's over-eating. They still bring in all this bad food to the house. He's 7 years old. He doesn't have any self-control. They need to do it for him. Ugh. I hated this storyline.
Back at the slumber party, the girls each call a boy at midnight, except Dawn, Jessi, & Mallory. Dawn feels like a loser and makes a second resolution to change herself, to make sure she gets that boyfriend.
She starts going thru the fashion mags and Mary Anne agrees (kind of insists) that maybe Dawn could do with a change. She slathers all this makeup on and does her hair in about 50 curlers, then tears a shirt up to make it off-the-shoulder, and takes a sexy new picture to send to Lewis. Dawn is so excited about her new look that she decides to make it permanent, along with an attitude adjustment.
"Dawn" [the teacher said] "Name two common forms of igneous rock."
"Heavy metal and pop," I answered, tossing my hair over my shoulder.
She starts tearing up all her clothes, making miniskirts out of sweatpants, more off-the-shoulder tops, and adjusting her jeans. The other girls don't like her new look and attitude, because they're jerks. MA understands though and comes up with this ironic little sentence: "Everyone should be allowed to change. I mean, we're only thirteen. None of us will stay exactly the way we are for the rest of our lives." It's finally time for Lewis to come and we get the best outfit that Dawn has ever worn:
Black ballet slippers; black lace capri leggings; a short metallic silver skirt with all this crinoliney stuff underneath that made it poof out; a stretchy, tight, black-and-white-striped top with long sleeves. I'd bought six rubber bangle bracelets, and a new pair of feather earrings that reached down to my shoulder. (I wore both earrings in the two holes in my right ear. I put a pair of small black hoops in the two holes on the left.) This time I didn't set my hair; I piled it on top of my head, then made six braids.
Of course, her new look does not mean that their first date goes well. Quite the opposite, in fact. Dawn is so busy trying to act cool that she forgets how to communicate so Mary Anne starts piling all these self-help articles on her, like "You-Directed Conversation" and "Taking Charge of Your First Date" and "Flirting with Flare".
Dawn pulls out all the stops on the date, saying Lewis' name every 5 seconds, touching his arm, making creepy eye contact, trying to hold hands in the movie theatre. They go see Gone with the Wind which is a big mistake. Dawn starts crying halfway thru and gets blue and black rivers streaking down her face. It's all a huge fail and it's all Mary Anne's fault. Duh, because it's totally not the crazy outfits.
Dawn finally comes to her senses and tells Lewis why she's been dressing like this. He tells her he likes how she used to look and she runs home, washes all the cool out of her hair, throws together some granola lunch, and Lewis finally sees the real Dawn. And surprise surprise, he likes her. Gag me with a spoon. Dawn & Lewis kiss in the end. Is that her first kiss? I can't remember. And he goes back to Kentucky.
Reviewed & all 5 outfits at: Give a Hoot Read a Book!!
So this story really deserves like a 2.5 for the actual plot (major fat-shaming going on that I'll get into later) but I just had to bump it up for the outfits. There are a plethora of outfits and Dawn is bringing her A-game in this one, folks. (Too bad she goes back to Cali-casual in the end.)
The book starts off on the day before New Year's Eve and Mary Anne & Dawn are getting ready for their epic BSC slumber party, making their grocery list. Dawn wants to make gross vegan (their words, not mine) stuff, of course, like soybean pie and tofu apple nut loaf. Mary Anne goes for the good stuff, like pigs in a blanket (she liked the name lol) and English muffin pizzas. They start talking about Logan and his cousin, Lewis. Remember him? Yeah me neither, hang on let me go look him up. Oh yeah, he shows up after that creepy pedo Travis. Okay, got it.
So apparently, Dawn & Lewis have been penpalling it for awhile now and Lewis is finally coming to Stoneybrook. Dawn is excited but super nervous and doesn't think he'll actually like her. I know this sounds like I'm totally insecure, but I'm not. People are always saying what an individual I am. You have be at least somewhat secure to be an individual. Oookay. She makes a resolution to get a boyfriend, even if it means changing herself to do that. (Hello, she already almost did that with Travis?!)
Dawn gets a sitting gig for the family du jour, Sarah and Norman Hill. We also, surprisingly, get an update on another family: the Kormans. Apparently Bill & Melody are no longer terrified of the toilet monster. I know you're glad to hear it. So let's talk about the Hills. In Dawn's words: Norman Hill...was fat. (I don't mean to be unkind. There's just no other way to say it. He wasn't stout. He wasn't husky or stocky or pudgy. He was fat.) Okay then. It's going to be like that? On her first sitting job, Norman gorges on cupcakes in his room, eats Hershey Kisses the entire time they watch The Little Mermaid, and eats an early dinner of pb&j sandwich with Oreos and milk. The neighborhood kids call him Enormous Hill and his parents have threatened to send him to fat camp if he doesn't lose 20 pounds.
Okay, yeah that's bad and all. But his parents kind of suck. They don't try to figure out WHY he's over-eating. They still bring in all this bad food to the house. He's 7 years old. He doesn't have any self-control. They need to do it for him. Ugh. I hated this storyline.
Back at the slumber party, the girls each call a boy at midnight, except Dawn, Jessi, & Mallory. Dawn feels like a loser and makes a second resolution to change herself, to make sure she gets that boyfriend.
She starts going thru the fashion mags and Mary Anne agrees (kind of insists) that maybe Dawn could do with a change. She slathers all this makeup on and does her hair in about 50 curlers, then tears a shirt up to make it off-the-shoulder, and takes a sexy new picture to send to Lewis. Dawn is so excited about her new look that she decides to make it permanent, along with an attitude adjustment.
"Dawn" [the teacher said] "Name two common forms of igneous rock."
"Heavy metal and pop," I answered, tossing my hair over my shoulder.
She starts tearing up all her clothes, making miniskirts out of sweatpants, more off-the-shoulder tops, and adjusting her jeans. The other girls don't like her new look and attitude, because they're jerks. MA understands though and comes up with this ironic little sentence: "Everyone should be allowed to change. I mean, we're only thirteen. None of us will stay exactly the way we are for the rest of our lives." It's finally time for Lewis to come and we get the best outfit that Dawn has ever worn:
Black ballet slippers; black lace capri leggings; a short metallic silver skirt with all this crinoliney stuff underneath that made it poof out; a stretchy, tight, black-and-white-striped top with long sleeves. I'd bought six rubber bangle bracelets, and a new pair of feather earrings that reached down to my shoulder. (I wore both earrings in the two holes in my right ear. I put a pair of small black hoops in the two holes on the left.) This time I didn't set my hair; I piled it on top of my head, then made six braids.
Of course, her new look does not mean that their first date goes well. Quite the opposite, in fact. Dawn is so busy trying to act cool that she forgets how to communicate so Mary Anne starts piling all these self-help articles on her, like "You-Directed Conversation" and "Taking Charge of Your First Date" and "Flirting with Flare".
Dawn pulls out all the stops on the date, saying Lewis' name every 5 seconds, touching his arm, making creepy eye contact, trying to hold hands in the movie theatre. They go see Gone with the Wind which is a big mistake. Dawn starts crying halfway thru and gets blue and black rivers streaking down her face. It's all a huge fail and it's all Mary Anne's fault. Duh, because it's totally not the crazy outfits.
Dawn finally comes to her senses and tells Lewis why she's been dressing like this. He tells her he likes how she used to look and she runs home, washes all the cool out of her hair, throws together some granola lunch, and Lewis finally sees the real Dawn. And surprise surprise, he likes her. Gag me with a spoon. Dawn & Lewis kiss in the end. Is that her first kiss? I can't remember. And he goes back to Kentucky.
Reviewed & all 5 outfits at: Give a Hoot Read a Book!!
October 5, 2018
The book Dawn’s Big Date is a fictional story that takes place in Stoneybrook. The main character is Dawn Schafer. She is part of the Baby-Sitters Club along with Kristy, Claudia, Stacey, Mal, and Jesse. Her step-sister has a boyfriend and his cousin, Lewis is interested in Dawn. Well, Dawn thinks she needs to look more mature for him to like her. She changes her look and her clothes which did not fit her style. Lewis is a little confused by this “new” Dawn and isn’t sure if he still likes her. I really enjoyed reading this book and all the others in the series.
December 6, 2020
There have certainly been moments here and there in other books in this series that don't hold up well, but most of the time it's something that's only mentioned once, and not focused on the way that fat-shaming is in this book. A few parts of the message coming out of this book are okay, like Norman learning to stand up for himself and be proud of who he is such that he feels comfortable sending a photo of himself to his pen pal (and likewise Dawn learning to be true to herself regardless of what seems "cool"), but in the end the message of "fat is bad" prevailed and that just sucks.
August 13, 2017
To be honest, I didn't remember much about this book from when I was a kid. Some of it was familiar, like poor Norman Hill, bust most of it was a big blank for me. Not that I feel like I missed anything, if I'm being perfectly honest. Dawn whining about wanting a boyfriend, about wanting to change her image, and then about Mary Anne just sort of tipped me over an edge. I now need to pull a Norman and go secretly overeat (while I cry).
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July 29, 2020As a kid my best friends sister had the whole BSC series on a book shelf in her room. I thought she was so grown up. And I envied this bookshelf. And would often poke my head into that room just to look at it.
And when I read BSC, I felt like such a grown up.
And while I might have still been a little too young to understand some of the issues dealt with in these books, I do appreciated that Ann M. Martin tackled age appropriate issues, some being deeper than others, but still important.
October 10, 2022
I've been trying to wait till I reach the end of the series before I review the books that started my love of reading years ago. So I will keep this brief; my god, this poor kid Norman! While it's not healthy for kids to be overweight, this is definitely not the way to go about it. First of all, you are so concerned with your kid eating junk food then why are you still buying it? Second of all, and I can't stress this enough, Mr. Hill is a major dick.
September 15, 2018
This book really stood out to me because of the message it had within the story. I feel it was such a powerful message and as always with the Baby Sitter’s Club, was handled gracefully. The message embedded in this story was none other than to love yourself exactly as you are. Love these stories and the messages within them!
March 5, 2023
When I was 10 I joined a readers club/group where we got a new book every week. I chose The babysitters club.
The books are fantastic! So enjoyable. I loved getting the book every week. They are super quick reads and I was able to read it in one day.
Highly recommend for young teenagers to read or even younger if they are able too read well.
The books are fantastic! So enjoyable. I loved getting the book every week. They are super quick reads and I was able to read it in one day.
Highly recommend for young teenagers to read or even younger if they are able too read well.
June 20, 2023
This is the only one-star review I've ever given a BSC book. This book is so BAD. Aside from all the horrible, HORRIBLE heteronormative, misogynistic dating stuff (which is SOMEWHAT addressed), the fat-shaming is truly horrifying. This child is being legitimately abused. He is SEVEN. I felt like throwing up through most of this book.
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February 1, 2026The hit series is back, to charm and inspire another generation of baby-sitters!Dawn and Mary Anne are so excited! Logan's cousin Lewis is finally coming to town, and Mary Anne is busy planning the perfect double date. But now Dawn is starting to get worried. She's written letters to Lewis, but she's never had a boyfriend before. What if Lewis doesn't like her?That's when Dawn decides she needs a new image. New clothes, new hairstyle, and maybe just a little more makeup (or a lot). Maybe she should learn how to flirt a little. But will Lewis and the rest of the Baby-sitters like the new Dawn?The best friends you'll ever have--with classic BSC covers and a letter from Ann M. Martin!
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December 29, 2020Just when you think there's a redeeming message about how it's okay to try new things for yourself (without going overboard), it gets shut down into "No, you should never change anything about yourself ever."
August 16, 2021
I enjoyed the Dawn part of the story. Trying to be something you’re not as a teenager to impress someone you’re interested in is very relatable. Didn’t really like the babysitting part of this one though as it kind of involved a lot of fat shaming.
November 7, 2022
I love reading this to an adult lens. Dawn experimenting with her look and attitude were fun to watch. I do feel her pain that it seems like Mary-Anne was trying to change her. Lewis seems like a great guy and I wish we saw him again in the series. It was interesting watching the Norman and Sara Hill plot line- I feel like this book did a decent job considering the time period in which it was written.
February 5, 2023
3 stars. This was cute but I don’t remember Dawn being so judgmental and she irked me a little bit in this one which was surprising. I also didn’t like the side plot with the siblings that she watched. It just wasn’t handled well but overall this was still a fun read but certainly not a favorite.
September 5, 2025
About as jarring as you'd expect a book that's half about a fat child being abused by his fatphobic family,* half about Dawn's silly teenage shenanigans as she tries to woo a boy to be. It's a big yikes from me, babes.
*of course the book does not call how Norman's family treats him abuse, even though it 100% is
*of course the book does not call how Norman's family treats him abuse, even though it 100% is
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