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The Baby-Sitters Club Mysteries #29
Stacey and the Fashion Victim
Thrilled to be a teen model during Bellair's Fashion Week, Stacey becomes increasingly alarmed at a series of frightening accidents that casts a dark shadow on the event.
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 1997
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,144 books3,116 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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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 16, 2018
in yet another completely ridiculous mystery by ghostwriter Ellen Miles, stacey gets discovered on take your daughter to work day. someone who works at bellairs, the department store where stacey’s mom also works, is organizing their fashion week, and they’re looking for a mix of professional models and real people (sort of like margaret cho in that episode of sex and the city), such as stacey and perennial bsc enemy cokie mason. the kid center at bellairs (from Stacey and the Bad Girls) needs some help during fashion week, so some of the bsc work there too. at first stacey realizes that modeling is not quite as glamorous as she might have thought; they pick clothes she thinks are too trendy and not timeless enough, and they cake on so much makeup she looks like she’s 40, plus all the other models don’t eat and only consume cigarettes, diet soda, and virulent gossip. weird things start happening with the fashion show: one of the girls, harmony, gets sick after her tea was presumably poisoned; someone keeps writing threatening messages on the bathroom mirror in lipstick; clothes and film from the photoshoots are destroyed, etc. stacey and the bsc members working at the kid center examine the suspects: a bunch of models, cokie’s agent, harmony the model’s mom, and the son of the owner of the store who is the ex-boyfriend of one of the models. at one point, harmony and stacey are supposed to pose on the roof of bellairs, and harmony suggests they pose by a railing, which falls and causes them to fall onto a lower roof section. she apologizes to stacey, and still stacey isn’t 100% positive that harmony is the perp, even though it’s obvious she is, so she hides in the bathroom early in the morning and catches harmony writing in lipstick on the mirror. harmony says that she doesn’t want to model anymore but her mom has been pressuring her so intensely that she doesn’t feel she can quit. so she has been trying to convince her mom that modeling is dangerous. her mom doesn’t care, because what mom that forces their kid into modeling would care if it’s dangerous? she’s an awful person who lives vicariously through her kid. stacey convinces harmony to tell her mom the truth, and her mom is a huge jerk to harmony, as could be expected. the subplot is annoying and preachy. the bsc kids along with the bsc hold a stoneybrook-wide smokeout in which they guilt the adult smokers they know into stopping smoking. this includes parents as well as innocent community members like the guy who owns the hardware store and is just trying to live his life and not get harassed by children.
highlights:
-I like any plotline where kids think something will be glamorous and discover that it’s not, such as the similar plotlines in California Girls! and Claudia and the Mystery at the Museum and Mary Anne and Miss Priss
-emily, the pre-teen daughter of the lady organizing fashion week, desperately wants to be a model. finally they let her walk in the last runway show of the week, and she outshines ‘em all. sucks to be you, models!
lowlights/nitpicks:
-stacey says that she has modeled before when she won a modeling contest. that’s non-canonical to the book series. it happened in baby-sitters club tv show episode #3: stacey’s big break.
-cokie tells stacey about sydney, one of the models who is basically a supermodel, but if stacey is so into fashion how did she not already know about her?
-jessi says her aunt cecelia sneaks a cigarette once in a while and then talks about how she should quit for a day. once in a while means less than every day, doesn't it? then they wonder if she could go a whole day without but earlier they said she only smokes once in a while! WHICH IS IT, JESSI?
-one of the models, cynthia, confides in stacey that she doesn’t want to model anymore. doesn’t she have friends she can talk to about it, as opposed to some girl she just met?
-why does harmony take this completely ridiculous approach to convincing her mother to not let her model anymore? it’s like sean addison in Mary Anne and the Library Mystery all over again, where he didn’t want to participate in the readathon so he burned books. it’s like, if you don’t want to model and are willing to do drastic things such as poison yourself and cause yourself to fall off a roof, then maybe you’d be better getting an upside down cross stick and poke on your forehead? I doubt they’ll want you to model with one of those. or maybe just try to gain enough weight to be in that grey area between being a regular very skinny model and being a plus size model.
-why didn’t they try going into the bathroom to see who was writing lipstick mirror messages ages ago?
outfits:
claudia outfit:
-'She was wearing one of her "working artist" outfits: a pair of white jeans with drips and squiggles of colorful paint all over them, a smocklike denim shirt, her favorite red high-top sneakers, and a hairdo that said "creative"--a loose bun held in place by two red lacquered chopsticks.'
stacey outfit:
-"I'd dressed extra carefully, in a white linen blouse, a navy skirt, and heels."
some of the fashion show outfits stacey wears:
-a raspberry-colored romper with white sneakers and a white baseball cap
-a red-and-white-striped bathing suit with a matching cover-up, red thongs, and a big straw hat
-a denim minidress with espadrilles and an armful of colorful bangles
snacks in claudia’s room:
-skittles (n.s.)
highlights:
-I like any plotline where kids think something will be glamorous and discover that it’s not, such as the similar plotlines in California Girls! and Claudia and the Mystery at the Museum and Mary Anne and Miss Priss
-emily, the pre-teen daughter of the lady organizing fashion week, desperately wants to be a model. finally they let her walk in the last runway show of the week, and she outshines ‘em all. sucks to be you, models!
lowlights/nitpicks:
-stacey says that she has modeled before when she won a modeling contest. that’s non-canonical to the book series. it happened in baby-sitters club tv show episode #3: stacey’s big break.
-cokie tells stacey about sydney, one of the models who is basically a supermodel, but if stacey is so into fashion how did she not already know about her?
-jessi says her aunt cecelia sneaks a cigarette once in a while and then talks about how she should quit for a day. once in a while means less than every day, doesn't it? then they wonder if she could go a whole day without but earlier they said she only smokes once in a while! WHICH IS IT, JESSI?
-one of the models, cynthia, confides in stacey that she doesn’t want to model anymore. doesn’t she have friends she can talk to about it, as opposed to some girl she just met?
-why does harmony take this completely ridiculous approach to convincing her mother to not let her model anymore? it’s like sean addison in Mary Anne and the Library Mystery all over again, where he didn’t want to participate in the readathon so he burned books. it’s like, if you don’t want to model and are willing to do drastic things such as poison yourself and cause yourself to fall off a roof, then maybe you’d be better getting an upside down cross stick and poke on your forehead? I doubt they’ll want you to model with one of those. or maybe just try to gain enough weight to be in that grey area between being a regular very skinny model and being a plus size model.
-why didn’t they try going into the bathroom to see who was writing lipstick mirror messages ages ago?
outfits:
claudia outfit:
-'She was wearing one of her "working artist" outfits: a pair of white jeans with drips and squiggles of colorful paint all over them, a smocklike denim shirt, her favorite red high-top sneakers, and a hairdo that said "creative"--a loose bun held in place by two red lacquered chopsticks.'
stacey outfit:
-"I'd dressed extra carefully, in a white linen blouse, a navy skirt, and heels."
some of the fashion show outfits stacey wears:
-a raspberry-colored romper with white sneakers and a white baseball cap
-a red-and-white-striped bathing suit with a matching cover-up, red thongs, and a big straw hat
-a denim minidress with espadrilles and an armful of colorful bangles
snacks in claudia’s room:
-skittles (n.s.)
May 30, 2011
this one gets four stars, just for the LOLs.
stacey is spending the day at bellair's with her mother, for take your daughter to work day. another employee, mrs. malkin, notices stacey & invites her to model in bellair's upcoming fashion week. stacey says something about how she once won a modeling contest at bellair's & it wasn't a great experience. what? when the hell did that happen? i have read every single babysitters club book ever at least a couple of times, & i have no recollection of that. anyway, stacey thinks it wouldn't hurt to give modeling another try. she can put her paycheck toward her college fund & have a good time. mrs. mcgill is reluctant, but finally agrees.
when stacey shows up for her first day of modeling, she runs into cokie mason. apparently an agent named dylan trueheart "discovered" her & she's going to be modeling in fashion week too. stacey is not excited to see cokie, but because they are familiar faces to one another, they chat. cokie gives stacey the scoop on all the other models. sydney is a real pro & is practically a supermodel, according to cokie. (then why is she modeling at bellair's fashion week in stoneybrook, connecticut?) she has been dating roger bellair, heir to the bellair's fortune, but they recently split. roger is around also. he is assisting the photographer on the catalogue shoots. (stacey has arranged for claudia to assist roger.) cynthia rowlands could be sydney-level big, but she's getting sick of modeling & is thinking about going back to regular high school. blaine is an up & coming model. she's pretty ambitious. & harmony is a great model, she could be huge, but her mom is a total stage mother.
after the first day of runway rehearsals or whatever, everyone is in the backstage area changing back into their street clothes & taking off their make-up when harmony suddenly doubles over with a stomachache. her mother immediately starts screaming about how harmony has been poisoned, railing against the lax security, etc etc. everyone is pretty scared. harmony was drinking tea. any of the other models & everyone else backstage could have easily had some tea as well. stacey wonders if any of them could have been poisoned, & wonders what the poisoner is trying to accomplish. harmony says she just needs some time & she'll be okay.
the next day, they are shooting catalogue shots. some of the girls are supposed be wearing flannel pajamas & bunny slippers. when they go backstage to put on the pajamas, they discover that they have been shredded, & the heads have been lopped off the bunny slippers. everyone is really freaked out, again. no one has any idea who could be responsible for this. really? granted, i have not modeled unless you count this one time at a department store when i was like eight years old, but i've watched enough "top model" to know that the backstage areas at photo shoots & runway shows are usually pretty crowded, with tons of people coming & going. how could someone have cut up three pairs of pajamas & sets of slippers without anyone seeing them? it must have taken a while, you know?
then weird messages start appearing on the bathroom mirrors, written in lipstick & eyeliner. stuff like, "pretty is as pretty does until pretty DIES." i'm starting to suspect r.l. stine. that sounds like his style. the babysitters decide they have a mystery on their hands, & they start writing up notes & observations in the mystery notebook. stacey is a model, so she's in the thick of the action. claudia is the photographer's assistant's assistant, so she has access to everything that's happening. mary anne & mallory are helping out with the day care area at the store, so they are around & can occasionally slip away to look for clues.
they write up their list of suspects, which includes pretty much everyone. maybe dylan trueheart is tryping to scare the models away so that his client, cokie, can get better assignments. maybe ambitious blaine is trying to do the same thing for herself. maybe roger bellair is still carrying a torch for sydney & has decided to express his affections by being a creepy motherfucker. abby suggests that the culprit is jamie the photographer. everyone's like, "why?" & abby's like, "why not?" this is why i like abby. she just doesn't take anything seriously.
a day or two later, they are doing another catalogue shoot up on the roof. harmony & stacey are modeling shorts or something. jamie puts them in lounge chairs, but harmony says his idea is stupid & that they would look better on the edge of the roof, with the stoneybrook skyline (such as it is) in the background. jamie agrees & they move to the roof. stacey leans on the railing & it collapses. both stacey & harmony fall on to a slightly lower section of roof. stacey bangs up her wrist a little, but they're okay. harmony looks shocked & says, 'sorry." stacey says, "why not? it's not your fault." while they are climbing back up to the main roof, stacey notices that someone took the bolts out of that section of railing, so that it would collapse at the slightest touch. it's sabotage, but she doesn't know who is responsible. she's scared though.
she thinks & thinks & thinks some more, & by the next day, she thinks she's got it figured out. she shares her suspicions with claudia, mary anne, & mallory, all of whom go with her to bellair's early the next morning. they each hide in a stall in the women's restroom. someone else comes in while they're hiding & pauses in front of the mirror. stacey hears a little "snick" noise & sees a motion like an arm sweeping across her field of vision (she's peeking through the crack in the door). she jumps out & catches harmony in the act of writing a threatening message on the mirror. harmony is just like, "so, you caught me. it was me. i poisoned myself, & then i cut up the PJs, & then i wrote threatening messages everywhere, & then i loosened the bolts on the railing. it was all me & i acted alone because i don't want to model anymore & i hoped that if i tricked my mom into thinking that modeling was dangerous, she wouldn't make me. but it's just your word against mine, so now what?" that's when stacey unveils her witnesses. it's still harmony's word against theirs, it's halfways plausible that stacey could get her friends to lie for her. but i guess harmony doesn't see it that way because she's like, "oh well, i am totally busted." claudia cleans off the mirror & stacey says they won't tell anyone what harmony did if she promises to talk to her mom & tell her that she wants to quit modeling. harmony agrees. harmony immediately runs off to find her mom & break the news. she does model in the final runway show that night, which goes off without a hitch. well, for everyone but cokie. dylan trueheart kind of dumps her as a client to take on blaine instead. i don't know why he can't work with both of them. cynthia also decides to give up modeling & shows stacey the brochure from the posh private high school she has chosen for herself. mrs. maslin's eight-year-old daughter wants to model, & after some resistance, mrs. maslin agrees to cast her in the final runway show. everyone is awed by her & dylan trueheart begs to take her on as a client. mrs. maslin says they can talk again when the girl is 15, if she still wants to model then.
stacey decides she had fun, but modeling isn't really her bag. cool?
the B-plot is so tedious. basically, abby catches buddy barrett & his stepsister lindsey dewitt with a cigarette. they sneaked it out of mr. dewitt's briefcase & they were about to try smoking it. really? they're eight years old. i guess some people experiment with smoking that young, but...it's pretty uncommon. anyway, abby busts them before they have a chance to light it, & she basically shames them into promising they will never smoke. they then decide to stage the great stoneybrook smoke-out, in which kids sign pledges never to smoke, & adult smokers they know sign pledges to give up smoking for one day (with the hope that they will quit for good). the kids sign up everyone they can think of. adults in stoneybrook who smoke include mr. dewiit, mrs. hobart, watson (cigars only), & aunt cecelia.
the smoke-out is a big hit. watson dresses up in a tuxedo & stages a funeral for his expensive cigars. the kids go all over town, providing the adults trying to quit with baby carrots & gum. because there's nothing more appealing to someone trying to quit than a pack of precocious, earnest moppets bearing vegetables. oh wait. that would just make me want to double-fist cigarettes. the way the smoking plot is handled is VERY after-school special & preachy. its connection to the A-plot resides in the fact that several of the models for bellair's fashion week smoke to keep their weight in check (i only wish that actually worked) & stacey finds it disgusting.
please make a note of how TERRIBLE stacey looks on the cover. she looks like a fifth place winner of a farrah fawcett look-a-like contest held in the basement of a pizza hut somewhere.
stacey is spending the day at bellair's with her mother, for take your daughter to work day. another employee, mrs. malkin, notices stacey & invites her to model in bellair's upcoming fashion week. stacey says something about how she once won a modeling contest at bellair's & it wasn't a great experience. what? when the hell did that happen? i have read every single babysitters club book ever at least a couple of times, & i have no recollection of that. anyway, stacey thinks it wouldn't hurt to give modeling another try. she can put her paycheck toward her college fund & have a good time. mrs. mcgill is reluctant, but finally agrees.
when stacey shows up for her first day of modeling, she runs into cokie mason. apparently an agent named dylan trueheart "discovered" her & she's going to be modeling in fashion week too. stacey is not excited to see cokie, but because they are familiar faces to one another, they chat. cokie gives stacey the scoop on all the other models. sydney is a real pro & is practically a supermodel, according to cokie. (then why is she modeling at bellair's fashion week in stoneybrook, connecticut?) she has been dating roger bellair, heir to the bellair's fortune, but they recently split. roger is around also. he is assisting the photographer on the catalogue shoots. (stacey has arranged for claudia to assist roger.) cynthia rowlands could be sydney-level big, but she's getting sick of modeling & is thinking about going back to regular high school. blaine is an up & coming model. she's pretty ambitious. & harmony is a great model, she could be huge, but her mom is a total stage mother.
after the first day of runway rehearsals or whatever, everyone is in the backstage area changing back into their street clothes & taking off their make-up when harmony suddenly doubles over with a stomachache. her mother immediately starts screaming about how harmony has been poisoned, railing against the lax security, etc etc. everyone is pretty scared. harmony was drinking tea. any of the other models & everyone else backstage could have easily had some tea as well. stacey wonders if any of them could have been poisoned, & wonders what the poisoner is trying to accomplish. harmony says she just needs some time & she'll be okay.
the next day, they are shooting catalogue shots. some of the girls are supposed be wearing flannel pajamas & bunny slippers. when they go backstage to put on the pajamas, they discover that they have been shredded, & the heads have been lopped off the bunny slippers. everyone is really freaked out, again. no one has any idea who could be responsible for this. really? granted, i have not modeled unless you count this one time at a department store when i was like eight years old, but i've watched enough "top model" to know that the backstage areas at photo shoots & runway shows are usually pretty crowded, with tons of people coming & going. how could someone have cut up three pairs of pajamas & sets of slippers without anyone seeing them? it must have taken a while, you know?
then weird messages start appearing on the bathroom mirrors, written in lipstick & eyeliner. stuff like, "pretty is as pretty does until pretty DIES." i'm starting to suspect r.l. stine. that sounds like his style. the babysitters decide they have a mystery on their hands, & they start writing up notes & observations in the mystery notebook. stacey is a model, so she's in the thick of the action. claudia is the photographer's assistant's assistant, so she has access to everything that's happening. mary anne & mallory are helping out with the day care area at the store, so they are around & can occasionally slip away to look for clues.
they write up their list of suspects, which includes pretty much everyone. maybe dylan trueheart is tryping to scare the models away so that his client, cokie, can get better assignments. maybe ambitious blaine is trying to do the same thing for herself. maybe roger bellair is still carrying a torch for sydney & has decided to express his affections by being a creepy motherfucker. abby suggests that the culprit is jamie the photographer. everyone's like, "why?" & abby's like, "why not?" this is why i like abby. she just doesn't take anything seriously.
a day or two later, they are doing another catalogue shoot up on the roof. harmony & stacey are modeling shorts or something. jamie puts them in lounge chairs, but harmony says his idea is stupid & that they would look better on the edge of the roof, with the stoneybrook skyline (such as it is) in the background. jamie agrees & they move to the roof. stacey leans on the railing & it collapses. both stacey & harmony fall on to a slightly lower section of roof. stacey bangs up her wrist a little, but they're okay. harmony looks shocked & says, 'sorry." stacey says, "why not? it's not your fault." while they are climbing back up to the main roof, stacey notices that someone took the bolts out of that section of railing, so that it would collapse at the slightest touch. it's sabotage, but she doesn't know who is responsible. she's scared though.
she thinks & thinks & thinks some more, & by the next day, she thinks she's got it figured out. she shares her suspicions with claudia, mary anne, & mallory, all of whom go with her to bellair's early the next morning. they each hide in a stall in the women's restroom. someone else comes in while they're hiding & pauses in front of the mirror. stacey hears a little "snick" noise & sees a motion like an arm sweeping across her field of vision (she's peeking through the crack in the door). she jumps out & catches harmony in the act of writing a threatening message on the mirror. harmony is just like, "so, you caught me. it was me. i poisoned myself, & then i cut up the PJs, & then i wrote threatening messages everywhere, & then i loosened the bolts on the railing. it was all me & i acted alone because i don't want to model anymore & i hoped that if i tricked my mom into thinking that modeling was dangerous, she wouldn't make me. but it's just your word against mine, so now what?" that's when stacey unveils her witnesses. it's still harmony's word against theirs, it's halfways plausible that stacey could get her friends to lie for her. but i guess harmony doesn't see it that way because she's like, "oh well, i am totally busted." claudia cleans off the mirror & stacey says they won't tell anyone what harmony did if she promises to talk to her mom & tell her that she wants to quit modeling. harmony agrees. harmony immediately runs off to find her mom & break the news. she does model in the final runway show that night, which goes off without a hitch. well, for everyone but cokie. dylan trueheart kind of dumps her as a client to take on blaine instead. i don't know why he can't work with both of them. cynthia also decides to give up modeling & shows stacey the brochure from the posh private high school she has chosen for herself. mrs. maslin's eight-year-old daughter wants to model, & after some resistance, mrs. maslin agrees to cast her in the final runway show. everyone is awed by her & dylan trueheart begs to take her on as a client. mrs. maslin says they can talk again when the girl is 15, if she still wants to model then.
stacey decides she had fun, but modeling isn't really her bag. cool?
the B-plot is so tedious. basically, abby catches buddy barrett & his stepsister lindsey dewitt with a cigarette. they sneaked it out of mr. dewitt's briefcase & they were about to try smoking it. really? they're eight years old. i guess some people experiment with smoking that young, but...it's pretty uncommon. anyway, abby busts them before they have a chance to light it, & she basically shames them into promising they will never smoke. they then decide to stage the great stoneybrook smoke-out, in which kids sign pledges never to smoke, & adult smokers they know sign pledges to give up smoking for one day (with the hope that they will quit for good). the kids sign up everyone they can think of. adults in stoneybrook who smoke include mr. dewiit, mrs. hobart, watson (cigars only), & aunt cecelia.
the smoke-out is a big hit. watson dresses up in a tuxedo & stages a funeral for his expensive cigars. the kids go all over town, providing the adults trying to quit with baby carrots & gum. because there's nothing more appealing to someone trying to quit than a pack of precocious, earnest moppets bearing vegetables. oh wait. that would just make me want to double-fist cigarettes. the way the smoking plot is handled is VERY after-school special & preachy. its connection to the A-plot resides in the fact that several of the models for bellair's fashion week smoke to keep their weight in check (i only wish that actually worked) & stacey finds it disgusting.
please make a note of how TERRIBLE stacey looks on the cover. she looks like a fifth place winner of a farrah fawcett look-a-like contest held in the basement of a pizza hut somewhere.
December 28, 2022
Okay, this was a really good mystery. I am biased because I like Stacey’s stories. As usual, you have teens doing things that teens wouldn’t do, but Stacey is invited to be a part of a fashion show and weird/threatening things start happening. No one knows who could be causing so much trouble. It is figured out of course and the person who did it is not super obvious.
One complaint with this book (okay 2), 1-The B plot was horrible. I wish they did not have the B plot at all. We could have saved 20 pages and just focused on the main plot. 2- Claudia is in this story and pops up so much you almost think she’s in on it. As soon as something bad happens, Claudia is immediately there to debrief with Stacey-it was not realistic but what in Stoneybrook is??
One complaint with this book (okay 2), 1-The B plot was horrible. I wish they did not have the B plot at all. We could have saved 20 pages and just focused on the main plot. 2- Claudia is in this story and pops up so much you almost think she’s in on it. As soon as something bad happens, Claudia is immediately there to debrief with Stacey-it was not realistic but what in Stoneybrook is??
November 21, 2017
It's almost like they weirdly merged the tv show with the book in this one? I don't remember Stacey being a model in the books, so it had to have come from the television show. Unless I seriously missed something!? Maybe I did, but I don't think so.
Anyway.
This one was hilarious in so many unintentional ways. I'm running into that more and more with these mystery books. Thank God they're almost over!
Anyway.
This one was hilarious in so many unintentional ways. I'm running into that more and more with these mystery books. Thank God they're almost over!
February 25, 2023
This is kind of a fun book, though it's almost immediately obvious who's responsible for all the shenanigans. The other Club members are kind of shoehorned in. And the B-story is eye-roll inducing, the kids of Stoneybrook passionately getting the adults to stop smoking.
Sidenote: it's funny how Stacey mentions that she's modeled before, when the only time it happened was in the 1990 TV series. Is that canon now?
Sidenote: it's funny how Stacey mentions that she's modeled before, when the only time it happened was in the 1990 TV series. Is that canon now?
May 6, 2023
Basically an anti-smoking ad turned into a kids book that also...warns against the dangers of working too young? Or, I guess, just working as a model. This one has some fun elements, but doesn't seem to have much to do with babysitting.
January 19, 2025
The title and concept of this mystery is clever. However there are too many new characters to keep track of and the plot is similar to KRISTY AND THE VAMPIRES. The earlier mysteries were more interesting because there were higher stakes: the Main characters were suspects or in direct danger.
January 16, 2020
The whole smoking subplot seemed very out of place for a BSC book.
November 25, 2020
I don’t know why, but lately, I haven’t enjoyed the Stacey books that I’ve read in this series. This is my 2nd mystery and the so-called “mystery” blows. Cutting up models clothing?! Oh boy...
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February 21, 2021Read my recap at A Year with the BSC via Stoneybrook Forever: https://www.livethemovies.com/bsc-blo...
October 14, 2021
This was not very interesting. It was about Stacey and beauty and it was boring.
May 22, 2023
This book is only good because Stacey is the main character :)
November 25, 2023
Nothing either memorable or special about this. An okay mystery but not really that intriguing.
February 8, 2024
I enjoyed this one more than the others I've been reading lately. I like a good Stacey novel, and the side plot actually had a bit more meaning than it usually does!
May 29, 2018
Stacey And The Fashion Victim
PLOT: Stacey decides on a visit to Bellairs on (Bring Your Daughter To Work Day) with the encouragement of the other employees to take place in Fashion Week. Fashion Week is where a group of young teen models are picked to do a series of "assignments" (photo shoots, and fashion shows). At the end, a "Princess" will be picked and crowned at the end show. But pranks start happening around the models that cause the Baby Sitter's Club to investigate further into the culprit. In the B plot when two of the charges are found with cigarettes the rest of the kids decide to have a Smoke Out day that challenges the adult smokers to quit for one day.
MY THOUGHTS: This wasn't SO bad. Unlike the others, I didn't guess right away who it was. I didn't know this one was from one of the mysteries at first. So when Harmony initially gets poisoned, I thought it was a stretch. Because I don't know she might have had cramps. She might have eaten something that disagreed with her. Then she said she was tired. Come to find out later that SHE was the one that poisoned herself to make it look like modeling was dangerous and she had a stage mom so she wanted out. I'll let that sink in. SHE POISONED HERSELF! And did NOT have to go get her stomach pumped or taken to a hospital of any kind. First of all this girl REALLY doesn't want to model anymore. SHE POISONED HERSELF!!! What if she would have DIED? That's saying something to say she took the chance of DYING rather than wanting to model. But I don't think she even realized how dangerous that was because she said: "I knew it wouldn't hurt me." YEAH. At first, I thought it was Harmony's mother. I thought Harmony was just feeling a little worn out but the mother was trying to get money by taking advantage of that. She also tries to sue another time (although in that case, it was more understandable if a store's negligence causes danger to your kid). Then I thought it was the store employee's daughter. Because honestly cutting up clothes sounds like something a kid having a tantrum would do if they weren't getting their way. After Harmony frowns at being given the honor though is when it started to come clear to me that she didn't want it. I just think it's sad that there are parents like this. I have a cousin whose mom was this controlling. Everyone has a right to choose their own path in life. Although I did agree with Stacey that "normal life" wasn't all that either. But I think Harmony will find that the grass isn't always greener. The other B) plot was ok BUT I think it takes more than ONE DAY to cure an addiction. It was great that Watson ATTEMPTED to but let's be honest. He's a BILLIONAIRE. He can go out the next time he has a craving a buy more cigars. And while the kids might have seen this as a "good thing" one day compared to no telling how many other days of smoking these adults have done and the damage they've put on their bodies is NOT EQUAL. Unless they all after the Smoke Out just stop cold-turkey. I don't really see that giving up one day of something and you'll go right back (Cause you know Mr. Franklin is) DOES NOTHING! I got the message but I think it was a little bit unrealistic.
RATING: 51/2 For a little more less obvious mystery for this series.
PLOT: Stacey decides on a visit to Bellairs on (Bring Your Daughter To Work Day) with the encouragement of the other employees to take place in Fashion Week. Fashion Week is where a group of young teen models are picked to do a series of "assignments" (photo shoots, and fashion shows). At the end, a "Princess" will be picked and crowned at the end show. But pranks start happening around the models that cause the Baby Sitter's Club to investigate further into the culprit. In the B plot when two of the charges are found with cigarettes the rest of the kids decide to have a Smoke Out day that challenges the adult smokers to quit for one day.
MY THOUGHTS: This wasn't SO bad. Unlike the others, I didn't guess right away who it was. I didn't know this one was from one of the mysteries at first. So when Harmony initially gets poisoned, I thought it was a stretch. Because I don't know she might have had cramps. She might have eaten something that disagreed with her. Then she said she was tired. Come to find out later that SHE was the one that poisoned herself to make it look like modeling was dangerous and she had a stage mom so she wanted out. I'll let that sink in. SHE POISONED HERSELF! And did NOT have to go get her stomach pumped or taken to a hospital of any kind. First of all this girl REALLY doesn't want to model anymore. SHE POISONED HERSELF!!! What if she would have DIED? That's saying something to say she took the chance of DYING rather than wanting to model. But I don't think she even realized how dangerous that was because she said: "I knew it wouldn't hurt me." YEAH. At first, I thought it was Harmony's mother. I thought Harmony was just feeling a little worn out but the mother was trying to get money by taking advantage of that. She also tries to sue another time (although in that case, it was more understandable if a store's negligence causes danger to your kid). Then I thought it was the store employee's daughter. Because honestly cutting up clothes sounds like something a kid having a tantrum would do if they weren't getting their way. After Harmony frowns at being given the honor though is when it started to come clear to me that she didn't want it. I just think it's sad that there are parents like this. I have a cousin whose mom was this controlling. Everyone has a right to choose their own path in life. Although I did agree with Stacey that "normal life" wasn't all that either. But I think Harmony will find that the grass isn't always greener. The other B) plot was ok BUT I think it takes more than ONE DAY to cure an addiction. It was great that Watson ATTEMPTED to but let's be honest. He's a BILLIONAIRE. He can go out the next time he has a craving a buy more cigars. And while the kids might have seen this as a "good thing" one day compared to no telling how many other days of smoking these adults have done and the damage they've put on their bodies is NOT EQUAL. Unless they all after the Smoke Out just stop cold-turkey. I don't really see that giving up one day of something and you'll go right back (Cause you know Mr. Franklin is) DOES NOTHING! I got the message but I think it was a little bit unrealistic.
RATING: 51/2 For a little more less obvious mystery for this series.
October 25, 2012
I hadn't read this one as a kid, actually, so I was kind of excited to read it. I was disappointed, really.
My major issues with this one were
1- it was basically the same plot as Jessi & The Dance School Phantom. I knew who did it as soon as said person was introduced!
2- I disagree with trying to show young girls that modeling as anything but a sexist shallow road to anorexia & self loathing. The horrid undertones of modeling were barely touched on!
Obviously the book wasn't about the evils of modeling, but it seemed that the preachy anti-smoking subplot could have been exchanged for a more relevant subplot about the dangers of modeling!
Speaking of that subplot…
(SPOILERS):
3- The anti-smoking harassment campaign. They catch kids with cigarettes so decide to... declare war on all smokers in town?
As a smoker of 13 years, I (along with any other smoker) am aware of the health risks. I wouldn't want a pack of kids trying to guilt trip me out of it!
Obviously as a kid I wanted my mum to quit, & like most kids raised in the "Just say no"/"drugs and cigarettes are equal evils" I nagged her about it. She quit, yes. But not because of my nagging! It was when she was ready!!
I feel there are better ways to give (necessary if not mostly pointless) anti-smoking messages to kids than to teach them to harass relatives/neighbors that smoke (believe me... we smoke more when annoyed!!)
My major issues with this one were
1- it was basically the same plot as Jessi & The Dance School Phantom. I knew who did it as soon as said person was introduced!
2- I disagree with trying to show young girls that modeling as anything but a sexist shallow road to anorexia & self loathing. The horrid undertones of modeling were barely touched on!
Obviously the book wasn't about the evils of modeling, but it seemed that the preachy anti-smoking subplot could have been exchanged for a more relevant subplot about the dangers of modeling!
Speaking of that subplot…
(SPOILERS):
3- The anti-smoking harassment campaign. They catch kids with cigarettes so decide to... declare war on all smokers in town?
As a smoker of 13 years, I (along with any other smoker) am aware of the health risks. I wouldn't want a pack of kids trying to guilt trip me out of it!
Obviously as a kid I wanted my mum to quit, & like most kids raised in the "Just say no"/"drugs and cigarettes are equal evils" I nagged her about it. She quit, yes. But not because of my nagging! It was when she was ready!!
I feel there are better ways to give (necessary if not mostly pointless) anti-smoking messages to kids than to teach them to harass relatives/neighbors that smoke (believe me... we smoke more when annoyed!!)
September 19, 2024
Another mystery that was a dud. The books and the 90's TV series crossed over since Stacey apparently has modeled before. Who knew? It wasn't in any of the books I've read so far. She joins Bellair's fashion week along with Cokie who has an agent now. Someone is sabotaging the models writing letters in lipstick on mirrors, shredding outfits the models were supposed to wear, and a railing on the roof that Stacey and another girl were leaning on gives way and sends them down a short distance and of course the BSC has to solve it. The b plot involves Buddy Barrett and one of his stepsisters about to try a cigarette. The club and their charges start a quit smoking campaign which works even though it's mostly them being annoying to the adults in their lives. I'm glad I'm getting close to the end of these mysteries because apart from a small few they are truly boring and ridiculous.
April 13, 2025
⁷The modeling mystery A-plot was lots of fun. I only wish there was a lot more of the behind the scenes of Fashion Week.
The B-plot about kids trying to get their adults to stop smoking (the Great Stoneybrook Smokeout!) was really boring but I guess good on those kids for doing that. I just wish we could've had a whole book just on the A-plot and included lots more modelling drama. Or even more of Claudia's experiences as assistant to the photographer's assistant! Or Mary Anne and Mal's adventures in Bellair's daycare during fashion week! The set up was so cool, and so much more could've been done with it.
Also,
The B-plot about kids trying to get their adults to stop smoking (the Great Stoneybrook Smokeout!) was really boring but I guess good on those kids for doing that. I just wish we could've had a whole book just on the A-plot and included lots more modelling drama. Or even more of Claudia's experiences as assistant to the photographer's assistant! Or Mary Anne and Mal's adventures in Bellair's daycare during fashion week! The set up was so cool, and so much more could've been done with it.
Also,
July 8, 2012
Same old tired story. And the secondary story was awful. A bunch of kids getting all the adults in Stoneybrook to quit smoking? I don't think so.
Re-read 7/8/12: It seems to have gotten worse with age
Re-read 7/8/12: It seems to have gotten worse with age
November 28, 2011
What's with the cover? Stacey (if that's who it's supposed to be) looks like she's dancing to "Junior Senior"!
I don't really get why this was a Mystery - it was very similar to "Jesse and the Dance School Phantom" which was just a regular BSC book. Not too bad, but not the best either.
I don't really get why this was a Mystery - it was very similar to "Jesse and the Dance School Phantom" which was just a regular BSC book. Not too bad, but not the best either.
April 14, 2016
Despite the fact that this is basically Jessi and the Dance School Phantom all over again, I still enjoyed re-reading this book. These later mysteries are so ridiculous, but I just love them.
However, can we talk about how awful Stacey looks on the cover? Yikes.
However, can we talk about how awful Stacey looks on the cover? Yikes.
December 9, 2024
AKA "The BSC and the Anti-Smoking PSA"
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